Fic: That Old Black Magic for archduck
Title: That Old Black Magic
Author: escribo
Recipient: archduck
Rating: PG-13
Highlight for Warnings: *none *
Word Count: 3289
Summary: Magical AU. A chance encounter has Sirius finding out there's more to magic than what he's learned at school.
Author's notes: Thanks to kiltsandlollies for the beta and to both her and msilverstar for your help and support, as well as to the mods for a terrific fest. Happy holidays, archduck! I hope you enjoy.
"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
--Carl Jung
It was pouring rain outside and water sluiced off Sirius' leather jacket as he peeped through the lower windows of the Rosiers' Knightsbridge town home. He was quite sure that James was inside, though he'd stopped answering in the two-way mirror, but more important, Sirius could see a veritable Who's Who of Death Eaters and supporters pressed around a table, their attention thankfully diverted for the moment. He hoped that meant James and Peter were still alive.
Getting inside was easier than he had supposed it would be--or should be--but the war was going badly enough that the other side wasn't even calling it a war anymore. He stood dripping on the shiny parquet flooring of what he thought might be the library, listening carefully to be sure he was alone. He remembered coming here once as a boy with his father, before everything had changed, and he and Evan Rosier had played Exploding Snap beneath the table where Evan was now plotting the overthrow of Muggle England. Sirius supposed that was what Peter and James were doing here, collecting intel or reconnoitering the enemy. James, he knew, was still devoted to the memory of Dumbledore's cause, and Peter was devoted to James. There were others left, too--Mad Eye Moody, the McKinnons, Nathan Stebbins, Davy Gudgeon and some others--though so many more were gone, killed or disappeared. They looked to James, now, to lead them. As he shuffled from foot-to-foot and ran his palm along his damp neck, hoping that whatever business he’d seen being conducted in the dining room would be enough to keep the Death Eaters busy, Sirius knew he always had, too.
Tonight, though, it was James who was counting on Sirius. Certain that he had least had a few minutes to search the house without being caught, Sirius eased out of the room and into the darkened hall. There was a stair straight ahead with a cupboard beneath, and at the end of the hall was the kitchen, Sirius remembered, with a door that led to the basement. He'd never been upstairs, and hoped he wouldn't have to dare it tonight. Luck was with him as he crept along, his back to the wall and his wand held tight in his hand, until suddenly James pushed open the door to the kitchen. Sirius dropped his shoulders in relief and raised his hand to motion James forward. That relief didn't last, though, as a crack of apparition startled them both; while James stepped back into the shadows, Sirius was exposed and could do nothing more than raise his wand as a Wizard stumbled on the slick marble of the foyer, grabbing at the nearby table to steady himself. Sirius whispered the incantation for a full body bind curse but could do nothing for the vase that wobbled then tipped forward, James' cushioning charm a second too late. Sirius looked to the darkened corner where James stood supporting Peter and grinned. James shook his head and mouthed no, but Sirius only shrugged.
"Through the library," he called over his shoulder as he ran ahead. Surprise would be their only advantage and he spoke clearly now, webs of magic spinning from his wand as he sought to hold off the crowd of dark Witches and Wizards spilling from the dining room. He could hear their shouts, could see their curses burst in showers of green and silver sparks against his defensives that burned red and gold, and barked out a laugh as his magic flowed through him.
"You're such a crazy bastard, Black," James called back as he ran as fast as he could manage with Peter struggling at his side.
"Just make it out to the bike. I'll hold them off."
"We'll wait for you."
"No. Just go."
Bellatrix's cackle was unmistakable above the cacophony of noise, and Sirius fell to his knees, pain tearing through his body as she found a way around his protective spell. James shoved Peter through the door and grabbed Sirius by his shoulders, hauling him to his feet. Together they spoke words that shook the house at its foundation, stumbling back and into each as they fell through the door of the library.
They were outside and running flat out, Peter's face twisted in agony as he limped along between Sirius and James, before the first flashes of green and silver rained over them. Sirius spun, his boots sliding on the gravel, and saw Lucius Malfoy and his own brother, Regulus, step out onto the small balcony. Bellatrix was there already, her face a mask of rage and splattered with blood. She raised her wand but Sirius was quicker, firing off hexes he and James had learned and used as pranks at Hogwarts. He was laughing again, giddy as he felt his magic course over his skin and through his blood. Bellatrix and Regulus were firing back, their spells more vicious though only his cousin's came close to hitting him.
"Sirius!"
"Go, James! Just take Peter and go!"
Sirius heard his bike roar to life, the ground shaking beneath his feet. He knelt there, feeling the rain soak through the knees of his jeans, his eyes on Lucius as he jumped onto the lawn. Sirius built his spell carefully, hyper-aware of the danger--of James and Peter, of Lucius as he lifted his wand. He built on their magic, his spell growing until he could step away, step backwards, his arms spread out wide, laughing now at the surprise he saw on Regulus' face, at the fury that belonged to Lucius and Bellatrix. They hadn't expected old magic--blood magic--that rendered their own useless against him, and their counter-curses fell helplessly--harmlessly. James took off, spraying an arc of gravel and rain water that had puddled on the drive, and Sirius was still laughing as he saluted his brother and turned to run.
Sirius knew it wouldn't take them long to work through his spell, and there were others there to whom he hadn't been related once, twice or three times removed. He could already hear the cracks of apparition, felt rather than saw the flashes and flares of spells as they burst on the brickwork of the buildings surrounding him as he ran. He blindly turned down one street and then another, having no clear vision of where this merry chase would lead them but hoping it would give James and Peter time to get away. Ahead he could see lights and the bustle of a crowd and he skidded to a stop, afraid of bringing his fight to where there would be Muggle witnesses. He stood still, trying to hear over the sound of his own heavy breaths.
The alleyway was dank, the smell of garbage oppressive after the rain. It wasn't safe, he knew, but before he could escape, he heard the click of nails on the pavement as if an overgrown dog hid in the shadows. He knew it was no dog, however, and fear seized him for the first time that night since he'd seen James was safe. There was another smell now, rising just above the garbage, a heavy musk and the metallic tang of blood. Desperately, Sirius thought of James' childhood bedroom, long ago abandoned to dust and cobwebs when his parents had passed away, and safe now. He reached for it with his mind, meaning to apparate away, but before he could, the clouds parted and in the sudden brightness of the nearly full moon, he could see that he was not Greyback's prey.
A man stood pressed into a recessed doorway, his fingernails scrabbling into the brick. He held no wand, no weapon. He was breathing heavily, but it wasn't fear on his face; instead there was a strange, glittering curiosity. Greyback's black robes clung tightly to his broad shoulders, and his canines glinted as he drew back his lips, growling slightly though it was still days before he would fully transform. Sirius raised his wand, his hand shaking slightly with something primordial. He knew Greyback had aligned himself with Voldemort, was one of his Death Eaters, but the terror he elicited stretched to the very depths of his childhood, to the stories Sirius' mother would tell him to make him behave.
As Sirius watched, Greyback sniffed the air, his shaggy head tipping back as his snarl turned into a terrifying grin. "Sirius Black," he rasped, stepping back once and then again so that Sirius could see the other man fully. He was a Muggle, or so Sirius presumed, dressed simply in jeans and a button-down shirt that hung loose beneath his jacket. His hair fell in thick waves across his forehead and he pushed it from his eyes. There was fear there now, Sirius saw, as the man tucked himself tighter into the small space, his shoe slipping on the step.
"Professor Lupin, you'll be interested in this specimen. He's a Wizard from one of the finest families."
"A Wizard," the man repeated, his eyes flickering to Sirius before going again to Greyback. "Just as you are really a werewolf, I suppose."
"You took me for a liar, then?"
"I took you for a man who could spin an interesting tale."
"It's not yet the full, professor, though I suppose I could offer up a demonstration of our world to further your studies. If young Mr. Black would be so kind as to assist?" Greyback took another step back, spreading his hands wide as he dipped his head slightly in greeting or challenge, Sirius wasn't sure which and he didn't have time to figure it out. Greyback curled his lips back once more, baring teeth that were pointed even in his human form, and lunged at Sirius. Sirius thought of nothing more than the yellowed claws that would shred and rip; he'd seen enough evidence of Greyback's crimes to know that he didn't need the full to cause devastating damage. He slashed at the air in front of him, a shower of red and gold sparks engulfing Greyback as he fell to the ground.
"What did you do to him?" the other man asked, only a little breathless and still with the curiosity in his voice.
"Petrified him." Sirius kicked at Greyback's leg with the toe of his boot before he stepped around him. "It's not permanent, unfortunately, so we should maybe go before it wears off."
"With what? I mean, how did you do it? You never touched him."
"Magic."
"That's impossible. It's some sort of trick. He led me here to trick me. You're in on it together."
"Unlikely."
"I am sorry if he told you otherwise but I'm not paying for tricks. I only wanted--" The professor's voice faded away as a burst of green and silver light burst high above them, a snake chasing its tail lingering rather than dissipating with the wind. He looked conflicted for a moment before he turned back to Sirius. "Fireworks," he bit out.
"We should go." Sirius grabbed the man by his arm and pulled him along until they were nearly clear of the alley though the man attempted to pull free, his voice loud with arguments that Sirius couldn't listen to now. Sirius could only hear Bellatrix, her laugh maniacal, and could feel his magic strum in his blood in response to hers. "Run!" He yelled and fired off another spell, red and green meeting though he didn't look back to see. He had the man by the hand and this time, he was followed without argument.
They ran together down side streets and through subways. Sirius would curl his arm around the man's waist and apparate them further and further away, daring only to take short leaps until he was spent. He no longer knew where they were, only that he needed to rest, and hoped that this dark alley they would be safer than the last. Though weak, he could feel adrenaline and power still thrumming through his blood and over his skin, making his eyes dance as he held back laughter that he knew the man in front of him would only take as further evidence of Sirius' insanity. When he looked up, though, the fear was gone from the man's eyes, and only that strange curiosity remained.
"You're actually a Wizard," he whispered, and Sirius nodded. "And that man? He's actually a-- A--"
"Werewolf," Sirius supplied helpfully. "And you're a Muggle," he added, as if to clarify things.
"I don't know what that is."
"Then you definitely are one."
"Okay.” The man swallowed. “He said your name back there."
"Sirius Black." Sirius slipped his wand into his pocket and held out his hand, as if they were meeting at any other time, under any other circumstances. He had a sudden stray thought that his mother would be quite proud that he'd remembered his manners.
"Remus Lupin," Remus answered mechanically, holding out his own hand and then drawing it back and touching it to his forehead. "You're actually a Wizard?"
"Yes."
"And that was your wand?"
"Yes."
"And you made us move from place to place--"
"Apparition."
"Apparition, yes, of course, how silly of me. I'm only just having a slight nervous breakdown. Do you think I'm too young for a midlife crisis?"
"I'm not sure. How old are you?"
"Twenty-six. No, twenty-five."
"That seems like a perfect reasonable age for it, I suppose. I'm just twenty-six myself."
"And a Wizard?"
"You are quite stuck on that point, aren't you."
Remus leaned heavily against the wall behind him and swallowed once, twice. He looked pale in the moonlight, paler than he should, Sirius supposed, though he thought it might have been caused by the Apparition, especially when one wasn't used to it.
"I'm not a Muggle," Remus said. "I'm a professor. Youngest in my department, actually, and quite an accomplishment. My parents were very proud of me, though they're dead now."
"Mine are, too. Dead, not proud of me. They never were proud of me. A bit of a Black hippogryff."
"Hippogryff. Oh, of course. Those exist as well, I suppose."
"What do you teach?"
"Mmm?"
"Teach. What do you teach? Maybe we should sit down."
"No, no, I'm fine, really."
"It's only that you're clutching my shoulders quite hard."
"Am I? So sorry," Remus said, but he didn't loosen his hold, and Sirius could feel little bursts--like firecrackers beneath his skin--where Remus touched him. "Should I ask who was chasing us?"
"Me. They were chasing me. That last was my cousin, nasty bit of work there. I don't think they can find us here, wherever here is."
"It's Tyler Street. I live very near here. I pass this way when I walk to work. I thought of it, or very near here, when you apparated that last time."
"You thought of here? This alley?"
"Very near here, actually. That park where we landed. You were running along and I thought how I wished I was there, and then we were. Is that normal?" Remus shook his head as if clearing it. "Don't answer that, actually. I'm sorry, you asked me a question. I teach folklore. Werewolves and Wizards doesn't exist, you see. They're part of our national subconscious--characters from our earliest stories, passed along generation to generation. It's common amongst many-- I'm sorry. I'm lecturing. I do that when I'm nervous. I mean, I do it under normal circumstances but when faced with a handsome man, I find myself just talking, which is so ridiculous because you're a Wizard, which means they actually exist, which means I sound like a complete idiot telling you that you don't, and I suspect that I likely would have found out how real a werewolf actually is if you hadn't come along. I'm going to stop now and I'd really appreciate it if you said something sensible like 'wake up' or 'gotcha.’ 'Gotcha' would actually be good, because this is surreal and it would help if it were all a joke."
Sirius tilted his head and looked at the man carefully. He still didn't appear honestly frightened, only curious. A Muggle and then some, Sirius thought again, as he moved his hands over Remus' shoulders and down his back to rest on his waist.
"It stopped raining," Sirius said, leaning in and unsurprised when Remus didn't pull away. "Did you notice?"
"Hours ago, actually. In fact, it doesn't look as though it's rained here at all."
"I suppose not. And you said you lived near here?"
"Very near."
"That's excellent." Sirius glanced down toward the end of the dark alleyway and saw that they were still very much alone, that they were likely not followed. He turned back to Remus and watched his eyes go wide with surprise and Sirius grinned. "This hasn't been a joke, actually, and I'd really like to kiss you, if that's alright. Before I go."
"Were you going?"
"My friends will be worried, what with my cousin attempting to kill me. I'll also need to erase your memories of tonight. It'll be too dangerous for you otherwise."
"Oh sure. Of course. Right. Dangerous."
He was smirking again, this Remus Lupin, and Sirius' own grin turned predatory. His hands slid down, and he pressed his fingers into the heavy denim at Remus' hips as he watched as the tip of Remus' tongue darted out to moisten his lips. Despite his exhaustion, Sirius could still feel a lightness bubbling just beneath his skin, as he did when he was near any other magical creature. It was a kind of call and response, and Sirius found he very much wanted to respond to whatever magic was thrumming through this Remus Lupin.
Sirius brushed his lips against Remus' mouth, against his smile that had gone soft, his eyes bright with his inquisitiveness before they fluttered closed. It encouraged Sirius enough to lean in even closer, deepening their kiss, nipping at Remus' bottom lip to ask for admittance, which was readily granted. For a moment, the world stopped and Sirius sincerely wished time would stop as well. There was magic here, he was certain, brilliant and intense and they both fairly hummed with it, and when they had to pull away, both gasping for breath, Sirius felt it as a loss, incomplete when he'd only just been made whole.
"I'll find you again," Sirius murmured as he dragged the tip of his wand over Remus' neck, following the path with his lips.
"Do you have to lose me now?"
Sirius breathed out his laughter, tempted more than he could say to just keep them there--to explore every bit of Remus he could. To test his theories and formulate new ones about what it meant to be a Wizard or a Muggle. "It's not safe."
"I suppose not."
"I meant--"
"I know. Can you really erase all my memories?"
"Yes, but I'll only take those from tonight."
"Everything?" Remus asked. He cupped his hand over Sirius' cheek and stroked his thumb over Sirius' lip. "It's just that I would like to keep that last bit."
Sirius flashed another grin and kissed Remus hard and fast, reveling in the sharp tug to his hair as Remus tangled his fingers into Sirius' hair. He drew back just as fast, forcing out his Obliviate before he could change his mind. When he opened his eyes, the curiosity and intelligence were gone from Remus' eyes, and stared blearily into the distance before he began blinking as if waking from a particularly lovely dream.
"I'll find you again," Sirius whispered once more and then apparated away, back to his life and his war.
Author: escribo
Recipient: archduck
Rating: PG-13
Highlight for Warnings: *none *
Word Count: 3289
Summary: Magical AU. A chance encounter has Sirius finding out there's more to magic than what he's learned at school.
Author's notes: Thanks to kiltsandlollies for the beta and to both her and msilverstar for your help and support, as well as to the mods for a terrific fest. Happy holidays, archduck! I hope you enjoy.
"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."
--Carl Jung
It was pouring rain outside and water sluiced off Sirius' leather jacket as he peeped through the lower windows of the Rosiers' Knightsbridge town home. He was quite sure that James was inside, though he'd stopped answering in the two-way mirror, but more important, Sirius could see a veritable Who's Who of Death Eaters and supporters pressed around a table, their attention thankfully diverted for the moment. He hoped that meant James and Peter were still alive.
Getting inside was easier than he had supposed it would be--or should be--but the war was going badly enough that the other side wasn't even calling it a war anymore. He stood dripping on the shiny parquet flooring of what he thought might be the library, listening carefully to be sure he was alone. He remembered coming here once as a boy with his father, before everything had changed, and he and Evan Rosier had played Exploding Snap beneath the table where Evan was now plotting the overthrow of Muggle England. Sirius supposed that was what Peter and James were doing here, collecting intel or reconnoitering the enemy. James, he knew, was still devoted to the memory of Dumbledore's cause, and Peter was devoted to James. There were others left, too--Mad Eye Moody, the McKinnons, Nathan Stebbins, Davy Gudgeon and some others--though so many more were gone, killed or disappeared. They looked to James, now, to lead them. As he shuffled from foot-to-foot and ran his palm along his damp neck, hoping that whatever business he’d seen being conducted in the dining room would be enough to keep the Death Eaters busy, Sirius knew he always had, too.
Tonight, though, it was James who was counting on Sirius. Certain that he had least had a few minutes to search the house without being caught, Sirius eased out of the room and into the darkened hall. There was a stair straight ahead with a cupboard beneath, and at the end of the hall was the kitchen, Sirius remembered, with a door that led to the basement. He'd never been upstairs, and hoped he wouldn't have to dare it tonight. Luck was with him as he crept along, his back to the wall and his wand held tight in his hand, until suddenly James pushed open the door to the kitchen. Sirius dropped his shoulders in relief and raised his hand to motion James forward. That relief didn't last, though, as a crack of apparition startled them both; while James stepped back into the shadows, Sirius was exposed and could do nothing more than raise his wand as a Wizard stumbled on the slick marble of the foyer, grabbing at the nearby table to steady himself. Sirius whispered the incantation for a full body bind curse but could do nothing for the vase that wobbled then tipped forward, James' cushioning charm a second too late. Sirius looked to the darkened corner where James stood supporting Peter and grinned. James shook his head and mouthed no, but Sirius only shrugged.
"Through the library," he called over his shoulder as he ran ahead. Surprise would be their only advantage and he spoke clearly now, webs of magic spinning from his wand as he sought to hold off the crowd of dark Witches and Wizards spilling from the dining room. He could hear their shouts, could see their curses burst in showers of green and silver sparks against his defensives that burned red and gold, and barked out a laugh as his magic flowed through him.
"You're such a crazy bastard, Black," James called back as he ran as fast as he could manage with Peter struggling at his side.
"Just make it out to the bike. I'll hold them off."
"We'll wait for you."
"No. Just go."
Bellatrix's cackle was unmistakable above the cacophony of noise, and Sirius fell to his knees, pain tearing through his body as she found a way around his protective spell. James shoved Peter through the door and grabbed Sirius by his shoulders, hauling him to his feet. Together they spoke words that shook the house at its foundation, stumbling back and into each as they fell through the door of the library.
They were outside and running flat out, Peter's face twisted in agony as he limped along between Sirius and James, before the first flashes of green and silver rained over them. Sirius spun, his boots sliding on the gravel, and saw Lucius Malfoy and his own brother, Regulus, step out onto the small balcony. Bellatrix was there already, her face a mask of rage and splattered with blood. She raised her wand but Sirius was quicker, firing off hexes he and James had learned and used as pranks at Hogwarts. He was laughing again, giddy as he felt his magic course over his skin and through his blood. Bellatrix and Regulus were firing back, their spells more vicious though only his cousin's came close to hitting him.
"Sirius!"
"Go, James! Just take Peter and go!"
Sirius heard his bike roar to life, the ground shaking beneath his feet. He knelt there, feeling the rain soak through the knees of his jeans, his eyes on Lucius as he jumped onto the lawn. Sirius built his spell carefully, hyper-aware of the danger--of James and Peter, of Lucius as he lifted his wand. He built on their magic, his spell growing until he could step away, step backwards, his arms spread out wide, laughing now at the surprise he saw on Regulus' face, at the fury that belonged to Lucius and Bellatrix. They hadn't expected old magic--blood magic--that rendered their own useless against him, and their counter-curses fell helplessly--harmlessly. James took off, spraying an arc of gravel and rain water that had puddled on the drive, and Sirius was still laughing as he saluted his brother and turned to run.
Sirius knew it wouldn't take them long to work through his spell, and there were others there to whom he hadn't been related once, twice or three times removed. He could already hear the cracks of apparition, felt rather than saw the flashes and flares of spells as they burst on the brickwork of the buildings surrounding him as he ran. He blindly turned down one street and then another, having no clear vision of where this merry chase would lead them but hoping it would give James and Peter time to get away. Ahead he could see lights and the bustle of a crowd and he skidded to a stop, afraid of bringing his fight to where there would be Muggle witnesses. He stood still, trying to hear over the sound of his own heavy breaths.
The alleyway was dank, the smell of garbage oppressive after the rain. It wasn't safe, he knew, but before he could escape, he heard the click of nails on the pavement as if an overgrown dog hid in the shadows. He knew it was no dog, however, and fear seized him for the first time that night since he'd seen James was safe. There was another smell now, rising just above the garbage, a heavy musk and the metallic tang of blood. Desperately, Sirius thought of James' childhood bedroom, long ago abandoned to dust and cobwebs when his parents had passed away, and safe now. He reached for it with his mind, meaning to apparate away, but before he could, the clouds parted and in the sudden brightness of the nearly full moon, he could see that he was not Greyback's prey.
A man stood pressed into a recessed doorway, his fingernails scrabbling into the brick. He held no wand, no weapon. He was breathing heavily, but it wasn't fear on his face; instead there was a strange, glittering curiosity. Greyback's black robes clung tightly to his broad shoulders, and his canines glinted as he drew back his lips, growling slightly though it was still days before he would fully transform. Sirius raised his wand, his hand shaking slightly with something primordial. He knew Greyback had aligned himself with Voldemort, was one of his Death Eaters, but the terror he elicited stretched to the very depths of his childhood, to the stories Sirius' mother would tell him to make him behave.
As Sirius watched, Greyback sniffed the air, his shaggy head tipping back as his snarl turned into a terrifying grin. "Sirius Black," he rasped, stepping back once and then again so that Sirius could see the other man fully. He was a Muggle, or so Sirius presumed, dressed simply in jeans and a button-down shirt that hung loose beneath his jacket. His hair fell in thick waves across his forehead and he pushed it from his eyes. There was fear there now, Sirius saw, as the man tucked himself tighter into the small space, his shoe slipping on the step.
"Professor Lupin, you'll be interested in this specimen. He's a Wizard from one of the finest families."
"A Wizard," the man repeated, his eyes flickering to Sirius before going again to Greyback. "Just as you are really a werewolf, I suppose."
"You took me for a liar, then?"
"I took you for a man who could spin an interesting tale."
"It's not yet the full, professor, though I suppose I could offer up a demonstration of our world to further your studies. If young Mr. Black would be so kind as to assist?" Greyback took another step back, spreading his hands wide as he dipped his head slightly in greeting or challenge, Sirius wasn't sure which and he didn't have time to figure it out. Greyback curled his lips back once more, baring teeth that were pointed even in his human form, and lunged at Sirius. Sirius thought of nothing more than the yellowed claws that would shred and rip; he'd seen enough evidence of Greyback's crimes to know that he didn't need the full to cause devastating damage. He slashed at the air in front of him, a shower of red and gold sparks engulfing Greyback as he fell to the ground.
"What did you do to him?" the other man asked, only a little breathless and still with the curiosity in his voice.
"Petrified him." Sirius kicked at Greyback's leg with the toe of his boot before he stepped around him. "It's not permanent, unfortunately, so we should maybe go before it wears off."
"With what? I mean, how did you do it? You never touched him."
"Magic."
"That's impossible. It's some sort of trick. He led me here to trick me. You're in on it together."
"Unlikely."
"I am sorry if he told you otherwise but I'm not paying for tricks. I only wanted--" The professor's voice faded away as a burst of green and silver light burst high above them, a snake chasing its tail lingering rather than dissipating with the wind. He looked conflicted for a moment before he turned back to Sirius. "Fireworks," he bit out.
"We should go." Sirius grabbed the man by his arm and pulled him along until they were nearly clear of the alley though the man attempted to pull free, his voice loud with arguments that Sirius couldn't listen to now. Sirius could only hear Bellatrix, her laugh maniacal, and could feel his magic strum in his blood in response to hers. "Run!" He yelled and fired off another spell, red and green meeting though he didn't look back to see. He had the man by the hand and this time, he was followed without argument.
They ran together down side streets and through subways. Sirius would curl his arm around the man's waist and apparate them further and further away, daring only to take short leaps until he was spent. He no longer knew where they were, only that he needed to rest, and hoped that this dark alley they would be safer than the last. Though weak, he could feel adrenaline and power still thrumming through his blood and over his skin, making his eyes dance as he held back laughter that he knew the man in front of him would only take as further evidence of Sirius' insanity. When he looked up, though, the fear was gone from the man's eyes, and only that strange curiosity remained.
"You're actually a Wizard," he whispered, and Sirius nodded. "And that man? He's actually a-- A--"
"Werewolf," Sirius supplied helpfully. "And you're a Muggle," he added, as if to clarify things.
"I don't know what that is."
"Then you definitely are one."
"Okay.” The man swallowed. “He said your name back there."
"Sirius Black." Sirius slipped his wand into his pocket and held out his hand, as if they were meeting at any other time, under any other circumstances. He had a sudden stray thought that his mother would be quite proud that he'd remembered his manners.
"Remus Lupin," Remus answered mechanically, holding out his own hand and then drawing it back and touching it to his forehead. "You're actually a Wizard?"
"Yes."
"And that was your wand?"
"Yes."
"And you made us move from place to place--"
"Apparition."
"Apparition, yes, of course, how silly of me. I'm only just having a slight nervous breakdown. Do you think I'm too young for a midlife crisis?"
"I'm not sure. How old are you?"
"Twenty-six. No, twenty-five."
"That seems like a perfect reasonable age for it, I suppose. I'm just twenty-six myself."
"And a Wizard?"
"You are quite stuck on that point, aren't you."
Remus leaned heavily against the wall behind him and swallowed once, twice. He looked pale in the moonlight, paler than he should, Sirius supposed, though he thought it might have been caused by the Apparition, especially when one wasn't used to it.
"I'm not a Muggle," Remus said. "I'm a professor. Youngest in my department, actually, and quite an accomplishment. My parents were very proud of me, though they're dead now."
"Mine are, too. Dead, not proud of me. They never were proud of me. A bit of a Black hippogryff."
"Hippogryff. Oh, of course. Those exist as well, I suppose."
"What do you teach?"
"Mmm?"
"Teach. What do you teach? Maybe we should sit down."
"No, no, I'm fine, really."
"It's only that you're clutching my shoulders quite hard."
"Am I? So sorry," Remus said, but he didn't loosen his hold, and Sirius could feel little bursts--like firecrackers beneath his skin--where Remus touched him. "Should I ask who was chasing us?"
"Me. They were chasing me. That last was my cousin, nasty bit of work there. I don't think they can find us here, wherever here is."
"It's Tyler Street. I live very near here. I pass this way when I walk to work. I thought of it, or very near here, when you apparated that last time."
"You thought of here? This alley?"
"Very near here, actually. That park where we landed. You were running along and I thought how I wished I was there, and then we were. Is that normal?" Remus shook his head as if clearing it. "Don't answer that, actually. I'm sorry, you asked me a question. I teach folklore. Werewolves and Wizards doesn't exist, you see. They're part of our national subconscious--characters from our earliest stories, passed along generation to generation. It's common amongst many-- I'm sorry. I'm lecturing. I do that when I'm nervous. I mean, I do it under normal circumstances but when faced with a handsome man, I find myself just talking, which is so ridiculous because you're a Wizard, which means they actually exist, which means I sound like a complete idiot telling you that you don't, and I suspect that I likely would have found out how real a werewolf actually is if you hadn't come along. I'm going to stop now and I'd really appreciate it if you said something sensible like 'wake up' or 'gotcha.’ 'Gotcha' would actually be good, because this is surreal and it would help if it were all a joke."
Sirius tilted his head and looked at the man carefully. He still didn't appear honestly frightened, only curious. A Muggle and then some, Sirius thought again, as he moved his hands over Remus' shoulders and down his back to rest on his waist.
"It stopped raining," Sirius said, leaning in and unsurprised when Remus didn't pull away. "Did you notice?"
"Hours ago, actually. In fact, it doesn't look as though it's rained here at all."
"I suppose not. And you said you lived near here?"
"Very near."
"That's excellent." Sirius glanced down toward the end of the dark alleyway and saw that they were still very much alone, that they were likely not followed. He turned back to Remus and watched his eyes go wide with surprise and Sirius grinned. "This hasn't been a joke, actually, and I'd really like to kiss you, if that's alright. Before I go."
"Were you going?"
"My friends will be worried, what with my cousin attempting to kill me. I'll also need to erase your memories of tonight. It'll be too dangerous for you otherwise."
"Oh sure. Of course. Right. Dangerous."
He was smirking again, this Remus Lupin, and Sirius' own grin turned predatory. His hands slid down, and he pressed his fingers into the heavy denim at Remus' hips as he watched as the tip of Remus' tongue darted out to moisten his lips. Despite his exhaustion, Sirius could still feel a lightness bubbling just beneath his skin, as he did when he was near any other magical creature. It was a kind of call and response, and Sirius found he very much wanted to respond to whatever magic was thrumming through this Remus Lupin.
Sirius brushed his lips against Remus' mouth, against his smile that had gone soft, his eyes bright with his inquisitiveness before they fluttered closed. It encouraged Sirius enough to lean in even closer, deepening their kiss, nipping at Remus' bottom lip to ask for admittance, which was readily granted. For a moment, the world stopped and Sirius sincerely wished time would stop as well. There was magic here, he was certain, brilliant and intense and they both fairly hummed with it, and when they had to pull away, both gasping for breath, Sirius felt it as a loss, incomplete when he'd only just been made whole.
"I'll find you again," Sirius murmured as he dragged the tip of his wand over Remus' neck, following the path with his lips.
"Do you have to lose me now?"
Sirius breathed out his laughter, tempted more than he could say to just keep them there--to explore every bit of Remus he could. To test his theories and formulate new ones about what it meant to be a Wizard or a Muggle. "It's not safe."
"I suppose not."
"I meant--"
"I know. Can you really erase all my memories?"
"Yes, but I'll only take those from tonight."
"Everything?" Remus asked. He cupped his hand over Sirius' cheek and stroked his thumb over Sirius' lip. "It's just that I would like to keep that last bit."
Sirius flashed another grin and kissed Remus hard and fast, reveling in the sharp tug to his hair as Remus tangled his fingers into Sirius' hair. He drew back just as fast, forcing out his Obliviate before he could change his mind. When he opened his eyes, the curiosity and intelligence were gone from Remus' eyes, and stared blearily into the distance before he began blinking as if waking from a particularly lovely dream.
"I'll find you again," Sirius whispered once more and then apparated away, back to his life and his war.