Every Farthing of the Cost (Dingoes Ate My Baby remix) [Buffy/Harry Potter; Oz, Remus; PG]

[ludakreusz.livejournal.com]

Title: Every Farthing of the Cost (the Dingoes Ate My Baby remix)
Author: meredevachon
Summary: Oz can't help but be reminded of Giles whenever Remus is around, so he takes the withdrawn Remus under his wing.
Rating: PG
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Harry Potter crossover
Characters: Oz Osbourne, Remus Lupin
Pairing: implied Remus Lupin/Sirius Black
Spoilers: Very vague spoilers for BtVS through 4.19 New Moon Rising. Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, becoming AU for the series after that book.
Disclaimer: Whedon & Rowling own anyone you recognize; I certainly don't.
Title, Author and URL of original story: Every Farthing of the Cost by azephirin

Day One

Growing up in Sunnydale, traveling the lesser known corners of the world, living in a commune of weres and witches… Oz wouldn't go so far as to say he'd seen it all, but there wasn't much that would shock him any more. Which is probably why, when green fire flared up in the main hall's cold fireplace and a man in ratty tweed stepped out of the flames, Oz was the first to recover.

Wolf, said the dark part of his brain that cared about those things most of all.

Weary, said the part that had traveled alone all those months and knew how it felt.

"Hey," said Oz, lunging to catch the guy's oversized trunk as it toppled off the edge of the hearth.

"Oh. Sorry. Thank you."

The accent was British, educated but distracted, and as the man patted and tugged his coat into place, Oz couldn't help but think all he was missing was a pair of glasses to polish.

The guy must have noticed the shocked looks and hushed conversations from around room, because he got the understated look of pained embarrassment Oz would always associate with a certain type of very proper British gentleman.

"I take it you don't get many people arriving by Floo, then?"

Okay, that made no sense. "Flu?"

"Floo powder. It allows you to step into one fireplace, then out through another anywhere on the Floo Network. You were connected," he gestured vaguely at the fireplace, "and I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry if I startled anyone."

Oz shrugged. "S'okay. It'll give us something new to talk about at breakfast. I'm not much of a Welcome Wagon, but… welcome to Cashay Farms. I'm Oz."

"Profe- that is, Remus… Remus Lupin."

Claire bounded through the door then, only approximating a walk because she was dragging Violet behind her, and Oz realized she and Jake – who'd been playing a game in the corner of the meeting room last he looked – must have taken off when Remus showed up. He wasn't surprised Claire had rushed back, nor that Jake had made himself scarce. And he absolutely wasn't surprised that Claire was talking a mile a minute as she moved.

"… was green! I've never seen green fire before; was it magic? And then he walked right out of the fire and he wasn’t burned or anything. It was so cool. You gotta see, Mom."

Violet gave Remus the same appraising once over she gave to everyone who came to Cashay before stepping forward to take him gently by the elbow.

"You look hungry. Guess it's a good thing the kitchen's right here, then. Alejandra, get the man some food. Then, after you eat, we'll see about getting you settled. Now, what's your name, honey?"

While she talked, she steered Remus to a seat at the long kitchen table and waved at Oz to do something with the trunk. He kept one eye on Remus' reaction to Violet in full mother hen mode while he moved the trunk to an out of the way corner of the main hall. She was right about one thing; Remus looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks.

"Remus Lupin, ma'am, and you really don't have to go to any trouble. I'm –"

"Nonsense! Sit. Eat. I'm Violet Albertson, and this is my daughter Claire. Looks like you've already met Oz. There's forty-some of us now, so it might take a bit for you to meet us all, but don't be shy. You'll fit right in in no time.

Remus got quieter once Alejandra put a plate of food in front of him, and not just because he was too well-mannered to talk with his mouth full. Maybe he felt the food was good enough to deserve his undivided attention. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to being the focus of a group of strangers, who all seemed to find him fascinating once they got over the initial shock of someone arriving via fireplace. Or maybe he was just tired. Whatever the reason, he seemed to draw further into himself as he sat there, and his answers became softer and less frequent. Claire filled the silences, though, and as along as Remus was eating, Violet seemed content to leave the conversation for another time. Everyone could tell he was a werewolf and – as long as he followed the community's rules – that was enough for him to be welcome at Cashay.

After Remus had eaten enough to satisfy Violet, Oz led him to the empty cabin next to his own. Remus pulled out a wand as they left the meeting hall, and with a quick flick, had the trunk floating along beside them as they walked. It wasn't anything Oz hadn't seen before, but neither Willow nor Violet ever seemed quite so matter of fact about fitting magic into everyday tasks. He'd have asked Remus about it, but with Remus about to fall out, it didn't seem the time. It looked like Remus was planning to stay for a while, though, so there would be plenty of time to talk later.

In the meantime, Oz spent the few minutes' walk pointing out different areas of the property, the crops they were growing, the people, that sort of thing. Silence wouldn't have bothered him, but he wanted to put Remus at ease and to show how quickly the farm could become a home. He thought Remus probably needed that… a place to belong.

Oz opened the door and stood aside for Remus to enter first. The cabin was tiny. Families and couples got the bigger ones, leaving the smallest for singles. Remus didn't seem to mind or even notice, really. Oz showed him where to find bed linens and towels, wished him good-night, and then left him with a promise to meet for breakfast in the morning.

Day Two

The next morning, Oz and Remus walked to the main hall in silence. Oz had never been much of a morning person, and if Remus had gotten any rest, Oz couldn't tell it to look at him. At least he had an appetite, tucking in to the oatmeal and fresh fruit even as he did his best to avoid the conversations going on around the table.

Violet wasn't so easily put off, though, and sooner or later, she would have assigned Remus to some work task for the day. Everybody at Cashay did their part; it was how things ran as smoothly as they did.

"I was thinking…" Oz spoke up after one last blackberry and swig of coffee, "I'm on bread duty today. Could always use an extra set of hands, if Remus wants to help out in the kitchen." He kept his voice even, no big deal.

Violet glanced from Oz to Remus and back, then nodded, a knowing smile barely pulling at the corner of her mouth. "That sounds good. You can show Remus the ropes, share jobs for the next few days until he settles in. Is that all right with you, Remus?"

Remus mumbled something that might have been yes, and within a few minutes, everyone had cleared their dishes and headed for the day's tasks.

Once in the kitchen, Remus watched intently as Oz pulled ingredients from the refrigerator and pantries.

"I've never made bread before." The way Remus said it made baking sound like some exotic adventure, and Oz was more than happy to share it with him.

"It's easy… and can be a lot of fun. There's something Zen, something real about working the dough. And you end up with something good to eat. Come see."

Remus' gaze followed Oz' hands as he mixed ingredients in a large bowl, studying every detail with the same focus Giles would get when watching Willow work her magic on the computer: curious, intense, and kind of overwhelmed. Oz explained each step as he worked, and once the ingredients were combined, he plopped half the dough on the floured counter in front of Remus and kept the other half for himself.

"Now we knead it. That's my favorite part. Here. Like this." Oz floured his hands, gestured for Remus to do the same, and then started to work the dough. Knead, fold, quarter turn, again and again. After a couple of times, Remus hesitantly began kneading at his own.

They worked quietly for a while, Jeremy and Rebecca in the background half-arguing over the lunch menu. It was nice. Familiar. To Oz anyway. And Remus started to relax as Oz supervised him mixing up another batch of bread dough while the first was set to rise.

Once they were up to their elbows in flour and kneading again, Oz decided it was time to see if he could pull Remus out of his shell some.

"Runs in the family, huh? That's cool. I was… It was a surprise for me."

Remus blinked a couple of times, then shook his head slightly. "Sorry. What runs in the family?"

"Being a werewolf. Unless you have the worst luck with names. I mean, your name's Remus Lupin and you're a wolf. That can't be a coinci-" The look on Remus' face stopped the word before Oz could finish it. "Oh, man. I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's quite all right. I've found that names in the wizarding world have a tendency to become significant, almost prophetic at times. I'm not sure yet whether it really is uninitiated divination, or if it's more self-fulfilling. Whether the future influences the name, or the name shapes the future." And boy, if Oz thought Remus reminded him of Giles before, that was nothing compared to hearing him in teacher mode. He could have been back in the Sunnydale High library lecturing on the relative dangers of Bohg'dar and Frophla demons or explaining the difficulties in prophecy interpretation. "But no, lycanthropy does not run in my family. At least, no further than me through the woods once a month."

The joke felt forced, like Remus was trying too hard to show he'd accepted a part of his life that was never easy to accept. Or maybe he was trying to put Oz more at ease after his gaffe. That would be like Giles, too. Oz wondered what kind of music Remus liked and if he'd gone through a rebellious stage when he was younger. Remus smiled – first time that Oz had seen – and like that, things were okay again. They went back to the day's baking, and then some. By the time they stopped for lunch they had enough for two weeks of meals, and Oz felt like he and Remus were on their way to becoming friends.

Day Four

It was Alejandra's suggestion Oz drop in on Remus, see how he was settling in. Of course, that could have been because she could see how fond Oz was of him, even if she didn't totally get why. And Oz had been wanting to check in on Remus; he'd only hesitated because he got the need for privacy and wasn't sure Remus would welcome the company. Besides, he seemed happier and more relaxed when they saw each other at meals or when working together. So it wasn't like he had no idea how Remus was doing.

His knock on the door was met with a quiet "Come in" and the door opening by itself.

Remus was sitting sideways on the couch, his feet shoved under the middle cushion and a huge, old book propped up on his thighs. As Oz walked in, Remus set his wand within reach on the coffee table and mindlessly raised a cup of tea to his lips without looking up from his reading.

"Hey."

Oz shut the door behind and leaned against it. After a minute or so, Remus looked up, marking his place with a finger.

"Oh. Hello, Oz. Come in, come in. Have a seat." Remus sat up straight making more room on the couch and gazed longingly at the book before setting it beside his wand on the table. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Oz came further into the room, his nose wrinkling involuntarily at the pungent aroma coming from the teapot. "I'm good. Thanks."

Remus must have caught the not quite grimace. "Milkgrass tea isn't to everyone's taste, I am aware. I believe I have some peppermint, if you'd rather."

"No, that's okay. Not really thirsty right now. But thanks."

The room was a little homier than the night Oz helped Remus bring in his trunk. Several books were on the shelves, another on the nightstand, in addition to the one Remus had been reading when Oz came in. And when Oz pulled out the desk chair to sit on, he noticed Remus had set out some pictures. He didn't look too closely at first, but when, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he caught the people in one of the pictures waving at him, he had to take a closer look.

The people in the picture definitely moved. All of them were moving. Oz knew he probably looked like a fish, his mouth gaping in surprise. He glanced over at Remus, then back to the pictures, and yeah, okay, not the strangest thing he'd ever seen. Still, not something you see every day, just lying out like it's nothing.

Remus got up and came to stand behind Oz, picking up the first picture. "Wizard photos. Perhaps a little more interesting than static Muggle ones, but perfectly normal to me. My parents and I on holiday," he added, handing it to Oz as all three wave at them both.

Once he got past the whole moving photography thing, it was obvious to Oz these were Remus' parents. He looked just like them. Setting the frame back in its place on the desk, Oz pointed to the next one: a teen Remus with two other boys and a girl. The girl had her hand flat on one of the boys' chest pushing him away where he's grabbing for her, but they're both laughing, and as Oz watched, she gave in, pulling the boy in for a quick kiss before swatting the back of his head. Remus and the third boy watched the antics with resigned expressions that said this was nothing new. But the thing Oz really noticed was they were happy. Remus was happy in a way Oz hadn't seen the real Remus be yet.

"That was taken our last year of school. LilyandJames, and Sirius and me. We were… we were happy then."

Something in Remus' voice told Oz it hadn't stayed that way, but that it wasn't something Remus was willing to talk about. Oz understood. He had a couple pictures like that, too; the Scoobies before graduation, before college, before everything changed. Good pictures and good memories, but it was hard to think about those times without remembering what came after, and some hurts you need to keep to yourself.

The last picture must have been taken about the same time; the two boys cuddling on the sofa looked around the same age as in the other picture. "You and… Sirius?"

"Um-hmm. Sirius Black, my best friend back then, and… well." Remus shrugged as if to say What can I say?, and really, between the wistful note in his voice and the smiles on the faces in the photo, there wasn't any more that needed to be said.

"Alejandra and I are supposed to meet up for a walk along the stream before supper. You wanna come with? Get out of this tiny room for a while, work up an appetite. It'll be fun."

Remus didn't comment on the abrupt change of subject, but his slight smile and nod told Oz it was appreciated all the same. Still, Oz was pleasantly surprised when Remus agreed.

That he brought his book along wasn't a surprise at all.

Day Eleven

After a few early morning visits by package-laden owls, most everyone had gotten used to Remus' strange method of sending and receiving mail. But the bright blue and yellow parrot that came swooping into the meeting hall during dinner to land at Remus' plate attracted plenty of attention. Remus smoothed the bird's breast feathers with a finger before untying the slip of paper from its leg. The letter must not have been very long, but it whatever it said was good news, because Remus was smiling as he tossed his bread crust to the parrot. He left the hall soon after, the bird perched on his shoulder in a way that would really hurt if it decided to grip tight.

It wasn't until later that night when Oz stopped in for what had become their nightly shared pot of tea that he found out more about the mysterious letter. Definitely good news, as it got Remus to open up about his life before Cashay. The parrot was sleeping on one of the exposed roof beams of Remus' cabin, but Oz didn't notice it until he was getting ready to leave. And even then, his mind was on what Remus had told him.

When Oz had arrived that evening, Remus was sitting at his desk studying one of the pictures fondly. There was a sealed roll of paper next to him, along with the quill and ink he insisted on using. When he set the picture back into place, Oz could see it was the one of Remus and his friend Sirius.

"But I forgot," Remus began as though continuing a conversation they'd started much earlier, "You wouldn't know about Sirius Black. He's famous back home. Infamous, really, accused of a horrible crime. And I… for a long time, I believed he was guilty, just like everyone else did."

Remus paused then, taking his time to prepare the tea properly. This part of their evening ritual was usually performed in silence or close to; a bit of quiet Oz found both comfortable and comforting after a long day. Only after they had each taken a sip of the tea did Remus continue with his story.

"No one was closer to Sirius than I… except perhaps James, but he…" Remus sighed, then seemed to will himself to go on, "He wasn't around to ask. Twelve years ago, there was a war in the Wizarding world, and James and Lily were the last in a long line of casualties other than the wizard and Muggles Sirius was accused of murdering. I thought he'd… I thought he had betrayed us, done the one thing he would never do, when really I betrayed him by thinking him capable of such a thing. It's only recently I've found out the truth.

"He escaped from prison last summer, and the entire Wizarding world is looking for him. There are only a handful of us who know what really happened and who was responsible for killing all those innocent people. But he's in hiding, and we have no way to prove Sirius is innocent. So he's still on the run and," Remus picked up the letter he'd gotten that evening, "sunning himself in the tropics."

Oz could tell there was more to the story, but he wouldn't push. It was Remus' story to tell, if and when he wanted to. He didn't need to tell Oz that he and Sirius had been in love; that much was obvious. And Oz, like most of the people at Cashay knew a thing or two about being outcast or on the run or unjustly accused.

"You should invite him to come here. It's safe enough, especially with the new wards and things you've put up around the grounds. No one comes here but people looking for sanctuary. Even if he didn't come to stay, it would give him a safe haven for a little while. And if nothing else, I know Violet'd love having another wizard to put to work."

Remus laughed and tapped the letter he'd written in reply. "I've already done. I don't know if he'll come or how long it would take him to get here if he will, but I've made the offer. And I believe you're right about Violet. It'd do Padfoot good to sing for his supper for a change."

The tea, or what was left of it, had gone cold while Remus talked, and while the name Padfoot and the fond and easy way Remus had said it piqued Oz' curiosity, he thought that was a story that could wait for another night.

fin

Comments

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful, absolutely sweet and gentle. I love Remus inviting Sirius to join them, and Oz's interest, and just Oz in general here, his voice and the way he reveals the story. It's quiet, but absolutely lovely.

Thank you for writing this story.

[azephirin.livejournal.com]

Eeeeee! I am really pleased that you picked this story—it's an older one, but one of my favorites—and I love what you did with it. I love Oz-fic in general, and it's fun to see him and Remus here, since we don't see a whole lot of them together (and nothing of just the two of them, I don't think) in the original. I was really tickled by the random things you included from v. 1: the milkgrass tea, the bread-baking, and the OCs especially. Thank you for this!

[inksheddings.livejournal.com]

Very enjoyable. :D

[athenejen]

I really enjoyed reading this. It's such a gentle mixture of the two source materials, made increasingly and convincingly substantial as Oz and Remus become more comfortable with each other. Lovely.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I love Oz and Remus both, and this was a lovely read.

[zooey-glass04.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was lovely. I really liked the Ozishness of this piece, and the way that he saw Remus. It was a really rewarding way of looking at them both.

Thanks!

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

The original is one of my favorite crossovers, and I really like seeing it from Oz's pov here. Lovely.

[cecilegrey.livejournal.com]

This was gorgeous. Thank you for writing and sharing!