Written For

Gringotts Prompt Bank

A-Z AU: cult!au

"Remus? Hey, Remus!" Sirius calls, jogging towards his former lover. "Where the hell have you been? It's been months."

He supposes he doesn't have any right to ask such things. He's the one who had broken up with Remus. It isn't his place to demand answers about the other's sudden disappearance.

"I'm sorry. I just- I mean, your parents called me. Said they haven't heard from you. Wanted to know if- if-"

To his surprise, Remus smiles. If the other man still holds any ill will, he doesn't show any sign of it. "I've been away. I found myself, Sirius. A big existential awakening."

Sirius groans, rolling his eyes. "You found God, you mean?"

"Better. This man… He's brilliant!"

Sirius feels a flicker of jealousy. Another man? Of course, he shouldn't feel this way. He's given Remus up.

"Not like that!" Remus laughs, playfully smacking Sirius' shoulder. "This bloke, Barty, he found me after our breakup. He could see I was pretty torn up, I guess. He told me about this group. Said they help you cope with the past to better prepare for the future."

Sirius raises his brows. "The future?"

"I can't really explain. It isn't my place," Remus says quickly, and Sirius thinks that he looks just a little too on edge as he looks over his shoulder. "Look, I heard about Reg's death. There's a meeting tonight. Come with me, and it might help you, too."

"I've already grieved my brother," Sirius says flatly. "I've moved on."

"Come anyway. For me?"

Sirius feels himself melt at that smile. He's never been able to resist it. "Fine. But only if you buy me a drink after," he agrees with a grin.

"Oh. I don't drink anymore. We have to be prepared, you know."

"Prepared for what?"

Remus squeezes his hand, his smile growing wider. "You'll see tonight."

…

Sirius looks around with a frown. Everyone seems a bit off. The way they look at him, as though he's an outsider. The way their eyes glaze over as they talk in excited tones among one another.

"This place gives me the creeps," he mumbles.

"It gives me peace," Remus says, guiding Sirius to a row of chairs in the back.

"Remus!" a man slightly younger than them calls. "Oh, I see you've brought a friend."

"Barty, this is Sirius."

Barty stares at Sirius, and Sirius squirms uncomfortably. He feels as though the younger man is looking into his soul and passing judgement on what he finds. "On behalf of the Disciples of Waiting, we welcome you," he says at last, though his tone is anything but welcoming.

"Disciples of Waiting? What is this? A church for restaurant staff?" Sirius chuckles.

Remus elbows him. "You'll have to excuse my friend. He does not understand yet."

Barty raises his brows. "Let us hope he will in time," he says curtly before walking off.

"Is that the leader?"

"Barty? No. But he's been here for a while. Gilderoy recruited him personally," Remus answers, and Sirius hears the clear admiration in his voice. "It was an honor to have been recruited by someone so close to the leader."

Sirius doesn't like his tone. Remus' eyes twinkle ever so slightly, as he looks ahead, like a child eagerly eyeing the presents under a tree.

"Remus, I think-"

But he's interrupted as a tall, slender man with golden hair rises behind the pulpit. Judging by the hush that falls across the room and the reverence everyone shows him, Sirius guesses that he must Gilderoy.

"Welcome, everyone," he calls, a too white, too broad smile on his face. "It is an honor to be amongst my brothers and sisters once again. I trust that you have been keeping up with the news."

A collective murmur of agreement.

"Tension. So much tension," Gilderoy says, clicking his tongue. "Such a tragic thing. They don't see it, do they?"

"No!" the crowd calls.

Sirius looks at Remus in confusion, but Remus has his full attention on the smiling man. He doesn't even notice Sirius anymore.

"The end," Gilderoy says. "The end is coming! And we will be ready. We, who lie in wait. The world will crumble. Civil war will be waged in the streets of London! The wealthy will fall, but the poor will not hold their power. And then we, my brothers and sisters, we will rise from the ashes, and we will take back the earth!"

…

"I told you he's brilliant!"

"Rise from the ashes?" Sirius snorts. "Should've gone with something more catchy for the name then. Order of the Phoenix?"

"You shouldn't make fun," Remus hisses. "He knows things! I was skeptical at first, too. But the evidence is there! You've seen it! The way the poor and the wealthy clash. The laws put into place to keep the poor in check. The protests. Power will shift, Sirius."

"Remus, it's nonsense! There isn't going to be a war. The rich will get richer. The poor will continue to struggle. That's the way the world works!"

"Barty was right. I begged to bring you in. He allowed it, but he told me you were too much like… like them," Remus snaps, folding his arms over his chest. "I had it all planned out. We'd ease back into our old routine. Fall in love again. When society collapsed, you'd be at my side when we began to rebuild."

Sirius stares at him in silence, unable to understand. How could Remus get caught up in something like this? He's far too smart, too sensible. How could anyone control him?

"I will be back for you, Remus," Sirius says, his voice shaking slightly. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. "I promise you that. This isn't right for-"

"Don't," Remus laughs. "Don't you dare. You don't have any right to tell me what's good for me, Sirius. You left me, remember?"

Sirius flinches as though Remus has physically struck him. "Yeah. I remember."

"Have a nice life, Sirius," he says before turning on his heel and stalking off, disappearing in the shadowy distance.

Sirius pulls out his mobile phone and punches in a quick number. "James, mate," he sighs, pulling an instructional pamphlet from his pocket. "I need you to find out anything you can about Gilderoy Lockhart and the Disciples of Waiting."

"What? Fellowship of the Restaurant Staff was taken?" James snorts.

Sirius almost smiles.

"What's this about, Sirius?"

He stares off, eyes still fixed upon where Remus disappeared. "It's Remus," he sighs. "I don't know what the hell he's gotten himself into, but it doesn't seem good."

"On it."

…

"Well, I have bad news, and I have bad news," James says, appearing at Sirius' door with a takeaway bag full of something greasy that smells delicious. "Which would you like first?"

"Well, you certainly have a variety," Sirius snorts, taking the bag and setting it on the table. "I think I'll start with the bad news."

"I looked into this Lockhart bloke," James says as Sirius digs into the bag and stuffs his mouth with chips.

"And?" Sirius asks, the word muffled by the mouthful of food.

"Disgraced religious leader from Belfast," James says. "Apparently the church didn't appreciate his doomsday tactics. Bit extreme. Preaching about the end of times, milking his congregation for every pound they had for preparation. He was banished, stripped of his titles, but quite a few followers went with him."

Sirius frowns, pushing the bag of food aside. His stomach has grown too sour to eat.

"The rest of the bad news. As you already know, he started what he called a new church. Cult would be a better name for it."

"I've noticed," Sirius mumbles.

"I've read accounts from those who have gotten out, but there isn't much. It's like even after leaving, they're too scared to betray Lockhart."

"You think Remus is in danger?"

"I think there's only one way to find out," James sighs. "Lily helped me look into it. She recognized the name of girls who gave a statement. Her son and Harry play football together in the park."

"What's her name?"

"Alice Longbottom."

…

Alice Longbottom is a pretty girl with her golden hair tied up in a messy bun. A nervous six year old boy peers out from behind her legs.

"Lily said you were asking about me," Alice says, reaching down and striking her boy's chestnut hair. "What's this about?"

"The Disciples of Waiting," Sirius answers.

They can see everything they need to know in the way her face goes a shade whiter, the way her body draws tight like elastic being pulled. "Neville, my love," she whispers. "Go watch about the trains, okay?"

"Yes, Mummy!" the boy calls before darting off, eagerly yelling, "Trains! Trains!"

"My ex- My, um, my friend," Sirius says. "He's with them now. Has been for the past few months."

Alice smiles sadly before moving to the kitchen counter. She busies herself by cutting bread. Sirius wonders if it's because she needs to, or if it's a way to make it easier to cope.

"Lily recognized your name," James explains.

"She didn't know," Alice says. "No one does. God knows I can't bring myself to talk about it much."

"Is my friend in danger?"

Alice looks like she wants to say something, but she seems to reconsider and closes her mouth. Sirius wonders if Lockhart still has such a strong hold over her, even now.

"I was there for three years," Alice says. "They're so nice at first. Everyone they recruit… We were all going for something."

"You lost your husband," Sirius says.

She nods. "They taught you early on that they could be kind. Whatever your loss, they could understand. They could help you heal in a way that no one else could. You never even felt yourself melt. Suddenly, you were putty in their hands."

"What made you leave?"

"Neville. He was barely three. Knocked over some sculpture Gilderoy cared for. It broke. They demanded I beat my son for causing damage to the temple, said that if I didn't, wrath would fall on us all," Alice answers, her voice shaking. "They said that the temple is our sanctuary, and Neville has upset God. I- I couldn't hurt him."

"He's your son," James says, nodding.

"They held me back. I tried to fight them, to get away and get to my son. But one of them held my head, made me watch as that bastard Barty beat my son over and over for nearly half an hour. Neville was bruised. Bloody. He could barely walk."

Sirius glances into the living room, where he can see the round faced boy grinning up at the telly, a stuffed frog nearly twice his size in his lap. He wonders how anyone could hurt someone so small.

"I was living in their commune at that point," Alice says. "Once you're welcomed fully, you're told to give up everything and everyone except for your brothers and sisters. Anyone caught with access to the outside world would be punished."

Sirius moves closer, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "But you got out," he says, and there's no denying the admiration in his voice.

"It wasn't easy. They have guards, you know. They watch us. I grabbed Neville in the middle of the night, and I ran. I only barely escaped."

Silence hangs in the room. James and Sirius exchange uncomfortable glances.

"You asked if I think your friend is in danger," Alice says at last, fixing her wide, brown eyes upon Sirius. "My answer is yes."

…

"Remus!"

"Sirius, I really can't talk to you," Remus says.

"Remus, it's a cult," Sirius says urgently, shaking his head. "It's a fucking cult!"

Remus flinches. He stares at Sirius blankly for several seconds before laughing. "A cult? Sirius, do you really think I'm stupid enough to join a cult?"

"Stupid? No. But you were vulnerable. That's what they do. They prey on the vulnerable, and I'm the one who you that way. Christ, this is all my fault!"

"I really can't be late for this meeting, Sirius," Remus sighs. "I'm being inducted into the Disciples."

Sirius feels his heart stop for a fraction of a second. He grabs Remus by the wrists, shaking his head. "You can't, Remus. Come back with me, okay? We'll start over. We can be together."

Remus tips his head to the side in thought, and Sirius feels a flicker of hope. He's considering it. He's going to come back, and everything will be okay again.

But Remus pulls out of his grasp. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"You'll never see me again."

Remus places a quick kiss on his lips. "Maybe it's better that way," he says softly before turning and hurrying away.

Sirius follows after him, but a weight collides against his chest. "Private meeting tonight," Barty tells him, smirking. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of your little pet."

"Like you took care of Neville Longbottom?" Sirius snaps, fists clenched, ready to fight.

"Go home, Sirius. Remus made his choice. You weren't enough to keep him," Barty laughs. "Cause any trouble for us, and we'll make sure you hurt. Your godson is such a happy boy. It would be a shame if something were to happen to him."

Sirius swings, but Barty ducks out of the way of the blow. "Be smart. Don't come back."

…

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" James sighs.

"They threatened Harry," Sirius growls.

"All the more reason to let it go."

Sirius feels tears prick his eyes. "It's my fault."

"It's not."

But nothing James says can ease the guilt.