Work Text:
1 June 1987
On Remus's return from his shopping trip, he had barely exited the tunnel into the front room of their home when he was met by an excited dual cry of "Moony!" He raised his brows. Something Must Be Up. He went into the kitchen to find his family, the shopping bags floating in after him.
Harry and Sirius were sitting at the kitchen table as they pored over one of Harry's new books, A Child's Guide to Druids. The open pages showed a moving illustration of strangely dressed wizards scurrying around a hill.
When Sirius looked up to greet him, his eyes were sparkling with an enthusiasm that Remus recognised with no little excitement as one that often portended some great adventure. "Look at this! The druids made mounds that would react magically to the solstice and equinox!" He tapped the page, causing the figures to scatter in alarm. "This one has a door that opens up on Midsummer when the first light of the sun hits it!"
"Then they can go inside!" added Harry in delight, his own eyes shining as a smaller counterpart to Sirius's.
Remus smiled at their abundant use of exclamation points. "That sounds very interesting," he said. He muttered a word and then waved his wand to direct the newly bought produce into the pantry and cupboards. Their usual rule was to not use magic in front of Harry so as to not give him ideas, but he seemed sufficiently distracted by his new discovery. And Remus had had quite a long day, thank you very much.
"But Moony!" exclaimed Sirius as a bag of peas glided past his head. “You don't understand! The solstice is in just a few weeks, and then we can go and see it happen!"
"No!" Remus gasped and clapped a hand to his cheek.
"Yes, we can!" chimed in Harry. "Sirius said that we can go see the door open! That would be brilliant!"
"Well, I suppose it's all decided then," said Remus mildly. Things had a habit of doing that when Sirius and his protege were mad about something. That was how they had taken the mermaid tour at Lough Leane and had gone gnome hunting at a nearby farm, along with many other excursions.
"When can we go?" asked Harry eagerly.
"We have to wait a little," said Sirius, "remember? It's in three weeks."
"Okay," said Harry agreeably. "May I bring my wolf ears?" He gestured at his current accessory, the homemade wolf ears that were lying on the table in front of him.
"Of course you can. Do you mind getting up very early? We have to be there when the sun gets up, you know."
"Sure, I don't mind," grinned Harry, who was always game for Sirius's crackpot adventures.
Remus quite liked the idea himself. For one thing, he had always wanted to see one of the enchanted druidic mounds, and for another it would be good for Harry's studies. However, there were some things to consider... "You know," he broached cautiously, "this is quite an important event, and may be well attended."
Sirius nodded, knowing what he meant. “I think it'll be fine. The public's bound to have got a bit bored with me by now, haven't they?”
“I suppose...”
“And Harry doesn't mind big crowds, do you, Harry?”
“No!” said Harry staunchly. He was long past the days when he would hide behind his guardians whenever a random stranger would point and shriek “It's HARRY POTTER!!!!!!!” True, he still didn't like it when someone would take issue with Sirius, but perhaps it had been long enough for public outrage to have died down some...however...
“There is one other thing,” said Remus with even more caution. “If I recall correctly, the druidic mounds are under the Ministry.” Sirius was not keen on anything that had to do with the Ministry these days. Remus could have tried softening this attitude, but he didn't; he didn't care for the Ministry either.
Sirius's enthusiasm dimmed a little as he looked to the floor, and a shadow flitted over his face. But then he rallied. “Well, they didn't make them, did they?” he said defiantly.
“No, they did not.” Remus smiled. “It does sound like fun.”
Sirius looked up at him with a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Yes- it will be sun-sational."
Remus sighed.
The Summer Solstice, 21 June 1987
Because they had to be there by sunrise, it was early to bed and then up when Harry was still asleep. In the barest of wandlight, they parked the motorbike outside the hill and quietly loaded it with anything they might need.
Remus started the engine while Sirius carefully carried Harry out on his shoulder, and then they were off in the predawn dark. Remus sat in the sidecar with a slumbering Harry on his lap and with the bag of things on the floor jostling his feet. It was quite chilly and Harry was snugly cocooned in a warm jacket, blanket and heating charms.
It was a peaceful ride to the next town's wizard pub, the Flaming Salamander, which was the closest public access on the Floo Network. Sirius could never bear to subject his beloved bike to a Shrinking Charm, and so he always insisted on taking it inside the pub and then hauling it into the fireplace somehow. Fortunately, the barkeep quite liked Harry and was therefore reasonably tolerant of Sirius and his eccentricities, even if it did mean a few banged tables.
Sirius gently awakened Harry so that they could use the Floo. As Sirius manoeuvred as much as he could of the bike into the fireplace, the barkeep asked cheerfully, "And where are we off to today, Harry?"
Harry yawned hugely. “We're going to see the sun do something to a door," he half-mumbled as he tried to wake up. The barkeep smiled kindly at this mystifying statement and gave them the powder.
Their next stop was at the Green Banshee tavern, where that barkeep didn't take as well to an enormous motorbike appearing in his fireplace. ("Sirius, what was that word he said?" "That's a good question, Harry. What do you think it was, Moony?"). From there it was a direct flight to the mound. Harry was fully awake by now and whooped in delight the whole way. Flying had long been one of his favourite things. Even years earlier, Sirius had sometimes lulled a restless Harry to sleep at night with a quick trip on the bike.
The black of night had eased into blue as they sped over tree-covered hills that were becoming much clearer in the predawn light. They knew they were close when the hills gave way to neatly hedged pastures. And suddenly there before them was the end of their quest- the druidic mound rising gently in the middle of the field. There was an aura of otherworldly beauty and mystery to it, as though someone had plucked it out of a fairy land and placed it on this plain.
The bike landed heavily on the ground as a band of brilliant light began to form on the horizon behind them. It was almost time for the sun to rise.
They were just a short distance from the monument, and they now got their first view of the door- a granite slab which faced the direction of the rising sun. It was part of a porch jutting out from the hill, sided with shining quartz stones. Scholars had long made a study of the importance of every stone, and had determined that each had been selected for its high magical value.
Other wizards were arriving as well, some by broom, some by pre-organised Portkeys. Random Apparition was prohibited due to the delicate nature of the site. Many had already gathered before the mound and had brought tents, large sun umbrellas and beach towels. Only a hundred visitors were allowed inside every year- and Remus didn't like to ask how exactly Sirius had managed to wangle their spots- but a number of people had come just to witness the opening of the door.
This was a bit of an Occasion in their world, and therefore many in the crowd were wearing their most stylish robes in eye-catching shades of emerald green, magenta, chartreuse, violet, indigo and many others. Remus felt that his family was a bit underdressed, him in brown and Sirius and Harry in black. But Harry was entranced by all the colours and pointed out his favourites as they strolled across the grass to the check-in kiosk.
The importance of this site had caused the Ministry to place it under the Office for Ancient Monuments, which was tasked with both preserving the mound and protecting it from Muggles. The spells laid over it would encourage Muggles to pass it by without a second thought. But even so, the security measures taken for this event weren't as stringent as for other large wizard gatherings. Even in the Muggle world, many strange characters were out and about on the solstice, and this helped to provide a cover for the celebrations in the wizarding world.
The wooden check-in kiosk was the only overt sign of the Ministry's control, and the busy wizard there asked for a name by which to sign them in. Sirius had registered them under “Padfoot Party of 3”.
“You're in the third group,” the check-in wizard told them tersely. “Please wait on the grass till it's your turn.”
“Are we sure the sun's coming up today?” asked a wag in line behind them. “I wouldn't want to have come all this way for nothing.”
The check-in wizard sighed wearily; but then his attention was caught by something over their shoulders. “Here it is!”
They all turned to see a brilliant blaze of gold as the sun started to peak over the horizon. The sky and earth came alight as though on fire. In the reverent hush that followed, the excited warblings of birdsong burst in the air all around, welcoming the sunrise on the earth's longest day.
They then eagerly turned their attention to the door- but it was still closed.
“Why doesn't it open?” Harry asked Sirius.
“The druids built it so that it would open straight away, but now it takes a few minutes because the earth has shifted.”
The boy looked impressed. “How did it do that? Was it magic?”
Remus smiled to himself as Sirius tried to explain the more intricate details of astronomy. There were many times when he was very glad that he wasn't the tutor.
At last, the sun's light hit the door, making a golden carpet across the grass and washing over the entry stone. The stone glowed intensely, turning almost red. A sound like a choir of bells rang in the air, causing some in the crowd to clap their hands to their ears; but it only lasted an instant. As the ringing faded, the great stone sunk into the earth with a loud rumbling, revealing a dark passageway behind it.
There was scattered applause and some cheering. “That's brilliant,” Harry breathed, gazing at the revealed passageway with starry eyes. "How did they do it?"
Sirius, still in tutor mode, explained to him about the druids and how many of the things they did remained mysterious- “Just like some of the things Remus does.”
The six year old wanted to know one thing: “Could we make our front door do that?”
“Probably not,” said Remus, noting with alarm the beginning of Sirius's “about to create” expression. “We wouldn't want to be stuck in our house a whole year, would we?”
“I don't know,” said Sirius thoughtfully, “maybe we could fix it to happen every day at sunrise...”
“No, Sirius.” Remus gave him the Look that he reserved for emergencies, the “You absolutely will not plant Dungbombs in Dumbledore's office” look.
“I don't mean I would,” said Sirius a little sulkily. “I just wondered if I could.”
The door would be open for some hours, while the light of the sun was still on it, and the first group was already entering to discover the treasures within. Padfoot Party of 3 had a bit of a wait before their turn, and so they went in search of a free spot on the grass. All sorts of people had come: astronomers, astrologers, seers, historians, students and their tutors, as well as casual sightseers. The air was filled with excited chatter, and they caught snatches of very different conversations- families grumpily trying to find a place to sit, astrologers arguing on the significance of this solstice for the future, and disappointed people wondering why the Ministry didn't just move the monument so that it would open right at sunrise.
They found a clear space for their sparkly, star-studded beach towel, and while Sirius busied himself with unpacking the picnic basket, the other two looked curiously around at their neighbours.
The most intriguing nearby group had set up a tall, vine-covered tent of rough brown cloth just across from them and was getting into the druidic spirit with gusto. What the display lacked in accuracy it made up for in enthusiasm. Inside the tent a large man was crouched under a bear skin and roaring fiercely, perhaps trying to portray the druid Animagi. Outside the tent stood a young man and woman, wearing simple robes and oak wreaths, and yelling out to passersby, “The sun is coming!” and “The darkness will be banished!” The young man was holding a pole that was topped by a fake but nevertheless gruesome-looking werewolf's head.
Harry looked very worried indeed when he saw the pole. He tugged on Remus's robe. “Do they kill werewolves?” he whispered.
“No, of course not,” Remus soothed him. “It's only a tribute to the ancient wizards, who believed that the brightness of the solstice banished Dark creatures.”
“Is it working?” asked Sirius cheekily.
“Not that I've noticed, no.”
Harry was glaring at the grotesque pole, and he firmly put his wolf ears on his head. Remus smiled fondly, reminded of Sirius at his most defiant.
At the kiosk, people were lining up for expensive food and handing out obscene amounts of money for Druid Dejeuner, Solstice Surprise and Cliodna's Corned Beef. Sirius, not one to do anything by halves, produced from the basket the full breakfast that he had prepared earlier, and they enjoyed a large meal of buttered toast, sunny side up eggs, kippers, sausages and tomatoes.
As they ate, Remus glanced around to see if they were getting any untoward attention. So far, no one seemed to have noticed them in particular. Harry's fringe was charmed to stay over his scar, and Sirius's hair had grown since the last public photo of him, so perhaps they weren't immediately recognisable. Perhaps.
"Someone's taking our picture," Harry announced, a furrow between his eyes.
Remus winced, following Harry's gaze to see a wizard snapping photos of them with a bulky black camera that gave off thick clouds of purple smoke. When he saw them looking, he ducked behind a squabbling family's violently pink sun umbrella.
Sirius's mood visibly darkened, and he stabbed a tomato with unnecessary force. "Probably a reporter."
Harry's expression of disgust was identical to Sirius's. "Oh, one of those."
Sirius bared his teeth. "Is he getting my good side?"
"Maybe you should scowl more," suggested Remus. Sirius obediently scowled, and Remus asked, "What do you think, Harry?"
Harry studied his godfather. "You look like you have a headache."
“Thanks, Harry."
"No problem."
They decided that the best thing to do was to ignore the reporter, and so they took out the book A Child's Guide to Druids. Teacher and student were combing through it and excitedly pointing out the things they recognised in the actual landscape. Sirius had been introducing Harry to the cosmos that year, which had brought them to the druids, who had been skilled astronomers and astrologers. They had aligned this and other sites to the equinoxes and solstices, as well as to the movements of the stars. The druids had not been the first to make such mounds- the earliest had been built by ancient peoples five thousand years before- but they had been the first to do so on such a magically sophisticated level. They had been drawn to the magical properties of the natural world, and had spent much study in harnessing these powers. Scholars still debated what the purpose of this specific site actually was, but the majority believed that, whatever else it might be for, the druids had wanted it as a sort of time capsule to preserve their discoveries for their descendants.
Remus found all this thoroughly interesting himself- they hadn't covered the druids as much as he would have liked at Hogwarts, thanks to Binns' rather peculiar obsession with the Goblin Wars. He listened attentively to the history lesson, until he became aware that a shadow had fallen over them.
The reporter stood there, all oily hair and crooked smile. He was still holding the camera.
"Daily Prophet!" he said with a smirk. "I don't suppose we could have a quick interview with Sirius Black?"
Sirius, long used to the Prophet taking his words out of context, grimaced and bent his attention to the book. Harry glared at the reporter before pointedly doing the same.
The reporter, however, was not put off. "Tell our readers- What's it like to be wanted by the Ministry?"
"He's not wanted by the Ministry," said Remus shortly. He had always been intensely irritated at how the Prophet would exaggerate the facts regarding Sirius's involvement in the events of that Hallowe'en, and he was equally as annoyed at the Ministry for doing nothing to dispute even the wildest claims.
If possible, the reporter's smirk only deepened. "For our readers who want to know- How exactly does one evade capture by the Ministry? It must be quite difficult, am I right?"
Remus tried to keep himself from growling. "You know perfectly well that they're not after him."
A notepad suddenly appeared in the reporter's hand, and he jotted down something while looking infuriatingly smug. He then turned to Harry; but as soon as he opened his mouth, Remus and Sirius were on their feet, pointing their wands at him.
He froze, taking in the two grim-faced wizards and their death-grips on their wands. "I, er, I'll just go along, yeah?" he suggested.
But Harry surprised them by saying, "No, you can ask a question."
His guardians and the reporter all stared down at him. "Are you sure?" asked Sirius.
"Yeah, I'm sure." He gave the reporter a firm look. "Just one question, though."
"Right," said the reporter, quickly regaining both his equilibrium and his smirk. "Could you tell our readers..."- He paused for effect- "What's it like being raised by an infamous criminal?"
"I wouldn't know," said Harry coolly. "I wasn't raised by you."
Sirius barked a laugh, and he and Harry high-fived as the reporter retreated in a rather embarrassed huff. Remus sighed. Harry was fully inheriting Sirius's mouth- and he wasn't even seven yet. This did not bode well for the future.
None too soon, the third group was called. The family quickly packed up their picnic basket, shrinking everything so that it would fit, then joined the gathering crowd.
The previous group was filing out, expressions of wonder on many of the faces. Likewise, a respectful quiet fell over those waiting as they anticipated being the next to see the treasures within the legendary monument.
Their attention was hailed by a pointy-nosed guide who regarded them pompously over his spectacles. He began, “This is a great privilege to see the handiwork of the ancient druids, and I trust that you are all aware of the great honour given to you today. This site is thousands of years old, and as such there are specific rules that everyone must follow. Mind your feet, don't make any noise, don't touch the walls and above all don't take anything. Anyone who damages the site in any way will be before the Wizengamot by the end of the day. Shall we go in?”
As they entered the tunnel, it was as though they were passing into another world. The chatter from the outside faded away as they walked between the narrow walls- tall slabs of stone awash with the yellow light of the sun. Remus felt an excited shiver of anticipation. He travelled through a tunnel every day, at the entrance to their house; but the feeling here was different as they stepped far back in time to the age of the druids.
The tunnel issued into a chamber that was quite extraordinary. Upon entering, the eye was first drawn to a large rune, about three feet high and two across, on the very opposite side of the chamber. The sunlight hit it directly, and it pulsed with an answering golden light.
“Don't look at it too closely,” ordered the guide sharply. “Some believe that a curse shall befall those who try to discover its secrets. Ten years ago a team of scholars dared to study it. One lost his sight, one thinks she's the druidess Cliodna, and another raises goats on a mountaintop. It could be coincidence...” -he paused for effect- “...but sensible people don't believe in coincidences.”
It was an eerie feeling, to be standing within this construct of ages past while gazing upon the things that the druids had wanted their descendants to see. They were all quiet as they took in the marvel.
The ceiling curved up to about thirty feet high, and across its expanse the druids had attempted to recreate the night sky. Against a dark background were strewn glistening gems, as well as stars painted in silver and white. The guide told them that, from the records of past scholars, the positions of the painted stars had shifted over the years, and that as time wore on the shifts had grown less and less. He explained that the druids' starry scene had been the dawn of moving pictures, and that the primitive charm was gradually wearing out across the centuries. The enchanted sparkle of the gems had also faded, but their light still shown even after all this time. He rattled off dates and minutiae as the group gawked.
The druids' artwork spread down from the ceiling all the way to the floor. The circular granite wall held paintings and etchings that depicted important druid discoveries. The paint was still strangely vivid, and the guide explained that the druids had somehow charmed it to become one with the mound.
One section had bright paintings of herbs, and images that tried to demonstrate what each did. The berries and flowers were coloured so enticingly that they seemed like they could be plucked right off the wall. Another area had figures holding wands- something that the druids had pioneered. Next to the figures were different kinds of trees- the sorts that the druids had used in their wand making. They had intensely studied the magical properties of each kind of tree- willow for charm work, blackthorn for fighting, et cetera. There were also depictions of the creatures from whom they had derived the wands' cores- dragons, unicorns, kelpies, auguries and others.
Another area had a series of drawings that showed humans becoming animals. Each sequence started with the drawing of a human followed by other sketches that gradually acquired animal traits until the person was entirely a fully painted beast- black bears, red aurochs, grey wolves, brown deer, white rabbits and even shiny-scaled fish. "The druids were the earliest known Animagi in Britain," said the guide, "and it was much more common then than it is today. Every druid who had achieved a certain level of power was expected to turn into an animal; in contrast there have only been seven Animagi in this century."
"Why?" asked Harry.
The guide smiled, apparently deciding that the no talking rule needn't apply to six year olds. This was fortunate; both of Harry's guardians had been known to hex people who were even mildly severe with him. "That is an excellent question. Perhaps the druids had a knack for it that has been lost. They were much more attuned to nature than we are, and lived much more closely with wild animals."
"That makes sense," said Harry. Then he continued, "If it was so great for the druids to do it, then why does the Ministry lock people up if they don't register?"
"Er...." said the guide.
Remus glanced sharply at Sirius, who gave him a look that might have been innocent if he weren't trying to muffle his laughter. Trying not to smile himself, Remus muttered, "I'll deal with you later." His partner winked.
The rest of the tour went well until they were back outside. As they passed by the group that was waiting to go in, they distinctly heard an angry growl of, "There's that Sirius Black."
Remus looked up quickly and saw a number of faces scowling at them in accusation. Other faces were turning toward them curiously. That was when the whispering started.
“It is him! The nerve- doesn't he know what he's accused of?”
“I'm amazed they let him come with innocent folk around!"
“Where's the Aurors when you need them?”
"I don't care what anybody says- he's so handsome!”
“Is that Harry Potter? Coo, he's getting so big!”
“Oh,” said a young blonde witch, hurrying up to them. “Are you really Sirius Black?” She took his alarmed expression for assent. “Only I was wondering if you would sign my copy of Witch Weekly, the one from three years ago, when you were on the cover for Most-Charming-Smile.”
“You have it with you?” Remus asked, not all that surprised. Sirius, during his various escapades, had accumulated some rather...rabid admirers.
“Well, no, but I can just pop back home to fetch it, won't be a mo.”
“He doesn't take autographs,” said Remus firmly. “By my order. I'm his agent.”
“Oh, are you really?” She started to get a calculating look.
“Siiiiiirrrrr-eee-uuuuus,” interrupted Harry in a little boy whine. “I need to potty.” He was well used to making a diversion for quick escapes. He even enjoyed it.
Accommodating members of the crowd parted for the anxious boy, and they were able to make their getaway; still, some looked as though they wanted to take issue. That was always the trouble with going out and about; they never knew what sort of reception they would get. But it was a risk they were willing to take; they hardly wanted to stay in their hill all the time.
They hurried across the grass toward the waiting motorbike, past the tents and umbrellas. Many people were making it an all day event, and would be staying for the nighttime festivities, which included a spectacular bonfire as well as a small fireworks display.
“Should I ask that woman if she's a member of your fan club?” enquired Remus as they reached the bike.
“That's alright,” muttered Sirius. He bent to do something important to the motor, and his hair flopped down to hide his reddening face.
“That was fun,” Harry declared as he climbed into the sidecar. “When can we go again?”
The next day, they discovered that their excursion had appeared in the Prophet. On the second page, there was a small column entitled Sirius Black Sighted on the Solstice!
“They make it sound like I'm on the run!” snarled Sirius in disgust as he threw the paper on to the kitchen table.
“At least you're not the headline anymore,” said Remus soothingly. He picked up the paper and read out loud. “'Wizards gathered at the summer solstice celebration to observe the annual opening of the enchanted door. Some in the crowd were surprised to spot accused murderer'-” Sirius's lips curled up angrily and he stalked over to the glare at the cupboards- “'Sirius Black with The Boy Who Lived. All went smoothly as this year's lucky wizards went inside to view the treasures within the druidic monument. However, the evening revelry found a stray fire atop a Muggle farmer's cottage. Wizards put it out quickly before the Muggle fire crew could arrive at the scene. Black could not be reached for comment.'”
“I wasn't even there!” Sirius burst out.
Remus continued, “'At least no one was found locked in like last year,'”; but then he hesitated when he saw the next line: “A witness at the scene told our reporter, 'Well, no, not this year, but if anyone's found next year, I know who I will suspect. Black, that's who.'” After a glance at Sirius, he decided not to read it.
He regarded Sirius's tense back as he tried to think of what to say. The happy sound of Harry playing came to them from the living room. His eyes went to the near wall, where there was a picture of two red blobs with a small blue blob in between them- Harry's three-year-old version of a family portrait.
“You know they only go after you because you're handsome,” he finally said. “If I were the handsome one, I'd be getting all the press.”
Sirius turned to look at Remus with just the faintest hint of amusement softening his face. “I did get the Most-Charming-Smile Award,” he agreed.
“Yes- even if it was three years ago.”
“Oh, shut it.” He brushed back the hair that was starting to fall in his eyes. “What's Harry doing?”
Remus glanced out the kitchen doorway. “Playing with the Quidditch set.”
Sirius's face instantly lit up, and he abandoned his mood to join his godson on the sitting room floor.
Remus stood in the doorway, watching them as they happily set up the pieces to start off a game. Then would come the inevitable sound effects from the two Quidditch fans as they pretended it was a real match. Remus smiled warmly at the pair and thought how lucky he really was.
~THE END~