Prompt 1 again
Burn Twice
Promt One,
The enigma of August.
Season of dust and teenage arson.
Written for dogdaysofsummer Promt One
Sirius Black falls of his motorbike to see the blaze that takes over a house in a neighbourhood he knew well.
Running in recklessly, he cares nothing about himself, and doesn't think about his own thin skin, caught so easily on debris and fiery hot edges; doesn't think about his own long hair, venerable to flames and burning wildly at the tips.
He heads towards the screams - a kitchen sent ablaze with red and yellows and oranges, white explosions where the heat meets the electricity.
Cowering under melting plastic and behind burning wood, three helpless muggles sit.
Without a thought, the Gryffindor inside is roaring - the lion stands up and screams out, commanding order, demanding submission.
A wand flicks out and the muggles are too terrified and too trapped to see the water appear out of nowhere, too loud in their own screaming to hear Latin phrases and funny words pour out of a teenager's mouth. They're far too lost in each other and their impending doom to notice that the fires are rising higher, and their savior isn't going to make it.
Smokes cloud lungs and thoughts, and too disorientated to protect even himself, the world falls into blurs and shouts and bright, evil colours, and Sirius Black falls to his knees, wondering if hell wasn't something you just experienced; it was something you lived.
-
From outside James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew try hard to fight the fire, and it's taking all Remus' energy not to run inside, danger be damned, and find the stupid, idiotic, reckless, amazing boy that had met the flames head on.
And that's when two panicked muggles ran out in each others arms, collapsing on the cobbled pavement and then turning to stare at the hell-fire that was once their house.
"George!" They were screaming. "Where's George?"
And then a silhouette came stumbling out, a small body in his arms, and he staggered towards the gate where James, Remus and Peter met him. James took the unconscious child from the male's hands and both he and Peter went to reunite and comfort the despairing family.
It left Remus Lupin on the verge of tears, with a coughing hero who resembled nothing of the boy who entered that house ten minutes ago.
"Sirius, Sirius, you idiot." Remus was muttering, angry, relieved, happy and so thankful that this boy was only worse for wear rather than worse of life.
"I'm an idiot, Moony." he replied, chuckling some what and choking on his own hysterical laughter.
"You could have died." Remus muttered, wrapping his arms around the burnt boy, ignoring the sirens of fire engines that came too late in the far distance. "Why are you an idiot?"
"I love you, Moony." Was the only thing Sirius could reply with, digging his head into Remus' shoulder. "If I died I would have never been able to tell you. I'm not dead, Moony!" He was laughing again into Remus' skin, and Remus found himself laughing too.
"No, you aren't, thank you, Merlin."
"Thank you, Merlin." Sirius repeated, feeling joyous and happy, and not even the fact his hair was still sizzling, his face was burnt and he couldn't move his arm could stop the feelings coursing through his body.
-
Sirius Black collapsed moments later, and maybe out of exhaustion and finally the need not to worry, Remus Lupin did too. Arms holding each other tight couldn't be budged, and as the muggle emergency services struggled with the fire, silently, three brilliant teenage heroes disappeared into the night with a sharp crack as if they'd never been there at all.