1 Fic, 1 Ficlet (no challenges)
Title: Guilty Until
Summary: Severus' accusations may keep surfacing, but there is one clear reason Remus cannot be cavorting with Sirius.
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Severus, hints of Remus/Sirius and Severus/Lily
Genre: Angst, Fic
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
AN: Unbeta'd. For boogabooga_xx and the prompt "moonlight".
Word Count: 649
Guilty Until
"I swear, Lupin, if you are helping Black into this castle--"
"I'm not, Severus, I already said I was not."
"Right." Severus looked up at the waxing crescent as they strolled the lake shore. "You have reasons to keep your current allies close, Lupin, do not forget."
Severus didn't miss the quirk in Lupin's lip. "I assure you, I do have reasons, though they aren't at all the ones you seem intent upon reminding me of."
Severus growled. Lupin was always trying to balk at any show of the authority that Severus felt he held over Lupin. Severus was quick to blame the impertinence on Lupin's friendships with James Potter. He, like his no good youthful friends, had no concept of humility. Couldn't Lupin see how much he owed Severus? Why didn't that mean something to the wolf?
Lupin was just now sharing a private moment with the lake water, leaning down low to watch the moonlight dance in the still waves.
"I don't understand," Severus broached. "You don't really care about me, but why are you with me if you don't care about the potion either."
Remus laughed, but the sound was cold. Still, his eyes were warm when he looked up at Severus. "Really, Severus, you think I'm no better than a common whore? I do care about you."
"Not like you cared about him." Severus didn't bother to explain the subject of his pronoun.
"No," Lupin shook his head, "Not like that. Just as you would never push Lily aside for me, am I right?"
Severus didn't answer, and Lupin smiled and rose to keep walking along the shore. "It's just nice to have someone," he shrugged, as if that explained everything.
"Lily is dead. Black isn't. He's here, and you're letting him into the castle--"
"I'm not," Lupin roared, turning to face Severus. "Stow your petty jealousy for a minute, Severus!"
"You have no reason not to. I know you've thought Black was innocent all these years."
"I do have reason, Severus! Hoped, not thought! Hoped! Even in your dense Slytherin mind the difference must be clear to you. There is a world of difference between hoping for something and believing it to be true. Don't for a minute think I would sacrifice the safety of people I care about--"
"They've ordered the Dementors to Kiss on sight," Severus interrupted. The words had their desired effect, as Lupin clasped his lips together, trying not to show a reaction. "Where's your silly hope now?"
Lupin made no sound as Severus turned back to the castle. At last, he did understand. Lupin could not be letting Black into the castle, because if Lupin ever believed that Black was safe enough for that, his own relationship with Lupin would be over faster than you could say 'wolfsbane', let alone brew it.
*****
"Let it not be said that Slytherin is the house of logic and cool reason," Remus spoke to himself trying-- and failing-- to skip a stone across the dappled white of the setting evening moon on the lake. "Gryffindors are passionate, Gryffindors act on impulse, but no one else. Now there's a lie." The next stone likewise went in with too much force and sunk into the wavelets. Remus pulled his cloak more tightly around his neck and turned to head back to the castle.
In an instant, though, his sure steps were momentarily arrested by a familiar sight-- so familiar that he forgot to be afraid, forgot to think "traitor", and instead told what surely must be nothing more than a large black stray, or perhaps just an image conjured by too many emotions and too much fatigue-- "The Dementors' Kiss. They've ordered the Dementors' Kiss. Merlin in Avalon, get the hell out of here, Sirius."
And with that he stormed back to the castle and to his own room, to dream muddled dreams stalked on the edges of night by Merlin knew what kind of creatures, or whether they meant him harm or good.
------------------------
Title: Worth Asking
Summary: Molly extends an olive branch to Sirius.
Characters/Pairings: Molly Weasley, Sirius Black
Genre: Angst, Ficlet
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: Unbeta'd. For beckella, for the prompt "Molly and Sirius, not fighting, at Grimmauld Place"
Word Count: 274
Worth Asking
"I'm sorry." She sat next to him on the sofa. "It's just that--"
"I'd really rather not discuss it, if it's all the same to you," Sirius answered Molly.
"Ok."
"Thank you for making dinner," Sirius said tersely.
"Oh, no problem. I-- Listen, Sirius, there was something I wanted to speak to you about. I mean, a way I thought you could help. Could help Harry." That got his attention, just as she'd intended.
"Anything." His voice was thick, and she felt guilty for denying him this sooner.
"His aunt and uncle have been very bad to him. I know he has to go there, but... what if I spoke to Dumbledore about the possibility of... well, they might say yes to a pet, right? And everyone would be happier if they knew Harry was being taken better care of."
Sirius sighed. "The Dementors are still--"
"Oh, I know," she nodded, "but that house has all sorts of protective charms on it and such. I don't suppose another could be so hard. Isn't it worth asking about, at least, Sirius?"
Sirius' yellowed teeth showed in what must have been an awkward smile, and then his grey-blue eyes crinkled in a beautiful and genuine manifestation of the thing. "Thank you," he nearly whispered.
"You're very welcome." Molly saw, suddenly she wasn't really facing an ex-convict or a hardened prisoner on the run, but a man who was really nothing more than a teenager, alone in the world, and who'd had, from all she could tell, a raving lunatic of a mum. "I'll do my best with Dumbledore, Sirius, really I will."
"It's alright. I know he'll say no," Sirius' smile was sad. "Still, thank you Molly."
Jess//Gryffindor
Summary: Severus' accusations may keep surfacing, but there is one clear reason Remus cannot be cavorting with Sirius.
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Severus, hints of Remus/Sirius and Severus/Lily
Genre: Angst, Fic
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
AN: Unbeta'd. For boogabooga_xx and the prompt "moonlight".
Word Count: 649
Guilty Until
"I swear, Lupin, if you are helping Black into this castle--"
"I'm not, Severus, I already said I was not."
"Right." Severus looked up at the waxing crescent as they strolled the lake shore. "You have reasons to keep your current allies close, Lupin, do not forget."
Severus didn't miss the quirk in Lupin's lip. "I assure you, I do have reasons, though they aren't at all the ones you seem intent upon reminding me of."
Severus growled. Lupin was always trying to balk at any show of the authority that Severus felt he held over Lupin. Severus was quick to blame the impertinence on Lupin's friendships with James Potter. He, like his no good youthful friends, had no concept of humility. Couldn't Lupin see how much he owed Severus? Why didn't that mean something to the wolf?
Lupin was just now sharing a private moment with the lake water, leaning down low to watch the moonlight dance in the still waves.
"I don't understand," Severus broached. "You don't really care about me, but why are you with me if you don't care about the potion either."
Remus laughed, but the sound was cold. Still, his eyes were warm when he looked up at Severus. "Really, Severus, you think I'm no better than a common whore? I do care about you."
"Not like you cared about him." Severus didn't bother to explain the subject of his pronoun.
"No," Lupin shook his head, "Not like that. Just as you would never push Lily aside for me, am I right?"
Severus didn't answer, and Lupin smiled and rose to keep walking along the shore. "It's just nice to have someone," he shrugged, as if that explained everything.
"Lily is dead. Black isn't. He's here, and you're letting him into the castle--"
"I'm not," Lupin roared, turning to face Severus. "Stow your petty jealousy for a minute, Severus!"
"You have no reason not to. I know you've thought Black was innocent all these years."
"I do have reason, Severus! Hoped, not thought! Hoped! Even in your dense Slytherin mind the difference must be clear to you. There is a world of difference between hoping for something and believing it to be true. Don't for a minute think I would sacrifice the safety of people I care about--"
"They've ordered the Dementors to Kiss on sight," Severus interrupted. The words had their desired effect, as Lupin clasped his lips together, trying not to show a reaction. "Where's your silly hope now?"
Lupin made no sound as Severus turned back to the castle. At last, he did understand. Lupin could not be letting Black into the castle, because if Lupin ever believed that Black was safe enough for that, his own relationship with Lupin would be over faster than you could say 'wolfsbane', let alone brew it.
*****
"Let it not be said that Slytherin is the house of logic and cool reason," Remus spoke to himself trying-- and failing-- to skip a stone across the dappled white of the setting evening moon on the lake. "Gryffindors are passionate, Gryffindors act on impulse, but no one else. Now there's a lie." The next stone likewise went in with too much force and sunk into the wavelets. Remus pulled his cloak more tightly around his neck and turned to head back to the castle.
In an instant, though, his sure steps were momentarily arrested by a familiar sight-- so familiar that he forgot to be afraid, forgot to think "traitor", and instead told what surely must be nothing more than a large black stray, or perhaps just an image conjured by too many emotions and too much fatigue-- "The Dementors' Kiss. They've ordered the Dementors' Kiss. Merlin in Avalon, get the hell out of here, Sirius."
And with that he stormed back to the castle and to his own room, to dream muddled dreams stalked on the edges of night by Merlin knew what kind of creatures, or whether they meant him harm or good.
------------------------
Title: Worth Asking
Summary: Molly extends an olive branch to Sirius.
Characters/Pairings: Molly Weasley, Sirius Black
Genre: Angst, Ficlet
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: Unbeta'd. For beckella, for the prompt "Molly and Sirius, not fighting, at Grimmauld Place"
Word Count: 274
Worth Asking
"I'm sorry." She sat next to him on the sofa. "It's just that--"
"I'd really rather not discuss it, if it's all the same to you," Sirius answered Molly.
"Ok."
"Thank you for making dinner," Sirius said tersely.
"Oh, no problem. I-- Listen, Sirius, there was something I wanted to speak to you about. I mean, a way I thought you could help. Could help Harry." That got his attention, just as she'd intended.
"Anything." His voice was thick, and she felt guilty for denying him this sooner.
"His aunt and uncle have been very bad to him. I know he has to go there, but... what if I spoke to Dumbledore about the possibility of... well, they might say yes to a pet, right? And everyone would be happier if they knew Harry was being taken better care of."
Sirius sighed. "The Dementors are still--"
"Oh, I know," she nodded, "but that house has all sorts of protective charms on it and such. I don't suppose another could be so hard. Isn't it worth asking about, at least, Sirius?"
Sirius' yellowed teeth showed in what must have been an awkward smile, and then his grey-blue eyes crinkled in a beautiful and genuine manifestation of the thing. "Thank you," he nearly whispered.
"You're very welcome." Molly saw, suddenly she wasn't really facing an ex-convict or a hardened prisoner on the run, but a man who was really nothing more than a teenager, alone in the world, and who'd had, from all she could tell, a raving lunatic of a mum. "I'll do my best with Dumbledore, Sirius, really I will."
"It's alright. I know he'll say no," Sirius' smile was sad. "Still, thank you Molly."
Jess//Gryffindor