Black and White (Part X)
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI
When Remus walked into Black and White on Monday morning, he was surprised to see people wandering around the gallery. The artist had only ever visited in the evening, when Sirius was alone. Now, in the light of day, with rays of sunshine pouring through the impressive windows, the gallery looked vibrant, striking, alive.
Sirius was standing next to a painting, one that Remus had come to recognize as Lily's work, talking with two individuals whom Remus had yet to meet.
One was tall and slender, with muscular arms and calves, hidden beneath perfectly umber skin that glowed in the gallery lighting. The person had a shaved head, which emphasized sharp cheekbones, a broad nose, and elegantly plump lips parted in a joyful smile.
The other person was shorter than the first, with broad shoulders covered by a worn-out leather jacket. A rosy blush spread across creamy skin as they laughed along with something that Sirius said. Their hair was cropped short in the back and sides and swept away from their eyes in the front, a typical hipster undercut.
"Ah! Speak of the devil!" Sirius sang, waving in Remus' direction. The artist glanced behind himself to make sure that it was he whom Sirius was signaling to; this was a definite departure from Sirius' typical treatment of Remus.
"Uh… hello?"
"Mr. Lupin! Come here! I'd like you to meet some clients of ours!"
Remus tensed up, his jaw locking, as he awkwardly shuffled towards Sirius and his two companions. He hadn't expected to have to meet anybody that day, let alone schmooze about his art.
"Uh… hello," Remus muttered as he approached the group.
Sirius' smile was wide and gleaming, but it was different from the smile he had at the restaurant. If Remus hadn't known better, he would have thought nothing of it, but he knew what Sirius Black looked like when he was genuinely happy; this was not it. Sirius' grin was too broad, his mouth too open. The smile didn't reach all the way to his eyes, leaving Remus feeling almost sorry for Sirius. He looked happy enough, but none of it was real.
"Mr. Lupin," Sirius began, putting his hand on the small of the taller person's back. "This is Dorcas Meadowes and their partner Marlene McKinnon." He turned to smile at his friends. "Dor, Marls, this is our newest artist, Remus Lupin."
"Pleasure to meet you," Dorcas said, sticking their hand out to shake Remus'. They had the same posh accent as Sirius, the same coy grin spreading across their face. Remus returned the smile as best he could, nodding politely at the couple.
"Nice to meet you," he said shyly, shaking Dorcas' hand. "I'm Remus… obviously…" He glanced down sheepishly at his shoes.
"We've heard a lot about you," Dorcas continued, their expression remaining calm and polite; they were obviously used to dealing with awkward artist-types. "Here's hoping your work will live up to our expectations!" Dorcas let out a sharp laugh that rang through the air, but they stopped when they noticed the look on Remus' face. "Oh, my dear, I was just kidding! There's no need to be nervous around us, right Marls?"
Marlene, who was standing slightly behind their partner, offered Remus a feeble grin. Remus couldn't help but feel like he would have more in common with this person than anyone else he had met at Black and White so far.
"Dorcas and Marlene are art consultants," Sirius said, ignoring the uncomfortable silence that momentarily settled around their group. "And they always come to us before other galleries, so our artists have an excellent opportunity to have their work sold."
"Art consultant?" Remus cocked his head in confusion.
"It means rich people hire us when they're too lazy to decorate their own houses," Marlene said, drawing out a laugh from their partner. Remus couldn't help but grin; the couple had an exceptional dynamic that worked well for them.
Like you and Sirius.
Remus immediately shook the thought from his mind, directing his attention back to the couple in front of him.
"Well," Remus said with a smirk, "here's hoping rich people like my stuff."
Dorcas and Marlene both laughed, but Sirius' face remained still, his overly-polite smiling betraying the smallest hint of displeasure.
"Dorcas, Marlene," Sirius said, cutting through the levity with the sharpness of his voice. "It was wonderful to see you again. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to steal Remus away. We have a few things to go over before we finalize his paperwork."
The group said their goodbyes and Remus found himself led into Sirius' office at the back of the gallery.
"Sit."
Sirius' smile was gone and replaced with his better-than-thou chin tilt and a scowl.
Remus obeyed his command, sinking into the chair that he first sat in during his portfolio interview, equally as anxious from the look on Sirius Black’s face.
“Mr. Lupin,” Sirius began, his expression stoic and unreadable. Remus swallowed past the lump in his throat. “The paperwork is all drawn up…” Sirius turned to the table next to him where he grabbed a small stack of papers. Remus waited for Sirius to continue what he was saying, but the rest of his sentence never came.
“I feel like there was a but in there…”
Remus watched as Sirius’ jaw clenched, his eyes scanning across Remus’ face, reading him.
“Yes, well…” Sirius’ eyes darted towards the office door, then back to Remus. “Before I take you on as an artist, I need to know that you are not just in this for the money.”
“I… What?” Remus squeezed his eyes together, bringing his hand to the bridge of his nose. When did he ever give that impression? “Of course I’m not in this for the money. I mean, it wouldn’t be horrible if I did end up making ends meet, but…” Remus chewed the edge of his lip nervously as he watched Sirius’ face. “What made you ask that?”
“It’s a standard question, Mr. Lupin,” Sirius said, almost defensively. “All of my artists are chosen because they put their art first, before anything. Some artists show here and never sell a single item, and they continue showing here because they want to. Because this is the gallery for them.” Sirius paused for a moment, looking Remus dead in the eyes. “Is this the gallery for you?”
“Yes.”
Remus’ answer was immediate. He hadn’t even had time to process the question before he spoke; his response was almost instinctive. Something inside of him squirmed when Sirius betrayed a hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth, the vaguest essence of a smile in his eyes.
“Well then, Mr. Lupin…” Sirius handed Remus the stack of paperwork and a fountain pen. “Welcome to Black and White.”