Mothers. Or how to cheat at using suggested words…
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I used four suggested words, voluptuous, feisty, resplendent and malice suggested by CassieXSage, xNomii and Enaid Mora. Hope you like it and forgive my cheating ways. (You will)
Disclaimed.
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Some people would accuse Sirius Black of not being the world's deepest thinker. Some of them would go on to describe the dark haired animagus as vapid, vain and immature as they swept their greasy hair out of their face.
These people would be wrong.
Sirius Black's mind was an active one. Fertile, quick and philosophical. The thing about Sirius Black was that no matter how deep his thoughts he was never showy about thinking. He never resorted to chin-rubbing or projected 'hmmmm's to let the world know that he was, indeed, thinking. Most of the time when he was pondering the important questions of life, the universe and everything he often looked as though he was doing the opposite.
Take for example the clear Saturday afternoon in his sixth year. Outwardly he was making rude hand gestures at the Slytherin Quidditch team as they played Ravenclaw. Inwardly he was considering a topic that had vexed him for his whole life.
Mothers.
While Sirius knew that his experiences at the hands of his own mother were not representative of mother-son relationships the world over, it still astonished him to find that his friends actually liked their mothers. He could not get it out of his head. These boys enjoyed spending time with their mothers, liked sending them letters and picked out thoughtful gifts at birthdays and Christmas. Sirius just couldn't understand it.
Until he met them.
Peter's mother was the first of the Marauder's matriarchs that he encountered. She was a short and cheerful woman, with a kind smile that sat almost permanently beneath a mop of thin blonde hair. Her voluptuous frame (although unkind people would use a harsher word) was almost permanently to be found in the kitchen – the true heart of the Pettigrew household. It was there, over the ancient stove that Sirius first met her. He had come to visit Peter in second year. As he set foot in the kitchen he smelled the most delicious food he had ever encountered. Mrs. Pettigrew had been standing with her back to him stirring a rich, brown gravy as the roast cooked in the oven. She had turned her head and smiled at him.
"You must be Sirius."
"Yes, Ma'am." Sirius answered nervously.
"Come here and tell me what you think of this." She held out a spoon with gravy on it. Gingerly Sirius approached her and took the spoon from her. She smiled gently and nodded encouragingly as he tasted the food.
"It's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted." He smiled at her finally. She merely beamed back and from then on they had had an easy friendship, Mrs Pettigrew often bemoaning how thin Sirius was. (Until, of course, she met Remus.) Sirius never saw her out of the kitchen, she was always cooking, cleaning or reading at the wooden bench. It was here they celebrated a few of Peter's birthdays, a few Easters and other holidays. It was here he had had many an easy conversation and here where the Pettigrews gathered when Peter's dad died so suddenly in their fourth year. He had seen her since then. She was still cheerful if not a little older, her smile a tiny bet dimmer, but she was still ready to talk about anything and everything in the large, warm kitchen and her roast dinners were still the best in the world.
James' mother was simply resplendent. She was literally the shiniest person Sirius had ever encountered. Her jewellery was always cleaned and polished, her teeth the whitest he had ever seen and her hair shone in the sun. The only thing brighter than these things was her personality. She was dignified and graceful, her words weren't excessive, she rarely spoke. When she did it was always measured and succinct. It had been her that had taken him in when his own mother's malice had finally taken its toll and it had been her that had given Sirius his first hug. He had never been hugged by his own mother, and quite frankly the idea of it was horrifying to him, but Mrs. Potter's hug was warm and secure and he had been very thankful when she pretended that she hadn't noticed him crying. She was the closest thing he had encountered to a real mother.
The last of the Marauder's mothers that he met was Remus'. Mrs. Lupin was shorter and thinner than Remus but she was as feisty as they came, the perfect foil for Remus' laid-back father. She had a quick wit and a wicked laugh and if Sirius was honest she was his favourite of the three. He wasn't sure if it was because she was the exact opposite of his own mother or because she was so similar to Remus. She told rude jokes and smoked like a chimney but she always had the best advice.
Shortly after Sirius had run away, a few weeks after the hug, Sirius spent the weekend with Remus and Mrs. Lupin gave him the best advice he ever got in his life. Mrs. Lupin noticed that Sirius was more reserved than usual.
"What's wrong Sirius?"
"Oh, nothing. Everything. I don't know. I just feel so…. Shit."
Mrs Lupin smiled a small smile and sat beside Sirius, she gently took his hands in hers.
"Sometimes when the Ministry are being total bastards about Remus, or the bills are piling up, or if life in general is getting to me, there is one thing I do that always makes me feel better. Would you like to try that?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"When life gets you down all you have to do is say 'Fuck them all' at the top of your voice."
Sirius looked at her dubiously. She merely shrugged and closed her eyes.
"FUCK THEM ALL!" She yelled at the heavens.
Sirius couldn't help but smile.
"Your turn."
"Fuck them all!"
"Come on, you can do better than that. Fuck all of them, your mother, your brother, me, The kids you go to school with, the minister of magic. Everyone." She smiled.
"FUCK THEM AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!" And Sirius had to admit that he felt a damn sight better when he was done.
He wondered why his mother never dispensed delicious food and easy conversation, quiet affection and astoundingly inappropriate advice and eventually he realised that his mother didn't do it because this was the way that these women showed him that they loved him, and his mother didn't. She couldn't love him. She was too small for something so great as love and in the end he had swapped her malice for three beautiful women, voluptuous, resplendent and feisty. Perfect.
As he jumped to his feet and cast aspersions upon the nearest Slytherin player's father's sexuality Remus looked and him and winked.
"Fuck them all, Pads."
Soon Sirius was wondering how the hell Remus always knew what he was thinking but had failed divination so horribly.
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I dedicate this fic to my mother. I miss you more every day and one day when we meet again the heavens will echo with laughter and the sun will shine a little brighter on those left behind. I love you. x
