Fic: Travelling Through The Wilderness for lotherington
Title: Travelling Through The Wilderness
Author: liseuse
Recipient: lotherington
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1,900
Summary: Remus meets someone on a train, gets fed and is strangely consoled.
Author's notes: This is for lotherington who wanted soldier!boys and a side of class differences. I hope you like it! All my thanks go to my wonderful beta, littlebutfierce. All mistakes, obviously, belong to me.
Remus sat down on the train seat heavily and shoved his kitbag down beneath his feet. Carefully he stretched his leg out, wincing as the knee straightened, and then brought it back in under the seat. All he could see out of the window was snow falling, and London rising up from the ground. He'd had exactly a day and a half in London, and that had been enough for a lifetime.
'Sorry,' came a voice, startling him. 'Anyone got that seat?'
Remus turned and looked blankly at the man who had just come through the door. 'No. No-one.'
'Excellent,' the man said with considerable relief and shoved his kitbag into the overhead compartment. 'I've walked all the way from the other side of London, and I was going to cry if I couldn't get a seat.'
'Mmmm.' Remus raised an eyebrow. 'Not the day for walking across London. Too much snow.'
'Too many crowds.' The man laughed. It was, Remus thought, a bit like the bark of a contented dog. 'I'm Sirius. Sirius Black.'
'Remus Lupin.' Remus leaned forward so he could shake Sirius's hand, and grimaced as his leg protested.
'Bad leg?' Sirius leaned forward a little further to accommodate Remus.
'Got shot at.' Remus said shortly, and smiled tightly. 'Bullet through the knee.'
'Lucky to have made it out alive then.' Sirius said cheerfully. 'Oh. No. I meant it. Fellow in my brother's platoon got shot through the knee. They couldn't get him off the field quick enough.'
'Ah.' Remus said. 'Well, yes then. Lucky.'
'Sorry.' Sirius said. 'Just, better not to have to go back out and fight. No?'
Remus shrugged. 'Maybe. Who knows? I don't know what there will be for me to do when I get home.'
'I am sure your family will think of something for you.' Sirius said. Whatever he was trying to say after that was drowned out by the noise of soldiers piling in through the door.
'There's a few seats here, lads!'
--
Remus awoke with a jerk as the train conductor came in. 'Manchester. Both of you for Manchester?'
'Yes. Thanks.' Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked over the carriage. Sirius was curled up, asleep, under his coat. 'Sirius.' Remus whispered, trying not to wake the other soldiers up. 'Sirius.' Eventually, Remus realised that whispering wasn't going to do it, and as he stood up he leaned over and gave Sirius a small kick.
'Wha?' Sirius mumbled as he woke up.
'Manchester.' Remus said. 'Sorry for kicking you. Thought you wouldn't want to miss your station.'
'Oh, thank you.' Sirius yawned and stood up. He grabbed his kitbag and pulled his coat around his shoulders. 'This your station too?'
Remus nodded, and slowly groped for his bag. 'Here, let me.' Sirius said as he bent down and grabbed the bag.
'Well.' Remus said as they stood on the platform, watching the train pull out into the distance. 'No welcome party for either of us, it seems.'
Sirius looked around and barked. 'No. No adoring young wives, or confused children, or teary-eyed mothers, or fathers pretending they aren't proud.' He glanced across the station, and watched all of the crying wives and bewildered-looking toddlers. 'Just two soldiers invalided out, and back home. He caught Remus's quizzical look. 'Oh yes. I'm invalided out as well. Nothing as exciting as a shot out knee. Battle fatigue, they're calling it these days. I'm sure my family will have another name for it.'
'Probably.' Remus shrugged. 'But then, they didn't have to go and fight, did they?'
'No. No, they didn't.' Sirius smiled, a little sadly.
‘Sirius! Sirius Black!’
Remus heard the cry go across the station, and as he looked across he saw an impatient-looking redhead trying to wave above the crowd. He elbowed Sirius out of his reverie. ‘Someone is here to greet you.’
Sirius started, and looked in the direction Remus was pointing. ‘Not a wife. Trust me.’ He winked at Remus and gestured to his bag. ‘Couldn’t look after that for a while, could you? I’d best go and rescue Lil from the hordes of soldiers.’
Remus stood, and watched as Sirius strode across the platform and swept the redhead up in his arms. She squeaked slightly as he spun her around, and then seemed to get hold of herself. She must have said something funny, because Sirius flung his head back and laughed. Remus found himself strangely grateful that Sirius’s laugh was the same as the bark he’d given Remus on the train. It seemed to echo across the station and run through all the crannies. That laugh, with its sheer boisterousness and audacity, bounced oddly off the walls of crying people and the few groups still stood in the wind who didn’t seem to be celebrating someone’s return.
‘Lil,’ Sirius said as he walked back up to Remus. ‘I’d like you to meet Remus Lupin. Late of some regiment or other and now out with a shot-at knee.’
‘It’s good to meet you,’ Remus said.
‘You too. I’m Lily Potter. My …’ Lily stumbled to a halt, and took a deep breath. ‘My husband knew this big idiot at school.‘ As she said the last Sirius leaned into her, and looked at her as if she might crack open right there in front of everyone.
‘Right.’ Remus said, feeling incredibly awkward. ‘Well, I’d best get off. Good luck, Sirius. It was nice to meet you, Lily.’ He bent to pick up his bag.
‘Wait,’ Remus heard as he started to walk off towards the station exit. He turned around to see Lily standing on tiptoes so that she could see him. ‘I live just around the corner, and I have hotpot cooking. Would you like to come for tea? You look like you need feeding up a bit.’
Remus shifted. ‘I don’t want to cause any inconvenience.’
‘Nonsense.’ Sirius stated. ‘You haven’t tasted Lily’s hotpot.’ He started to smirk at Remus and then gave a cry of pain as Lily trod on his foot. ‘Ouch. That hurt, you hellcat.’
‘My cooking has improved immensely, thank you very much.’ Lily smiled viciously. ‘It really is no bother, Remus. The buses have stopped running by now anyway, so unless you live in the middle of the city I don’t think you’re getting home anytime soon.’
‘I’ll walk. Really. I don’t want to intrude.’ Remus smiled tightly and tipped his head towards the exit. ‘I should get on my way though.’
‘Somehow I don’t think you’re going to get very far with that knee.’ Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus. ‘You don’t hide the wincing very well. It’s just dinner.’
Lily looked at Remus pointedly. ‘Much as it grieves me to admit it, Sirius has a point. You need to get that leg rested. So it’s tea and a warm bed. And I’m not taking no for an answer. Come on, boys.’ With that she scooped Remus’s kitbag up off the floor and strode off towards the sound of traffic.
‘Isn’t she something?’ Sirius said with a smile on his face. ‘Best not keep the lady waiting.’
--
Remus stepped through Lily’s front door and laughed to himself. These houses, he thought, all looked exactly the same. He could have been stepping into his mother’s house in Mosley, not a terrace five minutes’ walk from London Road Station. There was something about the stone front step, sturdy door and air of parsimony that greeted you as you entered the hallway. He glanced over at Sirius and stifled a smile at how uncomfortable he looked. It wasn’t that Sirius was tall, exactly, but he gave the impression of being too big for this space. Used to something more majestic. A ballroom perhaps.
‘Come in, come in.’ Lily hurried them through the hall. ‘Don’t bother taking your boots off. You’ll need them in the kitchen. It’s bloody freezing.’
Well,’ Sirius said gallantly, ‘you’ll just have to warm us up with hotpot and tea then.’
--
‘Lily, that was superb. Thank you.’ Sirius sat back and lifted his legs so he could rest his feet on the edge of the table. He reached back into the pockets of his coat and drew out a battered pack of cigarettes.
‘I have to admit it wasn’t a disaster.’ Lily laughed and stole a cigarette out of Sirius’s pack. ‘Which makes it a first time for everything.’
Remus leaned forwards to light Lily’s cigarette and then shifted awkwardly in his chair. ‘It really was very nice. Thank you.’
‘Nonsense.’ Lily said. ‘It was worth all the cooking, and the nipping next door to Mrs Weasley to ask advice, just to see you two tucking in. Did anyone want anything else? More tea? The range is still hot, so it’s easy enough.’
‘More tea would be splendid, my dear.’ Sirius grinned. ‘Remus, get your feet on the bloody table before you wince so hard your face cracks.’
Remus stiffened. ‘Oh, no. I couldn’t. Feet on someone else’s furniture. My mother would kill me.’
‘Would your mother kill me if I said it was absolutely fine?’ Lily turned from where she was standing, and waved the teapot in Remus’s direction. ‘I think the table can take the battering somehow. It coped with James and this idiot trying to use it as a dance floor, after all.’
‘A dance floor?’ Remus asked, sounding rather baffled.
‘I’ll tell you the story if you put your feet up.’ Sirius said with a wicked tone in his voice. Remus looked over the table, and realised that he wasn’t joking.
--
‘Oh, crikey.’ Lily yawned. ‘I’d best get to bed, boys. Work in the morning and all that. You stay up as long as you want. And Remus? It was lovely to meet you.’
Remus stood, and leaned across the table to give Lily a peck on the cheek. ‘You too. Thank you for tea.’
‘Nonsense. No bother at all.’ Lily pushed her chair in to the table and walked round to give Sirius a kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll leave you two to sort out the sleeping arrangements. There’s a bed made up in the spare room, and enough blankets to create a makeshift one on the floor.’ She opened the kitchen door and Remus listened as she clicked down the hall and then up the stairs in her heels.
‘I’ll take the blankets and the floor,’ Remus offered.
‘Nonsense,’ Sirius said sternly. ‘You’re the one with the dicky leg. I think that means you have to have the bed. What sort of a cad and a bounder would I be if I let you bunk down on the floor?’
‘A comfortable one?’ Remus laughed lightly, and picked up his cup. He brought it to his face, and rested it on a cheek. ‘I don’t think there is anything more heavenly, right now, than a warm cup.’
‘Comfort for the soul rather, isn’t it?’ Sirius nodded and lit a cigarette. He passed the packet across the table to Remus, who took one gratefully. ‘A plate full of food. A warm cup. And a cigarette that we’re not smoking huddled against someone else, hoping the light doesn’t give us away. Small things, eh?’
‘Small things indeed.’ Remus raised his cup towards Sirius. ‘Here’s to small things and many more of them.’
--
Author: liseuse
Recipient: lotherington
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1,900
Summary: Remus meets someone on a train, gets fed and is strangely consoled.
Author's notes: This is for lotherington who wanted soldier!boys and a side of class differences. I hope you like it! All my thanks go to my wonderful beta, littlebutfierce. All mistakes, obviously, belong to me.
Remus sat down on the train seat heavily and shoved his kitbag down beneath his feet. Carefully he stretched his leg out, wincing as the knee straightened, and then brought it back in under the seat. All he could see out of the window was snow falling, and London rising up from the ground. He'd had exactly a day and a half in London, and that had been enough for a lifetime.
'Sorry,' came a voice, startling him. 'Anyone got that seat?'
Remus turned and looked blankly at the man who had just come through the door. 'No. No-one.'
'Excellent,' the man said with considerable relief and shoved his kitbag into the overhead compartment. 'I've walked all the way from the other side of London, and I was going to cry if I couldn't get a seat.'
'Mmmm.' Remus raised an eyebrow. 'Not the day for walking across London. Too much snow.'
'Too many crowds.' The man laughed. It was, Remus thought, a bit like the bark of a contented dog. 'I'm Sirius. Sirius Black.'
'Remus Lupin.' Remus leaned forward so he could shake Sirius's hand, and grimaced as his leg protested.
'Bad leg?' Sirius leaned forward a little further to accommodate Remus.
'Got shot at.' Remus said shortly, and smiled tightly. 'Bullet through the knee.'
'Lucky to have made it out alive then.' Sirius said cheerfully. 'Oh. No. I meant it. Fellow in my brother's platoon got shot through the knee. They couldn't get him off the field quick enough.'
'Ah.' Remus said. 'Well, yes then. Lucky.'
'Sorry.' Sirius said. 'Just, better not to have to go back out and fight. No?'
Remus shrugged. 'Maybe. Who knows? I don't know what there will be for me to do when I get home.'
'I am sure your family will think of something for you.' Sirius said. Whatever he was trying to say after that was drowned out by the noise of soldiers piling in through the door.
'There's a few seats here, lads!'
--
Remus awoke with a jerk as the train conductor came in. 'Manchester. Both of you for Manchester?'
'Yes. Thanks.' Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked over the carriage. Sirius was curled up, asleep, under his coat. 'Sirius.' Remus whispered, trying not to wake the other soldiers up. 'Sirius.' Eventually, Remus realised that whispering wasn't going to do it, and as he stood up he leaned over and gave Sirius a small kick.
'Wha?' Sirius mumbled as he woke up.
'Manchester.' Remus said. 'Sorry for kicking you. Thought you wouldn't want to miss your station.'
'Oh, thank you.' Sirius yawned and stood up. He grabbed his kitbag and pulled his coat around his shoulders. 'This your station too?'
Remus nodded, and slowly groped for his bag. 'Here, let me.' Sirius said as he bent down and grabbed the bag.
'Well.' Remus said as they stood on the platform, watching the train pull out into the distance. 'No welcome party for either of us, it seems.'
Sirius looked around and barked. 'No. No adoring young wives, or confused children, or teary-eyed mothers, or fathers pretending they aren't proud.' He glanced across the station, and watched all of the crying wives and bewildered-looking toddlers. 'Just two soldiers invalided out, and back home. He caught Remus's quizzical look. 'Oh yes. I'm invalided out as well. Nothing as exciting as a shot out knee. Battle fatigue, they're calling it these days. I'm sure my family will have another name for it.'
'Probably.' Remus shrugged. 'But then, they didn't have to go and fight, did they?'
'No. No, they didn't.' Sirius smiled, a little sadly.
‘Sirius! Sirius Black!’
Remus heard the cry go across the station, and as he looked across he saw an impatient-looking redhead trying to wave above the crowd. He elbowed Sirius out of his reverie. ‘Someone is here to greet you.’
Sirius started, and looked in the direction Remus was pointing. ‘Not a wife. Trust me.’ He winked at Remus and gestured to his bag. ‘Couldn’t look after that for a while, could you? I’d best go and rescue Lil from the hordes of soldiers.’
Remus stood, and watched as Sirius strode across the platform and swept the redhead up in his arms. She squeaked slightly as he spun her around, and then seemed to get hold of herself. She must have said something funny, because Sirius flung his head back and laughed. Remus found himself strangely grateful that Sirius’s laugh was the same as the bark he’d given Remus on the train. It seemed to echo across the station and run through all the crannies. That laugh, with its sheer boisterousness and audacity, bounced oddly off the walls of crying people and the few groups still stood in the wind who didn’t seem to be celebrating someone’s return.
‘Lil,’ Sirius said as he walked back up to Remus. ‘I’d like you to meet Remus Lupin. Late of some regiment or other and now out with a shot-at knee.’
‘It’s good to meet you,’ Remus said.
‘You too. I’m Lily Potter. My …’ Lily stumbled to a halt, and took a deep breath. ‘My husband knew this big idiot at school.‘ As she said the last Sirius leaned into her, and looked at her as if she might crack open right there in front of everyone.
‘Right.’ Remus said, feeling incredibly awkward. ‘Well, I’d best get off. Good luck, Sirius. It was nice to meet you, Lily.’ He bent to pick up his bag.
‘Wait,’ Remus heard as he started to walk off towards the station exit. He turned around to see Lily standing on tiptoes so that she could see him. ‘I live just around the corner, and I have hotpot cooking. Would you like to come for tea? You look like you need feeding up a bit.’
Remus shifted. ‘I don’t want to cause any inconvenience.’
‘Nonsense.’ Sirius stated. ‘You haven’t tasted Lily’s hotpot.’ He started to smirk at Remus and then gave a cry of pain as Lily trod on his foot. ‘Ouch. That hurt, you hellcat.’
‘My cooking has improved immensely, thank you very much.’ Lily smiled viciously. ‘It really is no bother, Remus. The buses have stopped running by now anyway, so unless you live in the middle of the city I don’t think you’re getting home anytime soon.’
‘I’ll walk. Really. I don’t want to intrude.’ Remus smiled tightly and tipped his head towards the exit. ‘I should get on my way though.’
‘Somehow I don’t think you’re going to get very far with that knee.’ Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus. ‘You don’t hide the wincing very well. It’s just dinner.’
Lily looked at Remus pointedly. ‘Much as it grieves me to admit it, Sirius has a point. You need to get that leg rested. So it’s tea and a warm bed. And I’m not taking no for an answer. Come on, boys.’ With that she scooped Remus’s kitbag up off the floor and strode off towards the sound of traffic.
‘Isn’t she something?’ Sirius said with a smile on his face. ‘Best not keep the lady waiting.’
--
Remus stepped through Lily’s front door and laughed to himself. These houses, he thought, all looked exactly the same. He could have been stepping into his mother’s house in Mosley, not a terrace five minutes’ walk from London Road Station. There was something about the stone front step, sturdy door and air of parsimony that greeted you as you entered the hallway. He glanced over at Sirius and stifled a smile at how uncomfortable he looked. It wasn’t that Sirius was tall, exactly, but he gave the impression of being too big for this space. Used to something more majestic. A ballroom perhaps.
‘Come in, come in.’ Lily hurried them through the hall. ‘Don’t bother taking your boots off. You’ll need them in the kitchen. It’s bloody freezing.’
Well,’ Sirius said gallantly, ‘you’ll just have to warm us up with hotpot and tea then.’
--
‘Lily, that was superb. Thank you.’ Sirius sat back and lifted his legs so he could rest his feet on the edge of the table. He reached back into the pockets of his coat and drew out a battered pack of cigarettes.
‘I have to admit it wasn’t a disaster.’ Lily laughed and stole a cigarette out of Sirius’s pack. ‘Which makes it a first time for everything.’
Remus leaned forwards to light Lily’s cigarette and then shifted awkwardly in his chair. ‘It really was very nice. Thank you.’
‘Nonsense.’ Lily said. ‘It was worth all the cooking, and the nipping next door to Mrs Weasley to ask advice, just to see you two tucking in. Did anyone want anything else? More tea? The range is still hot, so it’s easy enough.’
‘More tea would be splendid, my dear.’ Sirius grinned. ‘Remus, get your feet on the bloody table before you wince so hard your face cracks.’
Remus stiffened. ‘Oh, no. I couldn’t. Feet on someone else’s furniture. My mother would kill me.’
‘Would your mother kill me if I said it was absolutely fine?’ Lily turned from where she was standing, and waved the teapot in Remus’s direction. ‘I think the table can take the battering somehow. It coped with James and this idiot trying to use it as a dance floor, after all.’
‘A dance floor?’ Remus asked, sounding rather baffled.
‘I’ll tell you the story if you put your feet up.’ Sirius said with a wicked tone in his voice. Remus looked over the table, and realised that he wasn’t joking.
--
‘Oh, crikey.’ Lily yawned. ‘I’d best get to bed, boys. Work in the morning and all that. You stay up as long as you want. And Remus? It was lovely to meet you.’
Remus stood, and leaned across the table to give Lily a peck on the cheek. ‘You too. Thank you for tea.’
‘Nonsense. No bother at all.’ Lily pushed her chair in to the table and walked round to give Sirius a kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll leave you two to sort out the sleeping arrangements. There’s a bed made up in the spare room, and enough blankets to create a makeshift one on the floor.’ She opened the kitchen door and Remus listened as she clicked down the hall and then up the stairs in her heels.
‘I’ll take the blankets and the floor,’ Remus offered.
‘Nonsense,’ Sirius said sternly. ‘You’re the one with the dicky leg. I think that means you have to have the bed. What sort of a cad and a bounder would I be if I let you bunk down on the floor?’
‘A comfortable one?’ Remus laughed lightly, and picked up his cup. He brought it to his face, and rested it on a cheek. ‘I don’t think there is anything more heavenly, right now, than a warm cup.’
‘Comfort for the soul rather, isn’t it?’ Sirius nodded and lit a cigarette. He passed the packet across the table to Remus, who took one gratefully. ‘A plate full of food. A warm cup. And a cigarette that we’re not smoking huddled against someone else, hoping the light doesn’t give us away. Small things, eh?’
‘Small things indeed.’ Remus raised his cup towards Sirius. ‘Here’s to small things and many more of them.’
--