A Time to Talk (scarvesnhats Day 29)
Title: A Time to Talk
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm just borrowing them because I like them.
Wordcount: 3645
Prompt: Swings
Notes: Sixth year. Sirius and Remus babysit, explore London and finally have a chance to talk. Oh, and Remus finds out about Sirius' favourite hobby. I like this one. ^_^ EDIT: Because I forgot to leave this note earlier - Thavie's Inn, where Andromeda works, is one of the old Inns of Chancery which ceased to exist in the 19th century. I took the liberty of upgrading it to a full Inn of Court, albeit a wizarding one. Anyone who's spent any time in the Inns will understand why I felt I could incorporate them into the HP-universe.
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His head was pounding.
Remus opened his eyes cautiously and blinked. He had absolutely no idea where he was. He was on an old brown sofa, covered with a blanket. The morning light streamed through a window into a narrow room. There was a television and a rag rug before a gas fire. Wizarding pictures covered the walls and there was a heap of headless dolls and toy cars beside the telly.
“Sirius?” he whispered.
Someone snored and he peered over the edge of the sofa to see Sirius asleep on the floor, tangled in a brown and yellow sleeping bag.
He needed the loo.
He sat up and looked around, blinking. Ow. There were two closed doors behind him and a little hallway in front. He thought there might be a bathroom there. To his right a door stood open and he could just see a tiled floor. Kitchen? Where was he?
Andromeda Tonks appeared in the kitchen door. She beckoned him. He swung his legs off the sofa and winced again. Ow. He almost tripped over Sirius but made it into the kitchen.
Andromeda laid a finger across her lips and whispered, “Don’t wake Nym. The longer she sleeps the better.”
He nodded and regretted it.
“Bad head?” Andromeda whispered, smirking slightly.
“Yes. Um, do you have a toilet?”
“No, we go out the window. By the front door.”
He stumbled off. His stomach was distinctly uneasy. The bathroom had turquoise tiles and a chewed rubber duck sitting by the taps. He leant his head against the cool tiles. What was he doing in the Tonkses’ flat with a hangover?
It took a moment to sort through the previous day. The letters. Moody. Cider. The bookshops, yeah, he remembered the bookshops. And Sirius. Sirius. He really needed to talk to Sirius.
Andromeda had a potion waiting for him when he made it back to the kitchen. He gulped it down gratefully and then looked around. He always felt awkward in other people’s houses.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Andromeda grinned. “Didn’t anyone teach you never to ask a Slytherin that? Firstly, sit down and drink some tea.”
He could do that.
Andromeda began to move around the kitchen. The table set itself behind her and the kettle began to whistle. She muttered a silencing charm at it and said, still whispering, “The Floo network is still down. The Ministry are saying it’s a malfunction but it’s for the Aurors. Ted got in about four this morning - they’ve got the main suspects in custody but there’s still a lot of tidying up to do.”
“The Blacks?” Remus whispered, staring at his tea.
“Claim their seal was stolen. Their lawyer’s dealing with it.” She stilled by the window for a moment. “They’ll still be embarrassed by it.”
“Embarrassed isn’t enough,” Remus said coolly.
“You take what you can get. What this means for you two is you’re going to have to get the train up. We’ve got you tickets on today’s service but I’m afraid you won’t be back at school until late.”
“Sirius will be delighted. What do we do until then?”
She came and sat down, nursing her own cup of tea. “I have a meeting I can’t reschedule. Ted usually looks after Nymphadora on Fridays but he’s needed in this morning. I’m afraid I need you two to babysit.”
Remus really wished he knew more about children. Still, it would be ungrateful to say no. “Okay. What do we do?”
Andromeda laughed at him softly. “Take her out. If you’re going somewhere Muggle make sure she keeps her hood up. People seem to notice the hair more than anything.”
There was a creak of floorboards and Ted stumbled in, hair on end. “Coffee? Coffee?”
“By the window,” Andromeda said. “Don’t wake the baby.”
“Coffee!” Ted said and gulped it down. Then he straightened up and said, “Wife!”
“Nice to know your priorities,” Andromeda said but turned towards him. Ted pounced, dragging her into a kiss.
Remus fled, embarrassed. In the living room, Sirius was just kicking out of the sleeping bag. His eyes lit up when he saw Remus.
“Moony! You got drunk!”
“Shush,” Remus said. “You’ll wake the baby.” He picked up the blanket from the sofa and folded it neatly. Then he realised he didn’t know where to put it and so dropped it on the arm of the sofa and sat down. Sirius left the sleeping bag on the floor and crawled up beside him. “Moony.”
He really needed to talk to Sirius. Just not when he was curled around him, with his head on his shoulder and his eyes serious.
“Moony. Need to talk, don’t we?”
“On the train, perhaps.”
“We getting the train? I like the train.”
“Wake up, Sirius.”
“Wake me up,” Sirius said and grinned.
“Hah,” Andromeda said from the doorway. “You owe me thirty galleons, Ted. Now stop being such a Neanderthal.”
“Four hours sleep,” Ted muttered and glared at Sirius. “I told you I was poor, mate.”
“Mum-mum! Need wee-wee!”
“Go to the toilet, then, darling. And what did we say about telling people?”
“Quietly!” Remus managed to catch sight of Nym shooting across the room, dragging some sort of blanket behind her, but Sirius was laughing and his hair was in Remus’ eyes.
“You wait,” Andromeda said ominously. “Breakfast, Sirius?”
“Please,” Sirius said and untangled himself from Remus.
By the end of breakfast Remus had cornflakes in his hair and considerably more respect for both Andromeda and his own mother. Sirius, who applauded every hit, was not helping.
“Right,” Ted said. “I’m off.”
“And my taxi should be here any minute,” Andromeda said and went to pick up her bag. “My meeting’s in Thavie’s Inn so I’ll meet you in Gray’s Inn Gardens at noon. Your train’s at one. Sirius, the spare key is under the sink, the spell on the door is supplemora and Nymphadora’s reins are hanging by the front door. Have fun.”
Sirius and Remus were left facing Nymphadora across the table. She waved her spoon at them and said, “Remus! Can we go to the parkswingstrainscarsbusesroundabout?”
Remus looked at Sirius. He shrugged and said, “Whatever you want, Nym.”
She beamed and hugged the ragged cloth she’d been carrying. The very familiar ragged cloth.
“That’s my jumper!”
Nym pouted dangerously. “Mine!”
“You’re not getting that back, mate.”
“Now, Nymphadora-”
“Mine!”
“Remus,” Sirius said in mock-horror. “How could you propose depriving my baby cousin of her favourite toy? Shame on you. Nymmie, girl, you’re a woman of excellent taste.”
“Excellent taste,” Nym crowed.
Remus sighed and resigned himself to a day spent in the company of amorous Blacks.
“And why haven’t I got one of your jumpers?”
~#~
They took Nym to King’s Cross first, to watch the trains. She almost lost her hat when Sirius held her too far over the edge of the bridge. Remus grabbed it in time and hissed, “We can’t do magic outside school, you prat. No summoning charms. And, for God’s sake, don’t drop her!”
“Would I drop you, Nym? Would I drop my favourite girl?”
“No!” Nym squealed. “More! Choo-choo-choo! I’m a train! Look at me!”
As her skin was beginning to show Great Northern colours Remus said firmly, “No changing, Nymphadora. Shall we go and watch the train leave?”
Sirius had enough Muggle change to get them platform tickets and they walked up the far end of the platform. Sirius was grinning almost as widely as Nymphadora. The train had ‘Route of the Flying Scotsman’ written on the side.
“That train’s going all the way to Edinburgh,” Remus said to Nym. “Do you know where Edinburgh is?”
“Never mind that,” Sirius broke in. “That’s a HST! They’re the fastest trains anywhere. They even go faster than the Hogwarts’ Express!”
“HST!” Nym echoed and Remus blinked. Sirius Black, train-spotter extraordinaire. You learnt something new everyday.
“I love Muggle stuff,” Sirius said happily. “You should hear these go. They out-scream my mother. Did you know they hold the world record for diesel traction?”
Remus hadn’t the faintest idea what diesel traction was so he shook his head and said, “You’re amazing, Padfoot.”
“I want one of these. I want to take the engine apart.”
The train’s engine began to charge and he couldn’t hear Sirius anymore. He was still talking though and Nym was shrieking in excitement, bouncing on the end of her reins. Remus hung onto her for dear life as she waved both arms. “Bye-bye, train! Bye-bye!”
She was still waving when the train vanished into the tunnel. Remus shook his head to clear his ears. He looked at Sirius. “Where now?”
“Park!” Nym shrieked in his ear.
Sirius was staring wistfully after the train. “It’s got a Napier turbocharger,” he said longingly. “Imagine one of them on a bike.”
“Park,” Remus said firmly.
Sirius took the lead, though he talked about trains all the way down Judd Street. As Nym was babbling away about cars and birds and lorries, Remus just kept nodding at both of them.
“Coram Fields,” Sirius said as they turned into the park. “Not allowed in without a kid. Meda used to kidnap me and Reggie and bring us here just to see Mum have a fit when she couldn’t get in the gate. No dogs allowed, though.”
“Shame,” Remus said. It wasn’t a huge park but it was packed to the brim. “Is that a zoo?”
“Sheep and stuff,” Sirius said, grabbing Nym. “Keep her away. She likes to practice her faces.”
“Right,” Remus said and steered them towards the playground.
“Swings!” Nym said and grabbed Remus’ knee. “Give me a push.”
He’d rather hoped he would have a chance to talk to Sirius but Nym kept him running. She also managed to make several new friends who also needed swing-pushing, roundabout-turning and seesaw-activating help. Sirius, he saw from the corner of his eye, had found himself a bench and was chatting to a pregnant woman he thought was the mother of one of Nym’s new friends.
He was surprised when he heard Sirius shout, “Remus! Nym! Half-eleven. Time to go.”
Nym launched herself off the swing and he lunged forward and caught her and then managed to grab the swing before it took out any bystanders.
“Don’t do that,” he said to her.
“Don’t you like me anymore?”
“Not if you’re going to be naughty,” he said and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. Nym’s face crumpled and she began to howl.
Sirius took her from him, glaring. “Really, Remus, did you have to get her over-excited?”
“Me?” Remus protested. “Me? I didn’t-”
Sirius had hurried off and he raced to keep up with him. “Sirius!”
Nym snuffled into Sirius’ shoulder and then stuck her tongue out. Remus was feeling slightly out-manoeuvred.
Sirius got bored of carrying her halfway down Lamb’s Conduit Street. He wrapped her reins around his hand and squeezed Remus’ hand quickly. “Relax. Pretend this is us, living here.”
“We’d have jobs,” Remus said.
“Moony. We’re too good for jobs. We could sit in that café and while the day away, looking at the people going by.”
“And the funeral parlour opposite? Sorry - I’m trying.”
“Very trying,” Sirius said and squeezed his hand again.
Remus caught his hand and kept it even though he could see people staring at them. Sirius grinned sideways at him, slightly flushed.
He had to let go so they could both hold Nym’s hands to get across Theobald’s Road, busy and bus-packed. Remus found himself grinning at the red buses and the taxis going past. He was in London, with Sirius, and it was great.
“Yucky,” Nym said to the butchers and the carcass hanging outside the door. “Smelly meat.” Then she swung between their hands. “Up!”
“Not here,” Remus said. “It’s too busy.”
They turned down Bedford Row, past the grand Victorian buildings. Long lists of names were mounted beside each door and the fallen leaves from the plane trees heaped against the railings. They followed a barrister in wig and gown into Gray’s Inn, down the steps and past the dry stems of the roses. There were still a few hips on the briars that climbed up the old lamp-post.
Andromeda was waiting for them by the gates of the garden, reading through her notes.
“Mum-Mum!” Nym cried.
Andromeda looked up with a smile and Sirius passed Nym’s reins to Remus and said, “What did you do when Bella and I tied Reggie up in the oak tree?”
“I sharpened all Bella’s hairpins and put itching charms on all your underwear. Then I made Narcissa cry for not telling me what you were doing. What did you do when I ran off with Ted?”
“Sent you a card congratulating you. With naked goblins on it.”
Andromeda nodded. “Dancing, naked goblins. Well done.”
“You can let Nym go now,” Sirius said and Remus dropped the reins, shocked. He didn’t think he’d ever learn to be that paranoid.
“Constant vigilance,” Sirius murmured and grinned.
Nym was recounting their morning at high speed. Andromeda laughed and looked at Remus. “Did you have fun too?”
“Yes,” he said and realised it was true. “How was your meeting?”
She rolled her eyes. “Tedious. The Ministry’s lawyers have been consulting with the Council of Legal Education for months about standardising our qualifications for the Bar.”
“Boring,” Sirius said. “Any word from Ted?”
“No,” Andromeda said and sighed. “I’m assuming it’s all wrapped up now. We just have to wait to see what they plan next.”
They passed through into Gray’s Inn Square, past the chapel. The square was lined with expensive cars. Sirius kept pausing to stare enviously.
“You wouldn’t let me stop for books,” Remus said.
“And you don’t want to miss the train,” Andromeda said firmly. “Keep up.”
They caught a bus up Gray’s Inn Road to King’s Cross. Remus watched London go by, grey and entangled. He’d never spent so much time in the city and yet he’d seen so little of it. They would have to come back. For the British Museum if nothing else.
Andromeda whisked them through King’s Cross, buying them sandwiches and papers for the train. Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters was crowded. Remus stared about curiously. He’d never seen normal wizards catch the train.
“It will be busy today,” Andromeda said. “With the Floo down. It’s usually used by those who can’t afford the commercial Floos. Keep going. You’re in first class.”
“First class?” Remus said, startled. He didn’t think Ted and Andromeda were that well off.
“Courtesy of the Ministry of Magic, my dears, who couldn’t spot a flu epidemic if it stuck it’s head up their collective arses.”
“Nice,” Sirius said. “I want the window seat.”
“Only if I get the papers,” Remus said quickly.
“You don’t need the papers. You always fall asleep by Stevenage.”
Andromeda found them their seats and then stood outside the window, talking to them. “Remember to send me an owl when you get back.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Don’t fuss, Meda. Did I tell you Remus drove off Jormungardr?”
“Good for him. Send me an owl.”
Then the whistle blew. Andromeda kissed them both on the cheek and stood back. The whistle blew again and they were off. Nym waved, shrieking their names. Sirius hung out the window waving to her until Remus remembered there was a tunnel and dragged him in just in time.
Their compartment was half-full, even though it was first-class. Sirius set about charming the old lady sitting opposite. Remus was drawn into helping an elderly wizard with the Prophet’s crossword. Everyone complained about the unreliability of the Floo. Remus tried not to catch Sirius’ eye.
Sirius’ old lady got out at Peterborough but the old man with the Prophet stayed all the way to Durham, to Remus’ frustration. It was getting dark by the time they stopped there and he could see the lights glowing in the buffet on the platform. Sirius waited until the train had pulled out and then got up. He pulled the blinds closed on the door and windows and then turned to look at Remus across the empty compartment.
“So?” Remus said and had to force himself not to wring his hands.
“So,” Sirius said and took a breath. He leant against the door, all tension. “The thing is, honestly and not pissing about any more, I fancy you. I more than fancy you. If you don’t want me to, you’re going to have to tell me now because every time I touch you I want it more. But, if you don’t want me to, fine. I need you and if it’s friends, it’s friends. I would very much like it to be more.”
Remus looked up and met his gaze. He might sound resolute but his eyes were wide and panicky. He bit his lip and tried to find the words. “I can’t imagine my life without you. I can imagine James living somewhere else. I can imagine Pete living somewhere else. But every time I think about the future, whether I expect to be poor and lost or happy ever after, you’re with me. And, yes, you idiot, I want it to be more. I’ve wanted more for so long.”
Sirius crossed the compartment in three steps and kissed him.
It was a messy, clumsy kiss but it was Sirius and so Remus clutched at him blindly and kissed him back with all the force he could. Sirius sighed and his mouth fell open beneath Remus’ and their tongues brushed tentatively. He tasted like cheap tea and ham sandwiches and his hair was soft between Remus’ fingers and suddenly it was perfect.
The train swayed round a bend and they went stumbling into the seat. Remus sat down too quickly and Sirius came with him, still wrapped in his arms.
“Remus,” Sirius whispered, his face so close Remus could feel his breath on his cheek.
“Sirius,” he said gravely and leant forward to brush his lips against Sirius’
“Mine.”
“Yours,” Remus said with a warm rush of relief and kissed him again. He could feel everything now: the wet heat of Sirius’ mouth and the brush of his hair against his cheek, the heat of their bodies pressed together and the reassuring warmth of Sirius’ arms banded across his back.
They had slid down the seat somehow and Sirius was pressing into him. He slid his hands into Remus’ coat, murmuring, “Remus, Remus, Remus,” into his mouth.
Remus arched into his touch and managed, “Sirius, we’re on a train.”
“Blinds are down.”
“Okay,” Remus said and slipped his hands up Sirius’ back. He was so warm and so right, even when he squeaked and said, “Moony, your hands are like icebergs.”
“Warm them up,” Remus demanded, quashing the little voice in his mind that shrieked, On a train! A public train! McGonagall will kill you if you get arrested!
It wasn’t until the train began to slow that he managed to pull back and say, “Next station. Got to stop.”
“Where is it?” Sirius muttered, kissing his jaw, little touches that made Remus want to sink back into the seat.
“Newcastle. City. Big. People getting on.”
“Okay.” Sirius sat up and pulled Remus against his shoulder. “You look thoroughly snogged.”
“Funny that,” Remus said, gazing out of the window in time to see the bridges across the Tyne, glowing with trails of traffic lights. Sirius was playing with his fingers. “Padfoot, you’re being obvious.”
“Don’t want to stop.”
“I don’t want to, either, but we have to be sensible.”
Sirius snorted but sat quietly as they drew into Newcastle. He managed to wait until the whistle blew before he pounced again.
Remus was just aware enough to think, shit when he heard the compartment door slide open.
“Aargh! My eyes!”
“Peter?” Sirius said, pulling away.
Remus stopped cringing and stared over Sirius’ shoulder to the new arrival. “Pete? What are you doing here?”
“Going back to school. Can I look yet?”
Remus pushed at Sirius’ shoulder until he sat up and said, “Yes.”
Peter dropped his arm from in front of his eyes and flopped into the seat opposite. “Bloody Potter. All he wrote was Sirius and Remus are in a bit of a state. I’ll kill him later.”
Remus was still trying to catch up. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s the only Hogsmeade train today,” Peter said, looking long-suffering. “I’ve come up from Wolverhampton this morning. McGonagall owled me to say you’d be on the train and to travel with you. I assume she doesn’t know?”
“You’re the first, Pete,” Sirius said casually. “Do you have a problem with it?”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Are you going to stop moping now? It’s been obvious for months, you twats. Can’t believe it took you this long.”
Sirius relaxed at Remus’ side and said, “How are you, mate? Did everything, y’know.”
“It was a bit shit, really,” Peter said, staring at his hands. “Funerals are meant to be for old people. I hate this fucking war.”
“Me, too,” Remus said.
“And me,” Sirius added and they were quiet for a while, watching the suburbs of Newcastle blur past.
“So what the hell were you doing in London?” Peter said at last.
Sirius grinned and leant back into Remus’ lap. “You are looking, Mr Pettigrew, at a man who saved the world single-handedly.”
Remus poked his shoulder.
“With a little, ow, significant amount of help from the luscious Mr Lupin there. Don’t hit me!”
“Tell it properly, then,” Remus said and left his hand on Sirius’ shoulder. Outside the windows, dark countryside was rushing past. Sooner or later, he knew they would come to the sea and then turn inland, towards the safe fastnesses where Hogwarts stood. For the moment, they were safe.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm just borrowing them because I like them.
Wordcount: 3645
Prompt: Swings
Notes: Sixth year. Sirius and Remus babysit, explore London and finally have a chance to talk. Oh, and Remus finds out about Sirius' favourite hobby. I like this one. ^_^ EDIT: Because I forgot to leave this note earlier - Thavie's Inn, where Andromeda works, is one of the old Inns of Chancery which ceased to exist in the 19th century. I took the liberty of upgrading it to a full Inn of Court, albeit a wizarding one. Anyone who's spent any time in the Inns will understand why I felt I could incorporate them into the HP-universe.
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His head was pounding.
Remus opened his eyes cautiously and blinked. He had absolutely no idea where he was. He was on an old brown sofa, covered with a blanket. The morning light streamed through a window into a narrow room. There was a television and a rag rug before a gas fire. Wizarding pictures covered the walls and there was a heap of headless dolls and toy cars beside the telly.
“Sirius?” he whispered.
Someone snored and he peered over the edge of the sofa to see Sirius asleep on the floor, tangled in a brown and yellow sleeping bag.
He needed the loo.
He sat up and looked around, blinking. Ow. There were two closed doors behind him and a little hallway in front. He thought there might be a bathroom there. To his right a door stood open and he could just see a tiled floor. Kitchen? Where was he?
Andromeda Tonks appeared in the kitchen door. She beckoned him. He swung his legs off the sofa and winced again. Ow. He almost tripped over Sirius but made it into the kitchen.
Andromeda laid a finger across her lips and whispered, “Don’t wake Nym. The longer she sleeps the better.”
He nodded and regretted it.
“Bad head?” Andromeda whispered, smirking slightly.
“Yes. Um, do you have a toilet?”
“No, we go out the window. By the front door.”
He stumbled off. His stomach was distinctly uneasy. The bathroom had turquoise tiles and a chewed rubber duck sitting by the taps. He leant his head against the cool tiles. What was he doing in the Tonkses’ flat with a hangover?
It took a moment to sort through the previous day. The letters. Moody. Cider. The bookshops, yeah, he remembered the bookshops. And Sirius. Sirius. He really needed to talk to Sirius.
Andromeda had a potion waiting for him when he made it back to the kitchen. He gulped it down gratefully and then looked around. He always felt awkward in other people’s houses.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Andromeda grinned. “Didn’t anyone teach you never to ask a Slytherin that? Firstly, sit down and drink some tea.”
He could do that.
Andromeda began to move around the kitchen. The table set itself behind her and the kettle began to whistle. She muttered a silencing charm at it and said, still whispering, “The Floo network is still down. The Ministry are saying it’s a malfunction but it’s for the Aurors. Ted got in about four this morning - they’ve got the main suspects in custody but there’s still a lot of tidying up to do.”
“The Blacks?” Remus whispered, staring at his tea.
“Claim their seal was stolen. Their lawyer’s dealing with it.” She stilled by the window for a moment. “They’ll still be embarrassed by it.”
“Embarrassed isn’t enough,” Remus said coolly.
“You take what you can get. What this means for you two is you’re going to have to get the train up. We’ve got you tickets on today’s service but I’m afraid you won’t be back at school until late.”
“Sirius will be delighted. What do we do until then?”
She came and sat down, nursing her own cup of tea. “I have a meeting I can’t reschedule. Ted usually looks after Nymphadora on Fridays but he’s needed in this morning. I’m afraid I need you two to babysit.”
Remus really wished he knew more about children. Still, it would be ungrateful to say no. “Okay. What do we do?”
Andromeda laughed at him softly. “Take her out. If you’re going somewhere Muggle make sure she keeps her hood up. People seem to notice the hair more than anything.”
There was a creak of floorboards and Ted stumbled in, hair on end. “Coffee? Coffee?”
“By the window,” Andromeda said. “Don’t wake the baby.”
“Coffee!” Ted said and gulped it down. Then he straightened up and said, “Wife!”
“Nice to know your priorities,” Andromeda said but turned towards him. Ted pounced, dragging her into a kiss.
Remus fled, embarrassed. In the living room, Sirius was just kicking out of the sleeping bag. His eyes lit up when he saw Remus.
“Moony! You got drunk!”
“Shush,” Remus said. “You’ll wake the baby.” He picked up the blanket from the sofa and folded it neatly. Then he realised he didn’t know where to put it and so dropped it on the arm of the sofa and sat down. Sirius left the sleeping bag on the floor and crawled up beside him. “Moony.”
He really needed to talk to Sirius. Just not when he was curled around him, with his head on his shoulder and his eyes serious.
“Moony. Need to talk, don’t we?”
“On the train, perhaps.”
“We getting the train? I like the train.”
“Wake up, Sirius.”
“Wake me up,” Sirius said and grinned.
“Hah,” Andromeda said from the doorway. “You owe me thirty galleons, Ted. Now stop being such a Neanderthal.”
“Four hours sleep,” Ted muttered and glared at Sirius. “I told you I was poor, mate.”
“Mum-mum! Need wee-wee!”
“Go to the toilet, then, darling. And what did we say about telling people?”
“Quietly!” Remus managed to catch sight of Nym shooting across the room, dragging some sort of blanket behind her, but Sirius was laughing and his hair was in Remus’ eyes.
“You wait,” Andromeda said ominously. “Breakfast, Sirius?”
“Please,” Sirius said and untangled himself from Remus.
By the end of breakfast Remus had cornflakes in his hair and considerably more respect for both Andromeda and his own mother. Sirius, who applauded every hit, was not helping.
“Right,” Ted said. “I’m off.”
“And my taxi should be here any minute,” Andromeda said and went to pick up her bag. “My meeting’s in Thavie’s Inn so I’ll meet you in Gray’s Inn Gardens at noon. Your train’s at one. Sirius, the spare key is under the sink, the spell on the door is supplemora and Nymphadora’s reins are hanging by the front door. Have fun.”
Sirius and Remus were left facing Nymphadora across the table. She waved her spoon at them and said, “Remus! Can we go to the parkswingstrainscarsbusesroundabout?”
Remus looked at Sirius. He shrugged and said, “Whatever you want, Nym.”
She beamed and hugged the ragged cloth she’d been carrying. The very familiar ragged cloth.
“That’s my jumper!”
Nym pouted dangerously. “Mine!”
“You’re not getting that back, mate.”
“Now, Nymphadora-”
“Mine!”
“Remus,” Sirius said in mock-horror. “How could you propose depriving my baby cousin of her favourite toy? Shame on you. Nymmie, girl, you’re a woman of excellent taste.”
“Excellent taste,” Nym crowed.
Remus sighed and resigned himself to a day spent in the company of amorous Blacks.
“And why haven’t I got one of your jumpers?”
~#~
They took Nym to King’s Cross first, to watch the trains. She almost lost her hat when Sirius held her too far over the edge of the bridge. Remus grabbed it in time and hissed, “We can’t do magic outside school, you prat. No summoning charms. And, for God’s sake, don’t drop her!”
“Would I drop you, Nym? Would I drop my favourite girl?”
“No!” Nym squealed. “More! Choo-choo-choo! I’m a train! Look at me!”
As her skin was beginning to show Great Northern colours Remus said firmly, “No changing, Nymphadora. Shall we go and watch the train leave?”
Sirius had enough Muggle change to get them platform tickets and they walked up the far end of the platform. Sirius was grinning almost as widely as Nymphadora. The train had ‘Route of the Flying Scotsman’ written on the side.
“That train’s going all the way to Edinburgh,” Remus said to Nym. “Do you know where Edinburgh is?”
“Never mind that,” Sirius broke in. “That’s a HST! They’re the fastest trains anywhere. They even go faster than the Hogwarts’ Express!”
“HST!” Nym echoed and Remus blinked. Sirius Black, train-spotter extraordinaire. You learnt something new everyday.
“I love Muggle stuff,” Sirius said happily. “You should hear these go. They out-scream my mother. Did you know they hold the world record for diesel traction?”
Remus hadn’t the faintest idea what diesel traction was so he shook his head and said, “You’re amazing, Padfoot.”
“I want one of these. I want to take the engine apart.”
The train’s engine began to charge and he couldn’t hear Sirius anymore. He was still talking though and Nym was shrieking in excitement, bouncing on the end of her reins. Remus hung onto her for dear life as she waved both arms. “Bye-bye, train! Bye-bye!”
She was still waving when the train vanished into the tunnel. Remus shook his head to clear his ears. He looked at Sirius. “Where now?”
“Park!” Nym shrieked in his ear.
Sirius was staring wistfully after the train. “It’s got a Napier turbocharger,” he said longingly. “Imagine one of them on a bike.”
“Park,” Remus said firmly.
Sirius took the lead, though he talked about trains all the way down Judd Street. As Nym was babbling away about cars and birds and lorries, Remus just kept nodding at both of them.
“Coram Fields,” Sirius said as they turned into the park. “Not allowed in without a kid. Meda used to kidnap me and Reggie and bring us here just to see Mum have a fit when she couldn’t get in the gate. No dogs allowed, though.”
“Shame,” Remus said. It wasn’t a huge park but it was packed to the brim. “Is that a zoo?”
“Sheep and stuff,” Sirius said, grabbing Nym. “Keep her away. She likes to practice her faces.”
“Right,” Remus said and steered them towards the playground.
“Swings!” Nym said and grabbed Remus’ knee. “Give me a push.”
He’d rather hoped he would have a chance to talk to Sirius but Nym kept him running. She also managed to make several new friends who also needed swing-pushing, roundabout-turning and seesaw-activating help. Sirius, he saw from the corner of his eye, had found himself a bench and was chatting to a pregnant woman he thought was the mother of one of Nym’s new friends.
He was surprised when he heard Sirius shout, “Remus! Nym! Half-eleven. Time to go.”
Nym launched herself off the swing and he lunged forward and caught her and then managed to grab the swing before it took out any bystanders.
“Don’t do that,” he said to her.
“Don’t you like me anymore?”
“Not if you’re going to be naughty,” he said and immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. Nym’s face crumpled and she began to howl.
Sirius took her from him, glaring. “Really, Remus, did you have to get her over-excited?”
“Me?” Remus protested. “Me? I didn’t-”
Sirius had hurried off and he raced to keep up with him. “Sirius!”
Nym snuffled into Sirius’ shoulder and then stuck her tongue out. Remus was feeling slightly out-manoeuvred.
Sirius got bored of carrying her halfway down Lamb’s Conduit Street. He wrapped her reins around his hand and squeezed Remus’ hand quickly. “Relax. Pretend this is us, living here.”
“We’d have jobs,” Remus said.
“Moony. We’re too good for jobs. We could sit in that café and while the day away, looking at the people going by.”
“And the funeral parlour opposite? Sorry - I’m trying.”
“Very trying,” Sirius said and squeezed his hand again.
Remus caught his hand and kept it even though he could see people staring at them. Sirius grinned sideways at him, slightly flushed.
He had to let go so they could both hold Nym’s hands to get across Theobald’s Road, busy and bus-packed. Remus found himself grinning at the red buses and the taxis going past. He was in London, with Sirius, and it was great.
“Yucky,” Nym said to the butchers and the carcass hanging outside the door. “Smelly meat.” Then she swung between their hands. “Up!”
“Not here,” Remus said. “It’s too busy.”
They turned down Bedford Row, past the grand Victorian buildings. Long lists of names were mounted beside each door and the fallen leaves from the plane trees heaped against the railings. They followed a barrister in wig and gown into Gray’s Inn, down the steps and past the dry stems of the roses. There were still a few hips on the briars that climbed up the old lamp-post.
Andromeda was waiting for them by the gates of the garden, reading through her notes.
“Mum-Mum!” Nym cried.
Andromeda looked up with a smile and Sirius passed Nym’s reins to Remus and said, “What did you do when Bella and I tied Reggie up in the oak tree?”
“I sharpened all Bella’s hairpins and put itching charms on all your underwear. Then I made Narcissa cry for not telling me what you were doing. What did you do when I ran off with Ted?”
“Sent you a card congratulating you. With naked goblins on it.”
Andromeda nodded. “Dancing, naked goblins. Well done.”
“You can let Nym go now,” Sirius said and Remus dropped the reins, shocked. He didn’t think he’d ever learn to be that paranoid.
“Constant vigilance,” Sirius murmured and grinned.
Nym was recounting their morning at high speed. Andromeda laughed and looked at Remus. “Did you have fun too?”
“Yes,” he said and realised it was true. “How was your meeting?”
She rolled her eyes. “Tedious. The Ministry’s lawyers have been consulting with the Council of Legal Education for months about standardising our qualifications for the Bar.”
“Boring,” Sirius said. “Any word from Ted?”
“No,” Andromeda said and sighed. “I’m assuming it’s all wrapped up now. We just have to wait to see what they plan next.”
They passed through into Gray’s Inn Square, past the chapel. The square was lined with expensive cars. Sirius kept pausing to stare enviously.
“You wouldn’t let me stop for books,” Remus said.
“And you don’t want to miss the train,” Andromeda said firmly. “Keep up.”
They caught a bus up Gray’s Inn Road to King’s Cross. Remus watched London go by, grey and entangled. He’d never spent so much time in the city and yet he’d seen so little of it. They would have to come back. For the British Museum if nothing else.
Andromeda whisked them through King’s Cross, buying them sandwiches and papers for the train. Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters was crowded. Remus stared about curiously. He’d never seen normal wizards catch the train.
“It will be busy today,” Andromeda said. “With the Floo down. It’s usually used by those who can’t afford the commercial Floos. Keep going. You’re in first class.”
“First class?” Remus said, startled. He didn’t think Ted and Andromeda were that well off.
“Courtesy of the Ministry of Magic, my dears, who couldn’t spot a flu epidemic if it stuck it’s head up their collective arses.”
“Nice,” Sirius said. “I want the window seat.”
“Only if I get the papers,” Remus said quickly.
“You don’t need the papers. You always fall asleep by Stevenage.”
Andromeda found them their seats and then stood outside the window, talking to them. “Remember to send me an owl when you get back.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Don’t fuss, Meda. Did I tell you Remus drove off Jormungardr?”
“Good for him. Send me an owl.”
Then the whistle blew. Andromeda kissed them both on the cheek and stood back. The whistle blew again and they were off. Nym waved, shrieking their names. Sirius hung out the window waving to her until Remus remembered there was a tunnel and dragged him in just in time.
Their compartment was half-full, even though it was first-class. Sirius set about charming the old lady sitting opposite. Remus was drawn into helping an elderly wizard with the Prophet’s crossword. Everyone complained about the unreliability of the Floo. Remus tried not to catch Sirius’ eye.
Sirius’ old lady got out at Peterborough but the old man with the Prophet stayed all the way to Durham, to Remus’ frustration. It was getting dark by the time they stopped there and he could see the lights glowing in the buffet on the platform. Sirius waited until the train had pulled out and then got up. He pulled the blinds closed on the door and windows and then turned to look at Remus across the empty compartment.
“So?” Remus said and had to force himself not to wring his hands.
“So,” Sirius said and took a breath. He leant against the door, all tension. “The thing is, honestly and not pissing about any more, I fancy you. I more than fancy you. If you don’t want me to, you’re going to have to tell me now because every time I touch you I want it more. But, if you don’t want me to, fine. I need you and if it’s friends, it’s friends. I would very much like it to be more.”
Remus looked up and met his gaze. He might sound resolute but his eyes were wide and panicky. He bit his lip and tried to find the words. “I can’t imagine my life without you. I can imagine James living somewhere else. I can imagine Pete living somewhere else. But every time I think about the future, whether I expect to be poor and lost or happy ever after, you’re with me. And, yes, you idiot, I want it to be more. I’ve wanted more for so long.”
Sirius crossed the compartment in three steps and kissed him.
It was a messy, clumsy kiss but it was Sirius and so Remus clutched at him blindly and kissed him back with all the force he could. Sirius sighed and his mouth fell open beneath Remus’ and their tongues brushed tentatively. He tasted like cheap tea and ham sandwiches and his hair was soft between Remus’ fingers and suddenly it was perfect.
The train swayed round a bend and they went stumbling into the seat. Remus sat down too quickly and Sirius came with him, still wrapped in his arms.
“Remus,” Sirius whispered, his face so close Remus could feel his breath on his cheek.
“Sirius,” he said gravely and leant forward to brush his lips against Sirius’
“Mine.”
“Yours,” Remus said with a warm rush of relief and kissed him again. He could feel everything now: the wet heat of Sirius’ mouth and the brush of his hair against his cheek, the heat of their bodies pressed together and the reassuring warmth of Sirius’ arms banded across his back.
They had slid down the seat somehow and Sirius was pressing into him. He slid his hands into Remus’ coat, murmuring, “Remus, Remus, Remus,” into his mouth.
Remus arched into his touch and managed, “Sirius, we’re on a train.”
“Blinds are down.”
“Okay,” Remus said and slipped his hands up Sirius’ back. He was so warm and so right, even when he squeaked and said, “Moony, your hands are like icebergs.”
“Warm them up,” Remus demanded, quashing the little voice in his mind that shrieked, On a train! A public train! McGonagall will kill you if you get arrested!
It wasn’t until the train began to slow that he managed to pull back and say, “Next station. Got to stop.”
“Where is it?” Sirius muttered, kissing his jaw, little touches that made Remus want to sink back into the seat.
“Newcastle. City. Big. People getting on.”
“Okay.” Sirius sat up and pulled Remus against his shoulder. “You look thoroughly snogged.”
“Funny that,” Remus said, gazing out of the window in time to see the bridges across the Tyne, glowing with trails of traffic lights. Sirius was playing with his fingers. “Padfoot, you’re being obvious.”
“Don’t want to stop.”
“I don’t want to, either, but we have to be sensible.”
Sirius snorted but sat quietly as they drew into Newcastle. He managed to wait until the whistle blew before he pounced again.
Remus was just aware enough to think, shit when he heard the compartment door slide open.
“Aargh! My eyes!”
“Peter?” Sirius said, pulling away.
Remus stopped cringing and stared over Sirius’ shoulder to the new arrival. “Pete? What are you doing here?”
“Going back to school. Can I look yet?”
Remus pushed at Sirius’ shoulder until he sat up and said, “Yes.”
Peter dropped his arm from in front of his eyes and flopped into the seat opposite. “Bloody Potter. All he wrote was Sirius and Remus are in a bit of a state. I’ll kill him later.”
Remus was still trying to catch up. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s the only Hogsmeade train today,” Peter said, looking long-suffering. “I’ve come up from Wolverhampton this morning. McGonagall owled me to say you’d be on the train and to travel with you. I assume she doesn’t know?”
“You’re the first, Pete,” Sirius said casually. “Do you have a problem with it?”
Peter rolled his eyes. “Are you going to stop moping now? It’s been obvious for months, you twats. Can’t believe it took you this long.”
Sirius relaxed at Remus’ side and said, “How are you, mate? Did everything, y’know.”
“It was a bit shit, really,” Peter said, staring at his hands. “Funerals are meant to be for old people. I hate this fucking war.”
“Me, too,” Remus said.
“And me,” Sirius added and they were quiet for a while, watching the suburbs of Newcastle blur past.
“So what the hell were you doing in London?” Peter said at last.
Sirius grinned and leant back into Remus’ lap. “You are looking, Mr Pettigrew, at a man who saved the world single-handedly.”
Remus poked his shoulder.
“With a little, ow, significant amount of help from the luscious Mr Lupin there. Don’t hit me!”
“Tell it properly, then,” Remus said and left his hand on Sirius’ shoulder. Outside the windows, dark countryside was rushing past. Sooner or later, he knew they would come to the sea and then turn inland, towards the safe fastnesses where Hogwarts stood. For the moment, they were safe.