Work Text:
This is Part 2 of an interconnected series of one-shots. To get the whole reading experience, I recommend starting with Part 1 here.
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Pads,” Harry shouted moments before the front door slammed shut.
With a groan, the magazine he was perusing fluttered back onto the coffee table as Sirius melted into the couch. He loved that kid as if he was his own, but the moment Harry sensed Sirius was in a mood he would call Remus, then call Pansy, disappearing faster than if he could pop in and out of existence.
Therefore he was unsurprised when he heard his door click open, then shut. As soft thudding boots made their way over to him, he maintained his position on the couch, right arm draped over his eyes, left hanging off and onto the floor, the utter picture of defeat.
“I got your favourite,” Remus taunted as a deep thump came from his coffee table followed by the soft pouring of libations and the rich smell of The Macallan. Humming thoughtfully he lifted his arm enough to free his left eye from his self-imposed darkness. “Age?”
“25,” Remus chuckled, swinging his hand back and forth, the amber liquid teetering against either side of the tumbler, like the pesky pendulum of time that had become his life these past few weeks. With a nod of his head, “Oh, yeah, alright,” he muttered as he gathered enough of himself to sit forward and receive the glass.
The two men sat in silence, enjoying the richness of the single malt as it warmed them from within, the preferred heat to this hot June day. With a crisp, final swallow, Remus broke the silence. “So, Harry mentioned he’s spending the night at Hermione’s flat with Pansy and a few of their friends. Seems like that bird was Pansy’s British ex-pat friend we always heard so much about.”
Sirius simply kept his eyes on the way his drink swirled, wondering how much more he would need to drink to force Remus to change the conversation on his own. “I hear she’s here to stay. When we spoke last week she mentioned,” Sirius’ chuckle, full of longing and surprise at his friend’s unknown interactions with her, didn’t fool him as his friend’s voice tapered off. “For fuck’s sakes Pads, you don’t even know her, how can you lay claim here?”
“I only don’t know her because she has not made herself available to be known!” he slammed his tumbler onto the table letting his head fall between his propped up hands. The frustrated man groaned into his arms and yelped when his fingers got caught in the knots littering his unruly hair. “I met her weeks ago before all of you did,” he finally muttered to his wooden flooring.
“Christ Moony, she was vibrant, and sassy, and had walked not once, twice, but 5 times by that leather jacket she had on at the bar the other week. Remember, that little black number, when I was with Vanessa?” Remus’ smirk was lecherous when Sirius finally looked up.
“She had on an off-the-shoulder Genesis T, these delicious high waisted jeans, and shite if her hair wasn’t in disarray. But the way we bantered, it was perfection. She kept up with me so well, Moony. Who else other than Marlene can boast that? Hmmm?”
His normally supportive friend was chuckling quietly, eyes dancing now with mirth as Sirius waxed on about this bird. “And she’s everywhere! I see her at least twice a week and every time she’s on the phone, with another well to do looking bloke, or with Pansy and too far for me to say hello. All I want is to get her out of my system, Remus. I know, once she’s out of my system, all will be well again. But just a taste, because I cannot even enjoy my favourite birds right now.”
The dramatic man threw himself back against the couch, chest shaking in silent sobs as he peeked at a wide-eyed Remus. “Alright then, this requires reinforcements. I’m calling Ted and Severus over. You need the big boy talk about feelings I think, and I cannot be the one to give it to you. You’ll never take me seriously.”
“Fuck, not Snivellus! He hates me only a marginally less now than when we went to Uni!” Sirius shouted after Remus.
“You only think that because he doesn’t cater to you the way I do!” He heard Remus shuffling in the kitchen, returning with ice - Severus’ preferred way of indulging in Sirius’ expensive scotch and reaching for the phone.
“Pads - whether you manage to get that bird under you or not, I don’t think she’ll be another Vanessa, Marlene, or Sophie. This one’s quick as a whip, brilliant, truly, and is already attracting suitors - closer to her age.” Sirius just growled at Moony’s assessment. He was not blind, he knew. He knew, “I know. But I cannot get close to her. She’s always too busy or with someone else, and I ca-”
“What you should have done was ditch Vanessa outright last month, rather than entertain her when your eyes were on me and Hermione the whole night. Then maybe she would have gone home with you instead of Nott.”
Remus and his damned reflexes ducked as Sirius tossed a pillow at him. “The boys will set you straight, old friend. Regardless of what that looks like though, this chick isn’t going anywhere. Keep that in mind. She’s been friends with Pansy longer than Harry’s even known his soon-to-be fiance. I don’t think the pup will take too kindly to you screwing over or fucking about with his intended’s best friend.”
“She’s a smart girl. She’s seen what sort of man I am, it’ll be fine,” Sirius mumbled around a cigarette. Taking in a deep inhale as he tossed the lighter to Moony he added, “her eyes and that hair, that's what I need to see under me, then, then I’ll be good. Sated. And you can pick up the pieces Remus, show her romance the Marauder way.”
“Funny you seem to believe she’s the one who will walk away in pieces,” Remus whispered, something Sirius conveniently ignored as they moved onto other topics, waiting for Remus’s friends to show up and remind Sirius why he stuck to the Prewitt Twins and pretty birds.
However, thoughts of Hermione, and how she was doing, and what she was doing were never far from his mind, even as he drank himself into a stupor, living room hazy with his cigarette smoke and head lolling by the time the other showed.