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Tweak says, "I need a new name"

Draco Malfoy (ab_draco) wrote in abaeterno_rpg,
@ 2022-02-14 10:07:00

Entry tags:

!complete, c: draco malfoy, c: remus lupin, l: okeano

RP: Draco/Remus
Who: Draco/Remus
When: February 14th
Where: Remus' room at first
What: Draco checks on accommodations both in terms of hotel and the full moon

Draco found the hotel welcoming enough. The rooms were spacious, the food was good, but he was getting claustrophobic. He did not like the idea of being trapped in a giant bubble, with the sea potentially able to break through everything. He kept both potions and gillyweed always with him just in case. At least Bella was safe on the bus.

He decided that a distraction was in order. Theo was on his list, but first Remus. They had to figure out about the full moon. He hadn't asked the night before, but he realized that being underwater, he had no idea when the full would be. Or if there would be one at all.

The walk to Remus' room was a brief one. They had been split on two floors and Remus was in the same one as his. He knocked on the door, smiling when Remus opened the door. "So how are you feeling in such a big room?" he teased. "And may I come in?"

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ab_draco
2022-02-14 09:28 pm UTC (link)

Draco stepped inside, with only a tiny smile. It's all they needed. "Considering the size of the small room on the bus, you need at least another five people in here." He turned to look at Remus. "You're more than welcome to come and spend time in my room, although we need to invite Theo. He won't mind the big room, but I don't know if he'll enjoy the friendliness around here." Or the lack of clothes.

"I'd like to mention that my room on the bus is bigger than this." Not that this room was smaller, but Draco truly enjoyed his room on the bus, complete with a tree for Bella.

He took the opposite chair. "I've walked around the city for a while. It's... unpleasant to know that we are stuck underwater. I can't imagine it's any better for you. I was wondering about the full moon. I don't think running around will be possible, but then we don't know if there will be a full moon. I did bring extra potion." Not that he thought that Remus would forget, but better safe than sorry.

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-15 02:15 am UTC (link)

"There will be one. I can feel it coming, even if I can't see the moon. Tomorrow night, most likely. Day after, maybe." Wrapping a discarded blanket around himself as he settled in the chair, Remus shook his head. The bus certainly wasn't making it easy for him with these last few stops. His system was a mess with the waiting three months between transformations and then two transformations in three weeks. "But, no, there won't be any running around this time. As long as I take the potion, it should be okay to just stay here. With enough silencing spells and moving the furniture around to make room, I should be able to transform without bothering the other guests."

It wasn't ideal. But, it wouldn't be the worst place Remus had been forced to transform and at least he wouldn't have to worry about accidentally killing someone thanks to the potion they'd picked up on Necrohelm.

And then he could wander around the city with all his scars on display. Lovely.

"Are you and Theo doing better, then?" Remus had been wary at hearing of the other wizard's arrival on the bus so soon after being sent back. He had watched Draco be hurt by his supposed friend's words and actions for too many weeks not to be suspicious. But, he wasn't going to interfere between the two friends. Hadn't he had his own problems with his friends in the past and they'd managed to work through the worst of them on the bus?

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ab_draco
2022-02-15 02:50 am UTC (link)

Draco frowned. That wasn't good. "Well, at least we don't have to rely on our Wolfsbane. We wouldn't have the time to give you three doses. I would say take it both nights if you aren't sure. We have more than enough and I know how to make it now. It's taken a few months, but I'm confident that I can do it." He knew he had lost his mind, but he didn't like the option. "Do you want company? It's not like you could have a stag in here, but I could stay with you."

He nodded. "We are. This Theo is... normal. He feels like my Theo, the person I consider like a brother. Maybe, the one before had a similar reality, but we weren't from the same one. I know it sounds like wishful thinking, but his reactions always felt off to me, like something didn't make sense. When we arrived, we didn't question it. I guess everyone assumes that they come from the same reality if they know each other, but the last reality has proven how wrong that is."

He was glad that the bus had brought Theo here, though. "This Theo is familiarly reserved and uninterested in anything Muggle. He loves his clothes, and he thinks that shopping means an entire wardrobe every season, which is why he has an entire room for his clothes," he said, smiling. "He's never with a single hair out of place, and I'm sure he uses plenty of spells to ensure that his hair looks casually mussed. In short, he's my Theo."

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-15 04:56 am UTC (link)

The offer caught Remus off-guard and he glanced over at Draco. "You don't have to do that," he said quietly. He'd gotten used to being alone over the years. The previous Full had been strange, having James there again. Having Draco there... "I probably won't be much company. Definitely not much of a conversationalist. You shouldn't lose sleep because of me." It would be nice to not be alone. But, he wouldn't ask Draco to do that when the other man had better ways to spend his time than wolf-sitting when there wasn't a clear security need for it.

Still, he couldn't help smiling as the blond went on. It reminded him a bit of his own friends, the way Remus had always thought of them as brothers. But, their problems had been wholly their own, no alternate realities to excuse what had gone wrong between them. "It makes sense to see someone familiar and think they are the person you know, particularly for those of us with no reason to suspect time travel or alternate dimensions at play. I'm glad you're getting along better this time around, though. Wishful thinking or not, it makes sense in light of all that's happened and how different they seem to be now."

Remus chuckled softly. "Although, I'm not sure if you just described your friend or mine. Sounds very much like Sirius at school. Not sure even he had that many clothes, though."

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ab_draco
2022-02-15 05:00 pm UTC (link)

"I don't have to do a great many things. You would call it the silver lining. With no society and expectations, I can do what I want when I want to." He'd always said that he could do that, but he wasn't naive enough to think that it was true. "I want to help and it doesn't mean we have to be stuck here. Once you transform, we can go for a walk. Maybe with some sort of magical leash. I know that you have your human mind, but people have never seen a wolf here. I don't want people trying to get too close. Although, being the middle of the night and with the stores close, we can walk around the shopping floors." He smirked. "And I'm not even suggesting that we play fetch."

Draco nodded. "There's no way to know that he's my Theo. With so many different realities and so many close to each other, pinpointing the right one is almost impossible. I was thinking about our theory of what happens when we go back, and well... What if we aren't from the same reality? Maybe in yours, Remus Lupin disappeared and never got married. There's absolutely no way to know. What we have here, the friendships we're creating, this is what we know for sure."

He was getting along and that was the important thing. Still the comparison surprised him. "I don't know if I'd call Sirius reserved, and I doubt he'd own a fraction of Theo's clothes. He'd have to accept the Black family money, while Theo has no compunction in using what his father left him."

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-16 04:10 am UTC (link)

"You want to play fetch, you should have asked Pads while he was here," Remus shot back with an amused snort. His expression softened a moment later as he smiled. "But, thank you. If that's what you want, I would be grateful for your company. As long as it's not too much of an imposition." Draco had already done so much to help him, Remus didn't want to accidentally fall into the trap of taking the younger man's generosity for granted. "I'm not sure how a leash would keep people from getting too close to me, however. It might be best to go where there won't be any people, as long as we're back here by dawn, or just stay in here."

Remus chuckled. "I was only referring to Sirius and fashion, during our school days. Before he left at sixteen, he was more than happy to accept the Black family money. He was never reserved."

Relaxing some, as they talk, his grip on the blanket loosened a bit. "But, I do agree that we can't know for certain beyond who we are now and the relationships we have here on the bus. I'm not sure which I prefer, going back to live out the future I saw with no memory of this experience, or disappearing entirely and not knowing what will happen when the bus tires of me. What I do know, though, is that if the bus hadn't brought me here, I wouldn't have had the chance to get to know you or reconnect with James." He'd still be alone.

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ab_draco
2022-02-17 12:52 am UTC (link)

Draco laughed. "I don't think so, but thank you for suggesting that. Sirius and I didn't really get along. Or more accurately, he had lots of assumptions and I was very amused by how childish he sounded." No wonder they all died young, they were children with no fear. Draco had felt a good deal of fear that had made him cautious and kept him alive. "I would say that no thanks are required, but then we start a long discussion, so I'll just say you're very welcome, and it's not an imposition at all. Imposing implies that you forced me, but I offered."

He shrugged. "People respect pets, but that's stupid considering that these people have never seen a pet that doesn't swim, so forget about that. We'll stick to the business side of it. All the stores will be closed." He would never understand Sirius. "And he dressed like that? Really, Aunt Walburga should have insisted on a better tailor."

There was a little frown on Draco's face. "Are you cold or is it the full? And, as you can imagine I've been giving a lot of thought to this, and I don't like the idea of forgetting everything we have learned. If this theory going around that being involved is what keeps us here is true, then involved we shall be, because I don't want to go anywhere for now, and I want to find a way to go back to Necrohelm. There's got to be a way. Even if we just visit for a few days every once in a while."

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-19 01:59 am UTC (link)

"Pads had a way of seeing the world he expected in a lot of ways, not always the one that was." It had been a bit surreal seeing the twenty-one year old Sirius he remembered and realizing that he, Remus, had grown up while his friends hadn't had that chance. Remus couldn't help chuckling. "And we wouldn't want to start a very long discussion," he teased, knowing it wouldn't have been the first or the last. Draco was surprisingly easy to talk to in general.

Chuckles turned to warm, companionable laughter as Draco talked himself out of his own plan with decently irrefutable logic. "Let's see how the transformation goes and play it by ear from there." He snorted softly. "He preferred muggle styles that would brass her off and punk was gaining popularity when we were in school. I always liked the music, but could do without the fashion choices much of the time."

Caught out, Remus skipped answering Draco's question for a moment. "I would be surprised if you weren't giving it a lot of thought," said with a soft smile. "The evidence does seem to suggest that those being sent back are those who don't engage with the group or the mission. And, if nothing else, we do have an opportunity to learn things we'd never get the chance to learn at home. Perhaps, we can learn a way to return to Necrohelm somehow." He sighed softly. "But, to answer your question, I'm neither cold nor having problems with the Full. I am merely attempting to get used to these clothes so that I won't turn several shades of red my own eyes can't distinguish when I'm out there," he admitted with a wave of his hand toward the world visible on the other side of the window.

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ab_draco
2022-02-19 03:14 pm UTC (link)

"Now, that I could tell even with the brief encounter I had with him," he said with a chuckle. "No, we always want to start long discussions, just not about this one subject." He wasn't going to change Remus' mind and he could pick his battles, unlike most Gryffindors who never met a challenge they didn't like.

"That's fine, and I'll keep my wand close in case people do want to get too close. There are ways to keep them at a distance without hurting them." A simple confundo would do and he could do that without a wand, ensuring that the people didn't see anything. "He seemed to do a lot of things to piss off other people. That might not be the start of a long and happy life. It's like he didn't learn anything from generations of Blacks, and his parents were of age when they had him, so he has no excuse. My grandfather was thirteen when Aunt Bella was born. As you can imagine not a very good age to rise a child."

While knowing that the theory was correct assuaged some of his worries, it was still not enough. He wanted certainties. "We'll put it in the list of things we need to figure out, and we should definitely learn how to go back." He looked at Remus, trying not to laugh. "I know that these clothes aren't as proper as ours, but I've seen how you dress. They can only be an improvement," he teased. "And I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-20 02:21 am UTC (link)

"Fair enough. We do at that, don't we?" Remus chuckled quietly. His friendship with Draco might be the most surprising discovery since arriving on the bus. But, it was also one of the most welcome, precisely because they could just sit and talk about...pretty much anything at length and neither seemed to get bored with the conversation or the company.

Certain the younger wizard would have security well in hand for the full, Remus simply nodded his agreement. Sirius was always a different matter, however, it seemed. "Sirius' way of fighting back was often actual fighting in whatever way he felt able. Flaunting his distaste for his family's positions and actions was another way of fighting back for him, particularly when he was younger and had no other way. And, he was very much all or nothing. I think, in his mind, if he could accept that there was something not horrible about his parents and the family legacy, he would have to accept the bad things they did to him, as well. I cannot even imagine being a father at thirteen, though. Then again, at thirteen I was barely able to comprehend having friends. Forget sex, marriage, and cementing bloodlines."

Huffing good-naturedly, he shook his head. "Says the man who talks of having perfect skin he can't take out into the sun," he retorted. It wasn't the clothes that were the problem so much as the man revealed beneath them that bothered Remus, though. He wasn't normally a vain man, but he'd learned during his first year at school that his scars were guaranteed to draw attention, questions, and sometimes not-so-quiet revulsion. "I like my heavy, non-revealing denim. Everything here is either skimpy or sheer." He'd tried to get a full shirt, but his options were either vests made of more opaque material that would still show off the scars criss-crossing his arms, or long-sleeved shirts made from see-through materials. The predominance of skin-tight trousers at least covered the scars on his legs, although those were fewer and most recent being a product of encounters with other werewolves and not self-afflicted.

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ab_draco
2022-02-20 03:28 am UTC (link)

"We definitely do. It's almost like you're not a Gryffindor and can string more than a few sentences together," he teased, with a small smile. "If you start accepting that a certain dose of entitlement is a good thing, we can move forward in your path toward being a Slytherin."

Draco snorted. "That is a ridiculous way to subvert the way things are done. The best ways include smiling and saying 'as you wish, Father' while doing what needs to be done. Granted, it took me until I finished school to figure that out, but at least I did. He didn't seem to have grown past Hogwarts." He shrugged. "My mother's line was all... questionable. Her and Sirius' grandfather was sixteen when his eldest was born. They weren't the first ones. It was the perfect way to control them. Imagine if they could have ensured that Sirius had fathered a child at twelve. His parents would have basically raised the child and the family line would have survived."

Draco chuckled. "That's because I get sunburned." Still, he understood about vanity and wouldn't dismiss it as easily. "You don't need denim to cover what you need. Or twill. You really did adore your twill. There are plenty of glamours to take care of that problem. Slytherins are really good when it comes to our appearance. It won't change the way the clothes look, but it'll change what people see."

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galarusblaidd
2022-02-20 07:48 pm UTC (link)

Remus laughed. "See? The hat was supposed to put me in Ravenclaw, but was confused by the werewolf part and picked Gryffindor instead." He was fairly certain Draco teaching him any sort of entitlement was doomed to fail. But, he kept his silence on that point and simply smiled. Remus would make a lousy Slytherin, really.

"The war demanded different things of all of us. Prongs had to grow up because Harry was on the way. If you ask the others, I was born a grown-up," he added with a fond huff. "Peter...well, I guess I never knew his true motivators, did I? And Pads...in some ways, I think the war was just an extension of what he'd always hated as a boy, tugged at something inside him that wouldn't let him see past those childhood nightmares." What Draco described made a terrible sort of sense and Remus couldn't help wondering what that sort of life might have meant for Sirius' younger brother once Sirius was cut off from the family and Regulus was still young enough to be malleable. "Almost makes one wonder why they didn't take such measures, at least with his brother, given Sirius' intractability."

There was a pause as Remus considered the response, then a quiet laugh escaped him. "Honestly, not something I considered. I'm not sure I know those types of glamours." It wouldn't solve the problem of the clothing being so...not enough. But, at least he wouldn't be embarrassed by having all his scars on display.

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ab_draco
2022-02-20 08:26 pm UTC (link)

"Now, that I can believe. It seems confused by a lot of Gryffindors. People always think that it's the Hufflepuffs that go there if they don't fit anywhere else, but really, it's when the hat realizes that a child is too stupid to go into any of the three that it places it in Gryffindor, because only an idiot would be go into the house of the braves," he said, laughing.

Draco sighed. "Seems like there are always a lot of excuses when it comes to Sirius. Sometimes people are just broken and nothing will fix them. Look at the Dark Lord, Aunt Bella. Maybe Sirius didn't want to take over the world, but he was just as broken." He smiled. "From all that I've heard, Regulus was the model child and was loved for that. They would have given him the spouse he wanted since they knew he would comply with the family's desires."

He chuckled. "And this is why you need a Slytherin as a friend. Come on, let me show you some spells and then let's take a walk. It'll be easier if we know where we want to go on the full."

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