unusual, tragic, and alive

sirius black, serious disappointment 

[seirioscanis]

pettishrew‌:

Who: Peter & @seirioscanis​ When: February 29, 1980 Where: St. Mungo’s 

Peter had half a mind not to show up. 

        There was a sense of guilt that was tearing away at him. Something that he couldn’t claw away, that instead was eating him whole. The thought of not coming to the hospital after what had transpired at Hogwarts was a possibility he entertained. In fact, it took an insurmountable amount of pacing and muttering to himself that this was the right course of action. His presence would be noticed far quicker if he failed to show up than if he visited. He walked through the hallways of the hospital with a sense of unease. As he passed the patients he felt their eyes linger on him, as if they knew what he did before he had the gall to tell them. 

        Had he done the right thing? Peter had been dealing with Bellatrix of all people. And Lily had been right there. James’s Lily. The Lily the Potter boy had chased for most of their adolescence. It had been a grave oversight to put Peter in charge of protecting her, something he would have changed if he could have. James was better suited. More skilled and confident in his abilities. Peter had some tricks up his sleeves, but not enough to combat the brutal Lestrange woman. It was awfully difficult to perform nonverbal magic when you were in such pain that the thought of a spell was nowhere near on your mind. It had been the only option he had thought of – and he had seized it. 

        Peter rounded a corner, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. Sirius could protect himself. At least that’s what he had thought. How was he supposed to know it would have gone this sour? Peter gnawed on his bottom lip. There was no way that Peter could admit what he had done to the injured man. Sirius, although not as chaotic as Bellatrix, still had a streak of cruelty that Peter was all too acquainted with. There was no way that he could endure that today. Not to mention it might hinder Sirius’s healing. The right thing was to keep it from him. It had to be. 

        He rapped on the door that Sirius was supposed to be behind, opening it slowly. Peter poked his head around the corner, quietly walking into the room. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Peter said softly, taking in the damage that had been done. The damage he had done. 

His room had been a revolving door of people since he woke up hours beforehand, and though normally Sirius would like the attention, right now he was just tired.

He had no idea Bellatrix would be at Hogwarts. None of them had known, actually, or they never would have gone to the castle in the first place, but if they’d had some inkling at all Sirius would’ve made sure not to go off alone. He knew his cousin’s particular brand of cruelty maybe more than even his other cousins and brother, having idolized her since childhood and been trained at her side when Walburga decided he was old enough to dabble in the dark arts (before he’d even gotten his wand, mind--far too young). Sirius was known to do foolish things on occasion, but he wasn’t so foolish as to go off and fight Bellatrix one-on-one by his own accord.

Most people knew that of him, so at least that possibility wasn’t being considered by anyone (or, at least, he hoped). 

What struck him as strange (or, rather, terrifying in a way) was how she was able to find him at all. Any time they’d run across one another had been pure, unfortunate coincidence, and Hogwarts wasn’t a small school. It took him and the boys years to complete the Marauder’s Map with the locator spell on it, and yet she was able to find him like a hound dog following a trail. Sirius could only imagine her finding his hospital room and finishing the job in the middle of the night.

Maybe it was a good thing people kept coming and going, then, if only to keep him away from morbid thoughts like that one. He cracked his eyes open when he heard a rapping at the door, then smiled when he saw who it was. Good, he’s safe too. “More like sight for sore everything,” he muttered, shaking his head slowly. “Glad to see you’re alright, Wormy. Was anyone else hurt, or..?” 

He’d know already if anyone was killed, but Sirius could never be certain these days.

[seirioscanis]

singvlarlygifted‌:

Sirius placed his hand over her’s and Lily seemed to deflate a little from the tension in her shoulders - she nearly smiled. But the mention of Fabian did not help her attempt to push down her emotions. And when Sirius squeezed her hand again and mentioned the baby, the dam she had so carefully constructed broke down and tears begun to well up in her eyes. The stupid, stupid grin on his face immediately warmed her up. Lily smiled as the moisture collected in her eyes and she nodded. 

“James told you-” She noted weakly. Her free hand moved to place over Sirius’ as a tear finally escaped down her cheek, and then another. “And you’re not just going to be an uncle. You’re going to be a godfather which means-” Her voice shuddered. “— which means you have the responsibility to help take care of him or her when the time comes. And so I’m not having you end up in Mungo’s again for something so stupid when you have to be there for-”

She cut herself off, taking a deep breath to control the shaking and prevent any sobs from sneaking up her throat. She closed her eyes briefly, tears running down her cheeks as she bit her lip. Lily then sniffed and quickly took the hand over Sirius’ away to start wiping them away. “Sirius… Please- please just let me say it. I never- I never should have left you. I’d convinced myself you’d gone safety and forgot to tell us again, but it was me- I should have checked. And I’m so sorry, Sirius… For all of this. I’m so-” She took in a shaky inhale and leaned close - placing her hand over his again. “I’m sorry.” Lily squeezed it gently, again, taking a moment to get a hold of her voice and her breathing. She knew Sirius wouldn’t have wanted her to cry, but the scare and the guilt had been too much to handle.

All of his composure broke when he saw the first sign of tears begin to well in Lily’s eyes, and he didn’t bother hiding his concern for her, smile falling away and openly showing it. Normally he would have wanted to reassure her, tell her everything was going to be fine, but... well. Considering the state of his body, there was no way he could do so without it sounding like complete and utter bullshit. Sirius knew that, Lily knew that, hell, the walls probably knew that.

“Course he told me,” he murmured, his smile returning at a smaller scale. Lily and James were having a kid, and Sirius knew he was going to spoil that kid rotten. It was practically his duty as their uncle (though he figured neither Potter would be happy about Sirius riling their child up and leaving the calming down to the two of them after his departure). More importantly than that, though, was that he was their godfather, and Sirius would kill if it meant that child stayed safe. “I didn’t exactly try to land myself in here,” he said slowly, head shaking. “But I’ll attempt to keep myself out of here in any case. Merlin knows I hate it here.”

Lily had absolutely no reason to apologize, but Sirius knew she needed to get it off her chest, so he was quiet as she stumbled through her tear-filled apology and returned the hand squeeze she gave him. Slowly, very slowly and against the wishes of his recently-broken-then-healed ribs, Sirius sat himself up straighter, his whole body aching but not deterring him from the action. When he finished, he met Lily’s eyes and wiped one of her cheeks with the edge of his flimsy blanket. “Hey, listen to me Lils: I don’t blame you. You didn’t have responsibility over my whereabouts, and no one could have predicted Bellatrix cornering me like she did. I’m just glad Fabian got you and Peter out, because that’s far more important to me. I can handle myself.”

Not that his current condition proved that.

“You’re not losing me anytime soon, Lily Potter. We just have to survive however we can, and then you can yell at me while I spoil the fuck out of my godchild and hype him up just before bedtime. How does that sound?”

[dulcepericulum-rp]

Ask Meme Monday: 002

Hello hello everyone! We apologize for missing last week’s Ask Meme Monday, but we’re back today with another one!  

 Please REBLOG this post if you’d like to receive questions & please TAG all asks received with ‘DULCEMEME’ in case any members wish to blacklist it. Please remember, it’s proper etiquette to send as many asks as you receive. Most importantly, have fun!

Keep reading

[prettylittleliarslovee]

‘Mothering’ Caleb and a pregnancy scare flashback all in one ep. I see what’s happening here. 

 ⎿  Season 6, Episode 18 - ‘Burn This’

[singvlarlygifted-deactivated202]

@seirioscanis

[seirioscanis]

mckinnon-strong‌:

Marlene pointedly ignored the shiver that shot up her back, seeing him like this: in all of Sirius’ wild glory, dueling an army and making it look easier than breathing, having the audacity to laugh in the face of certain death - it was like a dream. It’s right then and there that Marlene realized no one she’d ever met had held a candle to him; as certain as she was that the sky was blue, she was sure that Sirius Black was the only other person in the universe who saw the danger the same way she did - a necessity to feel anything at all. Just like her.

“It’s practically your only positive trait, Black,” Marlene smirked, copying his motion for a secondary shield charm over their backs, though she knew it wouldn’t hold much more than a few seconds ( not her expertise, etc, etc ). She had opened her mouth to say something else, mouthing around an ‘I’ll always trust you’ or maybe ‘What the fuck do you mean duck” but her answer would’ve been lost by the catastrophically loud screeching of Elvendork flying toward them, bodies and shipping containers be damned in its wake. Effective, brash, deadly - a perfect escape method, if you asked her. 

A little known fact about Marlene was that she hated heights and loathed this lack of control as they climbed higher and higher into the night sky. Shaky hands snaked underneath Sirius’ jacket, wrapping around his torso to keep her in place behind him, but there was no joy left behind from the adrenaline rush of surviving a close call. Her head lulled forward, pressing her face into his back, eyes squeezed shut as they flew, the roar of Elvendork and rush of the wind thankfully saving her from any conversation as she festered silently behind him. 

She would need to ask for a partner reassignment, or at least make a note to him at a later date for no touching, because when Sirius grabbed her hand, Marlene found herself shock-still by him once again. A passing thought as to whether her shield charm had broke, maybe she got hit in the back, but her musings were left on the ground when Sirius tugged her onto the bike without hesitation before he kicked off to the sky. That simply wouldn’t do - she had the reflexes of a cat, was a decorated athlete, was an even better dueler, and he’d managed to render her stunned with a passing grab or shove more than any Stupefy! ever could have. That was more than bad - it would get her killed next time. 

When they land on the roof of Plainview ( a muffling charm barely keeping the bike from waking every human being in a three block radius ), Marlene barely said a word outside of a murmured ‘thanks’ under her breath before she was dashing away from him toward the stair access. He’d carried the mission on his back, made every right call, while Marlene floundered in her affection and almost got them both killed… she doesn’t give him a chance to catch up to her, shut away in her flat and locking the door before Sirius had even realized she’d gone. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” the blonde frowned at Francis, who’d only come to greet her so he could judge her, Marlene stepping around the cat to climb out onto her fire escape, a lit cigarette to her lips before she’d even gotten out the window. Whatever crush she still had for the man needed to be burned out of her - or else her adoration would get her killed. 

𝖋 𝖎 𝖓.

[seirioscanis]

amarazabini‌:

Amara had been on her way to see another patient but it seemed that Sirius had the same stubborn streak that ran in the rest of his family members. She knew it well through her relationships with the rest of his family. A small smile came to her lips as she listened to him go on about the tiles in the ceiling. He was obviously bored out of his mind and yet she wondered at how quickly he seemed to be recovering. She had glanced at his chart and had thought he would be far worse than what he was now. Magic truly had a way of making everything better. “I know your family well enough to know that you’re probably as stubborn as they are. You know that healers wish for you to stay in bed for at least the next day or so. You had quite a few injuries. Some people were surprised you even made it through.” 

She never missed an opportunity to gather information and if taking him on a little stroll through the hospital helped her to gain any information at all she supposed she couldn’t miss the chance. After all it was why she had come to the hospital to begin with. She left his room for a moment walking down the hall to get one of the wheelchairs. The healers paid her no mind as she entered his room with the chair and wheeled it over to his bedside. “If anyone asks we got permission for this little stroll before taking it. I don’t wish to get into trouble with your caretakers. Can you manage into the chair or do you need help?”

Any smile Sirius may have mustered up for Amara was gone the moment she brought up his family, and he quickly looked back up to the ceiling and the boring tiles that made it up. He didn’t want to be anything like his family, especially after this fight. The thought of ending up like them had always set him on edge, but after today... “I’m nothing like my family,” he said, even though he knew he shared that stubborn streak with them. He moved past that quickly and raised an eyebrow at Amara, looking down at his injury-riddled body and back up at her. “Might be more than just a day or two,” he said. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

He watched her go off and sighed, eyes closing. Of course she wouldn’t have listened to his plea. He was about to figure out a new plan when Amara came back with a wheelchair, and he smirked as she gave him a spiel should they need to cover their asses. “Ma’am, you’ve got my word. Wonderful how kind the healers are, letting you take me on a stroll.” And maybe he was playing it up a bit, but everyone who visited was somber or crying, and Sirius needed a change in pace. “Mm, broken ribs and a shattered knee don’t necessarily make for getting out of bed on my own easy. Little help would be nice.”

[seirioscanis]

nmalfoy‌:

Narcissa peeked her head around the corner of the open door, as though to check that the room was empty of other visitors before entering. “Sirius?” Her voice was small, concern etched into her delicate features. When she had checked in at the front desk, intending to visit Rabastan and the other pure victims of the poisoning, (how unfortunate it was that her husband hadn’t been one of them), the hospital receptionist had — boldly? inappropriately? — inquired if she was there to see her cousin, who was in critical care. It was too easy to believe that Sirius had managed to find his own trouble that night. He always did, it seemed. Even as children, her pleas for the boy to behave were futile. “It looks like some things never change.” 

She sat in the chair at his bed side, ankles crossed and arms folded under her chest. “Of course not. That sounds like a lot of work. I can’t put myself through that,” she said, very decisively not bitter at all from their last conversation. “Besides, if I remember correctly, I did try to help you once, but you didn’t listen to me.” Cissa was very kindly willing to waive the millions of times she had attempted to help him when they were younger, and he ignored her. “If you’re tasting something dreadful right now, it’s called regret.” 

“Narcissa?” She was the last person he expected to visit him, yet here his cousin was, prim and proper as always and, for a moment, seeming actually concerned for him. Sirius supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised by that--she always tried looking out for him since they were kids, even when he swiftly brushed away said help every time. Still, their last conversation rang in his mind, and he wasn’t over the way she tried to manipulate him into going back ‘home’, as if he could ever call a place with his family home. They certainly were willing to keep him away.

“Yes, how dare you put any work into things?” he asked dryly, narrowing his eyes at her. It didn’t take long for her passive aggressiveness to come about, and Sirius groaned, pressing his head further back into his pillow and ignoring the ache that came with every movement he made. “You didn’t try to help me, you tried to manipulate me back into an abusive home. Sorry for not taking the bait.” He pointedly ignored her last comment and looked back at her, almost too exhausted to be angry. “What do you want, Cissa? Because if you’re just here to say I told you so about things you don’t understand, then do me a favor and leave.”

[seirioscanis]

james-pottr‌:

James’ reputation for mothering his friends had long since preceded him, although he was unsure of just how many people outside his circle of friends was aware of it. Nevertheless, there was no pretending that Sirius didn’t know exactly what he was in for from the moment James uttered the first charm. It wasn’t that James wanted to lecture his best mate; Merlin knew they had gotten into shitloads of strife together in the past, but there was a distinct difference between ‘detention’ and ‘confrontation with Bellatrix Lestrange’ that had catapulted James straight into levels of stress he hadn’t felt in at least three days.

In fact, it may have sent him past his current record of stress levels and straight into a new stratosphere of stress, if the way James’ heart had raced and stuttered and ached for the last few hours meant anything. His own skin was tacky with dried sweat and blood, and James was fairly certain his hair was three times the mess it normally was, and not in the ‘just got off a broom’ sexy way but the ‘hey my best friend almost died and I feel like I wanted to die too’ way.

Sirius’ protests and explanations fall on almost-deaf ears as James’ own start to ring and he leans heavily against the closed door, lest he do something embarrassing like collapse to the floor. “You gotta promise me to stay safe. You have to stay safe,” James blurts, feeling the slight blush that echoes on his cheeks as he realises what he had said. Well, that wasn’t how I wanted to do it, he thinks, before signing deeply and meeting Sirius’ dark eyes. “Lily’s pregnant,” he says, realising this was the first time he had spoken of such a thing to someone who wasn’t the woman in question. “’bout seventeen weeks. We think it was the wedding night, maybe just before.” An almost-hysteric laugh bursts from James’ chest before he can stop it, and he’s surprised to find his eyes damp with unshed tears, “I’m gonna be a dad, Padfoot.” 

Sirius hated being the reason for the distress that he clearly saw all over James, but what could he do? For once, Sirius really hadn’t gone out looking for a fight, focused on trying to find something he wasn’t even sure of in the event that their former leader might have left something useful behind for them. It was supposed to be quick, in-and-out, maybe no longer than an hour, and then they were supposed to regroup and leave to debrief. Simple. Bellatrix wasn’t supposed to be there, and with that ghastly mask he wouldn’t have known it was her in the first place if he wasn’t able to recognize his cousin’s voice anywhere. No one else wanted to murder him as much as she did, and in that moment, they were finally alone.

He always thought he could take her hit for hit if it ever came down to it, and briefly he did as he landed an unforgivable on her, but ultimately he was proven wrong. Once she found out he survived... Promise me to stay safe.

“You know I can’t,” he whispered, looking into James’ eyes and forcing himself to hold them. James looked a wreck, and here he was stuck to his bed, unable to try and comfort his best friend. “This is war, Jamie, and she has a vendetta against me, you know that. Once she figures out I survived somehow, I’ll be surprised if she tries to be careful again before attacking. I can only promise to do what I can, but that’s all. I won’t make you a promise I can’t keep.” A blush dusted James’ cheeks, and Sirius beamed as he confirmed it. Lily’s pregnant. He didn’t need to know the how, and he didn’t need to worry about the future with the Curse, but right now, he was absolutely ecstatic, trying to shove himself out of bed to go to him and stopping when a sharp pain went through his body. 

“Get your bloody ass over here so I can hug you, Prongs. You’re gonna be a dad!” He paused, then smiled wider. “I’m gonna be an uncle! Holy shit!”

[seirioscanis]

amlabnes‌:

“Merlin, Sirius. Take a breather, will you?” Sirius was, perhaps, the most unfortunate to have been discovered by Amelia. Worried, straight-and-narrow Amelia, who immediately went to push him back down into a bed. “You’ve had a hell of a night. Would it kill you to listen to the Healers?” He had looked so… broken when she came to James’ aid. In truth, she hadn’t been able to rest since they’d arrived at St. Mungo’s. Everything about the day’s events left her uneasy. Sirius almost the summary of everything that went wrong today. She couldn’t rest easy until she knew he was alright, so she had opted to stay and wait for him to wake.

He seemed to be more than alright, considering his plea, but Amelia was not so easily convinced. She was hovering, and she knew he would likely hate her for it, but she couldn’t help herself. Giving him a once over and treating him as if he were fragile and bound to break should anything jar him. “How are you feeling? Truly, as if you weren’t trying desperately to escape people who are trying to take care of you?” Tone is teasing and accompanied by a small smirk, but the rest of her expression betrays her genuine concern.

She just felt so hopeless, she had been following a whim, away from her post, when Sirius had been hurt. The nagging regret at the back of her mind spat that, if she had only been where she was supposed to be, he wouldn’t have been hurt so. She was too tired to try very hard in concealing her emotions. Worn down from the events of the day, of the events she was fortunate not to bear witness to. Worry making her weary, etching itself clearly in the details of her face. 

“Since when have you known me to take a breather, Amelia?” he asked, fixing a smirk onto his face as if it would turn her frown upside down and wipe away her concern. Sirius knew that wasn’t likely, not by a long shot, but he could still hope that, despite the seriousness of it all (pun not intended), she would follow her own advice and take a breather. “I mean, if tonight didn’t kill me, I doubt disobeying the healers will be the thing that does me in. I’m tougher than I look, Bones.”

Which was the opposite of how he looked, that much he knew. Sirius didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that he looked less than stellar; hell, glances downward at his body were enough to paint that picture. He stayed quiet for a moment, debating on whether or not he wanted to lie to save face, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t bode well for him in the end. “Honestly? Like shit. Like I just got fucking tortured by a sadist. I dunno what you want to hear from me, but there you go.” He appreciated that she still tried to tease him though, and chuckled. “I could be taken care of at home rather than here.”

Merlin, he could see the worry all over her face despite how she tried not to show it. He’d seen that look from every visitor so far, and it was starting to grate on his nerves. “Amelia, no. This... there’s nothing that would’ve stopped this. It was a long time coming, so don’t let it get to you.”

[seirioscanis]

commanderlestrange‌:

Power thrummed through her as Bellatrix closed her eyes briefly, allowing herself to really feel the dark magic flowing through her and out of the end of her wand. It had been far too long, and it was even more satisfying knowing that Sirius was the recipient. His screams were like music to her ears, and she was desperate for more. She had half a mind to snap his wand and make sure he certainly couldn’t escape, but that was much too easy. Letting him fight back, letting him think he stood a chance, no that was far more enticing. Bellatrix slowly released the curse with a satisfied sigh as she took another few steps up the staircase towards Sirius. She had finally caught him off guard, finally alone enough that nobody was going to interfere.

While Sirius was coughing, Bellatrix had closed the gap between them and kicked him swiftly in the ribs. She was sure she heard a crunch, but her boot was already moving to press down atop his chest to stop him scrambling for his wand. “I will not ask again, Sirius Black. Confess to murdering Regulus Black, confess to murdering your brother. You sling all sorts of insults at me, and yet….my sister still lives. It is your brother that is in the ground, dead at your hand. Confess,” Bellatrix hissed, pressing her foot down harder. 

“I would say this would be much easier on you if you confess, but I think we both know that’s not true. You’re long overdue this punishment, and now you’re a murderer,” Bellatrix lifted her foot from his chest, but drew her wand across his chest to cut across his collarbones shallowly. The cut was deep enough that he would feel it, but not deep enough that he would bleed out. “Nobody is coming to help you, Black. You can confess now, and I might make it a swift death. I might even imperio you so that you don’t know what’s really going on. Or you can keep pretending that you don’t know shit and I can just keep cutting. One cut for every lie that falls from your filthy lips.”

“Confess to your sins, traitor.”

It wasn’t the first time Sirius felt the Cruciatus Curse. He never exaggerated when talking about growing up with his family (or if he did, it was never about this). Back when his mother was certain he’d be on the same path as Bellatrix, the two of them were trained under her, and she’d been the one to cast the curse on her own son. So you know how it’s supposed to feel, Walburga said at the time, and now, Sirius wasn’t sure that she wasn’t holding back anymore. It felt excruciating as a young kid, but Walburga didn’t feel the same hatred back then as Bellatrix felt for him now. Oh, and he knew she would savor every moment of his screams and cries--she was sadistic like that. 

The relief that came with the curse being lifted was short-lived, and he grunted as her boot went crashing into his rib cage, the sound of a few snaps ringing in his ears. He couldn’t even react to that properly because her foot came crashing down onto his chest, but that wasn’t what made him lose his breath. Confess to murdering Regulus Black.

She knew.

This was it. There was no way he was going to leave this confrontation alive, not when Bellatrix had that knowledge on top of her general desire to see him suffer. His eyes were wide, and doubtless any shock and fear on his face would give way to the truth, but if she wanted a verbal confession, he wasn’t going to give it so easily. “Andromeda only lives because you haven’t crossed paths with her yet,” he hissed. “I’ve--done--nothing.”

All he got in return for his defiance was a shallow cut to his collarbone, but it nevertheless made him cry out in pain; a moment later he felt the telltale signs of blood seeping into his shirt and sticking it to his skin. Sirius didn’t pay attention while Bellatrix monologued, eyes darting toward the stairs instead. He needed his wand. Nonverbal and wandless magic was simple enough when he could concentrate, so he stretched his fingers out and focused. It took a moment, but the wand came rolling up the stairs and landed an inch away from his fingers. Sirius lunged for it and scrambled back as fast as he could with broken ribs and a flesh wound, raising his wand and shouting, “Petrificus totalas!”

Sirius was more than likely going to die during this duel, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

[seirioscanis]

marymacd‌:

Perhaps the smart thing to do would have been to stay in bed, resting, as the healers had advised. Once she had regained consciousness, Mary had been advised that getting some more rest was the best thing to help her recovering body, though Mary knew that sleep wouldn’t come easily. It had taken her a while to fully register what had happened tonight, that she, along with countless others, had nearly died after a faceless entity had laced their drinks with poison. It was an almost unthinkable situation. 

Though there were no firm suspects, Mary knew that the Death Eaters were behind this. They had to be, otherwise the act made absolutely no sense. Though poisoning a crowd seemed like a strange move, she can’t help but think that it was part of something more, though the after effects of the poison have left her mind foggy, her thoughts scattered and unable to form properly.

James had informed her about what happened to Sirius, the state they’d found him in. Though Mary had been relieved to hear that he would be alright, she decided she wanted to make sure herself. They were already in the same building, it would just be rude for her not to pay him a visit. Besides, finding Sirius when she couldn’t sleep was all but a tradition at this point, and spending the night alone in a hospital room became more and more unappealing as she thought about it.

She was sure she didn’t look good. Getting out of the hospital bed had been a struggle all on its own – her limbs still feeling heavy and her head still pounding and her stomach still turning unpleasantly, but once she’d made it to the doorway of her room, she was committed to the caper. Her skin felt clammy and was even paler than usual by the time she made it to Sirius’ room, lingering in the doorway until he acknowledged her presence and giving him a smile. “Sure, we can tie the bedsheets together and make a rope to shimmy down.” She says, crossing the threshold of the room on slightly shaky legs, setting herself down in the chair beside his bed with a sigh. “James says you nearly died and left him alone.. he wasn’t happy about it.”

Sleep rarely came to Sirius these days, so being injured to the extent that he was certainly didn’t help with that situation.

He dozed, of course, on and off when people weren’t coming into his room at random intervals to either make sure he was okay or scold him for fighting Bellatrix (not that he really admitted that it was Bellatrix who he’d fought save for his closest friends). That still didn’t keep him from tossing and turning as much as his battered body could. The broken hand and ribs were mended, but with the bones still fragile they were wrapped to keep as still as possible; his leg needed much more attention, his kneecap shattered and leg twisted at an unnatural angle when James and Amelia fetched him from Hogwarts. He was pretty sure his foot was at least fractured as well, but he couldn’t feel a thing on that leg so he couldn’t tell. Scratches were all along his chest--the consequence of refusing to tell Bellatrix what she wanted to hear--and his right pinkie was missing from the first knuckle upward, a distinct sense of loss in its place. 

The worst of it, though, was the word TRAITOR carved deep into his right forearm, still angry red hours after the healers had mended the skin and healed him the best they could. He was staring at the word blankly when Mary made her presence known, coming more to himself and watching with furrowed eyebrows as she shakily made her way to the chair at his bedside. Sirius heard about the mass poisoning soon after he woke up earlier that day, and to say he was worried when he discovered Mary was a victim of the poisoning was a vast understatement. “Maybe when we’re both in better shape,” he said, and finding a smile to give her, small as it was. “They’ll never suspect a thing.”

His smile fell when she mentioned James, and he closed his eyes with a nod. “Yeah, we had it out earlier. I didn’t exactly go out and try to get myself killed, Mar. It just... the mission went wrong, that’s all.” His eyes opened again and searched her face. “How are you? I heard about what happened at the ceremony. How the hell did you even make it over here?”

[seirioscanis]

lucixtalkalot‌:

After the days spent in London during the festivities of Valentine’s Day, Lucinda went back to quiet Cardiff city. Alright, maybe the large city wasn’t quite but it definitely was in comparison to London. Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley were so very different from the magical community here in Wales. She was already happy that she wasn’t living in Caerphilly itself. It was even smaller and besides the castle there, it wasn’t much fun.

Besides residing in ‘quiet’ Cardiff for her job, it was also because of the cause that she was located there. And when she had noticed Sirius Black walking around the city, she had definitely been keeping an eye on him. She had been doing so for months now but it was only now that he had noticed. Lucinda had no idea how he had managed to find out now after she had been doing so for a while. So perhaps it was time to get closer to him, to actually get into contact with him.

Lucinda had been actually tailing him for a few corners when the young man turned around to face her. She raised her hands innocently when he directly went into the attack mode. “Slow down, I am here because I live here in Cardiff. Just as you do. So calm down, I’m not here because of some family issues you have.” The woman lowered her hands and crossed her arms.

“I’m not stalking you. I’ve seen you around and I wondered what a young man like you is doing in Cardiff while a city like London fits you so much better.”

She radiated sass, and that immediately set Sirius on edge even more. Calm down were the last words he liked to hear when he was feeling cornered, and his eyes narrowed considerably. Raised hands for innocence, but she’d been following him for months now. He should have said something earlier, probably, but Sirius naively hoped she would just stop. That was the last time he’d hope for shit like that.

“Most people who approach me are because of the family issues I have,” he said dully, an eyebrow raising at her. Like hell he believed that, but one step at a time. “And I’d call bullshit on that, actually. I’ve noticed you for weeks, months even. You’re not subtle, Talkalot. Maybe thank that fame of yours for that.” Sirius didn’t owe her any answers, obviously, but now he wanted answers from her, and he’d probably only get those by playing her little game. He didn’t bother trying to hide his disinterest.

“Now I definitely think you’re working with my cousin. She asked me the same shit a few weeks back.” Sirius brushed his hair out of his face and huffed. “I can’t just go to Cardiff for the hell of it? Do I really need a reason to do shit now? You’re both delusional. Tell her to stop stalking me, and you do the same while you’re at it. Fucking creep.”

[seirioscanis]

mllyweasly‌:

As per usual, Molly is among the last people to be informed about the disastrous past few hours. She was still in Hogsmeade when the news broke that there had been some sort of a mass poisoning at Rufus Scrimgeour’s induction ceremony, and, though she may no longer technically be a healer, she finds herself heading to St Mungo’s to see if there’s anything that can be done before heading home. 

Though they managed to administer just about everyone with an antidote before anything too terrible happened, the hospital is practically brimming with people who had fallen victim to the cruelty. Why someone would do such a thing, Molly can’t quite understand. There doesn’t seem to have been a specific target, anybody who drank the punch had fallen ill – so why risk killing dozens? 

It’s not something she wanted to dwell on.

Her services aren’t particularly needed once the antidote has been administered, but Molly finds herself hanging around afterwards anyway. The halls of this place are so familiar to her that it feels like walking through her own home, though she doesn’t let herself get sucked in by the fantasy. Once, this place was her whole life, but now she had five children and a sixth coming any day now, she needed them to be her whole life, and she was happy with things this way.

She was about to head home when she overheard one of the healers mentioning Sirius Black, immediately catching her attention. Should have seen the injuries this kid had, some sort of duel. He came in just in time. The fact that Sirius was here for something other than the poisoning was enough to set Molly on edge, her mind immediately jumping to the worst possible conclusions, and knowing, with a sinking feeling, that her brothers were most likely caught up in this mess. It was only a matter of time until someone got hurt, but she was hoping it wouldn’t be something she would have to worry about for some time yet.

She decides without much hesitation to stop by Sirius’ room before she heads home, knocking politely on the door but not really waiting for a response before waddling into the room – almost nine months pregnant, walking was becoming more and more of a chore. She shakes her head at the boy’s request, tutting softly as she crosses the threshold and picks up the notes left behind by his healers, grimacing at what she reads. “Merlin, Black. What the hell happened?”

Molly Weasley didn’t so much as wait before she was walking into his room (waddling might be more appropriate) and picking up his clipboard, concern decorating her face. Sirius winced from something other than the pain for once, letting his eyes fall closed as if he could block out the feeling of worrying Molly. He was reckless, sure, and usually he didn’t let that affect him, but Molly was one of the people Sirius actually did mind upsetting. 

He had a feeling he wasn’t getting out of this one easily.

“Just a fight,” he said vaguely, waving in the air with his casted hand before switching over to his good hand. No need to wave his injuries around--he already knew he was in bad shape. He also wasn’t entirely sure what he could tell Molly. Gideon and Fabian were her brothers, but she wasn’t part of the Order. Would she know stuff anyway? Would her brothers want her to know what the hell was going on? “I was, uh, on a... errand... and it went very south, as you can see. I’m fine, though, absolutely fine, so there’s no need to fuss. James has done enough of that already.” 

Sirius opened his eyes again and frowned. “Hey, you should sit. Why stand when you can recline?”

[seirioscanis]

gidexnprewxtt‌:

Gideon had a rare afternoon at home. The house for once quiet. Perhaps today he would find some kind of peace. His mind had been in turmoil. He was never able to drop his guard. He was constantly searching for the next threat he would have to take down. Today though it would be different. If only for a few hours he would remember what life had been like before the war. Before his job. His cat was curled up on the couch beside him and he was staring at the canvas he had pulled from some forgotten closet. A half finished whimsical lake scene was sitting on the easel before him and he had all his paints lined up before him. Normally he would stand when painting but he was trying to relax and so he found himself sitting on the couch painting.

He was adding another stroke to the trees surrounding the lake when he heard a horribly loud barking noise and then he found a large dog attacking him and sending its fur everywhere. His cat was instantly gone and the fur was covering him and everything else around him. Dropping the paintbrush he had been holding he took hold of the large black dog pushing it to the other side of the couch as gently as he could. “Now where did you come from? I’m fairly certain no one is here so I’m not sure how you got here. Unless Fabian got another pet without telling me.” He waved his wand to get rid of all the fur that had covered him and everything else as he tried to think of who the dog could belong to. “If you don’t have a home I have no problem adopting you Fabian is always telling me no more pets but how could he tell me no if you’re already here.”

The cat immediately running away was satisfying in the way that he only really felt when he was in his animagus form, and his eyes followed its movements while the Prewett he now knew was, in fact, Gideon, held him back and questioned why he was there. It was no matter as to why he was there, at least not to him, so he turned back to Gideon and somehow managed not to visibly recoil at the thought of a Prewett twin adopting him. The thought of anyone adopting him was horrifying, really (unless they were James and Lily), so in response Padfoot jumped back at him, slobber dripping onto Gideon’s pants and tail brushing against the canvas he’d been painting on. Oops.

He made a quick exit and chased after the cat, waiting until the coast was clear before morphing back to himself. He shook his joints out and glanced in the bathroom mirror, wrinkling his nose when he saw some paint that had gotten on his tail transferred to his hair instead. Sirius grumbled and washed it out how he could with sink water and a hand towel, going back out to where Gideon was and saying, “Is there a reason your cat just streaked by the bathroom? Thing looked frightened as hell. Almost like it’d seen a ghost.”

[seirioscanis]

nmalfoy‌:

“Well, I don’t.” The conversation wasn’t about Andromeda, and Cissa wouldn’t allow it to become so. It was so rare that she was so certain about her feelings, however, that when she was, (as she was about her sister’s betrayal), she wanted to be vocal about it. “She didn’t care about me. She didn’t think about me at all before she left, ” she pointed out. “I don’t want to talk about her today. Please don’t try to change the subject.” 

“You can,” she stubbornly interjected. There were a variety of foreseeable issues to her suggestion, albeit she wore rose colored glasses, and as she went on, there was a lightness in her words that insinuated as much. She could hear her father’s words in the back of her mind — One day, you’ll have to stop being so naive, Narcissa. “You don’t have to go back to your parents. You don’t even have to talk to them again. There are plenty of people who don’t talk to each other — like my mother and her sister. They haven’t spoken in… Anyways, Sirius, you don’t have to socialize with anyone you don’t want to,” she said. She had to pause to catch her breath and it was only then that she realized she was babbling. Desperate to fully explain her idea before he could object again, (or worse — get up and leave), she continued, “You can live with Lucius and I until you get your own place. He can get you in at the Ministry —” She didn’t know what she would have to do in order to convince Lucius to make such a move, but she was willing to do it. “And I can get you in with some friends. Amara Zabini is engaged to Charles Selwyn. He could vouch for you. I know it sounds like a lot, but…” She titled her head and cast a pleading look. “It’s the life you were meant to live, Sirius. I know I should have done this a long time ago, but it’s not too late for everything to be the way it’s supposed to be, if you just come home.” 

He laughed without humor, shaking his head and leaning back in his seat. “And you think--what? That I did? Andi and I both left the family, Cissa, of our own volition. The only person I was thinking of was myself, because at that point it was leave or possibly be killed.” By whose hand, he couldn’t say: his mother, his father, Bellatrix, maybe even himself. “Why try to bring me back into the family when you could do the same for her?”

He listened as Narcissa went on and on, seemingly convinced by her own ramblings that Sirius could simply waltz back into his old life after being blasted from the family tree just because he had some sort of change in heart. That wasn’t reality though, and for some reason his cousin couldn’t see that. It made him both pity and envy that she still had a bit of optimism. “You don’t get it,” he said slowly. “If I were to step within a fifty-foot radius of Bellatrix or Walburga, both would terrorize or try to kill me, or even both if given the chance. I’m already in the Ministry as an Auror, so I don’t need help with that. I’ve got a place of my own to live in, and I highly doubt your darling husband would let me stay with you if I took up your offer.” He closed his eyes and was quiet for a moment, a headache throbbing behind his eyes. “Everything you say I’m supposed to have is everything I don’t want. Even if I had been considering betraying the people I consider my family and going back to you lot, I would’ve changed my mind once I heard that a blood supremacist cursed everyone in the UK who wanted a child to either have a stillborn or die themselves trying to bring their kid into the world. Especially when the chances are worse off for muggleborns.” He had far too many muggleborn friends to let that slide.

Sirius sighed and stood, looking down at her. “If all you invited me out here for was to do some hair brain scheme and try to bring me back into the family, then I should go, because that’s not going to happen.” The sad part was, a small bit of him was hoping she was actually trying to reach out and reconnect despite his disownment. Now he knew that was a fucking lie.

[seirioscanis]

james-pottr‌:

The feel of his own laughter lifts something inside James; a weight he knew that he was carrying, but hadn’t realised how heavy it really was. It was when he was around Sirius that most of the tension seemed to fade from his body, as though his best friend continued to have a pull over him that no one else could duplicate; not even his own wife. And in return it seemed, Lily had a completely different pull that Sirius couldn’t duplicate either. Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, James claps his hand to Sirius’ back once more, this time in commiseration, “Sorry, bud. On all fronts there,” he says, trying to leave the conversation open for Sirius to discuss Marlene if he so wished. “Probably. And I have to say, I’m not protecting you from her wrath.” 

Snorting at Sirius almost immediate dramatics, James allows himself to hang back and watch the other’s fawning about, noting the gaze of the woman nearby who was not unlike the swooning girls they had attended school with; all eyes on Sirius. He had, after all, always been a head-turner and his ego certainly showed it. “Well, I mean she’s got some certain bits that you don’t have,” James starts, a teasing grin upon his face despite knowing his own attraction was not simply limited to one gender, “And she’s got a wicked sense of humour and she doesn’t take my bullshit, which, as much as I appreciate it mate, you’ve always encouraged.” 

Satisfied with Sirius’ approval, James aims one last swipe at his friend’s hair, laughing as he does so, before following the movement with a sharp poke to his ribs. “Having a bedtime is far better when there’s someone else in the bed, I won’t lie,” he remarks, his own smile fading a little. What Sirius said was true, James was only suffering the result of Marlene having left and her missing key events in his life; Sirius, on the other hand, was dealing with a far deeper abandonment. “I know, Padfoot. No one’s telling you to forgive her. She…it’s not a minor thing she did.” 

Stepping back from the counter, James nudges Sirius forward, deliberately ignoring the other’s question. Explaining what he planned to do would require explaining his reasoning behind such an addition, and that was not something James wanted to do when they had an audience. Markus, of all people, was a gruff ‘ask no questions’ kind of man, but James knew he couldn’t take a risk right now, not about something as important as this. It helped, he supposed, that Markus had no idea what his original tattoo was symbolic of and certainly didn’t care enough to try and put it all together.

Following behind Sirius, simultaneously trying not to both frown and smirk. How long would it be, he wondered, before Sirius remembered just how much he disliked needles. Perching himself against a nearby wall, James stands at the ready, in case his hand was needed to squeeze, before he shrugs his shoulders.

“Just wanted to tidy it up a little. Maybe add a few more little details, y’know?” he says gruffly, “I’ll explain more after.”

“You couldn’t protect me from her wrath if you tried,” he shot back good-naturedly, promptly ignoring the opening James left for him. He loved the man, he truly did, but he wasn’t about to sour his mood by discussing the failure that was his almost-relationship with Marlene McKinnon. Instead, he shot a wink at the girls that stared at him, the flirtation almost instinctive at that point. It was like this in school, and it seemed it would be like this until he grew old and wrinkly--though he figured even then he’d look like a silver fox. His genes were good, all family resentment aside. “Parts aside, you can’t deny our love, James. We’re meant to be, and I’m sure Lily of all people would understand.”

“Bedtimes mean you’re still growing far too old for my taste,” Sirius said, raising an eyebrow and moving away from the sharp poke James sent his way. The conversation veered toward Marlene again, and Sirius sighed, smile fading. “Yeah, I know no one’s telling me to forgive her. It just... I’m tired of fighting, Prongs. I’m pissed as hell at her, obviously, but I’m tired of it all. Why’d she have to go and fuck it up?”

“Well now I’m very curious,” he said, nerves only fully hitting when Markus came back with the tattoo needles and various vials of ink. The man pressed an outline of James’ sketch to his back and muttered under his breath to show what the animation would look like. That helped sooth his nerves a bit--James had truly done an outstanding job. He couldn’t stop watching the stag and fox playing with one another, his smile from earlier returning. That, of course, quickly faded away when he laid back down and the needles touched his skin, Markus’ arm holding him down from completely jumping off the table. “Merlin’s soggy nut sack, that hurt! ‘S it gonna be like this the entire time?”

“Yes,” was Markus’ gruff reply, and Sirius huffed, wincing when the needle touched to his skin again and looking up at James pathetically. “The pains we suffer for art.”

[seirioscanis]

commanderlestrange‌:

Who: Bellatrix + @seirioscanis​ When: February 29th 10:10am Where: Staircases outside the Gryffindor common room.

Righteous anger.

That’s all Bellatrix felt. Righteous anger. She hadn’t fully come to the conclusion that Sirius had killed Regulus, but he seemed the more likely candidate between himself and Andromeda. Andromeda simply didn’t have it in her to be a vicious killer, but Sirius had always had an angry streak within him. He had the wild Black temper that was almost so characteristic of those that spent an extended period of time with Walburga. It was the easier conclusion to make - and if she was wrong, she would merely go after Andromeda after dealing with Sirius in the first place. He’d had it coming for a long time.

Peter Pettigrew had been more than forthcoming, and now Bellatrix was climbing the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room. Her mask weighed heavily on her face, almost as heavily as the burden that she might finally find out what happened to Regulus and make him suffer for it. The climb towards the common room felt as if it took an age, but before she knew it she was just a staircase away….and Sirius was stood directly outside the Fat Lady. Casting a quick expelliarmus, Sirius’ wand shot from his hand and rolled down the staircase with a clunk. 

“You have some questions to answer, Black. Tell me what happened to Regulus, tell me the truth before I force it out of you,” Bellatrix yelled, before a brief moment of confusion washed over her that her glamour had dropped. It appeared that her fury had directed her focus entirely towards Sirius and less upon the glamours she usually wore to disguise herself. Sirius took too long to give an answer, and Bellatrix was already seeing red. It was the excuse she had needed for some time - they may have been in Hogwarts, but they were largely alone and she was masked. “Perhaps we shall go for punishment first and confessional later, hm? Crucio.”

Sirius was staring at the Fat Lady for longer than he cared to admit, a frown on his face as she denied him entry to the Gryffindor Common Room yet again. “Oh come on, you saw my ugly mug for seven years. You know Dumbledore trusts me, and I have to get in there to search for... something.” Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what, but anything could be in there. Sometimes it was easier to ignore how eccentrically Dumbledore operated, even when he was missing in action.

He glanced at his watch as he was once again denied entry, frustration growing the later it got. He had a schedule to keep, and though he was prone to taking his own merry time doing things, this wasn’t something he was going to mess with. Sirius would have to leave with or without information, but he honestly didn’t want to leave empty-handed. He was about to open his mouth again to negotiate with the portrait when the hairs on his neck stood on edge, and that was all the warning Sirius had before his wand was flying out of his hand and down the steps (thankfully not a moving staircase). He immediately turned on the spot to face his assailant; wandless magic wasn’t his forte, but it would work enough until he had the proper opportunity to get his wand and cast with his full strength.

You have some questions to answer, Black, the masked figure shouted, and Sirius’ blood went cold. He knew that voice, would recognize it anywhere, and at once his suspicions were confirmed: Bellatrix was a Death Eater. He said before that he wouldn’t put it past her being one, but to have that information actually confirmed was shocking enough to freeze his vocal chords--a mistake he now regretted, falling to the floor and letting out a scream. It felt like thousands of knives were being stabbed into him repeatedly and without holding back, making his body writhe on the floor under the Unforgivable. 

He didn’t know how long the curse lasted--minutes, hours--but when there was a break, he coughed violently and managed to shout, “You fucking bitch. I don’t know shit.”