The dust that floated in the air between the bookshelves shimmered beautifully in the sunlight. The library smelled cozy and books-filled. In the distance, you could hear the muffled voices and footsteps of students who had come to the library on a Saturday evening.
A light kiss. Another one. And another.
Raising his hand, he brushed aside her loose hair. Then, wrapping both arms around her waist, Draco pulled her closer into his embrace.
Hermione cupped his face tenderly in her hands and looked into his eyes before touching his lips again in a feather-light kiss.
This tenderness sounded like a promise. A promise of more, a promise of passion, a promise of depth. Two universes intertwined under the force of their emotions, drawn irresistibly toward each other. A shared future opened its welcoming arms to them as love flooded their hearts in the cozy silence of the library.
Dramione & the Library
(a secret date is the favorite plot twist of all time 🫠)
Fail - Jegulus, Wolfstar, Jegulus raising Harry and Wolfstar raising Draco - @into-the-jeggyverse - Word count: 848
I saw a post a while back where Draco ran away from his parents because he didn't want to live their lifestyle and ran to the one person he knew had felt the same once upon a time. I thought it was really sweet. If anyone knows the original creator, please let me know so I can tag appropriately. This is after that and Draco asked to change his name to Black.
“Mr. Potter! Mr. Black!”
McGonagall's voice rang across the library and James and Sirius froze where they were standing, swapping the same terrified looks. How could she possibly know they were here? This hiding spot was foolproof.
They both held their breaths.
“Get out of there right now.” McGonagall was not messing around. James and Sirius had heard that tone several thousand times.
They were about to step out from their excellent hiding spot when they heard the shuffling of two other people.
James and Sirius swapped confused expressions. If it wasn't them, who could it possibly be?
Nobody was speaking and the air thick with tension.
“Explain yourselves, now.” McGonagall demanded.
“We, err, you see.” A voice stumbled over its words. A voice James recognised.
James’ eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as the penny dropped. The Potter that had been caught was Harry. But who was… James’ brain short circuited and he looked at Sirius, who was now deliberately not looking at James, but was very suddenly interested in the dust motes.
“We were looking for a book, Professor.” Draco's voice was not quite as calm as he was trying to play.
“Oh and which book would that be, Mr. Black? The last I knew, books were kept on shelves, not hidden in small alcoves and concealed behind large plants."
Neither boy said a word.
“On this occasion, I have decided not to give either of you detention.” As McGonagall spoke, a tiny hint of amusement crept into her voice. “Don't get too excited. You're still going to end up facing some sort of punishment. Just not from me. Isn't that right, Potter and Black seniors?”
“Shit,” Sirius exclaimed.
They extracted themselves from the cupboard they had hidden in and Sirius flung his arms out to the side as he greeted their old head of house.
“Minnie! It's been forever!”
“It's been a week, Black.” Minerva shook her head, but the corner of her mouth twitched up. “I'd ask what on earth you are doing here and hiding in the library, but I suspect this has something to do with it.” She gestured towards Harry and Draco.
James turned to look at his son and nephew. The pair of them were extremely dishevelled, ties crooked, hair messier than usual, especially Draco's, and shirts untucked. The two of them were shuffling their feet and refusing to look at their respective guardians, cheeks tinged pink.
“Well,” Sirirus started. “I'm not gonna lie to you, Minnie.” Sirius had his serious face on. “But I am going to run away from you.”
He didn't get very far before James flung a restraining spell at him and Sirius tumbled down.
“Oi!”
“Serves you right, traitor! You knew about this!” James flung an arm at the two younger boys.
“I had suspicions,” Sirius admitted, blushing slightly.
“And you didn't tell me?!” James was furious.
“Dad!” James spun to look at his son. Harry was looking defiant and Draco was still staring at the floor. “I don't care if you don't like it, but me and Draco are together.” Harry grabbed Draco's hand, but was still staring James down, as he stuck his chin in the air. A sure sign something big was coming, he got that look from Regulus. “And I love him.”
Draco gasped and looked at Harry, but didn't say anything.
James blinked. “Haz, I'm delighted for you both, really. I don't care who you love.” Harry's shoulders relaxed. “I care that this little sneak told me we were coming to play a major pra-” James cut himself off and grimaced.
“A what?” James gulped and looked at McGonagall.
“Err,” James spluttered.
Then, without looking back, he ran. Out of the library, up to the statue of the one-eyed witch, down the secret tunnel and apparated home as soon as he reached the Honeydukes basement.
James bent over to catch his breath, then let himself into his house.
“Jaime, is that you?” Regulus called out.
“Yes, love.”
“Can you come here please?”
James walked into the living room and over to where Regulus was sat on the sofa.
He bent down to kiss his husband but stopped when he saw the look on Regulus’ face.
“Everything alright, Reggie?” James asked cautiously.
“I've just received a letter,” Regulus held up the parchment in his hand, and James caught sight of the Hogwarts crest.
“Ah.”
“Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from Hogwarts’ deputy head not just about my son, who is currently a student at Hogwarts, but about my husband.” All James could do was blink.
“What, err, what does it say?” James grimaced as he waited for the answer.
“Apparently, Minerva is currently looking into ways to retroactively Fail you.”
Just as James was about to jump to his own defence, their fire roared to life and Sirius stumbled out of it.
“POTTER!” James bolted and Sirius gave chase.
The fire roared a second time and Remus calmly stepped out.
“Yours too?” Remus asked as he held up a Hogwarts letter.
Regulus and Remus shook their heads and spent the next hour working out how to murder their husbands and their sons.
Madam Pince had walked past him at least eight times now, and Remus had no idea why. He was on his own, doing actual schoolwork. His friends were nowhere near the library as far as he knew. She came round again, and this time, Remus stared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and continued down the next aisle of books.
It was as he was gathering his things together, he’d finally had enough of Madam Pince’s hawk-like gaze, that he heard a stifled giggle. He spun around and saw nothing. But he’d definitely heard something.
He closed his eyes and sniffed. The smell of leather and cedar filled his nostrils; he’d know that scent anywhere.
“Sirius, you prick,” he growled under his breath, and this time the giggle wasn’t stifled. He grabbed his things and stormed out.
Sirius caught up to him, having removed the invisibility cloak, but Remus refused to slow down, forcing Sirius to jog beside him to keep up.
“Don’t you want to know what I was doing to make Pince keep her eye on you?” Sirius asked, his face split in two by the huge smile that just kept getting wider.
“No,” Remus grunted. He’d really wanted to get that essay finished. The full moon was in two days, and if he didn’t get caught up now, he’d be trying to finish his work when all he wanted to do was rest.
“Oh, come on,” Sirius pleaded, and that was when Remus noticed that people were snickering as they walked past them.
“Fine,” he hissed under his breath. Sirius placed the tip of his wand onto one of his curls, and colour seeped up, changing the black curls to a vivid blue. Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath before walking away from Sirius and into the closest bathroom. His hair was baby pink. He looked like a bag of candy floss. No wonder Madam Pince had been watching him if Sirius had been changing his hair colour. He quickly removed the spell and watched as his natural sandy colour erased the pink.
When he came back out, Sirius was waiting for him.
“Aww, you changed it back,” Sirius pouted. Reaching up and stroking his fingertips over Remus’s hair. Remus grabbed him by the wrist, bringing his hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to his palm.
“It’s not my colour,” he said, mischief flashing in his eyes. “But it is yours!” He used the same spell with a Lupin twist on it on Sirius and took off before Sirius could jinx him.
Sirius' hair changed colour every ten minutes for over a day before the charm wore off. He demanded that Remus show him how to cast the spell. Remus did, but only after Sirius promised he’d only use it on himself. The school was a sea of multicoloured hair by the end of the week.
Happy egg day! The bunny god has brought you this scruffy little digital watercolour sketch, because I was testing out some new procreate brushes and I did get carried away
Early evening in late spring, our favourite 8th years are cramming for their NEWTS
Hermione is "just resting her eyes for a moment” she swears
Draco knows she is lying because his eyes, incidentally, have been resting on her for the past twenty minutes
(Half an hour later, he will tease her about it relentlessly while he marches her to the great hall to make sure she eats something other than liquorice wands)
The library was Remus' refuge. Here he doesn’t have to worry about his idiots, he can study, and they would be none the wiser about his feelings. At least, that is how it’s supposed to be. Remus can hide here on his bad days under the pretense of studying. Sirius, James and Peter won’t even think of questioning it. But now as he walks to his usual corner, a mop of black curls comes into his vision. Sirius.
He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have to deal with Remus, not when he was like this. He can’t burden his friends more than he already has. They have already done so much for him — spending their nights in the Shrieking Shack, dealing with the aftereffects of the moon, visiting him in the Hospital Wing. He can’t put this on their shoulders either.
Remus' eyes dart around the room, trying to find a way out, hoping that Sirius won’t see him, but he can't. The shelves surround him on every side, locking him in place. He is stuck. Trapped with no way out. His palms are slick. Growing sweatier by the minute. His heart pounds in his ears. Deafening. His breathing grows shallow. Short, ragged breaths. Desperately he tries to fill his lungs. But it is no use. His chest tightens. The room starts to tilt. His vision grows blurry, until all he can see is Sirius. Sirius. Brave, kind Sirius. Loud, happy Sirius. Loving Sirius. Sirius.
He’ll hate me. I’m a fraud. I lied. I’m a liar. I can never do it right. I only worry others. I shouldn’t be here. I need to leave. Leave.
His hand tingles. Hanging uselessly by his side. The books slip from his fingers, dropping to the ground. Only one thought in his mind. The only thing louder than the pounding that fills his head: run. He has to go. He can't stay here. Sirius can’t see him. Not like this. He has to leave. Run, somewhere, anywhere, as long as it isn’t here.
Remus can faintly hear the thump of his books hitting the ground. Too loud. Too final. But he can’t move. He is stuck. Any moment now Sirius will turn around and see him here, frozen in place, and he’ll know. Remus lied. He is a liar.
Time seems so slow, stretching, making seconds feel like hours. Remus doesn’t know how long it has been until Sirius's eyes are on him, but they are. Bright gray, half-lidded to avoid the sun that covers him whole, basking him in a light of gold. A spark shines still in those eyes, like they always do when he looks at Remus.
His breathing is still shallow, his ears still pounding. But Sirius's face cuts through the dark, bright and steadying from the chaos within.
A smile adorns his lips, soft and gentle. It held a warmth that not only lit up his face but also the whole room around him, filling Remus with a sense of comfort and belonging like no one else ever could.
Why is he smiling? That smile isn't real, it can't be. Not for me.
He doesn't know.
If he did, this warmth would vanish. He is only smiling because he hasn't seen the truth yet.
His smile. He smiles like I'm worth it. I'm not. It feels like forgiveness, like love, and belonging — all of which I don't deserve. If he could see me, he’d know I'm a liar. I'll only disappoint him.
It's only a question of time until he realises I'm not worth it. Until he sees the shadow clinging to me. How can he not? He shines so bright himself.
Soon he’ll see through me, and that smile will die.
We say we're enemies friends, but I'm catching you across the room
It makes no sense 'cause we're fighting over what we do
And there's no way that I'll end up being with you
But enemies friends don't look at enemies friends that way
Can't even tell if
I love or hate you more
You've got me addicted
And I can't tell who's keeping score
I know what you mean when you act like that
But you don't know it's breaking my heart
'Cause I don't even know what we are
I don't even know where to start
But I can play the part
The October full moon had been particularly rough for Remus that year, but as he settles down in the library, just beside the door to the restricted section, he begins to feel like a normal student again. A normal student with a lot of work to catch up on.
After an hour, he's on a roll and his study is going well. Although he'd benefit from a bit of extra time he's loathe to request an extension - it wouldn't be fair to the others - so he continues on feeling quite focused in his own little world.
That is, until he senses someone approach.
"Are you an apparition? Or have you actually come back to school?"
He looks up to see Regulus approaching. There's a look on his face that gives Remus pause. It's some sort of twisted amalgamation of relief and… anger?
"I'm here-"
"Because I'm hoping you're an apparition. The real you would surely have sent me a letter or something to say you were okay, and not just hidden away in the fucking library when you got back."
Closing the book with a gentle sigh, he savours the silent seconds available to him as he sets it aside.
"I was going to come and find you once I'd made some progress on catching up, you know how it is-"
"No, I can't say I do," he argues. "You vanish suddenly, say nothing, and come back looking like you're at death's door. You don't tell me a god-damned thing. What am I supposed to think?"
The question hangs in the air between them.
"Right," Regulus continues, bitterly, "Forget it. I-"
"I'm sorry," Remus says at last, though he's speaking in such a low voice it's a wonder the other hears him at all. "I know you've been worried about me, and I know it's hard not knowing, but… I'm okay."
"Does that mean you're not going to be going off sick again?"
The silence answers on his behalf.
Regulus exhales, but as he stares furiously ahead of him, between the long row of shelves, he shuffles his hand over so his smallest finger can brush against Remus'.
"I had your return on my calendar, you know," he says, voice softening. "The advent of Lupin. Well, I just marked it as 'advent', the others think I'm senile."
It's only a matter of time before Regulus realises the truth, but he parks that thought aside - that's a worry for another time.
"I'm sure I'm not that important," Remus replies, breaking into a smile. From the corner of his eye, he can see Regulus squashing a smile of his own.
