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Book Chocolate


James Potter had been asked to the Valentine Tea by no less than ten different girls from three different Houses. He’d turned them all down, giving them all exactly the same answer: “I’m going stag.”

“He’s going alone to the Tea? That’s idiotic,” whispered Carly Shaw when he’d turned her down on February 13. “I wonder who he’s really said yes to.”

“He’s said yes to nobody,” answered McKenna, who had also tried her own hand at asking him the day before. The whole lot of Gryffindor girls were sitting ‘round in Lily Evans’ private dormitory room around the latest issue of Witch Weekly, trying new spells for turning their nails shiny gold.

Lily smirked to herself and said, “Maybe Sirius and Remus have rubbed off on him and he’s asked Peter.”

The other girls all turned and looked at Lily, aghast. “James Potter’s gay now, too?” breathed McKenna.

“Why are all the boys going gay?!” wailed Annalee.

“Perhaps they’ve seen you and decided to go after one another instead,” said Lily snarkily. She hadn’t yet forgiven Annalee for starting the rumors against Sirius that were still circulating under the radar throughout the school, even though they’d reduced to whispers in dark corners and half-joking remarks.

“You’re going with Jasper Odair, aren’t you, Lil?” Ali asked, changing the subject before Annalee could retort.

Lily nodded, “Yes, Jasper’s asked me and I’ve said yes. And you’re going with Frank, of course.”

“Of course,” Ali answered. “Do you have a date now, McKenna?”

“Since I’ve moved on from Sirius Black? Yes. I’m going with a Ravenclaw boy Marlene’s introduced me to.”

Annalee sat sulking for sometime as the girls chattered, only half including her.




Early in the morning on Saturday, Valentine’s Day, Remus woke before the sunrise, gritting his teeth. He couldn’t move. His entire back felt like one gigantic knot and his legs were cramped up so bad he felt as though his muscles would have to be cut to release themselves from the tension. Sirius was entwined around him from behind, his legs and arms draped around Remus’s body, his face pressed into the back of Remus’s hair, his hot breath on Remus’s neck… The drawer with the aconite leaves seemed a hundred miles away. With a shaking hand, Rey tried desperately to roll onto his stomach to reach them, desperate to alleviate the aches in his legs… but when he moved, a shooting, horrible pain went up his spine as every muscle in his body spasmed and he let out a cry, “Sirius!”

Awake instantly, Sirius sat up, “What is it? What is it?” But Rey was biting his own hand, in the fatty part of his thumb, trying to keep from screaming in his agony and couldn’t answer. Sirius leaned over him for the box of aconite in the drawer and Remus let out high pitched whimpers ‘round the coppery flavor of his own blood filling his mouth as he chomped down hard enough on his hand that red droplets appeared ‘round his teeth.

Sirius pulled several of the leaves out of the box and leaned down, “Here, Moony, here… the aconite’ll help…Don’t bite yourself like that, come now… See, look what you’ve done, there’s blood…” Sirius put one of his fingers in the side of Remus’s mouth and gently pushed his teeth up and out of his flesh, pulling his fist out of his mouth. He pushed the aconite in. “See, much better than your hand. Oh what a mess you’ve made…” he frowned as he inspected the two half-moon bite marks Remus had left in his own skin and fumbled for his wand.

Remus was chewing on the aconite, his eyes teary as he clutched the pillow with his other hand, Sirius inspecting the one he’d chewed up, and he murmured, “It hurts.”

“How about some chocolate?” Sirius suggested. “Would you like some of your chocolate?”

Remus was whimpering too hard to answer.

“Chocolate always makes you feel better…” Sirius flopped over off the bed and went over to his trunk, which he wrenched open and dug about for a few moments, emerging and returning to Remus. “Here you are. Look at this; assorted fine chocolate cauldrons, all flavors. And they come in a big shiny heart and all.” He held out his Valentine box for Remus with a smile. “I was going to give it to you later, but I reckon you need it now more.”

Remus took all his strength to look up at the shiny red heart and he let out a breath, the pain shuddering in him as his lungs moved and he looked up at Sirius with a trembling smile. “You’re… the best… boyfriend,” he choked the words out, wincing.

Sirius said, “No that’s your title.” He kissed Remus’s sweating forehead and opened the shiny cellophane that wrapped around the box and lifted the lid, taking out one of the chocolates and stuck it in Remus’s mouth.

Remus let the chocolate melt in his mouth, trying to concentrate on the flavor sensation and nothing else that was wrecking him. He closed his eyes and Sirius watched as he shivered, the pain spasming his muscles so that he moved without even meaning to… He pushed the blankets down to Remus’s waist and lifted up his nightshirt, pushing it over his shoulders from the back so his whole wide, scar-striped back showed and he set to work rubbing with the heels of his hands, pressing hard into the twitching muscles and squeezing out the pain. It took some time before Remus’s body started to relax, and Sirius’s hands were aching from the work of it, but he kept on, stroking and massaging ‘til Remus’s breath had started to regulate and his shoulders loosened…

Sirius bent low to kiss his back, directly between his shoulder blades, and then moved to whisper in Remus’s ear. “Is this helping?”

“Yes,” Remus breathed, “Don’t stop. Please.”

Sirius smiled, kissed Remus’s back again softly, and continued on with working out the kinks, even as they knotted back up right under his fingers, even though his wrists were sore.




James got up early on Valentine’s too. Sirius was still awake, still rubbing Remus’s back dutifully, though Rey himself had fallen back to sleep at last beneath his gentle attentions. Peter was still snoring in the bed between them, but James looked over at Sirius and sat up, leaning against his headboard. He leaned down to snatch the Marauder’s Map from under his bed and waved his wand over it, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” he announced and the spider-web of notes and corridors and labels faded into view across the yellowing parchment. He stared down at it, biting his lips, folding, unfolding, refolding until he had the part he wanted showing and he stared down at the label marked, Lily Evans as it moved about her dormitory. He imagined her getting ready to go to breakfast… buttoning her cardigan, plating her hair…

Sirius smirked, “You still gonna do it?”

James nodded, “Yeah.”

Sirius grinned. “Brilliant.”

James and Sirius had truly been up to no good, plotting and testing thing all week for James’s master plan.

“I see Rey already got his Cauldrons,” James said accusingly, looking over at the big shiny red heart on Remus’s pillow, several cauldrons already missing.

Sirius looked at it too, then back to James and grinned, “Well, he needed some chocolate. He’s in a terrible state, you might’ve noticed.”

James said, “You should’ve used some of his book chocolate and kept that one for later, you idiot...”

“Book chocolate?” Sirius looked confused.

James raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know about the book chocolate?”

“What’re you on about?”

James snickered, “And you think I’m the thick one!” He rolled off the bed and went over to the bookshelf. “I found this back in third year!” He reached on the bottom shelf and pulled out a thick book and held it up for Sirius to see.

Sirius squinted at the title. “Incredibly Sexy Beasts Who Never Read,” he read, and then, the subtitle, “Or, Why Sirius Black Will Never Find My Chocolate.” Sirius’s eyes narrowed and he looked down at his sleeping werewolf boyfriend, then back to James, “Blasted wolf.”

James laughed, “I’ve been replacing chocolate bars he eats out of it for years.”

Sirius snickered.

“I’ve always wondered what he thinks when he buys five bars and eats one and the next time he opens it there’s still five there. Like does he think he’s got a magic hollow book or what?”

Sirius grinned, “You’re a good mate, James.”

He meant it with all his heart.

James smiled and put the book back where it belonged. “I have to admit I’ve stolen treats out of it before, it’s the least I can do.” He crawled back onto his bed and pulled the Map over, searching for Evans again. She was in the common room now and he could see the dots of the first year boys all were gathered about her. “What’re those blasted seagulls doing?” he murmured.

“What?”

“The firsties, all the ickle first year boys are flocking about Evans.”

“Probably fighting over who gets to give her a Valentine,” laughed Sirius.

“Well they need to knock it off so she can go to breakfast. And everyone else, too. I’ve got business to take care of.”

Sirius smirked.

Eventually Peter woke up and while he was getting dressed, James watched as one-by-one the people in Gryffindor Tower went off to breakfast in the Great Hall, including Lily. Peter looked ‘round them, “Aren’t you lot coming to breakfast?”

Sirius looked down at Remus, “I’m gonna let him sleep a bit longer,” he replied. “If I stop massaging his back, I’m afraid he’ll wake-up…”

“James?”

“Busy, I’ve got plans,” murmured James, staring at the Map still.

Peter frowned and went alone.

Another ten minutes went by and James grinned as he watched the very last of the Gryffindors - the two first year girls, Vivian and Marcy - step out of the Portrait Hole and go off down the corridor. He stood up, grabbing his wand from the nightstand, and a small bag he’d put an extendable charm upon and stuff with everything he’d need. He looked over at Sirius, “Commence Operation Deer Evans Be My Valentine,” he said in a militant voice.

Sirius paused in his massaging long enough to salute James. “Good luck, soldier,” he said.

And James swung the bag ‘round his neck… and went out the door to the common room.