Wrote this not-so-short drabble because I was bored out of my mind and high on caffeine. Its un-beta'd, so... yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Hope it's O.K. .-
Title: 'Only a Nightmare...'
Rating: Pg-13
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: If my Charm work is up to scratch, then this little ficclet should be heavily Warded against Ms. Rowling's very expensive lawyers. I own nothing (*sigh*) in the Harry Potter universe. At all. And most likely I never will. Damn.
Note: Certain parts were taken from OotP. I need not to tell you which. If I do, then you may be in serious (no lame pun intended) denial. :P *grin*
***
...It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind, then fell back into place. Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing – Sirius had only fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second…
But Sirius did not reappear.
'SIRIUS! Harry yelled. SIRIUS!' --
--"Sirius, wake up!" A thin, slightly calloused hand firmly shook his trembling shoulder. Sirius shot bolt upright in bed, grey eyes wide as he desperately fought for breath. His naked body was covered in cold sweat; jet-black hair clung damply to his ashen forehead and cheeks.
A deadly blue-white bolt of lightening streaked across the midnight sky outside; the sudden sound of thunder was so loud and startling that it rattled the windows in their frames.
"What – where – Harry – I -!"
"It's okay, Sirius," said the soothing, familiar voice of his lover beside him. "Breathe now, that's it… slow, deep breath's." The firm hand was still planted on his shoulder. "You had a nightmare; you're safe now. It was only a nightmare."
Sirius tried to focus his surroundings. His head ached badly and his ears were ringing loudly from the furious storm. Sirius shivered violently at the room's icy temperature. Tugging the thick duvet up to his chin he flopped back into the downy feather-stuffed pillow with a shuddering breath, trying to control the bile from rising in the back of his throat.
Sirius swallowed loudly.
"M -merlin, Remus, it – it was horrible."
"It must have been; you… you were crying and shouting in your sleep."
"Oh."
In the darkness Sirius felt movement on his left, then heard the soft sound of water being poured from the water jug kept on the nightstand. A moment later coolness of a glass was pressed into his hand. He drank the soothing liquid appreciatively in three big gulps.
"Want to talk about it?" Remus pulled Sirius' trembling form against his own naked body after Sirius had passed the empty water glass back. "Sometimes it helps to talk about it," he said softly. Remus rested his shaggy head on the bare chest. He could hear the rapid beating of Sirius' heart pounding in his ear.
Sirius shuddered and held Remus tight.
"I Dunno," he whispered, uncertain. "It felt so real, so vivid – like it really happened. I don't know where to begin."
Warm soothing palms circled lightly on the furred torso, followed by a gentle kiss. "Well, how about you start at the beginning - we've got all night."
Silence.
"Okay…" a pause, then a deep breath. "Well it's 1981… and I'm chosen to be Secret-Keeper for James and Lily… not Dumbledore – only, at the last moment, I managed to persuade them not to use me, but to switch with Peter instead…"
fin
