re: Sirius Black
(or, ten things Remus Lupin notices about Sirius Black)
i. He smells of rain when he's angry, pressed-linen when he's not.
ii. Sirius Black's flaws:
- a chipped tooth,
- a scarred knee,
- thin ankles,
- bad at poetry.
(Remus thinks these are lovely.)
iii. Sirius Black often wears other people's clothes.
James' jumpers:
- garish,
- thick,
- probably a kind of fuck you to the Black family.
Peter's socks:
- oddly (and pleasantly), they smell of mothers and soap,
- are always in correct pairings (Peter's anal about that kind of thing).
But never Remus' clothes. Remus' clothes are tattered and thinning and much too short, which Sirius doesn't mind about, but Remus does mind about. Scruffy dumb ugly Lupin has no business being on a Black.
iv. His favourite food is grapes, which seems poignant to Remus for some reason.
v. Sirius' mother is like wire; thin and cold. Remus never meets Sirius' father, but always imagines him to be tall and barrel-chested (just like a father should be).
vi. Sirius Black recites the universe when he can't sleep – Andromeda, Arcturus, Bellatrix, Orion, Regulus. Later, Remus learns this is his family.
vii. Sirius returns from prison half-man half-boy and almost full-Black. He bears new tattoos, which Remus doesn't find sexy. Remus cries for Sirius. Sirius cries for himself, too.
viii. Sirius fucks girls out of obligation. Smelling of cheap eau de parfum, mouth smeared in red, there is no sense of victory.
ix. Sirius Black is beautiful.
x. After Azkaban Sirius is all angry words and shattered bones – he punches walls, over and over, until he is too tired or too sad or both. Often falling into silences that stretch for days, the half-wolf finds that he isn't very fond of this half-man.