SOFT SUNLIGHT
Summary: Set in 1973, the Hogwarts' Marauders' third year, this multi-chaptered fiction develops and expands upon the framework of what we are told happens at this part of history… and what we aren't.
Warnings: Adult language, Homosexual relationship, Heterosexual relationship,
Main Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Other Characters: James, Peter, Lily/Severus, Andromeda, Bellatrix/Rudolphus, Lucius/Narcissa.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the twisted imagination and the ridiculously slow laptop I am typing this onto.
A/N: This was my first attempt at writing slash. It isn't amazing, but I am proud of it, and I would appreciate constructive criticism if it is truly helpful and not abusive.
Chapter 7: Three Encounters And The Rest Of It
The next day harboured three encounters, one of which was pleasant and two of which were not, and all were made by third years.
***
The first, which was bad, was between James and Severus. Due to their subjects, Remus, Peter and Sirius were in Care of Magical Creatures first lesson on Monday, while James and Severus were in Charms and Lily in Arithmancy. At the end of the lesson Severus was leaving quickly, intent on getting more sleep in his free lesson next. James, leaning on a table next to the door, stuck out a foot and he went sprawling, dropping his books. The lack of sleep, the anger at everything, the ever nursed grievances, all burst the bubble of self calm and control Severus tried to live in.
He pulled out his wand, thought the spells, and James suddenly had purple hair, shoelaces tied together and shirt hanging off him as he hung upside down in the air. Severus ran off, gathering his books with another spell.
***
The next encounter was the nice one. Severus, waking from his free lesson, came out of the common room to find Lily, waiting for him.
"I heard about James."
"Yeah." He replied dully. This was it; she would tell him she liked James and not him.
"That was so cool! I heard it took Flitwick ten minutes to sort him out, and he's staying in the common room, and he needed taking down a peg or two. Apparently he fancies me! Stupid idiot – there are girls dying to go out with him, and he picks one that thinks he's and idiot and is best friends with someone he dislikes."
Severus' heart soared, and Lily departed laughing for her next lesson.
***
The next encounter was the worst, and did not occur until bedtime. Both Sirius and Remus, but only Remus with any truth, went to bed early with the excuse they were tired, Remus adding he needed all his sleep with the full moon in two nights time. Sirius only went because he wanted to think about how to tell Remus- for he had to tell him- that he liked him. Both sat in silence for a time, then, all at once, Sirius was on his feet in front of Remus' bed and talking.
"Rem I mean Moony are you bi? Or gay?"
"What?.. I… You… Who… How… No… I mean… What?"
Remus fell back onto the bed, almost suffocating on all his thoughts and half started sentences. How did he find out? Why was he asking? Had he found out? Had he found out, and was he too? Or had he found out, but wasn't? Or, or…
Finally he found his tongue.
"Why do you want to know?" The words were arrogant, and he regretted them immediately. Sirius' face flicked, sad, offended, upset, angry, sad, impassive. He walked off, and pulled the drapes around his bed with an impressive amount of dignity.
Shit.
Remus tossed and turned, but couldn't get to sleep all that night. Finally, he got up on the pretext of having a glass of water, but moved Sirius' hangings on the way; he couldn't stop himself. He caught a glimpse of the dark hair everywhere and the black eyes, but they locked onto his with a mournful expression that changed to blanks as they registered the subject of their gaze. Then he sat up, and pushed the hangings shut again, and Remus, all thoughts of a drink forgotten, went back slowly to his own bed, to fall into a troubled sleep of half remembered dreams through which Sirius weaved, loved but hating.
***
Luckily, they had no lessons sitting together the next day, Remus most often with Peter, Sirius with James. The following day carried on in the same vein, until after dinner, about seven, when James noticed Remus' state.
"Moon, you look way tired. Its full moon tomorrow night, you need some sleep."
It was true. His emotional, sleepless mindset was taking its toll, and coupled with the pre-moon stress that fell on him, Remus was all out by six thirty. Having no strength to argue or even resist, the werewolf trudged to his dormitory and fell fast asleep almost at once. The other three waited in the common room for Anni, who was coming at midnight that night.
Sure enough, a mutter of the password; "Truth and friendship wins," came, and the portrait hole opened to admit Anni, although only Sirius, expecting it, could discern where she was before she removed the Disillusionment charm hiding her from their eyes.
For five hours they worked, but finally all three could claim to be fledged Animagi, able to transform with their own power.
***
Sirius hung back, and gave Anni a quick update of his situation, finishing with: "So now, he ignores me but I've noticed he's really tired and I don't think he's sleeping well, so…"
The sentence trailed off; there was no need for an ending.
"It's hopeless and irrevocable, isn't it?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'll think about it. Full moon tomorrow? I'll be there okay, don't tell anyone else."
She left, and Sirius went up to the common room. The others were all asleep, and Sirius stayed a while at Remus, who he had checked last, and watched the boy sleep, calming himself.
****