Chapter Text
Sunday 5th July, 1981
Sirius’s POV
Sirius watched as his parents coddled over Regulus, patting his clothes down and providing him with all the assistance he could need, completely ignoring Sirius’s existence. That was nothing new to him; honestly, he liked it. It meant no needless degrading comments were being thrown at him just for existing.
As happened with most summers, Sirius was once again heading to Camp Hogwarts to endorse in a summer of “fun and a place for children to grow fascinating skills”, except this time he was going as a camp counsellor. And this time, he had to take his little brother, Regulus Black, with him. This wouldn’t have bothered Sirius if it wasn’t for his incessant whining and clear obstruction to going in the first place. He didn’t fancy having the one chance in a year he had to get out of this household ruined because his brother was constantly complaining.
Regulus fixed his collar, glancing over at Sirius and scowling slightly, mumbling begrudgingly, “Can you stop staring at me, please?”
“Why are you wearing that? It’s a summer camp, you know, Reg.” Sirius snorted, clearly judging the fancy attire Regulus is wearing which is completely unnecessary for a place where he’d just be getting dirty.
As usual, Regulus simply ignored his remarks and shook his head, grabbing his bags as he rushed out without another word. With a pout, Sirius followed behind and dipped into the car smoothly, making himself comfortable. The car was mostly dim apart from a few lit-up green candles, the windows covered with a tint to block out any ray of sunlight. Depressing, sure, but it made for an easy way to sleep through the agonising journey this would be. Sirius began to zone out, all noises around him becoming muffled and incoherent as he slowly closed his eyes and began to imagine the camp, its beauty and serenity.
—
It felt like only minutes had passed until he was being tapped on the shoulder, a muffled voice repeating his name. “Sirius. Sirius, get up.”, a sigh, “Sirius I swear to god, if you don’t get up right now I’ll drag you out of this car myself.”
“Fuck off,” Sirius grumbled, opening his eyes and looking up to find his brother staring down at him, fighting back a smile at that response, “What do you want, Reg?”.
Regulus just smirked and got out of the car, before crouching down to Sirius, “We’re here.”
Immediately, Sirius jolted up with wide eyes and scrambled out of the car, being struck by the heat and brightness of the sun. His eyes took a moment to adjust, so he took this time to breathe in deeply and took in the comforting scent of pine trees, it was a fresh smell like no other, crisp. Something he could experience for the next 2 months of his life. In the distance, he could hear excited chatter among his fellow campers - except he had to remind himself he was no longer just a camper, he had responsibilities. Responsibilities to care for these children.
He is soon pulled out of this earthly trance at the sound of a familiar voice, “Great to see you again, mate,” a grin so clear in his voice as he speaks.
“James!” Sirius grinned that Sirius grin and pulled him into a tight hug. God, he had missed this guy so much it almost hurt.
Sirius loved James, he was his absolute best friend and was always there for him when he needed him. He was caring and outgoing, never seemed to care what anyone thought and even was nice to Regulus, who is extremely difficult to be nice towards. Not to mention, he was someone who understood Sirius on a deeper level, something that not many people do; he had seen Sirius in his best and darkest moments. Sirius loved James, and James loved Sirius. They were inseparable.
James wrapped his arm around Sirius’s shoulder, “How have things been?”, he then lowered his voice, concern clear in his tone, “Have your mum and dad…”
“No.. well. You know them,” Sirius chuckled weakly, looking down at the ground and kicking at the pebbles, “But I’m okay. I promise.” He looked back up, smiling again at James before pulling him into a headlock. Both of them tackled each other, laughing obnoxiously until they ended up on the ground. Everything was perfect.
This camp was a sanctuary of sorts, a place for people to escape their real lives and just spend time with their mates, learning how to do the most random skills: rock climbing, archery, painting. Sirius had come here annually since he was 11, so it began to feel like a second home to him. He grew up with this place along with the camp itself as there was always some new activity that Sirius was eager to try out. 5 years ago, Sirius had met James, and it made everything so much better. At the same time, he had also met his two other best friends, Remus and Peter. Ever since then, that group had become well-known amongst anyone who went to Camp Hogwarts, the core four who never left each other's side, the Marauders, as some of the younger campers used to call them. Sirius loved it, how the little kids would make up stories about them - which of course he never denied, and encouraged even the most outrageous of rumours.
Peter had known James the longest, admittedly. They grew up together as neighbours and were quite the contrasting pair. While James was outgoing and massively popular amongst everyone, Peter was more reserved. He spoke tenderly and with care, but was never afraid to stand up for his friends and do what was right. In fact, he was awfully brave when he overcame his inner thoughts, which Sirius greatly admired.
Then there was Remus. Remus John Lupin. He was a mystery to most, and so in turn had most of the rumours made about him. It stemmed mostly due to the scars on his face and body, burn scars as Sirius knew, but to everyone else? He was rumoured to be in a gang, a fighter. At first, he seemed harsh and rough, with arrogance in his voice and no care in the world. But anybody who really knew him, who knew him like Sirius had gotten to know him, understood that in reality, he was struggling greatly and for the most part was incredibly sweet. He had his issues, but who didn’t? Sirius sure had his share. He still remembered their first meeting, and (Sirius would never admit this) thought about it often.
Finally, Sirius breathed out, looking around, “So uh.. Where's Peter?”.
James hummed softly in reply, raising an eyebrow, “Peter’s unpacking, thank Merlin me and him are bunked together with the same kids. I don’t think I could handle having to partner with some wanker like... I dunno.”
“Oh don’t lie, you’re actually devastated that you weren’t paired with Evans, aren’t you?” Sirius smirked, looking at James knowing full well that it was true. His answer was soon met by a series of stammers and blushing as James attempted, and failed miserably, to fight back. Unexpectedly, Regulus appeared next to Sirius, clearing his throat and avoiding looking at James. Much to Regulus’s dismay, Sirius ruffled his hair and said proudly, “Reggie is joining us this summer! Isn’t that great, James?”.
“Don’t call me Reggie,” he scowled, pushing Sirius away and blushing ever so slightly from embarrassment.
“Oh really? Let’s hope you get put in Gryffindor then. We could use someone as sarcastic and smart as you,” replied James, looking at Regulus with a soft smile.
Regulus looked up, making eye contact with James before quickly looking away, “Yeah, whatever.” He pushed past them both, dragging his suitcase along the concrete as it made a horribly grating sound.
“Pleasant.”
“Yes, he is a man of many personalities, my brother,” sighed Sirius, shaking his head before looking back at James once Regulus was out of sight.
They both began to stroll down the path to the cabins, James helping Sirius with his stuff.
“Jesus Christ, Sirius, you planning on living here?” He chuckled, huffing as he lifted one of the bags onto his shoulder.
Sirius snorted, “God, I wish.” He placed a hand on his forehead, shielding his eyes from the blinding light seeping through the canopy of trees above them. The sound of chatter grew louder as they reached the main cabins, encased in a circle surrounding a currently put-out campfire. Each cabin had a flag attached to it to represent which house was living in it: Red for Gryffindor, Yellow for Hufflepuff, Blue for Ravenclaw and Green for Slytherin. Since Sirius had first come to this camp, he had been put in Gryffindor, much to the denial of his parents who had a history of being a Slytherin whenever they came to this camp. He hoped that Regulus would be in Gryffindor too, however, he felt his heart knew that wouldn’t be the case. It was all randomly selected, admittedly, but knowing his parents they would pay a great deal just to not have Regulus tarnish the family history. Sirius never understood it, “it’s just a useless summer camp, it shouldn’t be such a big deal,”.
Despite the hatred he got from his parents for being in that house, he still had his pride and now he was made the “Gryffindor Captain” along with James. It wasn’t much more than a name, but it came with the perks of controlling the whole house and being able to make speeches and announcements whenever they wanted. Of course, they planned to take this greatly to their advantage.
Sirius looked up at the cabin he was staying in for a few moments, admiring its beauty and history before walking in. The whole ride here, he was wondering who he would be bunking with, who would be his ride or die for the next few months.
He wouldn’t mind anyone, really, any of his best mates would’ve been a miracle, but if he had to share with the girls he wouldn’t mind. Especially Marlene, who was like a female version of him. They immediately bonded when they first met and would often be the ones causing chaos, she was like a sister to him. Lily he didn’t mind, but she massively follows the rules and he would not want that due to his... Reckless nature. Finally, there was Mary, Sirius was mostly neutral on sharing with her, although there would be an atmosphere of awkwardness considering their prior relationship a few years back. To him, it wasn’t a big deal at all, just a silly fling that happened, but to Mary, it was everything, her first time for most. First kiss, first date, first snog, first shag. Either way, that was long ago and no longer present at all.
Quickly all of Sirius’s thoughts were resolved, as the first person he saw upon entry was none other than Lupin. A grin formed across his face and he dropped his bags, gasping dramatically.
Remus turned around to face Sirius and chuckled, speaking lowly, “So, you’re the twat I have to spend months teaching kids with? Lovely.”
“Mm, you love me really Lupin,” Sirius grinned, walking up to Remus and looking up at him, “Can you stop growing? It’s really putting a damper on my feelings.” He puts on an exaggerated pout, placing his hands on his hips.
It could be mistaken that Remus had blushed when Sirius got up close, taking an awkward step back and scratching the back of his neck, before replying, “My bad, I guess I just have to beat you in something, don’t I?”.
They stared at each other momentarily before pulling one another into an embrace, Remus awkwardly patting his back as Sirius buried his head into the crook of his neck. His breath was hot against Remus’s skin, causing his heart to quicken slightly. Pulling away, Sirius smiled sheepishly, moving back from Remus and rubbing his arm, “So how have you been? Your scars are looking better.”
Remus looked down and put his hands in his pockets, shrugging, “Yeah I’ve been given some sort of cream at treatment. I don’t really know what it does but it’s making them less prevalent, which is what I need, so.”
With a nod, Sirius lowered his voice, unsure if there were any kids around and spoke softly, “I brought cigs and shit,” he grinned, “You know. The good stuff.”
“Good.”
They left it at that, focusing on unpacking their own things. Sirius made a pact to make this cabin their own, decorating it with all sorts of posters from bands and different emblems. They had decided on their bunks; Sirius on the bottom, Remus on the top. Everything was perfect.
---
Later that night, all the campers had finally arrived and now they and the counsellors were gathered around the campfire. Lily was carefully throwing wood into the fire, causing an “ooh” to erupt from the little kids each time as the fire grew bigger.
Sirius randomly got up on his log and raised his hand, his voice booming as everyone turned to look at him, “WELCOME TO CAMP HOGWARTS!”. Cheers erupted around the fire as his grin grew, now being joined by James who wrapped his arm around Sirius, laughing.
James began to speak, “You all are here for one reason and one reason only. To have the best time of your fu- amazing life! So, let's make this time worth it, yeah?”
Cheers again.
Then, across from them, another person stood up. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun with strands of black curls resting in front of her face, her features were defined just like Sirius’s, except her eyes were darker and harsher. Everyone turned to face her, a few boys whistling.
“Don’t make such a scene, Potter. What do you say, Slytherins, are you excited to BEAT Gryffindors AGAIN?!”, she roared.
With a scoff, Sirius replied, “Oh Bellatrix, lovely to see you. I think you’ve got it mistaken, cause I don’t.. I don’t remember the last time Slytherin won…”. He pretended to ponder, tapping his chin with his finger and looking around then smirked, “Oh right, that’s because they never have.”
Bellatrix glared across the fire at him, staring with deep hatred as Sirius was lit up with all sorts of vivid oranges and reds. She hissed at him, along with a few other kids sitting around her.
Carefully, Sirius scanned across all the kids, finally making eye contact with Regulus and smiling softly. It was true, he was put into Slytherin as expected, further making Sirius the outcast of the family. The one that received all the harsh words. But he wasn't mad at his brother, not at all, he just hoped the best for them. Due to the different houses, they wouldn't be able to see each other much - while this may have been perfect for Regulus, it most certainly wasn't for Sirius. He just wanted to care for him. At least he had made some friends, although Regulus would never call them that. Barty Crouch Jr and Evan Rosier they were called, two of the not-so-friendly boys at camp. But it was good enough for Sirius. Barty was only a year younger than Sirius and had attended camp with him for many years, rarely crossing paths apart from a few times when he had come to Sirius for a cigarette or two.
Regulus stared at Sirius momentarily before looking away to talk to the two boys, glancing at him every now and then before scowling.
"Hey, Sirius."
Being brought back to reality, Sirius looked down to see comforting hazel eyes staring up at him, brows furrowed with concern, "You okay mate?"
"Yeah, 'm alright, thanks Remus," with hesitance Sirius slowly sat back down, everyone around them descending back into chatter now that the marshmallows had been brought out to roast, "You excited for tomorrow?".
He shrugged in reply, leaning forward to hover his marshmallow over the fire. His eyes lit up by the flames, practically glowing in hues of orange, green and yellow. It perfectly matched the rest of his hair and skin, just being illuminated by his beauty. Sirius truly did believe Remus was a work of art, in a completely normal way - he just had such perfect facial harmony, that it was easy to get lost staring at him.
"Anybody would," Sirius thought reassuringly.
Around them, fireflies hummed and buzzed around in pure innocence. Kids and teens alike buzzed with excitement and joy to be here, in such an amazing place, surrounded by the placidity of the woods and watched by the wandering eyes of the stars above, waiting to accept new lights to its universe.