InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Can't stop, won't stop!"

Sirius O. Black (pad_foot) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2011-08-01 18:31:00

Entry tags:

!open, james potter, sirius black, willow rosenberg

WHO: PoA!Sirius Black and Willow Rosenburg (Open to people who got texts)
WHAT: Sirius is pretty sure hanging in a strange flat isn't a good plan, so he heads for the streets.
WHERE: Colligo Streets
WHEN: This evening
RATING: TBD.
PROGRESS: In Progress

Sirius had woken up in a bed he didn't recognise and a flat he didn't know. It wasn't the first time - Muggles were bloody careless when it came to locking stuff sometimes, and when it had been raining for three days in a row and even Padfoot's fur wasn't keeping him warm he had occasionally been moved to breaking and entering. He always supposed the owners were on holiday or something. Still, he liked to think he was a very conscientious squatter. He always cleaned up after himself, for example. Once he had even fixed their broken sink with a wand he'd lifted off some elderly old Wizard. It had only run hot water, but for a freezing escaped convict that hadn't seemed like a bad deal.

It wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten choosing a place to sleep, either. He forgot a lot things these days. The days and night all blurred into one and more than once he just let Padfoot decide where he was sleeping. He'd been heading North, he knew that much. North to Scotland and Hogwarts and Harry and Wormtail. He didn't know what the date was. Checking a newspaper didn't hold much appeal, not when he kept seeing his own gaunt face screaming out at him. He'd been proud of his hair once, for Merlin's sake. Still, it didn't matter. Nothing much mattered any more, apart from heading North. Maybe he'd frighten Peter this way. Good. He wanted him scared. He wanted him scared and begging and bleeding, and then he'd rip his heart out and it would be done. It would all be fair and over then.

Padfoot had found a darkened alley behind what smelled like a fast food place, and Sirius allowed himself to transform back for a moment to dig his dirty hands into an open bin, searching for something, anything, to satisfy the gnawing pain in his stomach. He could work out where he was later. Right now he needed to eat.

Shaking the sheet of filthy, matted hair from his eyes, Sirius pulled out an old chicken bone with a few scraps of meat attached and attacked it furiously, suddenly more dog than man as he squatted down in the shadows beside the bin. His Azkaban robes hung like rags off his bones, his muscles staining like cords of rope as his teeth ripped at the cold meat.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

thecallofmagic
2011-08-01 09:11 pm UTC (link)

"I'm not lying," Willow assured him instantly. "I'm not exactly so great with the lying. I tend to get twitchy and there are hives and then I have to go away and it's just not pretty. So definitely no lying. Especially about something like this." And even though she was a fully grown woman, Willow still made a slight X over her chest. "Cross my heart," she added sincerely. "Harry knows you're innocent. No one is looking for you, here. You're not wanted by authorities. Not even close."

Granted, it was entirely possible the Sirius Black that had been in the city before was wanted for something by the Colligo authorities but Willow sincerely doubted it. And even if he was, he certainly wasn't going to be wanted for the same crimes as back home. Not to mention, if he was wanted for some other reason and the cops showed up at the moment, there was no way on this planet or Earth that she was going to let them just take the guy. So really, it was all moot. He was as safe as he could possibly hope to be.

And if Harry or James or, hell, even Regulus would respond to her text already, he would be amongst people who cared for him as well. Not that she didn't care but they weren't exactly what you would call close.

Not sure what else to say or do while waiting on the others, she finally asked almost hesitantly, "Do you want to get something to eat while we wait? You look like you could use a meal or twelve and it'll be my treat..." Not that she really expected him to say yes, what with her being a complete stranger and all, but she at least had to make the offer.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stolensnitch
2011-08-01 09:53 pm UTC (link)

James had quickly found Lily and explained what had happened, then gave her and Luke a goodbye kiss before he checked the reply from Willow and disapparated with a pop. He appeared at the mouth of an alleyway which was illuminated by witchlight. He could see Willow, so he made his way down to stand beside her, clearing his throat as he got closer so that he wouldn't startle anyone. "Hello," he said as he walked into the light, nodding at Willow and then looking over at Sirius.

He didn't mean to stare, and he'd been telling himself not to react too badly, but oh, fuck, this was what had happened to him? He'd read the books, he'd known, but this made it real. He blinked, then shook himself out of it. "Hey, Pads," he said, forcing himself to smile at his best friend. "It's me." How very reassuring, he thought, mentally rolling his eyes at himself. He couldn't afford not to say it, though, since Pads thought him dead. And as much as he wanted to apparate him back home and get him fed and cleaned up and have Lils fuss over him, he couldn't. Sirius might have been almost fifteen years older than he was used to, but he knew that look and he knew the other wizard was getting ready to shift into Padfoot or to run away or something. He had to take this one slow. "I hear we're going to get food," he continued, then risked taking a step or two closer to his friend.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pad_foot
2011-08-01 10:12 pm UTC (link)

Well, it wasn't fair to offer him food. Sirius hadn't had decent food for weeks. He should have pinched something from the flat he'd come from. Maybe then he wouldn't be so tempted to take her up on her offer. He'd probably get blown up or killed or cursed, all for a plate of chips. Bloody hell. Chips. Sirius' stomach gave a weak gurgle at the thought, and the muscles in his caved abdomen ached and cramped painfully.

Anyway, it was easier to worry about the food question than everything else she'd said. If Harry knew... If Remus really had got to Pete... Surely he'd know. Somehow. He'd just know surely.

But if it was true, and he'd missed it, what was he supposed to do? Getting to Peter had been it. The only thing that'd fuelled him. He hadn't even considered past that. Suddenly Sirius felt very lost.

There was a pop of someone apparating, and Sirius immediately took a sharp step back from the redhead. There was a figure stepping out of the gloom. And... oh, fucking hell.

Sirius made a noise in the hollow at the back of his throat. No. That wasn't right. That was cruel. He stepped back further as the man who couldn't be James approached, shooting an accusing gaze across at Willow. What was she doing to him? Why was she doing this? He should have known the moment she'd created that stupid floaty ball-light thing. He should have run then. Because this wasn't fair, having this man standing in front of him when Sirius knew that it couldn't be true. It hurt. Was this what Death Eaters did these days? Sirius gripped his stolen wand tighter, his knuckles turning white.

He looked like James. He acted like James. There was his awkward way of standing when he didn't quite know what to do. The random cleaning of glasses. Bloody stupid hair he'd obviously been running a hand through. All things James did when upset. But James was dead. He'd seen him.

Sirius shook his head again, as if he could shake the image away. But it remained, solid and real and there, stood right in front of him. "Stop it. He's dead," he finally croaked out, and suddenly there was the bin again, and he'd backed right into it without even noticing. His voice shook. "James Potter is dead. You're fucked up. Both of you. It's sick."

But he couldn't help glancing across, almost wistfully, at the newcomer.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thecallofmagic
2011-08-02 04:40 am UTC (link)

The saying that hindsight was 20/20 had always been something that Willow had understood. However, as she stood in the alley, watching Sirius' reaction to a man he believed long dead, she understood it at a level she never had before. And she couldn't say she liked it very much either. Because while her intentions had certainly been the best, it was obvious to her - and probably anyone who wasn't legally blind - that her intentions really weren't going to amount to much in the grand scheme of things.

Still. Willow knew that she had to figure out some way to convince the man that they were telling the truth. Fortunately, the answer seemed to come from a response to the earlier texts she'd sent out. And although the answer came from Regulus, Willow knew that he had a very good point. The fact that Harry said he was on his way there as well only helped to ensure that, even if she had the 'Potter' in Regulus' text confused with father rather than son, the situation would still be fixed soon enough.

"Your Patronus," she said as she quickly looked to James, slipping her PDA back into her pocket. "Show him, James." Even as she said the words, Willow was doing her best to pull up any information she had retained after reading the books pertaining to their reality for anything else that might convince Sirius that they were telling the truth. After a heartbeat, she added, "Or just... do what you can. Harry's on his way."

Okay. Not the most subtle of suggestions but Willow wasn't very good at subterfuge. She could, however, track Padfoot if Sirius opted to transform and take off, and focused on being fully prepared to do exactly that just in case she'd totally misunderstood Regulus' text or, for some truly bizarre reason, James couldn't create a Patronus that would prove he was exactly who he seemed to be.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stolensnitch
2011-08-02 08:08 am UTC (link)

James hadn't looked away from Sirius, but he nodded as Willow spoke to him. The instant she mentioned his Patronus, he had his wand out; he had a plethora of happy memories to sort through at the moment but the one that stood out the most for him was of Sirius meeting Luke for the first time. He fed other memories into the feeling as well, like spending time with Harry or Moony, or how he felt when he was with Lils and even how much he enjoyed playing Mario Kart. He pointed his wand at a spot further down the alley once he had the memories in place, and smiled at Pads again.

"Expecto Patronum," he said, watching as his Patronus formed out of the silvery spellstuff, and then there was a glowing silver stag watching them all. It bowed its head at James and Willow, then carefully made its way over towards Sirius. Ducking its head again, it leant in close to Sirius and borrowed James' voice as it spoke softly. "You switched with Wormtail, let everyone think you were our secret keeper, and then he betrayed us on Hallowe'en. We're not at home any more, and this place brings people from different points in time. I came here from that Hallowe'en. Lily's here, and Harry and Moony too. We know it wasn't you. We know it was Wormtail. We believe you."

The Patronus lifted its head after that and walked over towards James and Willow. Stepping forward, James raised a hand and ran it along the stag's neck. It turned to nuzzle at him before dissolving back into spellstuff, and then James spoke to Sirius again. "I'm me, I promise."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

pad_foot
2011-08-02 12:50 pm UTC (link)

James-who-may-not-have-been-James lifted his wand, and Sirius immediately raised his stolen one in return. But then he was casting a Patronus, a silvery stag that blossomed out of nowhere and stepped forward towards him. Then it was speaking to him using James' voice. You couldn't duplicate a patronus, just as no'one could duplicate Padfoot or Prongs. Sirius knew that. He glanced sharply back at up James through his curtain of matted hair, stood a few metres away.

Sirius wasn't quite sure what was going on. This morning he'd been homeless and lost and freezing cold and hungry, but at least he'd had a purpose. He'd known what was going on and why and what he was going to do about it. Now... Well, what now? What was going on? If that really was James, as was appearing more and more likely... Sirius decided to stop questioning things, before he went completely mad. If he wasn't already, obviously. Which was also looking quite possible. But then he looked up at James something seemed to snap deep in his chest and perhaps it was just because he wanted it to be true so badly, beyond all reasoning and logic, that he let himself believe him.

After all, if it was a lie, and they killed him or did whatever else it was they wanted, what did it really matter? Especially if Peter was really was already gone. He was too tired to fight it.

"James," he stumbled forward, seizing James' arm with born skeletal hands. Sirius stared out of wide eyes in sunken sockets, drinking him in. "Sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll find him. But you have to tell them it wasn't me, James. I can't go back there. I'm so tired, James. Please. I'm so sorry." He was babbling, clinging onto the other man like a desperate child.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

thecallofmagic
2011-08-03 03:47 pm UTC (link)

If Willow had felt as though she was a third wheel when James arrived, that was nothing to how out of place she felt as Sirius was reunited with his best friend after going through something that she couldn't even begin to fathom. She remembered, briefly, her stint with dark magic and her being convinced Giles was going to send her somewhere like Azkaban for what she'd done. When he hadn't, when he'd instead taken her to a coven to learn how to properly use her magic, she had felt a debt to him that she wasn't sure she could ever repay fully.

Then the thought was gone and Willow quietly took a step back from the duo. "Harry should be here soon," she said, moreso to James since she doubted Sirius was really listening to her. With a pause, she added, "So I'll go. Take care, Sirius. Let me know if you need anything, James." And with a soft smile at the two of them, she disappeared silently into thin air, teleporting to the hallway outside her and Tara's apartment. What had started as an evening stroll had become something much different and, as much as Willow enjoyed her walks, she now wanted nothing more than to hold her girlfriend and be grateful to have her back in her life again.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

stolensnitch
2011-08-03 11:49 pm UTC (link)

James let Sirius cling to him, before pulling him into his arms and just holding him close for a while. Willow spoke after that, so he turned his head to look back over his shoulder at her. He smiled and nodded as she took her leave of them, replying quietly. "I will. And thanks, Willow." He watched as she vanished, then turned his full attention back to Pads.

"Shhh, you're okay, Pads. Nobody here is after you, I promise. And you don't need to apologise, but if it makes you feel better, I'll accept them." He hugged Sirius tight again, ignoring the state of the rags his friend appeared to be dressed in, and the fact that he stank of bins because really, that was unimportant right now. "Do you want to come back to my place? Lily's there, and, uh. Baby Luke. I'll explain that later. Do you want to? And I can get you new clothes and Lils will want to feed you and fuss at you, you know what she's like, and you can sleep. I can let Harry know where we're going, unless you want to wait here for him? He's... a bit older than you're expecting, though."

Gradually, he moved them over to a couple of packing crates, so he got his wand out and quickly turned them into a comfy seat for the pair of them. "I see you found your wand," he remarked as he sat down. He then got his cigarettes out of his pocket and turned off the miniaturising spell he used to try and keep Lily from finding them. "Want one?"

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -