FIC: Interlude
Title: Interlude
Rating: PG13
Prompt Set: Remus/Sirius 100.3
Prompt: 065 And
Word Count: 1360
Genre: Angst
Summary: Remus is drawn to Azkaban Prison on the night of the full moon.
Warnings: Slash and unbeta’d.
Written for my 100quills prompts challenge.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
“And?” a small voice from the back of the room piped up, prompting nods from several other children who had been listening to his story.
Remus smiled softly and shook his head. “And that’s the end of the story of Mr Moony and Mr Padfoot,” he concluded.
“But it can’t be,” a blonde girl with pigtails insisted. “Didn’t Mr Moony go and see Mr Padfoot and tell him off?”
“I’m afraid he didn’t,” Remus told her.
“He should have gone to the prison and punched him on the nose,” a red-haired boy shouted.
“Mr Moony couldn’t have done that,” Remus explained. “Mr Padfoot had been his best friend for most of his life. He loved him very much.”
“But he was a bad man!” one of the oldest of the children said. “He did bad things.”
“I’m afraid he did,” Remus replied. “But Mr Moony still loved him and would have forgiven him as soon as he saw him again. So he stayed away…”
“He should have punched him,” the red-haired boy insisted, and several other children nodded in agreement.
Remus smiled sadly as the children gathered up their belongings and made their way over to the parents and other relatives who had come to collect them.
He was putting his own things away when he realised that not everyone was hurrying to leave.
One of the parents had approached his desk and was looking at him curiously.
“Can I help you?” Remus asked politely.
“Interesting story you were telling the children,” the woman commented. “It seemed… familiar, somehow…”
Remus shrugged and ducked his head to hide the flush that he knew was spreading over his face. “When it comes to children’s stories, one is pretty much like the next I find. Don’t you agree?”
“That wasn’t the usual sort of children’s story though, was it?” the woman insisted. “I hope it doesn’t give the younger children nightmares.”
“I kept it as free from nightmarish qualities as I could.”
“But werewolves?”
“Werewolves are only dangerous on the night of the full moon,” Remus reminded her.
“According to your story,” she countered. “Many would disagree.”
Remus forced out a small laugh. “You talk as though they were real.”
The woman laughed. “The muggles might not believe in them, but we know better, don’t we?”
The hair on the back of his neck rose and goose bumps broke out on his arms.
“The Ministry already know that I’m working here,” Remus told her with a sigh of frustration. “They know what I am, and they take no issue with my position at this school.”
The woman waved her hand dismissing his words. “As long as the muggles continue to believe your stories are just stories, we see no reason to interfere.”
“You’re checking up on me?”
“Of course. Do you see any children lingering here?”
Remus looked around the empty room and saw that she was right. The children had all gone, and only the witch from the Ministry remained.
“He asks for you every day, even calls out for you in his sleep,” the witch said. Remus didn’t need to ask her who. “You were lovers, right?”
Remus scowled, but gave a curt nod in response. It wouldn’t do for the Ministry to get reports about his lack of co-operation.
“If you were to see him you could get some closure.”
“I can’t see him again, my heart couldn’t take it.” Remus didn’t know why he was talking so openly about his feelings. Maybe it was because he was used to talking about Mr Padfoot with the children. Perhaps it had loosened his tongue.
“It’s been five years, Azkaban takes it toll on everyone, even Sirius Black.”
“I didn’t fall for him because of his looks.” Even now Remus could picture Sirius as he had been in their youth. The insane laughing man who had been arrested after the murders had eclipsed his memories only for a short while.
“He was a good looking man.”
“I never said he wasn’t.”
“Despite his crimes, I think you still care for him anyway.”
“Which is exactly why I can’t go to see him,” Remus snapped. “I’ve loved him since we were at school. I loved him through the war. Even when I found out what he had done, the depths he had sunk to… I can’t turn my feelings off.”
“If you saw him now, maybe you could.”
“What’s it to you?” Remus asked, his patience wearing thinner as the conversation continued. “What does the Ministry care if I go and visit him?”
“The Ministry keeps a close eye on all visitors to Azkaban.”
“I can’t imagine anyone who would want to visit the place.”
“There are less than a dozen visitors a year, and most of those are Ministry officials.”
“Well, I won’t be joining the visitors.”
“Are you sure?”
Suddenly Remus knew why she was there. “I’m not going to be breaking Sirius Black out, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
The witch flushed only slightly, but he knew he had hit upon the reason for her visit.
“I may love him, but that doesn’t mean I’d help him escape.”
“See that you don’t.”
-o-xXx-o-
Remus stood on the edge of the cliff and looked out at the North Sea. He knew the precise spot where Azkaban was situated, although you couldn’t see it from the land. The spells surrounding it made it invisible until you were almost upon it.
At the foot of the cliff there was a boat stocking up with supplies for the prison. He had seen it earlier. The food looked rotten and mouldy, and he couldn’t imagine the meals that were being served to the prisoners.
The boat also took visitors across to the prison, although there was no one visiting today.
Remus shivered and watched the waves tossing the little boat as the elderly man tossed the last of the supplies in and cast off.
Somewhere, just out of sight, he knew that Sirius was sitting in his cell. The sun was almost down and the moon was about to rise. For the first time in five years Remus was in no hurry to lock himself up for the full moon. There was no one around for miles, and he knew that the wolf wouldn’t roam far. The wolf knew how close the last member of his pack was, too.
-o-xXx-o-
Cold and wet.
Remus woke up the next morning with only the vaguest recollections of what had happened the night before.
One thing he did know was that the wolf had been closer to Padfoot than he had been in years, and he had nearly drowned trying to reach him.
His throat was sore from howling in frustration, and taste of sea water was in his mouth.
His limbs ached from his desperate swim against the tide as he tried to reach his mate.
He shivered and curled into a ball as he pulled out of the way of the waves that were lapping at his feet.
It had been a mistake to come here.
The salty tears slid unheeded down his cheeks, eventually to mingle with the salty waters of the sea.
“And…” he whispered. What now? What had this achieved? What was left for him here on this lonely beach?
He closed his eyes and drew in a long breath.
And now his life would go on much as it had before. He would survive and that was enough for him.
Across the sea, on a tiny island, a large black dog whimpered in the corner of the stone cell. The dog didn’t understand everything that had happened the night before, but on some level he knew that something he had been searching for had been close enough to sense, close enough to hear, close enough to smell.
It wasn’t over yet.
There was still too much left unsaid, and too much left undone. The story wasn’t over, and when Sirius transformed back into human form, for the first time, he felt a sense of hope that he would one day get the chance to finish the tale that had begun so many years before.
-
My Prompts Table
Rating: PG13
Prompt Set: Remus/Sirius 100.3
Prompt: 065 And
Word Count: 1360
Genre: Angst
Summary: Remus is drawn to Azkaban Prison on the night of the full moon.
Warnings: Slash and unbeta’d.
Written for my 100quills prompts challenge.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognise. J K Rowling retains all copyright.
“And?” a small voice from the back of the room piped up, prompting nods from several other children who had been listening to his story.
Remus smiled softly and shook his head. “And that’s the end of the story of Mr Moony and Mr Padfoot,” he concluded.
“But it can’t be,” a blonde girl with pigtails insisted. “Didn’t Mr Moony go and see Mr Padfoot and tell him off?”
“I’m afraid he didn’t,” Remus told her.
“He should have gone to the prison and punched him on the nose,” a red-haired boy shouted.
“Mr Moony couldn’t have done that,” Remus explained. “Mr Padfoot had been his best friend for most of his life. He loved him very much.”
“But he was a bad man!” one of the oldest of the children said. “He did bad things.”
“I’m afraid he did,” Remus replied. “But Mr Moony still loved him and would have forgiven him as soon as he saw him again. So he stayed away…”
“He should have punched him,” the red-haired boy insisted, and several other children nodded in agreement.
Remus smiled sadly as the children gathered up their belongings and made their way over to the parents and other relatives who had come to collect them.
He was putting his own things away when he realised that not everyone was hurrying to leave.
One of the parents had approached his desk and was looking at him curiously.
“Can I help you?” Remus asked politely.
“Interesting story you were telling the children,” the woman commented. “It seemed… familiar, somehow…”
Remus shrugged and ducked his head to hide the flush that he knew was spreading over his face. “When it comes to children’s stories, one is pretty much like the next I find. Don’t you agree?”
“That wasn’t the usual sort of children’s story though, was it?” the woman insisted. “I hope it doesn’t give the younger children nightmares.”
“I kept it as free from nightmarish qualities as I could.”
“But werewolves?”
“Werewolves are only dangerous on the night of the full moon,” Remus reminded her.
“According to your story,” she countered. “Many would disagree.”
Remus forced out a small laugh. “You talk as though they were real.”
The woman laughed. “The muggles might not believe in them, but we know better, don’t we?”
The hair on the back of his neck rose and goose bumps broke out on his arms.
“The Ministry already know that I’m working here,” Remus told her with a sigh of frustration. “They know what I am, and they take no issue with my position at this school.”
The woman waved her hand dismissing his words. “As long as the muggles continue to believe your stories are just stories, we see no reason to interfere.”
“You’re checking up on me?”
“Of course. Do you see any children lingering here?”
Remus looked around the empty room and saw that she was right. The children had all gone, and only the witch from the Ministry remained.
“He asks for you every day, even calls out for you in his sleep,” the witch said. Remus didn’t need to ask her who. “You were lovers, right?”
Remus scowled, but gave a curt nod in response. It wouldn’t do for the Ministry to get reports about his lack of co-operation.
“If you were to see him you could get some closure.”
“I can’t see him again, my heart couldn’t take it.” Remus didn’t know why he was talking so openly about his feelings. Maybe it was because he was used to talking about Mr Padfoot with the children. Perhaps it had loosened his tongue.
“It’s been five years, Azkaban takes it toll on everyone, even Sirius Black.”
“I didn’t fall for him because of his looks.” Even now Remus could picture Sirius as he had been in their youth. The insane laughing man who had been arrested after the murders had eclipsed his memories only for a short while.
“He was a good looking man.”
“I never said he wasn’t.”
“Despite his crimes, I think you still care for him anyway.”
“Which is exactly why I can’t go to see him,” Remus snapped. “I’ve loved him since we were at school. I loved him through the war. Even when I found out what he had done, the depths he had sunk to… I can’t turn my feelings off.”
“If you saw him now, maybe you could.”
“What’s it to you?” Remus asked, his patience wearing thinner as the conversation continued. “What does the Ministry care if I go and visit him?”
“The Ministry keeps a close eye on all visitors to Azkaban.”
“I can’t imagine anyone who would want to visit the place.”
“There are less than a dozen visitors a year, and most of those are Ministry officials.”
“Well, I won’t be joining the visitors.”
“Are you sure?”
Suddenly Remus knew why she was there. “I’m not going to be breaking Sirius Black out, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
The witch flushed only slightly, but he knew he had hit upon the reason for her visit.
“I may love him, but that doesn’t mean I’d help him escape.”
“See that you don’t.”
-o-xXx-o-
Remus stood on the edge of the cliff and looked out at the North Sea. He knew the precise spot where Azkaban was situated, although you couldn’t see it from the land. The spells surrounding it made it invisible until you were almost upon it.
At the foot of the cliff there was a boat stocking up with supplies for the prison. He had seen it earlier. The food looked rotten and mouldy, and he couldn’t imagine the meals that were being served to the prisoners.
The boat also took visitors across to the prison, although there was no one visiting today.
Remus shivered and watched the waves tossing the little boat as the elderly man tossed the last of the supplies in and cast off.
Somewhere, just out of sight, he knew that Sirius was sitting in his cell. The sun was almost down and the moon was about to rise. For the first time in five years Remus was in no hurry to lock himself up for the full moon. There was no one around for miles, and he knew that the wolf wouldn’t roam far. The wolf knew how close the last member of his pack was, too.
-o-xXx-o-
Cold and wet.
Remus woke up the next morning with only the vaguest recollections of what had happened the night before.
One thing he did know was that the wolf had been closer to Padfoot than he had been in years, and he had nearly drowned trying to reach him.
His throat was sore from howling in frustration, and taste of sea water was in his mouth.
His limbs ached from his desperate swim against the tide as he tried to reach his mate.
He shivered and curled into a ball as he pulled out of the way of the waves that were lapping at his feet.
It had been a mistake to come here.
The salty tears slid unheeded down his cheeks, eventually to mingle with the salty waters of the sea.
“And…” he whispered. What now? What had this achieved? What was left for him here on this lonely beach?
He closed his eyes and drew in a long breath.
And now his life would go on much as it had before. He would survive and that was enough for him.
Across the sea, on a tiny island, a large black dog whimpered in the corner of the stone cell. The dog didn’t understand everything that had happened the night before, but on some level he knew that something he had been searching for had been close enough to sense, close enough to hear, close enough to smell.
It wasn’t over yet.
There was still too much left unsaid, and too much left undone. The story wasn’t over, and when Sirius transformed back into human form, for the first time, he felt a sense of hope that he would one day get the chance to finish the tale that had begun so many years before.
-
My Prompts Table