(no subject)
Title: A State of Uneasiness
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Summary: Part 40 of the Smitten series; Remus is uneasy about the future, and Dumbledore gives him his first assignment, much to Sirius's dismay.
Warnings: None
Author's note: This does not indicate that I will be updating every day, but it is the end of the semester in college and finals are coming up. I will update as much as possible.
Now that Remus knew that he was a part of something bigger, he started to pay attention more to the newspapers. He had never realized just how many murders were being committed, how many people were getting killed or maimed. It was horrifying to him, that he had never really noticed it before, and several articles were so graphic that he would be sick to his stomach. Sirius always tried to get him to smile, but often he failed.
“Remus, it’s a war. Of course people are going to die-fuck, we might even die-but you can’t get sick over it. You just can’t,” Sirius claimed over his sandwich at the table as Remus stared down miserably at the paper. “You have to look on the bright side. Look, Frank Longbottom got married to Alice Cooper. See that? That’s happy!” He smacked his palm down on the paper and smiled. “Come on, Moony.”
Remus sighed heavily. “The bright side, Pads?” he asked quietly, and he shook his head. “We didn’t even get invited to that wedding! Why?” He snickered a little-lots of couples were getting married, people they knew, and they were never invited because those were weddings to which no one was invited. Trust was breaking down amongst old friends, and it killed Remus.
Sirius stood up and went behind Remus, rubbing his shoulders. “Because Frank is a wanker and always has been?” he suggested, and when Remus leaned back against him, he filtered his fingers through his hair. “You’re going to worry yourself grey.”
Remus nodded and pushed away from Sirius, standing and stretching. “Dumbledore Flooed over this morning when you were asleep. He will be coming over for dinner to discuss what we’re supposed to do…I don’t know if we’ll be staying here any longer.” He leaned over and kissed Sirius’s cheek before he took the dishes to the sink. “I’m going to go have a shower.” Looking quite troubled, he went to the bathroom and closed the door.
Sirius sighed and did the dishes before he looked out the window. It was February already. Remus’s birthday was in March, and he was afraid that he would not be able to get him the gift he deserved (he had spent such a desperate amount for the engagement ring). His fiancé was so depressed lately, and he had decided that he was going to address this with Dumbledore. If being with the Order of the Phoenix was going to ruin Remus, they would pull out.
Remus was in the shower for a very long time, and Sirius grew concerned. Going to the bathroom door, he leaned against it and gave a knock. “Baby, the hot water has got to be long gone,” he called through the door, and immediately, the sound of water within halted. He opened the door and went over to the tub, pushing back the shower curtain to see Remus standing there, lips blue and shivering, and he grabbed a war towel to wrap around him. “That’s enough,” he said quietly, and he pulled Remus out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. “Get dressed, Remus. We’re telling Dumbledore that we’re quitting. I’m not gonna stand by and watch you-”
“We’ll do no such thing, Sirius,” Remus sighed, and he looked up at him. “I’ll…I’ll feel better once we start working. I’m just freaked out, okay?” He turned his eyes away as Sirius slipped his arms around him and hauled him in against his chest. “Please don’t quit. Sirius, please don’t quit…”
Sirius nodded and rubbed Remus’s cold back, trying to warm him up. “We’ll talk to Dumbledore about all this, okay? You’re going to get sick if you don’t get warm again, you know, and you’re a right bitch when you don’t feel well.” He nudged him with a smile and kissed the nape of his neck before he took him over to the bed. “Lie down and get warm-there’s still some time before Dumbledore gets here.”
Remus nodded and lay down in the bed, closing his eyes and sighing as Sirius grinned at him. “Stop staring at me and go make dinner,” Remus mumbled into the pillow, and he glanced up over the white linen to smile at him. “Go on; Dumbledore will be expecting us to be gracious hosts. You’re on the verge of being rude.”
Sirius wrinkled his nose and disappeared into the kitchen.
When Dumbledore came in two hours later, he knocked politely and smiled when Sirius opened the door and greeted him with a boyish grin. “Hello, Mister Black,” Albus said in an almost whimsical tone, and Sirius stepped aside to let him come inside. “Is Mister Lupin not in?”
“He’s sleeping,” Sirius said quietly, and he ushered Dumbledore into the kitchen. “Sit down, sir, and I will go wake him up. He’s not feeling so well, but he wants to talk to you about…things.” He frowned a little and Dumbledore noted that lines were appearing on his forehead. They did not suit the young Sirius Black.
Sirius went into the bedroom and patted Remus’s shoulder. “Wake up, Moony; Dumbledore’s here,” he coaxed quietly, and Remus groaned and rolled over, swatting at him. “Don’t give me that shit. Get up…” He crawled on top of Remus and bounced on his lower back. “Up, up!”
Remus howled into the sheets and threw Sirius off of him. “Fine!” He leapt up and tackled him furiously to the mattress, initiating a half-play fight that was a little rougher than usual.
Dumbledore could hear the growling and yelling and fighting from the kitchen, and he smirked to himself as the two boys came calmly into the room a few moments later. “Glad to see you both came out alive,” he chided, the blush that spread over their cheeks making him smile. When Remus came over to shake his hand, he shook it firmly and nodded to him. “It’s good to see you again, Remus. How have your transformations been recently?”
Remus began to serve the dinner of baked chicken and rice that Sirius had prepared for them, and he gave a shrug to the question. “No less painful than usual, unfortunately. Why?” Remus asked, and he sat down beside Sirius across the table from Dumbledore. “Have there been any developments in potions or anything?”
Dumbledore gave a sad sort of nod. “Always researching, never finding anything. They’re certainly trying, Mister Lupin, but I would not count on anything anytime soon.” Remus hung his head a little and nodded, glad for Sirius’s comforting hand on his lower back. He busied himself with pushing food around his plate as Dumbledore began to speak again. “But I do have an assignment for you.”
Sirius’s eyes widened and Remus looked up with a sparkle in his eyes. “Really? What?” Remus asked, and he leaned forward a little, a bit of a light suddenly shining in his eyes. He could feel Sirius’s fingers pressing unnaturally hard in his back, and he pulled away from the touch a little.
“Voldemort will certainly be going after the werewolf ‘packs’ in the area. I need you, during your next transformation and each subsequent one, to travel between packs and learn of their intentions. Can you do that?” Dumbledore asked, cutting a piece of chicken from the bone and popping it into his mouth. He grinned as Remus nodded excitedly, but he could not help but notice the terrified look on Sirius’s face. “Mister Black, you look troubled.”
Sirius blinked at him in disbelief. “Of course I look troubled, damn it!” he snarled, and he stood up, ignoring the nasty glare Remus sent his way. “Do you have to send him on something so dangerous the first time? He could get killed!”
Dumbledore sighed and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Sirius, all of the Order’s missions are dangerous, and Remus is the only person who can do this, I’m afraid. There is a high mortality rate in this kind of busine-”
“Then we don’t want any part of it!” Sirius yelped, and he shoved his chair under the table, grabbing Remus by the arm. “Come on, Remus! You can’t accept this!”
Remus looked at that hand on his arm quietly before he looked up into Sirius’s almost wild eyes. “Sirius, I’m going to do it. If I don’t, no one can. Some things are more important than our individual lives,” he said in the calmest voice. He was resolute, and Sirius could see that, and when Sirius growled and ran back into the bedroom, Remus smiled apologetically to Albus.
“I will absolutely do it,” he said, and he gave him a nod. “And I’ll talk to Sirius. Don’t worry about that, okay?” When Albus smiled and got up from the table, Remus felt very small. “He’ll be okay.”
“Good luck with that,” Dumbledore sighed, and he shook Remus’s hand one more time. “And thank you. You could save many lives like this, you know.” And then he was gone.
Remus dropped his hand from the air and turned to the bedroom, closing his eyes and walking up to the door. “Sirius?” he called quietly, and he knocked.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Summary: Part 40 of the Smitten series; Remus is uneasy about the future, and Dumbledore gives him his first assignment, much to Sirius's dismay.
Warnings: None
Author's note: This does not indicate that I will be updating every day, but it is the end of the semester in college and finals are coming up. I will update as much as possible.
Now that Remus knew that he was a part of something bigger, he started to pay attention more to the newspapers. He had never realized just how many murders were being committed, how many people were getting killed or maimed. It was horrifying to him, that he had never really noticed it before, and several articles were so graphic that he would be sick to his stomach. Sirius always tried to get him to smile, but often he failed.
“Remus, it’s a war. Of course people are going to die-fuck, we might even die-but you can’t get sick over it. You just can’t,” Sirius claimed over his sandwich at the table as Remus stared down miserably at the paper. “You have to look on the bright side. Look, Frank Longbottom got married to Alice Cooper. See that? That’s happy!” He smacked his palm down on the paper and smiled. “Come on, Moony.”
Remus sighed heavily. “The bright side, Pads?” he asked quietly, and he shook his head. “We didn’t even get invited to that wedding! Why?” He snickered a little-lots of couples were getting married, people they knew, and they were never invited because those were weddings to which no one was invited. Trust was breaking down amongst old friends, and it killed Remus.
Sirius stood up and went behind Remus, rubbing his shoulders. “Because Frank is a wanker and always has been?” he suggested, and when Remus leaned back against him, he filtered his fingers through his hair. “You’re going to worry yourself grey.”
Remus nodded and pushed away from Sirius, standing and stretching. “Dumbledore Flooed over this morning when you were asleep. He will be coming over for dinner to discuss what we’re supposed to do…I don’t know if we’ll be staying here any longer.” He leaned over and kissed Sirius’s cheek before he took the dishes to the sink. “I’m going to go have a shower.” Looking quite troubled, he went to the bathroom and closed the door.
Sirius sighed and did the dishes before he looked out the window. It was February already. Remus’s birthday was in March, and he was afraid that he would not be able to get him the gift he deserved (he had spent such a desperate amount for the engagement ring). His fiancé was so depressed lately, and he had decided that he was going to address this with Dumbledore. If being with the Order of the Phoenix was going to ruin Remus, they would pull out.
Remus was in the shower for a very long time, and Sirius grew concerned. Going to the bathroom door, he leaned against it and gave a knock. “Baby, the hot water has got to be long gone,” he called through the door, and immediately, the sound of water within halted. He opened the door and went over to the tub, pushing back the shower curtain to see Remus standing there, lips blue and shivering, and he grabbed a war towel to wrap around him. “That’s enough,” he said quietly, and he pulled Remus out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. “Get dressed, Remus. We’re telling Dumbledore that we’re quitting. I’m not gonna stand by and watch you-”
“We’ll do no such thing, Sirius,” Remus sighed, and he looked up at him. “I’ll…I’ll feel better once we start working. I’m just freaked out, okay?” He turned his eyes away as Sirius slipped his arms around him and hauled him in against his chest. “Please don’t quit. Sirius, please don’t quit…”
Sirius nodded and rubbed Remus’s cold back, trying to warm him up. “We’ll talk to Dumbledore about all this, okay? You’re going to get sick if you don’t get warm again, you know, and you’re a right bitch when you don’t feel well.” He nudged him with a smile and kissed the nape of his neck before he took him over to the bed. “Lie down and get warm-there’s still some time before Dumbledore gets here.”
Remus nodded and lay down in the bed, closing his eyes and sighing as Sirius grinned at him. “Stop staring at me and go make dinner,” Remus mumbled into the pillow, and he glanced up over the white linen to smile at him. “Go on; Dumbledore will be expecting us to be gracious hosts. You’re on the verge of being rude.”
Sirius wrinkled his nose and disappeared into the kitchen.
When Dumbledore came in two hours later, he knocked politely and smiled when Sirius opened the door and greeted him with a boyish grin. “Hello, Mister Black,” Albus said in an almost whimsical tone, and Sirius stepped aside to let him come inside. “Is Mister Lupin not in?”
“He’s sleeping,” Sirius said quietly, and he ushered Dumbledore into the kitchen. “Sit down, sir, and I will go wake him up. He’s not feeling so well, but he wants to talk to you about…things.” He frowned a little and Dumbledore noted that lines were appearing on his forehead. They did not suit the young Sirius Black.
Sirius went into the bedroom and patted Remus’s shoulder. “Wake up, Moony; Dumbledore’s here,” he coaxed quietly, and Remus groaned and rolled over, swatting at him. “Don’t give me that shit. Get up…” He crawled on top of Remus and bounced on his lower back. “Up, up!”
Remus howled into the sheets and threw Sirius off of him. “Fine!” He leapt up and tackled him furiously to the mattress, initiating a half-play fight that was a little rougher than usual.
Dumbledore could hear the growling and yelling and fighting from the kitchen, and he smirked to himself as the two boys came calmly into the room a few moments later. “Glad to see you both came out alive,” he chided, the blush that spread over their cheeks making him smile. When Remus came over to shake his hand, he shook it firmly and nodded to him. “It’s good to see you again, Remus. How have your transformations been recently?”
Remus began to serve the dinner of baked chicken and rice that Sirius had prepared for them, and he gave a shrug to the question. “No less painful than usual, unfortunately. Why?” Remus asked, and he sat down beside Sirius across the table from Dumbledore. “Have there been any developments in potions or anything?”
Dumbledore gave a sad sort of nod. “Always researching, never finding anything. They’re certainly trying, Mister Lupin, but I would not count on anything anytime soon.” Remus hung his head a little and nodded, glad for Sirius’s comforting hand on his lower back. He busied himself with pushing food around his plate as Dumbledore began to speak again. “But I do have an assignment for you.”
Sirius’s eyes widened and Remus looked up with a sparkle in his eyes. “Really? What?” Remus asked, and he leaned forward a little, a bit of a light suddenly shining in his eyes. He could feel Sirius’s fingers pressing unnaturally hard in his back, and he pulled away from the touch a little.
“Voldemort will certainly be going after the werewolf ‘packs’ in the area. I need you, during your next transformation and each subsequent one, to travel between packs and learn of their intentions. Can you do that?” Dumbledore asked, cutting a piece of chicken from the bone and popping it into his mouth. He grinned as Remus nodded excitedly, but he could not help but notice the terrified look on Sirius’s face. “Mister Black, you look troubled.”
Sirius blinked at him in disbelief. “Of course I look troubled, damn it!” he snarled, and he stood up, ignoring the nasty glare Remus sent his way. “Do you have to send him on something so dangerous the first time? He could get killed!”
Dumbledore sighed and steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Sirius, all of the Order’s missions are dangerous, and Remus is the only person who can do this, I’m afraid. There is a high mortality rate in this kind of busine-”
“Then we don’t want any part of it!” Sirius yelped, and he shoved his chair under the table, grabbing Remus by the arm. “Come on, Remus! You can’t accept this!”
Remus looked at that hand on his arm quietly before he looked up into Sirius’s almost wild eyes. “Sirius, I’m going to do it. If I don’t, no one can. Some things are more important than our individual lives,” he said in the calmest voice. He was resolute, and Sirius could see that, and when Sirius growled and ran back into the bedroom, Remus smiled apologetically to Albus.
“I will absolutely do it,” he said, and he gave him a nod. “And I’ll talk to Sirius. Don’t worry about that, okay?” When Albus smiled and got up from the table, Remus felt very small. “He’ll be okay.”
“Good luck with that,” Dumbledore sighed, and he shook Remus’s hand one more time. “And thank you. You could save many lives like this, you know.” And then he was gone.
Remus dropped his hand from the air and turned to the bedroom, closing his eyes and walking up to the door. “Sirius?” he called quietly, and he knocked.