Title: Least Expected
Authors: DemonessOfPunishment and The Demonic Duo
Rating: R
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter.
Summary: Sirius leaves home for an all boys school, returning later to reunite with past friends and notices an unexpected change with one Remus Lupin. It seems that the librarian's tired of being "proper" and "prudish." AU, SLASH. SBRL.
Okay!
This is an AU, meaning ALTERNATE, you're following me, right? ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! Okay boys and girls, can we repeat that? VERY GOOD! Now, after me! SLASH, ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! SLASH, ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! SLASH, ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!
Also, we are thinking of writing another version of this fic at the end of this one. It will be Regulus and Lucius' side of the story. Voice your opinion on whether or not you would read it. We would very much appreciate it.
Now that we have cleaned up some apparent confusion and advertised a possible fic, on with the story.
It was the next morning, all had risen early to attend a funeral of a supposed loved one. Sirius had dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a dark button-up collared shirt. Regulus was sitting next to him in the car, wearing a similar outfit, only in a green shirt without sleeves and a stylish cowboy hat on his head. If it was a brighter atmosphere on a different, Sirius would have complimented him. It looked good.
They arrived at the funeral, sitting in silence inside Sirius's vehicle and watching relatives and family "friends." All were dressed darkly for the occasion, and it seemed that sun was shining way too brightly for a funeral.
"We missed the service." Regulus mused just as quiet as ever.
"Yeah." Sirius grumbled without the same grace. The silence filled the air inside the car before Regulus made the first move to get out. Sirius followed grudgingly.
"I guess it must be pretty pathetic that his only two children didn't show up to the service." Regulus murmured. "It really says something about the kind of man he was."
Sirius didn't respond, instead walking to the grave site where their father's casket was resting in front of a large six foot deep, rectangular hole. They both eyed the means of levering the casket, without commenting.
"It's about time you two came." A beautiful, but angry looking woman hissed.
"Mother." Sirius and Regulus echoed.
"Where have you two been?" She demanded, hands on her hips. "The service started an hour ago!"
Sirius shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I guess neither of us were ready for it," he lied. Truth was, neither of them wanted to be there because they hated the man.
Mrs. Black scoffed. "I don't care! You should have been here when the service started just like everyone else!"
"Mother, please, don't do this here." Regulus pleaded.
Mrs. Black glared slightly. "Take off that damn hat, you're at a funeral, not a rodeo."
Regulus sighed, "Yes ma'am." He muttered, pulling the hat from his head. Sirius frowned at Regulus, taking the hat and putting it back on his younger brother.
"Keep it on, it looks good." He said, pointedly looking at his mother. "We're here, aren't we? Get over it."
Regulus took his hat off, covering his face with it when he predicted his mother's outburst. He heard a sharp intake of breath but no obnoxiously loud, harsh words. He peeked over his hat, holding it so that his eyes barely peeked over the rim.
Sirius had his eyes rolled upwards with an arm around their mother's shoulders, while she cried mutely into his chest. As people slowly made there way over, her sobs lessened until she had almost stopped. Pulling away, Mrs. Black grabbed her white handkerchief from her bag and blew her nose. Sirius escorted her to the seat closest to the top of the casket and stood behind her, idly wiping his shirt.
Regulus walked up next to Sirius and stood by him. He kept his hat in his hands, down by his side, as not to upset his mother further. Everyone waited patiently as the minister walked up, opened up his bible, and began to read.
Sirius only paid partial attention as the man droned on with his monotone voice. He observed the people, with their genuine grief. He glanced at the casket, memorizing the different flowers on it. Sirius's mind dulled the event, making everything seem suspended in time.
Neither of his best friends came, which didn't surprise him. His family wasn't exactly friendly to them.
Sirius breathed in slowly, glancing at his mother and looking past her at the others in his family. Uncles, Aunts, cousins and grandparents. Brothers and sisters, all sobbing. He didn't get it. All he had experienced from his father was grief, and they were crying over him?
After another thirty minutes, the Minister was finished, and Mr. Black was lowered into the ground. Mrs. Black broke out into another round of crying, as did many of the other family members. Sirius stood there, not crying, not frowning, nothing. He wasn't going to be sad over the death of a man who made his life hell.
Slowly, people left, leaving Sirius and Regulus to escort their mother to her car. After she was gone, Regulus replaced the hat on his head, and they went to Sirius' car.
Regulus sighed, sliding into the passenger seat of the car. "Honestly, Sirius, are you upset? Because, I don't know what the fuck I want to think..."
Sirius shrugged, starting the car and driving it out of town so that they could go to the city that was two hours away. He could talk to Regulus and get to know his brother more, after all, he only just met up with him.
"Regulus, did you just say the word 'fuck'?" Sirius smiled, leaving the radio off so that he could hear his soft spoken sibling.
"...Yes." He sulked, sinking into the seat. "Seriously, what do you feel?"
"Nothing, I care but at the same time I don't. The only material connection to that man is the blood in our veins, nothing else." Sirius said bluntly.
Regulus sighed. "He was our father, though..." he stated. "Aren't you even a little sad that he's gone?"
Sirius shook his head. "I can't say that I am. He did nothing but make my life hell and I hardly knew him, so why should I mourn for a man I don't know?"
"I didn't like him either, but stop and think Sirius, he's not coming back!" Regulus exclaimed. He raised his hands over his face, pressing the balls of his hands against his eyes, breathing in slowly.
"Yeah, I know." Sirius grumbled, stopping at a light and watching the light. "He was our father, Regulus, but he shipped me away from you and my friends, he had me live with his brother, his sister-in-law and then there's our dearest cousin."
Regulus turned, watching Sirius's hands grip the steering wheel furiously. He glanced at Sirius's face and bit his lip, about to interject when Sirius continued.
"I know that you only moved into the Malfoy's house in the next town, but they shipped me all the way across the country. I didn't know him, but I'd say that putting up with his alcoholic rages was better than living with Bellatrix. I had to ride all the way there with her...."
Regulus shook his head. "I know you hate her, and him, but think about it, if he hadn't sent you away, you wouldn't be who you are now," he stated.
Sirius sighed. "I know... That's what scares me, though! Sending me away was the most horrible thing he ever did, but the best thing at the same time! But I'm not going to be sad just because he's dead, so drop it!"
Regulus sunk further into the chair, away from his brother. "Alright...." he muttered, looking out the window.
Sirius sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," he muttered.
Regulus nodded. "It's alright, I understand that you're upset."
"And that's selfish of me, because obviously you are too and I'm not helping." Sirius sighed again, reaching over and pulling the front of Regulus' hat over his face, smiling. "So, we're getting food and we'll share the details of our lives apart. Happier stuff, you know? Some drama, too, can't live life without drama."
Regulus gave him a small pout, fixing his hat and smiling back. "Of course."
The rest of the ride was in silence, both of them thinking about their past so that they could have a few important and even non-important stories to tell. They arrived at a restaurant that Sirius picked, having experienced the food and enjoyed it all immensely.
"I've been here twice, already, what about you? Sirius inquired, stopping the car and sort of amused that the two were pretty much properly dressed for the diner. Regulus took his hat off, placing it on the seat.
"I've been here once or twice with Lucius." Regulus said, getting out of the car. "I really enjoyed their banana cream pies."
"Really?" Sirius grinned at him, having closed the door after Regulus finished his statement. "Well, then, shall we?"
The two of them walked up the small set of steps, entering the lavishly decorated diner. Despite the atmosphere, people were there in jeans and t-shirts. It was one of the more styled restaurants that allowed casually dressed citizens. As long as they had money, they were fine.
A waiter walked up to them, smiling jovially. "Table for two, gentlemen?"
Sirius nodded. "Preferably a booth, if it's not too much trouble."
The waiter shook his head. "No trouble at all, right this way," he said, grabbing two menus and walking towards the left side of the building. He gave them a booth by the large bay window, placing the menus down and waiting for Sirius and Regulus to sit down. They ordered their drinks, and started looking through their menus before the waiter left.
"So, how was life at the Malfoy Manor?" Sirius questioned, closing his menu and placing it on the table. Regulus did the same and ran his hand through his hair, glancing out the window for a long moment before smiling at Sirius.
"It was pretty nice, it wasn't as though I was left out. I was actually very spoiled." Regulus stated. "I did well in school, I met interesting people, dating only a couple times. I was around... fifteen when I hid away in my room alot. I read books, wrote stories and didn't really do much of socializing. Big surprise, no?"
Sirius chuckled, folding his hands on the table and fidgeting in his seat a bit. "So what about Lucius? How did you two hit it off? If I remember correctly, you fancied him something terrible."
Regulus shook his head, smiling at the waiter who returned with their beverages, and took their order, before taking their menus and leaving. He stirred his lemon iced-tea, staring at the drink with a soft, sad look. "It wasn't just a crush, Sirius, I really do love him. He's getting married, though."
"To who?" Sirius spluttered, coughing on his drink.
"Narcissia." The green-eyed man sighed, sipping his drink. "Lucius and I had a brief relationship, though. I think it was more of an experiment for him. He ended it and proposed to Narcissia."
Sirius shook his head with a sigh, staring at his brother. "That sucks, Regulus," he commented.
Regulus shrugged, placing the glass on the table, rolling it between his hands. "I guess... it just wasn't supposed to be, but I can't help but love him."
"Well, if he's getting married, why are you still pining over him?" Sirius asked. "Not to sound insensitive or anything, but if it's over between the two of you, and he's getting married, why don't you look for someone else?"
"I'm not interested in anyone." Regulus sulked, drinking from his straw. "Not many people really notice me, either, and if they do they're not gay. Or very interesting." He admitted.
The waiter came back, smiling charmingly at the both of them. "I'm sorry for the delay, are you ready to order?"
Regulus and Sirius ordered something, handing the waiter the menus before looking back at each other to pick up the conversation again. "What about him? I bet he's gay." Sirius grinned.
Regulus blinked, glancing at the waiter. "...maybe." His eyes trailed lower to the waiter's ass before he blushed. Sirius roared with laughter, causing others to stare. He was a person that couldn't help but attract attention. No matter where he went.
"Sirius." Regulus whined. He was relieved, though, to talk to Sirius and get the stuff with Lucius and the weight of the funeral off his chest.
Sirius grinned as his laughter died down. "I'm sorry, Regulus, but that's the funniest thing ever," he stated. "You're not supposed to blush while you check out a guy's ass."
Regulus' eyes widened and he threw his napkin at Sirius. "Would you keep your voice down!" he hissed softly.
Sirius smiled, nodding and throwing the napkin back at the other man. "Yeah, sure, sorry," he remarked, still grinning. "So... if it turns out he's gay, would you go for him?"
Regulus rolled his eyes, resting his chin on his hand, staring out the window. "Maybe..." he mumbled.
"Maybe, he says." Sirius grumbled sarcastically.
Time passed quickly, their conversation stalled mildly from the arrival and consumption of their food. Soon after they had finished, Sirius paid the tab and left a generous tip. He had considered leaving his brother's number, but he didn't know it and Regulus wouldn't give it to him.
The both of them drove back to the town, most of the ride in silence, the other half spend bickering over the radio. Sirius dropped Regulus off, remembering the place and having Regulus write his number down on the back of a receipt.
"I didn't want you to give it to the waiter." Regulus pouted. "I would have died of embarrassment."
"Who's to say I won't give it to him now?" Sirius asked.
Regulus glared at his brother, smacking him lightly with the hat. "You don't know my number," he stated, sticking his tongue out at Sirius and waving the small paper.
Sirius grinned. "Just wait until I find out what it is, then you're in trouble." He teased, reaching for the paper and trying to snatch it away.
Regulus' eyes widened and he held the paper away from his older sibling. "Sirius, don't you even think it. My life is quite peaceful, and I don't need you to mess it up by giving my number out to every guy you think is gay."
"Not every guy!" Sirius countered. "Just the ones that I think are good for you!"
Regulus looked mildly miffed. "Like I said! I don't need you handing out my number to every guy you think is gay!"
"Fine, fine." Sirius shrugged. "What if I find out that they ARE gay, hm?"
"No, Sirius." Regulus smiled, handing the paper over to him. "And if I have any weird phone calls from anyone I don't know, I'm going to tell Remus on you."
Sirius pouted, tucking the number away in his pocket. "Why Remus? Why can't you tell James or something?"
"James would find it funny, Remus would knock you into place." The green-eyed man said with an amused smirk, waving and walking towards his house.
"Damn."
Sirius changed gears, reversing out of Regulus' driveway and making his way towards the nearest convenience store. He wanted some chocolate mint-chip ice cream for the hell of it. Why not, right?
After getting what he needed from the store, he drove home only to be surprised at the sight of Remus on the doorstep with a small black bundle in his arms. Sirius grabbed the ice cream and stepped out of the car, locking it and walking towards his friend.
Remus glanced at him with a beaming grin, just as the black bundle squeaked and yelped playfully at Sirius. Sirius nearly dropped the ice cream.
Remus stood and bent over, putting the little black dog on the ground. Yelping, it bounded over to Sirius, nearly tripping over its own feet.
Sirius chuckled, kneeling down, setting the ice cream on the ground and picking up the little dog. "Now your cats are in trouble," he said as the dog licked his face.
Remus rolled his eyes, walking over to Sirius. "I'm sure they can handle themselves. After all, the dog trips over his own four feet."
Sirius glared playfully. "He's still a puppy, that'll change." He defended with a pout. He pulled the dog off of the ground and cuddled him against his chest affectionately. Sirius reached placed the bag in Remus's hands with a grin before unlocking the door and walking inside. "Aww, the wittle puppy..." He cooed, rubbing his nose against the dog's rather cold and wet one. He wrinkled his nose but made no other effort to wipe the wetness away. Remus stared, blinking and closing the door.
"Cute, isn't he?" He drawled, silently delighted to see his friend this way. "I know that I probably should have waited for you to get your home settled, but with all the unpleasant excitement going on, I figured a dog would cheer you up."
"Thank you, Remus. Where'd you get him?"
Sirius placed the dog down, watching the excited black dog sniff all of the boxes that he had left to unpack.
"I got him from a friend, he was selling them." Remus replied, helping himself to the ice cream. Sirius didn't object and merely grabbed a spoon. They both ate out of the carton, sitting on the floor and watching the dog scamper around. "What do you want to name him?"
"I haven't really thought about it... any ideas?" Sirius sucked on the spoon in thought, Remus watching him with his mouth open.
"Padfoot..." Sirius looked over at him and Remus blinked, trying to resist the erge to blush. "Padfoot! You can give him your childhood nickname!"
Sirius seemed to think this over a bit, rolling the idea around in his mind. "It'll probably cause a lot of confusion..."
"It's cute... and better than Snuffles."
Sirius wrinkled at the thought of Snuffles, his mother's annoying Yorkshire terrier. It was one of those really ugly hairy dogs, that does nothing but bark at everything, including its own shadow, and it like, the size of your foot. An ankle bitter.
Sirius blinked. "Wait... you think my nickname's cute? What else do you think is cute?" He stretched out languidly, putting on a playful show and not realizing how much Remus was enjoying.
"You, cute? Hardly." Remus teased, chuckling. "Your nickname's adorable, at least. I guess you could say it makes up for the rest of you."
"Remus!" He gasped, only mildly hurt. "That's awful, apologize to me!"
"Sorry?"
"On your knees!" Sirius declared, laughing. Remus blushed heavily. Turning away, Remus watched the small puppy run around the room. "Come on, Moony, apologize to me the right way and get on your knees!" he continued to joke.
Remus shook his head, small smile dancing across his lips. "Sir Padfoot, I refuse to get on my knees just because you wish it," he said in a cheesy accent.
Sirius pouted lightly. "You're know fun," he said. "but...where did you learn to pull off an accent like that?"
Remus sighed. "Had you gone to high school with us, you could probably do the same. That is, if you took drama anyway."
Sirius's eyes widened. "Drama? No way." He paused before breaking out into a large, impish grin. "You're totally serious!"
"What... what? What's so funny!?" Remus inquired quickly, his narrowing suspiciously.
"Do it again."
"Do what again?"
"The accent!" Sirius declared. "What did you act out, anyways? Whatever, do the accent! What other accents do you know? What about Australian? Can you do that?" he babbled away in excited amusement.
Remus shook his head, laughing softly. "Really, Sirius, I think you've had enough ice cream," he said, pulling the ice cream away.
"Do it again!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "You are so incorrigible," he said in the same accent. "There are you happy now?"
Sirius grinned and nodded. "It's funny!"
"It's annoying," Remus countered.
"No way, I think it's nifty." Sirius said, pulling the ice cream back and taking a big spoonful of it and cramming it into his mouth. Remus giggled helplessly, falling backwards. As his back collided with the floor, he came face to face with the little black dog. Padfoot. The dog's little, slimy pink tongue lulled for a moment as the brown eyes considered Remus thoughtfully. Just as Remus was getting up, the dog pounced and lapped at his face.
"Ack, ew! Padfoot!" He sat straight up, wiping his face immediately, trying to ignore Sirius's uproarious laughter. "Shut up, Sirius, it's not funny. Ew. This is why I have cats."
"Uh-huh." Sirius snickered, patting the dogs head. "Good boy, Padfoot, good puppy."
Remus pouted, glancing over at his companion with a soft, warm grin. Too cute, he thought affectionately.
"You know, the library's finished it's changes. It'll have a grand opening in three days."
Sirius narrowed his eyes playfully. "So...are you going to tell me what it's been turned into?" he asked.
Remus shook his head. "My secret, at least for three more days."
Sirius sighed. "And what if I die before I can find out? How will you feel then, knowing you didn't tell me!"
Remus rolled his eyes, doubting that Sirius would be dead in three days. "I'm sure I'll get over it," he teased.
Sirius chuckled, pulling another spoonful of melting ice cream into his mouth and licking the inside dip of the spoon pointedly in front of Remus. "I see how it is."
Remus watched Sirius raise the spoon into the air, ranting and rattling about something. There was a small amount of ice cream left on the spoon, and he was just waiting for it to fall. Hopefully on Sirius, he mused.
In the middle of Sirius's rant, Remus's wish came true and the little glob of ice cream dropped onto Sirius's nose, effectively shutting him up. He laughed loudly, amused when Sirius's face took on a shocked expression and then a cross-eyed look.
Sirius shook his head, laughing slightly. "Damn ice cream, it's out to get me," he stated.
Remus rolled his eyes, leaning over and reaching up with his hand. Using his index finger, he started at the bridge of Sirius nose, slowly pulling his finger down, collecting the fallen ice cream. Pulling away, Remus sat back in his original spot, totally aware he had Sirius attention. "I think you're just a messy eater," he countered, licking the ice cream off his finger with the tip of his tongue.
"Y-yeah." Sirius breathed, blushing brightly and digging into the ice cream container with extreme concentration. He scraped the bottom of the box with the spoon, pulling the utensil out and putting it in his mouth and directing his eyes towards the ceiling.
Remus grinned, watching Sirius. "Having trouble Sirius? The ice cream fell from your spoon, not the ceiling. So, as far as you should be concerned, you're a danger to yourself. The ceiling's not out to get you."
Sirius blinked at him, his spoon dangling from his mouth before falling into the container when Sirius spoke. "You never know with this house, Rem. Remember the doorbell? THE PUCE?" He paused, his brow wrinkling as he formed a pitiful expression. "The pink?"
Remus giggled, pulling Sirius's spoon out of the carton and handing it back to his friend. "You do have a point."
"I always have a point... especially-"
Remus blushed. "Shut up. I don't want to hear about your other points, Sirius."
"Your loss." The jetty-haired man said with an impish smirk.
Padfoot curled up at Sirius's feet before stretching out lazily. Remus stared.
"Wow, Sirius, he's perfect for you. Lazy, the both of you." He looked thoughtful. "Space consuming, too..."
"Hey!" Sirius pouted. "I am not fat, nor am I overly huge in any way," he muttered.
Remus chuckled. "I didn't say you were fat," he remarked, looking down at the puppy. "I can see I picked the right dog for you though."
Sirius nodded, leaning down to scratch Padfoot behind his ears. "He is a cute little guy." He commented. "I can't wait to send him after your cats, or put him in your bedroom while you sleep."
"Uh-huh." Remus purred, reaching over to pet the dog lightly. "But, I'm afraid, I have to go. I'll see you after class tomorrow, hm? Have to get dog stuff, right? We can do that."
Sirius grinned at him. "Sure, see you."
They stared at each other a long moment before Remus leaned over and hugged him, Sirius returned the hug with one arm, the other keeping balance.
"See you Rem, night."
"...night Sirius, Padfoot."
TBC.