such_heights: amy and rory looking at a pile of post (Remus)
Amy ([personal profile] such_heights) wrote2006-10-25 10:51 pm

Scarves & Hats Day 23

Hedgehog & Sap
Remus/Sirius
PG-13 [language], 600 words
Summary: The Marauders discover a hedgehog. Remus takes a shine to him.
Notes: This, err, continues past autumn? Never mind!



‘Remus, old chap,’ James said conversationally, ‘are you aware there’s currently a very spiky thing sitting very close to your right elbow?’

‘What?’ Remus tried hard not to panic. He turned around very slowly.

James was right. Next to his elbow (which had been up until this juncture leaning happily against a tree log) there was indeed a very spiky thing. A very spiky moving thing. Remus stared at the very spiky moving thing. It blinked before continuing to trundle along the log.

Remus decided it was clearly called Spike.

‘Is that a hedgehog?’ Sirius said suddenly, having stared at it intently for the last few moments. ‘What the hell is a hedgehog doing in Hogwarts?’

‘It can’t have come from the Forest, surely…’ James mused, frowning.

Sirius reached out to pet it, then quickly regretted it. ‘Screw me sideways, that hurts!’

Peter looked at it sideways. ‘They really are spiky buggers, aren’t they?’

‘Thanks for that, Wormtail,’ Sirius replied, still clutching his hand.

‘Yeah, well, most of us aren’t obsessed with touching everything we see,’ Peter shot back.

‘He’s got a point,’ James added.

Remus interjected. ‘If you’ve all stopped bickering, I think Spike here is probably in need of some attention. He’s got to be a very long way from home.’

They all looked at him incredulously.

‘Oh, come on,’ Remus replied, gingerly picking Spike up. ‘Look at his little face! We have to keep him.’

‘Remus Lupin,’ Sirius said gravely. ‘You really are the biggest sap I have ever met in my life.’

Remus felt above such aspersions. He had a hedgehog to look after.

---

With much eye-rolling, the other three helped Remus to gather suitable materials for hedgehog care. Soon, Spike had his own little nest in the entrance of the Whomping Willow, complete with bedding, food and water. Remus had spent an entire afternoon nailing together bits of wood to make a room of sorts for him.

‘He’ll have to hibernate soon,’ Remus said. ‘We’ll need to make sure he’s got enough leaves and things.’

‘Sap,’ Sirius replied.

‘Yes, well.’

---

A few weeks later, and Spike had obeyed the calling of his species and made a thick pile of leaves to burrow into. Remus felt a certain sadness at his departure. It had been something to do, making sure he had water every day.

‘You miss him, don’t you?’ Sirius asked.

Remus made a non-committal noise.

‘Sap.’

‘So you keep telling me.’

---

It was early March. Remus woke up unusually early one morning, startled by the light in the dormitory after such a long, dark winter. Sirius appeared to be already up, and Remus fumbled for the Map in puzzlement. Seeing where Sirius was, he walked out into the grounds, shivering in the early morning cold, and grabbed a stick to navigate his way into the Willow.

‘Padfoot?’ he called. ‘What are you doing?’

‘He’s been hibernating a really long time, how do we know he’s ok?’ Sirius was staring at the pile of leaves.

‘I’m sure he’s fine – tough creatures, hedgehogs.’

Sirius laughed. ‘This is entirely your fault.’

Remus walked up to him, taking his arm (something he was allowed to do, now, in this new this that had happened). ‘I know. But do you know what it makes you?’

Sirius groaned, letting his head fall onto Remus’ shoulder (another pulse beating out an anthem next to Remus’ skin). ‘A sap. Moony, what have you done to me?’

Remus smiled. ‘Come on, let’s go outside. It’s a beautiful day.’

Deep within the leaves, a hedgehog’s whiskers began to twitch.

[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw. I think I've been turned into a sap, as well. I was really worried about the little one! *smile* Luckily things turned out well for everyone. I really enjoyed this. Maggie

[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 02:04 pm (UTC)(link)
*laughs* Do you know, I picked this name more-or-less at random from a dictionary?and I'm now very attached to it? (Silly me.) Where does such_heights come from? M.



[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Aha! I never get music references. Actually I'd wondered if you found the icon first and created the name to go with it.

Anyways, always fun to see fic from you, sweetie! M.

[identity profile] expositionary.livejournal.com 2006-10-27 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Ehehe, and here I was thinking that Maggie = Magnetic. Er, I don't know -- similar vowel sounds? ;)

[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-28 12:42 am (UTC)(link)
Mnnn...sort of?

Er, this can't be possibly be interesting, but, hey, it's the internet. You can always skip it, right? Sorry for filling your inbox, Amy!

I actually started off last spring by creating a personal journal for my partner with the username magical_1053. This had nothing to do with Harry Potter; it was just an odd phrase the two us use. My partner then pointed out that it's much more my phrase than hers, and she created her own username, giving magical_1053 back to me. Then I decided to create another username for HP purposes, and I went to the dictionary to pick one at random. For some reason I though that I wanted something similar to magical_1053 and opened the dictionary to "mag." (Though in retrospect this turned out to be very confusing!) Magnetic_pole was chosen at random, and I decided on Maggie as something that sounds like a plausible nickname for Maggie. I'm actually growing to like it.

Whew! More than you wanted to know, hm? I'm a RL Jennifer, by the way.

M.

[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-28 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks for being a good sport about it, sweetie. *smile* I'm always curious about usernames, too. M.

[identity profile] expositionary.livejournal.com 2006-10-31 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
Well, hello then, Jennifer, it was interesting to read the story of your username. xD I really love reading these types of things, for whatever reason -- the genesis of a name.

I've always thought you actually were a Maggie -- don't mind if I call you that for the rest of the foreseeable future, because that's who you are inside my head. :)

And I don't think these comments are actually showing up in Amy's inbox? I assume that it's just direct replies/comments that are emailed to a user? Not sure, though.

[identity profile] magnetic-pole.livejournal.com 2006-10-31 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
Maggie's quite lovely, no worries! I've never used a nickname--not even Jen or Jenny--so this has been oddly fun. I love reading about these things, too. M.


[identity profile] a-t-rain.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, cute. I adore hedgehogs :)

[identity profile] manic-butterfly.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Now that was just adorable.

[identity profile] secretsolitaire.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
Aww, very cute. :-)

[identity profile] great-stoneface.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
That's so cute that, as far as I'm concerned, the hedgehog is now officially canon.

[identity profile] shortstack88.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
that is beyond adorable. I <3 it

[identity profile] trowicia.livejournal.com 2006-10-26 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Very cute! I want a hedgehog of my own now. :P

Hedgehog & Sap

[identity profile] rosewillread.livejournal.com 2006-10-27 01:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww!
Remus determination and Sirius's care.
Mmm.

[identity profile] wanderlight.livejournal.com 2006-10-31 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Am commenting with the wrong journal, because I am lazy. I could have sworn that I commented on this when I first read it, but apparently not. But I love it, I do -- Sirius totally is the sort of little kid who has to touch everything he sees. And Remus would make a pet out of a hedgehog!

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_allwentblack/ 2006-11-01 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
!!!! that was adorable.

:)

[identity profile] werewolfsfan.livejournal.com 2008-02-04 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Very sweet! I like the way it's mundane but the details and charaterizations ae so canon.