Alignments Installment 26
wellymuck Installment 26
Series title: Alignments
Series summary: Friends come together and pull apart under the pressures of the first war with Voldemort.
Series rating: PG-13
Author: magnetic_pole
Word Count: 1000
Installment 26: Turned, April 1981
Summary: James wonders about his friends.
Note: We're back! This week we'll have the last installments of Part 5: April 1981 and the epilogue.
This installment follows the previous one, Things That Shouldn’t Have Been Said.
Lily was lying in bed, lights out, eyes closed, listening to sounds coming from the kitchen. There was a scrape--a chair against the tiles--and the click of the cabinet and then a slam--a glass on the countertop--and then the slosh of liquid being poured. Milk, probably, knowing James. The metallic snap of the icebox shutting. The creak of the chair. Then silence.
“James,” she called softly after a few minutes. “Come to bed. Even if you’re upset. I want to put a charm on the door so I can fall asleep.”
Footsteps, just a few, leading from the kitchen into the hall. They stopped there.
“James? Don’t touch the door to Harry’s room. I’ve already put a hex on it.”
Silence.
“James?” Lily propped herself up on her elbow and fumbled for her wand. “Lumos,” she whispered.
The footsteps drew closer, and then James stood in the doorway, his face pinched and pale in the wandlight, the collar of his striped nightshirt askew, his hands tight around his glass of milk.
“Everything’s falling apart,” James said shortly.
Lily sighed. “Please come in so I can lock the door and place a charm on it?”
James moved a few inches into the room and leaned against the wall. Lily lifted her wand, shut the door and cast a spell on it.
James finished his milk in a single gulp and walked his glass over to the bedside table. He set it down and sat on the edge of the bed. Lily sat up and pulled the bedclothes down for him. James hesitated, then slid under them and lay on his side, resting his head in Lily’s lap. Lily turned down the nightshirt collar properly.
“I never thought Wormtail would do that,” James said after a moment. “We swore we’d never tell anyone about the wolf.”
Lily ran her fingers through his hair. “I know,” she said softly. After a moment she added, “What did Sirius say after I left?”
James was silent for a moment. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Lily asked.
They sat there for a few more moments, Lily’s fingers in James’ hair, James staring at the ceiling. Shadows from the window moved across the ceiling and the wall slowly.
“Lily?” James asked. “Do you think Sirius is...” He paused. “Do you think Sirius is...taking advantage of Remus’ problems?”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked.
“You know,” James said, waving his hand vaguely. “Remus’ problems. Not the werewolf problem. The, erm, sex problem. At first I thought Peter was saying...oh, I don’t know what I thought Peter was saying. But maybe Sirius is lonely. Maybe they spend too much time together. I don't know. Something like that.”
“James,” Lily said slowly. “I think Sirius has the same problem Remus has.”
James pulled away, sitting upright and staring at her. “What?”
Lily sighed. “We’re talking about the same thing, right? You want to know if I think Remus and Sirius are sleeping with one another?”
James blanched. “No, that’s not, I mean...”
“I’ve thought so for a while now,” Lily interrupted gently. “Haven’t you?”
James frowned. “No.”
“Not at all?”
James shook his head firmly. “No. Sirius isn’t like that, Lily.”
“And Remus is?” Lily asked.
James hesitated. “Remus has always had problems. You know what the boys at school said about him. You’ve known him almost as long as I have. Sirius has never been like that.”
Lily looked at him. “All I’m saying is that there’s never been any sign that Remus sleeps on the couch in that flat. Believe whatever else you want.”
James gave her a long, measured look and leaned back against the headboard, running his hand through his hair and frowning.
He was still deep in thought when Harry’s cry came from the next room. “No, it’s fine,” he said brusquely to Lily, slipping out from under the covers. “Show me what hex it was, and I’ll go take care of him.”
Lily showed him the wand movement to lift the hex and lifted the charm on their own door. James was gone for a moment, and Harry’s cries slowed and quieted and then died away.
He returned to the bedroom by the light of his wand, shutting and charming the door behind him. Even after James had placed the wand back down on the nightstand, his face was illuminated by the moonlight, and Lily could see that he was no longer upset but frowning and subdued and a little bewildered.
“So you think Sirius and Remus are...?” James waved his hand again, gesturing vaguely as he climbed back into bed.
Lily nodded.
“And you’re happy about this?” James asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.
“No, of course I’m not happy about it,” Lily said. “But they are our friends, and I’m worried about both of them.”
There was a pause as James settled back down under the covers, pulling the sheets beneath his chin. Lily looked at him carefully, but James’ lips were pressed together and his chin set and his attention elsewhere. She turned over, snuggled against him, and began to breathe deeply. She was almost asleep when she felt James shift restlessly beneath the covers.
“Umm?” she asked.
“Do you think Remus turned him?” James asked.
“What?” Lily asked, blinking. She rolled over to look at James. He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling again.
“Do you think he bit him?” James asked dispassionately. “We never see either of them at the full moon anymore.”
“James, don’t say that,” Lily said.
“It’s a possibility. It would explain a lot.”
“James,” she said, alarmed now. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
“Peter tried to tell me,” James said. “He told me once...” James’ voice trailed off. “I think he was trying to warn me. I wasn’t listening.”
“Remus would never do that,” Lily said.
“No? Peter told me once, look at his neck. Remus bites him.”
Lily laughed, suddenly nervous and disturbed by the direction this conversation was going. “Don’t say these things, James.”
“I looked,” James continued. “I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. Remus bites him.”
“James, I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
“No?” James looked at her.
“No,” Lily said firmly.
James slipped one arm around Lily and one under the pillow. “Peter was right about them,” he said slowly, wonderingly. “Peter was right.”
James was asleep within minutes, but Lily lay awake long afterward, watching the shadows move across the darkened walls of the bedroom.
Next chapter: Alliances
Series title: Alignments
Series summary: Friends come together and pull apart under the pressures of the first war with Voldemort.
Series rating: PG-13
Author: magnetic_pole
Word Count: 1000
Installment 26: Turned, April 1981
Summary: James wonders about his friends.
Note: We're back! This week we'll have the last installments of Part 5: April 1981 and the epilogue.
This installment follows the previous one, Things That Shouldn’t Have Been Said.
Lily was lying in bed, lights out, eyes closed, listening to sounds coming from the kitchen. There was a scrape--a chair against the tiles--and the click of the cabinet and then a slam--a glass on the countertop--and then the slosh of liquid being poured. Milk, probably, knowing James. The metallic snap of the icebox shutting. The creak of the chair. Then silence.
“James,” she called softly after a few minutes. “Come to bed. Even if you’re upset. I want to put a charm on the door so I can fall asleep.”
Footsteps, just a few, leading from the kitchen into the hall. They stopped there.
“James? Don’t touch the door to Harry’s room. I’ve already put a hex on it.”
Silence.
“James?” Lily propped herself up on her elbow and fumbled for her wand. “Lumos,” she whispered.
The footsteps drew closer, and then James stood in the doorway, his face pinched and pale in the wandlight, the collar of his striped nightshirt askew, his hands tight around his glass of milk.
“Everything’s falling apart,” James said shortly.
Lily sighed. “Please come in so I can lock the door and place a charm on it?”
James moved a few inches into the room and leaned against the wall. Lily lifted her wand, shut the door and cast a spell on it.
James finished his milk in a single gulp and walked his glass over to the bedside table. He set it down and sat on the edge of the bed. Lily sat up and pulled the bedclothes down for him. James hesitated, then slid under them and lay on his side, resting his head in Lily’s lap. Lily turned down the nightshirt collar properly.
“I never thought Wormtail would do that,” James said after a moment. “We swore we’d never tell anyone about the wolf.”
Lily ran her fingers through his hair. “I know,” she said softly. After a moment she added, “What did Sirius say after I left?”
James was silent for a moment. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Lily asked.
They sat there for a few more moments, Lily’s fingers in James’ hair, James staring at the ceiling. Shadows from the window moved across the ceiling and the wall slowly.
“Lily?” James asked. “Do you think Sirius is...” He paused. “Do you think Sirius is...taking advantage of Remus’ problems?”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked.
“You know,” James said, waving his hand vaguely. “Remus’ problems. Not the werewolf problem. The, erm, sex problem. At first I thought Peter was saying...oh, I don’t know what I thought Peter was saying. But maybe Sirius is lonely. Maybe they spend too much time together. I don't know. Something like that.”
“James,” Lily said slowly. “I think Sirius has the same problem Remus has.”
James pulled away, sitting upright and staring at her. “What?”
Lily sighed. “We’re talking about the same thing, right? You want to know if I think Remus and Sirius are sleeping with one another?”
James blanched. “No, that’s not, I mean...”
“I’ve thought so for a while now,” Lily interrupted gently. “Haven’t you?”
James frowned. “No.”
“Not at all?”
James shook his head firmly. “No. Sirius isn’t like that, Lily.”
“And Remus is?” Lily asked.
James hesitated. “Remus has always had problems. You know what the boys at school said about him. You’ve known him almost as long as I have. Sirius has never been like that.”
Lily looked at him. “All I’m saying is that there’s never been any sign that Remus sleeps on the couch in that flat. Believe whatever else you want.”
James gave her a long, measured look and leaned back against the headboard, running his hand through his hair and frowning.
He was still deep in thought when Harry’s cry came from the next room. “No, it’s fine,” he said brusquely to Lily, slipping out from under the covers. “Show me what hex it was, and I’ll go take care of him.”
Lily showed him the wand movement to lift the hex and lifted the charm on their own door. James was gone for a moment, and Harry’s cries slowed and quieted and then died away.
He returned to the bedroom by the light of his wand, shutting and charming the door behind him. Even after James had placed the wand back down on the nightstand, his face was illuminated by the moonlight, and Lily could see that he was no longer upset but frowning and subdued and a little bewildered.
“So you think Sirius and Remus are...?” James waved his hand again, gesturing vaguely as he climbed back into bed.
Lily nodded.
“And you’re happy about this?” James asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.
“No, of course I’m not happy about it,” Lily said. “But they are our friends, and I’m worried about both of them.”
There was a pause as James settled back down under the covers, pulling the sheets beneath his chin. Lily looked at him carefully, but James’ lips were pressed together and his chin set and his attention elsewhere. She turned over, snuggled against him, and began to breathe deeply. She was almost asleep when she felt James shift restlessly beneath the covers.
“Umm?” she asked.
“Do you think Remus turned him?” James asked.
“What?” Lily asked, blinking. She rolled over to look at James. He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling again.
“Do you think he bit him?” James asked dispassionately. “We never see either of them at the full moon anymore.”
“James, don’t say that,” Lily said.
“It’s a possibility. It would explain a lot.”
“James,” she said, alarmed now. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
“Peter tried to tell me,” James said. “He told me once...” James’ voice trailed off. “I think he was trying to warn me. I wasn’t listening.”
“Remus would never do that,” Lily said.
“No? Peter told me once, look at his neck. Remus bites him.”
Lily laughed, suddenly nervous and disturbed by the direction this conversation was going. “Don’t say these things, James.”
“I looked,” James continued. “I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. Remus bites him.”
“James, I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
“No?” James looked at her.
“No,” Lily said firmly.
James slipped one arm around Lily and one under the pillow. “Peter was right about them,” he said slowly, wonderingly. “Peter was right.”
James was asleep within minutes, but Lily lay awake long afterward, watching the shadows move across the darkened walls of the bedroom.
Next chapter: Alliances