Fic: Go I Know Not Whither, To Fetch I Know Not What (Harry Potter -- Sirius/Remus) PG-13
Author: kingzgurl
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,675
Summary: AU, based on a Russian fairy tale; Sirius is a hunter who stumbles across a fox one afternoon, only to have his entire life changed in a moment.
A/N: Yes, I do realize they’re a little OOC. Sue me, it’s an AU.
A/N2: Posted in two parts for length.
***
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there were two neighboring kingdoms that had a legendary feud between them. For five hundred years the two kingdoms fought for land and power, trading battles and men, until all had lost hope that peace could ever be forged between them.
***
One spring afternoon, a large black dog ran through the forest, its paws pounding the ground furiously as it closed the distance between itself and the fox it was hunting. A loud bark echoed in the silence just as it reached the fox, catching it by the neck and causing it to scream wildly in an alarmingly human way. The dog stopped shaking it but kept a hold on it, waiting to see if it would scream again. To the dog’s great surprise, however, it began to speak.
“Please, please, don’t kill me,” the fox begged, its voice high pitched and panicked. “Please!”
The dog cocked its head to the side curiously. In the blink of an eye the dog was replaced by a man who was now grasping the fox by the scruff of its neck.
“What are you?” the man asked. He was tall, with light skin and dark, ebony hair, and his black coat bore the symbol of the King’s hunting party.
“Please, sir,” the fox squeaked, its frightened eyes bright blue rather than the typical black of a normal fox. “Take me home with you and when I fall asleep, hit me on the head. I will bring you good fortune.”
The man contemplated the fox for a long minute, watching it as it gave up the struggle and just hung there limply from his hand. “Alright,” the man agreed finally, and the creature looked at him with as much surprise as a fox could muster.
The man turned on his heel and disappeared from the forest with a pop that echoed like a gunshot through the trees. Seconds later he reappeared in his cabin, where the fire was burning dangerously low and a cold edge was settling upon the small room.
He set the fox on the ground and went to the small icebox in the corner, removing a bottle of day-old milk and retrieving a saucer from the cabinet before returning to the center of the room and placing the filled saucer on the floor. The fox sniffed the milk suspiciously, sneezing when some got onto its whiskers, and lapped it up slowly. When it had drank its fill, it wandered to the opposite corner of the room, where a narrow bed was shoved into an alcove, jumped up on the bed, curled itself into a comfortable position, and then promptly fell asleep.
The man observed the fox for a few minutes before moving to the front door to retrieve a shovel. The fox has said to hit it on the head, the man reminded himself when he returned to the bed, but standing before it, he wasn’t sure he could kill it. There was something magical about the creature, of that he was certain, and he remained weary of harming it.
The fox’s words continued to repeat in his mind: “…when I fall asleep, hit me on the head” and “I will bring you good fortune.”
After nearly an hour of uncertainty, he raised the shovel and brought it down upon the fox’s head, before he could change his mind yet again. Immediately upon contact, a golden flash lit the room and he yanked the shovel away, dropping it to the floor with a clatter as the fox shifted and changed.
Where the fox had been curled up, a thin, nude man now lay, wrapped into a ball and sleeping soundly. He was rather slender, the dark-haired man noticed, with his ribs sticking out far enough to be counted easily. His hair was the same brownish-gold of the fox, but that was where the comparison ended. He had a narrow face, but instead of the pointed features of a fox, he had the rounded and smooth features of a young man who had just finished growing into his body. A light sprinkling of stubble marred his perfect skin, and it was all the man could do not to reach out to stroke the soft-looking skin of his cheek.
Forcing himself away from the sleeping man, the dark-haired man covered him with a blanket and retrieved one for himself. As night settled upon the cabin, the thin young man slept on, wrapped in warmth, while a large, black dog lay curled on the floor at the foot of the bed.
***
The following morning, the dark-haired man left for the hunt before dawn, leaving the fox-man sleeping soundly on the bed and a set of clothes on the chair next to him. When he returned home in the early afternoon, he found the brown-haired man tending to the fire. He was dressed, though the shirt was excessively baggy and the pants threatened to fall off narrow hips.
“Hello,” the dark-haired man said hesitantly. “I’m Sirius Black.”
“Hello,” the fox-man replied, kneeling before him. “My name is Remus.”
“You do not need to kneel,” Sirius said, offering Remus a hand while a dark flush spread over his cheeks.
“I am in your debt, sir,” Remus explained. His eyes were fixed on the ground as he spoke, even though he was now standing and stood a few inches taller than Sirius. “Therefore I am your servant, and a servant must kneel at the feet of his master.”
“You are not a servant, nor am I a master,” Sirius answered, touching his chin to lift his gaze. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, as you are welcome to leave if there is somewhere else you are needed.”
Sirius had spent the day in the forest contemplating the man in his cabin. He had expected luck and favor upon hitting the fox, but he had never dreamed of having such an attractive man in his debt. He was a fair man, and so he knew he would do the honorable thing and forgive the man his debt.
“I have no where else to be, sir,” Remus replied, carefully watching Sirius, who was still holding his chin. “If it is your desire, I would like to remain here and tend to your home.”
“I desire nothing more,” Sirius admitted softly, lost in eyes the color of the sea.
***
The days passed quickly, and before either knew it, a fortnight had passed. In that time, Remus tended to the cabin and the garden, and Sirius went hunting every day before dawn and rarely returned before evening.
Remus saw that Sirius was forced to give half of what he hunted to the King Voldemort, leaving Sirius very little to survive on, and nothing to spare. Now with an extra mouth to feed, Sirius’ meager rations were stretched impossibly thin, and neither man was eating well.
One evening, over a supper of cabbage, scraps of meat, stale bread crusts, and nearly-sour milk, Remus made a suggestion.
“Tomorrow, go into town and borrow one hundred galleons from Gringotts. Then go to the Oriental Trade Post and use the galleons to purchase the finest silk thread. Bring it back here, and I will bring you great fortune.”
Sirius looked at Remus and contemplated his words. “I cannot go into town tomorrow. I need to return to the hunt. We don’t have enough food as it is, and if I miss a day of hunting, we may have nothing to eat.”
“Please, sir,” Remus requested. “Trust me, and I will bring you great fortune.”
The next day, Sirius did as Remus bid, and went into town, where he borrowed one hundred galleons from the Gringotts and went to the Oriental Trade Post to purchase the finest silk thread. When he returned to the cabin in the late afternoon, a stew was on the fire and the smell of boiled rabbit filled the small cabin.
Sirius’ mouth began to water when he entered the main room. It was more food than they’d eaten in two weeks, and he began to worry that the tax had not gotten paid that day.
“The hunting tax has been paid twice over,” Remus said, responding to the unasked question. “And for your trust, we will eat well tonight.” Remus took the package from Sirius and placed it on the clothes chest in the corner of the room.
After both had eaten their fill, Sirius contemplated Remus from across the table. “This was delicious,” he said after a long silence.
“I am glad it was to your liking,” Remus replied with a small smile. “Sir, if it does not make you uncomfortable, I would like you to sleep in the bed with me tonight.”
Sirius raised one eyebrow in silent question. Since Remus had come into his life, Sirius had insisted Remus sleep in the bed each night, and he had slept on the floor as a dog.
“In your human form,” Remus added in response to Sirius’ raised brow.
“I would like that,” Sirius replied after a moment.
They cleared the table and Remus tidied the kitchen area while Sirius bathed and retired to the bed. After bathing himself, Remus moved to the bed and crawled in next to Sirius, and both promptly fell into a deep slumber.
***
The next morning, Remus bid farewell to Sirius before dawn, and sent him off with scraps of rabbit for his mid-day meal, rather than the stale bread he usually took.
After straightening and cleaning the cabin, Remus conjured a loom, and then sat down with the silk thread Sirius had purchased the day before. A fine silk it was, and he quickly wove it into a beautiful carpet. He finished it by early afternoon and laid it carefully over the clothing chest so it would not wrinkle, then set about tending to the garden and preparing supper. Upon Sirius’ return, the remaining stew was warming over the fire, and a loaf of bread had just finished baking.
Before sitting down for supper, though, Sirius took care to preserve and store their portion of the boar he had hunted that day. Fresh bread was a welcome addition to their supper, and once again they both ate their fill before Sirius asked after the silk.
“I need to repay the goblins by the day after next,” Sirius said, watching Remus. “How am I to do that?”
Remus stood and moved away from the table, and Sirius’ eyes followed him to the other side of the room, where he lifted the carpet to show him. “Tomorrow, take this carpet and go to the market. Accept whatever price you are given,” Remus told him and put the carpet back onto the chest.
Again that evening they shared a bed, but this time, Sirius placed a soft kiss to Remus’ forehead before they drifted off into a restful sleep.
***
When Sirius went to the market the next morning, the merchants were surprised to see such a fine carpet in the hands of a member of the King’s hunting party. They whispered behind their hands and spread rumors about how he had happened upon the carpet, but none of them was able to name a price for a piece of such finery.
It just so happened that on that day, the steward of King Voldemort, a short, portly man by the name of Peter Pettigrew, happened to visit the market and heard talk of a beautiful carpet of such fine splendor that no one could offer a price for it.
After asking to the whereabouts of the silk carpet, he was pointed to where Sirius sat, waiting for someone to make him an offer for the fine carpet. The steward was amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of the carpet, and without inquiring as to its origin, he offered Sirius ten thousand galleons for it.
Sirius readily accepted this price, shocked by his good fortune. After repaying the Gringotts goblins, he used another five hundred galleons to purchase more fine silk thread. Even after his purchase, he still carried more gold than he’d seen in his entire life, and he returned home in good spirits.
Remus was waiting for him in the garden, where he was tending to a cow that appeared malnourished and thin.
“Where did this cow come from?” Sirius asked curiously, laden down with packages of silk and a large bag of gold.
“I traded the farmer down the road for the boar from yesterday,” Remus explained, leading the cow to the field behind the house. “His children were starving.”
“I see,” Sirius replied thoughtfully as he went into the cabin and unloaded his burden.
Remus followed him in a few moments later and smiled to see the new packages of silk thread in various colors along with the bag of gold. “I see you had a profitable day in town,” Remus said, moving to the cooking area to begin supper.
“I did,” Sirius replied. “Thanks to you.”
“As I have said, sir,” Remus replied, “I am in your debt. In exchange for my life, I bring you good fortune.”
***
Meanwhile, in the city, Peter Pettigrew returned to the castle. He knew the carpet was worth far more than the ten thousand galleons he paid for it, and he was elated both from fooling the hunter into such a low price, and from the praise he was bound to receive when he presented the carpet to his King.
“Your Majesty,” Peter knelt in the throne room. In his hands he raised the beautiful piece of fabric so the King could look upon it.
“That is a fine carpet,” the King nodded appreciatively. “Where did you find it?”
“One of your hunters was selling it in the marketplace,” Peter replied, standing to approach the throne to allow the King to feel the smooth silk.
“And how much did he ask for it?” the King questioned. His fingers touched the soft silk and the fabric slid smoothly over his hand as if it was made of water.
“He did not offer a price, Your Majesty,” Peter explained, “but I offered him ten thousand galleons for it, which he readily accepted.”
“Very good, Peter,” King Voldemort nodded approvingly. “You have done well. Now leave the carpet with Lucius and he will reward you with twenty-five thousand galleons for your trouble.”
“Yes, sir,” Peter took the carpet and made to leave the throne room, though the King’s voice stopped him at the door.
“And Peter, see if you can find any more of these carpets, would you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Peter replied and left the room to do as the King commanded.
***
That evening, as they prepared for bed, Remus offered himself to Sirius.
“Sirius?” Remus asked quietly. He rarely uttered Sirius’ name, regardless of how often Sirius insisted, and so Remus captured his attention by just saying his name.
“Yes, Remus?” Sirius replied, stopping midway through undressing to look at the other man.
“I want…” Remus started and then paused. “I would like,” he began again, “it very much if you would consent to me being your husband.”
Sirius smiled at him and took a step closer, stroking his hand gently down Remus’ cheek. “I would like that very much,” Sirius told him, and drew him into a light kiss that left both men breathless.
“Tomorrow,” Sirius told him when they had regained their breath, “we will go into town for a marriage license.”
“Yes, Sirius,” Remus replied, and they lay together in bed for nearly an hour, speaking of nothing in particular, before sleep overtook them.
***
The following day, the steward returned to the market in search of the hunter who had sold him the fine carpet. None at the market had ever seen the hunter before then, and none had asked his name when they gossiped about the origins of the splendid silk.
Unsuccessful, Peter returned to the castle to look up the list of hunters who were registered as part of the King’s hunting party. Armed with a list of one hundred names and addresses, Peter set out in search of the hunter.
***
That morning, after waking up with Remus in his arms, Sirius had left early for the hunt, determined to finish the day by mid-morning so they could go into town.
Remus rose at the same time and completed his morning chores, tended to the cow and the garden, and then conjured his loom again to weave five carpets of higher quality than the first.
After Sirius’ return and a light midday meal, the pair set off for the courthouse in town, determined to have their marriage license by nightfall. They were successful, and upon their arrival at home that evening, they consummated their marriage and fell into a happy slumber.
***
After three days of searching nearly every name on the list of hunters, Peter Pettigrew only had four remaining names. He approached a small cabin in the woods on the edge of the principality, hoping this was the one he was searching for, because his feet ached and his stomach was demanding food.
The cabin was slightly rundown, but obviously loved, if the well-tended garden on the side was any indication. A plump cow grazed in the field behind the structure, and Peter made a face when he put his hand in a spider web while trying to open the gate.
He promptly wiped away the grimace and replaced it with haughty indifference when he knocked on the front door.
“Yes?” a voice called from inside the cabin before the door was opened. Remus stood in the doorway with hands caked in flour, still kneading dough with his long fingers, and a curious look on his face. He exhaled, blowing the breath upwards to lift the fringe off his sweaty forehead, and then asked, “Can I help you with something?”
Peter was stunned by the man standing before him. He had never seen a thing of such incredible beauty. Not even the carpet he had purchased from the hunter compared to the strong, yet soft, lines of this man’s face, or the defined muscles in his arms. Peter shivered in the sweltering heat, but finally spoke, “I am looking for Sirius Black, a member of the King’s hunting party. Do you happen to know him?”
Remus studied the short man for a moment before answering. “Yes, he is my husband. What is the nature of your business with him?”
Peter, so completely consumed by Remus’ beauty, almost did not hear the words spoken to him. When they finally registered in his mind, he was rather broken to hear Remus was spoken for; however, he politely answered the question. “I was wondering if he sold a silk carpet at the market this last week,” Peter explained. “I wish to purchase more, if they are available, but I do not know the name of the man who sold it to me.”
“Yes, that was my husband,” Remus confirmed and stepped aside to usher the portly man inside. “Please, do be seated, and I shall be with you in just a moment.”
“You have a lovely, er… garden,” Peter awkwardly complimented Remus. He took a seat on one of the two chairs at the table, and watched while Remus wrapped the dough and set it aside, then went to a small sink to wash his hands. He studied the graceful way Remus moved, and the way his sure hands set about their tasks.
“Sir,” Remus said, sitting down across from Peter. “I do have five more carpets available; however, these are of better quality than the last one,” he explained. “I will not part with them for less than thirty thousand galleons each.”
“That would be fine,” Peter nodded, entranced by Remus’ mouth. “Here is one hundred and fifty thousand,” he added, pulling a sack of gold from his pocket and unceremoniously dropped it on the table.
“Then it is a pleasure to be of service,” Remus bowed his head and stood, going to the chest to retrieve the carpets, which he brought back to Peter and handed over. “I’m sure you have a long journey ahead of you,” Remus continued to talk while leading Peter to the door. “I do not wish to keep you.”
“Yes, yes,” Peter replied absently as he went to the door. He was not pulled out of his stupor until the door shut behind him, and he was left outside in the stifling air, staring in wonder at the thin, wooden door.
***
Upon his return to the city, Peter immediately requested an audience with the King to present the new carpets. Even in the presence of the King, Peter’s mind was still firmly fixed on Remus’ light hair and thin frame, and the King took note of his distraction.
“Pettigrew, why are you so distracted?” the King demanded, calling the steward by his surname, in a way he hadn’t done since they were teenagers.
“It was the hunter’s husband,” Peter explained in a quick breath. “He was absolutely beautiful, the most glorious creature I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”
“Interesting,” the King replied thoughtfully. Peter did not heap these praises upon someone easily. “And he is the one who wove these fine carpets?”
“Yes, sir,” Peter nodded eagerly. “I have no doubt he would make someone a grand husband.”
“Yes,” the King replied. “Peter, I believe I should like to have this man.”
“But he is already married, sir,” Peter explained, confused by the King’s statement.
“Ah, yes,” the King replied with a glint in his eye, “but if he was to be widowed… if say, the hunter was to have an unfortunate accident, or went to war and was killed, he would not be married anymore, would he?”
Comprehension dawned on Peter’s face and he nodded enthusiastically. “I shall take care of it, sir,” he swore, then excused himself from the room.
***
That same night, while Peter devised a plot to rid them of the hunter, Remus and Sirius sat down to a feast fit for a king. They had large steaks from the deer Sirius had hunted that afternoon, fresh bread and milk, vegetables from the garden, and a hot cherry pie that Remus had just removed from the fire.
Remus told him about the man who had come inquiring after the carpets, and how he had sold them for thirty thousand galleons each, then showed him the sack of gold.
Sirius, infinitely pleased with his husband, dragged him to bed to show him exactly how thankful he was to have the brown-haired man in his life.
***
Morning came late the following day, and Sirius and Remus were still to be found curled around each other hours after the sun was high in the sky.
An unexpected knock came from the door, and the pair stumbled out of bed in search of clothing. Once presentable, Sirius answered the door, revealing a courier bearing the King’s crest on his right breast pocket. He handed an envelope to Sirius silently, turned on his heel, and left.
Sirius sat at the table with the letter in his hand and began to read. Remus stood behind him, also reading the letter with interest.
To the hunter, Sirius Black,
Your presence is requested on a hunt of great importance. The King desires the stag with the golden horns, and your expertise makes you invaluable to this expedition. Please meet the crew of the Lily in harbor tomorrow morning at nine.
Sincerely,
Peter Pettigrew
Steward of the King
Sirius laid the letter on the table and leaned back in his chair. Remus wrapped his arms comfortingly around his shoulders, drawing him close, and placed a single kiss to the crown of his head.
“You will go,” Remus said after a long silence. “You will sail for five days, at which time you will come across an island. On this island, the stag with golden horns will be waiting. Offer him an apple, then lead him onto the ship, and return home.”
Sirius leaned into Remus’ warm abdomen, resting his head comfortably against a chest that was not nearly as bony as it had been when Sirius found him. “I will be away ten days?” Sirius asked quietly. He was more uncomfortable with the thought of being away from Remus than he was with the awkward letter or Remus’ instructions.
“Yes,” Remus confirmed. The fingers of his right hand began casually working beneath the fabric of Sirius’ shirt. “Ten long, lonely days.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to make sure you remember me, won’t I?” Sirius asked, tipping his head back to look up at his husband.
“I suppose you will,” Remus smiled softly. “It wouldn’t do me very good to be forgetting my husband, would it?”
“I dare say it would be a travesty,” Sirius replied, pulling out of Remus’ arms to take his hand and lead him back to the bed, where they spent the remainder of the day and evening, rising only when their bodies demanded sustenance.
***
Ten days later, Sirius returned to the city accompanied by the stag with the golden horns. His journey had gone exactly as Remus had said it would, and after ten days away, Sirius was more than ready to be home with his husband once again.
After Sirius had departed from the castle, leaving the stag in the possession of the King’s stable hands, King Voldemort beckoned his steward to his chambers.
“I am not pleased, Pettigrew,” Voldemort told him, his eyes narrowed, giving him an almost snake-like quality. “I am not at all pleased.”
“I do not know how he completed this task so quickly, Sire,” Peter groveled before the throne. “I shall do better next time.”
“You should,” the King’s voice was laced with what appeared to be warning, but Peter knew that Voldemort would not hesitate to harm him, should he fail a second time.
“I will,” Peter promised, though his voice had a vaguely uncertain edge.
***
Ten days was the longest Sirius had ever been away from his cottage, and as he approached his small bit of land, he was filled with a sense of comfort and rightness that had been lacking since he had departed.
Remus had just finished milking the cow when Sirius reached the front gate. Before Sirius knew what had hit him, he had an armful of thin, brown-haired man clutching him around the middle and nuzzling into his neck.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Sirius agreed with a laugh, wrapping his own arms around the thinner man and pulling him close until their bodies were in complete contact from neck to knee. “Gods I missed you,” he whispered, rubbing his cheek against Remus’ baby-soft hair.
“Missed you, too,” Remus mumbled against his neck, his lips brushing Sirius’ warm skin with every word. “Don’t leave me again.”
“Never again,” Sirius repeated, his words shaky from emotion and arousal. Remus’ lips on his neck were reminding him of other places Remus’ magic mouth would be put to better use, causing Sirius to harden instantly at the memory. “Let’s get you inside so I can show you just how much I missed you.”
Remus moved so his mouth was right against Sirius’ ear, so that when he whispered, “I’d really like that,” shivers of desire ran throughout Sirius’ body.
Sirius somehow managed to lift Remus and move them inside the cottage without dislodging the way they were wrapped around one another, until the fell onto the bed with an unceremonious “Oomph.” Somewhere along the way clothes had been lost, and in a matter of moments the pair were blissfully joined together, their bodies craving the other like a man in the desert craves water.
***
NEXT
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 10,675
Summary: AU, based on a Russian fairy tale; Sirius is a hunter who stumbles across a fox one afternoon, only to have his entire life changed in a moment.
A/N: Yes, I do realize they’re a little OOC. Sue me, it’s an AU.
A/N2: Posted in two parts for length.
***
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there were two neighboring kingdoms that had a legendary feud between them. For five hundred years the two kingdoms fought for land and power, trading battles and men, until all had lost hope that peace could ever be forged between them.
***
One spring afternoon, a large black dog ran through the forest, its paws pounding the ground furiously as it closed the distance between itself and the fox it was hunting. A loud bark echoed in the silence just as it reached the fox, catching it by the neck and causing it to scream wildly in an alarmingly human way. The dog stopped shaking it but kept a hold on it, waiting to see if it would scream again. To the dog’s great surprise, however, it began to speak.
“Please, please, don’t kill me,” the fox begged, its voice high pitched and panicked. “Please!”
The dog cocked its head to the side curiously. In the blink of an eye the dog was replaced by a man who was now grasping the fox by the scruff of its neck.
“What are you?” the man asked. He was tall, with light skin and dark, ebony hair, and his black coat bore the symbol of the King’s hunting party.
“Please, sir,” the fox squeaked, its frightened eyes bright blue rather than the typical black of a normal fox. “Take me home with you and when I fall asleep, hit me on the head. I will bring you good fortune.”
The man contemplated the fox for a long minute, watching it as it gave up the struggle and just hung there limply from his hand. “Alright,” the man agreed finally, and the creature looked at him with as much surprise as a fox could muster.
The man turned on his heel and disappeared from the forest with a pop that echoed like a gunshot through the trees. Seconds later he reappeared in his cabin, where the fire was burning dangerously low and a cold edge was settling upon the small room.
He set the fox on the ground and went to the small icebox in the corner, removing a bottle of day-old milk and retrieving a saucer from the cabinet before returning to the center of the room and placing the filled saucer on the floor. The fox sniffed the milk suspiciously, sneezing when some got onto its whiskers, and lapped it up slowly. When it had drank its fill, it wandered to the opposite corner of the room, where a narrow bed was shoved into an alcove, jumped up on the bed, curled itself into a comfortable position, and then promptly fell asleep.
The man observed the fox for a few minutes before moving to the front door to retrieve a shovel. The fox has said to hit it on the head, the man reminded himself when he returned to the bed, but standing before it, he wasn’t sure he could kill it. There was something magical about the creature, of that he was certain, and he remained weary of harming it.
The fox’s words continued to repeat in his mind: “…when I fall asleep, hit me on the head” and “I will bring you good fortune.”
After nearly an hour of uncertainty, he raised the shovel and brought it down upon the fox’s head, before he could change his mind yet again. Immediately upon contact, a golden flash lit the room and he yanked the shovel away, dropping it to the floor with a clatter as the fox shifted and changed.
Where the fox had been curled up, a thin, nude man now lay, wrapped into a ball and sleeping soundly. He was rather slender, the dark-haired man noticed, with his ribs sticking out far enough to be counted easily. His hair was the same brownish-gold of the fox, but that was where the comparison ended. He had a narrow face, but instead of the pointed features of a fox, he had the rounded and smooth features of a young man who had just finished growing into his body. A light sprinkling of stubble marred his perfect skin, and it was all the man could do not to reach out to stroke the soft-looking skin of his cheek.
Forcing himself away from the sleeping man, the dark-haired man covered him with a blanket and retrieved one for himself. As night settled upon the cabin, the thin young man slept on, wrapped in warmth, while a large, black dog lay curled on the floor at the foot of the bed.
***
The following morning, the dark-haired man left for the hunt before dawn, leaving the fox-man sleeping soundly on the bed and a set of clothes on the chair next to him. When he returned home in the early afternoon, he found the brown-haired man tending to the fire. He was dressed, though the shirt was excessively baggy and the pants threatened to fall off narrow hips.
“Hello,” the dark-haired man said hesitantly. “I’m Sirius Black.”
“Hello,” the fox-man replied, kneeling before him. “My name is Remus.”
“You do not need to kneel,” Sirius said, offering Remus a hand while a dark flush spread over his cheeks.
“I am in your debt, sir,” Remus explained. His eyes were fixed on the ground as he spoke, even though he was now standing and stood a few inches taller than Sirius. “Therefore I am your servant, and a servant must kneel at the feet of his master.”
“You are not a servant, nor am I a master,” Sirius answered, touching his chin to lift his gaze. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, as you are welcome to leave if there is somewhere else you are needed.”
Sirius had spent the day in the forest contemplating the man in his cabin. He had expected luck and favor upon hitting the fox, but he had never dreamed of having such an attractive man in his debt. He was a fair man, and so he knew he would do the honorable thing and forgive the man his debt.
“I have no where else to be, sir,” Remus replied, carefully watching Sirius, who was still holding his chin. “If it is your desire, I would like to remain here and tend to your home.”
“I desire nothing more,” Sirius admitted softly, lost in eyes the color of the sea.
***
The days passed quickly, and before either knew it, a fortnight had passed. In that time, Remus tended to the cabin and the garden, and Sirius went hunting every day before dawn and rarely returned before evening.
Remus saw that Sirius was forced to give half of what he hunted to the King Voldemort, leaving Sirius very little to survive on, and nothing to spare. Now with an extra mouth to feed, Sirius’ meager rations were stretched impossibly thin, and neither man was eating well.
One evening, over a supper of cabbage, scraps of meat, stale bread crusts, and nearly-sour milk, Remus made a suggestion.
“Tomorrow, go into town and borrow one hundred galleons from Gringotts. Then go to the Oriental Trade Post and use the galleons to purchase the finest silk thread. Bring it back here, and I will bring you great fortune.”
Sirius looked at Remus and contemplated his words. “I cannot go into town tomorrow. I need to return to the hunt. We don’t have enough food as it is, and if I miss a day of hunting, we may have nothing to eat.”
“Please, sir,” Remus requested. “Trust me, and I will bring you great fortune.”
The next day, Sirius did as Remus bid, and went into town, where he borrowed one hundred galleons from the Gringotts and went to the Oriental Trade Post to purchase the finest silk thread. When he returned to the cabin in the late afternoon, a stew was on the fire and the smell of boiled rabbit filled the small cabin.
Sirius’ mouth began to water when he entered the main room. It was more food than they’d eaten in two weeks, and he began to worry that the tax had not gotten paid that day.
“The hunting tax has been paid twice over,” Remus said, responding to the unasked question. “And for your trust, we will eat well tonight.” Remus took the package from Sirius and placed it on the clothes chest in the corner of the room.
After both had eaten their fill, Sirius contemplated Remus from across the table. “This was delicious,” he said after a long silence.
“I am glad it was to your liking,” Remus replied with a small smile. “Sir, if it does not make you uncomfortable, I would like you to sleep in the bed with me tonight.”
Sirius raised one eyebrow in silent question. Since Remus had come into his life, Sirius had insisted Remus sleep in the bed each night, and he had slept on the floor as a dog.
“In your human form,” Remus added in response to Sirius’ raised brow.
“I would like that,” Sirius replied after a moment.
They cleared the table and Remus tidied the kitchen area while Sirius bathed and retired to the bed. After bathing himself, Remus moved to the bed and crawled in next to Sirius, and both promptly fell into a deep slumber.
***
The next morning, Remus bid farewell to Sirius before dawn, and sent him off with scraps of rabbit for his mid-day meal, rather than the stale bread he usually took.
After straightening and cleaning the cabin, Remus conjured a loom, and then sat down with the silk thread Sirius had purchased the day before. A fine silk it was, and he quickly wove it into a beautiful carpet. He finished it by early afternoon and laid it carefully over the clothing chest so it would not wrinkle, then set about tending to the garden and preparing supper. Upon Sirius’ return, the remaining stew was warming over the fire, and a loaf of bread had just finished baking.
Before sitting down for supper, though, Sirius took care to preserve and store their portion of the boar he had hunted that day. Fresh bread was a welcome addition to their supper, and once again they both ate their fill before Sirius asked after the silk.
“I need to repay the goblins by the day after next,” Sirius said, watching Remus. “How am I to do that?”
Remus stood and moved away from the table, and Sirius’ eyes followed him to the other side of the room, where he lifted the carpet to show him. “Tomorrow, take this carpet and go to the market. Accept whatever price you are given,” Remus told him and put the carpet back onto the chest.
Again that evening they shared a bed, but this time, Sirius placed a soft kiss to Remus’ forehead before they drifted off into a restful sleep.
***
When Sirius went to the market the next morning, the merchants were surprised to see such a fine carpet in the hands of a member of the King’s hunting party. They whispered behind their hands and spread rumors about how he had happened upon the carpet, but none of them was able to name a price for a piece of such finery.
It just so happened that on that day, the steward of King Voldemort, a short, portly man by the name of Peter Pettigrew, happened to visit the market and heard talk of a beautiful carpet of such fine splendor that no one could offer a price for it.
After asking to the whereabouts of the silk carpet, he was pointed to where Sirius sat, waiting for someone to make him an offer for the fine carpet. The steward was amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of the carpet, and without inquiring as to its origin, he offered Sirius ten thousand galleons for it.
Sirius readily accepted this price, shocked by his good fortune. After repaying the Gringotts goblins, he used another five hundred galleons to purchase more fine silk thread. Even after his purchase, he still carried more gold than he’d seen in his entire life, and he returned home in good spirits.
Remus was waiting for him in the garden, where he was tending to a cow that appeared malnourished and thin.
“Where did this cow come from?” Sirius asked curiously, laden down with packages of silk and a large bag of gold.
“I traded the farmer down the road for the boar from yesterday,” Remus explained, leading the cow to the field behind the house. “His children were starving.”
“I see,” Sirius replied thoughtfully as he went into the cabin and unloaded his burden.
Remus followed him in a few moments later and smiled to see the new packages of silk thread in various colors along with the bag of gold. “I see you had a profitable day in town,” Remus said, moving to the cooking area to begin supper.
“I did,” Sirius replied. “Thanks to you.”
“As I have said, sir,” Remus replied, “I am in your debt. In exchange for my life, I bring you good fortune.”
***
Meanwhile, in the city, Peter Pettigrew returned to the castle. He knew the carpet was worth far more than the ten thousand galleons he paid for it, and he was elated both from fooling the hunter into such a low price, and from the praise he was bound to receive when he presented the carpet to his King.
“Your Majesty,” Peter knelt in the throne room. In his hands he raised the beautiful piece of fabric so the King could look upon it.
“That is a fine carpet,” the King nodded appreciatively. “Where did you find it?”
“One of your hunters was selling it in the marketplace,” Peter replied, standing to approach the throne to allow the King to feel the smooth silk.
“And how much did he ask for it?” the King questioned. His fingers touched the soft silk and the fabric slid smoothly over his hand as if it was made of water.
“He did not offer a price, Your Majesty,” Peter explained, “but I offered him ten thousand galleons for it, which he readily accepted.”
“Very good, Peter,” King Voldemort nodded approvingly. “You have done well. Now leave the carpet with Lucius and he will reward you with twenty-five thousand galleons for your trouble.”
“Yes, sir,” Peter took the carpet and made to leave the throne room, though the King’s voice stopped him at the door.
“And Peter, see if you can find any more of these carpets, would you?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Peter replied and left the room to do as the King commanded.
***
That evening, as they prepared for bed, Remus offered himself to Sirius.
“Sirius?” Remus asked quietly. He rarely uttered Sirius’ name, regardless of how often Sirius insisted, and so Remus captured his attention by just saying his name.
“Yes, Remus?” Sirius replied, stopping midway through undressing to look at the other man.
“I want…” Remus started and then paused. “I would like,” he began again, “it very much if you would consent to me being your husband.”
Sirius smiled at him and took a step closer, stroking his hand gently down Remus’ cheek. “I would like that very much,” Sirius told him, and drew him into a light kiss that left both men breathless.
“Tomorrow,” Sirius told him when they had regained their breath, “we will go into town for a marriage license.”
“Yes, Sirius,” Remus replied, and they lay together in bed for nearly an hour, speaking of nothing in particular, before sleep overtook them.
***
The following day, the steward returned to the market in search of the hunter who had sold him the fine carpet. None at the market had ever seen the hunter before then, and none had asked his name when they gossiped about the origins of the splendid silk.
Unsuccessful, Peter returned to the castle to look up the list of hunters who were registered as part of the King’s hunting party. Armed with a list of one hundred names and addresses, Peter set out in search of the hunter.
***
That morning, after waking up with Remus in his arms, Sirius had left early for the hunt, determined to finish the day by mid-morning so they could go into town.
Remus rose at the same time and completed his morning chores, tended to the cow and the garden, and then conjured his loom again to weave five carpets of higher quality than the first.
After Sirius’ return and a light midday meal, the pair set off for the courthouse in town, determined to have their marriage license by nightfall. They were successful, and upon their arrival at home that evening, they consummated their marriage and fell into a happy slumber.
***
After three days of searching nearly every name on the list of hunters, Peter Pettigrew only had four remaining names. He approached a small cabin in the woods on the edge of the principality, hoping this was the one he was searching for, because his feet ached and his stomach was demanding food.
The cabin was slightly rundown, but obviously loved, if the well-tended garden on the side was any indication. A plump cow grazed in the field behind the structure, and Peter made a face when he put his hand in a spider web while trying to open the gate.
He promptly wiped away the grimace and replaced it with haughty indifference when he knocked on the front door.
“Yes?” a voice called from inside the cabin before the door was opened. Remus stood in the doorway with hands caked in flour, still kneading dough with his long fingers, and a curious look on his face. He exhaled, blowing the breath upwards to lift the fringe off his sweaty forehead, and then asked, “Can I help you with something?”
Peter was stunned by the man standing before him. He had never seen a thing of such incredible beauty. Not even the carpet he had purchased from the hunter compared to the strong, yet soft, lines of this man’s face, or the defined muscles in his arms. Peter shivered in the sweltering heat, but finally spoke, “I am looking for Sirius Black, a member of the King’s hunting party. Do you happen to know him?”
Remus studied the short man for a moment before answering. “Yes, he is my husband. What is the nature of your business with him?”
Peter, so completely consumed by Remus’ beauty, almost did not hear the words spoken to him. When they finally registered in his mind, he was rather broken to hear Remus was spoken for; however, he politely answered the question. “I was wondering if he sold a silk carpet at the market this last week,” Peter explained. “I wish to purchase more, if they are available, but I do not know the name of the man who sold it to me.”
“Yes, that was my husband,” Remus confirmed and stepped aside to usher the portly man inside. “Please, do be seated, and I shall be with you in just a moment.”
“You have a lovely, er… garden,” Peter awkwardly complimented Remus. He took a seat on one of the two chairs at the table, and watched while Remus wrapped the dough and set it aside, then went to a small sink to wash his hands. He studied the graceful way Remus moved, and the way his sure hands set about their tasks.
“Sir,” Remus said, sitting down across from Peter. “I do have five more carpets available; however, these are of better quality than the last one,” he explained. “I will not part with them for less than thirty thousand galleons each.”
“That would be fine,” Peter nodded, entranced by Remus’ mouth. “Here is one hundred and fifty thousand,” he added, pulling a sack of gold from his pocket and unceremoniously dropped it on the table.
“Then it is a pleasure to be of service,” Remus bowed his head and stood, going to the chest to retrieve the carpets, which he brought back to Peter and handed over. “I’m sure you have a long journey ahead of you,” Remus continued to talk while leading Peter to the door. “I do not wish to keep you.”
“Yes, yes,” Peter replied absently as he went to the door. He was not pulled out of his stupor until the door shut behind him, and he was left outside in the stifling air, staring in wonder at the thin, wooden door.
***
Upon his return to the city, Peter immediately requested an audience with the King to present the new carpets. Even in the presence of the King, Peter’s mind was still firmly fixed on Remus’ light hair and thin frame, and the King took note of his distraction.
“Pettigrew, why are you so distracted?” the King demanded, calling the steward by his surname, in a way he hadn’t done since they were teenagers.
“It was the hunter’s husband,” Peter explained in a quick breath. “He was absolutely beautiful, the most glorious creature I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”
“Interesting,” the King replied thoughtfully. Peter did not heap these praises upon someone easily. “And he is the one who wove these fine carpets?”
“Yes, sir,” Peter nodded eagerly. “I have no doubt he would make someone a grand husband.”
“Yes,” the King replied. “Peter, I believe I should like to have this man.”
“But he is already married, sir,” Peter explained, confused by the King’s statement.
“Ah, yes,” the King replied with a glint in his eye, “but if he was to be widowed… if say, the hunter was to have an unfortunate accident, or went to war and was killed, he would not be married anymore, would he?”
Comprehension dawned on Peter’s face and he nodded enthusiastically. “I shall take care of it, sir,” he swore, then excused himself from the room.
***
That same night, while Peter devised a plot to rid them of the hunter, Remus and Sirius sat down to a feast fit for a king. They had large steaks from the deer Sirius had hunted that afternoon, fresh bread and milk, vegetables from the garden, and a hot cherry pie that Remus had just removed from the fire.
Remus told him about the man who had come inquiring after the carpets, and how he had sold them for thirty thousand galleons each, then showed him the sack of gold.
Sirius, infinitely pleased with his husband, dragged him to bed to show him exactly how thankful he was to have the brown-haired man in his life.
***
Morning came late the following day, and Sirius and Remus were still to be found curled around each other hours after the sun was high in the sky.
An unexpected knock came from the door, and the pair stumbled out of bed in search of clothing. Once presentable, Sirius answered the door, revealing a courier bearing the King’s crest on his right breast pocket. He handed an envelope to Sirius silently, turned on his heel, and left.
Sirius sat at the table with the letter in his hand and began to read. Remus stood behind him, also reading the letter with interest.
To the hunter, Sirius Black,
Your presence is requested on a hunt of great importance. The King desires the stag with the golden horns, and your expertise makes you invaluable to this expedition. Please meet the crew of the Lily in harbor tomorrow morning at nine.
Sincerely,
Peter Pettigrew
Steward of the King
Sirius laid the letter on the table and leaned back in his chair. Remus wrapped his arms comfortingly around his shoulders, drawing him close, and placed a single kiss to the crown of his head.
“You will go,” Remus said after a long silence. “You will sail for five days, at which time you will come across an island. On this island, the stag with golden horns will be waiting. Offer him an apple, then lead him onto the ship, and return home.”
Sirius leaned into Remus’ warm abdomen, resting his head comfortably against a chest that was not nearly as bony as it had been when Sirius found him. “I will be away ten days?” Sirius asked quietly. He was more uncomfortable with the thought of being away from Remus than he was with the awkward letter or Remus’ instructions.
“Yes,” Remus confirmed. The fingers of his right hand began casually working beneath the fabric of Sirius’ shirt. “Ten long, lonely days.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to make sure you remember me, won’t I?” Sirius asked, tipping his head back to look up at his husband.
“I suppose you will,” Remus smiled softly. “It wouldn’t do me very good to be forgetting my husband, would it?”
“I dare say it would be a travesty,” Sirius replied, pulling out of Remus’ arms to take his hand and lead him back to the bed, where they spent the remainder of the day and evening, rising only when their bodies demanded sustenance.
***
Ten days later, Sirius returned to the city accompanied by the stag with the golden horns. His journey had gone exactly as Remus had said it would, and after ten days away, Sirius was more than ready to be home with his husband once again.
After Sirius had departed from the castle, leaving the stag in the possession of the King’s stable hands, King Voldemort beckoned his steward to his chambers.
“I am not pleased, Pettigrew,” Voldemort told him, his eyes narrowed, giving him an almost snake-like quality. “I am not at all pleased.”
“I do not know how he completed this task so quickly, Sire,” Peter groveled before the throne. “I shall do better next time.”
“You should,” the King’s voice was laced with what appeared to be warning, but Peter knew that Voldemort would not hesitate to harm him, should he fail a second time.
“I will,” Peter promised, though his voice had a vaguely uncertain edge.
***
Ten days was the longest Sirius had ever been away from his cottage, and as he approached his small bit of land, he was filled with a sense of comfort and rightness that had been lacking since he had departed.
Remus had just finished milking the cow when Sirius reached the front gate. Before Sirius knew what had hit him, he had an armful of thin, brown-haired man clutching him around the middle and nuzzling into his neck.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Sirius agreed with a laugh, wrapping his own arms around the thinner man and pulling him close until their bodies were in complete contact from neck to knee. “Gods I missed you,” he whispered, rubbing his cheek against Remus’ baby-soft hair.
“Missed you, too,” Remus mumbled against his neck, his lips brushing Sirius’ warm skin with every word. “Don’t leave me again.”
“Never again,” Sirius repeated, his words shaky from emotion and arousal. Remus’ lips on his neck were reminding him of other places Remus’ magic mouth would be put to better use, causing Sirius to harden instantly at the memory. “Let’s get you inside so I can show you just how much I missed you.”
Remus moved so his mouth was right against Sirius’ ear, so that when he whispered, “I’d really like that,” shivers of desire ran throughout Sirius’ body.
Sirius somehow managed to lift Remus and move them inside the cottage without dislodging the way they were wrapped around one another, until the fell onto the bed with an unceremonious “Oomph.” Somewhere along the way clothes had been lost, and in a matter of moments the pair were blissfully joined together, their bodies craving the other like a man in the desert craves water.
***
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