that quiet moment
Modern AU. Trigger warnings - mentions of suicide.
• It’s summer and Sirius Black is 22, freshly graduated from University, and on a road trip across the country in his old 1952 Studebaker Commander with his best friend James Potter and his younger brother Regulus.
• They’re on the way to Uncle Alphard’s beach house.
• It’s located in the small town of Hogwarts, and was one of Regulus’ favorite places.
• Regulus Black had committed suicide 3 years prior.
• Sirius stole his brother’s ashes, swapped them out with dirt, in order to spread Regulus somewhere he would love to be.
• Walburga must NEVER find out, she’d honestly kill him if she knew. Surprisingly Kreacher helped him with the heist.
• The car was a project that Regulus and Sirius had been working on together before Reg died. All that was left was the paint job, which Sirius can’t bring himself to do just yet.
• He talks to Regulus a lot.
• James had to bully his way onto this trip. But Sirius was grateful for it.
• Hogwarts is a pleasant town. Sleepy. There’s limited tourists, and it has a quiet atmosphere.
• After the first night in Alphard’s house, a neighbor stops by to check on them. Having been told to expect them by Alphard.
• Peter Pettigrew becomes their unofficial guide.
• They get along with Peter well, and end up hanging out as a trio most of the time.
• Peter is charming and is underestimated a lot. This leads to the three of them getting in trouble with some of their older neighbors sometimes, particularly a woman by the name of Minerva McGonagall. It reminds them of boyhood.
• James and Sirius are only planning on being there for the season. Once summer was over they would head back home.
• It’s on a day where James is spending hours on the phone with Lily, his fiance, that Sirius meets Remus Lupin.
• Remus is a lifeguard. And he notices Sirius immediately too.
• They run into each other at the cafe, market, the library, the shore. Sometimes while walking down the street. It’s not a big town, it shouldn’t be surprising.
• It doesn’t stop Sirius’ heart from racing every single time Remus smiles at him.
• Sirius tells Regulus about it. At night, before bed. His brother rests on the dresser in Sirius’ room. He whispers everything to Regulus in ways he never could while his brother was alive.
• Eventually it’s a quartet when Remus begins to hang around them.
• They all tend to smoke too much and drink too much and laughter is always happening.
• And Remus is always touching Sirius in some way? Like, what? Knuckles brushing, thighs pressing, hands on shoulders, leaning into each other. Sirius honestly cannot handle it.
• He’s also very into it.
• During all of this, Sirius decides to paint the car green. It was Regulus’ favorite color.
• Summer brings heat, humidity, and storms.
• It’s storming and Peter had managed to get home before the skies broke, and James had decided to call it a night early. Remus, however, was stuck as he and Sirius watched lightening dance in the sky.
• This is when Sirius tells Remus about Regulus. And the reason why they were at Hogwarts.
• This is when Remus kisses Sirius.
• They fall asleep curled up together, hands laced.
• It’s nearly the end of the season when Sirius declares that he was renting a boat. James goes with him because, duh. Peter offers his own family’s boat instead. Remus goes because he’s a lifeguard and Sirius doesn’t know how to swim.
• The four of them are out in the ocean and Sirius has Regulus in his arms, hands fumbling to open the lid of the urn.
• He breathes, and let’s Regulus go.
