I've taken inspiration from 1984 the book by George Orwell, which is:

A dystopian social science fiction novel by English novelist George Orwell. Thematically, Nineteen Eighty-Four centres on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of persons and behaviours within society.

The story takes place in an imagined future, the year 1984, when much of the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism, and propaganda. Great Britain, known as Airstrip One, has become a province of a totalitarian superstate named Oceania that is ruled by the Party who employ the Thought Police to persecute individuality and independent thinking. Big Brother, the leader of the Party, enjoys an intense cult of personality despite the fact that he may not even exist. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is a diligent and skillful rank-and-file worker and Outer Party member who secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion. He enters into a forbidden relationship with a colleague, Julia, and starts to remember what life was like before the Party came to power.

Written for:

Quidditch League - Round 4 - Wigtown Wanderers - Captain - Prompt: 1984

Also written for:

Hogwarts - Assignment 8 - Criminology - Task #2: Motive: Write about someone's motive for doing something.

I'll reach my hands out in the dark

Inspired by 1984 by George Orwell

Thanks to my teammates for betaing :)

Not canon compliant. Muggle!AU. Remus remembers the world before Voldemort was in charge, and takes the first steps to make a difference.

Cameras sit on each and every wall. Every action is recorded, and Remus finds himself wondering - and not for the first time - who monitors the hundreds and thousands of recordings. He can't picture the Government having the time to view everything. Voldemort and his Knights surely have better things to do?

Sometimes he entertains the thought that the cameras are just for show. That they are just in place to deter criminals. If people are under the illusion that they are going to be caught committing a crime, then they may do less. But deep down, he knows the truth. There is no freedom, not from the cameras or from Voldemort and The Knights of Walpurgis. Because as they say, freedom is slavery. But is this world much better?

Remus doesn't dare voice these thoughts out loud. If anyone knew he was even thinking them, he'd be taken away, just like many others have been. Those people return with injuries, with vague expressions and a newfound love for Walpurgis and the Knights, and for Voldemort himself.

Remus isn't sure exactly what's happening to those people in their absence, but he can assume it's somewhere between conditioning and brainwashing. Those people lose their free will, becoming puppets like everyone else. People are scared to voice a single thought against the way things are. About the way they want the world to actually be. About their fears involving the government. No one wants to be the next person taken away.

One day, people will no longer remember that there was a world before Voldemort. A world before the cameras and the conditioning. Before the hidden bugs and people always watching. A world where you could trust your neighbour without fearing for your life.

But that's not the world they live in. They live in one where everything they do or say is monitored. There's no freedom, only control from the government. It's been that way for years.

Remus walks around his bookshop, searching for any copies of a particular book as a dark-haired man silently looks around, his eyes moving along the books. Remus forces himself not to stare. The man is handsome, but the law forbids certain things. He can't get caught looking.

He has more important things to think about - such as removing this book from the shelves. If he doesn't show haste in this, well, people will turn up to find out why.

A speaker inside of the store crackles for a moment, and Remus glances up at it. He knows the message will go out to every shop. It'll be announced from the tall poles stationed everywhere. Everyone will hear these words.

"Voldemort is your past, your present, and your future." With that, it crackles once more. Remus is relieved that it's a short message. Just a reminder of who is in charge, rather than a proper announcement. He hates hearing the reassurances that everything that is happening is for the best. That everything is done with the people in mind. Because Remus knows it's all lies.

He turns back to the task at hand, hating that he has to remove these books.

Mentions of the war between England and America have been prohibited, therefore all books need to be removed from circulation. Remus will have more books to sell in a year, heavily edited from the now-banned information. The books will be full of lies, talking about history that didn't happen.

He pulls all three copies and double-checks the shelves for another. He takes his time, wanting to ensure all of the books are gone and giving the stranger time to leave because he can't risk looking. He doesn't return to the counter until he hears the bell above the door, indicating the man has left. It's dark by the time he returns to the counter.

There are two books there. A book on laws of the country, and he reaches for it so he can put it away, but as he starts to do so, he realises that there's a new book underneath. One he doesn't stock, one he's never seen before.

He quickly shoves the top book back in place, effectively hiding the bottom one. He warily looks around, expecting there to be one of the Knights watching through the shop window, but he can't see anyone. It's not pitch-black out, and he can't make out any figures.

He reaches out a little more slowly, taking both books at the same time, keeping the bottom one hidden. He moves around his counter, a war inside of himself at what to do. He takes a look at the bottom book again, just the quickest peek. It's bright turquoise and there's a picture of Albus Dumbledore on the front - the one man who tried to oppose Voldemort.

When it comes to banned and restricted items, something like this is at the top of the list. Remus glances around in even more of a panic. He turns to the box behind him, grabbing the three prohibited books as he does so, and he drops those in. But the brightly coloured book remains in his hand.

If he's caught with it, he could be in so much trouble. He's scared to even think of the consequences of owning something like this. But…it looks new. Brand new. It means someone has recently written a book about Albus Dumbledore, and it has to be a far cry from the propaganda that he's had to read over the years.

He looks around again, before opening the book. There's the new book smell he loves so much, so he's sure it's new.

With a last wary glance in every direction, he slips the book under the desk instead. He's too curious about it, and he can always slip the book into another box when he's finished with it. He can pretend he never read it.

When he turns away again, a man slips out of the shadows outside and walks away.

"We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy."

The words cause panic inside of Remus, because he's finished the book, but it still sits in the box hidden in his little flat above the shop. He can't part with it. The writing is beautiful. It talks about the world's past. About what life used to be like. Marrying for love, not just to bring forth the next generation. About true friendships, and companionship. About voices that are listened to and heard. People who are not scared to be different.

The words that were said to him are from the book. A quote from Albus Dumbledore himself. For someone to be repeating these same words back to him the day after he's read them himself… well, he feels the same fear from the day before rising up inside of him as he looks around. The market is quiet. Remus remembers the days where places like this had idle chatter and gossip. These days, people don't have much to say. But no one is looking their way, no one is paying them any mind. People are just going about their lives.

Or maybe those memories aren't real. It's been so long, he's not even sure anymore.

"Excuse… excuse me?" he says, turning his gaze back to the man who spoke. He recognises him as the stranger from the bookshop and this time he can't help but look. Grey eyes watch him, as though the man can read his conflicting emotions.

The man smiles, looking at Remus as though he's figured him out, and Remus is unsettled by this because it's dangerous for anyone to know what's going on in his head. "I'm just wondering. Are you the sort to do what is right? Or do what is easy?" His voice is quiet, and no one else is close enough to hear.

Remus considers the question. Just uttering those words, this man risks Remus calling the Knights on him. It's a heavy risk, and they're both aware of this.

"What's right," he says quietly. He's not sure why he's trusting a stranger. Why he's doing this. Perhaps he's tired of the war and the cameras and the isolation that this world brings. He wants the world that he knew years ago back. He wants freedom. He wants his life to matter somehow.

"Good. I'm Sirius Black."

"Remus Lupin."

Sirius, he learns, is the son of a member of the inner circle of the government. It comes as a shock, but in the short time he's known the man, he's learnt that Sirius craves freedom that the world doesn't offer. He carries anger at what his parents have done to the country, and Remus can see he carries a weight on his shoulders, trying to fix what his parents have had a hand in causing.

Remus finds himself in a meeting shortly after introducing himself at the market. The produce he was looking to purchase doesn't matter anymore. So he falls into step next to Sirius, purposely not looking towards any of the cameras, not wanting attention drawn to him.

It's a series of twists and turns in the street, and he quickly loses track of where he's going, and he assumes that's the point. If he chooses not to join, he can't lead anyone else there.

Albus Dumbledore himself stands at the front, talking about freedom, making plans, getting people worked up in a way Remus has never seen before. There's outrage at the way the country is. There's shouting, there's noise, there's opinions being shouted without anyone having to hold their tongue. There's emotion.

And Remus feels free, as he speaks up for the first time in his life. He's certain that Sirius' eyes haven't left him for a single moment during that meeting and he feels brave in a way that he hasn't felt in the longest time.

He feels the anger and outrage he hasn't allowed to flow through his body. He feels alive for the first time in years.

But that doesn't compare to the way Sirius grabs him after the meeting - when the room is empty and the lights are off, and they're hidden from everything.

"Why me?" Remus asks.

"Because I wanted you to feel alive too," Sirius admits. "I saw you, before, and I was certain I felt a spark of… life beyond what the world is offering us. I'm here because I want freedom, I want a life that is forbidden from me. I think you want that too."

"What life is that?" Remus asks. They're beyond secrets now, because their presence at this meeting is the biggest secret either of them can ever have. Anything else is small in comparison.

Sirius moves closer, and Remus' breath hitches and his heart pounds. Long-forgotten memories revive themselves at the feeling. He remembers his teenage years - before the world fell into the controlled chaos it is now - when he last had someone else look at him like this. Sirius only pauses for a moment, allowing Remus a chance to excuse himself from the situation.

Remus has no such intentions. He waits, his amber eyes fixed on Sirius' grey ones.

That moment passes, and Sirius' lips are on his, and Remus can't remember ever feeling this alive. He craves more. He reaches out, a hand finding dark curls. He uses his other hand to pull Sirius closer because he knows that this is going to be something that doesn't happen often. It'll be another secret, another thing hidden from the world. Secrets feel easier in the darkness. But Remus is rebellious today. He needs this.

Remus is even more determined to help fix the world, though he's only one man and what can one man even do? But he wants the freedom to live this life, without having to hide.

Today, he's taken the first steps towards that.

Word count: 1984