Chapter Seven: Anna
Series Title: Runaway: A Story About Sirius Black and Remus Lupin
Series summary: During the sweltering summer of 1976, Sirius Black leaves one family, joins another, and falls in love.
Series authors: The Runaway Writers
Installment title: Chapter Seven: Anna
Installment Author: closet_zebra
Word Count: 911
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty | Twenty-One | Twenty-Two | Twenty-Three | Twenty-Four | Twenty-Five | Epilogue
AN- Thanks to sazzlette for helping me out!! Love you!
----
Remus watches Sirius, standing with his hands thrust sullenly into his pockets. He's scowling at Peter and his new girlfriend, and alright they are being a bit soppy, holding hands and grinning at one another, but what does he expect? They've only been seeing one another for three weeks, but Sirius has known her for two hours and already seems to have decided to hate her. Probably thinking of arguments for just why they don't let girls into their group anyway.
“Well, anyway,” Peter says happily, his eyes moving to the girl beside him. “You want to go a bit further down on the beach, Anna?”
Anna smiles sweetly, but Remus notices Sirius flash her a vicious look as her and Peter saunter off down the beach, hand in hand.
“I like Wormtail less and less this summer,” Sirius grumbles, as usual not bothering to vet his thoughts before just blurting them out. He turns his attention outwards and across the sea which is swishing and waving and generally having a great time in the light wind that leaves its edges foamy. Remus says nothing, only watches him out of the corner of his eyes.
James laughs brightly, pretending not to sense the underlying seriousness behind the remark and picks up a stone, throwing it so that it half skims the water, getting lost in white waves.
“You’ve decided to like everyone less and less this summer,” he laughs. He picks up a stone, but, finding it covered in green slime he drops it again with a rather unmanly yelp.
“Yeah well,” Sirius growls. “Not Remus. Just you and Peter.” The tone he uses is meant to be casually mocking, or perhaps he really did mean to insult. It’s hard to tell. But the way it leaves Sirius’ lips leaves confusion in the air. “Well, Remus too probably.”
The end is an afterthought, Remus thinks. I haven’t done anything.
Remus moves his eyes for a moment from the whipped up sea and glances in Sirius’ direction, not moving an inch from his easy stance with his hands in pockets. But he doesn’t say anything, just looks away and watches James a few paces in front of them, still picking up stones.
“I like her,” James says out of nowhere, giving Sirius a look that is half way challenge and half way truth. Remus has noticed that they seem to be working something out between them, perhaps re-evaluating the lines of leader and best friend between them while Remus watches on in silence. He isn’t sure.
“I mean,” James continues, glancing down the beach where Peter is hugging his new girlfriend. Their laughter carries slightly on the wind. “She’s nice. Not as hot as Lily but … she is nice.”
“I like her hair,” Remus says quietly, to fill up the awkward silence. “I mean--”
Sirius and James both laugh lightly, the sounding getting louder and louder until it’s bright and harsh, tears springing in their eyes as they shake with it.
“Moony,” James snickers, evil mirth in the eyes made wider by his stupid rectangular glasses. “You can be such a girl sometimes, d’you know that?”
Remus opens his mouth to protest but at the same moment Sirius and James catch each other’s eyes again and burst into another round of laughter, seemingly laughing at nothing but the fact that they feel the need to laugh.
“Oh, shut up, you gits.”
Remus laughs too though, feeling hot and pink around the edges and ignoring Sirius when he slings an arm around his shoulder and smiles, saying, “Aww, Moony. We’re only joking.”
“The point is, Pads,” James says firmly, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper pushed up behind his glasses. “She’s nice. I mean, that’s all.”
“I just can’t believe Peter was the first of us,” Sirius laughs, his tone good natured, even if it echoes a common, though rather unfair, sentiment.
“Well, you need to get off your arse and do something then, don’t you?” Remus smiles, shrugging off the arm that is still around his shoulder. “Stop mucking about with pranks and jokes and actually start paying attention to all the attention paid to you.”
“None of those girls matter.” Sirius rolls his eyes in an over dramatic gesture and catches Remus’ eyes for a moment with a smile. “Girls are just annoying and costly and interfere with important mischief to be done.”
“I take it back,” James snickers from behind Sirius’ shoulder, making Remus look away with a little laugh. “You’re the girl, Padfoot. I should have known, anyway. What with your hair and all…”
“Take that back,” Sirius growls.
“Never, dogboy!” James’ voice is familiar and makes Remus feel warm. They’ve been too tense lately, all of them. Each of them have been putting up with their own problems in their little group of friends; James and Sirius changing, Peter moving around, Sirius changing with everyone. Remus has felt strange himself, unsure of where he fits among them all, where he fits with Sirius, who seems to be intent on staying the same, only to be shaking everything up.
But he laughs as Sirius tackles James to the ground and they both, Remus notices, manage to get green slime in their jet black hair. Anna and Peter come back to watch, and there is, for a little while at least, a return to something like normality. As close to normality as they get, anyway.
Series summary: During the sweltering summer of 1976, Sirius Black leaves one family, joins another, and falls in love.
Series authors: The Runaway Writers
Installment title: Chapter Seven: Anna
Installment Author: closet_zebra
Word Count: 911
Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen | Fifteen | Sixteen | Seventeen | Eighteen | Nineteen | Twenty | Twenty-One | Twenty-Two | Twenty-Three | Twenty-Four | Twenty-Five | Epilogue
AN- Thanks to sazzlette for helping me out!! Love you!
----
Remus watches Sirius, standing with his hands thrust sullenly into his pockets. He's scowling at Peter and his new girlfriend, and alright they are being a bit soppy, holding hands and grinning at one another, but what does he expect? They've only been seeing one another for three weeks, but Sirius has known her for two hours and already seems to have decided to hate her. Probably thinking of arguments for just why they don't let girls into their group anyway.
“Well, anyway,” Peter says happily, his eyes moving to the girl beside him. “You want to go a bit further down on the beach, Anna?”
Anna smiles sweetly, but Remus notices Sirius flash her a vicious look as her and Peter saunter off down the beach, hand in hand.
“I like Wormtail less and less this summer,” Sirius grumbles, as usual not bothering to vet his thoughts before just blurting them out. He turns his attention outwards and across the sea which is swishing and waving and generally having a great time in the light wind that leaves its edges foamy. Remus says nothing, only watches him out of the corner of his eyes.
James laughs brightly, pretending not to sense the underlying seriousness behind the remark and picks up a stone, throwing it so that it half skims the water, getting lost in white waves.
“You’ve decided to like everyone less and less this summer,” he laughs. He picks up a stone, but, finding it covered in green slime he drops it again with a rather unmanly yelp.
“Yeah well,” Sirius growls. “Not Remus. Just you and Peter.” The tone he uses is meant to be casually mocking, or perhaps he really did mean to insult. It’s hard to tell. But the way it leaves Sirius’ lips leaves confusion in the air. “Well, Remus too probably.”
The end is an afterthought, Remus thinks. I haven’t done anything.
Remus moves his eyes for a moment from the whipped up sea and glances in Sirius’ direction, not moving an inch from his easy stance with his hands in pockets. But he doesn’t say anything, just looks away and watches James a few paces in front of them, still picking up stones.
“I like her,” James says out of nowhere, giving Sirius a look that is half way challenge and half way truth. Remus has noticed that they seem to be working something out between them, perhaps re-evaluating the lines of leader and best friend between them while Remus watches on in silence. He isn’t sure.
“I mean,” James continues, glancing down the beach where Peter is hugging his new girlfriend. Their laughter carries slightly on the wind. “She’s nice. Not as hot as Lily but … she is nice.”
“I like her hair,” Remus says quietly, to fill up the awkward silence. “I mean--”
Sirius and James both laugh lightly, the sounding getting louder and louder until it’s bright and harsh, tears springing in their eyes as they shake with it.
“Moony,” James snickers, evil mirth in the eyes made wider by his stupid rectangular glasses. “You can be such a girl sometimes, d’you know that?”
Remus opens his mouth to protest but at the same moment Sirius and James catch each other’s eyes again and burst into another round of laughter, seemingly laughing at nothing but the fact that they feel the need to laugh.
“Oh, shut up, you gits.”
Remus laughs too though, feeling hot and pink around the edges and ignoring Sirius when he slings an arm around his shoulder and smiles, saying, “Aww, Moony. We’re only joking.”
“The point is, Pads,” James says firmly, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper pushed up behind his glasses. “She’s nice. I mean, that’s all.”
“I just can’t believe Peter was the first of us,” Sirius laughs, his tone good natured, even if it echoes a common, though rather unfair, sentiment.
“Well, you need to get off your arse and do something then, don’t you?” Remus smiles, shrugging off the arm that is still around his shoulder. “Stop mucking about with pranks and jokes and actually start paying attention to all the attention paid to you.”
“None of those girls matter.” Sirius rolls his eyes in an over dramatic gesture and catches Remus’ eyes for a moment with a smile. “Girls are just annoying and costly and interfere with important mischief to be done.”
“I take it back,” James snickers from behind Sirius’ shoulder, making Remus look away with a little laugh. “You’re the girl, Padfoot. I should have known, anyway. What with your hair and all…”
“Take that back,” Sirius growls.
“Never, dogboy!” James’ voice is familiar and makes Remus feel warm. They’ve been too tense lately, all of them. Each of them have been putting up with their own problems in their little group of friends; James and Sirius changing, Peter moving around, Sirius changing with everyone. Remus has felt strange himself, unsure of where he fits among them all, where he fits with Sirius, who seems to be intent on staying the same, only to be shaking everything up.
But he laughs as Sirius tackles James to the ground and they both, Remus notices, manage to get green slime in their jet black hair. Anna and Peter come back to watch, and there is, for a little while at least, a return to something like normality. As close to normality as they get, anyway.