Chapter Text
Lake - Wolfstar - 312 words
Sirius sits with his knees against his chest, shivering as he looks out at the black lake. He can’t go back to that place, that house that feels more like a prison than anything else ever has before. He will leave. He will take Reggie and the two of them can run away to the Potters until they can afford a place of their own—they will surely be cut off from the family fortune if they denounce everything they stand for and embarrass them so badly.
Someone wraps a cloak around his shoulders, which he pulls tighter around him as he begins to feel the January cold, and sits down beside him. “Want to talk about whatever’s bothering you?” Remus asks.
“Not really.”
“Okay,” he says. “Did you know that James is being a menace right now?”
Sirius smiles weakly. “That’s nothing new.”
“I’m sure Minnie is having the time of her life trying to fix the chaos he is causing.”
“She loves us really.”
They’re quiet for a while. He loves this, loves how he doesn’t feel the need to pretend to be okay, to be loud and boisterous and carefree. He can just exist with Remus. He can just be. And that is enough.
“Moony,” he murmurs as he rests his head on his shoulder, “I can’t go back there again.”
“I know. Every time you do, you come back a shell of yourself, and it kills me to see you this way.”
“I-” He takes a deep breath before admitting, “I’m scared, Moons. I know what they’re capable of and that they will do anything to maintain the family’s reputation and have an heir.”
“You’ve got me and James and Peter. The girls. Effie and Monty,” Remus states. “We won’t let anything happen to you, I promise. You’re safe with us.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Dreamer - Jegulus - 318 words
“Hey, love,” James smiles at him as he sits next to him in the Astronomy Tower. “How was your day?”
“Fine.”
He seems to pick up on the fact that Regulus is trapped in his own mind, as is common right before the holidays when he has to go home, even more so now that he will be going back alone this year. “What’s wrong, Reg?”
“Nothing,” he tries to smile and reassure his boyfriend, but he caves after a few moments of looking into those hazel eyes. “It’s just going to be different without Sirius there this year. I don’t want to be alone in that place.”
“You know you will always be welcome at mine, right? My parents would be thrilled to have you there.”
“I can’t, James.”
“Just think about it, please.”
Regulus rests his head on James’ shoulder, gazing up at the stars twinkling in the sky. He sighs, taking a page out of the Gryffindor’s book and attempting some honesty. “I’ve never been much of a dreamer, you know.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve never allowed myself to be just for my hopes to be crushed. But you are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me, yet I am absolutely terrified. You make me want to dream again. You give me hope for a brighter future, a future I know I most likely won’t be able to have.”
James places his lips to his temple, murmuring, “I would like a cat.”
“Excuse me?”
“A cat. Do you want a cat? You seem more like a cat than a dog person. Unless there’s another type of pet we could have.”
“We?”
“We,” he repeats.
“A cat would be nice.”
They talk about their future until the sun begins to rise. Regulus still isn’t sure this future is feasible, not with his family, but it is nice to allow himself to dream again.
Strike - Dorlene - 303 words
The bowling alley is loud, with people talking and cheering, balls hitting the wooden floor and music blasting so loud Marlene has to almost shout to be heard over it. “Come on, Cas!”
Dorcas grabs the two drinks from the bar, and they join their friends at the lane. “Couples can be teams,” Sirius explains. “Then Peter and Pandora can play together. Sound good?”
Everyone agrees and the game begins. This is just a friendly game to celebrate Lily’s birthday, but both Marlene and Dorcas are extremely competitive. While they will enjoy themselves no matter how the game goes, they still try their absolute hardest to win.
“Strike!” She yells, running into her girlfriend’s arms and heatedly crashing their lips together.
“Get a room!” Barty responds, fake gagging.
Dorcas flips him off, murmuring, “Well done, Marls.”
“You know, you could reward me for getting the first strike of the day.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“We sneak off to the toilets for some fun,” she smirks.
“And lose the game?”
“I’m prepared to make that sacrifice.”
Dorcas shakes her head fondly. “You do know this is a child friendly place, right? I don’t think either of us want to scar a poor girl for life if we’re walked in on.”
“Fine,” Marlene huffs. “But when we get home?”
“When we get home, I’ll give you an even better reward than a quick shag in the toilets.”
She leans forward again, only to be interrupted by James saying, “Oi! Lovebirds! It’s your turn.”
Dorcas walks up to the lane, and Marlene is beyond grateful to have someone as wonderful as her in her life, to have someone as stunning and kind yet also ruthless and cunning when needed choose her. She feels indescribably lucky to get to go home every day to her.
Flawless - Marylily - 570 words
Mary thrives being the centre of attention in every room she is in. She loves people admiring her beauty, she loves putting effort into how she looks, even if she is just going to class or heading to the courtyard for a bit of fresh air. She loves it when people stare, when they drool all over themselves when she's nearby. She knows just how beautiful she is and takes full advantage of that, fluttering her eyelashes at people to get what she wants.
It didn't take her long to realise that all people want from her is her looks, or to brag about being with one of the hottest girls in the year. So, she has never been with anyone seriously. She never allows herself to feel anything about the people she’s involved with.
Mary doesn't know when or how it happened, but over the years of knowing each other, her and Lily's mutual dislike of each other blossomed into an unlikely friendship, one that would never have happened if they weren't dormmates. They're just too different to ever willingly hang out. Until her feelings towards the redhead developed into something romantic. How can she not fall for someone so spectacular, someone so intelligent and kind and loyal? Someone who doesn't take shit from anyone. Someone so utterly breathtakingly beautiful. Someone who always makes her feel pretty without any flawless makeup on, with her hair in a bonnet, pyjamas on and pimple patches scattered over her face.
After waking up from a rather intimate dream involving her, Mary decided to avoid Lily for the day. A day of not talking to her turning into weeks. It's too hard being around her for long knowing that her feelings aren't reciprocated and that she will always be seen as a friend to her. Not that being friends is not enough for her, but it's just easier to wait for these feelings to pass than being constantly reminded of what she can’t have.
“What have I done wrong?” Lily asks, cornering her in their dorm.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you avoiding me? You can tell me. Have I done something to upset you? Or do you just not want to be friends with me anymore? I promise I won't be mad. Well, I am mad that you're not speaking to me without telling me why, but I won't be mad about that.”
Fuck, she didn't think about how this would affect her. How can Mary claim to love her when she is upsetting her like this? “I'm sorry.”
“Just tell me why,” Lily pleads. “Do you not like me anymore?”
“The opposite actually,” she mutters.
“What- what do you mean?”
Mary sighs, knowing she has to be honest now. She'll risk losing her closest friend by doing so, but she knows for certain she will lose her if she keeps quiet and continue avoiding her like this. “I like you, Lils. I like like you.”
“Oh…” Lily crosses the dorm, her soft hand gently grabbing her chin and tilting her face to look her in the eyes. “I like like you too.”
“Please don't lie, I'm being serious.”
“So am I.”
“Really?”
She smiles. “Really.”
They inch together and their lips connect, fireworks exploding in her stomach. Mary has kissed many people before but never has it ever felt like this. Felt so real and pure and like a promise of forever.
Mirror - Lility - 267 words - Slightly NSFW
Lily takes deep breaths as she looks into the mirror opposite the bed with teary eyes, showing the two of them tangled in the sheets. She wishes she could bottle this moment up and relive it every day. She knows this was a one-time thing, she’s not the sort of person people want more with. She’s too high-maintenance, argumentative and hot-headed at times. No one wants her for more than sex; she’s had to learn that the hard way. Why was she so stupid to sleep with someone she genuinely likes? Now she has gone and ruined their friendship.
As quietly as she can, she gets dressed and tiptoes to the door.
“Where are you going?” Charity asks sleepily.
“Home.”
“Oh…you don’t want to stay? You can if you want.”
“You don’t want me to.”
She sits up, the dim light from the lamppost outside showing the sincerity in her eyes as she says, “I want you to stay.”
“Really?” Lily whispers, absentmindedly taking a step towards the bed.
“Really. I- I like you, Lils. I don’t have the habit of fucking people I don’t like.”
She smiles as she jumps on the bed and crashes their lips together. Is this actually happening? Did she accidentally fall asleep after the most amazing night they spent together?
“I take it that means you want to stay,” Charity breathes when they eventually part.
“I’d love to stay with you.”
When morning comes, Lily wakes up in the arms of the person she has dreamed about for so long and as they tenderly kiss, everything feels right in the world.
Tendency - Moonwater - 320 words
“Go away,” Regulus snarls as the door to the empty classroom he is in creaks open behind him, not bothering turning away from gazing at the sun setting in the sky.
The door closes and he assumes whoever that was left, until he hears footsteps on the stone floor and Remus muttering, “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Why? I was a complete arse to you earlier.”
“You got defensive over a sensitive topic; I have no place judging you for that.”
Regulus takes a deep breath, then another and another. He doesn’t know how much time has passed for him to gather the courage to say the word he almost never utters. “I’m sorry, Remus.”
“I accept your apology.”
“It’s just…”
Remus wraps his arm around his shoulder. “You can tell me anything.”
“I have a tendency to push people away when they get too close, and the other day, I realised that I-” He cuts himself off, already having said too much and finishing that sentence would make things infinitely worse.
“You realised what?”
Regulus makes the mistake of looking at the Gryffindor for the first time since he entered the room and gets lost in his hazel eyes. How can someone so kind and pure want to be with him? He’s asked himself that so many times over the past few months. He's way too good for him, but he supposes the least Remus deserves for putting up with him for so long is the truth. “I love you, and that terrifies me. I have never felt this way about anyone before, not ever. But everyone I get close to leaves me and I- I don’t want to lose you.”
“You could never lose me.” Remus’ calloused hand cradles his cheek. “Reg, I love you too.”
“You do?” he asks, failing to hide the hope in his voice.
He gently connects their lips. “I really, really do love you.”
Forgiveness - Prongsfoot - 450 words
Sirius sits in his bed, the sun beginning to rise outside making him realise he hasn’t slept all night. He knows what he did was wrong. At least he does now. It was supposed to be just a laugh, a little prank to scare Snape. He never intended for him to get hurt, not that he’d care if he did. But as the hours tick with no sight of James who raced to the shack when he told him what he did, dread starts to settle in his gut. What if he has caused the best person in his life, his soulmate, to die? It’ll be all his fault.
The door eventually creaks open and James limps into the room. “Merlin, are you okay?” he asks, rushing to him but stopping short as he shies away from Sirius’ touch.
“’m fine, just a twisted ankle that Pomfrey healed. Still a bit sore though,” he replies, sounding exhausted.
“I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“No, you just wanted Snape to be killed, just wanted your best friend to become a murderer.”
“What? No, I only wanted to scare him.”
“And what did you think would happen when Moony saw a human? You think he’d growl a little and that Snape would have enough time to outrun a werewolf? You really didn’t think this through, did you?”
“I- I didn’t think. I’m so sorry you got hurt, James,” he looks at him beseechingly.
“You’re sorry about what happened to me, but what about him? You haven’t even asked how he is, if he’s even alive. I know we all hate him, but murder is too far.”
“Is he? Alive?”
“Yes, he’s in the hospital wing. It was a close call, only barely managed to outrun him, though Moony did scratch him pretty badly. Thankfully, there were no bites.”
“James…”
He sighs and takes Sirius into his arms, tenderly kissing his head. “What you did was by far the most idiotic thing you have ever done, but I can never be mad at you for long.”
He buries his face into the crook of his neck. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I don’t deserve you.”
James grabs his face, gently swiping the tears he didn’t realise have fallen from his cheeks. “I love you and nothing you could ever do would change that.”
“I love you.”
Their lips connect and he loses himself in the kiss, until Peter exclaims, “For fucks sake, I do not want to see that first thing in the morning.”
Sirius flips him off and leans in again, too full of emotions—both good and bad—to care about anything else but James.
Date - Wolfstar - 335 words
“Why are you both so happy? It’s weird,” James remarks as he walks into the dorm, sweaty from his morning run. “Better question, why are you both up so early?”
“Today is a national holiday,” Sirius replies, not moving his head from where it is resting on Remus’ shoulder.
“It is? What’s today’s date?”
“January 8th.”
James’ eyebrows knit together before he eventually asks, “What’s so special about today then?”
Remus rolls his eyes at his uncultured friend. “Today is the legend, the wizard, the God David Bowie’s birthday.”
“Oh, that explains so much and why you’re listening to music at such an “obscene” time.”
“The things you sacrifice for your idols birthday celebration,” Sirius mutters.
“Yeah, like your dormmates sleep,” Peter adds, groggily opening the curtain around his bed. “Seriously, have you two still not learned how to cast a silencing spell? It’s bad enough having to hear you murmur sweet nothings at night or…do other things but waking me up at six am is too far, even if it’s for Bowie. Why couldn’t you listen to this after class at a more reasonable time?”
“We want to listen to his entire discography,” Remus says, “but we’re both busy later.”
He sighs as he closes the curtain for another hour of sleep. “Use a damn silencing charm.”
Sirius casts one and when James heads to the bathroom to shower, he turns to his boyfriend and gently connects their lips. Never in his life did he ever think he’d be able to have a love so genuine and soft, he never thought he’d find someone who would wake up at five am to listen to music with. He never thought he deserved that, or could love another person this much, but Remus is challenging every expectation he has ever had of romance in the best way possible. Nothing can accurately convey how much he loves this man, but he will never get tired of hearing those words from his lips or saying it in return.
Friday - Rosekiller - 300 words
Barty groans as he flops onto his bed. “I’m so glad it’s Friday. Do you know who invented school? I want to steal a time turner and kill them before they do.”
“There is not one single person who invented school, but Horace Mann is often regarded as the person responsible for the modern school system,” Evan replies as if that is a basic fact everyone knows.
“Wanna go kill him with me, Rosie?”
He looks up at him, smirking. “Best date ever.”
Barty jumps onto the other’s bed, seizing his lips with his own.
“Bee, you’re crumpling my homework,” he mutters.
“Since when did you care about homework? Besides, we’re going to kill that fucker and then there’ll be no more school.”
“I care about homework because you’re always doing better than me in tests without studying at all and it drives me crazy.”
“You know what drives me crazy?” Evan raises an eyebrow, and Barty leans in, gazing into his eyes as their lips are a breadth width away from each other. “You sitting there looking so perfect and not being allowed to sink my teeth into your neck.”
He is silent for a moment before moving his head to better expose his neck, and Barty doesn’t need to be told twice, biting every inch of skin he can. “Fuck, you’re so gorgeous,” he murmurs between each bite. “Utterly breathtaking. Perfect. Just as fucked up as me.”
Eventually, he pulls away to marvel at the teeth marks, and he cannot wait to see them all bruised tomorrow.
“Come here,” Evan says, wrapping a hand around his neck and pulling him into a desperate kiss. Barty thinks he can suffer through school for the rest of his life if this is his reward for making it through each day.
Stop - Wolfstar - 320 words
“No!” Remus hears Sirius scream from the living room, and he rushes out of the kitchen, abandoning the toast he was making them to see tears streaming down his cheeks.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I can’t believe it. The world has ended. This is just a nightmare, and any moment now I’ll wake up in a cold sweat, and this will all stop.”
He sits on the sofa next to him, gently cradling his face and swiping the tears away. “Sirius,” he speaks gently, “what’s happened?”
“Bowie is dead,” he replies solemnly.
Remus’ breath hitches as he takes that in. The man he has idolised for the last forty years, the man responsible for the two of them bonding and who made the song they had their first kiss to, the man who made them both feel understood and more comfortable in their sexualities during a time where queer people were hated and feared, is gone. He wraps his arms around his husband, mourning someone they never met, but thankful that despite everything they endured in their youth, they are still here, with more wrinkles on their skin every day and greying hair. They are still together, and just as in love now as they were when they were sixteen.
Neither of them move from the embrace, until the fire alarm goes off and Remus exclaims, “The toast!” and rushes to the kitchen to clear the smoke and turn the toaster off. When he returns to Sirius, he murmurs, “At least he is reunited with Freddie.”
He places a soft kiss to Remus’ lips and smiles sadly at him. “Where did the pessimistic little boy I met go?”
“He left when I got everything I ever wanted, when I got a life with you.”
Sirius turns away from him to hide his flush and grabs the record player and the Ziggy Stardust album for them to listen on repeat all day.