Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Warning: LOADS OF MUSICAL REFERENCES!! Just thought you all should know. This chapter contains one of my all time favorite cello pieces and I just wanted to be very detailed. If any of you want any further explanation, let me know, I would be happy to do that. If any of you have a recording of the piece stated later in the chapter. Put it on when you're done, then read through it again. SiRem, swearing, not much else.
RRs:
Mortitia3: wow. I'm really sorry. I have no idea what a tenor horn is. I just know brasses that are found in an orcestra, not a band. If tenor horns do exist in an orchestra, I am so sorry for my ignorance. And yes, I do have control over cliffies with super powers. Ain't it great?
Kim: It's nice to hear that you're still alive. Isn't it great that James is coming back! Can't wait to see your reactions to the next completed chapter! No sarcam. Sorry to say, but James does touch Remy. Don't worry, Sirius challenges him to a duel, semi automatic weapons at twenty yards. I love having you as my follower. It's great having my own cult. But where is the Kool-aide?
ProtegoNox: don't worry about pressuring me. the reason I have so many different stories is that each one let's me relax from the pressure of a different one. My current high pressure stories: I Am His Princess, My Knight My Night. Quartet is so easy to write for. Especially after a regearsal of my own local quartet. This chapter kinda has a little closure. Maybe?
Chalotte Lazarus: Sadly Sirius doesn't hick James' (hehe), but he does have a competition with him. But I do have a question, how did Chopin die? Really sad to not know this, but I am no pianist. (god how I wish)
Zchocolatbunniesrulezworld: here is the chapter contianing the hugeish push, the push will be better seen next chapter, which is already written(how sad am I?). Sirius is very observiant, and can guess pretty well. It just shows how much he is watching Remus. Wait, then that means that Remus' fear did have some foundatuion. NO!! I don't want Sirius to be the stalker type!
Yourmomismyheart: yes! I have you in suspense. I should let you out of suspense by Tuesday of Wednesday. I can't wait to see everyone's reations to chapter 7. Here's a preview: It's angsty fluff. Kinda.
AznRyoOhki: I'm glad I could flatter you. You deserve it here, have this chapter and go buy something nice, you earned it! I (heart) Regulus. He is so adorable and you're right, he's so boyish. But remember how Regulus spilled Sirius' history to Remus in Chapter 2? Sirius is going to turn the tables in Chapter 7 and reveal a bit of Regulus' history. I'm so excited! But don't worry, James will be as nice as he possibly can. (teehee)
Chapter 6
Remus paced behind the Steriae waiting for Regulus. He was half inclined to cancel and not come to quartet at all. Today was the day he was going to see James.
He felt a little relief when he saw Regulus walking down the street to meet him. A simple greeting was exchanged before they went in through the back door.
Remus was surprised to see all of the stage lights already on, but the House lights were still off. It sent a chill to Remus' stomach, but he ignored it. Regulus helped him push the piano out onto stage and they began to work.
Remus didn't feel much like putting any effort in, but he needed to get ready for his next round at the Black Tree Hotel. He went straight through his collection of Frist compositions, stopping only to correct Regulus in turning the page at the right time. Remus began silently hoping that he could just keep practicing in front of the piano and not have to face James or Sirius.
Time seemed to have no patience for Remus' whims. Regulus fled to the back of the auditorium on the right side when he heard the doors slam. Remus stopped playing, but didn't move from his place facing the contrasting keys. He could hear the others taking out their instruments and tuning. Their voices eventually carried over.
"When is James going to be here?" Remus' hands dug into the seat of the piano bench.
"Whenever he damn well pleases. That boy has no sense of urgency as soon as he isn't obligated to be anywhere." Andy answered Sera.
"Why is James so important?" Sirius asked as he plucked out Bach's first cello suite on his strings.
Sera sighed. "Because he was pretty much the founder of the Aesti Quartet. He's the best cellist I've ever had the opportunity to play with and he's a dear friend to us." She glanced over at Remus' hunched back before staring down at her violin, subdued.
Neither she nor Andy knew what happened the last time Remus and James saw each other, but they could guess based on the cuts and bruises that showed. Fell down the stairs, her ass. Something bad happened and she hated herself for not being able to stop it. Not that she and Andy had the perfect relationship, but it had never turned violent. She guessed the only good that could come of this was the fact that James had taken his claws out of Remus. More like ripped them out taking all the flesh with him.
Her self-inflicted guilt was interrupted by James' arrival on stage left with his cello case held at his side.
She and Andy got up to hug him. What is past, is past. It needs to be let go.
James embraced each of them warmly, then turned his attention to Remus, who was standing in front of his piano in a slightly protective pose. James couldn't help but notice Remus' constant flickering glances at the last member on stage. James looked over and locked gazes with an intimidating looking young man.
Their eyes met and Remus felt a tension in the air. Like two tigers finding each other in the forest.
James walked over to where Sirius was sitting and offered his hand. "Hello. I'm James Potter, former cellist of this quartet."
Sirius shook his hand. "Sirius. Current cellist of this quartet."
"You know, I saw Remus with some guy on stage. He was turning Remus' pages."
"Really, who?"
James was not getting Remus' silent messages telling him to shut up. Whatever connection they once had, had disintegrated. As James and Sirius continued talking Remus heard a little commentary going on in the back of his head. It sounded uncannily like Andy.
"I don't know, some kid. He looked a lot like you." James said with a stupid grin on his face.
"No kidding. Remus," his calculating eyes turned on the violist. "Who was that kid?"
Lie! Lie your ass off! "He's a part of this outreach program that I help with." Remus could hear sarcastic applause in the back of his head.
"Huh. What's his name?"
Lie like there's no tomorrow! "Uh, Romulus." Close enough. It had the same number of syllables and letters. There were only two different letters between the names.
"How old is he?"
"Seventeen." Remus let himself tell the truth on this one. It helped alleviate the guilt of lying. The same way a leaf of lettuce eases the fat intake of a 20-pound steak.
Sirius kept going. "What is his father's name-"
"That's enough there Spanish Inquisition." James swung his arm around Remus' shoulders and didn't seem to notice him flinch. Remus felt James reattach a leash on him. Sirius set his cello down and stood up slowly. Sera and Andy looked at each other, not sure what to do. They knew if it came to throwing punches, they would do everything in their power to get Remus out of there. "He's answered plenty of you questions now it's my turn."
Sirius muttered something under his breath, but James caught enough to turn around. "Excuse me?"
Sirius looked up from the floor and stared into James eyes. "I said, I think you've already used up your turn."
There was a tense silence and James smiled back at Sirius in a feral way. "I just wanted to check up on my little quartet to see if the newbie had any skill." He tightened his grip on Remus shoulders. It was miniscule, but enough for Sirius' eyes to dart to James' hold. He led Remus back to the chairs. "Anytime you care to join us." He threw over his shoulder.
Sirius had had enough of this. "Go ahead then, test me."
James let go of Remus and stared at Sirius. "What?"
"Test me. See if I'm worthy of your quartet."
"Very well then." James sat down and picked up his French cello.
Sirius also sat down and placed his deep red, aged, German instrument against his chest.
Their eyes met. "Let's see if you can keep up." With that said James threw himself into Vivaldi's Double 'Cello Concerto. Sirius came in right with James. Their harmony was fierce and violent. Remus heard James speed up. He was trying to get Sirius to mess up on the second cello part. He then slowed down without warning. Then back to the fast tempo.
He was trying to shake Sirius off. But the longhaired cellist kept right with him.
James accelerated further. Remus knew this piece like it was a viola concerto. The ascending scales were next, followed by a short, but intense melody. It would go on, then a challenge would present itself in the first cello part. It was an ascending, slightly chromatic scale that put the first cellist in high thumb position. The part beyond that was the octave jumps across the strings. He remembered James showing him how cellists' hands were different from chin strings.
Their hands were roughly the same size, but James' left hand had an inhuman stretch between his first finger and pinkie. Remus was told that this was because composers loved messing with cellos and making them do impossible reaches that basses couldn't do. It was because of this that James had to do scales in octaves.
Remus was brought back to the moment by the G descending scales that led to the dreaded octave turns.
Both cellists moved in perfect synchronization. Their bows were together and the fingers fell at that same time. They hit them. James threw his hand down for the high G on his A-string. Sirius extended his hand on the G-string so he could get both B flats. Neither missed one note. They even ended in the same position, playing an 'open' G on the C-string, vibrating like there was only that one note, and that hey had forever to play it.
James' eyes went back and forth from Sirius' face to his bow. This was the final challenge. Who could hold onto the note the longest without fading.
They finished. It was two close for Remus to say who held it longer, but by the looks of the two cellists, they knew who won. Each glared at the other, but a slightly triumphant smirk decorated James' face.
Sera was getting annoyed. "Now that you boys have had your little race, can we please get on with practicing? We're definitely not ready to perform any time soon, and I don't like Remus carrying all of our slack."
James turned to Remus surprised and walked over as Remus got out his viola. "Is that true?"
Remus looked up at the man standing over him. "Is what true?"
James bent over and half whispered into his ear. "That you've been picking up the quartet's slack." Remus nodded and James bent farther down and Sirius strained to hear the words exchanged. "Then I've trained you quite well, little Rabbit."
Remus tightened his grip on his viola's neck and he felt his face flush. Sirius glared loathing at James as the intruder righted himself and began instructing the quartet.
All of James' comments to the violins were constructive and gentle. The remarks he shot at Sirius were demeaning and patronizing. Anything he said to Remus had to be whispered into the violist's ear as James loomed over him. The rest of the quartet could see how uncomfortable that was Remus, but none knew how to get James to stop.
Sera wanted to end quartet early, but didn't want to offend James. She didn't even know why he was still toying with Remus. She was still thinking about what to do when Sirius abruptly stopped playing. They all turned to look at him.
"Sorry, I just forgot I had to be somewhere." He said as he loosened his bow and pushed in his endpin.
James looked over at him. "Where? Pussyfoots Anonymous?"
Sirius refused to honor that remark with a glance or word, but he paused as he closed his music. He stood up and carried his cello over to its case and began to fasten the German instrument in.
Remus began to yearn to do the same thing, but felt his chain to James shorten.
Sera took a deep breath. "I think we should end rehearsal early. After all, I want to go somewhere and catch up. I want to hear all about Lily and Harry." Her smile weakened James' resolve and he agreed.
That was the fastest Remus had ever packed up. He was even done with the piano before the others were ready to go. He was about to bolt for the door when James yanked the leash and told Remus to heal. "Where do you think you're going? Aren't coming with us for coffee and a ticket for Memory Lane?"
Remus swallowed before he turned back around. "Actually, I'm not feeling too well so I'm just going to go home and take it easy." He saw James' eyes narrow, but Remus turned to the door and left as soon as he could without it looking like he was escaping.
As the sun set Remus lay curled up on his couch, wrapped in fleece blankets, trying not to cry. All the lights were out and nothing was on, except for the digital clock that was in another room. Soon Remus' apartment sunk into complete darkness and he made no move to change that. Even when the phone rang a few times, he stayed in his little, soft, hard-shelled, nest.
Loud, frantic knocking interrupted his delightful nap. He began cursing whoever it was that woke him up from his James-less oblivion. He opened the door and stopped mid-yawn upon seeing who was at his door.
Supporting himself on the doorframe was a panting, very relived looking Sirius Black.