A/N - Thank you to all of you who reviewed and/or added me to one of your lists! No excuse for the long wait – I just could not seem to make myself sit down and write. Reviews are not expected but are always appreciated. :)
Gentlemen, Part 2
The whole thing was damned tedious.
Another evening spent in the company of the country's cold-blooded elite with little else but endless waltzing to entertainment him.
Clenching his jaw tightly, the dark-haired man scanned the grand ballroom with his cynical gray eyes. He could think of very few things more dangerous than the sweet smiles the witches of the ton habitually bestowed on unattached wizards of good fortune.
Under normal circumstances, the handsome man might use his wealth and influence to his advantage at a function such as this. After all, the Pettigrews' vast estate could provide the necessary privacy for any manner of rendezvous.
However, the predatory stares and the coy glances being directed his way from married ladies and young debutantes alike were not having the desired effect on him that evening. With an expression of nonchalance fixed on his face, the man watched the dancing figures glide across the gleaming floor of the ballroom.
Not for the first time that night, his eyes surreptitiously sought out one guest in particular. Fortunately for him – and his inherent impatience – it did not take him long to find who he was looking for.
Carefully leading one of the Delhems' unmarried daughters in a waltz around the room was the only person who had stirred even the smallest amount of interest in him since his arrival at the Pettigrews' estate.
Lupin.
The doe-eyed chit clinging tightly to one of the man's broad shoulders – her other safely ensconced in one of his strong hands – appeared to be genuinely enjoying herself.
Sirius' eyes narrowed.
Since that first night in the study he had spent much of his time observing the other man. By now, he knew that while Lupin's every move was deliberate and sophisticated – a gentleman to the core – his mannerisms were infused with such warmth that the lucky recipient of his attention always felt overwhelmingly at ease in his presence.
Sirius eyed the pair intently from his position in the dimly lit alcove along the far side of the room. He remained unmoving until the two figures made a graceful turn a few paces from where he stood.
The dance was nearly at an end.
Straightening his back, he effortlessly closed the distance between himself and the dancing couple – smoothly stepping up to one side of the pretty, young witch.
The charming smile that graced his face when the girl looked towards him in surprise brought a blush to her pale cheeks.
The dancing couple slowed to a halt.
"Mr. Black," the witch said breathlessly. "What a lovely surprise."
The flush creeping up her neck darkened significantly when Sirius placed one of his hands lightly at the small of her back. He was distinctly aware of where Remus' own large hand rested in the space above the girl's waist; Sirius' thumb grazed the edge of the man's smallest finger.
"You must forgive me for interrupting," Sirius murmured quietly, knowing the effect that his voice would have on the witch. "But I could not resist the temptation."
He glanced over the girl's head and found his gaze caught by the amused expression on the other man's face. The brown eyes were alight and one corner of the man's smooth lips twitched with what appeared to be suppressed laughter.
"Good evening, Mr. Black," the warm voice greeted.
"Good evening," he responded with a nod.
"Mr. Lupin and I were just attempting our second waltz," the witch said unnecessarily. "He has been terribly patient with me this evening."
Finding it difficult to stomach the besotted expression on her pretty face, Sirius looked back up at the other man. His eyes narrowed fractionally at the genuine smile that had spread across Remus' handsome face at her words.
"Is that so?" Sirius asked quietly.
"Oh, yes," she gushed instantly. "I am quite sure that I must be one of the most inexperienced dancers in all of England…but he has been so kind to me."
"I assure you, Miss Delhem," came Remus' earnest reply. "It was an absolute honor to dance with you."
Still unaccountably conscious of where Remus' hand rested above his own, Sirius had the most peculiar urge to break the contact between Remus and the girl.
Instead, he looked back down at her with his most charming smile.
"Well perhaps Mr. Lupin would allow me the pleasure of your company for the next dance?" he requested politely. "I may not have his skill but I can promise you I am just as eager a partner."
The young woman turned a fetching shade of pink and turned to look at Remus expectantly.
An eyebrow raised in amusement, Lupin did not hesitate to nod his acquiescence.
"Of course," he murmured politely.
Sirius felt regret and relief simultaneously flood through him when Remus dropped his hand and stepped back.
With a bow to the girl and another amused nod at Sirius, the handsome man turned and crossed to the edge of the room – leaving the raven-haired man alone with the pretty, young witch.
The thrill which Sirius had felt when he'd first sidled up to the pair disappeared almost instantly.
He felt the witch's dainty hand take hold of his forearm and he finally tore his eyes away from the retreating back of the other man long enough to see the big blue eyes staring up at him.
He fought back a groan.
Well, damn it all.
Now he was actually going to have to dance with the little chit.
It was several hours (and far too much dancing) before Sirius found himself safely ensconced in the Pettigrews' study – nursing a rather large glass of firewhisky in one of his hands.
It had taken the better part of the night for the festivities to die down enough for the gentlemen to withdraw from the ballroom for a much-needed nightcap.
Even for Sirius, it had not taken more than a nod from Peter (and the mention of a large glass of alcohol) for him to redirect his retreating footsteps towards the study instead of his bed.
Subsequently, it did not take more than the sight of Lupin's back several steps ahead of him for Sirius to be encouraged to pick up his pace.
Much to his inexplicable relief, his speed had granted him a seat by the fire – and more specifically, the only seat next to Lupin. He felt a strange sense of satisfaction when he realized that the other gentlemen would be forced to settle themselves on the chaise and armchairs scattered across the other side of the room. He had Lupin, more or less, to himself.
The thought put him inexplicably on edge.
Apart from the perfunctory nod of acknowledgement, neither man attempted to engage the other in any manner of conversation.
Sirius, for his part, was avoiding looking at the other man – instead opting to take large gulps of firewhiskey until his throat burned. His gray eyes, fixed on the flames, nearly watered before his shoulders finally began to ease of their tension.
What was wrong with him?
He took another swig of his drink for good measure. Only when his head began to buzz dully was he finally able to tear his gaze away from the blazing fire – towards the man sitting across from him.
His pulse quickened.
The glowing brown eyes had clearly been fixed on his face for quite some time.
For a split second, the handsome man had looked like a hunter trying to gauge the next move of his prey. Sirius suppressed a shiver at the thought.
It was a ridiculous notion.
…And yet there was something about those eyes that held one's attention fully. A watchfulness. An intensity.
In all fairness, he could not blame the young witches for simpering over Lupin.
The thought of them nevertheless brought a frown to his face.
"You should avoid the Delhem girls from now on," Sirius advised abruptly. "Especially the youngest."
Any remnants of the intense expression in Lupin's eyes instantly melted away and the man's lips twitched with amusement, just as they had earlier.
That mouth…
"Indeed?" Lupin queried, his voice low and warm – and tinged with laughter. "What did Miss Delhem do to you then? Tug on your sleeve too hard? Trod on your foot?"
Sirius scowled.
"That family has four unmarried daughters and a dwindling fortune," he answered back sharply. "I daresay you owe me a bit more gratitude than that for taking her off your hands earlier."
The man raised his eyebrows in mild surprise at the tone.
"You were rescuing me then were you, Mr. Black?" The subtle amusement still had not left Lupin's voice.
Sirius felt his mild irritation increase tenfold.
Exhaling sharply, he set his glass down on the table nearest him. Having drawn the attention of a few gentlemen across the room, Sirius had to force himself to wait for the men to return to their own conversations before responding.
"You are not taking this very seriously," he murmured lowly, his lips barely moving. "She is dangerous."
Sirius paused and indicated the other occupants in the room with a subtle nod in their direction. "They are dangerous."
He looked directly into Lupin's eyes. "I am dangerous."
Unsure why he was so intent on issuing warnings to the other man – and confused by the strength of his own desire to protect him – Sirius exhaled loudly once more and leaned back in his chair.
"I don't understand why you're even here," he said softly. "They are all the same: cruel, vindictive, heartless…"
He swallowed tightly.
"And I am just like them."
Lupin, who had not once looked away from him since they had begun speaking, leaned back in his chair as well.
"Hmm," he murmured thoughtfully, his eyes momentarily devoid of humor. "So you've said."
Lupin raised a hand to his mouth and tapped one of his long fingers against his smooth lips in thought. He stared intently at Sirius until the dark-haired man could not help but look away. Sirius knew enough about legilimency to be discomfited by the attention.
What might Lupin see if he were to look into his mind?
He shivered almost imperceptibly.
A man who had spent the majority of his life hedonistically pursuing women, drinking firewhisky, gambling?
At least, up until now, he had not been alone in these far from innocent endeavors. Now, though, with James engaged and preparing to abandon their self-indulgent lifestyle, Sirius would be on his own…He would continue on just as he always had unless, like James, he managed to find something else more worthy of his attention.But what else was there?
What he needed to do was to clear his mind. He knew well enough that this was a task that was best achieved by a successful seduction, a large glass of alcohol, or a nice, distracting game of billiards.
"Billiards?"
Sirius nearly choked on his firewhiskey. He did not attempt to conceal his incredulous – and downright unnerved – expression at the other man's words.
Had Lupin looked into his mind? If so, how much had he seen?
Oh Merlin…
Sirius stared closely at the other man and did not respond right away.
Lupin couldn't have…Surely he would have felt the other man's presence in his mind…?
"Pardon?" he asked finally, fully aware that he had infused that one innocent word with his most aristocratic and intimidating tone.
Lupin merely shrugged.
"Wizards' Billiards," he said again, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile. "I hear you're a decent opponent, Black. I would like to find out for myselfthough."
Though still thrown by the abrupt turn in conversation – and helplessly distracted by Remus' mouth once again – Sirius felt one word fly to the forefront of his partially inebriated brain.
"Decent?"
"Mm," Lupin murmured in agreement.
Sirius felt certain that this must be one of those rare occasions when the alcohol was actually having a calming effect on his temper. How else could he rationalize his abrupt loss of interest in convincing Lupin that he deserved to be amongst better company than those staying at the Pettigrews' estate – that he deserved better company than Sirius himself?
"Are you certain you heard correctly?" Sirius asked, sitting up in his seat and feeling the stirrings of a new challenge flit through him. Apart from James, there were very few members of the wizarding world who were brave enough to criticize Sirius Black behind his back – never mind to his face.
Lupin looked unrepentant.
"Quite certain, yes."
A disbelieving huff of laughter escaped Sirius against his will.
"Perhaps you are not as well-mannered as I first thought, Lupin," he said.
The man grinned roguishly at him.
Sirius' desire to be in the company of Lupin – something which he had begun to feel more acutely each day – swelled within him at the sight.
What harm would there be in a game of billiards between gentlemen?
Deliberately ignoring his racing pulse, Sirius sat up straighter in his chair and leaned towards the other man.
"You're a damned liar Lupin," he said, his voice a deep rumble. "And I'll prove it."