AU of an AU for anna_bm
Not part of the drabble meme, but something I was promising to do for even longer than those.
I hope you like it.
Prompt: What if it had not been Sirius's Hogwart's letter that Remus had found in Once in a Blue Moon? What if it had been another bird that was hit?
Remus looked out from behind the tree and wondered how close he could get to the school before someone spotted him.
He looked at the well-worn letter in his hand and chewed on his lip.
Peter had written to him plenty of times over the summer, but it seemed that now he was at Hogwarts he didn’t have the time to write to him any more.
Remus watched the students running about across the grounds. The sounds of the happy laughter drifted across to him on the wind, and he wished that he could join them.
Everyone was having fun… except for him.
The werewolf. The freak.
Then he saw Him.
He had dark hair and was sitting down near the lake. He was dressed in black and green robes, clearly he was in Slytherin. Remus screwed up his nose slightly at the realisation, but his gaze was continually drawn back to the boy.
He was watching him curiously, wondering why he wasn’t joining in the games with the other students, when he saw Peter. He recognised him from the photo he had sent with one of his letters, but although he recognised the face, the sneering expression on it was foreign.
“Well, look who it is,” the boy walking alongside Peter said loudly. “Say, Peter, do you realise it’s been nearly forty eight hours since we last hexed our friend here?”
Remus watched the dark-haired boy reach for his wand, but it was already too late. Whatever the spell was, it caused the boy’s hair to mutate into writhing, hissing snakes.
“Nice one, James,” Peter chuckled. “Perfect for our little Slytherin wannabe. What’s it called?”
“The Medusa curse,” James replied. “I read about it last week and I’ve been waiting for a chance to try it out.”
“All right, you’ve had your fun, now take it off,” the dark-haired boy demanded.
“What would I want to do that for?” James laughed, and he and Peter made their way back to the castle.
Remus watched in horror as his friend walked back up to the castle. He didn’t want to believe that Peter had taken part in what he had just seen. Peter was his friend, or at least he thought he had been. He wasn’t a bully, was he?
He didn’t notice the letter he had treasured dropping from his hand.
His eyes were on Peter and James, and he didn’t notice that the other boy was running towards the forest… towards him.
He didn’t see him until he was barrelling right into him, toppling them both to the ground.
One of the snakes was rather too close to his face for comfort, but Remus was frozen in fear.
“I’m s-sorry,” the boy stammered as he sat up.
Remus scrambled to his feet and backed away slightly.
The boy suddenly looked at him closer and seemed to realise that he wasn’t a student. “Who are you?” he asked.
Remus knew he shouldn’t say anything. He should turn and run home, before he got into trouble. He wasn’t supposed to be here. It was too dangerous.
“I’m Remus,” he replied with a small smile.
The grey eyes looking back at him were brimming with tears, but warm and curious. He reached up to swipe a muddy hand across his face, leaving a streak of dirt in its wake.
“You’ve got dirt on your face,” Remus told him.
The boy rubbed at his face, making it twice as bad.
“Here,” Remus offered, pulling out a relatively clean handkerchief and waiting for the boy to take it from him.
“Thanks.”
“Why are your robes green, if you’re not in Slytherin?” Remus asked.
“My Mother bought them for me,” the boy replied. “All my family have been in Slytherin. I guess they thought I would be, too.”
“What house are you in?”
“Gryffindor.”
Remus grinned. “The house of the most brave.”
The boy snorted. “I don’t feel very brave. I can’t even do a simple counter-curse.” He gestured to the snakes and Remus could tell he was fighting a losing battle with the tears.
“What’s your name?” Remus asked.
“Sirius,” the boy said. “Sirius Black.”
Remus smiled. His letter from Peter and the reason for sneaking to the school were both forgotten. “I might be able to help with that curse,” he suggested. “If you want?”
“Really?” Sirius smiled for the first time, and Remus felt his own smile stretching into a grin as he nodded.
I hope you like it.
Prompt: What if it had not been Sirius's Hogwart's letter that Remus had found in Once in a Blue Moon? What if it had been another bird that was hit?
Remus looked out from behind the tree and wondered how close he could get to the school before someone spotted him.
He looked at the well-worn letter in his hand and chewed on his lip.
Peter had written to him plenty of times over the summer, but it seemed that now he was at Hogwarts he didn’t have the time to write to him any more.
Remus watched the students running about across the grounds. The sounds of the happy laughter drifted across to him on the wind, and he wished that he could join them.
Everyone was having fun… except for him.
The werewolf. The freak.
Then he saw Him.
He had dark hair and was sitting down near the lake. He was dressed in black and green robes, clearly he was in Slytherin. Remus screwed up his nose slightly at the realisation, but his gaze was continually drawn back to the boy.
He was watching him curiously, wondering why he wasn’t joining in the games with the other students, when he saw Peter. He recognised him from the photo he had sent with one of his letters, but although he recognised the face, the sneering expression on it was foreign.
“Well, look who it is,” the boy walking alongside Peter said loudly. “Say, Peter, do you realise it’s been nearly forty eight hours since we last hexed our friend here?”
Remus watched the dark-haired boy reach for his wand, but it was already too late. Whatever the spell was, it caused the boy’s hair to mutate into writhing, hissing snakes.
“Nice one, James,” Peter chuckled. “Perfect for our little Slytherin wannabe. What’s it called?”
“The Medusa curse,” James replied. “I read about it last week and I’ve been waiting for a chance to try it out.”
“All right, you’ve had your fun, now take it off,” the dark-haired boy demanded.
“What would I want to do that for?” James laughed, and he and Peter made their way back to the castle.
Remus watched in horror as his friend walked back up to the castle. He didn’t want to believe that Peter had taken part in what he had just seen. Peter was his friend, or at least he thought he had been. He wasn’t a bully, was he?
He didn’t notice the letter he had treasured dropping from his hand.
His eyes were on Peter and James, and he didn’t notice that the other boy was running towards the forest… towards him.
He didn’t see him until he was barrelling right into him, toppling them both to the ground.
One of the snakes was rather too close to his face for comfort, but Remus was frozen in fear.
“I’m s-sorry,” the boy stammered as he sat up.
Remus scrambled to his feet and backed away slightly.
The boy suddenly looked at him closer and seemed to realise that he wasn’t a student. “Who are you?” he asked.
Remus knew he shouldn’t say anything. He should turn and run home, before he got into trouble. He wasn’t supposed to be here. It was too dangerous.
“I’m Remus,” he replied with a small smile.
The grey eyes looking back at him were brimming with tears, but warm and curious. He reached up to swipe a muddy hand across his face, leaving a streak of dirt in its wake.
“You’ve got dirt on your face,” Remus told him.
The boy rubbed at his face, making it twice as bad.
“Here,” Remus offered, pulling out a relatively clean handkerchief and waiting for the boy to take it from him.
“Thanks.”
“Why are your robes green, if you’re not in Slytherin?” Remus asked.
“My Mother bought them for me,” the boy replied. “All my family have been in Slytherin. I guess they thought I would be, too.”
“What house are you in?”
“Gryffindor.”
Remus grinned. “The house of the most brave.”
The boy snorted. “I don’t feel very brave. I can’t even do a simple counter-curse.” He gestured to the snakes and Remus could tell he was fighting a losing battle with the tears.
“What’s your name?” Remus asked.
“Sirius,” the boy said. “Sirius Black.”
Remus smiled. His letter from Peter and the reason for sneaking to the school were both forgotten. “I might be able to help with that curse,” he suggested. “If you want?”
“Really?” Sirius smiled for the first time, and Remus felt his own smile stretching into a grin as he nodded.