[Podfic] Harry Potter and the Two-Way Mirror by thewholeofthemoon

Chapter 2: Chapter Two

Sirius Black was more of an early bird than Remus Lupin, and even though they had to wake up that morning before dawn, he was alert long before their alarm went off.

For many years, Sirius had loved one particular sight, one particular daily occurrence, which had now been returned to him since that fateful night when he had been reunited with Remus and Harry.

It was watching a sleeping face, a pair of closed eyelids the color of lavender, the eyelashes a chocolate brown, and slack peach lips. It was listening to soft breathing, light as a songbird’s wings. And then it became watching those eyes—always they had been perceptive beyond their years, intelligent and watchful and sincere—open, and know him. It was seeing those lips smile gently at him, seeking his own with the fresh joy of morning, to say oh, there you are; I’d been asleep, and I missed you even then.

Watching his Moony wake up was something Sirius did not have words to describe: it was a feeling in his chest like his heart itself was a flower blooming to meet the sun.

“Big day,” Remus murmured after retreating from he and Sirius’ ritual morning kiss.

Sirius beamed at him, his excitement for the day now pumping him with the same energy as flying his motorbike once had despite the fact that the sun was hours from rising, “Come on then!”

Remus and Sirius dressed in their usual clothes—Sirius in his slim-fit jeans, a graphic t-shirt, black leather jacket and matching black leather combat boots, and Remus in fawn-colored corduroy trousers, an olive-green jumper with suede chocolate brown chukka boots. Sirius grabbed his black leather travel bag with he and Remus’ things for the Cup—Remus, Sirius’ and Harry’s Cup tickets, spare clothes, more than a few Galleons for spending, as well as two flasks of Firewhiskey—and then they headed down to the kitchen. Sirius was bounding down the stairs with all the enthusiasm the day warranted while Remus followed more sedately and thinking predominantly about tea.

They came down to the kitchen to find the Arthur and Molly, and to Remus’ joy, the teapot and two empty teacups were waiting on the table for he and Sirius.

“Sleep well?” Molly said, from the kitchen stove where she was stirring a pot of porridge on the stove, “The cot do you right, Remus?”

Remus managed to hide his blush behind his teacup and answered her with an earnest smile that had everything to do with he and Sirius being able to share a room together while at the Burrow, “It was excellent, Molly. Thank you.”

“You’ve a bit of time for tea and quiet before we wake the kids,” Arthur told Remus and Sirius, he was seated at the head of the table, shuffling through his sheaf of large parchment tickets. But just then there was the sound of approximately twelve pairs of footsteps pounding down the stairs accompanied by a shout of “Can you stop that thundering???” from Percy Weasley.

All of the adults chuckled as the bouncing figures of Fred, George, Ron, and Harry appeared in the kitchen, accompanied by the more subdued but still animated faces of Hermione and Ginny. Molly put the huge pot of porridge on the table, waving her wand to summon bowls, spoons, sugar, and jam.

“Eat up, you need your strength for the walk to the Portkey,” Molly told the kids as they congregated at the table. Harry, his eyes bright and smiling between stifled yawns, sat himself next to Sirius, who began talking to him excitedly about the details of taking a Portkey as Remus drank two cups of tea faster than Harry had prepared his porridge.

“George!” Mrs. Weasley suddenly shouted, making Remus jump and spill a few drops of his third cup of tea on the table.

“What?” George asked innocently and fooling absolutely no one.

“What is that in your pocket?”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t you lie to me!” Molly said, pointing her wand, “Accio!”

Shining small objects flew out of George’s pocket, which he attempted to grab desperately as they shot into Molly’s outstretched hand.

“We told you to destroy them!” Molly said angrily, “We told you to get rid of the lot! Empty your pockets, go on, both of you!”

Sirius was looking with an eyebrow raised at Fred and George as what looked like brightly-colored candies flew of the twins’ clothes and they glumly took their seats. While Molly was distracted tossing the goods into the rubbish bin, Sirius leaned around Harry to Fred and whispered, “Tell me all about that later, will you?”

Fred grinned at him and nodded eagerly.

Soon they were ready to depart, and Molly kissed Arthur on the cheek and hugged each of the kids, as well as Remus and Sirius, “Have a lovely time and behave yourselves,” she told them as they all departed the kitchen, stepping out the door into the chilly pre-dawn.

The moon was still out, a waxing gibbous, in the black sky but a faint tinge of deep blue light which hinted to the building sunrise guided the group as they walked down the lane toward the largest hill beyond the village. The crisp air, long walk and early hour eventually tamed the hyper spirits of the kids and they fell into companionable silence. At the back of the group, Remus, who ran hot due to his lycanthropy, reached out his hand to Sirius, who walked beside him, to warm Sirius’ freezing fingers.

They reached Stoatshead Hill and began to climb, the kids becoming breathless and staggering around hidden rabbit holes and clumps of grass. Remus let go of Sirius' hand to move forward and help guide Harry and Hermione—his advanced eyesight in the dark allowing him to point out any precarious footsteps. Harry accepted the help gratefully; his legs were shaking a bit with strain of the uphill effort and his breath was sharp in his chest, and Hermione blushed at Remus' help, clutching a stitch in her side.

“Whew,” Arthur panted as they finally reached the crest of the hill, taking off his misty glasses and whipping them on his sweater, “We’ve made good time, we’ve got ten minutes, just need to find the Portkey...”

Remus looked around in the dark and saw two tall figures silhouetted against the still star-light sky on the other side of the hilltop—they must be the Diggory’s Arthur had informed them about. “Over there,” Remus pointed and said loudly to the group which had begun spreading out to search (save for Sirius, who had been waiting for Remus’ sharp eye to point the Portkey out for everyone).

“Ah, excellent Remus!” Arthur exclaimed, smiling, and he strode off to meet Amos and Cedric Diggory as the rest of the group followed; Remus and Sirius in the back once more. Arthur greeted a ruddy-faced Wizard with a brown beard who was holding an old boot in one hand.

“This is Amos Diggory everyone,” Arthur said, “he works for the Department for—” Arthur suddenly stammered, he was shaking Amos’ hand but suddenly seemed to freeze. After an uncomfortable moment which caused Amos’ brow to furrow, Arthur managed to finish, “the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

Remus heart stopped beating. Apparently, Arthur had completely forgotten Amos’ department, and so had not thought to warn Remus. Beside him, Sirius stiffened.

“Um,” Arthur straightened and composed himself, “And I think you all know his son, Cedric?”

Remus did know Cedric of course; he had been a brilliant sixth-year student when Remus had been teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts the year prior. He was the Captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and Remus remembered that he had seen the boy be the first to stand at the Hufflepuff table that dinner in the Great Hall when his condition had become known to Hogwarts.

“Hi,” Cedric said, looking around at them all and then resting his gaze on the two men standing behind the group of kids. “Professor Lupin, is that you?” He exclaimed, his handsome face spreading into a warm smile as he stepped forward and extended his hand to Remus.

Remus’ heart had managed to find a steady rhythm again, his momentary sense of dread replaced with a mix of careful composure and genuine pleasure at seeing one of his favorite students again, “Nice to see you again, Cedric. Just Remus now, as I’m no longer your professor.”

“Shame that,” Cedric said, shaking Remus’ hand, “But brilliant that you're coming to the Cup!” Cedric glanced back toward his father, who was staring at the exchange with eyes wide.

Amos, with his role in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, had been made aware the next day after the news of a Hogwarts professor being a werewolf had broken at the school. Like most Witch and Wizard parents, he had been shocked, as well as affronted that Dumbledore had kept the appointment a secret. Amos had sought out the Werewolf Registry, a decrepit office in a hidden corner of his Department floor, and riffled through the rusty metal cabinets until he found the file he was looking for.

Remus John Lupin; Half-Blood Werewolf

Birthdate: March 10, 1960. Mother: Hope Jenkins Lupin (Muggle, deceased), Father: Lyall John Lupin (Wizard, previously employed at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the Werewolf Registry, deceased).

Bitten by Fenrir Greyback on March 5, 1965.

Only Werewolf in history to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: sorted into Gryffindor, made Prefect in his fifth year.

Member of the Order of the Phoenix and fought in the Wizarding War against the Dark Lord’s forces.

Amos had pulled out the files on Fenrir Greyback and Lyall Lupin and realized how a five-year-old boy had been bitten by the most notorious Werewolf of the present age. When Amos’ only son returned to him from Hogwarts that summer, Amos had asked him about his former D.A.D.A professor and Cedric jumped to his professor’s defense. Amos had left any shred of his last remaining reticence about the werewolf Dumbledore had employed at Hogwarts behind at the dinner table that day.

Now, he stepped forward and shook hands for the first time in his life with a werewolf, “It is an honor to finally meet you, Remus.”

Remus, taken aback a bit at this, smiled a bit shyly, “Nice to meet you as well, Amos.”

Amos Diggory then turned to Sirius Black and looked both awed and befuddled, “Ah, Mr. Black. An honor as well,” he said, shaking Sirius’ hand in turn.

“Pleasure, Amos,” Sirius replied, grinning so hugely it seemed to make Amos even a bit more stunned—he hadn’t realized that he had just won Sirius’ whole-hearted approval.

Amos turned a bit dizzily back to the group. Like the rest of the British Wizarding world, he had read in the Prophet that Sirius’ exoneration meant that he would be taking over guardianship of his godson. “So that must mean…” Amos’ eyes found Sirius’ godson standing by Ron and Hermione, “Merlin’s beard,” he breathed, “Harry Potter.”

Harry, used to the way people stared at him when they met him, their eyes going immediately to the lightning bolt scar on his forehead, still fidgeted uncomfortably. Sirius moved forward quickly to stand beside Harry as Amos was saying, “Ced’s talked about you too, of course. Told us all about playing you last year…I said to him, I said—Ced that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren that will—you beat Harry Potter!”

Sirius frowned at that, not sure if he should be more annoyed at Amos’ gawking at Harry or at his mentioning that his son beat Sirius’ godson at Quidditch. Fred and George scowled, having never quite forgiven Cedric for beating Gryffindor in their first Quidditch match last year. Remus himself remembered how exactly Hufflepuff had come to win that match; it was how he had come to teach Harry the Patronus Charm. Harry had stayed silent, and Remus was preparing to speak (to change the conversation topic for all of their sakes in case Sirius said something a bit too harsh and so that Harry wouldn’t have to keep thinking about that match again) when Cedric Diggory beat him to it.

“Harry fell off his broom, Dad,” Cedric muttered, looking embarrassed, “I told you, it was an accident…”

“Yes, but you didn’t fall off, did you?” Amos roared, genially oblivious, “Always modest, our Ced, always the gentlemen…but the best man won, I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don’t need to be a genius to tell which one’s the better flier!”

Sirius’ approval of Amos Diggory was rapidly evaporating; his eyes had narrowed dangerously, his stance slightly in front of Harry was increasingly becoming opposing, and Remus, with his advanced hearing, could make out the low growl building in his throat. The plan of using Sirius as a distraction if anyone gave too much notice to Harry was simply not going to work in this case.

“Are we waiting for anyone else?” Remus asked quickly.

“No, the Lovegood’s are already there and the Fawcett’s couldn’t get tickets,” Arthur answered just as rapidly, “It’s just a minute off, we’d better get ready.”

As the group converged in a tight circle on the Portkey, Remus moved to stand behind Sirius and Harry, putting one hand on the small of Sirius’ back to say—Steady on. He reached his other arm around Harry’s shoulder to touch the Portkey, his hand atop Sirius’ on the boot.

“Three…two…one…” Arthur said, one eye on his watch. And they were all tugged through space by the Portkey’s magic to the outside of the campground of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.

They landed on a deserted misty moor, the kids staggering and some falling onto their backs—Sirius landed with casual grace and Remus with the steadiness he possessed between moons, while Arthur stumbled a bit. With everyone righted, they set off to a brisk walk. After a few minutes, the mist began to dissipate and the tops of hundreds of tents became visible in the distance.

After registering with Mr. Roberts, an Obliviated Muggle who ran the campgrounds, they walked through the gates of the campgrounds and the Diggory’s waved goodbye and went off to their own allotted plot, and the Weasley’s, Hermione, Harry, Sirius, and Remus walked along the rows of tents. Some of the tents appeared on the outside to be normal Muggle tents but enchanted on the inside, like the one they would all be using that night, while others showed magic outwardly—one in the distance was made of silk and looked like a miniature manor, complete with white peacocks tethered at the entrance, another was three-stories high with a smoking chimney, another had a full front garden with flowers and a water fountain.

At last they reached their designated spot at the back of the campgrounds and Arthur pulled out Perkins' enchanted Muggle tent. It had to be set up without magic, so Remus and Hermione (being the two with the most Muggle and camping experience) set up the poles. Sirius kept energetically trying to help so Remus gave him and the others the job of laying out the canvas and tarps. With the poles hammered in, they all together lifted the canvas and tarps and the tent was pitched.

Arthur and his kids went in eagerly first, then Hermione, and then Harry. Remus and Sirius held back, both watching Harry’s face as he crawled into the tent. Harry’s jaw dropped and his green eyes lit like emeralds as he took in the four-bedroom flat, complete with a bathroom and kitchen.

Ron ushered Harry excitedly into the boys’ room he’d be sharing with Ron and the twins, while Ginny and Hermione went into their girls’ room. Remus stood by the table and admired the homey feel of the tent—the mismatched and worn furniture, the assortment of tartan, velvet and old wood.

“Ah,” Arthur said, returning from poking his head into the two other bedrooms, “What’d ya reckon, boys?”

“Remus and I’ll share,” Sirius grinned excitedly, not thinking twice. Here, however, there was no need to worry about appearances; it was the oblivious set-up.

Arthur deposited his heavy backpack in the room on the right, loaded with clothes and supplies for the kids and their meals, and Sirius did the same in the room on the left with his travel bag.

Remus turned his attention to the kitchen and noticed the dusty tea kettle, “We’ll need water, I’m afraid.”

“There’s a tap marked on this map the Muggle gave us,” Ron chimed up, as he and the other kids were stepping back out of their rooms, “it’s on the other side of the field.”

Remus hid his inward sigh at the distance of the tap, and therefore, at the distance between now and a cup of tea, and smiled at Ron, “Well, why don’t you all go and get us some water?” He asked, handing the tea kettle and a few pots to Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins.

“And while you’re doing that, Remus and I’ll fetch us some wood for a fire,” Sirius said, having returned from he and Remus’ room.

The kids, eager to explore the campgrounds, hurried to the tent flap entrance. Sirius caught Harry’s shoulder on his way out and asked purposefully casually, “Got the mirror?”

“Yep,” Harry said, using his free hand not carrying a pot to pull the two-way mirror a little out of his back pants pocket.

“Good lad,” Sirius clapped him on the back, “See you all back here soon.”

Remus and Sirius strolled through the campgrounds, pointing out the show-off tents and those that were the genuinely impressive to one another. The campground was waking with the morning sun now gaining in the sky, and Witches and Wizards did double-takes as they passed, murmurs trailing behind them as they walked— “That is Sirius Black, that is!” “Da, Ma, did you see him?” “That means Harry Potter’s bound to be here somewhere!” Sirius seemed not to notice the attention or the whispered exclamations, and Remus hoped that Harry was remaining inconspicuous, surrounded as he was at the moment by the Weasley’s and Hermione.

They collected armfuls of firewood from the available stack and made their way back to the tent. Arthur was waiting for them, having cleared a patch of grass for the campfire, and Remus and Sirius stacked the logs into a pyramid shape as the kids arrived back, talking excitedly about running into Seamus Finnigan and Oliver Wood.

With the logs ready, Sirius lightly touched his fingers to Remus’ wrist and inclined his head toward the fire. With a soft smile, Remus brought green flames alight in his palm; Fred, George, and Ginny, being the only young ones not to have witnessed this feat, stared in awe while Remus reached his hand into the heart of the wooden pyramid, and a green tinged fire soon roared.

Soon the group was eating sausages and eggs and drinking tea, sitting cross-legged on the grass in front of their tent. Sirius sat beside Harry and his friends while Remus hung back a bit—their tent was in a thoroughfare of the campground so members of the Ministry walked by regularly, waving and hurriedly giving greetings to Arthur and balking or tripping up a bit at the sight of Harry and Sirius, though none seemed able to get away from their duties to be able to linger.

Throughout the afternoon, the kids would wander off for an hour or so to explore and return for drinks or snacks, before heading out again. A few Ministry worker friends of Arthur seemed less busy as the game grew closer, with their final preparations done, and chatted with him while Sirius sat beside Remus—Barty Crouch Sr. among them, looking exhausted and pale, but assuring Arthur he was just overworked from the Cup. When any of the visitors noticed Sirius, he simply said hello politely and returned to talking to Remus so they got the message and left him alone. As afternoon came, the noise of the campgrounds rose accordingly, and by dusk the orange and pink tinged sky seemed to be pulsing with excitement.

As night fell, magic erupted in sparks and trinket salesman were running around the tents, selling luminous rosettes, hats with dancing leprechauns and shamrocks or roaring Bulgarian lions, flags that played national anthems while they waved, collectable figures of the players which moved about. Sirius bought handfuls of goods, passing them along with the spectator glasses (Omnioculars) to the kids with a huge smile; he got Ron an animated figurine of Victor Krum and dancing shamrock hat, Fred and George also got shamrock hats, as well as scarves and enchanted voice-carrying amplifiers for shouting, Ginny a miniature Firebolt, Hermione a few brilliant rosettes, and Arthur an Irish flag and a pair of Omnioculars.

“Oh, don’t bother,” Arthur began at his gift but Sirius shushed him, “You set this all up for us and are hosting us in the Burrow. Come now, Arthur!” Arthur looked a bit shy at first but indulged at last, allowing Sirius to put some of the sparking green and gold face paint on his cheeks he'd bought for them all after the kids’ faces were appropriately decked out.

“Your turn, Moony!” Sirius said, turning to him with sparking paint-covered hands.

“Oh no you don’t,” Remus shook his head, laughing.

Sirius waggled his eyebrows and leaned a bit closer, the rest of the group so distracted by their souvenirs and growing excitement that they didn’t notice, “You can’t possibly know,” Sirius said, his voice a growl low in his chest, “how brilliant this will make your eyes look.”

Remus blushed, his heart stammering and not at all from the anticipation of the Quidditch World Cup.

“Please,” Sirius whispered, his dark eyes twinkling with pupils dilated over-large.

Remus exhaled, “For you,” he relented. Sirius cheered and touched long fingers to Remus’ temples and cheeks, giving him gold and green sparking stripes that were so bright they almost made the scars and faint lines disappear. But as Sirius completed his finishing touches, he let one non-painted finger trace along the scar from the July Full Moon which Remus spent locked in the cellar at Hope’s Cottage, the wolf scratching in frustration. His finger trailed along the scar tissue there, and he looked Remus in the eyes—feeling the exact same way he had that morning watching Moony wake up—and thinking he hoped that his face and eyes reflected silently the message: you are beautiful.

Remus reached for the paints in Sirius’ hands, and took immense pleasure in the excuse to touch Sirius’ face, painting his sharp temples and smooth cheeks with sparkles of green and gold; Sirius' alabaster skin was flushed with excitement, his eyes shining like stars in their own night sky.

And then a deep, booming gong rang out throughout the campground and in the same instant, green and red floating lanterns blazed in the twilight, leading the way to the stadium.