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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 1:36 pm 

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Having received a grant to write a dissertation based on nothing but a hunch, Remus had spent the first month buried in books trying to justify it. He had applied to the degree with barely a title, much less a fully fledged theory to pursue, and he had worked through an immense amount of articles and problems to warrant further research and funding.
Remus had the impression that his immediate coursemates were under the same pressure, from both Mulligan and the board. It had, however, been challenging sharing a dorm with Black, who had already passed this hurdle, seeming to work with an ease and a purpose Remus simply couldn’t comprehend.
Remus knew it to be circumstantial, that Black was simply two years ahead and by now had a better idea of the course his dissertation would take him. It wasn’t exactly encouraging, often finding that he compared himself to him, only to be left annoyed by the fact that he was miles behind.
All in all, it had only seemed to increase the workload Remus had put on himself. Sitting by his desk, he startled when the door unlocked; he intuitively raised his pen, allowing the ink to bleed into the chamber rather than onto his worksheet.
“Hi,” Remus greeted, having settled into somewhat of a civil tone. He didn’t otherwise lift his attention, knowing who had entered.
Instead, his eyes continued to skim across the paper, settling his hand back down to continue the formula he had been scribbling at.


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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 3:12 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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Sirius had known that Remus would likely be in the room when he got in, but it still made him smile pleasantly to actually see his flatmate.
“Hullo,” he said as he made his way towards his desk, gingerly placing the many volumes there and turning to properly face his flatmate. Sirius could definitely remember the immense pressure of the first year of his dissertation, having felt that a lot of the pressure had eased as he had gotten further into the process and gotten more secure in his topic.
“Hard at work I see,” he commented, hoping to lighten Remus’ mood a little. He desperately wanted to be able to help his flatmate, remembering how lonely and soul crushing it had been, especially because your only costudents were supposed to be your competition. Sirius knew that had he not had James to pull him through, he likely would have made it.
“The first year is always the worst, but I am sure that you will get the hang of it soon enough.”

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 11:42 pm 

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Remus should have come to expect Black’s seemingly tireless urge to small talk, and yet it always seemed to catch him in the most unfortunate times. Stuttering a hesitation, Remus’ brow furrowed, trying to finish a thought before it escaped him.
The equation taking a rough form on his papers was barely a coherent theory but a necessary argument for the justification of his dissertation, and Remus had been in the middle of charting a weighted variable, a hazy mental image of a graph overlaid Black’s polite conversation.
After hesitating for several long moments, pen hovering above paper, Remus scribbled in anything - a placeholder.
He placed his pen back onto its penrest, his hands immediately lifting to his eyes. After hours of work in poor lighting, Remus rubbed at them, leaning back in his chair.
“Sorry -” he muttered, voice drowned by his hands. When he let them fall, he blinked at the papers, letting the world get into focus before finally turning towards his coursemate.
The comment wasn’t particularly reassuring. Remus wasn’t sure he could do another 11 months of this.
“Yeah,” he eventually answered, realizing what Black had said. The assumption of ease settled poorly in Remus’ stomach, though he wasn’t sure why; he answered with a security he didn’t actually feel. “No, it’s going well, I just lost track of time.”


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 18, 2022 2:30 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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Sirius really didn’t take any offence to Remus feeling the need to finish the notes he was taking before answering him. He definitely remembered how much his process had consumed him, which was also why he wanted to be able to provide Remus with breaks for the work.
“Yeah, it’s easy to do that,” he said with a crooked grin, still catching himself getting caught up with work at times, knowing how it was when you finally got to study something that you were very passionate about. He genuinely felt that Remus was the type of guy who deserved to succeed, so he wanted to make sure that the poor guy didn’t burn out before getting too far.
“Good to hear that you have got a good start, some of your coursemates are really fumbling,” Sirius shared with a crooked grin on his lips.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:19 pm 

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While Remus would like it to be true, he wasn’t sure he was. He felt spread thin across all categories, and though Black’s comment should serve as a reassurement, it felt flat and disingenuous; Remus didn’t feel like he was fumbling any less.
“We have to present our work to Mulligan next week,” he elaborated, not wanting to speak on how well others were doing. Remus turned back towards his work, expecting Black have been through a similar meeting when he was first getting started.
Carefully pressing the pad of his thumb on top of the last little period on his paper, Remus confirmed the ink to be dry. He went on to gather his scattered papers, feeling a dull headache of hunger and thirst tighten at his temples.
“None of us want to lose our funding already.”


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 12:26 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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There was something incredibly nostalgic about hearing Remus talk like that, Sirius only too aware of the fact that he had sounded exactly the same when he ranted to James in the beginning of his own PhD. He hoped that he would be able to support Remus through it, just as James had been his own pillar through the entire first year, and still was most of the time.
“No need to worry too much about Mulligan,” Sirius reassured Remus, knowing that he himself had been intimidated by the older man in the beginning as well. His relationship to the professor had eased significantly once Sirius started taking him less seriously though, not that he would recommend that Remus when that route immediately.
“And the funding never stops being a worry.”

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 22, 2022 2:49 pm 

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Unable to restrain it, Remus’ brows quirked, seeming to be humoured by Black’s comment. He wondered if it was a general statement, or maybe one made on Remus’ behalf. He certainly had never experienced Black exhibit a moment of doubt when it came to the validity of his thesis; that had proved to be the greatest downside of their shared accomodation, knowing how easily Black prepared himself to excel in class.
Remus was bittersweet with jealousy.
“Fingers crossed it does,” he mused quietly, a silent prayer for both of their theories - or his, at the very least - to be fruitful.
He stuffed the loose sheets he was working on into an already full bound notebook, allowing himself a rest. As if on cue, he rubbed his eyes again.
“I think I’m gunna go get dinner,” he warned as though a parting remark, letting his hands brush up and over the crown of his head, before falling back onto the tabletop.


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PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:36 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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When Remus mentioned dinner, Sirius realised that he himself hadn’t actually eaten anything since around 12 o’clock and likely should go get something to eat as well. This was perfect though, as he saw this as another opportunity to get to hang out and get to know Remus.
Of course they didn’t have to become best friends immediately, but Sirius liked the guy well enough and really wanted to get to know him better. It was just nice to get to be close with the person you had to share living quarters with.
“Mind if I join you?” Sirius asked, clearly not expecting a no, as he made no move to remove his coat.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 23, 2022 4:35 pm 

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Remus had only just gotten out of his chair, hands still on the table edge, when he turned to look at Black, a sort of doubtful surprise in his expression.
While the two of them had spent almost all hours of the way - waken or sleeping - it had been more circumstantial than out of genuine want.
“I’m just going to the dining hall,” he felt compelled to clarify as he straightened his posture. By the display of interest Black exhibited, Remus suddenly feared he had phrased himself in a way that made dinner seem exciting.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:55 am 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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Sirius nodded at that, having not expected much else. He hadn’t noticed much in how his flatmate took his meals, but he did now that most people living in the dorms did so for financial reasons, so it made perfect sense to him that they would simply go to the dining hall.
“That was my plan as well,” he said with a warm smile, having already had in mind to go to the dinning hall to grab dinner before Remus brought it up.
“So that’s perfect.”

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:04 pm 

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Remus couldn’t really justify his surprise, other than perhaps by assuming Black’s easy acceptance of the dining hall was directly correlated to the fact that he had expected as much from Remus.
Though the suspicion made Remus’ stomach turn, he realized it was unjustified, based on nothing but a presumption.
He nodded in acceptance, swallowing any sour reply. “Perfect, then.”


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 1:26 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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___
It was quite unusual for a TA to be present during PhD evaluations, but professor Mulligan had always been a very unusual professor, so Sirius didn’t think too much of it. It didn’t seem like most of the others thought too much of it either, as Sirius stayed mostly in the background, getting the sense that he was mostly around such that professor Mulligan would have someone to discuss properly with between students.
It was interesting to hear everything that Mulligan had to say about each project, Sirius remembering how he himself had been at this time in his first semester, and feeling absolutely certain that his first thoughts hadn’t been much more eloquent than the ones that Mulligan had just brutally speared.
Sirius saw a very low survival rate for this class.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 2:00 pm 

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When Kelly had excited the examination room, he had looked shell shocked, serving as little comfort to Remus who was to follow him. They had all spent weeks scrambling to finish a first draft of their respective hypothesis; what Remus had struggled with was originality. Mulligan knew the field more intimately, and despite all of his research, Remus had no way of knowing if his proposed dissertation had already been written.
When Mulligan opened the door, kindly inviting him in, Remus found himself squaring up his shoulders.
They almost immediately sagged upon entering, caught off guard by Black’s presence in the room. It brushed the formality of Remus’ posture away, briefly catching at an instinct to cuss Black out for not forewarning this, almost forgetting present company.
“You may make use of the board, if you so please,” Mulligan invited, taking a seat by the front row of chairs.
Remus had to swallow any irritation down, recognizing that Black was here as an instructor and not his roommate. Arsehole.
Relaxing his shoulders again, Remus looked away from Black and approached the board.


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PostPosted: Sun Mar 27, 2022 3:24 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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A wife, pleasant grin found Sirius’ face as Remus entered the class room, excited to hear exactly what it was his flatmate was working on. He knew Remus to be extremely studious, hardly in their shared dorm at all and spending most of his time in the library, so Sirius had really high hopes for what they were about to hear.
Hopes that he purposefully hadn’t shared with professor Mulligan, not wanting to put unfair pressure into Remus, just because he had a slightly better idea of where he was compared to the others.
Instead, he just chose to focus on his flatmate, doing everything that he could to seem encouraging, but also ready to take notes. Both so he would be able to share his observations with professor Mulligan, but also in case he’d know of any literature or anything like that that could potentially help Remus along.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2022 3:22 pm 

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__

Remus had left the evaluation with both his shoulders and stomach in knots, an uncomfortable tension about him. He felt drawn tight with a sense of frustration and embarrassment. It had been uncomfortable and belittling having to be at Black’s judgment when they, on all accounts except for academically, ought to be peers.
It had left Remus restlessly sitting in his office chair, turned towards the door rather than the desk.
He felt a flash of annoyance rise within him as soon as the door opened.
“You could’ve told me you were going to be there,” Remus bit, his voice tense but not loud. He felt heat rush to his ears, still flustered by the way Black’s presence had caught him enough off-guard to make him fumble his arrival.


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:30 am 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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Sirius was still mostly riding a high from how well he felt that he himself had done during the evaluations, feeling that professor Mulligan had appreciated his insights and his presence in the room.
It was with that fresh in mind he entered the room that he was sharing with Remus, exciting to tell him about Mulligan’s reaction to how he was doing so far. Thus, it was a surprise to him when Remus seemed less than thrilled when he entered the room.
It took him a second to regain his footing, though his the smile barely wavered it did take on a more sheepish nature, understanding why his flatmate would be surprised by his presence.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” he said as he dropped his back by his desk before removing his coat, properly entering the room and shutting the door behind him.
“I meant to tell you, but you haven’t been around much so I didn’t have the chance to catch you,” Sirius explain, no sense of accusation in his voice, just wanting to make it clear to Remus that he didn’t meant to go behind his back.
Sirius slumped into his chair, tired and heavy all over from a full day.
“Mulligan loves what you have so far though,” he added, wanting to bring Remus the good news.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 12:46 pm 

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Remus bristled, but kept quiet, knowing better than to elaborate on his absence. A lot had been simply keeping out of Black’s way, spending long hours at the library; the other part had been work. Neither was something Remus wanted to explain to Black.
He parted his lips to counter, shifting the responsibility and blame to Mulligan, who had plenty of opportunities to forewarn his students, but he never got to.
The curse died on his lips, and for a moment, Remus’ irritation gave way to flustered surprise.
As annoying as Remus had found Black keeping his cards to himself, Remus was taken aback by the kindness of showing them, now that it was to Remus’ benefit.
It closed his expression off, making a face that was neither quite a smile nor a frown. His cheeks felt warm, now, too. “That’s good.”


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2022 3:05 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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Comforted by how his flatmate seemed to ease up at the mention of their professor’s approval, Sirius felt compelled to share even more of what he had witnessed with Remus. He seemed like a great guy and Sirius really wanted the chance to get to be friends with him, so if this was the way to go about it, then he was definitely going to take it.
“Very good,” he elaborated, leaning back into his chair as he kicked his shoes off, finding it realistic that he was going to settle in the room for a while. He too had a lot of studying that he should be doing after all, but right now it was more interesting talking to Remus.
“Mulligan was so relieved after your presentation too,” he added, having been prepared to smoothing things over for Remus after having seen how brutal Mulligan had been to the others. “Told me that it was good to see that at least one of the students this year is likely to actually get their doctorate.”

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:36 pm 

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The compliment sent a warm wave of relief through Remus, but he did what he could not to let it show. Regardless of context, it was rather horrible how the troubles of his peers made the tension on Remus’ shoulders ease. Perhaps it wouldn’t be his funding that’d get slashed, when the board reevaluated their budgets.
Although it was Black’s home too, the ease with which he made himself comfortable seemed to deflate the last bit of Remus’ irritation, finding it difficult to argue with someone who was so adamant about being relaxed.
“I plan on it,” he answered. While he attempted to sound resolute, it was hard to keep a smile from pulling both at his lips and vocal cords.


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PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:50 pm 

This body is a vessel for my mayhem and as long as I can perform bafoonery it doesn’t matter if this stomach is flat or not

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There was such a huge relief in getting to see Remus actually smile. Sirius felt absolutely certain that Remus was a good student and that he was going to make it far, so he was definitely keen on staying close with him, knowing that they were going to need each other down the road.
“I don’t doubt that for even a second,” Sirius stated, his voice one of admiration.
___
Sirius had no idea what time it was, but it had been a while since darkness had fallen outside the windows and yet he was still studying. His hair, normally in a tight, neat bun, was falling in messy strands around his face, having not bothered to fix the bun as it slowly tried to come undone.
Several pages of notes were lying sprawled out on his desk in front of him, together with a plethora of open books, some of them held open by various objects.
The late hour didn’t worry Sirius too much though, well aware that it was the weekend and that he had no reason to rise early the morning after. It meant that he could get to really dedicate himself to his work and maybe keep working on his angle for his doctorate.
Now that Mulligan had trusted him to be his TA, Sirius felt that it was even more important that he showed himself as a good student.

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