Marauders age regression one shots

Dyslexia

Sirius sat at the small table in the living room, his little body slumped in frustration. His brow was furrowed, his fingers gripping the pencil tightly as he stared down at the book in front of him. No matter how hard he tried, the letters wouldn't stay still. They danced across the page, jumbling and swirling together into a mess of nonsense.

"Stupid words," Sirius muttered under his breath, blinking rapidly as if that would help. But it didn't. It never did.

Remus watched from across the room, concern growing as he noticed the way Sirius was starting to get worked up. He knew this look well—Sirius was on the verge of one of his little meltdowns. His frustration with his dyslexia often built up until he couldn't hold it in anymore.

Remus sighed softly and walked over to him, crouching down beside the table. "Hey, love," he said gently. "How's it going?"

Sirius didn't answer at first, just scowled at the book like it had personally offended him. "It's not fair, Moony," he finally grumbled, his voice shaky with frustration. "The words...they keep moving around. I can't read them."

Remus' heart ached for him. He knew how hard it was for Sirius, how much effort he put into trying to read despite the letters never cooperating. And he also knew how deeply it hurt Sirius when he couldn't do it like everyone else.

"Why don't we take a break?" Remus suggested softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You've been working really hard."

"No!" Sirius snapped, surprising himself as much as Remus. "I don't want to take a break! I want to read! Everyone else can do it, but I can't... It's not fair!" His voice cracked, the frustration spilling over as tears welled up in his eyes.

Remus moved closer, sitting down beside Sirius and wrapping an arm around him. "It's okay to be frustrated," he soothed, rubbing gentle circles on Sirius' back. "You're not alone in this, you know. And you're trying so hard, love. That's what matters."

Sirius sniffled, blinking back his tears but still too upset to relax. "But it's not enough," he mumbled. "The words won't stay still, and they all mix together. I hate it, Moony."

"I know, I know," Remus murmured, pulling Sirius into a gentle hug. "It's hard when things don't work the way we want them to. But you're not any less smart just because reading is tricky for you. You're still amazing, and you're still my clever little pup."

Sirius leaned into the hug, his body trembling with the effort to calm down. He hated feeling like this—like he couldn't do something that seemed so simple to everyone else. "I just want the words to stop moving," he whispered, his voice small.

Remus held him a little tighter. "I know, love. But you don't have to do it alone. I'm here to help you. We'll take it one step at a time, okay? No rush."

Sirius was quiet for a moment, his breathing starting to slow as Remus continued to hold him. "Can you help me now?" he asked softly, his frustration still there, but tempered by the warmth of Remus' comfort.

"Of course," Remus said, smiling gently as he wiped away the tear tracks on Sirius' cheeks. "How about we read together? You don't have to do it by yourself."

Sirius nodded, feeling a little bit lighter with Remus by his side. "Okay..." he agreed hesitantly.

Remus picked up the book, flipping to a simpler page. He didn't want to overwhelm Sirius any more than he already was. "Let's take it slow, alright? You read the words you can, and I'll help with the rest."

Sirius took a deep breath and focused on the page again, still nervous about the letters moving around. But with Remus' calming presence beside him, he felt just a little more confident. Slowly, he started to sound out the first word, his hand gripping Remus' tightly as the letters began to make sense, even if just for a moment.

And that was enough.