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rt_morelove2018-01-10 09:33 pm
author_by_night) wrote in rt_morelove2018-01-10 09:33 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: Cold Feet
Author/Artist: author_by_night
Title: Cold Feet / Part I
Rating & Warnings: PG-13
Word Count/Art Medium: 1,931
Prompt(s): 38, Sirius's Prank
Summary: Sometimes the painful stories are the ones that need the most telling. Tonks delves into the story of The Prank That Must Only Be Alluded To.
Notes: I've been in fandom since 2000. (Yeah, I'm fandom old.) So I've read/written/roleplayed many versions of The Whomping Willow Prank. But I decided to write a new take on it, with perspectives apart from just Sirius's.
Part I: Sirius
Tonks hadn't had many private conversations with Sirius lately. He was often sullen, which made it difficult, and she was busy with Order duty. As well as sneaking around with a certain Remus Lupin. But she enjoyed the moments when they got to talk.
On this particular day, however, she knew the conversation was more serious. First, when she stepped into the kitchen, Sirius had his hands folded together. Then she saw that there was a quill and several pieces of parchment.
"Wotcher?" Tonks said nervously.
"Sit down," Sirius returned.
Tonks pulled a chair next to Sirius. "What's this about?"
"Yesterday, I heard from Harry. He... saw something very troubling, at least in his eyes. Let's just say it was Remus, James, Peter and I when we weren't at our best. And I realised there is much he doesn't know about his father. Or I."
"That's true," Tonks said.
"I want him to understand who we were. There are two incidents that I feel were formative in James and my lives, before the Order. One was the summer before our seventh year, when James and Lily fought Voldemort for the first time and we were recruited into the Order. That I have already relayed in writing. The other is... my prank."
Tonks didn't have to ask for elaboration. She knew; they all knew. Snape had alluded to it a number of times, for one thing. Tonks knew only the bare basics - one Full Moon, Sirius had been fed up with Snape, and told him how to find Remus. James had saved Snape's life. But Tonks wasn't sure about the rest. Did her mother know? How was Sirius not expelled? More importantly, how had Remus forgiven - and trusted - Sirius after the fact?
"However," Sirius continued, "it's not only my story to tell. There were others involved, and I think Harry should know their perspectives. Of course, questioning all them is difficult. The main reason is obvious, but I'm also not sure how... candid they would be. I'm not sure how candid I can be, especially with Harry. And Harry deserves the truth. Hopefully we'll all have our chance to tell him everything he wants to know, from all sides. But... who knows who'll be left to tell by the time this war is over."
"Sirius," Tonks gasped.
"Point being," Sirius said, "I want you to get the story from all angles. Me, of course, but I have a few others in mind. Write them down."
"Why me?"
"Because you know all of these people. So, me first. Second is Remus. After all, the whole prank was done in his honour, you could say." Sirius grinned darkly. "Then Dumbledore, your Mum, and Lyall Lupin."
"So my Mum knew, then?" Tonks asked.
"Of course she knew. Dumbledore contacted her instead of my Mum and Dad. Thought it was better for everyone's safety."
Tonks winced.
"We haven't all day, so let's start with me. Ready?"
*
Sirius was already in a foul mood.
It was one of those weeks where everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. Snivellus was not helping matters.
First was his nasty hex on Peter. Uncalled for, in Sirius's mind. Then was the fact that he was spying on Remus. Constant spying.
And now he was talking to Regulus, and Sirius did not like where the conversation was going. Not that he was eavesdropping, mind. He was just keeping his ears open, leaning against the classroom door.
"We have to pick the strong side," Snape was saying. "And let's face it, there's only one."
"Maybe I can convince Sirius to come back to the family."
Regulus's voice was hopeful. Sirius almost pitied him. And felt a pang of sadness. He didn't entirely hate his brother. Regulus was brainwashed, like Narcissa and Bellatrix. Sirius and Andromeda had merely been lucky enough to escape their family's filthy prejudices.
Snape snorted. "I very much think not, Regulus. Don't bother with him or the company he keeps."
"But if he realised how much power-"
"-power? The only power that lot seeks is within themselves. And whatever secrets that Lupin's hiding."
Something in Sirius snapped. Maybe it was knowing that Snape was corrupting his brother; maybe it was the stress of wars; maybe it was just a bad day creating the perfect moment for a horrible decision.
"Hiding?" Sirius scoffed as he walked into the classroom. Both boys jumped.
"Scram, Regulus," Sirius told his brother.
"I'm with-"
"-I said scram."
Regulus took off, and Sirius leveled up to Snape. "Leave my brother out of your plans, whatever they are."
"Plans?" Snape sneered. "I have no plans. And you have no brother."
"You're corrupting him with bad ideas, if nothing else. Even though one of your best friends is a Muggleborn. What do Evan Rosier and Rabastan Lestrange have to say to that?"
Something in Snape's eyes flickered, but his face remained calm.
"As for Lupin? You really want to know?"
"Are you offering?"
Sirius nodded. "Have a go, if you're so damn curious. Use a stick to get inside the Whomping Willow. There's a passage that leads to the Shrieking Shack. Have fun."
It only registered to Sirius what he'd done when he met James and Peter in their dormitory. As usual, they waited; Madame Pomfrey always accompanied Remus to the Shrieking Shack, and they could not risk her seeing them.
That, and Remus didn't want his friends to watch him transform, although they still tried to time it so they'd be there soon after.
"Are you all right, mate?" James asked Sirius. "We've been waiting for you for half an hour."
"Usual row with Snivelly," Sirius explained. He had a burning sensation in his stomach. "He was getting too close to... people he ought to stay away from. I took care of it, though, told him to bugger off to the Willow."
"You're joking, aren't you?" Peter said.
Sirius froze. He hadn't realised, until now, exactly how bad that sounded.
"Sirius," James said slowly, "you're joking. Please tell us that you're joking."
"I might've gotten carried away," Sirius admitted.
"PADFOOT!" James cried. "What the hell were you thinking? You've got to tell him not to go down there now."
"Are you mad? Then I'll have to explain why, and he'll know Remus is a werewolf!"
"He'll know when he sees a werewolf in the Shrieking Shack, you dolt! Or worse, Remus will eat him alive. Literally."
James ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going after him. You two get McGonagall. Or Dumbledore. I don't really care."
Before either Sirius or Peter could protest, James ran out the door.
*
Sirius sighed loudly. "Don't really recall exactly what happened immediately after. I remember getting Dumbledore and not even thinking about what I was admitting to."
"Do you know... why you did it?" Tonks asked.
"I don't. Part of me still thinks it served him right - he was skulking around, trying to find something damaging about Remus. Not to mention his friendship with Regulus. I may say I hated him, and I did, but he was still my brother. And I knew Reg had good in him; he was exceptionally nice to the House Elves, especially Kreacher. Who could stand Kreacher?" Sirius shook his head. "But it never stopped bothering me that I resorted to murder. Or that it wasn't until James and Dumbledore came back with Snape that I truly understood the gravity... actually, that wasn't even when it hit me. It was the row afterwards. The only real row James and I ever had."
*
"I would like to have a word with Mr. Snape alone," Dumbledore told James, Sirius and Peter.
Sirius and Peter had waited for what felt like forever. Dumbledore had finally returned with James and Snape, the latter screaming that "Lupin is a werewolf!"
Peter looked at Snape. "Don't tell anyone what you saw, alright? I know almost getting eaten isn't fun, but - he can't help it."
"Don't tell anyone? Everyone is going to be hearing of this!" Snape snapped.
"No," Sirius and James said at the same time in frantic voices.
"That will be enough," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Snape, please, sit. Misters Potter and Black, I will see you two in my office tomorrow at noon promptly. Any attempt to leave will result in punishment, so I strongly advise against it."
Sirius felt a little queasy as they left. Still, he managed a grin.
"Close one, no?" He asked James.
Sirius didn't know what he had expected; he most certainly hadn't expected James to push him against a wall. Peter let out a shout of surprise.
"Is this all a joke to you?!" James hissed. "Don't you realise what's happened? Snape knows. And you heard him, he plans on telling everyone. You put three lives in danger tonight, Sirius, and only two of them are out of the woods."
"Remus will be fine," Sirius said. "Dumbledore will tell Snape not to tell anyone."
"And why would that stop him?" James asked. "If we're lucky, it will. That's the best hope we have. We still have to deal with Remus never forgiving us again. Do you not realise how hard it is for him to trust?"
"But he does trust us. I'm sorry, James, I really am," Sirius admitted. "I never intended to go that far. I'll tell Remus it was all my fault, and that I never meant to commit such a deep betrayal."
"I don't know if he'll be so understanding," James said. "Not when I don't even think I can be."
Sirius stared at his friend. "What d'you mean?"
"I mean that I find what you did hightly unnerving. I don't know how to shake it."
"Prongs-"
James shook his head and stormed off. Peter looked from James to Sirius before following James.
*
"They didn't speak to me for weeks," Sirius said. "It was the worst five weeks of my life. Especially the first week, before Remus came back to school."
Tonks was startled. "He was suspended?"
"Suspended? No. See, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were none too pleased that one of the friends Remus spoke so fondly of used him as bait. In hindsight, I don't blame them. After... some convincing, they sent him back, but Remus still wouldn't talk to me. Then one day, the silence ended, and we made up."
"Did you stop bullying Snape?" Tonks asked.
Sirius cringed. "No. If anything, we were more determined than ever to keep him on his toes. Especially when we learned he'd told Lily Evans about what he saw that night."
"Why did he tell her? Wasn't she a Gryffindor?"
"No one really understood their friendship. Yes, they were friends. I always forget about that. Maybe leave that part out, I don't know enough about it to explain to Harry."
"As I understand it, Snape's... rather nasty to Harry," Tonks said.
"Of course he is. Harry's just like James, isn't he? Snivelly probably can't stand it." Sirius snorted. Then his face sobered. "We were berks, though. Bullying someone we'd almost had killed..."
Sirius cleared his throat. "At any rate, that's just my account. I don't remember much else."
"So who do I ask next?"
"That's up to you. Your boyfriend would probably be a good start."
Remus it was.
author_by_night Title: Cold Feet / Part I
Rating & Warnings: PG-13
Word Count/Art Medium: 1,931
Prompt(s): 38, Sirius's Prank
Summary: Sometimes the painful stories are the ones that need the most telling. Tonks delves into the story of The Prank That Must Only Be Alluded To.
Notes: I've been in fandom since 2000. (Yeah, I'm fandom old.) So I've read/written/roleplayed many versions of The Whomping Willow Prank. But I decided to write a new take on it, with perspectives apart from just Sirius's.
Part I: Sirius
Tonks hadn't had many private conversations with Sirius lately. He was often sullen, which made it difficult, and she was busy with Order duty. As well as sneaking around with a certain Remus Lupin. But she enjoyed the moments when they got to talk.
On this particular day, however, she knew the conversation was more serious. First, when she stepped into the kitchen, Sirius had his hands folded together. Then she saw that there was a quill and several pieces of parchment.
"Wotcher?" Tonks said nervously.
"Sit down," Sirius returned.
Tonks pulled a chair next to Sirius. "What's this about?"
"Yesterday, I heard from Harry. He... saw something very troubling, at least in his eyes. Let's just say it was Remus, James, Peter and I when we weren't at our best. And I realised there is much he doesn't know about his father. Or I."
"That's true," Tonks said.
"I want him to understand who we were. There are two incidents that I feel were formative in James and my lives, before the Order. One was the summer before our seventh year, when James and Lily fought Voldemort for the first time and we were recruited into the Order. That I have already relayed in writing. The other is... my prank."
Tonks didn't have to ask for elaboration. She knew; they all knew. Snape had alluded to it a number of times, for one thing. Tonks knew only the bare basics - one Full Moon, Sirius had been fed up with Snape, and told him how to find Remus. James had saved Snape's life. But Tonks wasn't sure about the rest. Did her mother know? How was Sirius not expelled? More importantly, how had Remus forgiven - and trusted - Sirius after the fact?
"However," Sirius continued, "it's not only my story to tell. There were others involved, and I think Harry should know their perspectives. Of course, questioning all them is difficult. The main reason is obvious, but I'm also not sure how... candid they would be. I'm not sure how candid I can be, especially with Harry. And Harry deserves the truth. Hopefully we'll all have our chance to tell him everything he wants to know, from all sides. But... who knows who'll be left to tell by the time this war is over."
"Sirius," Tonks gasped.
"Point being," Sirius said, "I want you to get the story from all angles. Me, of course, but I have a few others in mind. Write them down."
"Why me?"
"Because you know all of these people. So, me first. Second is Remus. After all, the whole prank was done in his honour, you could say." Sirius grinned darkly. "Then Dumbledore, your Mum, and Lyall Lupin."
"So my Mum knew, then?" Tonks asked.
"Of course she knew. Dumbledore contacted her instead of my Mum and Dad. Thought it was better for everyone's safety."
Tonks winced.
"We haven't all day, so let's start with me. Ready?"
*
Sirius was already in a foul mood.
It was one of those weeks where everything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. Snivellus was not helping matters.
First was his nasty hex on Peter. Uncalled for, in Sirius's mind. Then was the fact that he was spying on Remus. Constant spying.
And now he was talking to Regulus, and Sirius did not like where the conversation was going. Not that he was eavesdropping, mind. He was just keeping his ears open, leaning against the classroom door.
"We have to pick the strong side," Snape was saying. "And let's face it, there's only one."
"Maybe I can convince Sirius to come back to the family."
Regulus's voice was hopeful. Sirius almost pitied him. And felt a pang of sadness. He didn't entirely hate his brother. Regulus was brainwashed, like Narcissa and Bellatrix. Sirius and Andromeda had merely been lucky enough to escape their family's filthy prejudices.
Snape snorted. "I very much think not, Regulus. Don't bother with him or the company he keeps."
"But if he realised how much power-"
"-power? The only power that lot seeks is within themselves. And whatever secrets that Lupin's hiding."
Something in Sirius snapped. Maybe it was knowing that Snape was corrupting his brother; maybe it was the stress of wars; maybe it was just a bad day creating the perfect moment for a horrible decision.
"Hiding?" Sirius scoffed as he walked into the classroom. Both boys jumped.
"Scram, Regulus," Sirius told his brother.
"I'm with-"
"-I said scram."
Regulus took off, and Sirius leveled up to Snape. "Leave my brother out of your plans, whatever they are."
"Plans?" Snape sneered. "I have no plans. And you have no brother."
"You're corrupting him with bad ideas, if nothing else. Even though one of your best friends is a Muggleborn. What do Evan Rosier and Rabastan Lestrange have to say to that?"
Something in Snape's eyes flickered, but his face remained calm.
"As for Lupin? You really want to know?"
"Are you offering?"
Sirius nodded. "Have a go, if you're so damn curious. Use a stick to get inside the Whomping Willow. There's a passage that leads to the Shrieking Shack. Have fun."
It only registered to Sirius what he'd done when he met James and Peter in their dormitory. As usual, they waited; Madame Pomfrey always accompanied Remus to the Shrieking Shack, and they could not risk her seeing them.
That, and Remus didn't want his friends to watch him transform, although they still tried to time it so they'd be there soon after.
"Are you all right, mate?" James asked Sirius. "We've been waiting for you for half an hour."
"Usual row with Snivelly," Sirius explained. He had a burning sensation in his stomach. "He was getting too close to... people he ought to stay away from. I took care of it, though, told him to bugger off to the Willow."
"You're joking, aren't you?" Peter said.
Sirius froze. He hadn't realised, until now, exactly how bad that sounded.
"Sirius," James said slowly, "you're joking. Please tell us that you're joking."
"I might've gotten carried away," Sirius admitted.
"PADFOOT!" James cried. "What the hell were you thinking? You've got to tell him not to go down there now."
"Are you mad? Then I'll have to explain why, and he'll know Remus is a werewolf!"
"He'll know when he sees a werewolf in the Shrieking Shack, you dolt! Or worse, Remus will eat him alive. Literally."
James ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going after him. You two get McGonagall. Or Dumbledore. I don't really care."
Before either Sirius or Peter could protest, James ran out the door.
*
Sirius sighed loudly. "Don't really recall exactly what happened immediately after. I remember getting Dumbledore and not even thinking about what I was admitting to."
"Do you know... why you did it?" Tonks asked.
"I don't. Part of me still thinks it served him right - he was skulking around, trying to find something damaging about Remus. Not to mention his friendship with Regulus. I may say I hated him, and I did, but he was still my brother. And I knew Reg had good in him; he was exceptionally nice to the House Elves, especially Kreacher. Who could stand Kreacher?" Sirius shook his head. "But it never stopped bothering me that I resorted to murder. Or that it wasn't until James and Dumbledore came back with Snape that I truly understood the gravity... actually, that wasn't even when it hit me. It was the row afterwards. The only real row James and I ever had."
*
"I would like to have a word with Mr. Snape alone," Dumbledore told James, Sirius and Peter.
Sirius and Peter had waited for what felt like forever. Dumbledore had finally returned with James and Snape, the latter screaming that "Lupin is a werewolf!"
Peter looked at Snape. "Don't tell anyone what you saw, alright? I know almost getting eaten isn't fun, but - he can't help it."
"Don't tell anyone? Everyone is going to be hearing of this!" Snape snapped.
"No," Sirius and James said at the same time in frantic voices.
"That will be enough," Dumbledore said. "Mr. Snape, please, sit. Misters Potter and Black, I will see you two in my office tomorrow at noon promptly. Any attempt to leave will result in punishment, so I strongly advise against it."
Sirius felt a little queasy as they left. Still, he managed a grin.
"Close one, no?" He asked James.
Sirius didn't know what he had expected; he most certainly hadn't expected James to push him against a wall. Peter let out a shout of surprise.
"Is this all a joke to you?!" James hissed. "Don't you realise what's happened? Snape knows. And you heard him, he plans on telling everyone. You put three lives in danger tonight, Sirius, and only two of them are out of the woods."
"Remus will be fine," Sirius said. "Dumbledore will tell Snape not to tell anyone."
"And why would that stop him?" James asked. "If we're lucky, it will. That's the best hope we have. We still have to deal with Remus never forgiving us again. Do you not realise how hard it is for him to trust?"
"But he does trust us. I'm sorry, James, I really am," Sirius admitted. "I never intended to go that far. I'll tell Remus it was all my fault, and that I never meant to commit such a deep betrayal."
"I don't know if he'll be so understanding," James said. "Not when I don't even think I can be."
Sirius stared at his friend. "What d'you mean?"
"I mean that I find what you did hightly unnerving. I don't know how to shake it."
"Prongs-"
James shook his head and stormed off. Peter looked from James to Sirius before following James.
*
"They didn't speak to me for weeks," Sirius said. "It was the worst five weeks of my life. Especially the first week, before Remus came back to school."
Tonks was startled. "He was suspended?"
"Suspended? No. See, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were none too pleased that one of the friends Remus spoke so fondly of used him as bait. In hindsight, I don't blame them. After... some convincing, they sent him back, but Remus still wouldn't talk to me. Then one day, the silence ended, and we made up."
"Did you stop bullying Snape?" Tonks asked.
Sirius cringed. "No. If anything, we were more determined than ever to keep him on his toes. Especially when we learned he'd told Lily Evans about what he saw that night."
"Why did he tell her? Wasn't she a Gryffindor?"
"No one really understood their friendship. Yes, they were friends. I always forget about that. Maybe leave that part out, I don't know enough about it to explain to Harry."
"As I understand it, Snape's... rather nasty to Harry," Tonks said.
"Of course he is. Harry's just like James, isn't he? Snivelly probably can't stand it." Sirius snorted. Then his face sobered. "We were berks, though. Bullying someone we'd almost had killed..."
Sirius cleared his throat. "At any rate, that's just my account. I don't remember much else."
"So who do I ask next?"
"That's up to you. Your boyfriend would probably be a good start."
Remus it was.
no subject
What I loved most about this part is that Sirius opened up to his cousin. A lot of people tend to forget their familial connection. As well as the Order being the first time they have meet as adults on almost equal ground. So this would be the time, for them to grow closer and share less than savory parts of their characters.
I also enjoyed that Tonks does not excuse Sirius, but that she does listen to him. And like any Auror worth her salt, is going to investigate, until she has all sides to the story.
So all in all, this was wonderful with both engaging dialogue and suspense leading into the next part. Great Job!
I did notice some typos though. I hope it is okay that I am pointing them out.
"Of course she knew. Dumbledore contacted me instead of my Mum and Dad. Thought it was better for everyone's safety."
(Did you meant Dumbledore contacted her instead of my Mum and Dad?"
"Maybe I can convince Sirius to com back to the family." (Come back to the family?)
But besides those, everything else was great. Until next time!
no subject
Yes, you will get Dumbledore, Andromeda and Lyall's perspectives! I don't think I've ever seen them explored.
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Re: ,
Re: ,
Oh Thanks! Will be reading your future fics for this.
no subject
I really like the idea of having multiple people telling their version of what happened back then. I've read fics from many POVs about this (well, mostly Sirius and Remus tbh), but not in the same series like this.
I do see Sirius as someone who could lose his head completely, and also as someone who had a lot of love for his friends and deep down also for his brother. I really like how you've let both of these sides show here. Oh, and how good that he decides to tell Harry himself what happened, and how he opens himself up by encouraging others to tell him their side of it. That couldn't have been easy for him, and shows how much Harry matters to him.
Great start to this series!
no subject
I always felt that Snape being so close to Regulus might have been part of it, even though the books never mention them interacting. They very well might have - they were in the same House, after all. And Sirius wouldn't have liked what Regulus was mimicking.
no subject
In this chapter, I especially like the way it's partly seeing Snape talking to Regulus that makes Sirius snap. Because I agree, even our impulsive Sirius would really have had to snap in order to betray Remus's trust this badly.
I like James here for standing up to Sirius even though they'd been like brothers. And I really like Peter's little cameo, where he hesitates for a second and then decides he's going to follow James. (I suppose you could argue he thought the odds were better for him to side with two friends instead of just one, but still.)
I'm now looking forward to reading the other installments!
no subject
Yeah, I don't think the prank was as simple as Sirius doing it for "shits and giggles", whether or not this is even remotely close to whatever JKR envisioned.