Date: 22nd [backdated to yesterday] Characters: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin Location: 12 Grimmauld Place Rating: G
A box of Quality Street lay on the coffee table, empty chocolate wrappers spilling out. Sirius sent another bunch of colourful papers spinning into the air, idly shooting small streams of light at them from the sofa. Working in the garage was wonderful; he spent hours tinkering with engines, learning how the electrics worked inside the cars, and generally earning money for what was an enjoyable hobby. However, working with muggles all day long was rather restricting. Whilst he'd grown used to doing things the muggle way - cups of tea, fetching things himself (and Dan was even teaching him how to use the computer) - he longed for his wand by the time he left.
When the last colourful wrapper made a crackling noise and fell to the carpet he turned to Remus, picking up a strawberry creme. "Anyone would think you're trying to fatten me up Remus, the amount of these that appear in the house."
Remus payed no attention to Sirius's antics... he was far too used to it to let it distract him from his book. Though, when he heard that he was being spoken to, his attention was diverted. "Fatten you up?" he scoffed, leaning forward and grabbing another chocolate from the box, taking a bite and savouring it for a moment. Mmmm, caramel. "Is it even possible for you to gain weight? Because I've not noticed an extra ounce anywhere." he remarked, as wickedly as Remus was capable of. "But I'd be happy to look for you." he chuckled.
Between Remus' love of chocolate and James' fondness for bacon, pizza and anything which let him off cooking, Sirius probably should have had a stomach remeniscient of Lily's whilst she carried Harry. As it was, he was rarely still enough for the bad stuff to settle.
He lounged back against the sofa and looked over at Remus' book, catching a few words here and there. Considering the hours a day Remus spent with his head in a book, it was a wonder he didn't need glasses. Sirius lifted his gaze to Remus' and smiled, "I'll hold you to that."
"I spoke to James before I left this morning," Sirius said, leaning against Remus' arm, "about the gala over at Malfoy Manor. I think we should go," he deliberately didn't glance sideways to see the doubtful look that was no doubt pulling Remus' lips downwards.
Remus's lips tightened nearly into a line, almost disappearing completely. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked doubtfully, taking the bookmark from his knee and folding it deliberately into the book, setting it aside for the moment. "I don't think that's what one might call keeping out of sight, do you?" he raised an eyebrow sceptically... Merlin, where did Sirius come up with these things?
"Draco, that's Narcissa's son," Sirius explained, forgetting that Remus already knew "saw me at the Hogwarts's fund rasier thing. He sent me a message, telling me I should learn to disguise myself and something about Gryffindors being foolhardy. Little sod. He's Narcissa's son alright ," he said, sneering slightly "but either way he knows I'm back."
He risked a look over in Remus' direction, unable to stop a bark of laughter. The prefect look transformed into the professor look. "We'll be in disguise," he pointed out "and it's for charity Remus, little war orphans. You don't begrudge small children a little money for food and clothes, do you?" Sirius widened his eyes slightly, with a puppy gaze that threatened he would whine pitifully, cajole or otherwise bribe until he had his way.
He sighed softly... his own son had been a war orphan, until the lucky turn of... whatever that had brought them all back. He shook his head for a moment, mulling things over, doing a sort of calculation in his head, figuring out the risks involved. "Yes, he knows you're back, but he doesn't know I'm back. Nor, I assume does he know about James and Lily. You did know that he and Harry had quite the rivalry in school, right?" he asked, still greviously concerned with this course of action.
"No, but what's he going to do? Besides, he's chummy enough with Regulus...and if he went to the Ministry, they'd be crawling all over him. Former Death Eaters aren't well received by the Ministry, especially now," Sirius said, tone softening as Remus' disapproval filtered through.
"You can't really think Malfoy would call us out, not when he's trying to be such a good boy, giving to orphans," he said with a shrug.
"Well... I suppose not." he shook his head. "Have you spoken to Harry, perhaps? To see what he thinks of this whole thing? Really, Sirius, he's our best advisor on the political climate." he said thoughtfully. It wasn't that he was completely opposed, but he didn't want to stir up trouble that brought the Ministry down on them. He'd grow quite accustomed to a quiet, simple life and he wasn't ready to give it up so easily. He felt now that in this war-free world that they finally had the chance to do all the things they'd never been able to through all the fighting.
"Political climate?" Sirus asked, "we're going to a gala, to enjoy a few drinks. I'm not staging a coup, or running for Minister."
He sighed, "If we're going to have to check with someone, and agonise every time we leave our front door we might as well be dead, Remus! Maybe you're content to go to work and stay locked away in this bloody house the rest of the time, but personally I'd rather be out, even if it is at Malfoy Manor."
"That's not what I meant and you know it. It's not just a gala! It's at Malfoy Manor, Siri." he sighed. "I just feel that maybe we shouldn't go running in without a thought to anything else. There was a day not so long ago when we'd have assumed this was a trap, no matter how charitible it seems." he rubbed the bit of stubble growing on his chin, thinking for a few moments. "I suppose perhaps I have been too ready to stay in this house and keep to ourselves." he admitted quietly. "And I'm sorry for that. Perhaps it's simply because I feel as though we've been given a chance to do the things we couldn't before... like living a quiet life." Though, he thought, perhaps life with Sirius never would be quiet, no matter how he wished it.
Echoing Remus thoughts, Sirius stood up "I don't want a quiet life. Of course I don't want the death and destruction of before, but I won't feel trapped in this house again Remus."
Sirius perched on the arm of the sofa, twisting his wand between his fingers, "Regulus said that Draco and Narcissa are both fine, and I believe him," he lifted his head slightly, challenging Remus to suggest otherwise.
He shook his head... he knew that look. Sirius was trying to push the right buttons, to get him unhinged. He refused to do it... Remus of course knew that Sirius having his brother in his life once again was so very important to him. He refused to say anything against Regulus, as he truly had nothing against him. "I'm sorry, Sirius, that a quiet life isn't something that you'd enjoy." Perhaps the differences in their age were being clearly defined now... Sirius was young and full of energy, looking to the next new thing. Remus may not have been old, but he felt positively ancient compared to his Love. "We can go." he said simply, picking up his book once again.
"Escaping this house is rather in-grained, even with you, James and Lily here too," Sirius said a little more irritably than he really felt.
He narrowed his eyes slightly at Remus' simple cave-in, standing up as the book was once again picked up. This was one of those times where Remus would agree, and Sirius would feel guilty, and would be a toss up between whether the desire for the thing was greater than his guilt. Sirius' capacity for guilt when his wishes were being granted was rather minimal, even if it was Remus. Though it was always more satisfying to have convinced the other man that it was a good plan, not just one he could stand to go along with.
"Ugh," he said finally, and left the room. He didn't want to sit and watch Remus reading, in a doubtlessly guilt-provoking fashion. He'd find James, who'd doubtlessly reassure him that Remus would love it when he got there. Or maybe Remus wouldn't enjoy himself, and he really would rather be in the confining darkness of number twelve, reading the books that seemed to give him the same sense of freedom that Sirius found out of the front door.