A/N: Auction!AU (and Muggle!AU too)
For What It's Worth
Sirius hid a yawn behind his hand and eyed the auctioneer with appreciation. He was slim, but had a pair of deceptively broad shoulders hidden beneath a tweed jacket, with tawny hair and chocolate brown eyes. Yummy. Beneath the jacket, he wore a plain white shirt, with a plum bow tie neatly knotted at the base of his throat. The man was seated behind a walnut desk that lent him an air of authority, and had just informed some poor sod that their painting was worth less than the frame it had been mounted on.
"Next, sir," the auctioneer said, scribbling something on his clipboard as his previous visitor rushed out, looking devastated.
"Sir? Save that for the bedroom," Sirius joked.
The auctioneer snapped up his head and narrowed his eyes.
"Very funny," he replied, so dryly Sirius felt parched for a drink. "Now, how can I help you?"
"I'm Sirius, by the way," Sirius continued, despite the thinly veiled glare. "And my parents left me a whole heap of shit that I need to sort through. Some of it looked fancy, so…" he shrugged, "I thought I'd bring it here."
"Wonderful," the auctioneer muttered, before plastering on a forced smile. "My name is Remus Lupin, please, take a seat."
"It's my pleasure, Remus," Sirius purred. He shrugged the backpack off his shoulder. It clattered onto the wooden floor of the auction house with a clang.
"Nothing too important, then," Remus muttered.
"Quite the contrary," Sirius replied. "My mother's precious silver. But she was a vicious harpy and is probably rolling over in her grave at the very thought of me selling it on, and that brings me nothing but joy."
Remus pursed his lips and nodded at the bag.
"If you say so. Let's see this silver, then."
Sirius tipped the bag out onto the desk. The look on Remus's face changed from bored tolerance to awe in an instant.
"Stop, stop!" he cried, catching Sirius's wrists in a tight grip.
"Saucy. Do I need a safeword?"
Remus didn't even bother trying to hide his glare.
"Be careful," he snapped. He gently picked up a piece of Sirius's mum's silverware, running the pad of his finger along an engraving of a name on the bottom of what looked like a milk jug to Sirius.
"This is Crawley Silver," Remus said.
"Fancy, is it?" Sirius replied. "Or just fancy silver? Melt it down for slag, for all I care."
Remus looked horrified at the suggestion.
"Absolutely not," he said. He stroked the silver again before placing it reverently on the desk, moving onto another piece, a silver mug. Remus buffed the handle with a handkerchief procured from his breast pocket, admiring the shine.
"Amazing," he murmured.
Sirius yawned once more, not bothering to hide it, and tilted back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. The building they were in had exposed beams and whitewashed walls; very quaint. Bookshelves lined the walls and a large window brightened the room with natural light.
"I think you'll get at least two hundred for this," Remus said, after having inspected the set.
Sirius thunked the chair back onto all fours and frowned at the silver.
"Is that all? Two hundred bucks? I could get that at a pawn shop."
To his surprise, Remus snorted with laughter.
"Sirius," Remus said. "I think the value of these six pieces together is worth two hundred thousands pounds."
Sirius's jaw dropped.
"This wine taster alone would fetch fifty grand," Remus said, running a careful hand over it. "Wow. This is simply an amazing find. At an auction, it will easily go for more."
"So you'll auction it for me?" Sirius said.
"It goes without saying."
Remus put down the jug and looked Sirius in the eye.
"I want to apologise for my demeanour earlier, Sirius. Most people that come to me with family heirlooms are just wasting my time. I've been having a bad day, and I made an incorrect assumption, I'm sorry."
Sirius burst into laughter.
"As if surliness could put me off." He winked. "But you could make it up to me with dinner."
Remus looked at him, truly looked at him, and Sirius preened, fluttering his eyelashes.
"Dinner would be acceptable, I suppose…" Remus said. "But only if you promise to bring any more of these 'fancy finds' to me."
"You drive a hard bargain," Sirius said, smirking. "After dinner, maybe you can come back to mine to inspect the goods." He leered. "Some of it may need polishing."
Remus's cheeks pinked, but he wiggled his eyebrows in return.
"I'll be sure to bring my lubricant in case any joints need oiling," he said, looking shocked at his own daring.
Sirius barked a laugh.
"I'll hold you to that," he promised and wondered how many more antiques he'd be able to procure for Remus to admire.
Word Count: 813
Auction — Day 7, Auction 1: Auction!AU [813 words = 16 coins]
Crawley Silver is a real collection that was presented on Antiques Roadshow, details can be found with a quick Google, as FF won't let me post the links.