Fic: Between the Covers for zeldadestry
Title: Between the Covers
Author: deiareads
Recipient: zeldadestry
Rating: PG-13
Highlight for Warnings: *none *
Word Count: 2051
Summary: What lies between the covers of Remus's books
Author's notes: Many beta thanks to molsymo.
Harry was barely awake when he heard the knock on his door. With his children staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, he and Ginny decided to stay late in bed, their only commitment for the day being dinner at the Burrow that evening. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see his godson struggling with a heavy bag and looking awkward at his doorstep. What caught Harry’s attention, however, was Teddy’s light brown hair, so like Remus's; it was always a sign that he was a little melancholy about his parents.
Harry smiled at his godson, "Come on in, Teddy."
Teddy returned the smile wanly, shouldering his bag and moving past Harry, "Hi, Harry. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning."
"You're never a bother and it's not that early," said Harry leading his godson to the kitchen. He started to make some tea then turned to face the young man while the water boiled, "you seem a little preoccupied. Is there something wrong?"
Teddy looked down at the bag he had been clutching to his chest, "Remember the books you gave me when I was fifteen? You said they were my dad's books you found in his room at Grimmauld Place and you had saved them for me." At Harry's nod he continued, speaking quickly, as if by doing so the words would come easier. "I don't think they belonged only to Dad. I was going through them when I was packing and this fell out of one of the books." He opened the bag and took out the first book inside. Around the middle of it there was a small note, yellowed with time in Sirius's handwriting.
Harry's hand shook as he took the note. He hadn't seen anything from his godfather in so long, this little remainder made the memory of the man hurt just a little bit stronger. The words, though, were something he didn't expect.
"Can you believe this git, Moony? I bet he never saw a real vampire or he wouldn't think they were that sexy. If they asked me I could tell with authority that werewolves are the sexy ones."
***************
Sirius had been watching Remus read the book for the past twenty minutes. He knew he was close to find his note and was waiting for the blush to rise in his lover's face. They had started leaving notes for each other back in sixth year. Their friendship still was a bit strained then and Sirius found it easier to keep contact through notes. They had always swapped books between them, knowing the other’s tastes and it had turned into a habit of recommending what they thought the other would like. He remembered the first time Remus found his note. He looked at him surprised and after a few moments nodded. In the note Sirius had asked if Remus thought the main character should be so quick to forgive his friend for a mistake he made. They both knew, of course, that he was asking was much more than an opinion about a book, and at Remus's nod, Sirius had started to forgive himself as well.
And there’s the blush, Sirius smiled to himself. No matter how many notes they had exchanged, Remus still wasn't used to compliments. Sirius had always thought it endearing. He took one of the feet that was cradled in his lap and kissed it, noting how Remus's eyes stopped moving. He was waiting for Sirius’ next move or lack thereof. The kiss on the calf earned him a look from his lover, half anticipation, half exasperation. Now that he had Remus's attention it was quite easy to pry the book from his hands and pounce. He did have a point to make after all.
***************
Harry looked up at Teddy not knowing what to say.
"There are notes in all the books I looked. Most of them are from Sirius, but some are from Dad," he said as he went back to the bag, pulling out another note out of a book and handing it to Harry.
"I bet you're loving this, aren't you? If I didn't know better I'd say you read this before and that's why you gave it to me. I have to confess that the leather trousers are very distracting and maybe it's time I let you convince me to ride the bike with you."
***************
Remus was exhausted after yet another day pouring over heavy tomes at the Order Headquarters. The only thing he wanted was to soak in a bath and sleep for ten hours.
At least that was what he thought he wanted.
He walked into his bedroom and was greeted by Sirius looking at himself in the mirror. This was nothing new, his lover was notorious for being vain, but what made Remus rethink his plans were the leather trousers.
Sirius felt more than saw Remus's eyes burning his skin. “Found your note. Do you think this meet your expectations?”
Remus swallowed hard and walked to Sirius, his hands automatically settling on his lover's arse, feeling how the smooth material molded the body perfectly.
“Yeah,” Remus answered breathlessly and leaned over to capture Sirius's lips, but his lover wouldn't let him.
He growled in frustration and saw Sirius grinning cheekily at him. “Not so fast, Moony. You owe me a ride in the bike. Here,” he continued, hRemus a jacket that was resting in the chair near the mirror, “wear this. It's cold outside.”
Remus looked at him incredulous, “Now?”
“Of course.” Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. “I know you, Moony. If I let you have your way with me now, it'll be ages until you get anywhere near the bike again.”
Remus wouldn't be deterred, though, and pressed his lips to his lover's throat, tracing a path until finding his earlobe. “Are you sure I can't convince you?”
“Huh?”
Remus grinned knowing it wouldn't take much to change Sirius's mind. A few well placed kisses and caresses later the dark haired man forgot entirely about the bike.
***************
"There are some…" Teddy started having a hard time finding the words, "some of them are more intimate." The tips of his hair turned red as he looked down. A few minutes later he chanced a look at Harry. In his eyes Harry could read the questions he had and for the first time Harry didn't know the answers himself.
"There is one about you." Teddy whispered when the silence became too much. Harry's breath caught in his throat, as yet another note was handed to him.
"If I had any doubts Harry has you wrapped around his little finger, now they're gone. I think we'll need another shelf for all the fairytales you bought for him. You'd have made a wonderful father, Sirius. Makes me wish we could… Well, we'll have all the sprogs from James and Peter to spoil and that's great, too, right?"
***************
Sirius had been pacing the living room for the past half an hour. He didn't know if he made the right decision or if Remus would be livid with him.
He looked around again making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. At the sound of the door opening he felt his heart start to race and cursed himself for being so impulsive.
It was done now and he'd have to deal with it.
Remus walked into their flat with a broad smile on his face, “Padfoot, you'll never believe who I ran into...” but at seeing Sirius’s apprehensive face he stopped. His eyes narrowed and he started again deceptively calm, “Whadid you do, Sirius?”
Sirius grinned at him, but it was clear the grin was forced, “I thought about what you said in the note you wabout Harry. About how you thought I'd make a good father,” Sirius bit his lips trying to find the best words, “I think you'd be brilliant, Moony. It made me realize how much I wanted to give you that, but we can't even adopt a baby.” He sighed, frustrated against the unfairness, “I know it's not even remotely the same and that I didn't consult you first, but it was supposed to be a surprise, so I couldn't really tell you, could I? I just think it'd be--”
“Sirius,” Remus interrupted amusedly, crouching on the floor and picking up a little white kitten that had been pawing his trousers for the past few moments. “Is this why you're so worked up?”
“I... Yeah... Well, yes. Are you... I mean... is this all right?” Sirius looked both hopeful and frightened.
“Will you help taking care of him?” Remus asked seriously, although his eyes were alight with love and warmth.
“Of course, Moony.” Sirius answered eagerly, “I already bought food, a litter box, and some toys. The vet said he's vaccinated and gave me a list of things he can and can't eat and other tips on how to best care for him.”
By the time Sirius was finished, Remus was smiling at him fondly, “Then it's all right. More than, actually. Thank you, Sirius.”
This time the grin on Sirius's lips was real and infectious. He closed the distance between them and put an arm around Remus's waist, nuzzling his neck before looking at their new kitten. “We'll need to name him.”
“ Yeah. Can’t think of anything though. Do you have something in mind?” Remus asked softly, stroking the cat whom appeared to have fallen asleep in his arms.
“No. I was actually hoping you would.”
“Well, I don't think he'll mind being nameless for another day.” Remus looked up at his lover and leaned down for a kiss. “Come on, show me where are all the supplies.”
***************
Harry felt a pang in his chest. He never really thought about the Sirius and Remus of before he met them. How they lived and who they loved. Well that was obvious now. Did they get back together after Azkaban? What had made Sirius distrust Remus if they were together? He sighed. There wasn't anyone to ask, anymore.
“Can I take a look...” Harry trailed off, nodding at the bag.
“Of course,” Teddy said, giving the bag to Harry.
Harry looked through the books, while they drank their tea, finding more notes. He could almost picture his godfather and former Professor writing the notes and the more he read, the more comfortable he felt with the idea of them together.
He left the book with the note about him for last, but no other notes fell from it. He looked at every page and was about to close it when he saw Remus's handwriting on a smalpiece of paper attached to the last page of the book. It was so small it was hard to read, but he managed to get the words anyway.
“I have a son, Padfoot. It's the most incredible feeling in the world and now more than ever I wish I could have shared this feeling with you. I know how much you wanted it, too. I miss you.”
Harry swallowed hard. Hnever considered how much Remus suffered after Sirius's death. ’d been far twrapped in his own pain to notice. Now he wished he had.
He was fairly sure Teddy hadn't seen this last note and although he came to him looking for answers, Harry thought it'd be best if he didn't know that even after his birth, his father was still longing for his dead lover.
“Can I keep this one?” Harry asked holding up the book.
Teddy nodded, smiling weakly at his godfather, “You're Sirius's heir. These books are as much yours as they're mine.”
“Thank you. Are you all right about this, Teddy?” Harry asked concerned.
“Yes... yes I guess I am,” Teddy answered, his smile a little more real. “Sirius...” he started a little hesitantly, “how was he?”
Harry smiled back, remembering the man who spent so little time with him but still was the first family he had ever had. Where to start?
Author: deiareads
Recipient: zeldadestry
Rating: PG-13
Highlight for Warnings: *none *
Word Count: 2051
Summary: What lies between the covers of Remus's books
Author's notes: Many beta thanks to molsymo.
Harry was barely awake when he heard the knock on his door. With his children staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, he and Ginny decided to stay late in bed, their only commitment for the day being dinner at the Burrow that evening. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see his godson struggling with a heavy bag and looking awkward at his doorstep. What caught Harry’s attention, however, was Teddy’s light brown hair, so like Remus's; it was always a sign that he was a little melancholy about his parents.
Harry smiled at his godson, "Come on in, Teddy."
Teddy returned the smile wanly, shouldering his bag and moving past Harry, "Hi, Harry. Sorry to bother you so early in the morning."
"You're never a bother and it's not that early," said Harry leading his godson to the kitchen. He started to make some tea then turned to face the young man while the water boiled, "you seem a little preoccupied. Is there something wrong?"
Teddy looked down at the bag he had been clutching to his chest, "Remember the books you gave me when I was fifteen? You said they were my dad's books you found in his room at Grimmauld Place and you had saved them for me." At Harry's nod he continued, speaking quickly, as if by doing so the words would come easier. "I don't think they belonged only to Dad. I was going through them when I was packing and this fell out of one of the books." He opened the bag and took out the first book inside. Around the middle of it there was a small note, yellowed with time in Sirius's handwriting.
Harry's hand shook as he took the note. He hadn't seen anything from his godfather in so long, this little remainder made the memory of the man hurt just a little bit stronger. The words, though, were something he didn't expect.
"Can you believe this git, Moony? I bet he never saw a real vampire or he wouldn't think they were that sexy. If they asked me I could tell with authority that werewolves are the sexy ones."
***************
Sirius had been watching Remus read the book for the past twenty minutes. He knew he was close to find his note and was waiting for the blush to rise in his lover's face. They had started leaving notes for each other back in sixth year. Their friendship still was a bit strained then and Sirius found it easier to keep contact through notes. They had always swapped books between them, knowing the other’s tastes and it had turned into a habit of recommending what they thought the other would like. He remembered the first time Remus found his note. He looked at him surprised and after a few moments nodded. In the note Sirius had asked if Remus thought the main character should be so quick to forgive his friend for a mistake he made. They both knew, of course, that he was asking was much more than an opinion about a book, and at Remus's nod, Sirius had started to forgive himself as well.
And there’s the blush, Sirius smiled to himself. No matter how many notes they had exchanged, Remus still wasn't used to compliments. Sirius had always thought it endearing. He took one of the feet that was cradled in his lap and kissed it, noting how Remus's eyes stopped moving. He was waiting for Sirius’ next move or lack thereof. The kiss on the calf earned him a look from his lover, half anticipation, half exasperation. Now that he had Remus's attention it was quite easy to pry the book from his hands and pounce. He did have a point to make after all.
***************
Harry looked up at Teddy not knowing what to say.
"There are notes in all the books I looked. Most of them are from Sirius, but some are from Dad," he said as he went back to the bag, pulling out another note out of a book and handing it to Harry.
"I bet you're loving this, aren't you? If I didn't know better I'd say you read this before and that's why you gave it to me. I have to confess that the leather trousers are very distracting and maybe it's time I let you convince me to ride the bike with you."
***************
Remus was exhausted after yet another day pouring over heavy tomes at the Order Headquarters. The only thing he wanted was to soak in a bath and sleep for ten hours.
At least that was what he thought he wanted.
He walked into his bedroom and was greeted by Sirius looking at himself in the mirror. This was nothing new, his lover was notorious for being vain, but what made Remus rethink his plans were the leather trousers.
Sirius felt more than saw Remus's eyes burning his skin. “Found your note. Do you think this meet your expectations?”
Remus swallowed hard and walked to Sirius, his hands automatically settling on his lover's arse, feeling how the smooth material molded the body perfectly.
“Yeah,” Remus answered breathlessly and leaned over to capture Sirius's lips, but his lover wouldn't let him.
He growled in frustration and saw Sirius grinning cheekily at him. “Not so fast, Moony. You owe me a ride in the bike. Here,” he continued, hRemus a jacket that was resting in the chair near the mirror, “wear this. It's cold outside.”
Remus looked at him incredulous, “Now?”
“Of course.” Sirius narrowed his eyes at him. “I know you, Moony. If I let you have your way with me now, it'll be ages until you get anywhere near the bike again.”
Remus wouldn't be deterred, though, and pressed his lips to his lover's throat, tracing a path until finding his earlobe. “Are you sure I can't convince you?”
“Huh?”
Remus grinned knowing it wouldn't take much to change Sirius's mind. A few well placed kisses and caresses later the dark haired man forgot entirely about the bike.
***************
"There are some…" Teddy started having a hard time finding the words, "some of them are more intimate." The tips of his hair turned red as he looked down. A few minutes later he chanced a look at Harry. In his eyes Harry could read the questions he had and for the first time Harry didn't know the answers himself.
"There is one about you." Teddy whispered when the silence became too much. Harry's breath caught in his throat, as yet another note was handed to him.
"If I had any doubts Harry has you wrapped around his little finger, now they're gone. I think we'll need another shelf for all the fairytales you bought for him. You'd have made a wonderful father, Sirius. Makes me wish we could… Well, we'll have all the sprogs from James and Peter to spoil and that's great, too, right?"
***************
Sirius had been pacing the living room for the past half an hour. He didn't know if he made the right decision or if Remus would be livid with him.
He looked around again making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. At the sound of the door opening he felt his heart start to race and cursed himself for being so impulsive.
It was done now and he'd have to deal with it.
Remus walked into their flat with a broad smile on his face, “Padfoot, you'll never believe who I ran into...” but at seeing Sirius’s apprehensive face he stopped. His eyes narrowed and he started again deceptively calm, “Whadid you do, Sirius?”
Sirius grinned at him, but it was clear the grin was forced, “I thought about what you said in the note you wabout Harry. About how you thought I'd make a good father,” Sirius bit his lips trying to find the best words, “I think you'd be brilliant, Moony. It made me realize how much I wanted to give you that, but we can't even adopt a baby.” He sighed, frustrated against the unfairness, “I know it's not even remotely the same and that I didn't consult you first, but it was supposed to be a surprise, so I couldn't really tell you, could I? I just think it'd be--”
“Sirius,” Remus interrupted amusedly, crouching on the floor and picking up a little white kitten that had been pawing his trousers for the past few moments. “Is this why you're so worked up?”
“I... Yeah... Well, yes. Are you... I mean... is this all right?” Sirius looked both hopeful and frightened.
“Will you help taking care of him?” Remus asked seriously, although his eyes were alight with love and warmth.
“Of course, Moony.” Sirius answered eagerly, “I already bought food, a litter box, and some toys. The vet said he's vaccinated and gave me a list of things he can and can't eat and other tips on how to best care for him.”
By the time Sirius was finished, Remus was smiling at him fondly, “Then it's all right. More than, actually. Thank you, Sirius.”
This time the grin on Sirius's lips was real and infectious. He closed the distance between them and put an arm around Remus's waist, nuzzling his neck before looking at their new kitten. “We'll need to name him.”
“ Yeah. Can’t think of anything though. Do you have something in mind?” Remus asked softly, stroking the cat whom appeared to have fallen asleep in his arms.
“No. I was actually hoping you would.”
“Well, I don't think he'll mind being nameless for another day.” Remus looked up at his lover and leaned down for a kiss. “Come on, show me where are all the supplies.”
***************
Harry felt a pang in his chest. He never really thought about the Sirius and Remus of before he met them. How they lived and who they loved. Well that was obvious now. Did they get back together after Azkaban? What had made Sirius distrust Remus if they were together? He sighed. There wasn't anyone to ask, anymore.
“Can I take a look...” Harry trailed off, nodding at the bag.
“Of course,” Teddy said, giving the bag to Harry.
Harry looked through the books, while they drank their tea, finding more notes. He could almost picture his godfather and former Professor writing the notes and the more he read, the more comfortable he felt with the idea of them together.
He left the book with the note about him for last, but no other notes fell from it. He looked at every page and was about to close it when he saw Remus's handwriting on a smalpiece of paper attached to the last page of the book. It was so small it was hard to read, but he managed to get the words anyway.
“I have a son, Padfoot. It's the most incredible feeling in the world and now more than ever I wish I could have shared this feeling with you. I know how much you wanted it, too. I miss you.”
Harry swallowed hard. Hnever considered how much Remus suffered after Sirius's death. ’d been far twrapped in his own pain to notice. Now he wished he had.
He was fairly sure Teddy hadn't seen this last note and although he came to him looking for answers, Harry thought it'd be best if he didn't know that even after his birth, his father was still longing for his dead lover.
“Can I keep this one?” Harry asked holding up the book.
Teddy nodded, smiling weakly at his godfather, “You're Sirius's heir. These books are as much yours as they're mine.”
“Thank you. Are you all right about this, Teddy?” Harry asked concerned.
“Yes... yes I guess I am,” Teddy answered, his smile a little more real. “Sirius...” he started a little hesitantly, “how was he?”
Harry smiled back, remembering the man who spent so little time with him but still was the first family he had ever had. Where to start?