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How Strange, The Form of Fear: Chapter 26 [Harry Potter]
Fandom: Harry Potter
Title: How Strange, The Form of Fear
Chapter: 26: No Secrets Among Marauders
Summary: In school, Remus and Sirius perform a complicated spell to marry their thoughts in a subtle but intricate union. Fluffy beginning, epic-length, angsty ending. It sticks somewhat close to canon throughout.
This Chapter: Sirius and Peter make up, James and Lily get engaged, and Severus shows his true colors.
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, Peter
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, violence towards animals
Word Count: 2181
AN: Not beta-read, sorry.
Chapter 26: No Secrets Among Marauders
Remus knew it was going to be a bad day as soon as he woke up. His first giveaway was Sirius's dark mood, which he sensed even through his dreams. His second indication was the fact that Sirius was neither in Remus's bed nor in his own. Sirius always slept later than Remus did unless he had mischief planned, and his absence meant that he was no doubt up to no good. The combination of anger and mischief in Sirius Black was deadly, for his quarry at least.
"James?" Remus asked in the quiet room. There was no answer. A tip of his head told him that James was out of bed. "Pete?" Remus murmured.
"Help," a squeak emanated from the ceiling. Remus looked up to see Peter hanging by his feet, naked.
"What are you doing up there?"
"Sirius--"
Remus waved a hand to shush the boy. "Say no more."
"It's a permanent sticking charm," a harsh voice said as the door swung open. "You'll not get him down." Sirius was eying them both with a cold anger that sent bolts of ice through Remus.
"Even you wouldn't be so cruel," Remus said flatly, anticipating an argument.
"Try me," Sirius shrugged.
Peter sniffled pathetically from above. "Sirius, I said I was sorry."
Remus ignored the angry Sirius for a moment and turned back to Peter. "What did you do to him--"
"I said I was sorry," Peter repeated contritely.
Remus didn't need to wait long for the answer, though. Sirius volunteered it before a moment had passed. "He called me a Death Eater. He did, not his da or his mum, but Peter himself did."
Remus looked up, lips drawn into a flat line. "It may be a permanent sticking charm," he told Peter. To Sirius he said doubtfully, "I'm sure he didn't mean it?"
"I didn't!" Peter wailed. "Remus, tell him I didn't mean it."
Remus squinted up but said nothing more. He was rescued from the need to respond by James's bursting through the door.
"Hey Sirius, Remus, Peter," James said nonchalantly, as if one of them were not hanging upside-down starkers by his feet, "Guess who's skiving off Charms?" He grinned. "Lily and I are going on a picnic and I'm going to plan it. I've got the rest of the morning free." He crossed the room and threw his rucksack on the bed before squinting up at Peter. "Oi, Pete, put on some clothes if you're just going to hang around the room."
Remus shifted uncomfortably at that, but Sirius barked an exuberant little laugh. James smiled at Sirius and laughed himself, pleased to have cheered someone else. Then James turned back to Peter. "What is going on? Why are we all skipping class? Don't you think it'll look suspicious?"
Remus cleared his throat and took the silence in the room as his invitation to start talking. "Sirius stuck Peter to the ceiling. As you can see."
"Yeah," James nodded. He pulled his broom out from under his bed and flew up to the top of the room, poking at Peter's feet with his wand. James whistled softly. "Good job here, Padfoot. Just shy of a permanent sticking charm."
Sirius harrumphed. "Should have used a permanent one."
James pointed his wand and whispered under his breath and soon Peter, in his altogether, was sitting astride James's broom, already whimpering more apologies to Sirius.
Sirius, though, simply re-shouldered his own rucksack and left. He exchanged not a word with anyone, but Remus was surprised by what he felt in Sirius-- not lingering anger at all, but shame. Shame over how he had treated his friend, perhaps.
"Sirius forgives you," Remus smiled at Peter. "He's just a bit embarrassed."
"I don't really think he's a Death Eater. I didn't mean to say that. I know he's not a Death Eater. I know he's not." Peter turned pleading eyes at Remus, and Remus clapped him on one shoulder.
"Of course he's not," Remus shrugged, turning to get dressed. "Now, who let me sleep through my first class?"
"Sirius," Peter and James answered in unison.
"I should hang him upside down," Remus muttered, but he was smiling as he said it.
*****
Remus and Lily had the same break before Herbology on Tuesdays, and this particular Tuesday found them once again on a walk down by the lake. The weather was cold, so Remus wrapped his woolen shawl around them both. It might have been old and torn in more than one place, but it was incredibly warm. Lily leaned hard against him.
"Remus," she said quietly, "Can I tell you a secret? Do you promise not to tell anyone, not even Sirius?"
Remus thought for a moment before he responded. "Sirius will know if I keep a secret from him."
She nodded. "I know he will, and he'll likely badger you for it, but I'm just busting to tell someone, and I don't trust anyone more than you."
"Sure you do. Tell James," Remus suggested.
"Oh! I don't mean-- Well, you see, he already knows. The secret is about us."
By this point, Remus could see that Lily was going to divulge the secret to him no matter his warnings about Sirius. "I'll do my best not to tell," Remus offered.
"That's all I ask," she said, smiling up at him. She stopped walking. Her smile grew as she leaned towards Remus. "James is going to ask me to marry him!"
Remus had to admit that for a moment he was at a loss for words. When he finally spoke, what came out, completely unbidden, was, "But you're both so young!"
Lily wacked him lightly. "Look who's talking. You've been a married man long enough for the Honeymoon to wear off."
Remus found himself blushing. "It hasn't quite worn off yet," he admitted.
Lily giggled. "Anyway, we don't mean-- nothing as complicated at that. Not that I don't admire what you and Sirius have done. I think in his own way Sirius needed that. Kind of--"
"Yeah, I get it," Remus nodded. "He is afraid of being abandoned, and now he can't be. He did need it."
Lily nodded. "Personally, the idea of losing my privacy sounds revolting. I don't know how you can stand it."
"Oh..." Remus smiled. "You get used to it."
"James is just saving up for a ring. He told me because he wanted to know what kind I wanted." Her cheeks were flushed with exuberance.
"That's wonderful." Remus squeezed her shoulder. He really meant it, too. He hoped James didn't wait too long; a woman like Lily was a once-in-a-lifetime pull. Then again, James had to know that if anyone did.
"Remember, don't tell Sirius. James wants to," Lily pleaded.
"On my honor."
*****
Sirius flopped down on Remus's bed after dinner that evening, poked Remus playfully on the stomach, and asked right out, "So, Moony, what are you not telling me?"
"I'm leaving you for Griselda Vane," Remus answered flatly. James looked up from where he was folding laundry.
"Oi you can't, I already left you for her," Sirius joked.
"Dinnertime," James chimed. Perhaps he was sensing that Lily had confided in Remus and was trying to break up the inquisition. Perhaps his stomach was simply insistent. Either way, Remus was grateful, as Sirius dropped the subject in lieu of food.
*****
It wasn't very long before James and Sirius had their own secret. James had asked Sirius on a late fall walk behind the school, and the pair climbed a little hillock into the familiar territory of the Forbidden Forest.
"I've got something important to ask you," James started, clearly nervous.
"Yeah, whatever," Sirius responded as though he had no idea that James was flustered.
"I'm going to ask Lily to marry me."
Sirius did stop walking when he heard that. "Really?" His brow lowered.
"Yeah, really. Why? Why are you giving me that look?"
Do you mean 'marry' or 'marry'?"
"I'm not taking part in any dangerous and dubious soul magic if that's what you're asking."
"It's not dubious," Sirius answered.
"It's not obviously Dark, I'll give you that. But no, I'm going to be a decent man, buy a ring and all."
Sirius looked away, eyes scanning the trees, not sure what to say. He felt childish and awkward, even though he was the married man here. Something in James's words, though, bothered Sirius. Did James think the bond he shared with Remus was 'dubious'? James's statement seemed to imply that what Sirius and Remus had was somehow less meaningful than a frilly white dress wedding. "You know," Sirius started, just a bit angry now, "Remus and I can't do the whole ring and dress and cake charade, can we? So we do what we can, and here you are, knocking what we do."
"Whoa whoa! I didn't knock anything," James protested.
"You did."
"Merlin. Sorry!" James shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe. "Sorry. I... didn't mean to. Sorry Pads."
"S'alright," Sirius muttered.
"I was going to ask if you'd be best man," James said, sullen now.
Sirius turned and smiled. "Of course."
James returned the smile, and the two walked on in silence for a while before James said, softly, "I really miss mum and dad."
"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "They'd have wanted to see you get married. They wouldn't have believed it otherwise!"
James laughed. "Too right."
Sirius slapped James on the shoulder, and everything seemed to have been said between them. They had just turned back towards the school when, suddenly, a glint of liquid crimson caught Sirius's attention. Before he could even say anything about it, though, James seemed to notice it as well.
"What--" James pushed aside a pile of leaves and gasped when he saw what it was hiding.
Sirius felt his stomach drop. There, under the pile, was a wolf. Not a werewolf, thank Merlin, but a true wolf. It was dead, covered by a criss-cross of slashes. There was blood everywhere.
"Merlin--"
"Jesus Christ."
Both boys stared in abject horror. It was clear, at least, that the poor animal had not died quickly. It had bled to death. Slowly, probably in great agony.
"Who would do this?" James gasped.
Sirius merely growled. He had no proof, but he was sure that he knew. He knew who would target a wolf. Knew who was so deeply entangled in the Dark Arts to know a spell like this. Sirius knew.
*****
No words were exchanged between Sirius and Peter, no deep conversation, but the distance between them healed swiftly after Sirius hung Peter by the feet. This made sense to Remus; Sirius was always the sort that just needed to vent his frustrations. Remus had felt the embarrassment that Sirius had tried so hard to hide after that particular incident. Sirius, though, was too proud to apologize.
Peter apologized enough for both of them, so much that it became an annoying drone. But it seemed that the apology was working, because one day over dinner, Sirius snapped at Peter, saying, "Just shut it already. No one's mad at you any more."
"I know you're not a Death Eater," Peter repeated, voice earnest.
"We all know he's not," James sighed. "But I'll tell you who might be..."
"James," Sirius said, voice grave. Remus felt a strange niggling sensation that told him that Sirius had a secret. Sirius leaned closer to the table, speaking to James alone when he said, "Let's not. Don't--"
"Sirius and I found a dead wolf," James interrupted, eyes flashing angrily at Sirius. "We don't keep secrets among Marauders."
Sirius slumped back. Remus exchanged a worried glance with Peter.
"I think it was Snivellus," James finished.
"Up to his nose in the Dark Arts, that one," Sirius said, recovered now from his wounded pride.
"What makes you think it didn't die of natural causes?" Remus asked.
"It didn't," James answered in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Thing was slashed all over by severing charms."
"You can't assume--" Peter started, but he clamped his mouth shut, perhaps realizing that he was treading a fine line. Sirius and James did not like to be refuted.
"I can and I am," Sirius said flatly. He jammed a boiled potato in his mouth as if to punctuate his remark.
Remus sat back and sighed. He could feel Sirius's conviction, and for once he didn't disagree. Severus, perhaps more so than anyone, would target a wolf intentionally. He might even hope for them to find it. Was it a message? "Do you think he meant it to be found?" Remus asked.
Sirius shook his head, and James said, "Don't think so."
"Why a wolf then?" Remus pondered.
"Hates them," Sirius responded, and Remus didn't argue.
"I hate him," Peter said, puffing himself up as if he were proud of this fact.
Sirius reached out then across the table and patted Peter on the shoulder. "There's a good mate," Sirius smiled.
And just like that, every trifle that had stood between Sirius and Peter was dissolved. They were, after all, Marauders, and they stood together.
Title: How Strange, The Form of Fear
Chapter: 26: No Secrets Among Marauders
Summary: In school, Remus and Sirius perform a complicated spell to marry their thoughts in a subtle but intricate union. Fluffy beginning, epic-length, angsty ending. It sticks somewhat close to canon throughout.
This Chapter: Sirius and Peter make up, James and Lily get engaged, and Severus shows his true colors.
Characters/Pairings: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, Peter
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, violence towards animals
Word Count: 2181
AN: Not beta-read, sorry.
Chapter 26: No Secrets Among Marauders
Remus knew it was going to be a bad day as soon as he woke up. His first giveaway was Sirius's dark mood, which he sensed even through his dreams. His second indication was the fact that Sirius was neither in Remus's bed nor in his own. Sirius always slept later than Remus did unless he had mischief planned, and his absence meant that he was no doubt up to no good. The combination of anger and mischief in Sirius Black was deadly, for his quarry at least.
"James?" Remus asked in the quiet room. There was no answer. A tip of his head told him that James was out of bed. "Pete?" Remus murmured.
"Help," a squeak emanated from the ceiling. Remus looked up to see Peter hanging by his feet, naked.
"What are you doing up there?"
"Sirius--"
Remus waved a hand to shush the boy. "Say no more."
"It's a permanent sticking charm," a harsh voice said as the door swung open. "You'll not get him down." Sirius was eying them both with a cold anger that sent bolts of ice through Remus.
"Even you wouldn't be so cruel," Remus said flatly, anticipating an argument.
"Try me," Sirius shrugged.
Peter sniffled pathetically from above. "Sirius, I said I was sorry."
Remus ignored the angry Sirius for a moment and turned back to Peter. "What did you do to him--"
"I said I was sorry," Peter repeated contritely.
Remus didn't need to wait long for the answer, though. Sirius volunteered it before a moment had passed. "He called me a Death Eater. He did, not his da or his mum, but Peter himself did."
Remus looked up, lips drawn into a flat line. "It may be a permanent sticking charm," he told Peter. To Sirius he said doubtfully, "I'm sure he didn't mean it?"
"I didn't!" Peter wailed. "Remus, tell him I didn't mean it."
Remus squinted up but said nothing more. He was rescued from the need to respond by James's bursting through the door.
"Hey Sirius, Remus, Peter," James said nonchalantly, as if one of them were not hanging upside-down starkers by his feet, "Guess who's skiving off Charms?" He grinned. "Lily and I are going on a picnic and I'm going to plan it. I've got the rest of the morning free." He crossed the room and threw his rucksack on the bed before squinting up at Peter. "Oi, Pete, put on some clothes if you're just going to hang around the room."
Remus shifted uncomfortably at that, but Sirius barked an exuberant little laugh. James smiled at Sirius and laughed himself, pleased to have cheered someone else. Then James turned back to Peter. "What is going on? Why are we all skipping class? Don't you think it'll look suspicious?"
Remus cleared his throat and took the silence in the room as his invitation to start talking. "Sirius stuck Peter to the ceiling. As you can see."
"Yeah," James nodded. He pulled his broom out from under his bed and flew up to the top of the room, poking at Peter's feet with his wand. James whistled softly. "Good job here, Padfoot. Just shy of a permanent sticking charm."
Sirius harrumphed. "Should have used a permanent one."
James pointed his wand and whispered under his breath and soon Peter, in his altogether, was sitting astride James's broom, already whimpering more apologies to Sirius.
Sirius, though, simply re-shouldered his own rucksack and left. He exchanged not a word with anyone, but Remus was surprised by what he felt in Sirius-- not lingering anger at all, but shame. Shame over how he had treated his friend, perhaps.
"Sirius forgives you," Remus smiled at Peter. "He's just a bit embarrassed."
"I don't really think he's a Death Eater. I didn't mean to say that. I know he's not a Death Eater. I know he's not." Peter turned pleading eyes at Remus, and Remus clapped him on one shoulder.
"Of course he's not," Remus shrugged, turning to get dressed. "Now, who let me sleep through my first class?"
"Sirius," Peter and James answered in unison.
"I should hang him upside down," Remus muttered, but he was smiling as he said it.
*****
Remus and Lily had the same break before Herbology on Tuesdays, and this particular Tuesday found them once again on a walk down by the lake. The weather was cold, so Remus wrapped his woolen shawl around them both. It might have been old and torn in more than one place, but it was incredibly warm. Lily leaned hard against him.
"Remus," she said quietly, "Can I tell you a secret? Do you promise not to tell anyone, not even Sirius?"
Remus thought for a moment before he responded. "Sirius will know if I keep a secret from him."
She nodded. "I know he will, and he'll likely badger you for it, but I'm just busting to tell someone, and I don't trust anyone more than you."
"Sure you do. Tell James," Remus suggested.
"Oh! I don't mean-- Well, you see, he already knows. The secret is about us."
By this point, Remus could see that Lily was going to divulge the secret to him no matter his warnings about Sirius. "I'll do my best not to tell," Remus offered.
"That's all I ask," she said, smiling up at him. She stopped walking. Her smile grew as she leaned towards Remus. "James is going to ask me to marry him!"
Remus had to admit that for a moment he was at a loss for words. When he finally spoke, what came out, completely unbidden, was, "But you're both so young!"
Lily wacked him lightly. "Look who's talking. You've been a married man long enough for the Honeymoon to wear off."
Remus found himself blushing. "It hasn't quite worn off yet," he admitted.
Lily giggled. "Anyway, we don't mean-- nothing as complicated at that. Not that I don't admire what you and Sirius have done. I think in his own way Sirius needed that. Kind of--"
"Yeah, I get it," Remus nodded. "He is afraid of being abandoned, and now he can't be. He did need it."
Lily nodded. "Personally, the idea of losing my privacy sounds revolting. I don't know how you can stand it."
"Oh..." Remus smiled. "You get used to it."
"James is just saving up for a ring. He told me because he wanted to know what kind I wanted." Her cheeks were flushed with exuberance.
"That's wonderful." Remus squeezed her shoulder. He really meant it, too. He hoped James didn't wait too long; a woman like Lily was a once-in-a-lifetime pull. Then again, James had to know that if anyone did.
"Remember, don't tell Sirius. James wants to," Lily pleaded.
"On my honor."
*****
Sirius flopped down on Remus's bed after dinner that evening, poked Remus playfully on the stomach, and asked right out, "So, Moony, what are you not telling me?"
"I'm leaving you for Griselda Vane," Remus answered flatly. James looked up from where he was folding laundry.
"Oi you can't, I already left you for her," Sirius joked.
"Dinnertime," James chimed. Perhaps he was sensing that Lily had confided in Remus and was trying to break up the inquisition. Perhaps his stomach was simply insistent. Either way, Remus was grateful, as Sirius dropped the subject in lieu of food.
*****
It wasn't very long before James and Sirius had their own secret. James had asked Sirius on a late fall walk behind the school, and the pair climbed a little hillock into the familiar territory of the Forbidden Forest.
"I've got something important to ask you," James started, clearly nervous.
"Yeah, whatever," Sirius responded as though he had no idea that James was flustered.
"I'm going to ask Lily to marry me."
Sirius did stop walking when he heard that. "Really?" His brow lowered.
"Yeah, really. Why? Why are you giving me that look?"
Do you mean 'marry' or 'marry'?"
"I'm not taking part in any dangerous and dubious soul magic if that's what you're asking."
"It's not dubious," Sirius answered.
"It's not obviously Dark, I'll give you that. But no, I'm going to be a decent man, buy a ring and all."
Sirius looked away, eyes scanning the trees, not sure what to say. He felt childish and awkward, even though he was the married man here. Something in James's words, though, bothered Sirius. Did James think the bond he shared with Remus was 'dubious'? James's statement seemed to imply that what Sirius and Remus had was somehow less meaningful than a frilly white dress wedding. "You know," Sirius started, just a bit angry now, "Remus and I can't do the whole ring and dress and cake charade, can we? So we do what we can, and here you are, knocking what we do."
"Whoa whoa! I didn't knock anything," James protested.
"You did."
"Merlin. Sorry!" James shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe. "Sorry. I... didn't mean to. Sorry Pads."
"S'alright," Sirius muttered.
"I was going to ask if you'd be best man," James said, sullen now.
Sirius turned and smiled. "Of course."
James returned the smile, and the two walked on in silence for a while before James said, softly, "I really miss mum and dad."
"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "They'd have wanted to see you get married. They wouldn't have believed it otherwise!"
James laughed. "Too right."
Sirius slapped James on the shoulder, and everything seemed to have been said between them. They had just turned back towards the school when, suddenly, a glint of liquid crimson caught Sirius's attention. Before he could even say anything about it, though, James seemed to notice it as well.
"What--" James pushed aside a pile of leaves and gasped when he saw what it was hiding.
Sirius felt his stomach drop. There, under the pile, was a wolf. Not a werewolf, thank Merlin, but a true wolf. It was dead, covered by a criss-cross of slashes. There was blood everywhere.
"Merlin--"
"Jesus Christ."
Both boys stared in abject horror. It was clear, at least, that the poor animal had not died quickly. It had bled to death. Slowly, probably in great agony.
"Who would do this?" James gasped.
Sirius merely growled. He had no proof, but he was sure that he knew. He knew who would target a wolf. Knew who was so deeply entangled in the Dark Arts to know a spell like this. Sirius knew.
*****
No words were exchanged between Sirius and Peter, no deep conversation, but the distance between them healed swiftly after Sirius hung Peter by the feet. This made sense to Remus; Sirius was always the sort that just needed to vent his frustrations. Remus had felt the embarrassment that Sirius had tried so hard to hide after that particular incident. Sirius, though, was too proud to apologize.
Peter apologized enough for both of them, so much that it became an annoying drone. But it seemed that the apology was working, because one day over dinner, Sirius snapped at Peter, saying, "Just shut it already. No one's mad at you any more."
"I know you're not a Death Eater," Peter repeated, voice earnest.
"We all know he's not," James sighed. "But I'll tell you who might be..."
"James," Sirius said, voice grave. Remus felt a strange niggling sensation that told him that Sirius had a secret. Sirius leaned closer to the table, speaking to James alone when he said, "Let's not. Don't--"
"Sirius and I found a dead wolf," James interrupted, eyes flashing angrily at Sirius. "We don't keep secrets among Marauders."
Sirius slumped back. Remus exchanged a worried glance with Peter.
"I think it was Snivellus," James finished.
"Up to his nose in the Dark Arts, that one," Sirius said, recovered now from his wounded pride.
"What makes you think it didn't die of natural causes?" Remus asked.
"It didn't," James answered in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Thing was slashed all over by severing charms."
"You can't assume--" Peter started, but he clamped his mouth shut, perhaps realizing that he was treading a fine line. Sirius and James did not like to be refuted.
"I can and I am," Sirius said flatly. He jammed a boiled potato in his mouth as if to punctuate his remark.
Remus sat back and sighed. He could feel Sirius's conviction, and for once he didn't disagree. Severus, perhaps more so than anyone, would target a wolf intentionally. He might even hope for them to find it. Was it a message? "Do you think he meant it to be found?" Remus asked.
Sirius shook his head, and James said, "Don't think so."
"Why a wolf then?" Remus pondered.
"Hates them," Sirius responded, and Remus didn't argue.
"I hate him," Peter said, puffing himself up as if he were proud of this fact.
Sirius reached out then across the table and patted Peter on the shoulder. "There's a good mate," Sirius smiled.
And just like that, every trifle that had stood between Sirius and Peter was dissolved. They were, after all, Marauders, and they stood together.