Title: The Doll
Author: Victor-Fleurette
Pairing: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin with Sirius Black/James Potter implied
Rating: G
Summary: Remus and Sirius are enjoying a peaceful moment together.
Warnings: Gentle picking on Snape
Author's note: One will find several idiomatic mistakes in this fic, as English is my second language.
Disclaimer: All the characters, places, trademarks etc. belongs to J.K Rowling and I used them to create this for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringements intended.
The snow had been falling heavily the latest week and now the lake had frozen up as well. Even the forbidden forest was covered by the white floss which surrounded the castle and forced its cold silence upon the students and teachers. Everyone seemed stressed, the fifth graders studied to their OWL, as did the seventh graders to their NEWT. The teachers were busy helping the students, giving them career advices and nagging them of the upcoming hexams they all were painfully aware of in the first place. Even Filch seemed a bit peripheral this Christmas. He was constantly getting into quarrels with the teachers, became overly paranoid concerning the amount of dungbombs contained inside the castle and claimed that Mrs Norriswere ill due to some rascals trying to poison her at least two times a week. The only one seemingly unmoved by hexams, dungbombs or even Christmas gifts he needed to buy was the Principal, Albus Dumbledore. He appeared like the worthy, good natured wizard he was, a truly calming sight for some, still he had a stressing impact on others. Professor McGonagall, who was one of the latter, almost went through the roof every time she heard his gentle voice or caught as much as a glimpse of his unwavering form.
This year the Gryffindors seemed even more eager to get a high score on the hexams than the students in the house of Ravenclaw. Still, there was two, or at least one, student who did not bury his nose in a book to repeat the curriculum of this year.
At the Gryffindors bedchamber, two boys, both of them fifth graders due to take their first hexam in the summer, sat at the window sill and watched the snow settle around the windows and the frost emerging on the pane, which made it impossible to look out. One of them had his maroon and yellow coloured scarf bundled around his friend's neck as well as his own.
He was a stunningly beautiful boy and the scars which went diagonally through his face just made you aware of his delicate features, keen eyes and his intelligent forehead wreathed by slightly too long light brown locks falling into his eyes. The other boy rested his dark, elegant head upon his shoulder, his face buried in the nape of his neck. The light haired boy held a little puppet in his hand, resembling a thin, pale boy with a big, hooked nose and dark, greasy hear.
They didn't say anything; they just sat there, enjoying the silence and the calming sound of their almost synchronous breathing. As they say like this, dozing off, the door at the other end of the room flung open and a thin boy with a broomstick in one hand and a little golden ball with wings in the other entered the room. He let go of the little ball and it hung in front of him in the air for one moment before it disappeared to the left, cunningly fast.
He placed his broom carefully on one of the beds before he pulled his red and yellow cap off, revealing a mass of black, untidy hair. The boys in the window didn't seem to have noticed him, but suddenly the fair one turned his head.
"How did you manage?"
The boy looked at him through his frosty glasses, eyes sparkling with joy.
"I managed as usual. I got the snitch before fifteen minutes had passed, snapped it from right underneath the nose of the other seeker." He boasted, as usual. "You've should have been there, both of you. One magnificent match I would say!"
"Off course you would James, everything involving you are so magnificent", said the dark boy with more than a streak of laughter in his voice.
James overheard his comment, as usual, being very much used to his best friends teasing.
"So, what have you two chaps been up to while I've been out on the field, earning my glory?" He said and seated himself at the bed closest to the window, resting his head in his hand and his elbow on his knee.
His friend laughed. "You don't want to know"
James became aware of the little dark haired doll.
"What on earth are you doing with that Snape doll, Remus?" he frowned, laughing.
"I thought we got enough of him during the week, to want to play with him in our spare time!
I know you incessantly remind us that he's not that bad, but c'mon, a doll? I didn't know you were up to such girly activities anyway."
"It's a Christmas gift", Remus replied shortly. "From Sirius"
James only had to exchange one look with Remus before they both burst out laughing. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"So this is what I get for trying to be friendly?" He said with a sophisticated, hurt voice. "Moony here is always nagging me, and you James, for being to harsh on our greasy friend, and therefore I made this doll, to make us used to his appearance before we invite him to join the marauders." He kept himself so serious that James for one moment actually believed him, but when that mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes which he loved and was so accustomed to, he burst out into another fit of laughing.
"You're such a child sometimes, Padfoot", Remus giggled into Sirius' hair.
James was convulsed with laughter. "Yes Snuffles, such a doll!"
At that moment another entered the room. He was small and pale, with wispy hair and a pointy face, like a rodent.
"What are you doing?" he asked meekly.
"Just having a conversation about our dear friend, Snape", Remus answered with a sigh.
The other boy seemed puzzled. "I thought we didn't like him?"
"Exactly, rat-boy, exactly", said Sirius still quick to laugh. "But now we're practicing you see."
"Practising?" said the boy above his breath, as if he was scared to talk too loudly to the other.
"To get used to his big nose honouring us with its greasy presence", Sirius grinned and invited ridicule once again.
The pale boy stood in the doorway with snow in his hair and on his shoulders, blinking uncomprehending at the highly amused boys.
"Shut up Sirius, you're just baffling him. He'll not understand it anyway." Remus said softly, planting a kiss on his lips.
The boy at the door winced and looked in another direction, while James smiled at them.
As Remus pulled his friend closer he dropped the doll on the floor, were it landed upon the creaking cardboards, sulking unnoticed.