Ficlet: Brotherly Love

[lls_mutant]

sasha_davidovna made me the sweetest Toby/babies with hats icons ever, and I said I'd write her a ficlet/drabblet in return. So here it is- thanks again Sasha!!!!

Title: Brotherly Love
Rating: G
Pairing: Sirius/Remus, but unfortunately I got off on a tangent a bit!
Length: 1,180 words
Disclaimer: Not mine. We know this.
Notes: sasha_davidovna's request was: I like to ask for some variation on R/S pre-Halloween 1981, a scenario I can't seem to get enough of, but with you, I have AiL to look forward to, so hmm... How about Remus/Sirius, setting and relationship status of your choice. I like my chocolate bittersweet., so I went for Sirius/Remus in the summer of OotP (before Harry arrives), with mentions of 1981. There's also some of Ron and the twins in here.




"Check."

Sirius studied the chess board, swearing softly in a pleased sort of way. There had to be a way out of this, but he wasn't spotting one easily. Across from him, young Ron Weasley watched him with a carefully blank face and excited eyes.

It had been a long time since he'd had an opponent like this.

A small explosion shook the floor of the library. Ron and Sirius both ignored it, as such explosions were far from rare, especially when Molly and left the house to do the shopping. Instead, Sirius slid his knight into place, and grinned as he saw comprehension dawning in Ron's eyes.

Something like a rooster squawked, and another explosion hit, this one jarring the chessboard and making several pieces flail to keep their balance. "They're going to wreck the house," Ron muttered.

"They're welcome to do so," Sirius grinned.

"Mum will kill them, though."

"True, that. Are you going to go or will you concede I have you beat?"

Ron snorted and took his turn.

"Good move," Sirius had to admit.

"Thanks." There was an element of smugness about the younger man.

"Do you play often?"

"Not as much as I'd like. Bill plays when he's home, but he's really the only one that likes it. Well, Percy did, but…" Ron's face twisted into a grimace that Sirius could well understand.

"Percy did what?" a tired voice asked, and one of the twins (Sirius presumed it was Fred, but the amount of soot covering his face did little to help distinguish) fell into a chair, exhausted.

"Yeah, what did the git do now?" That one was definitely George.

"Nothing." Ron retreated back into the game, ostensibly studying the board. But his eyes weren't quite seeing it.

"Come on, Ronnie-kins. Tell your big brother what's bothering you," George simpered, mussing Ron's hair.

"Piss off," Ron said, irritably.

"What did you two do with Remus?" Sirius asked, more to avoid the oncoming storm than because he felt the need to know.

The twins exchanged guilty glances, and Sirius sighed. "Right. I'll go check the wine cellar then, shall I?"

"No need." Remus was standing in the doorway, his robes and hair mussed and a bottle in his hand. "After being 'accidentally' banished there, I am capable of walking up the stairs." He fixed a long glare on Fred, who didn't seem to have the energy to even look guilty. "What's all this?"

"Ron's sulking," George announced.

Ron scowled and pushed away from the game. "We'll finish later," he told Sirius, and with that stalked out of the room. With identical evil grins, George and Fred got up to follow him.

Sirius waited until he heard a door slam, and then gave a quick flick of his wand, casting a charm so that the occupant of the room could get out, but no one could get in. "That won't stop those two," Remus sighed. "Not for long."

"For long enough. They're incorrigible."

"So says Mr. Padfoot, who's been sitting up here playing chess the entire time instead of helping the Terrible Two with their Banishing Beer. You know, I really am shocked they didn't get more O.W.L.s. The idea is rather novel."

"So I've heard." Sirius was gloomy, still staring at the chess board.

"Was it something I said?" Remus asked, settling into the chair Ron had been sitting in and righting one of the pieces.

"No, something Ron said," Sirius admitted. "It just… got me thinking."

"Merlin protect us all." Sirius glared at him, and Remus flushed. "Sorry. What did he say?"

"He was talking about Percy."

"Oh."

"He's upset."

"Can you blame him?" Remus asked. "They were brothers. I know they didn't always get along, but Ron did love him in a way and when Percy left… oh," he said, seeing the expression on Sirius's face. "Oh."

"I never thought about how Regulus must have felt, Moony," Sirius admitted. "Even in Azkaban, I didn't think about it much."

Remus squeezed his arm mutely.

"Do you think he was as mad as Ron and the twins?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell you, Sirius. I don't really know."

Sirius fiddled with the king. "You knew him. I know you did. When you were spying on the Death Eaters during the first war…" his voice trailed off, because there was pain in that, too, and another time he'd left without thinking of the consequences, even if his departure hadn't been physical.

Remus's face was carefully blank, something Sirius hated. He watched as Remus opened the bottle of wine with a tap of his wand and conjured and poured two glasses before answering. "I did work with Regulus," he admitted. "He… he didn't much like me, Sirius. I was a half-blood, a werewolf, and sleeping with you."

Sirius's head shot up. "He knew all that?"

"He did. I have no idea of how, but he did." Remus turned the glass in his hands, watching the light play on the wine. "We were able to work together, and I think by the end we respected each other. But he never liked me."

"Did he… did he mention me?"

"Once or twice." Remus chuckled dryly. "He asked if I thought he looked like you. I said not much, for all that your coloring was the same. He also asked if I thought he was much like you."

"What did you say?" Sirius asked.

"I said he was," Remus said after a long pause. "But I can't remember why. I don't remember much of anything the last time I saw him, and then a few days later I heard he was dead."

Sirius turned back to the chessboard, staring at it until it began to blur in his vision. He wished so many things could be different. He wished he could go back in time and talk to Regulus, to ask him just what had happened to make him leave the Death Eaters. He wished he could go further back and change… what would he change? What would be that one instance that could change an entire relationship? There wasn't one. He wished he could talk to Percy, and tell him how much he might live to regret his decision in the future. And yet, he didn't completely regret his. He wished-

Remus's hand was warm on his shoulder. When Sirius looked up, the cold, expressionless mask was gone and he could see the pain flaring in Remus's eyes. He covered the hand with his own.

"You can't change the past," Remus said softly. "And you can't change the present, either. Only he can change that."

Sirius smiled up at him grimly. "I know," he said, tightening his grip.

"Come on," Remus said, pulling Sirius to his feet. "Molly should be home soon. Let's go downstairs and raid the pantry before she gets here and tells us to keep our noses out of the apple crumble."

"All right," Sirius agreed, pushing yet another dark thought back into the recesses of his mind. "But let's have Ron join us."

Remus smiled.

Comments

[medicinal-mirth.livejournal.com]

Oh, beautifully done. The regret, the longing, Sirius' concern for Ron -- it just rings honest for me. I loved this. It's something everyone can relate to, the complicated messes that all families deal with in one way or another. Just wonderful.

And here I thought you had gone off and had your baby. :D

[minnow-53.livejournal.com]

You keep proving that pregnant women CAN write well: so much for my favourite HBP excuse! :D

This is lovely and gentle, but with a wealth of subtext and meaning.

He wished he could go back in time and talk to Regulus, to ask him just what had happened to make him leave the Death Eaters. He wished he could go further back and change… what would he change? What would be that one instance that could change an entire relationship?

*waits expectantly for you to write this as an AU sequel*

^_^xx

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

I love the parallels you draw here between Ron and Percy, and Sirius and Regulus. Sirius has had a wealth of years and sadness to reflect--his own yearning and guilt over his brother shines, but it is true I think that Sirius wouldn't have entirely regretted his decision. Remus is appropriately thoughtful here, and I'm glad you show him as not being unaffected either. I like Remus as a sounding board, because he always shows Sirius in his best light.

I love your little outtakes and vignettes, because you always say so much with so few words. R/S is such a tangled relationship, and I love stories that show this so powerfully. Well done!

[yma2.livejournal.com]

Nice, I liked the interaction between Ron and Sirius, not something you see often in fics. Remus was nicely done too, wonderful little ficlet.

[sasha-davidovna.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I love this! :) I'm an absolute sucker for Regulus in any form, and I love the parallels you've drawn between the brothers and the character interactions between Remus, Sirius, and the Weasleys. Very IC and very true-to-life as well. Thanks so much! :)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

This is a lovely little scene. I love Ron and Sirius playing chess! Formidable opponent, indeed. Sirius' regrets and concern for the Weasleys felt very, very real. Great job!

Wow, a fic where Sirius and Ron both have brains?!

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

*eyesight... fading*

I've always wondered if Sirius thought about his brother, especially when he had an off the cuff exchange with Molly about Percy in OoTP (or am I having a senior moment?!).

But yeah, well done.

Go gen (fic) it's a good thing.

[minywish.livejournal.com]

arr i wroth here a long reply and it deleted:-X.
i like it because u succeed to show in simple way the human relationship between the brothers. i think that siri have a lot of regret at that issue.

[pinkfinity.livejournal.com]

Lovely writing and setup - an interesting parallel to construct, too!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_deia/]

Wonderful, as always. And all my favorite characters (Ron, Sirius and Remus) in the same story, what's not to love?

I love stories where Ron and Sirius interact, and it was beautifully done here. I had never thought about that parallel, and I think it was really well written.

[aome.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming last night's discomfort wasn't labor, then? ;)

So where is this adorable "babies come with hats" icon? (Btw, I also love Toby's "Not to scare you or anything, but I'm Dad" line from that ep. :) )

Anyway - great ficlet, and, as always, I adore anything that comes from your AIL universe. This was wonderful - perfectly bittersweet, as requested. Family is complicated, isn't it?

[lucymay-lj.livejournal.com]

A lovely surprise to see a new R/S short from you, which is, of course, brilliant as always.

[wickedevra.livejournal.com]

Oh, excellent. I loved the interaction between Sirius and Ron - Sirius seems to relate well to the younger characters and it was nice to see that developed here. The Percy-Regulus parallel is most insightful.

All the best for your final pre-mommyhood days :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

I'd love to see more people do stuff with Ron-Sirius. Not at all in a shippy way, but because Sirius is genuinely a truly caring person, and he seems to quite like Ron in canon. Now I'm tempted to write a little ficlet with Sirius giving Ron advice on girls (particularly Hermione), just because I think it could be really funny, but I'm not sure I'd have the time. But yeah- I can't help but wonder what Sirius must think of the Weasley situation!

I wish, on the last one. Guess it was just gas :P :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

It would make an interesting fic, wouldn't it? Five ways Sirius and Regulus could have had a different ending... I think someone did that, though. I forget.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I kind of feel bad for Remus in this moment, because he must so not know what to say. He just wants Sirius to be at peace with everything- I think Remus understands it better than Sirius does- but how do you say that? So hard.

Thanks so much :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it- there needs to be more Ron-Sirius fic, I think. True, Sirius's first concern is Harry, but the man does have more than one dimension! I love the idea of him and Ron getting along.

Thanks! :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I tried to get some 1981 aspects in there as well ;) I'm rapidly growing fond of Regulus myself, especially in a "not a Sirius's shadow" type of way.

Thanks! :)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much :) I just can't believe that Sirius wouldn't try to interact with any of the kids but Harry. (Now I want to write Sirius trying to give Ron advice about girls. Heh.) Glad you enjoyed it!

Re: Wow, a fic where Sirius and Ron both have brains?!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

I know. It's a rare, rare thing. But even though I never write fic about him, Ron is actually one of my all-time favorite characters in the HP universe. (One of my biggest complaints about OotP was I wanted more Ron.)

Did Sirius have an off-the-cuff exchange with Molly? If he didn't in canon, it would make a great fanfic scene. I could see him getting in a nasty comment by accident if she got him good and riled up.

Thanks!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I think you're right- Sirius had a lot of regrets when it came to his family- at least his mother and his brother. He's too bitter 20 years later to convince me it never mattered to him. I don't think he regrets the decision he made, but I do think he hates the fact he ever had to make it.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (So love that icon, btw. It really is what that note comes down to, isn't it? :) )

I do wonder if that ever crossed JKR's mind- the similarities between Percy and his brothers and Sirius and Regulus. I'd love to know. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did, either.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) There needs to be more Ron-Sirius stories, I think. They seem natural- especially since I see the Ron-Harry relationship very much like the Sirius-James relationship, at least in terms of depth. (There's a lot of differences as well though!)

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Nope- gas. :P Ah well, at least I got to see the Goblet of Fire movie!!! :)

The icon was in the post where I asked for WW pictures, but I'll be putting it up once Toby's born :) I also love that line about scary Dad there- Toby cracks me up- but I think Howard's a little less scary as Dad ;)

Thank you. Family is complicated- that's what makes so much of this such a joy to write. Even happy families are complicated!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Thanks- I'd really like to see more Sirius-Ron fic :) He does relate well to the kids, and he's such a caring person... it seems a waste to only ever have him really interact with Remus and Harry.

And thanks on the last, too! Any day now....

[minywish.livejournal.com]

i see it in a little different way with reg-it seems that in some way he love him ,the fact that he try to find who kill him prove that...maybe he regret that he was estranged instead of help him to see is(sirius)way-he prefer to leave and not to by in contact with is only brother and leave him with their mother effect ,like u say he don't regret about his decision, i accept with you.
sorry if i'm not write clear enough,i'm not used to wrote in english.

[nassima.livejournal.com]

You know what I love here? That you wrote both Sirius and Ron in this so totally canon situation of them playing chess - and so, showed us that they have an intellect, which the fandom forgets too often!

But I think that besides this, it's just the whole fic I love -subtle, and bittersweet, and resolving nothing, but nonetheless being about healing.

[sleeper6.livejournal.com]

Nice. Ever since HBP, I've been craving more Regulus theories and fics (none of that incest stuff for me, though). So I very much liked this one. I wonder how Sirius and Regulus's relationship was before Sirius left and during the war. I like your Regulus in AIL, and it's sad but sweet that Sirius thinks about him here. Lovely.