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cyandreamsinwords · 3 months

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Cut and Run — Pt 4 (BoaWT AU)

Again, none of this is cannon to the main fic, I just like to self indulge. (3.4k)

Link to the main fic here

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3

"They're still looking for you," Remus said in a hushed voice, so he wouldn't disturb Lyra. I'd become a sensitive topic around her, the even mildest mention of Sirius leaving. She didn't understand what was going on, not in its full context, but she did know that the threat of them being separated again was real.

"I would assume as much, consider the accusations against me," Sirus said loftily. "I am a suspected mass murderer, after all."

“And kidnapper, don’t forget that bit.”

Sirius scoffed. “It’s not kidnapping, she’s my child.”

“They don’t see it that way. Oddly enough, it’s that cousin of yours leading the charge on getting her back out of your hands.”

“Who, Andromeda?”

“No, Narcissa. She’s been pulling a number of strings her and Lucius have to try and put emphasis on getting Lyra back during this manhunt. She's all over the papers, doing interviews begging for the public's help to deliver her home safely.”

A cool fury overtook him. “How thoughtful of her. What exactly has she been saying to the press? That I took her to raise her up as loyal supporter of You-Know-Who, because that’s more her style than mine. Does she think if Lyra is found she gets to keep her or something? She's not taking my child, not under any circumstance.”

Remus gave him a sharply pointed look as Lyra's head tilted toward the angry hissing. Sirius collected himself and gave her a reasuring smile, sticking his tounge out at her for good measure just to get a one of her sweet little giggles.

"I’m not suggesting you hand her over to Narcissa, Sirius, I’m just informing you about what's going on. For now, you seem to be safe here, but I'm not sure what sort of leads they have on you, and I think you should consider leaving at some point. England would be best, but here at the very least."

"I don't want to give our position away now by sticking my head out of the hole. What good would that do?"

Remus leaned in so he could whisper. Sirius' lips twitched as he fought a smile, having his worried face so close once more after years of not seeing it. He looked like he’d aged a decade, but it was still his Moony under all those lines. "This won't work in the long term," he insisted, that crease between his brows digging deeper. "Lyra's content right now, but she's going to grow tired of being confined inside all day."

"She's been fine so far."

"Yes, and that's concerning, Sirius. It is concerning a child her age is so okay with this situation. I know you are enjoying having her tied to your side after being apart for so long, but she should be begging to be going outside, to be able to run around and explore. We should be finding her somewhere she can live a relatively normal life."

The damn breaking, Sirius did finally smile. "We, huh? You plan on running away with us, Remus?"

Remus rolled his eyes, leaning away. "You know what I meant. I'm going to help you find somewhere the two of you can be safe until your name can be cleared. It's going to take time, so we have to figure out the long term plan."

“Sure thing, Moony.”

Lyra frowned as she overheard what her father had said, standing up. “I thought I was your moon?”

Sirius turned to her. “You are, Lyra, you are my Mini Moon. This here is Moony. He’s the big one.”

Seeing she was still not satisfied with this answer, Remus kindly told her, “I promise, you’re still his favorite moon.”

Lyra turned back to her father. “Do you promise?”

“Oh absolutely.”

Pleased with this answer, Lyra swayed happily, a big smile crossing her face. She ran over to him, pulling herself into her father's lap.

"Moony here was just saying we should look for some other living accommodations. Find a place that we can spread out a bit. What do you think? I’m thinking somewhere warm, tropical. Somewhere with a beach. Anything you'd like to add to the search requirements?"

Lyra thought hard, her little brows furrowed in thought as she leaned her head against her father’s shoulder. “…a dragon.”

The two men chuckled. “There’s no better defense system out there,” Remus agreed. "You'll have a fun time learning to train it."

“Alrighty, when the time is right, we’ll pack up here, and go find our beach home with a dragon. Just as soon as we pick up your god brother.”

And there fell Remus’ smile. “Sirius, no.”

“I can’t leave him, Moony. James wanted him with us if anything happened to him and Lily.”

“That was before you were a criminal on the run. He’s with family, he’s safe.”

“Have you checked in on him? Personally?” There was silence. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Look, Lily didn’t talk about it often, but her and that sister of hers were about as close as my mother and I were.”

“You can’t kidnap a child that isn’t your own, especially not him. You weren't walking around after You-Know-Who was defeated, he was deemed the Boy Who Lived. There isn't a witch or wizard out there who doesn't know his name. The entirety of the Wizarding world will be in an uproar if they found out you took him.”

“It’s not kidnapping, it’s putting things right,” Sirius snapped. He could feel the grip of Lyra’s little fist in his shirt grow tight with anxiety. He rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back as he tried to smooth his ruffled feathers. “I cannot leave James’ son where he is unless I know for certain he is better off there.”

Remus chewed this over, looking incredibly conflicted. It was clear he didn’t think it was a good idea, but he knew Sirius well enough to know when he wasn’t winning an argument, as logical as it was.

“…fine, Pads. I will go check on Harry—”

“No, I will. I am going to see for myself.” He stood, handing Lyra over to Remus, only for her to immediately scramble out of his hold, arms raised to be picked up again.

“I must not bring this up enough, but you are a fugitive. A very well known one who already has his face plastered across ever wizarding and muggle street corner. You could be recognized!”

“You’ll stay here and watch Lyra for me won’t you?” Sirius smoothed down her hair as her arms flailed even more desperately. “It shouldn’t take more than a few days.”

“Is there a reason you’re wanting to go instead of me? Do you think I’ll lie to you about the conditions he’s in.”

Sirius said nothing, just stared at his friend with a cool, blank sort of stare that was meant to speak for him. And it did, as Remus’ face dropped, and a look of restrained shame came over him. He hadn't yet forgiven him for not looking in on Lyra, to know she wasn't where she was meant to be, for having done nothing to fix it.

“You’ll watch Lyra?” he repeated once he sure the message had come across.

“…yeah. I’ll stay and watch Lyra.”

Lyra let out a wail, the classical toddler sort, and Sirius at once swung her into his arms, laying kisses alongside her head. “Oh, my sweet little moon, what is the matter? I won't be gone long. You won’t miss me will you?” She cried, shoving her head into his shoulder. “Get yourself a break from your ol’ dad. You'll probably be glad I'm gone.” She let out a resounding NO, which died into a whimpering pout. “You might actually get yourself a good nights sleep for once, won’t have to listen to my snoring all night, like SHHZZZZZZZ—!!” Lyra began to giggle manically, her pouting from just a moment before masked by her amusement with her dad’s antics.

"You don't snore like that!" she laughed.

"No? Are you sure? Doesn't sound like this at all: SHHHHHHHHZZZZZZ!!!!"

She pulled away from his shoulder. "You're so silly!"

"I hope you never forget that." He pushed the hair out of her face so he could see it. “You and Remus will have a grand time without me. A pair of moons the two of you are. And he's a great cook, much better than me.”

"Does he cook gormee?"

"Better: he cooks edible." He pressed his forehead to hers. "You promise you'll be good for him?" She nodded. "Make at least one mess for him to clean up? A real big one, with a big impossible stain to remove?"

"Promise you're coming back?"

"Consider it an unbreakable vow."

"Now I want a promise of my own," Remus said. "Promise you'll think about what I've said, and that taking Harry is a last resort."

"As if I could rid myself of your dulcet tones, Moony."

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Lyra wasn't quite sure about this man named Remus yet. When he’d first arrived all those days ago, she was sure he was there to take her father away. He’d been so angry, and he’d made her father angry, and she had wanted nothing more than for him to go away and never come back.

Instead, her father invited him inside, and they all ate dinner together—or, more like they watched Lyra eat her dinner and then awkwardly stirred their own—then her father put her in their bed, and they sat in silence until she’d convinced them she was asleep. Then they spoke in very quiet whispers on the other side of the room, in voices so low Lyra couldn’t make out the words and eventually just fell asleep. She had expected him to be gone in the morning, but they were both still there, neither looking like they had gotten any sleep. Her father took her nap with her that day.

The man Remus stayed for two more nights before he left, and that was the last she thought they’d see of him. But it wasn’t long before he was back, and this time with food, and lots of it. Her father had been excited, and the two of them spent the afternoon fixing up a shelf to store things on and organizing the cans and boxes.

He’d brought more food with him every time he left and came back, and Lyra was starting to think he might be around for a while. It seemed to make her father happy, but she still wasn’t quite sure she felt the same. He was a stranger, yet there was something oddly familiar about him.

That morning, after breakfast, her father kissed her on the forehead and promised he’d be back soon. Lyra would have gone and hid as soon as her father was gone, if there was somewhere in her new home for her to hide. All there was was the space under the bed, which the man Remus could see quite easily to where she lay under there.

Just to prove how easy it was to find her, he pulled up the dangling covers and got down onto his knees to look at her. "Are you pouting down there?" he asked.

Lyra shook her head, hiding her face in her crossed arms.

"Are you sure?" She nodded her head. "Well, if you're going to stay down there, would you like a little blanket to wrap yourself up in." She hesitated before nodding her head. He pulled the length of fabric she'd claimed as hers off the top of the bed and handed it over to her. "Would you like a pillow too? In case you get tired?" Another nod. "You're looking pretty set down there. Would you like some juice as well, any snacks? No? Okay, you let me know if you want any books or toys to keep you entertained."

Those were things she had now. Books and toys. She hadn’t had any when they first came to this new place, and she’d had to make do with her imagination and whatever makeshift thing her father could conjure up. They were some of the things this man Remus had brought when he'd brought them food. Her father sat with her before bed every night and read her a story that she got to pick, using the few stuffies she'd been gifted as props for the voices he used.

Her lip jutted out as she realized she wasn't getting a story tonight.

She was very careful not to let her sniffles be heard from her position under the bed, hiding them in her blanket. Father didn't seem to mind her cries, she'd learned it was fine when he heard them, but grandmother had been different. She would become very cross anytime she heard Lyra crying. She didn’t know about other people, she didn’t know about him and she didn’t want to test it.

She saw one of her new stuffies on the ground, just a bit away from the edge of the bed. It was a frog, with long legs, floppy webbed feet and a big head that usually tipped it over. She’d named him Jumper, because that was what frog did. Wanting it, she reached out from her hiding spot, straining to reach it.

From where he sat, the man Remus paused, then stood up and walked over. Her hand quickly retreated, afraid of getting caught.

He reached down, picking up the stuffed frog, and placing it just within Lyra’s reach. She didn’t reach out for it now, fearing it was a trick to get her out from her hiding spot. It fell onto its face and he took the time to set it back up into its seated position, holding a hand out to make sure it stayed, before, surprisingly, walking back to his early seat and resuming his activity.

She waited a full minute just to see if it were some sort of trick, before reaching out and grabbing it. He did nothing about it.

With a friend safely secured, Lyra now wiped her tears in its fur, and cried in silent misery, missing her father, until she fell asleep.

When she woke next, the sun had reached further across the floor. She could still see Remus’ feet across the room, standing now and chopping something up. Her stomach growled at the thought of food, and suddenly she realized just how hungry she really was.

“…can I have a snack?”

He paused his chopping for a moment. “Yeah, you can have a little snack,” he said easily. “I’m making lunch right now, so only a little one, to tide you over. You’ll have to come out though to get it.”

The thought of a snack was a bit more appealing than staying under the bed all day. With some reluctance, Lyra crawled out.

The man Remus smiled at her as she did. “Nice to finally see you, moon,” he said in a soft, kind voice. The scars across his face stretched, but in a nice sort of way, a familiar sort. “How about a bit of fruit? I’ve got apples I could cut up.”

Lyra nodded her approval and came to sit at the table, waiting for her food. She brought Jumper with her, sitting him in her lap.

“We’ve still got half a day left,” he said as he cooked and she nibbled on her apple. She watched him warily as she did so. “Is there anything you are wanting to do?”

She shook her head wordlessly, sitting further back in her chair.

He hummed thoughtfully. “Could you help me with something then?” Her head tilted in question. He picked up a cutting board with slices of bread on it, some butter and a dull knife and placed it in front of her. “I’m busy with the stew. Do you mind buttering some bread for the two of us? Something to go with our lunch. It’d be very helpful.”

That caught her interest. She didn’t think she’d ever really been helpful before. Her father was always able to handle everything for the two of them, and Kreature had never needed her for help, not ever.

She busied herself with buttering the bread, being sure that it got into every corner of the bread. When the man checked back in her work he nodded in approval. “Yes, this will do just nicely. You did a really good job, Lyra.”

Her heart soared at that despite her wariness of him. She couldn’t wait to tell her father that she’d done a good job when he got home, he’d be so happy to hear it.

A little bit later, lunch was ready, and they had their actual meal. He was a better cook than her father, that much was unfortunately for certain. Kreature had been a good cook as well, and she’d only just gotten used to what her father served.

“You can play with your toys while I clean up, Moon,” he said once they were finished.

He stood to clear away their dishes.

“...why did you try and take my father away?”

He was startled by the question. Lyra, having only just gathered up the courage to ask, sat on her hands and hoped he wouldn’t be too upset with her asking.

“I…I thought your dad did a very bad thing,” he explained cautiously. “The sort of thing someone has to go to jail for, so they can be punished.”

“Did he do a really bad thing?”

“No, there was a mistake. It just looked like he did.”

“Grandmother says he did something bad too.”

“A lot of people think so. That’s why there are people are after him right now, because not everyone knows the truth.” Remus leaned down onto his elbows so he could level their eyesights. “You did a very brave thing, coming out that day to help your dad. You helped to convince me to let him explain himself.” He smiled. “But please, don’t do that again. I’m very scared the next person won’t do the same and you could be hurt.”

She hadn’t thought so much that she was saving her father that day as much as she wanted to be sure, wherever he went, she went with him.

Remus reached out and took one of the frog’s little hands. “You know, this was my stuffie when I was your age. I took him everywhere with me, even when I got a bit old for toys like this, because I was a very lonely little boy. But after I met your dad, and our friend James, I found I didn’t need him so much.”

Lyra thought on that for a moment before holding the stuffie out. “Do you want him back?”

“No, sweet heart, I gave him to you. I think you’ll be a better friend to him than I will. Besides, I got my friend back. And maybe you and I can be friends too.”

“Because you’re a moon and I’m a moon too?”

Remus laughed softly. “Yeah, exactly.”

“But I’m still my dad’s favorite.”

He reached out and gave her nose a teasing pinch, making her giggle. “Braggart.”

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Now no longer suspicious of the new figure in her and her father’s lives, Lyra decided she actually liked Remus quite a lot. He wasn’t as good at doing the voices as her father was while reading her stories, but he was very good at telling new ones, ones he didn’t even need a book for. He let her color his drawings and in turn let her help him make supper too. And right before bed, when she really started to miss her father, he made shadow puppets against the wall for her to watch as she fell asleep.

“Night, little moon.” He smoothed a hand over her hair.

“Night big moon.” She grabbed his hand, much larger than her own, and held that in one hand, her other arm wrapped around Jumper, just until she fell asleep.

Later that night, Lyra was woken first to the sound of heavy rain and thunder. She rubbed her eyes and turned toward the window where water pelted against the glass. There was a new sound, one that had Remus jerking upright in the chair he’d claimed as his bed, and grabbing his wand. He was silhouetted by the next flash of lighting, his entire frame ridgid.

“Lyra,” he hissed in a low voice. “Under the bed. Now—”

The door opened, and he pointed his wand towards it.

“Mind getting us a towel, Moony?” her father asked, setting down a little boy. “We’re dripping all over.”

#burning of a withered tree #fanfic #boawt au #fanfic aus #Cut and Run AU

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cyandreamsinwords · 8 months

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Cut and Run — Pt 1 (BoaWT AU)

Is it weird to have AU's of your own fanfic AU...possibly, but after seeing another create post their own for their fic, I decided it might be fun to do so myself.

None of this is cannon to Burning of a Withered Tree, obviously, but because I plan to put them through the ringer with the main fic and drag it out, I'm going to indulge in a happier story line for a bit. it's like a treat, just for me! (1.4K)

Link to the main fic here

Pt 2

----------------------------------------------------

Sirius didn’t allow himself a moment to celebrate. Not when he felt the wind on his face for the first time in years, or experienced the vastness of the open forest he'd ran to around him. He could commiserate in all of that later. There wasn't time now.

It had been said in passing, the singular sentence that spurred him to action: “Perhaps your mother will do better with your daughter then she did you.”

Scoffed by one of the guards, the rare ones they allowed to walk the halls between the dementors, just to check to make sure everything was in order and in its place. He'd known Sirius from their mother's having been friends, though they themselves never getting on. He couldn't even recall his name, but he was positive it'd been something ridiculous. Stupid-name-forgettable-loser, having found his current predicament humorous, thought he'd rub a bit of salt in the wound.

"Perhaps your mother will do better with your daughter then she did you. Or maybe she'll screw her up too, who knows."

All he managed to do was force Sirius' hand. The visceral and instantaneous feeling of panic at the thought that Lyra was there, in that house, with his mother -- there was no choice, he had to get to her. Before any damage could be done, and she was forced to go through the years of pain he'd gone through.

He didn't remember much of how he got back to 12 Grimmauld Place, but somehow he'd managed to get there without being stopped or spotted.

It was just past one in the morning when he arrived. The street was empty, and all the lights in the place were off.

At some point he acquired a wand, and used it to get inside. He was silent, knowing that while he could fight his mother and Kreature off if need be, he wanted to make this as smooth as possible. In and out with Lyra before anyone was the wiser.

He checked his old room first. That's where his mother would no doubt put her. And sure enough, the signs of a small child were evident here. His once teenage bedroom had been converted into softer, frillier decor, but only enough to cover the immovable evidence of him (the large portraits of respectable ladies hung over his girls on motorcycle posters had been a clever touch).

But there was no little girl in the bed.

Sirius was confused. It was night, and she obviously did live here. So where was she?

Just as careful as when he entered, he scanned the house up and down. And no sign of his daughter. He nearly woke Kreature at one point, sleeping in his little nook, but was quick to sedate him.

She wasn't here. He looked up and down, becoming more and more desperate with every second, but there was no sign of her. Had the guard just said that to get a ruse out of him? Had his eyes been playing tricks on him upstairs?

It was nearly two now, and by this point, he knew his daughter wasn't in the house.

He let himself out the back this time, resisting the urge to slam the door shut. He cursed wildly in frustration for having come so far and still find nothing. He was losing precious time, time he needed to take his daughter and find somewhere safe to hide where the dementors couldn't find him.

Coming down off the back step, he tripped on something, landing in the grass with a thud.

And when he looked up, it was into big grey eyes just like his own.

For a good long minute, the two of them just sat there, staring at one another. Him in disbelief and her in shock and fear.

"...Lyra?"

The little girl, with long dark curls and wide eyes gave him no indication, but he hardly needed one. He knew his little girl. So different than when he'd left that night, now three years old, and so so different.

He began to stand and started to walk toward her. "Lyra!"

She scrambled back, frightened. His heart dropped, and try as he might, he couldn't stop the disappointment at her reaction. He understood it--a strange man still dressed in his jail rags showing up in the middle of the night, calling her by name--but it was just a reminder of the years he'd missed.

"Hey, it's okay," he soothed her, holding himself back from scooping her up into his arms and running for the hills. He lowered himself back down to his knees, to look smaller, less threatening. "I know you don't know me, but--"

"I know who you are."

A voice. When he last saw her, she hadn't been speaking yet, just babbling, learning from watching how to form words. She'd been just getting da-da down. Now she could speak real words, knew how to string sentences together.

"You do?" His heart was racing.

"You're my father." Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself.

"I am," he confirmed, feeling a tremble in his lip. "What are you doing out here Lyra? You should be inside in bed."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Grandmother said I had to learn a lesson, and I'm not allowed back in until I do."

Sirius had spent most of his life hating his mother, but in that moment he could go back in and strangle her in her as she slept. She'd been bad when he was growing up, but to lock a three year old outside, over night no less--it was unforgivable.

"Is that why you're here?" her voice shook. "Because I've been bad? Are you here to take me to where you went?"

"No," he whispered softly, shaking his head, not wanting to imagine Lyra there in that place. "No, you've been perfect, Lyra. I'm sure of it."

"Then why are you here? Grandmother says you were bad, that's why they took you and locked you away. Because you didn't listen."

Sirius snorted. "Well, have you met your grandmother? She's pretty bad herself. Wouldn't you agree?"

Lyra said nothing, just shyly wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

He held his arms out, ignoring the nervous shake in them. "Come here. You must be freezing."

There was some hesitation, a long terrifying moment that she simply eyed him up, like she thought he'd suddenly turn on her, before she began to inch closer, coming just far enough within reach to allow him to wrap his arms around her.

For the first time in over two years, he got to hold his daughter in his arms. This was the moment he waited for, when he finally allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that he was out, he'd escaped. He didn't want to spook her with his sudden sobs, just buried his face into her long, tangled hair. When she relaxed into his arms, resting her head against his shoulder, the way she used to when she was small and fresh to the world, a choked sob escaped him, and he began to cry in earnest.

"Why are you crying?" she asked him, pulling back.

"I just missed you so much, Mini Moon," he sniffled, trying to put on a brave smile. "So, so much."

One of her little hands wiped at the track of tears along his cheek. "And that's why you're crying?"

He wiped the other side away. "Yeah. But it's okay, because we're together again." He brushed the curls from her face. "I'm going to take you with me, okay? We're going to go live together somewhere safe, far from here. Does that sound good to you?"

"Kreature is supposed to let me inside in the morning though."

"I'll send him an owl letting him know what's going on," he lied to put her mind at ease. "He'll understand, you're supposed to be with me, not her. I'm your dad."

She frowned worriedly. "But are they going to take you away again? The people who did the first time?"

He shook his head, a sense of determination coming down on him. "No, never again. There's nothing that's ever going to take me away from you again. It'll be just me and you, Mini Moon."

Looking back toward the house, she thought for just a moment. "...okay. We can go then."

He stood, his little girl wrapped in his weak and malnourished arms. "Let's go then. We're going to go somewhere safe, and then I've got to go and pick up your godbrother, okay?"

#burning of a withered tree #fanfic #BoaWT AU #fanfic aus #harry potter x oc #Cut and Run AU

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cyandreamsinwords · 7 months

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Cut and Run — Pt 2 (BoaWT AU)

Putting out more of this AU because I wanna! And no one can stop me!

Again, none of this is cannon to the main fic, I just like to self indulge. (1.4k)

Link to the main fic here

Pt 1

Lyra very quickly became very clingy to her father. Which was more than alright with Sirius, because it was far easier to keep an eye on her when she was glued to his side.

Sirius found them a hideout deep in the countryside, far on the other side of the country away from his mother, and hopefully far enough away from any witch or wizard who would be able to recognize him. No doubt wanted posters with his face plaster all over them were going up across the nation already--murderer, kidnapper, terrorist.

The place was nothing more than a one room shack with walls so bare you could see right through the gaps. If the owners themselves had forgotten about it, hopefully the rest of the world would too. With the help of his magic, he could enchant the dwelling, making it even more inconspicuous, insulate the walls, make it actually mildly livable for a child. Last thing he wanted was for child endangerment charges to be added to his repertoire. It was also on top of a hill, that made it easy to see anyone or anything coming.

They didn't need the space, not with the way Lyra stuck like a growth to his side. She hadn't really detached since he'd picked her up at the house, and he hadn't exactly asked for the space. Every time she bumped into him or got under foot, it was a reminder that despite the confinement, he was out of his cell, he wasn't locked up, not technically, that there was another living being right there in the room with him.

She was still quiet. Eerily so sometimes. Watched him with those big hesitant eyes of theirs as he cast his enchantments and spells, never asking what he was doing but always looking like she wanted to. She was still deciding what she thought of him, despite deciding he was worth attaching herself to.

"They're spells that make the house less noticeable," he explained to her, even though she hadn't asked. "So people are less likely to look up at it and wonder."

Her curls bounced as she tilted her head at him.

"We don't want people to know where we are. Otherwise I go back to prison, and you go back to your grandmother."

She frowned, and stood back, giving him more room to go on.

He could feel her judgement when he presented her dinner--heated up cans of soup, stew, veggie's or meats, whatever he'd grabbed on his way to her. She just stared down at it, then back up at him

"Hey," he said in mock offense. "It may not be Kreature's cooking, but it's not that bed. It's soup-a-la-dad. That's gourmet, just so you know."

"Wha's that?" she grumbled so quiet it was a miracle he heard.

"It means it's really good."

The soup slopped off her spoon. "...are you sure its gormee?"

Sirius snorted into his bowl. "You know something, Mini Moon?" he laughed, wiping the broth from his lip. "I'm not sure it is." He leaned over and scooted the bowl closer to her. "But it's better than nothing, because without that, we don't have anything."

He expected keeping a toddler inside all day would have been difficult, but Lyra wasn't exactly typical in that way. She was quiet, she was well behaved, she listened when he spoke, did what he told her.

Sirius was the badly behaved one.

He'd practically taken to climbing the walls. It was like being back in Azkaban, the hours long confinement, nothing but a tiny window to look out of for sunlight and entertainment. At least now it felt like there was a purpose to it, even if that purpose felt further and further away each day.

A week after they arrived, and the night was upon them, Sirius noticed Lyra standing at the windows, staring out.

He was blowing out the candles they'd used to eat by, only on long enough to do their necessary daily ritual, before going out so they wouldn't draw any attention. "Away from there, Moon. I don't want anyone to see you."

"Can we go out and look at the stars?" She looked back at him, deploying for the first time since their reunion the eyes of a beggar.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Moon.”

She didn’t argue further, just frowned and stepped away. And really, that’s all it had to take for Sirius to buckle.

With a sigh, he grabbed the blanket off the bed and motioned her behind him. “Just for a little while, then.”

He sat down right outside the doorway, back against the exterior of the house. Lyra jumped into his lap, knocking the air right out of him from the sudden weight. Wrapping the blanket around them both, they lapsed into a peaceful sort of silence, both staring up into the night sky.

“Enjoying this, Moon?” He asked as he shivered, wondering how much longer she’d keep him out here before she was satisfied.

She nodded enthusiastically, and pointed. “Keature says the stars are stories, but he never said what they were,” Lyra told him excitedly in her small toddler speak.

“Yeah, they’re constellations. They all have unique stories to them. Some even more than one.”

“Tell me?”

Sirius huffed. “Shit, Moon, you’re putting me on the spot here. I only barely passed my astronomy class. Dropped it as soon as I was allowed.” He searched for something familiar. “Uuuh…that one. That’s Ursa Major. She’s a bear. And that little one below her, that’s Ursa Minor, that's her baby bear.”

“That one?” She pointed to another.

“Uhhh…I think that’s Draco?”

“That one?”

“I don’t know, Mini Moon,” he sighed. “How about you tell me about that one.”

“Don’t know it.”

“Then make something up. All the stories are, so you can too.”

Lyra thought hard for a minute, staring up intensely. “…beetle.”

Sirius smirked. “It’s a beetle, huh? And what’s he done to be up there?”

“It’sa big beetle,” she expanded, holding out her hands to emphasis big. “Flew up really high and got caught in the sky!”

“And why did he fly up so high? Didn’t he know he was going to get stuck?”

“A cat was chasing him! A really mean cat! And it tried to eat him, but he had wings so he flew up high! But the cat could jump so he went—“ she made a buzzing noise and flapped her hands. “And then he got too high and didn’t know how to get down!”

“Poor little beetle.”

They did that for a while, pointed out stars and gave them stories.

Sirius eventually pointed out a lone star. “You see that one, Mini Moon? That’s Sirius, the Dog Star. That one is mine.”

She whipped around to face him. “You have your own star!?”

“I do, and so do you.” He didn’t really want to tell her about the others, about how each of their family members had a set of stars in the sky. They had no place here in this moment.

Lyra pointed up at the moon. “That one’s me?”

He laughed, smoothing her hair. “No, but good guess.” He pointed to a different grouping of stars. “That one is you. Lyra. It represents Orpheus’ lyre.”

“Wha’sa lyre?”

“It’s like a harp. The gods gave Orpheus a lyre, and he became this amazing musician. That’s why I named you Lyra. Because I love you so much, you were such a gift, and if all I ever become known for is being your dad, I’ll be happy.”

She reached one little hand out and brushed something off his cheek, and that’s when Sirius realized he was crying. He didn’t care, he wanted his daughter to know he loved her so much it moved him to tears. He never wanted her to doubt it the way he had with his own parents.

Eventually, she ducked her head in under his chin, and fell asleep. Even as he grew cold, he stayed where he was, wrapped in a blanket under the wide open sky, tears pouring down as he really took in the fact that’s he’d made it out, made it back to her, and that he was able to tell her and she could remember.

“I love you, Mini Moon,” he whispered tearfully, over and over and over again.

#burning of a withered tree #fanfic #BoaWT AU #fanfic aus #harry potter x oc #Cut and Run AU

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cyandreamsinwords · 3 months

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Me: okay, really got to hunker down and get cracking on revising the upcoming chapters of the current arc so they're ready to go out and I don't have to stress about getting them out in time.

Me: ...OOOOR, I could start writing another AU of my own fanfic instead.

#boawt au #I did get SOME revisions done today #does this count as a fanfic of my own fanfic?#because I'm comfortable with that

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cyandreamsinwords · 4 months

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Cut and Run — Pt 3 (BoaWT AU)

I’m sensing some of you are missing Sirius and Remus content, so here a little fixing for you to hold you over in the meanwhile.

Again, none of this is cannon to the main fic, I just like to self indulge. (1.4k)

Link to the main fic here

Pt 1 Pt 2

It took Remus approximately two weeks after Sirius’ escape to find them.

Sirius saw him coming. He'd picked this shack in part because it was up on a hill, it was easy to see people coming. And while it may have been years, Sirius knew that frame anywhere. He'd spent too many years walking through the halls after it, leaning against it in class, watching it’s subtle movements as it breathed throughout the night, running through the moon-lit grounds of Hogwarts with it. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was Moony.

Lyra was chattering happily on the floor beside the cot. He'd taken some coal from the fire and let her scribble across the wooden floor until all that was left was stubs, and then he'd enchanted the etchings to stand up and dance. It had been entertaining her endlessly all afternoon, leaving her none the wiser as to why her father stood looking out the window.

"Mini Moon," he called from the window. "You stay in here, alright?"

Lyra looked up at him from her spot, frowning, sensing the false calm in his voice.

He gave her a reassuring smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. "I'm just popping out for a second. Back before you can miss me."

Lyra jumped to her feet as he made for the door. Sirius held out a hand stopping her, waited for her to pause, before walking out.

Remus was halfway up the hill by then. He didn’t even pause as Sirius came out, closing the door firmly behind him.

He walked several paces from the shack, wanting to keep as much distance between Remus and it as possible for now. He didn’t think he’d ever hurt Lyra purposefully, but…well, she’d been with his mother. And Sirius couldn’t allow that to happen again.

Remus stopped several yards away from him, far enough away to duel if need be. He had his wand in hand. Sirius stood there, arms crossed over his chest, his own wand in hand as well.

They stood there in silence for entirely too long. Sirius decided to be the first to break it. “‘Ello, Moony.”

“Sirius.”

“What brings you to this part of the world? Out for a stroll? Come to try and turn me in?”

Remus shook his head just barely. “I’m not here to play games Sirius.”

“No, I’d say not, if your drawn wand is anything to go off of."

"As if yours isn't also drawn.”

"Touché." Sirius threw his long matted hair back behind him, attempting to look unbothered. “So, back to the question: what are you doing here?”

"Where's Lyra, Sirius?"

"How should I know?" He shrugged.

"You escape from prison, and days later your daughter goes missing from her grandmother's home? More than a coincidence, wouldn't you say."

Sirius barked, not at all amused. "Days, huh?” He said musing. “It took days for someone to realize? Remus, I picked Lyra up that night.” There was no outwardly reaction, but Sirius, even after all these year, could see him pause. “If that’s not proof she's better off with me, I don’t know what is."

"You honestly think she’s better off here? Isolated from the world, living out in some shack that's one strong wind from tipping in on itself?"

"Better here, with a father that loves and cares about her. Better here with me, than with a grandmother who locks her out of the house at night, because that’s how I was able to grab her, Remus! My mother had locked her outside over night!”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You didn’t know? What, did you give up on her when you gave up on me?”

"I'm not the one who sold our friends out to Voldemort and orphaned their child, including his own,” Remus hissed, his carefully collected demeanor finally giving way to his venom.

"That's funny, neither did I."

“And what, I’m supposed to believe that? They found you, surrounded by dead muggles, fresh from killing another one of our friends! Laughing like some sort of mad man—”

“The fact that you think I could—“

“For Lyra, I think so,” Remus cut in. “If they threatened her, I think you’d do anything to ensure she was safe.”

“Let me be very clear about something, Moony, though I didn’t realize I needed to,” Sirius hissed, jabbing his finger towards him. “I would never take part in making a world for my daughter in which she didn’t grow up knowing James and Lily. Never. I wouldn’t risk being separated from her, leaving her all alone in this world, not for anything. If Voldemort had ever threatened her, I would have only ever fought harder along side everyone else, because that is what I risked! Everything I had ever wanted for her! Peter though, he had nothing to loose.”

“Nothing but his life.”

“Nothing but his finger.”

Remus scoffed. “Are you really trying to pass the blame off? On Peter? You really haven’t changed a bit, Sirius. Everyone else is to blame before you right?”

“Oh I’m to blame,” Sirius grimly agreed. “It was my bright idea for Peter to be James and Lily’s secret keeper over me. I thought I was being clever, doing something the other side would never predict, that not even you could predict. I never realized I was handing them right on over to Voldemort.”

“How convenient Peter isn’t here to confirm your story. No one ever found him after that night, and you left that street in such disarray that no one expected to.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Sirius screamed, one first grabbing hold of his hair. “I went after him to confront him, because I knew he was the only one who could have told Voldemort where they were. He’s the one who blew up that street!”

“There’d have been evidence—“

“Oh certainly! Just no one out looking for it. The ministry hasn’t exactly been doling out fair trials for those suspected of collusion, Moony. Had they checked my wand, they’d have known I wasn’t the one to cast the spell, but they didn’t. That’s not what they cared about, they cared about burying that mess as quickly as they could. So I get thrown away, no investigation, no trial, and the real traitor looses a finger, the rest of him gets off scot-free, because the ministry and their aurors never had all the information.” Sirius motioned a finger between him and Remus. “We ensured it.”

A seed of doubt had been planted in the man’s mind, it was evident in the turn of his mouth. “You think he’s hiding away in his rat form?”

“I know he is. Last thing that coward did was scurry away. The ministry would never find the man again, and they wouldn’t even look for a rat. How could they, only about a billion of those in the whole of Britain, not to mention he’s not on any animagus list. For all they know, he’s disappeared.”

Remus opened his mouth, perhaps to argue, but both their eyes drew to the banging of the door behind Sirius. His heart dropped instinctively, his attention pulled to where the noise is growing louder and louder, becoming too loud now to be made only by tiny fists.

“Remus, please, just give me a moment to calm her down. She doesn’t need to see—”

The handle of the door suddenly crumbled, as though it’d been made out of paper mache and not metal. A perfect display of the sort of wandless magic it seemed only children ever seemed to produce. The door swung open with ease, now free of its lock and latch. Lyra barreled out the door to her father, who made large sweeping strides to meet her halfway, lifting her into his arms.

“It’s alright, Moon,” he soothed with a hand up and down her back as her hands fisted tightly into the collar of his shirt, her little heels digging into his sides to make her impossible to remove without a struggle. He had his back turned to Remus, wanting to believe he’d never cast at him while he was holding his child, but not willing to risk it after everything. “Everything’s okay, just calm down, and let’s get you back inside.”

Her head shook in the crook of her neck, not at all fooled by his words. Her entire body shivered with fear but she wasn’t letting go.

When he cast a glance behind him, Remus had hurriedly put away his wand. With the threat now gone, Sirius did the same. His old friend stared at her with large struck eyes.

“…she’s gotten so big.”

Pain strung at Sirius’ heart at the reminder. “Hasn’t she? She talks in full sentences now too. If only they’d grow at half the rate.”

Remus looked away, chewing at his cheek viciously. “I can’t say you’ve convinced me. But…” he paused, thinking what he was about to say over. “I’ll give you the chance to explain.”

#burning of a withered tree #fanfic #BoaWT AU #fanfic aus #cut and run au

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