Mahoutokoro: dark beginnings — "In November, you begin to know how long the winter will be." - Martha Gellhorn (gloom, despair, eve of battle, loss.)

8. [dialogue] "that's a very big hat."

11. [character] Remus Lupin

12. [setting] warehouse

word count: 909

.: for the union (for the revolution!) :.

Remus Lupin's shoulders were curved into himself as he walked down the alley, his boots tapping against the wet cobblestones and his head hunkered down into his popped collar as the cold wind whipped around him and gave him goosebumps. The sun was low in the sky and it was casting his surroundings in long shadows on the building next to him, the crisp late autumn air in stark contrast to the pretty colors of the sunset. There was a rucksack on his shoulders that was weighed down with clothes—disguises Remus and his friends were to don come true sundown.

When he'd joined the Revolution—went turncoat and spy on his British comrades—he'd known he'd been signing up for the underdog in the fight, signing up for possible death around every corner, what with his face gracing the latest round of wanted posters with 'traitor to the crown' written under his photo. What he really got when he joined the Revolution was a lot of waiting, a lot of—what Sirius liked to call—espionage, and yes, possible death around every corner.

Remus, with a glance behind him for possible pursuers, shouldered open the door to the abandoned warehouse and bolted it shut with a length of wood that was held in place with two steel arms. This is where he's meant to meet his cohorts. Inside the warehouse, the sounds of the town around him faded, the only sound remaining was the quiet murmur of the pub song the drunken sailors across the street were singing at the top of their lungs.

Remus wove around a couple stacks of wooden crates—dynamite labels on some stacks and Royal Navy emblems on the others—before the room opened up and revealed his comrades sat around a table, cards in their hands and drinks on the table.

"What if I was an intruder?" Remus asked as he dropped the rucksack to the dusty ground next to the table and clapped James Potter on the shoulder.

"If you were an intruder," James mused, throwing two cards down and collecting their replacements from his wife, Lily, "you wouldn't have clomped in here, huffing like a horse fresh off the races."

"Tsk tsk, what would Moody say?" Sirius reprimanded James, his voice possessing a sageness that it only did when he teased. As he opened his mouth, his drink in his hand and his feet on the table, Lily interrupted him mid-inhale.

"If you yell 'constant vigilance' at the top of your lungs, the redcoats won't have to worry about killing you, 'cause I'll do it myself."

"You wound me, my dear." Sirius smirked.

As Remus pushed Sirius's feet off the table in order to get to the empty seat at the table, he could've sworn he heard Lily murmur, 'Not yet, I don't,' as she threw down her cards and pulled the meager pot of money towards herself.

"Everything set for tonight?" Lily asked of Remus, her voice a normal volume again.

"Yes, the theatre tickets are purchased and Dorcas has agreed to loan us her family carriage so we can—how did she phrase it?—stop acting like paupers and arrive in true style," he replied, finishing Sirius's drink to the halfhearted protest of his friend. "We have to meet her within the hour, as well, so let's speed this game up and just give Lily the rest of the money now—she'll swindle you out of it eventually, anyway."

"So true, Remus," Lily agreed. "You're so observant, that's why you're my favorite."

"Oi!" James interjected, full of mock affront with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm sitting right here, my love."

Lily just absently patted her husband on the cheek without looking at him and continued to count her newly acquired money, dumping the coins into a little purse as she slid them off the table with a slender finger. When the last coin clinked into the purse, Sirius picked up the rucksack Remus discarded and gestured impatiently for James to clear the table of drinks—which James did so by drinking the rest of the contents in all the semi-empty mugs in five seconds flat.

Sirius upended the bag and a spill of clothes, shoes, and hats tumbled onto the table—well, make that hat, singular. Remus, with the help of Dorcas and Emmeline, had gathered clothes that would be fit for a night at the theatre—and no one but the three of them needed to know which mansion's closet they were pilfered from. When Remus had seen the hat at some General's home, he'd known it was unnecessary—not to mention, completely out of style—but he couldn't help but picture Sirius in it. Even better, he knew that Sirius would wear it with a shit eating grin and an enormous amount of pride.

As Lily pulled the blue dress she was to wear out of the pile, holding it up to herself, Sirius reached for the hat unbidden by Remus.

"That is a very big hat," Sirius commented, spinning it in his fingers and placing it atop his head with a flick of his wrist.

"Well, you have a very big head," Remus replied with another smirk, pulling his own pair of trousers and waistcoat from the pile. Lily and James snorted at the comment.

"Everyone knows the plan, correct?" Lily interjected before the two of them could really get on a roll. Sirius and Remus were grinning at each other when they both replied with an affirmative.

Bonus:

"Let's go kill a filthy, lying, rat-faced turncoat."

"Killing is bad, Sirius."

"Let's politely kill a filthy, lying, rat-faced turncoat."

They glare at him.

"Fine. We're capturing the bastard, but no one can be mad at me if I punch him."

basically, i had another 300 words written for this but it was, quite honestly, shit and i couldn't get it to cooperate with me. that's all good tho, because i wrote this entire au just so remus could tell sirius he had a big head. maybe i'll make this a little series if people seem to like this, let me know your thoughts! (and the title of this is from hamilton.)