Away We Go
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#15: Don't Leave it Hanging!
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Remus wasn't sure how Sirius had convinced him to do this.
If there was one thing about Remus everyone could agree on, it was that he liked his feet firmly on the ground. In the inner circle of friends, it was known that Remus preferred to stay in control of everything he could. Because he lost control once a month, it was understandable that Remus liked to have control over the other aspects of his life.
Perhaps that was why Remus found something as wild and dangerous as a broomstick so unappealing. In their first year, when they first learned to ride a broom, James and Sirius excelled and had a wonderful time. Lily, Peter, and other classmates hesitated but soon grew to enjoy the feel of the wind in their hair. Remus, however, loathed the brooms' very existence.
He was still under the opinion that the broom should be used only for housework and sweeping. There was something terribly unappealing about the broom that just made Remus' skin crawl. He didn't find the strange feeling of losing control in the sky at all interesting or desirable.
So, for the life of him, Remus could not even begin to fathom how Sirius managed to get him down to the pitch with a mediocre school broom in his hand. He stared glumly down at it, as if the broom were the reason he was down at the stadium instead of up in the Common Room enjoying a wonderful English classic.
Sirius, naturally, was grinning like a loon. This furthered Remus' frustration.
"Come on, Moony, you promised," Sirius urged, still grinning cheekily.
Remus sighed, exasperated. "I do not remember this supposed promise, Sirius."
"That, my oh-so-forgetful friend, is because you were half asleep when I asked you," Sirius reminded without shame, still grinning happily, despite the withered look Remus gave him. He laughed heartily, sounding like a yipping dog and gestured the hand holding his own broomstick. "Come now, Moony, be a good sport and get on the broom."
"I haven't ridden one of these since first year," Remus said angrily, frustrated that Sirius managed to take advantage of his sleepy state. This was the last time he ever spoke to Sirius, he was sure of it. "This can't be safe."
"You're such a worry-wart, Moony," Sirius whined in that childish way of his, batting his eyelashes and his blue eyes glittering. Remus turned away with pursed lips, feeling that Sirius would only spend this outing as an opportunity to make him feel stupid and guilty.
"I am not," he defended half-heartily. Sirius was still grinning. Remus felt like smacking him and running back up to the school. But he didn't feel like being caught by the faster black-haired boy.
"Come on, get on the broomstick," Sirius coached, sounding like he was the one humoring Remus, instead of getting supreme satisfaction in seeing Remus' discomfort. "You'll be fine. I'm right here."
Remus cursed and stared meekly at the broomstick. He wondered again if perhaps trying to make a getaway would be worth it. If he managed to lose Sirius, all he'd have to do was avoid him for a couple weeks until Sirius' fickle attentions were caught up again with something completely different and completely irrelevant to his current distress.
But, Remus soon realized, Sirius was waiting for him.
"Why do you want me to do this, anyway?" Remus asked, trying to find some way to convince Sirius that he did not want to ride a broomstick any time soon. This was why he wasn't on the Gryffindor team. He didn't like riding broomsticks. No, he much preferred his nice, safe, boring books.
"Because," Sirius said in his Sirius way, offering up no logical explanation for this sudden interest in Remus' flying techniques. Remus could have cheerfully strangled the boy.
"Because why?" Remus pressed, pursing his lips together and giving Sirius an agitated look.
Sirius seemed to be genuinely thinking of a good answer. When no marvelous idea came to his mind, he simply shrugged and waved his broomstick around like a club before preparing to lift off. He gave Remus a pointed look, telling him that if he tried to run he would catch him. Remus' frown deepened.
Remus stood on the firm ground and watched as Sirius soared up above him. He seemed so far away, and the huge grin was still in place. Suddenly, Remus felt very lonely as he watched Sirius breeze around in the air like he owned the sky.
Sighing in a resigned manner, Remus mounted the broom for the first time in several years. Still frowning deeply and knowing that this was all some huge mistake, he recalled what he'd been taught that first dreadful flying lesson.
Swallowing thickly, Remus kicked off the ground and felt the wind whip his hair away from his forehead. He clenched his eyes shut as he slowly rose off the ground. He didn't dare open his eyes until he urged the broom to stop after he felt it was high enough.
He heard Sirius whiz by and clenched the broom tightly. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and watched Sirius do a small barrel roll before coming to a stop beside him. He was still grinning. Remus wanted more than anything to wipe that smile from his face.
"There now, you big baby, that wasn't too bad," Sirius drawled out, looking quite pleased with himself.
Not wanting to admit that Sirius was right, Remus remained silent.
"Go higher," Sirius urged and shot higher, circling the stand and spinning between the goals on the opposite end of the field. He looked like he was chasing after a snitch, and he was laughing brilliant.
Remus contented himself by watching Sirius' joy, determined that he would never be as comfortable on the broom as he was, if his white knuckles and clenched body were any indication, but enjoying the view from the broom. He could see the grounds far better than he'd imagined.
"Come on, Moony," Sirius shouted as he shot past, doing a small roll in air and going up almost vertically. Remus shook his head and followed after him far tentatively and keeping his broom perfectly horizontal.
Then he felt something bubbling in his chest as he continued watching Sirius and dared to go a bit faster. It took him a moment to realize he was laughing along with Sirius' loud barks. Momentarily, he rose up faster and his grip lessened.
He tried following after Sirius, but the broom-lover was going far too fast for Remus' comfort. Notwithstanding his discomfort, Remus felt another laugh leave his mouth and he closed his eyes in a momentary moment of bliss. He was almost glad that Sirius was making him do this.
He dared to turn in another direction instead of tottering in the same direction.
Suddenly, he was slipping off the broom and that momentary moment of glee disappeared in a flash. His eyes widened in fear and he grasped the broomstick for dear life as his legs slipped off and he hung on hopelessly, his feet kicking out below him.
Remus was not the strongest boy in the world, but he could manage to hold his body weight. He couldn't managed, however, to pull himself back up onto the broom. He felt his equilibrium leave him as the broom continued scooting around the pitch, dragging him along with it, hanging there pointlessly.
"Shit," he cursed loudly and Sirius must have heard him, finally, because he turned in midair like it was a breeze and looked towards Remus.
His eyes widened and he had the gall to laugh. Remus wanted to choke him. "What are you doing there, mate? That's not how you ride a broomstick!"
Remus' eyes narrowed and he felt his arm wobble, wanting to let go. "You ass," he said louder than he intended, "I'm hanging here. This is why I hate bloody broomsticks."
"Now, now, I'm coming," Sirius called, laughing, and started moving towards him.
That was when Remus' fingers decided it was a brilliant idea to let go of the broom.
Suspended in air a good fifty feet above the ground, Remus was none too pleased to see that he was now falling towards the ground. He yelled out in surprise, his eyes widening in fear. This was why he stayed on the ground, damn it! The last thing he wanted was to die before he even graduated.
Sirius, realizing the danger of the situation, had the common decency to actually speed up his approach and catch Remus before he fell to his death. Remus' eyes narrowed as Sirius caught him in his arms and the broom tumbled to the side. Spinning around rapidly, Remus yelped out and clutched to Sirius tightly as they rolled diagonally towards the ground. Then Sirius slipped off his own broom and it went hurtling away.
Remus realized, vaguely, that they were still falling; only now he was clutched tightly against Sirius' chest. And while such a scenario wasn't too displeasing for the young wizard, the fact remained that they were still falling towards the ground.
With a large crash, the two boys collided with the ground. Thankfully, they weren't as high up as before and landed with moderate ease, though Remus suspected he tweaked his ankle when he hit the ground.
He hissed in pain once the dust settled and he realized vaguely that Sirius was lying on top of him.
"This is why I don't like brooms," Remus muttered darkly, giving Sirius the best glare he could muster.
Sirius lifted his head from the ground and gave Remus a large smile. Remus eyed the small sliver of blood above his eyebrow.
"You're bleeding," Remus said stupidly, feeling foolish.
Sirius looked—or at least tried to look—towards where Remus was looking. He lifted dirty, dusty fingers and touched his forehead and drawing away blood. He eyed the blood with an indifferent expression that made Remus suspect he'd done worse when fighting with Slytherines.
"You're not," Sirius said brightly. "So no complaining. Admit it. You were having fun."
"I most certainly was not," Remus said sharply, feeling his entire anger with this entire situation boil within him. "I could strangle you right now, Padfoot, if I wasn't so bloody attached to you as is."
"Aww," Sirius joked, giving his best pout. "So you won't kiss my forehead and make it better?"
"I will not," Remus said firmly, taking the older boy's suggestion in perfect seriousness. He stared at the tiny cut with disdain before shoving against Sirius' chest. "Now get off me."
"I do not take orders from anyone, Mr. Moony," Sirius said, a hint of pride laced in his voice.
Remus sighed in defeat, looking away and feeling his cheeks turn pink. Why wouldn't Sirius get off him?
"Fine," he sighed. "I accept Mr. Padfoot's stupidity as inevitability."
"That is all I ask," Sirius said happily, his slate blue eyes lighting up with his delighted smile. Remus sighed. There was no living with Sirius.
But at least Sirius didn't leave him hanging for too long.
