Eight: Wallpaper Dragons
Remus is sitting in the booth at the back of the Chinese restaurant on the corner, drinking his water and picking idly at the peeling vinyl seat. He glances with barely concealed anxiety at the door, and ignores the waiter, who is beginning to look impatient that Remus hasn’t yet ordered any food. Outside, the sky fading into a faintly pinkish blue, in limbo between the sun and the moon and stars. Remus is waiting, and it’s making him feel like he’s in the same kind of limbo, between uncertainty and knowing.
It’s the war that brings this uncertainty. It always is. They are eighteen, they should not have to wait and worry. At least James and Sirius, even Peter, have the luxury of action-missions for the Order, Auror work. Remus researches, studies, shelves books. Has too much time to think. Remus has only been on one Order mission, and nothing happened. The meeting he was supposed to be spying on did not take place.
James and Sirius have been somewhere-Scotland, Remus thinks-tracking the movements of several Death Eaters. It’s supposed to be a routine mission. Very little risk involved. This does not make Remus worry any less.
The door of the restaurant opens, and Remus looks up, hopeful. He is disappointed. The waiter comes to his table. “Sir, are you ready to order?”
“No, I’ll wait. I’m meeting friends, they aren’t the most punctual.” The waiter nods grudgingly, and goes to another table.
Remus is reading the menu for the fourth time, when he hears the door open again. He looks up, stands up, and the menu slides to the floor. He sees Sirius at the head of the group, tall, dark haired, laughing. James is just behind him, hair almost wilder than usual, glasses catching the light, his arm around Lily, who is looking at him like she suspects he will disappear as part of some stupid prank with Sirius. Peter hangs behind (though not so far behind as he used to), smiling happily at his friends, looking tired.
Sirius looks around the restaurant and spots Remus, and he grins like mad, and then he’s halfway across the room, and Remus grins back. Vaguely, Remus is aware of James and Lily and Peter sitting down, laughing, reaching for menus. But Sirius has him by the waist and the back of his head, and they are bumping noses and chins, and Sirius kisses him on the mouth, right there in the middle of the Chinese restaurant on the corner. If Remus was sane enough to care, he would notice that the waiter is glaring at him even more than he was before, which doesn’t seem justified as now they can order their food, now that his friends are here.
“Welcome back, Sirius.”
“I was only gone for two days.”
“I know. It’s a lot quieter without you. No one interrupting my reading and mocking the characters, or making up bawdy songs about them.”
“Hey!” Remus chuckles and pulls Sirius down into the seat, kissing him again, smelling soap and sweets and good clean dirt on his skin.
“Oi! We’re hungry over here.” James is grinning and looking a little sheepish.
“You’re one to talk,” Sirius says, raising an eyebrow at Lily.
“Yes, well, we were at home,” James splutters, kicking Sirius under the table.
“No causing trouble, or Remus, Peter, and I will dispense of you, and talk sensibly and maturely over here.” Lily looks rather menacingly pretty, sitting demurely behind her menu and watching the scene. Remus can see, in this, why James has been in love with her for the last seven years. And he can see, at the same time, how it was possible for her to so easily become a part of their little Boys Club, which has now become a Boys and Lily Club. None of them resents the change.
“Sorry we’re late,” Peter says. “Sirius wanted to take the bus, and then we got on the wrong bus so we had to get off it and just Apparate.”
“You great dolt,” Remus says fondly, running his thumb over Sirius’ eyebrow, where there is a cut. “Where’d you get this? Get in the way of some big nasty Death Eater?”
Sirius looks embarrassed, ducking his head. “Er, no. Rather alarmingly pointy toothbrush, actually. Out of control. Ought to be put down.”
“Perhaps you insulted its honour,” Remus suggests helpfully. “Hygiene implements can be remarkably touchy about that sort of thing. Rather like Hippogriffs, you know.”
“In lieu of discussing the care and control of toothbrushes,” Lily says, “we really ought to order our food, before that waiter comes and uses us for food.”
“But you’re fine, both of you?” Remus asks. “Everything went well?”
“It did,” Sirius answers. “More than well.” Remus studies his face, and everything seems brighter, somehow. The vinyl seats, even peeling as they are, hide the grime of cheap Chinese food, and the wallpaper dragons grin and frolic. Sirius’ eyes hold no shadows, the corners of his mouth and the cleft of his chin hold smiles. “Missed you,” he murmurs, leaning into Remus’ shoulder, though it’s been less than a week since he’s had the right to miss Remus as anything more than good friends. But Remus knows that really, Sirius has been missing him for over a year, and only now, when they are on the brink of chaos, has he been able to say so.
They break open fortune cookies. They’ll need the good luck.
Day Nine
It’s the war that brings this uncertainty. It always is. They are eighteen, they should not have to wait and worry. At least James and Sirius, even Peter, have the luxury of action-missions for the Order, Auror work. Remus researches, studies, shelves books. Has too much time to think. Remus has only been on one Order mission, and nothing happened. The meeting he was supposed to be spying on did not take place.
James and Sirius have been somewhere-Scotland, Remus thinks-tracking the movements of several Death Eaters. It’s supposed to be a routine mission. Very little risk involved. This does not make Remus worry any less.
The door of the restaurant opens, and Remus looks up, hopeful. He is disappointed. The waiter comes to his table. “Sir, are you ready to order?”
“No, I’ll wait. I’m meeting friends, they aren’t the most punctual.” The waiter nods grudgingly, and goes to another table.
Remus is reading the menu for the fourth time, when he hears the door open again. He looks up, stands up, and the menu slides to the floor. He sees Sirius at the head of the group, tall, dark haired, laughing. James is just behind him, hair almost wilder than usual, glasses catching the light, his arm around Lily, who is looking at him like she suspects he will disappear as part of some stupid prank with Sirius. Peter hangs behind (though not so far behind as he used to), smiling happily at his friends, looking tired.
Sirius looks around the restaurant and spots Remus, and he grins like mad, and then he’s halfway across the room, and Remus grins back. Vaguely, Remus is aware of James and Lily and Peter sitting down, laughing, reaching for menus. But Sirius has him by the waist and the back of his head, and they are bumping noses and chins, and Sirius kisses him on the mouth, right there in the middle of the Chinese restaurant on the corner. If Remus was sane enough to care, he would notice that the waiter is glaring at him even more than he was before, which doesn’t seem justified as now they can order their food, now that his friends are here.
“Welcome back, Sirius.”
“I was only gone for two days.”
“I know. It’s a lot quieter without you. No one interrupting my reading and mocking the characters, or making up bawdy songs about them.”
“Hey!” Remus chuckles and pulls Sirius down into the seat, kissing him again, smelling soap and sweets and good clean dirt on his skin.
“Oi! We’re hungry over here.” James is grinning and looking a little sheepish.
“You’re one to talk,” Sirius says, raising an eyebrow at Lily.
“Yes, well, we were at home,” James splutters, kicking Sirius under the table.
“No causing trouble, or Remus, Peter, and I will dispense of you, and talk sensibly and maturely over here.” Lily looks rather menacingly pretty, sitting demurely behind her menu and watching the scene. Remus can see, in this, why James has been in love with her for the last seven years. And he can see, at the same time, how it was possible for her to so easily become a part of their little Boys Club, which has now become a Boys and Lily Club. None of them resents the change.
“Sorry we’re late,” Peter says. “Sirius wanted to take the bus, and then we got on the wrong bus so we had to get off it and just Apparate.”
“You great dolt,” Remus says fondly, running his thumb over Sirius’ eyebrow, where there is a cut. “Where’d you get this? Get in the way of some big nasty Death Eater?”
Sirius looks embarrassed, ducking his head. “Er, no. Rather alarmingly pointy toothbrush, actually. Out of control. Ought to be put down.”
“Perhaps you insulted its honour,” Remus suggests helpfully. “Hygiene implements can be remarkably touchy about that sort of thing. Rather like Hippogriffs, you know.”
“In lieu of discussing the care and control of toothbrushes,” Lily says, “we really ought to order our food, before that waiter comes and uses us for food.”
“But you’re fine, both of you?” Remus asks. “Everything went well?”
“It did,” Sirius answers. “More than well.” Remus studies his face, and everything seems brighter, somehow. The vinyl seats, even peeling as they are, hide the grime of cheap Chinese food, and the wallpaper dragons grin and frolic. Sirius’ eyes hold no shadows, the corners of his mouth and the cleft of his chin hold smiles. “Missed you,” he murmurs, leaning into Remus’ shoulder, though it’s been less than a week since he’s had the right to miss Remus as anything more than good friends. But Remus knows that really, Sirius has been missing him for over a year, and only now, when they are on the brink of chaos, has he been able to say so.
They break open fortune cookies. They’ll need the good luck.
Day Nine