Title: Saishū Yume
Author: Ex-Professor Remus
Lupin
Rating: R
Genre:
Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance
Era: None
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius,
Harry/Severus, Albus/Minerva, Hermione/Ron.
Summary: It starts, as a
simple kidnapping. It will become an adventure unlike any other as a
group of mismatched heroes find themselves drawn into a war for not
only their lives, but also their very souls.
Disclaimer: This story is
based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling,
various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,
Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money
is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I'm not
very pleased with this chapter, but…I don't know. Tell me what
you think, please. The lack of reviews lately is a bit irksome.
-
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aftermath
-
They made it to Slytherin sometime
in the early gray light of dawn. It was a subdued group that had
filled the tiny airship. Harry had spent the ride explaining to the
others what had happened while Severus hovered nearby, arms crossed
over his chest. At the same time, Sirius had spent his time with
Remus clinging to him as if he were a lifeline, the prince's face
buried into the crook of his neck. By the time they had arrived in
the city and were preparing to leave the airship, Sirius' neck was
wet with tears.
It was a quick move from the airship dock out onto the streets of the city. Despite the early hours, the streets were crowded. Sirius, one arm still around Remus' shoulder, stopped them with a wave of his hand before they could join the throng.
"We need to figure out where we're going," he said carefully.
"I would suggest that we take the train tomorrow and go to Ravenclaw," Severus replied.
"We need to send a message to Gryffindor though," Sirius reasoned. "They need their king."
"This is all well and good, but where are we going now?" Narcissa demanded.
"I have two extra bedrooms in my home," Severus said. "I offer one to Remus of course, he would be better there than in an inn."
"Ginevra, why don't you take the other, after all an elf is easy prey in this city," Narcissa suggested lightly. "I'll be at the inn."
"I shall take a room at the inn as well," the elven princess said simply. "I am able to protect myself. Perhaps Sirius could take that room, or Harry."
"Harry can have it," Sirius said. "But, I'll take Remus there before I meet you guys at the inn. Harry? Your house elf?"
Dobby was standing just behind the summoner, clutching his hand tightly.
"He'll be with me of course."
"All right, we're settled then," Sirius said with a nod. "Move out."
-
The trip through the street was a bit easier this time. Harry holding onto Severus' hand and checking back on Sirius and Remus every few steps to be sure they were in sight. It was easy to forget the press of bodies around them when he concentrated on the hand holding his own. He stopped suddenly as Severus pulled him up a small staircase leading into his home.
Sirius followed them up, leading Remus with a steady hand on the prince's lower back. The mage was quick to lead them behind a shelf of books into a short tunnel that hid the rest of the house from view. He opened the first door and Sirius led Remus inside. The door closed behind them and he nearly jumped at the uneasy silence as Severus and Harry disappeared.
"Do you want some water or something?" Sirius asked as Remus moved hesitantly out of his arms and sat uneasily on the edge of the dark green comforter on the bed. When Remus nodded, Sirius quickly backed out, opening the door and nearly running into Severus.
"Harry is staying in my room," the mage said. "Take the room across the hall."
"You're sharing a room?" he asked lightly. "When did that happen?"
"Before Regulus decided to turn Gryffindor into a pile of ash," the mage growled in response.
"Oh," Sirius nodded. "Where's the kitchen? I want to get Remus some water."
"Follow me," the mage turned and he strode through another door in the small hallway.
It was a small kitchen, the fireplace was empty, and the air was chill. Harry was perched on a chair, dressed in a dark green robe that was far too large for his small frame. His hair was messier than before and his eyes were bright.
"I hope I haven't interrupted anything," Sirius said, smiling.
"No," Harry said, grinning cheekily. "He's the one that went to see if either of you were hungry."
"Just water," Sirius said.
Severus had already poured two glasses from a steel pitcher and set them in front of him. Sirius stared down at them.
"I guess this is my cue to leave?" he asked, picking them up.
"What do you think?" Severus asked tightly. Sirius rolled his eyes and shoved the door open with his shoulder.
"I hope you two have a grand old time," he said as the door closed behind him and he made his way down the hall back toward the room he had left Remus in.
"Remus," he said softly, kicking the door instead of knocking.
The door opened and Sirius had all of five seconds to react as Remus pulled him back into the room by his wrist. He managed to not spill the water and instead watched entranced as Remus released his wrist and took the glass from him, drinking it quickly, head thrown back. Sirius looked intently at his own glass and glanced uncertainly back at the still open door behind him. He could easily flee now, but Remus hadn't said a word since they left Gryffindor and he stayed, if only to try and get him to talk.
"Do you want more?" he asked lightly as Remus set the empty glass on the bedside table. "I'll have to go back to the kitchen and Harry and Severus seem to be getting a bit too cozy in there. I'd likely have to burn my eyes out afterwards."
The prince shook his head and he collapsed onto the bed, head bowed forward, brown hair, streaked prematurely with strands of gray, veiling his face as he brought his hands up to hide the fact that he was crying again. Before he could contemplate what he was doing, Sirius crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Remus' shaking shoulders, lowering his weight onto the bed carefully. He wasn't surprised this time when Remus climbed into his lap, arms winding tightly around his neck.
They stayed like this for a long while, Remus' breathing becoming shallow and his fingers running absently through Sirius' long hair, the tips skating across the back of his neck while he rested his forehead on the thief's shoulder. All too aware that Remus was wearing only a robe; Sirius put his left hand on the prince's back, holding him while the other hand made patterns between his shoulder blades. He was covered in tears again, but he didn't really mind that much.
"You should rest," he whispered into Remus' hair. "I should go to my rooms."
He made to move, to unwrap himself from around the prince, but there was a soft sound, almost a whine, and Remus' idle hand was suddenly holding onto his shirt, the black material pulling sharply.
"Remus?" Sirius asked, trying to coax something more from the prince. "Remus do you want me to stay?"
He wanted confirmation from the prince, something more than just a hand clutching at his clothes. Remus nodded, and then pulled back, amber eyes red and filled with some desperate need that Sirius couldn't help but want to fulfill.
"Remus?"
Before he could respond, Remus surged forward, both hands tangling into his hair as he brought their mouths together in an awkward, wet, and demanding kiss. With a strangled moan, Sirius' eyes shuttered close, one hand moving of it's own violation to Remus' lower back, pulling him forward. Remus was hard against his hip. Sirius pulled back, panting as his body hummed for release.
"I can't," he managed after a moment. "I can't take advantage of you like this. You're hurting," he pressed his forehead to Remus' collarbone. "Fuck. Fuck. Don't. I'm not strong enough."
Remus sighed, his fingers running shakily through Sirius' hair as he tried to calm his breathing, tried to stop his heart from beating through his ribcage. He should say something, but words couldn't make it past the lump in his throat. Swallowing, he closed his eyes and berated himself.
He knew Sirius wanted him. He had known since the first kiss they had shared in Hogsmeade, but he had shied away from the contact, wary of the thief's motives and his own insecurities. Their last kiss had been a surprise. Remus was still unsure as to what it had meant.
After Gryffindor's destruction, he wanted to say something, but words seemed lost to him. So, when Sirius had been uncomfortable with his silence, he had acted, giving Sirius the only thing he seemed to be able to give at the moment. It was clear, the evidence pressing firmly into his thigh, that Sirius could easily take it if he wanted. Remus wouldn't fight him. He couldn't fight him. Though the very thought of Sirius doing such a thing was enough to make him want to flee from the room. God, he must look like some tawdry whore.
"I'm not strong enough," Sirius' voice, calmer now, echoed soft between them. "You don't understand what you're doing to me, do you?"
With a groan of embarrassment, Remus made to move from Sirius' lap, his left hand pulling his robes further over him like a shield. An arm wound around his waist, stopping him. He froze as Sirius pressed his lips to his throat. He was shaking again, his nervousness that Sirius would take him finally swelling up from his chest. He wanted to scream.
"You weren't thinking straight," Sirius said finally.
Remus made a sound of disbelief in the back of his throat. Sirius would hate him in the morning once he'd realized that Remus wasn't – couldn't go through with this. He couldn't give Sirius what he wanted. The prince tried to say something, anything, to voice his fears, but all he managed was a soft, desperate sound.
Somehow, Sirius understood, holding him a bit tighter and making soft calming sounds in the back of his throat until Remus was quiet again, eyes squeezed shut, one hand on Sirius' shoulder for balance.
"It doesn't matter, I don't – I won't take advantage of you," Sirius said suddenly. "Let's just go to sleep; I'll stay here if you'd like."
Remus nodded, wiping his eyes with the heel of his palm and cursing himself for being so weak. He wasn't fit to rule a country. How could he satisfy the needs and wants of so many people when he couldn't even tell what he needed or wanted?
Sirius drove the thought from his mind as he pulled the comforter down and moved under it, pulling Remus with him, until they were lying beside each other. Moving forward a bit, Sirius pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his lips.
"Just go to sleep," Sirius whispered as he left the bed. Remus, fearful that he wouldn't return, sat up and watched him cross the room toward the door.
Closing the door with a soft click, Sirius stopped, his hand still on the handle. He could leave now and just end it. Whatever it was exactly. He didn't think he had the resolve to push Remus away again. His body had calmed slightly, but as he remembered the taste of the prince's mouth and the slighter body pressed to his, warmth flooded him again and he was forced to take several calming breathes, bringing up images of Tonks to mind.
This was going to be a long night or day and Remus was going to hate him when they woke up.
-
Severus woke to the comforting presence of another body lying in his bed with him. Harry was curled behind him, a hand thrown easily over the mage's waist and lips pressed to the back of his neck. A man could easily get used to this feeling. But, Severus was no ordinary man and he had dealt with his fair share of mages, trying to get into his home and take what they needed before they left.
The problem was, Severus had nothing that Harry wanted. The boy was a white mage and he had no interest in any of the black magic that Severus so carefully studied. He couldn't be here for the company. Not that they had gone further than kissing, each too exhausted from the nights events to do anything else. But, there were plenty of warm bodies, many of them far less likely to make another attempt at choking him.
He knew perfectly well why he had allowed Harry into his bed. The boy had managed to find a way of working into him. Severus wouldn't be so foolish as to say it was love. Not yet. But it could be, eventually and that was what he was afraid of.
This left him back at point A.
Severus gave up on it for now and slipped out from beneath the comforter, taking up his house robe and sliding it on, tying the belt as he left the room for the kitchen, combing his fingers through his shoulder length hair, trying to get the tangles out. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, glancing toward the two quest rooms. The door to the third bedroom was still open. It was clear it hadn't been used.
The mage moved into the kitchen, his feet use to the cold stone as he set about making a pot of coffee and something to eat for everyone before they would have to leave for Ravenclaw. A glance at the grandfather clock against the wall told him it was just after six in the evening. The last train wasn't until ten, which left them plenty of time to eat and perhaps talk. Yes, it wouldn't do to remain silent. He was attracted and he wasn't going to take this any further than it had already gone until he and Harry had spoken.
"Fire," the fireplace crackled to life under his hands as he dropped several pieces of bacon into the black skillet in the hanging and moved it close to the fire so it would cook, but not burn.
The door behind him creaked open. Looking up sharply from his examination of the bacon, he found Harry, dressed in one of his old robes, the same one he had been wearing last night, the belt cinched at his waist. His dark hair was tangled and Severus decided it needed a good brushing.
"Morning," Harry said cheerfully.
"I would hardly call it morning," Severus said impassively nodding to the clock.
"True," Harry sighed, rocking on the balls of his feet. There was a crack of magic and the two jumped as Dobby appeared.
"Excellent timing, can you watch the bacon while I wake up Sirius and Remus?" the mage asked, looking pointedly at the house elf.
"Sure he can," Harry said.
Severus nodded, striding toward the door. Harry caught his arm, pulling him back and into a brief kiss, before he released him. The mage watched him for a brief moment as he moved toward the fireplace where the bacon and coffee hung.
-
Sirius stirred, his body moving into a state of half-awareness in which he couldn't be sure if everything was a dream or not. He was lying beside Remus, the prince's warm breath; stale of course from sleep, on his face. Remus arm was around his waist, the long fingered hand on his lower back, keeping him from moving.
Sighing contentedly, Sirius opened his eyes. His hand was caught in Remus' hair. Idly, he touched the long strands, thinking over what had happened before they had slept and wondering what would happen when he woke up.
The door creaked.
"You should probably wake up," Severus said.
Sirius, still watching Remus sleep, made a soft sound of agreement. The door creaked again. Glancing at the door, Sirius checked that it was closed and then glanced back at Remus. Amber eyes were opened, narrowed slightly. With a sigh, Sirius pulled back. The arm around his waist tightened, holding him still.
"Remus?"
Expecting something. An apology perhaps as was the prince's usual statement after every encounter they had, he didn't expect Remus to not say anything and just stare at him. It was as unnerving as before.
"Remus? Are you mad at me?" he asked finally. Remus shook his head, amber eyes locked on him. Sirius sighed with relief. "Are you not going to talk to me?"
Remus opened his mouth and his lips moved as if he were saying something. Silence. Sirius' gray eyes widened and he gaped at the prince for a moment before he could full process what was wrong.
"You can't talk can you?" he demanded, sitting up and hauling Remus up into a sitting position as well.
Remus just shook his head.
-
Author's Note: God, this chapter
is short. I couldn't write anymore. I'm sorry.
