#On the train back to London the next day Sirius is like 'prongs you are an idiot.'

[tedwardremus]

Light Is The Most Glorious

The Gryffindor common room was adorned with festive decorations of holly and garland, the stone walls echoed with the excited chatter of students ran up and down the dormitory stairs, preparing to leave for the Christmas holidays. Lily Evans, on the other hand, remained in the cozy stuffed chair near the warm fire. She had decided to stay in the castle for the holidays as she had several reasons to dread returning home for the upcoming break.

Her sister, Petunia, was bringing her new boyfriend home. Lily had yet to meet Vernon but Petunia had written her a letter explaining that under no circumstances was she to mention and of her freakishness and demanded that Lily behave like a normal person (Petunia had underlined the word 'normal' several times) because Vernon was a "very sensible man" and would not tolerate Lily's oddities.

To make matters worse, Lily didn't want to risk running into Severus Snape while wandering the familiar smoky streets of Cokeworth. She hadn't spoken to him since the start of summer and avoiding him at school was difficult enough.

But perhaps the most significant reason for Lily's reluctance to go home was the fact that it would be the first Christmas since her father's passing. What would Christmas be without his booming voice singing carols? Who would carve the roast? Vernon? Lily couldn't stomach the thought.

As her fellow Gryffindor students shouted have happy holidays to each other and exchanged gifts and goodbyes until the new year, Lily sat, pretending to be immersed in a book.

"Alright, Evans?" A familiar voice disturbed her solitude. "Already packed for the holidays? I see you are not joining in the frantic last-minute packing fray."

Lily looked up from her book and saw James Potter standing in front of her. His messy black hair illuminated by the glowing fire behind him. His head tilted in concerned as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not going home."

"Oh really? Having Christmas at the Castle? That's always a -" James cut himself off as he noticed something going on behind Lily's head. "Oi! Wormtail! Those aren't your socks! Just put them on the table there, I'll get them to Moony when I head back up!"

"You know, you lot think those nicknames make you sound cool but they don't. Wormtail? That's so dreadful, I can't believe Peter is still friends with you."

James just waved her comments away with his hand. "Nah, he likes it."

"Does he or is he too sweet to object?"

"Sweet? Lily you've been hanging out with us for weeks now, you've had to realize Peter is, in fact, the worst of us."

Lily gave a snort in reply.

James took a seat on the ottoman in front of Lily, his hands clasped in front of him as he leaned in to speak lowly so only she could hear him. "Is everything OK, Lily? You seem less than joyous this festive season."

"I'm fine."

"OK..," James sounded doubtful that she was fine but he did't press it. Instead, he leaned in closer and beckoned Lily to do the same. "Want to see something magical?" he whispered.

Lily gave another snort, "Everything here is magical, is it not?"

James, undeterred, leaned back onto the ottoman and shrugged. "Yes, but I know all the castle secrets don't I? Aren't you a bit curious about any of them?"

Lily sighed and shook her head disbelievingly. If someone had told Lily one year ago that she would willingly join James Potter on one of his infamous late-night escapades she would have told them to go eat a sock. "OK, I'll bite. Take me to see this magical something."

"Fantastic!" James clapped and jumped up. "I'll just be a moment. I've got to get my cloak."

James darted off, first picking up the socks Peter had abandoned and then racing up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Just as Lily was starting to regret agreeing to James' offer he bounded back down the stairs holding a silvery lump of fabric under his arm.

James stopped right in front of Lily and noticed the fabric almost moved like liquid. It was breathtaking to look at up close, shimmering different shades of silver cascading around James' arms. Lily reached out a hand to touch it, curious to see if it would melt between her fingertips, but quickly pulled it back. "Is this the magical thing you wanted to show me?" Lily asked.

"What? No, this is my dad's invisibility cloak." He said softly "The secrets to all my successful missions of mischief. Now stand real close, and I'm sorry you'll have to hunch a bit. I used to be able to fit four of us under the cloak in first year but age has made us taller and now I can barely squeeze two. It's alright though, yes get as close as we can get. Not to worry, Evans, I have brushed my teeth today so you won't faint from goblin breath."

James whipped the cloak over their heads. Lily let out a gasp as she looked at the mirror above the fireplace and found she could not see themselves in the reflection. She felt a tickling laugh in her ear, "It's a bit wild at first isn't it?" James breathed from behind her. "Come on, steady now."

They shuffled across the common room floor and out the portrait hole. Lily was grateful that no one could see them as they must have looked pretty silly walking so slowly with their backs hunched.

Under the cloak, Lily and James ventured through the beautifully decorated halls of Hogwarts, avoiding the prying eyes of their fellow students. "You know Nearly Headless Nick served royalty as a Wizard of the Court?" James whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, everyone knows that."

"Well, as payment for his service, he was gifted many fine treasures. Gold, silk, paintings, swords. The usual, you know. And since he is a ghost he still has access to his Gringotts account."

"No, he doesn't! Why would a ghost need money?"

"Who do you think pays for the Death Day Parties? Dumbledore? Anyway, Sir Nick died in the 15th century so with interest his account at Gringotts is pretty sizeable. And a few years ago a young Hogwarts student went up to Nick and said "Hey, Sir Nick, is it true that ghosts feel time differently and for you a hundred years is a minute?" And Sir Nick answered yes, that is true. "Sir Nick," the student then asked, "Is it true that a thousand galleons are like a knut to you?" and Sir Nick replied yes, that is true. The student asked, "Sir Nick, can I have a knut?" "Sure," answered Sir Nick, "Just give me a minute."

Lily rolled her eyes "You are such a dork."

"Come on, that's a solid joke!"

"Yelling at me defeats the purpose of being invisible."

Eventually, as they wandered around the corridors, competing over who could tell the worst joke, Lily found James had led them to the base of Astronomy Tower. Lily twisted around to raise an eyebrow at James who only said "Trust me." in reply. They ascended the winding stairs of Astronomy Tower and with a high-pitched creak the door opened and Lily was greeted by the cold winter winds.

"Nothing extra magical about where we take classes, Potter," Lily remarked, as they stepped out into the night air.

With a quick and sudden movement, James removed the invisibility cloak. Lily put her arms around her, realizing how cold it was out on the tower and how warm she had felt with James hunched over her when they were under the cloak.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lily shivered and looked at James, who she could barely see in the darkness. He brandished his wand and created blue flames in his hands that he then floated in the space between them, enveloping them in a circle of warmth. Lily could now see him smiling.

"Look up," was all James said.

Above them, the night sky was a celestial canvas, painted with ethereal hues that danced and wove a mesmerizing tapestry of light. Wisps of color, like whispers of a cosmic secret, materialized on the dark heavens. The sky crackled with electric greens, blues, and purples, radiant and otherworldly, gently cascading from the inky expanse above. As Lily stared awestruck by the cosmic spectacle, she felt that time had lost its grip and that she was starting to float high above, in lights.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked breathlessly.

"You looked sad today." James had moved to stand a bit closer to her. "I don't like to see my friends sad on Christmas."

[silverameco]

Travel AU - @wolfstarmicrofic - 698 words

CW : suicide joke, implied past abuse

It was a normal friday night. They had a marauders' gathering, but Prongs and Wormy left quite early, like they tended to do these days. So it was just him and Moony. Sirius couldn't be bothered. They were smoking weed on the windowsill. Sirius always loved Remus' apartment because it was close to the train station, and you could hear and see the trains. Sirius found it soothing.

"Do you ever just watch a train about to leave and think 'what if I get into it' ?" he asked randomly.

They were always having weirdly deep conversations when they smoked together. Sirius loved it.

"Err- not really ?" Remus answered, but it was more a question than anything.

"I used to think that all the time when I was still living with my parents. Anywhere better than there, y'know ?"

Remus nodded and gave him a comforting smile. Just enough to make him know he was listening, not enough to make him feel pressured to say more, or weird for oversharing. Just perfect, like it always was with Remus.

"Well, I mean, it was either that or the urge to jump under the train." he joked.

"Oh my god, Sirius !" Remus said with a startled kind of laugh and wide eyes like he didn't know if he was supposed to laugh or not.

But Sirius chuckled so Remus visibly relaxed and huffed, before turning his gaze out the window. Sirius kept looking at him. The night breeze was softly messing up his curls, and the moonlight made his features look softer than usual. He was even more soothing to look at than the trains.

"Where would you even go?"

"Mh ?" Sirius didn't listen, too enraptured by his observation.

Remus looked at him once again and suddendly, Sirius realized how close they were. Their legs were touching because the windowsill wasn't designed for two grown men to sit on it.

"If you took a train. Where would you go ?"

"Anywhere. That's the good thing. The adventure." he spoke the last part with a wild kind of grin which made Remus smile back. So he felt positively adventurous and didn't stop there.

"You know what ? We should do it. Take a train."

"What ?" Remus asked in disbelief.

But Sirius was on a ride that couldn't be stopped. "Yes ! Just, any train, as soon as there is one."

Remus just laughed. "You're mad. You're actually mad. I don't even know if there's any train leaving London we could take. It's literally two o'clock."

"So ? I don't see what the issue is." And then, making sure to look Remus in the eyes and to pout just a little. "Come on, Moony. Don't you want to go on an adventure with me ? It'd be just you and me."

He saw a furtive glint in Remus' eyes at the last part and knew he won. In fact, his friend took out his phone and seemed to be looking for something on it for a few seconds. Sirius was hooked on whatever he was going to say next.

"There is only one train with seats available. It takes off at 6 and goes to some random ass village in Scotland."

Sirius leaned forward, closer to Remus, and whispered, "Let's take it". Remus smiled and whispered back, "Okay, Pads. Let's do it."

After that, Sirius' smile couldn't be larger. He took a drag and blowed the smoke in Remus' face, who swatted at him. That was going to be a good trip.

That's how, four hours later, they found themselves on an old train, ready to leave for Scotland. The seats were rather small so their thighs were touching. Neither were making any effort to keep them apart. They hadn't slept so Sirius was dozing off on Remus' shoulder. In his sleepy and drug clouded mind, everything was perfect.

"Dear travelers, welcome aboard this train to Hogsmeade station, Scotland."

[tomjamesavery]

What is your favourite line from The First Time Around?

I have so many but lets take these three, two of them are between Peter and James (Peters banter is actually amazing lol)

The first one was after one of James´ miserable attempts at wooing Lily:

James: ”I am growing on her(Lily)” and Peter replying with: “Like a fungus!”

Then second the Marauders seeing Harry for the first time after birth:

Peter leaned in smiling. “He’s got James black hair disaster.”

“You don’t know that it’s going to be a disaster, Pete,” James said defensively, looking at his sons mop of unruly hair

Peter only smirked. “I think we do Prongs”

And for last when Remus and Sirius had to watch Harry for the first time and Lily returned after they created chaos:

Lily smiled. “And who was the genius who put his nappy on backwards?”

Remus and Sirius each pointed at each other and Lily laughed.

2. What is your favourite line from A Second Chance?

I have so many! But the first line which really made me fall in love with the Story though was Harry visiting the Burrow for the first time with Sirius, and the way Molly greeted him:

Molly smiled sweetly at him “…And who are you darling?”

"I'm Harry," he said, extending his hand.

Molly's heart stopped. "What impeccable manners! I'll have to get you to teach my heathens, Harry,"…

This one as well, classic Harry being like Sirius:

Harry: “I’m fine, Uncle Moony.” Remus looked like he wanted to argue that, but he instead sat in the chair next to him. “One day, Harry, you’re going to wake up with those words tattooed across your forehead.”

One from Moody in Harrys 4th Year when discussing putting him under the Imperius for Training:

“Potter thinks it’s a good Idea,” Moody said with a smile “We spoke about it yesterday after class”

“Harry is fourteen and not always a great judge on what a good Idea is” Sirius said still staring at Moody like he’d grown a second head

And one from the Love Potion fiasco:

“It’s not a love potion!” Romilda cried. “He really loves me”

Snape only stared at her and scoffed. “I rather doubt that”

 

And one Zee quote as she was my favourite OC and I miss her:

Harry nodded. “I cant imagine being married in four years!”

Sirius chuckled. “Hell, I cant imagine being married now!”

Zee snorted. “Trouble, the lot of you.”

There are endless Hinny lines I love as well, like this one:

Harry leaned his forehead against hers, his green eyes on her warm brown ones. It was so easy to get lost in all that chocolate, he thought. Her tongue moistened her lips and his eyes dropped to her soft pink mouth. “I’m crazy about you.”

Ginny grinned, her eyes on his. “I’m crazy about you, too.” She kissed him. “But no more gifts for no reason. I don’t need them.”

Harry slid his hands slowly up her back. “But I’m super rich, remember?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Do you think I care about that? You know that I’m only with you for your arse.”

3. What is your favourite moment from The First Time Around?

The Marauders telling Remus they know he was a werewolf and totally accepting it and Remus being so surprised and then touched by their love!

And also the Marauders shipping Jily and helping James woo her haha

4. What is your favourite moment from A Second Chance?

I have too many lol! Zee holding Harry while he was possessed by Voldemort in the Ministry and being there for him after Sirius died, showing him she would never leave him and how she loved him.

Remus taking Harry to muggle London and to a library to get some “Stories” when Harry still didn’t really trust him.

Basically all Sirius Harry conversations in the whole Story

Harrys and Ginnys first Kiss at the Quidditch Field in front of the whole school!

Remus and Tonks first Kiss at the family Snowball Game on Christmas.

When Harry made a stag patronus to show his soulbond with Ginny

Those are just a few I could think of quickly, there are so many more!

5. Who is the most underrated couple in my universe?

Blaise and Theo (as platonic best friends).

Romantically, Arthur and Molly, they still were so in love after so many years! Also Colt and Flo, just because I love them and they cant be rated high enough!

6. Who is the most overrated couple in my universe?

Hmm, don’t know, I would probably say Finn and Theo as well, it was Theos first “intense”  love and Finn wasn’t who he really needed in the end. Finn was just to "passive" and I feel like he treated Theo a bit too much like he was made of porcelain(does that make sense in English lol)

7. Who is your favourite couple in the ASC universe and why?

HINNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Because Ginny is my favourite Character and I maybe(totally) have a huge Crush on her, and Harry is just perfect for her and vice versa, this one is self-explanatory!

Hinny Love!

8. Who is the couple you like the least in the ASC universe and why?

Belladonna Brambilla and her pureblood Supremacist Italian Fashion Designer Leonardo Fanucci (they attended the Yule Ball together), because they´re evil, Death Eaters and she has this weird fixation on Dumbledore and blames her daughters and Husbands Death on him even though It was her own fault.

Let's Play A Game!

An anon sent me an ask asking me what my favourite lines and chapters and moments were from TFTA and ASC and it was hard for me to answer. As someone who wrote it, I don't remember specific lines and whatnot from my own work like I do by books I love as a fellow reader. I'm a fan of my own work but not a "fan" in the sense of me being a fellow reader.

So, how about you tell me -- here in the comments and reblog!

What is your favourite line from The First Time Around?

What is your favourite line from A Second Chance?

What is your favourite moment from The First Time Around?

What is your favourite moment from A Second Chance?

Who is the most underrated couple in my universe?

Who is the most overrated couple in my universe?

Who is your favourite couple in the ASC universe and why?

Who is the couple you like the least in the ASC universe and why?

PS -- whoever reblogs with a comment and answers, will get a special sneak peek of TTTC!

[embrassemoi]

Surrounded by the Moon and Stars ✷ 30

Pairings: Sirius B, F!Reader, Remus L  Warnings: Language, angst, meeting new characters Important Question: do you guys prefer shorter or longer chapters? also, I listened to first love / late spring by Mitski for this ch if anyone else wants to listen along!

【 Masterlist | Previous Chapter | ao3 】

Chapter 30: Like a Tall Child

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Remus was alone for the trip back to King’s Cross; not wanting to be stuck with James or Peter who would only pester him. He mulled over his thoughts as his head rested against the window, watching the scenery whip by. But the more he had time to think, it caused more guilt to build; they were only trying to be supportive. They cared so much, still willing to associated with someone like… him. And all he did was push them away. He didn’t deserve real mates like them.

Remus tried to distract himself: knitting, drawing — reading next year’s material, but settled on pulling out his cartridge of cigarettes. About to light one, his attention was drawn to the soft knocking on the carriage door. Lily was there, waving before coming in.

“Hey,” she said, closing the door and sitting down. “I wanted to say bye for the summer.”

He exhaled, now itching for the rush of nicotine while Lily fidgeted in her seat. He already knew why she was there.

“Sev — Snape — came to me a couple days ago…”

It was impossible to escape, wasn’t it?

“They’re mad, his theories… He’s been telling me the entire year and kept going on about this one story… wild story of you and Y/N and the other Marauders…” Lily looked up nervously.

Instead of getting angry, Remus closed his eyes, feeling himself sink further into the cushions, centring his breathing. “What did he say?”

“He’s been telling me you’re a… a...”

“Werewolf?”

She froze at the word, having to take a deep inhale and suddenly looked paler than usual. Remus wanted to jump out of the moving train. “Yes,” she stated, “But I told him to bugger off.”

Lily stopped again, meeting his eyes. “So… It’s true?”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

Lily sat straight, leaning over and even putting a hand on her chest, close to her heart. “I’ll take it to the grave.”

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(Letters between Y/N and friends)

To my lovely Whiskers, I hope your summer has been grand so far. Are you sure you can’t spend time with me? It’s been so lonely. Prongs

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Dear Bambi, Unfortunately, I can’t. Mom’s dragging me to New York for the month. Something about being invited to do a special surgery. Said leaving me alone will do no good. I promise to bring you back a souvenir? How are things with Black? Whiskers

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My adoring, wonderful Whiskers, And it hasn’t. My parents are concerned. They’ve been trying to get me to talk about what happened but I can’t. Dumbledore and McGonagall have already started their punishments. He lost over 200 points for next year, got detention for half the year and he can’t try out for the Quidditch team if he wanted to. I wonder what they’ll do next. I love souvenirs! All things Muggle! Yours truly, Prongs/Bambi/James

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July 20th, 1976 Meet me in Times Square at 1 pm on the 8th. There’s a bench outside a bagel store, there’s no way you’ll miss it. Until next time, Matthew G.

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¡Hola! Greetings from Barcelona! My brothers took a few weeks off to spend time with me to come to Spain with my parents! They’re dragging me to a football game later. I heard they call it ‘soccer’ in North America. M. McKinnon

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Y/N L/N, Hello, I hope you’re having a wonderful break. Your letters are the highlight of my day and they keep me busy. So I hate to inform you that you need to stop sending me letters for now. I’m not supposed to be getting any and my parents are going to start confiscating them if I receive any more. I’m sorry. I can’t wait to see you in the fall. R.A.B

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I’m visiting Tuney with my parents in a few days. She moved to London for a clerical job in March and we’re meeting her boyfriend, Vernon! He sounds nice but she’s told me she’s nervous about me and magic around him. Lily

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Petals! I’m sure you’ll be fine! Who couldn't love you? Write back and tell me what happens!

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Whiskers, I’m with my parents up in Wales in their cottage. I was born there before having to move for my Dad’s work. Also, I think I have to get a rabbit. James always told people that I got my scars from a poorly behaved rabbit and if I’m not seen with one soon, people will start to question. Remus

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Does this mean I get to call you Moony now? Professor Moony? Wales? And that’s where that small accent comes from. It bleeds through when you’re concentrating or relaxing. And a rabbit? At least they’re cute! I’m sure you can just Transfigure a book though. Y/N

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Professor Moony? Haha, okay! And really? I never knew. I’m kind of embarrassed now. I’ve thought about that but at this point, I think it would be easier just to have one.

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Oh no! It’s nice! Gives you personality. I think it suits you well How about… Moody Moony near full moons? And Moody Moony Mondays on Mondays.

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Now you’ve gone too far. Bloody fucking Moody Moony? Have you ever heard of Mad-Eye Moody?

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Would you prefer 'my Moony' then?

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Yes, actually.

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August 6th, 1976

“Hurry up!”

She thudded down from the top of the staircase, dragging her trunk behind while her mother sped out of the terminal door, flagging down one of the zipping yellow taxis with her luggage in hand.

It was strange, being with her mother again after almost a year apart. She hadn’t come to King’s Cross again, instead sending her a bus fare in anticipation of school ending. She hoped for some sort of recognition, any kind of sign that she was missed but was only given a side-armed hug and delved back into work.

Y/N wondered if maybe she just didn’t want her there, hoping she would get lost and never come back. She only had been on a bus in London twice, therefore almost ensuring that she would get lost and would have stayed lost if she didn’t have extra spare change to use a payphone.

Ignoring the crackle of whispers as she strode to the cab, people blatantly stared at her unnatural coloured hair, as she entered the car, slamming the door shut.

“Where ya ladies off too?” Said the driver, pulling out a map from their car door.

“Cranberry Street, Brooklyn Heights.”

It was a quiet drive, aside from the driver drumming their fingers on the steering wheel at the sound of the Bee Gees blasting in the background. She watched other cabs whipping back and forth, people going on with their days, the dirty streets and building under construction.

“Hey, mom?” She asked, reasoning now was a good time to talk about her OWL results. She’d gotten them mere seconds before leaving their house back in London and she’d been putting off looking at the results until now.

She only grunted, flicking through one of her medical journals, jotting down notes. “I don’t have time right now.”

Y/N sighed, that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach expanded again. “It’s kind of important.”

“Not now.” She waved her hand and ended the conversation.

Thirty minutes later, the cab came to a stop as they grabbed their luggage and strolled up to the brownstone building they were renting for the month.

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Jet lag got to her as she unwinded lounged until finally getting up from bed that morning as her mom rushed around the house. She frantically was putting on shoes, dressed impeccably sharp, no doubt in hopes to make an impression as her eyes flew across her journal. Her feet were scrambling to the door as she flung her bag over her shoulder.

“Have a good d —” And then the door slammed shut.

She stared blankly at the door for a while and then turned around, getting ready for her day. A daint drum of excitement yet nervousness built up, pushing aside that sinking feeling. Today she was going to see Matthew again.

Having a few hours to spare, Y/N walked around, marvelling at the tall buildings and lights before heading into the heart of Time Square, immediately spotting the bench outside the bagel shop. She sat, waiting for him anxiously. She made sure to wear a hat, covering any sight of hair to avoid weird stares and chatter.

But then a few minutes turned into ten and then twenty minutes later.

Slipping out the letter again to make sure, she re-read it. Time Square, at one, today… near the bagel shop…

“Where y’at?”

Her head lifted as she jumped to her feet and pulled each other into a tight hug.

“Matthew!”

His face nuzzled into the side of her neck, arms wrapped around tight as her face pressed gently into his chest. Eventually, she pulled away - arms outstretched to get a good look.

Matthew Gaplin looked different. His hair, coarse and thick, had grown. He was taller, filled out more, tan skin became even tanner from the beating sun and he filled out.

His smile was large. “S’been so long.”

She gave him a small whack!

“Ow!” He jumped back, “What’s wrong wiv ya?”

“I thought you stood me up.”

“Sorry, doing something for Mom. Had to wait on line forever.”

He looked down bashfully, now staring at the hat. His face made a disgusted look. “It’s disgusting out. Why are you wearing —” Curiously lifting the hat, his lids widened astronomically as Y/N grabbed it, covering her wild hair.

“I told you,” she hissed.

“Right the Potter sport!” He gave a full-body laugh. “Oh come on, I wanna see it again!”

But her hand clamped down on that hat to prevent him from pulling it off. “No! The Muggles keep judging —“

“Muggles?” Matthew’s brows furrowed. “The fuck is a Muggle? Sounds… demeaning.”

“Sorry, it’s what they call No-Majs.”

“Ahh,” and then he moved to loop an arm around her shoulders and continued to walk. “Too good to use ol’American terms?”

“Turned British snob.”

They laughed loudly as he took charge, showing her around the city. There was something so calming amid the chaos of New York. The bustle, low chatter and his enthusiasm made it all the better.

Soon enough, after hours of walking around, they both came to a stop in a large park as they grew hungry. Matthew disappeared for a while, leaving her alone to lay down on the soft grass before returning, holding up a brown bag with two drinks.

“Got us bagels wiv schmear.”

She mumbled out a thanks and took it from him as he sat down on the grass beside her.

“Missed ya, really.”

She shoved him playfully, his head dropping bashfully. “Shut up.”

It stayed quiet for a bit, as they listened to the birds chirping until he broke the silence again. “Ya thinkin’ ‘bout moving back eventually, right?”

“Why?”

Matthew gave her a haughty look, contemplating his words carefully. “Do ya… not know? They’re losing the war.”

Momentary terror gripped her heart but she swallowed it down fast. “Matthew,” her voice dropped, “Please, I want a fun summer… can we not talk about the war? I have more than enough time to worry later."

He wanted to keep talking, worried for his good friend but he refrained, biting down on his lip and nodded stiffly.

“So…” he thought to himself, contemplating how to change the direction of their conversation and fast. “Fess up, what’s been goin’ on over there.”

“Huh?”

“You’re telling me you haven't — what is it called? Kissing?”

“Snogging?”

He smiled. “You’re telling me you haven’t snogged anyone of those rich Old-Majs yet?”

“Nope!” She spoke too quickly and voice was a little too high.

“Liar. Ya going tell me who then?” Y/N looked down, hand going to fiddle with the fem of her clothes while Matthew shook her. “Come on! Tell me!”

“Fine! His name is Sirius Black.”

Matthew's eyes widened in recognition as he sat upright. “You don’t mean the Black family? Gawd! No way!”

“What?”

“And ya don’t even know!” Matthew was full of amusement. “They’re one of the oldest wizarding families out there! Are you still wiv him?”

Y/N stopped, trying to conceal a chuckle. She didn’t have it in her to lie anymore. “No! He almost got me killed.”

“Ha. Ha, very clever. Fine, don’t tell me.”

“You? Anything exciting?”

Matthew snorted. “Fought over a fin if that counts as exciting.”

“You know that’s not what I'm talking about,” she teased.

He abruptly became very serious and it had Y/N sitting up straighter. Matthew breathed in, this time not looking at her but instead at his metal pop can. “I’ve… had a tumble wiv a few... didn’t matter their… genders.”

It took a second for his words to click in but when it did, her mouth fell open and saw his face fall as she pulled him into a tight hug. “I don’t care who you cop, just be safe and have fun.”

He mumbled into her shoulder. “Been rehearsing that since I knew you were visitin’.”

“Love ya, could never judge you.” He tried to look insulted from the babying but prickled with tears before wiping them away quickly.

“Bless ya!”

“You alright though?”

“Now that I know your reaction, never betta. Now, you talk, enough ‘bout me.”

After making sure he was okay, Y/N prattled about Hogwarts. Matthew would pop in a few times, asking her to clarify or ask what words the British used — he often called her his ‘British insight.’ She rambled much about her day, her new friends but made sure to leave out a few details. Matthew became peculiarly silent through most of her speech. It wasn’t like him to not try to speak up, but he looked at her with something she’d only seen a few times prior.

Matthew stared at her for a long time, analyzing with underlying adoration. “What did them Brits do to ya?”

She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “Ya sound different.” He says calmly, going to sip on his pop. “Talk funny.”

“Tawk funny,” she mocked and earned a shove. “Different? How so?”

“Everything ‘bout you seems different. Y’look happier,” he smiles, although there was a twinge of hurt. “Talk softer, look different — move differently and ya voice sounds different… but the same.”

She takes a bit of her food. “I hope that isn’t a bad thing.”

Matthew smiles gently, sheepish but there. “Not at all.”

She smiled back. Matthew always knew how to make her smile and it felt good, normal.

“Happy looks good on ya.”

━━━━━━━━━༻✩༺━━━━━━━━━

She finally sat down, tired from the long day she spent wandering the city. But it wasn’t long until a tapping sound came from the window. Celeste was there, waiting with a letter in her beak. She walked up to her, letting her fly inside and opened the letter.

Got my OWL results. Outstanding in Astronomy, DADA, Charms, Transfigs. Exceeds Expectations in everything else but an Acceptable in Potions. Moony

She re-read that last part. Remus getting Acceptable in Potions? Her attention travelled to the stark white envelope peeking out from the side pocket of her carry-on. She marched up to it, ripping it open and scanned the paper.

Outstanding in Transfiguration, Potions and Herbology, Arithmancy. Exceeds Expectations in everything else except Poor in History of Magic. She cringed at that.

She immediately got up from her seat. Rushing over to the master bedroom, peeking her head in. “Mom?” She said quietly, “Can I talk to you.”

“Didn’t I tell you I was busy?” Her voice cut through. “It’s not the time to be a nuisance.”

A scorching feeling of anger thrummed through her but kept her voice low and steady. “That was a few days ago.”

"My answer didn't change."

Any semblance of calm vanished. “It’s about my OWLs. My future. I need some sort of guidance.”

“I wouldn’t understand them,” she sighed and peered up. There was an odd expression, borderlining on confusion and something else. “It’s not the same. I’m not a… witch like you are. I don’t know how to help you.”

“I’ll make it into No-Maj terms?” Y/N’s voice was tight and came rushing over to where she sat on the couch. And laid out her examination results. “Look, an O is the same as getting an A! It’s the highest grade you can get. And here,” she pointed, “My teacher, Professor Slughorn, invites me to parties because of my work in Potions class. I’m one of his top students.”

She glanced at her mom excitedly but was met with a look of annoyance and slight judgement. But she continued, “A-and in Herbology I'm doing excellent too! I was becoming interested in becoming a Healer. I told you in my letters. It’s similar to being —”

“I’m sorry,” her mother said but it didn’t have any trace of guilt or sorrow, “I’m busy and you’re getting in the way of work — my achievements — that you know are important.”

“Are mine not important?”

A thick, profound silence filled the space between them. Everything about the connotation had her averting her body, feeling the sinking in her chest explode. From the war, traumatic near death experience and her mother's constant aloof nature, it was her cracking point.

Snatching the OWLs results, she walked out the door, shutting it gently before diving into her room; throwing the covers over her head.

All the New-Maj and No-Maj children were told stories of the Boogeyman. To Y/N, it felt comparable to reverting to a small child as she tucked herself into a tight ball. She recalled watching all the other children running up their parents, being roped with large hugs and smiles, surrounded with infinite quantities of love as they left the school playground. She remembered being envious, wanting to have two parents as the images of the Boogeyman drew near.

There was an overwhelming sense to scream — to cry out for guidance as the knot in her stomach grew. Instead of her mother coming to her rescue — to reassure, to give any sense of security or safety while other parents would scare off the Boogeyman or monsters ready to nip at their children’s toes under the bed, Y/N was left in the dark as all sense of relief or love vanished. It left her vulnerable, exposed to the monsters lurking in the dark.

Her mother may have not been physically absent but it sure felt like it.

━━━━━━━━━༻✩༺━━━━━━━━━

【 Next Chapter 】

Slang dictionary:

Fin = $5 / five dollar bill Bagels with schmear = bagels with cream cheese Wait on line = the same as 'Wait in line' Pop = Canadian slang for soda / soft drinks Sport / old sport = (depending on the context) a term of endearment similar to buddy, pal, friend

© gotkindabored 2021. Do not repost or modify

[startanewdream]

Godfather duty

Summary: When James is surprised by Sirius and Harry coming home drunk four in the morning, he questions himself when he got too old for that.

For @theblueocean 

Part of the Jily Lives AU

Rated M for mentions of underage drinking and some swearing.

Read on AO3 with all the correct italics, or below the cut:

_________

His eyelids feel heavy, but James keeps writing. He is almost finishing the first draft of the article for Transfiguration Today; it's due Sunday and he still has five days to finish it, but James is really anxious for presenting it. It's not his first paper for that magazine, but his article will be the headline this time, and he promised himself he would send them in advance as much as he could - and he still needs to send it to Minerva for her to read and review.

It feels a lot like he is back in school doing essays, but James doesn't remember being that excited back at Hogwarts - well, not about homework anyway.

He puts the final dot and lets the quill rest, satisfied. He will proofread in the morning, maybe even rewrite altogether from a different perspective, but it's done and it's a competent article, he knows.

Human transfiguration was always a point of interest to him.

He raises, stretching up and looking at his watch. It's past four in the morning already; he really lost track of time. He remembers Lily calling him to go to bed - and then he promised her he would go in a minute, which he clearly forgot.

He suppresses a yawn as he leaves the library, thinking only of sinking on his bed when he hears a sound coming from the front porch.

All his sleepiness is gone instantly, and he turns with his wand already raised, alarmed and with his instincts screaming even though it’s been months since the war ended; someone is turning the doorknob. The spell is almost leaving his lips when the door opens wide and he sees Harry's joyful face.

Harry is not alone; Sirius is with him, their arms around each other in a brotherly gesture and for a moment James has a flashback of himself with Sirius with that same easiness, both of them beaming happily and goofy; it's a memory of twenty years ago, of a night they went around Muggle London joining a pub crawl that ended up with James' mother finding them passed out in the middle of the Potter’s living room in Godric’s Hollows.

A lot of things happened that night - a flight from the Muggle police when they tried to climb Cleopatra’s Needle, an attempt to perform a serenade to Lily only to realize they were on the wrong street and throwing eggs at Grimmauld Place number twelve - but what he remembers clearer is the smell of the alcohol on him as he woke up next morning - and then the taste of it all as he threw it all up.

And right now Sirius and Harry have that same smell of cheap whiskey mixed with beer.

James blinks, confused. As far as he thought, Harry had been back from work hours ago - James was sure Harry had been sleeping on his bed right now.

It’s evident he was wrong.

‘Hi, Prongs’, Sirius says, grinning from ear-to-ear, sounding much steadier than James would have guessed from the smell coming from them. ‘Care to let us in?’

'What's going on?', James asks, worried, stepping aside to let them enter. Both of them are stumbling, but James has the impression that Sirius is supporting Harry more than the opposite.

For some reason his question makes them look at each other.

'What I said?', Sirius asks Harry as if they are sharing some old joke. Harry lets out of one of his rare carefree giggles. 'What d'you think we are doing, dear Prongs?'

'Coming home drunk in the middle of the night?’

‘Chill out, Dad’, Harry says, winking at him.

Chill out?

‘It’s four in the morning of a Tuesday - I thought you were home already!’

‘I had to work late’, Harry answers immediately, grinning. Sirius takes him to the living room, trying to help him on the couch, but Harry slides to the floor, falling on the carpet.

‘On a bar?’

‘It’s for work’, Harry insists, eyes open as if that was obvious. 

‘It was a very important mission’, Sirius agrees. ‘Stealth. Mixing with locals. Spying on people’.

‘Oh, were there Death Eaters on that bar?’, James asks, rolling his eyes.

‘It could have been! Harry needs to know how to handle his alcohol!’

Harry giggles.

‘I handle it very well’, he says proudly, clapping his hands. ‘Tell him, Sirius’.

‘He won us money on darts. He even closed his eyes for the last shot. You would be proud!’

‘That you were letting my barely out-of-age kid bet on games?’

Sirius rolls his eyes.

‘Everything was under control, he won. Stop worrying, I was on godfather duty tonight -’

‘Between a drink and another, you mean?’

‘ - and I brought him home, right?’

‘Speaking of that’, James raises his eyebrows, now sounding openly reproachful. ‘How did you come home? Don’t tell me you drank and apparated’.

‘I would never!’

‘Or that motorbike - if you came here flying, I swear I will -’

‘Relax, Dad!’, Harry intervenes, now raising on a jump, ignoring how he tumbles in the process. ‘We got a cab. Eeeeeeverything under control’.

James watches his son go to the cabinet in the room, searching for something until he takes out a feather to doodle something on a parchment, not realizing it’s a grocery list.

‘I see the control’, he says dryly. ‘What are you doing, Harry?’

‘I am making a howler’.

‘What? What for?’

‘To howl, duh - hey!’, he turns to Sirius, his eyes sparkling madly. ‘Remus never sends letters - he only sends howlers!’

Sirius chuckles. ‘I howl too! Owoooooo!’

‘Hey, hey, you are going to wake up Lily!’

‘And?’

‘And maybe you don’t want her to see what you did to Harry - Harry, stop that, you are not sending anyone a howler’.

‘I have to tell Ginny I love her!’

‘She already knows, I am sure, you’ve told her’.

‘But I never yelled it!’

‘And she loves you more because of that, come on, give me that letter’.

‘I knew he wouldn’t let you send it’, Sirius says, his voice now smug. ‘Prongsie is old’.

James rolls his eyes.

‘Same age as you, Pads’, he remembers distantly, taking the letter from Harry, though now he realizes he didn’t need to worry. Harry’s letter is unintelligible and he doubts he could cast the spell to turn into a howler.

Harry pouts.

‘Sirius is right, you are square’.

‘What?’

‘We can never have fun’.

‘And you are so serious - more than me, haha!’, Sirius adds, now laying down lazily on the couch, his legs spread. James is about to complain that his shoes are all muddy and Sirius should take them out, but he stops.

Oh, Merlin, he is really getting a bit square, isn’t he?

‘I can be fun’, he stresses, making Sirius let out one of his bark laughs.

‘Yeah, years ago. Before you were a dad - no offence, Harry’.

Harry doesn’t seem to have heard him, which James considers a shame. Harry would surely defend him - he was a cool dad to Harry.

No, he is still a cool dad. The kind that Harry can feel at will to talk about anything, that supports Harry and that is always there for him.

Except that Harry didn’t tell him about working late tonight or going to a bar. Except Harry and Sirius didn’t ask for his company.

And if they did - he thinks of the paper he just finished and how excited he was for it.

He would have said no.

That’s not very cool of him.

‘I will take a flight!’, Harry declares, his eyes shining with this idea and for once James doesn’t feel satisfied with the mischievousness in him.

‘No drinking and flying’, James says sternly, and he decides that he will have to remain uncool for a little longer. ‘You - you stay here! Sirius - watch him. Better than you did so far, I mean’.

Sirius grimaces, evidently annoyed, but he sits next to Harry, who is now mumbling something incomprehensible, though Sirius seems to be listening to him with attention. James leaves them in the living room, locking the door behind him just in case, and goes to Lily’s office hoping she has stored a Hangover Potion. He is in no luck, of course; it’s been years since he and Lily even needed one - James believes it comes with the age knowing when to stop - and there was nothing in Harry’s latest behaviour that showed them they would need it.

For a second James almost considers waking up Lily, knowing she would make the potion in minutes, but he doesn’t want her to see the mess Harry is right now; it’s far better she hears it later than witnessing first hand. He grabs a small cauldron and the ingredients he will need and returns to the living room.

In the few minutes he was out, Harry and Sirius managed to make things strangely worse. There is snow in the room, that he sees Sirius casting from his wand; Harry is perfectly still, the snow making a sort of white hat on his head, his arms wide open and also covered in snow.

‘What -’, James tries to ask, but he just blinks at the weirdness on the scene.

‘Shhhh’, Sirius says, a finger on his lips. ‘Don’t distract him!’

‘What is Harry doing?’

‘Isn’t it obvious? Disguise training! He is a snowman!’

‘He is missing a carrot nose’, James notes, grimacing, and that makes Sirius turn his wand to Harry’s face. ‘I am joking!’

It’s too late; there is a flash of light and then there is a carrot on Harry’s face, replacing his nose.

‘Sirius!’, Harry complains, raising his hand to touch his new nose. His voice is muffled. ‘I can’t have a nose this big! How can I snog Ginny now?’

‘That’s your concern?’, James asks, half-amused, now taking out Sirius’ wand to make sure he doesn’t cast any more magic.

‘I will poke her in the eye!’, Harry says, moping, scratching the tip of his pointy nose thoughtfully.

‘I will transform you back as soon as you drink this potion, now lay still’. Harry sighs, sitting on the couch. Sirius sits next to him, patching him in the back as if he weren’t the one that turned Harry’s nose into a carrot in the first place.

‘Your nose matches her hair’, he says bracingly. ‘You will look beautiful together’.

‘I am not sure this is much comfort, Padfoot’, James notes, placing the cauldron in the fireplace and starting to throw in the ingredients. He could add something for the taste, but he believes the bitterness helps build character.

‘Well, I got him quiet, didn’t I?’, Sirius asks, pointing at Harry who is now sitting on the couch, still playing with his carrot nose.

‘You could have messed up so badly’.

‘I am not that drunk - I watched over your kid, no matter what you think of me’.

James shakes his head.

‘Letting him drink that much? He barely can stand - what if someone -’

‘The war is over, James’, Sirius tells him, sounding much grim now. ‘And like I said, I was there. Me, half-a-dozen junior Aurors and some seniors too’.

‘Unless any Death Eater threat would be a challenge to a drinking contest, I don’t think it would make much difference’.

‘Oh, Merlin’. Sirius sighs, walking to the drink cabinet and opening it to take a bottle of firewhiskey. ‘Here, drink this’.

‘What?’

‘You are sober, I hate talking to sober people when I am pissed. Sober people are boring’.

‘I am not boring’, James complains, pushing away the bottle that Sirius extends in his direction. ‘And I am past the age of being forced to drink to look cool’.

‘Then drink because it’s nice!’, Sirius says forcefully now. ‘Drink because you are alive! Drink because you are happy! Drink because for the first time in his life your son is properly pissed!’

‘That’s not a reason -’

‘That’s enough reason! He is eighteen! What age were we when we first got pissed?’

‘Seventeen’. Sirius raises his eyebrows, waiting for him, and James flushes, turning his attention to the cauldron. The potion is almost over. ‘Fine, fifteen - but it didn’t count, we weren’t thinking straight then’.

‘Yeah. Our first transformation’, Sirius remembers, but there is something heavy on his voice now.

‘What is the problem, Padfoot?’

‘Nothing’. 

That makes James stop. He takes the cauldron out of the fire, to let the potion cool down, and turns to Sirius, watching him. Sirius’ eyes are watery as he always gets when he drinks, but he sustains James’ look for a surprisingly full two minutes before he sighs.

‘Fine, you are the problem’.

‘Me? You take my son out for a drink without telling me, return home four in the morning and I am the problem?’

‘Look at what you are saying! He is of age! He was with his friends - and his very trustable godfather! He was having fun for once in his life, instead of living that responsible life you want for him’.

‘Responsible?’, James repeats, dumbfounded. Nobody had ever accused him of wanting to do the responsible thing. ‘I am just being his father’.

‘Well, maybe Harry doesn’t need his father anymore’.

There is a long pause after that. James blinks, once, twice, very slowly, trying to understand what Sirius means by that, and it’s only when he reaches for the drink cabinet to get a glass for the potion, that Sirius moves.

‘Shit - I didn’t mean like that - sorry, James, it’s not -’

‘No, I get it’, James says, his voice forcefully steady. ‘Harry wants the cool father figure that allows him everything - and, well, Sirius “what’s life without a little risk” Black is perfect for that’.

‘Don’t be absurd - that kid worships the ground you walk upon -’

‘And yet he was with you, not me. I get it. I am a father, not a friend’. He offers Sirius a full glass. ‘Drink this, you’ll feel better tomorrow’.

‘No, I deserve the hangover tomorrow, but that’s beside the point. It’s my fault’.

‘I don’t think you forced Harry to drink��, James notes dryly, sitting next to Harry to help him drink the potion. Harry seems to be in another world now, but he obliges to James’ help without questioning.

‘No, that was all on him - I mean it, he’d make you proud, he won a drinking contest with Thompson and he is twice Harry’s size - er, not helping, sorry’. Sirius sits on the other side of Harry. ‘He was going to tell you we’d be out for a drink. And I didn't let him'.

'Why? Why would you -'

'Because I thought you would overreact. Worry too much about him. Don't let him have any fun'.

'I would not -'

'And because I thought he'd ask you to come’.

James blinks. Between them, Harry lays his head on James' shoulder, now watching Sirius with mild curiosity.

‘I would ask’, he agrees, a note of pride in his voice. 

'Am I that bad company?', James asks in a low voice. Sirius shakes his head.

'Would you come with us?', he challenges. James keeps his gaze for a few seconds, but just like Sirius didn't lie for him before, he wouldn't dare speak anything but the truth.

'No, I had things to do today'.

'That article', Sirius scoffs. 'You don't talk about anything else'.

James frowns.

'It's really important - a chance of -'

'Getting yourself a name, I know, I know. But see -', his grey eyes are burning over James now, somewhat desperate. 'The Prongs I know would never care for reputation'.

'Sirius…'

'The Prongs I know would be honest with me'.

'I am - what are you -'

'I heard you and Kingsley, ok?', he blows off. 'Registering as an animagus? After all this time?'

There is another silence, broken only by the crackling fire.

'I was going to tell you', James says finally. 'I didn't think it was important - you don't have to register too -'

'That's not the point - you are breaking our trust -'

'It's just an entry on a list. It doesn’t change anything, I will keep our full moon nights -'

'When Remus has time, you mean?', he asks, sounding bitter now. 'He missed the last two, he'd rather stay home -'

'He has a kid now -'

'So do you and… you guys are getting old and responsible and too serious for me'.

'Nobody is more serious than you', James says, smiling at him, but Sirius just rolls his eyes and grabs the bottle of firewhiskey on the coffee table, taking a sip.

James extends his hand. Sirius raises one eyebrow, in disbelief, and his expression only relaxes a little when James takes a long sip of the firewhiskey. The drink burns his throat, infusing him with that weird dose of courage and a will to do something, but James just sighs.

'You are no less serious because of it', Sirius notes.

'I got serious - the war, the first one and then the second one and everything - and I think I forgot how to relax - but that doesn't mean… you are my brother, Sirius'.

'The annoying prettier baby brother?'

'You are older', James says, grinning, and after a second of hesitation, Sirius smiles too. 'You can invite me - I mean, we can do things together. Even if it sounds - or is - stupid'.

'Things together like… registering our animagus form?'

James rests against the couch, and Harry moves his head to rest more comfortably on his shoulders; James thinks he will sleep soon.

'You don't need to do it too - Kingsley already knows about you and he is the bloody Minister of Magic, isn't he? This was not about doing the responsible thing'.

'Then why -'

'I want the credit'. James presses his lips, before admitting something he didn't even share with Lily yet. 'I talked to Minerva - if I get back to my studies, get enough recommendation to be approved by the board, I could get her position'.

Sirius blinks, startled.

'Her position? You mean -'

'Transfiguration professor, yeah'.

He looks away now, feeling somewhat embarrassed. It had never really been an ambition - teaching was much more something Remus had always wanted to do than him; James had been glad to focus on his studies and develop new theories of transfiguration until then. 

But ever since Minerva had vented that possibility to him a few weeks after the end of the war, when they were repairing one of the halls destroyed in the battle, that thought had been on his mind. He wasn't in a rush, but the idea of getting back to Hogwarts, this time as a professor, watching other students learn from him as much as he had learned from Minerva McGonagall… he couldn't deny that idea had taken root in his mind.

James always teased her that he had been her favourite student, but the fact was that she was his favourite professor and there was some part of him that wanted to impress her and prove himself good enough to replace her someday.

He waits for Sirius' response, but there is only a silence that doesn't seem good.

'I know it's huge', James mumbles. 'There are others far more capacitated than me, I am starting now to -'

'Shut your mouth, Prongs', interrupts Sirius, and James turns to him. There is a grin on his face. 'Being humble never suited you'.

James laughs softly.

'I wasn’t trying to', he assures him.

'I thought - I thought you had wanted to do the right thing. You know, registering just because you wanted to follow the law, as if… as if you were ashamed of what we did illegally -'

'Now it's you who needs to shut up, Padfoot'. He takes another sip of the firewhiskey. ‘Animagus at age of fifteen? I’m damn proud of it. Also, that’s the only thing that I have done that’s cooler than half the stuff Harry got into’.

‘Yeah, I suppose it’s hard when your son is a bloody hero’.

Harry chooses that moment to start snoring loudly, which sends James and Sirius into a fit of laughter. James raises, careful to let Harry sleep on the couch, and Harry doesn’t look remotely close to waking up.

‘I am glad you took him out for a drink’, James says, taking out Harry’s glasses. ‘I was just jealous - it should have been me’.

‘I am sure there will be another occasion’, Sirius says dismissively. ‘He will probably forget every embarrassing thing he did, you know how that works’.

‘Oh, he embarrassed himself?’, James asks, a glint of fun on his eyes. Sirius smirks.

‘That happy giggling Harry you saw? Just the last stage. He was all cocky at first - that’s how we got into that darts bet’.

‘Harry? My son? Cocky?’

‘Oh, yeah, he reminded me a lot of you’, Sirius’ smirk increases. ‘He was strutting and all’.

‘Tell me you took pictures of it’.

‘I would never’, Sirius declares, though James isn’t sure he believes him this time. ‘And then he got very… honest’.

‘That doesn’t sound good for that stealth mission’.

Sirius shakes his head.

‘If he was spilling out Auror secrets I would be happier - no, instead I had to hear about the time he and Ginny -’

‘Nope, nope, I don’t want to know’.

‘Well, me neither, I won’t ever use your Invisibility Cloak again, you can be sure. But anyway - that’s why he got here so drunk. I decided vodka was the only way to shut him up properly’.

Sirius looks so satisfied with himself and his choices, that James knows what he has to do.

‘It’s late’, he says pleasantly. ‘Crash here tonight’.

‘Oh, I think I will - I am not fit to apparate’.

‘Let’s go upstairs then’.

‘And Harry?’

‘Oh, look at him. He is sleeping so well, he can stay here tonight’.

‘If you are sure’.

‘Yeah, yeah, everything will be fine’.

_________

James has slept barely four hours when he wakes up with Lily’s cry. He puts on his robe lazily, waiting a few minutes to go downstairs; when he passes Sirius’ room, the door is already opened.

Good.

He finds them all together in the toilet next to the kitchen, and by the sounds coming out of there, his Hangover Potion wasn’t very efficient.

‘We were working late, Lily’, Sirius is saying, sounding properly desperate. ‘And we went out for a drink -’

‘It was a Tuesday night! He has to work in one hour!’

‘So do I - but you see, I’m his boss, so everything is fine! Also, I don’t think any of the boys will show up -’

‘Perfect’, Lily interrupts him, her eyes sending daggers in Sirius’ direction. ‘Then you can take care of him’. She sees James. ‘Did you know about this?’

‘Me? I was working late on my text, you know’, he answers, yawning and looking very innocent.

Sirius waits until Lily is out for the kitchen to turn to James, his eyes narrowed.

‘You knew she would be mad. That’s why you told me to stick around’.

‘If I knew how my dear wife would react to knowing you got our son pissed? How could I?’

Sirius grimaces as there is another retching sound coming from the bathroom.

‘Oh, you better go there and don’t forget to keep Harry hydrated’.

‘Watch it’, Sirius says, but he goes into the bathroom anyway. ‘I won’t ever show you the pictures’.

James shrugs, undisturbed.

‘That’s fine. Next time Harry gets drunk, I will be there’.

‘I won’t ever ever ever drink again’, Harry moans, hugging the toilet seat now, his face sweaty.

‘Oh, kid, we’ve all been there’, Sirius sighs, flushing down the toilet and helping Harry raise.

James grins to himself, glad that Sirius is doing his godfather duty once again, and leaves them alone.

[prettyboyreid]

the story (iv)

(a girl and a boy) (a boy and a boy) (me and my friend)

OC!Potter x Marauders, OC!Potter x Nephew!Harry

As Harry Potter gets older, his aunt makes sure he never forgets about his parents or his uncles.

Based on the song The Story by Conan Gray

Warnings: Mentions of death and violence

Word Count: 7186

When Lucy Potter saw the tawny owl perched on the open kitchen window promptly at noon on July thirty-first, 1991, she felt a pit in her stomach growing bigger and bigger.  She obviously knew this time would come, but the thought of her nephew leaving and going off to school scared her.  

It scared her that she wouldn’t be able to protect him from whatever could come after him, wouldn’t be there to console him when he came face-to-face with his first bully, and wouldn’t be there for him to help him whenever he needed any advice. 

But she knew that she had to send him to Hogwarts eventually. 

It was the safest option for him. 

Maybe even for both of them.

“Is that for me, Aunt Lucy?” Harry asked excitedly, pulling Lucy out from any of the thoughts she had.  She looked down at him with a small smile, nodding before handing him the thick, parchment envelope with his name written in loopy handwriting that she could never forget. 

He ripped it open immediately, not bothering to even look at the warm, crimson wax seal or the school crest printed on the back in dark black ink before he pulled out what would be one of the most important letters he had ever received.  

Lucy couldn’t help but smile as she watched his face light up as he read the letter silently to himself, leaning against the kitchen counter as she looked down at him.  “What does it say, bug?” she asked, despite still having the exact words her letter said engraved in her brain. 

Harry looked up at her with a wide, toothy grin, before he looked down at his paper to read her what the letter said. 

“Dear Mr. Harry Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 

 Term begins on September 1st.  

 Yours Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.”

Lucy smiled down at him and pushed some of his dark brown hair out of his face, watching as he looked up at her with wide, animated eyes.  “I’m gonna go to Hogwarts, Aunt Lucy!” he exclaimed, which only made her chuckle softly.  

“You are!  And you know what I think?” she asked, lifting up her nephew and setting him down on the countertop next to her.

He giggled a bit as he looked up at her, shaking his head a bit.  “What?”

“Well, I think that you’re gonna be a Gryffindor, just like your mom and dad,” she said, tapping his nose with a small smile

This comment made him light up like a Christmas tree.  “You really think so?” he asked, looking down at the letter before beginning to read over the books and supplies he would need before the first of September.  

“Oh, I know so.  You’re just like your parents, I don’t see why you’d be anything other than Gryffindor,” she explained to him, glancing over his shoulder to look down at the list so she could get an idea of where they would need to go on their next shopping trip in the Wizard World. 

Harry just smiled, completely full of bliss at the whole situation, before he leapt off the counter.  “Can we go shopping for everything today?” he asked hopefully, giving his aunt pleading eyes as he looked up at her with a smile. 

She grinned but eventually nodded, kissing the top of his head gently.  “You’ll have to get ready quickly then, bubba; there’s a lot we’re gonna have to get and it’s already noon,” she told him, but that was all the confirmation he needed - he practically bolted up the stairs to get to his room and get dressed to leave.

-x-x-x-

The shopping trip didn’t take as long as they had expected, especially considering all of the different supplies that they needed and how picky Harry was with getting his quills (“You don’t get it, Aunt Lucy.  I have to have a quill in every color!”) and how many wands Harry had to try out before he finally found the one that chose him, as Mr. Ollivander had put it.  

He even had the pleasure of meeting Rubeus Hagrid for the first time, who was absolutely delighted to see him for the first time since he delivered Harry to Lucy’s doorstep ten years ago.  He was so delighted, in fact, that he insisted on buying Harry an eleventh birthday present, which happened to be a beautiful snowy owl that he saw in the window of the wizard pet shop.   After glancing through Hogwarts: A History, Harry quickly landed on the name Hedwig for his new pet. 

Once they had everything that the young boy needed for his first semester, they made their way back into London and decided to take the train home instead of the Floo Network.  Now, they were sat on said train, with bags and boxes carrying every possible thing Harry could need surrounding them and the seats beside them.  Luckily, they were the only one’s on at this hour. 

Harry looked fairly tuckered out from his long day of shopping, resting his head against his aunt’s shoulder and keeping his eyes closed.  His breathing became so slow and steady, Lucy almost thought he was asleep, until he piped up after a long while of silence.

“Do you remember going shopping with my mom and dad for school?” he asked curiously, his eyes still closed as he awaited an answer from his aunt. 

Lucy smiled gently at the thought and nodded, leaning her head back against the window of the train.  “Yeah, I do.  Mostly your dad, though,” she answered aloud finally, sighing gently as she looked up at the ceiling.  “His favorite place to go was Gringotts Bank, because he liked the ride down to our vault,” she told him with a weak chuckle, running a hand back through her hair.

“What about my mom?”

She smiled softly and looked down at him, now noticing he was looking up at her with his usual curious gaze.  “She loved going to Flourish and Blotts.  She would always grab books that she didn’t even need, just in case she got bored and wanted to learn more about anything,” she told him, pushing some of his brown, curly hair out of the way of his glasses so she could see his sage colored eyes.  

She didn’t think she could ever put into words how much she loved and hated that he was a perfect mix of his parents. 

“Harry, I need to tell you about something,” she said after a few moments of silence.  His gaze never left his aunt’s anxious face, though for a bit she couldn’t look at him without second-guessing her next few words.  “About your mom and dad.”

Harry tilted his head slightly as he listened to her, but didn’t interrupt her despite his blossoming curiosity at her comment.  He just looked up at her, his full attention on her as her focus was on the poster on the other side of the train that suddenly seemed more interesting than explaining what had happened to his parents.

But she still knew she had to be the one to explain it to him.  The last thing she wanted, and that he needed, was to have some third year telling him what happened to his parents on his first day of classes and traumatizing him for the rest of the year. 

“On Halloween night, just after you turned one, your parents…” she started, swallowing thickly as she looked down at him.  “Your parents didn’t just die, Harry.  They were killed.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed a bit as he listened to his aunt, frowning as he listened to her.  “Who killed them?” he asked her after a few moments of a somewhat uncomfortable silence, his eyes meeting hers timidly. 

“Well, uh, he’s a very powerful wizard, and in the wizarding world, we don’t want to say it, so we call him You-Know-Who,” she explained, pushing some hair out of her nephew’s face a bit as they spoke.  

“Do you know what happened, Aunt Lucy?” he asked, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he kept his gaze on his aunt. 

“I, uh…” she started, not sure how exactly to explain everything to him, until all she could think of was the only way she ever told him anything about his parents - a story. 

“Let me tell you a story, bubs,” she said, giving him a small smile and kissing him on the top of his head.  He just nodded softly in response, leaning against his aunt once again as she spoke.

“On October 31st, I was actually with Uncle Padfoot at my house.  Uncle Moony was off doing work for a group they were a part of, called the Order of the Phoenix, and Uncle Peter said he was going to his mom’s house for Halloween to help her hand out candy to the muggle children.”

-x-x-x-

“Luce, you can’t just expect me to watch these muggle movies with you all night!  They’re all about killing people!” Sirius exclaimed, getting some more popcorn from the kitchen as they finished up their most recent movie, Halloween.  

“Just two more, Pads; Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  They’re good movies, I promise,” she told her friend with a smile, getting up and beginning to clean up a little bit since Sirius had to be holding the popcorn during every single jump scare that movie had.

“My birthday’s in four days. Little Prongs.  You should at least let me pick the movie,” he protested, turning on the stove as he put the popcorn overtop of the flame on a burner.

Lucy just rolled her eyes, getting another bottle of butterbeer from the fridge for her and one for Sirius as well.  “No way, Sirius.  You’d pick a stupid movie like… Sleeping Beauty, or something.  Halloween is for horror movies.  You can watch your drawing movies any other day of the year,” she said, tossing a bottle to Sirius as she twisted off the cap of her own with a grin. 

“Okay, first of all, they’re called animations, not drawings.  Have you learned nothing from Lily’s rants about these things?  Secondly, Sleeping Beauty can be scary.  Maleficent is pretty scary when she turns into a giant dragon and tries to kill everybody,” Sirius corrected her, continually mixing the popcorn up so it didn’t burn as he opened his bottle of butterbeer.

“Shut up, Sirius,” she said with an eye roll, before she raised an eyebrow as she noticed a snowy owl sitting on the windowsill of the kitchen, just above the sink.  She slowly moved towards it, taking the letter from its beak and thanking it before seeing it was addressed to her and Sirius, with the Hogwarts crest stamped on the back of the envelope.

“It’s not a terrible movie, anyway, it has a good story-”

“Sirius, shut up,” she repeated, holding the letter up to show him.  He turned around to look at her and his eyes widened a bit, flicking off the burner and setting his drink down before practically rushing over to her.

“Open it,” he said, shoving his hands into his front pockets as he looked at the cream colored envelope anxiously.  Lucy just nodded, pulling the flap up from the wax seal and pulling out the thick parchment.  She read over the loopy, thick letters quickly as her eyebrows furrowed together, reading the letter again once she finished.

“What?  What is it?” Sirius asked almost impatiently, taking the letter from her when she didn’t reply to him.  He read over the letter quickly and his face matched hers, chewing on the inside of his cheek.  “What does this mean?  ‘We’ve received intelligence that James and Lily might have been attacked’?  How would they not know?” he asked, running one of his hands back through his hair as he looked over to his honorary younger sister.  

“It means we have to go see for ourselves, since Dumbledore obviously won’t,” she answered, setting her drink down on the counter and heading towards the front door.  “Did you ever figure out how to make your motorcycle fly?” she asked, shoving on a random pair of shoes on her feet as she got to the door.

He just nodded softly, grabbing the keys quickly from their hook and going to grab his shoes too.  “Yeah, I can get us to a straight shot in like, ten minutes, at the most?” he told her, shoving the letter into his pocket before Lucy led the two of them outside.  

The motorcycle was parked in the driveway behind Lucy’s car, and Sirius had two helmets resting on each handle bar - one for him and one for any passenger he might have.  He handed one to Lucy as he put his own on, getting on the front seat as she climbed on behind him and tightly wrapped her arms around Sirius, her eyes squeezing shut as they quickly ascended into the air, smiling ever-so-slightly as her mind wandered back to the time in their sixth year when the boys forced her onto the back of her brother’s broom.

Sirius would have broken multiple speeding laws if they had been on the road instead of in the sky, as they made the trip in barely eight minutes.  Once he parked the car in the driveway, they saw a large flash of green bursting through the top floor, a scream that made every hair on their bodies stand up straight, before it was dead silent.  

Both Sirius and Lucy knew what that meant, and it made both of them stand still for many minutes.  You wouldn’t even know if they were breathing, until the quiet, barely audible sounds of a young child crying hit them all of a sudden.  They both threw their helmets off and ran inside, the door nearly off its hinges when they arrived. 

They were about to run upstairs to find where their nephew was, but the body of their brother, the one person that they both trusted and loved most in the entire world, was flung onto the staircase, like he was just a ragdoll at the disposal of his killer.  Sirius, to Lucy’s surprise, was the first to break over this sight.  She gave a few sniffles at first, tears beginning to stream down her face as her brother’s face lolled back onto one of the steps beside one of the many toys she had spoiled her nephew with, but Sirius fell down to his knees in front of him, shaking his shoulders a bit as he cried. 

“It’s not funny, Prongs,” she heard him mutter out between choked sobs, fixing his glasses that had gone askew during his fall.  “Come on, it’s not funny, James, wake up,” he muttered, looking around him a bit before he slumped back against the banister, letting another cry leave his body before he looked back to Lucy, his cheeks stained red with streaks of hot tears running across them.  

“He doesn’t have his wand,” he said to her quietly, running his hands across his face to wipe away the tears.  When he noticed the confused expression on her face, he sniffled and looked back down at James’ pale face.  “H-he didn’t have his wand.  He went up against him with nothing,” he told her with a frown, shaking his head a bit.  “How could he be so stupid?”

“He was probably trying to protect them,” Lucy tried to assure him, resting a careful hand on his shoulder before he shook it off.  

“Can you… can you go find them?” he asked her quietly.  She just gave him a silent nod and carefully moved around him and James, being extra careful not to step on either of them, before she slowly ascended the rest of the stairs.  

She peeked into every room, every closet, just to make sure there was no one hiding anywhere, and to make sure Lily didn’t put Harry somewhere safe where You-Know-Who couldn’t find him. 

All that was left for her to check now was the nursery.  The nursery she and Sirius had just finished up a few months before for Harry’s first birthday.  She knew they had to be in there, but that didn’t mean it was any easier to go into that room. 

Especially when she saw a hand with the all-too-familiar engagement and wedding rings she helped her brother pick out for her.  

She pushed the door open a bit farther, swallowing thickly as she saw her sister-in-law, one of her best friends, sprawled out on the floor.  She knelt down next to her as she let out her own grieving sobs, sniffling a bit as she looked down at Lily’s face.  She almost looked like she was at peace, like she had lived the life she was supposed to and it was fulfilling, like she was ready for what had come to her. 

She looked up after a moment to see Harry peering down at her from his crib, tears streaking his cheeks as neither of his parents had answered his cries.  She stood up and wiped her own tears away, letting out one last sob as she picked up Harry from the crib.  She frowned a bit as she noticed a lightning bolt-shaped cut in his forehead, though it didn’t look as it had ever bled.  She ran her thumb across it gently, and it didn’t seem to hurt him at all.  She kissed his forehead gently, moving to head downstairs with him when he heard a shout coming from the street.

“Peter!  Peter Pettigrew!” she heard Sirius’ voice yell, along with a crack of a spell being cast.   Lucy ran to the window to look out at him, frowning a bit as she saw him running into the street, where Peter was standing, while other different neighbors began to pour out of their houses, curious as to why there was so much noise.  She genuinely had no idea why Peter was there, but the fact that Sirius was upset with him didn’t make her feel any better.  She moved away from the window and began to head downstairs, though she froze in front of her twin brother's body as there was another flash of light, much bigger than the one she had seen earlier with Sirius from the driveway.  

She carefully made her way out to the front door, moving past it slowly before she saw Sirius slowly standing up from a crouching position.  He was looking around and looked rather confused, holding tightly onto his wand as he looked around to see twelve people surrounding him, and what looked to be a large finger by his food.

“Sirius, what the hell have you done?” she asked him slowly, looking around with wide, scared eyes as she held Harry close to her chest, who had slightly calmed down by now. 

“I don’t- I didn’t do this, Luce,” he said, looking around before looking back at her.  “I swear to Merlin, I didn’t do anything. I-I tried to hex Peter, that’s all, I swear, then he just… he just made a blast and everyone went down,” he tried to explain, his hands shaking slightly as he did his best to tell her everything that had happened. 

Lucy chewed on the inside of her cheek and swallowed again, instinctively turning Harry away from him.  “I can’t… I can’t have Harry around this, you know that, right?” she told him quietly, shaking her head a bit again.  “I’ll find Dumbledore and talk to him.  Just… you just stay here,” she said, holding tightly onto her nephew as she quickly apparated to the village of Hogsmeade, though she could have sworn she saw an auror arrive in Godric’s Hollow seconds before she had.

The second she arrived on the famous cobblestone streets, she found herself face-to-face with the headmaster himself.  He had his hands folded together in front of himself, giving her a sad smile as he stood eerily still.  

“Lucy.  I’m sorry to hear about Lily and James.  It’s terribly awful,” he told her, shaking his head gently.  “However, on the plus side, however it may have happened, Voldemort was defeated when he went to the Potter’s house in Godric’s Hollow.  Everyone can sleep a little more peacefully now,” he told her. 

“That doesn’t change the fact I don’t have a brother now, Dumbledore,” she told him with a frown.  “Or that my nephew doesn’t have any parents.  Or that he lost one of his uncle’s tonight, too. A-and that there’s twelve dead muggles outside my brother’s house!”

“Oh, yes,” he said, clicking his tongue a bit and shaking his head softly.  “One of the portraits in my office told me.  Terrible news.  The report came in just before I arrived to meet you,” he told her.  “Sirius Black always seemed much more promising than that.”

“I thought so too,” she told him quietly, looking down at her nephew before kissing the top of his head gently as his head was curled up into her shoulder.  “What do we… What can we do now?” she asked him, still looking down at her nephew, as if he was the only good thing left in her life, like he was the light at the end of a dark, gloomy tunnel.

“Well, it’s best that Harry’s put in with his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, as for you, since you were always so gifted in your studies here at Hogwarts, we’re prepared to offer you any position you’d seek; Potions, Astronomy, Ancient Runes-”

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?”  Lucy asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she frowned at Dumbledore’s comments.

“Oh, you could have any position on our staff you’d like, as a sign of our condolences.  I remember you always said you wanted to be the youngest professor at Hogwarts,” he said with a soft chuckle, before Lucy put her hand up as if to silence the headmaster.

“No.  About Harry,” she said firmly, standing up a bit more straight.  “You’re not taking my nephew from me.  I’m not letting him go stay with a family who wants nothing to do with him or has never even met him.  The last time James and Lily even saw either of them was when they invited Petunia and Vernon to their wedding, and they practically spat in their faces.  They loathe anything that has to do with magic.  He’ll be suppressed from this life for his entire life.  They probably won’t even let him go to Hogwarts when he’s old enough,” she defended him, holding the boy close to her chest with a frown.

“Lucy, there is magic beyond your control that is protecting him now that his parents are gone, and Petunia has the blood of his mother -”

“I don’t care if she has the blood of Merlin himself, I’m not letting you take him away from the only family that loves and cares for him,” she interrupted him, taking a step back from Dumbledore again.  “And I won’t fall for your bribes to keep me occupied from him either.  I’d rather be a damn waitress at the Hog’s Head Inn before I’ll give up Harry and work at Hogwarts,” she told him, switching the toddler onto her other hip as she spoke.

Dumbledore stood silently for a few moments, just looking at Lucy as if she hadn’t said anything, with his hands folded neatly in front of himself. 

“You’ll be putting him at a great risk, Lucy,” he finally said slowly, letting his hands release from each other and letting them fall down at his sides. 

“I’ll protect him better than I was able to protect my brother,” she told him without hesitation, resting her hand on Harry’s head as she continued her little stare-down with Albus Dumbledore, not wanting to show any possible sign of weakness. 

After a few more moments, he simply nodded and gave her a small smile, one that almost looked like he pitied her.  “I suppose I can’t stop you, in that case,” he said slowly, looking down at the one-year-old she held tightly to her chest.  “For my own curiosity, will you be able to live off of your parent’s and James’ will?” he asked, his head tilting to the side, his long, white beard following suit.

“If not, I’m sure I could get a job at the Ministry.  They always need people to do paperwork,” she answered with a shrug, gently patting her nephew’s back as he stirred slightly.  Dumbledore only nodded once again, his mouth still playing host to the crudely sympathetic smile.

“Very well.  Remember, you’ll always have a home at Hogwarts if you need it, Miss Potter,” he added before turning on his heels and beginning the slow walk back to the castle.  He only made it a couple feet, maybe passed by a single building, before there was a large crack that rang through the air, and within a moment, he was gone.  

Lucy just let out a soft sigh and kissed the top of her nephew’s head, shaking her head a bit before deciding it was time to take him back to her house so he could get a proper sleep, one where he wasn’t interrupted by someone trying to kill him or people trying to take him away from his family. 

So, she apparated back to her little cottage house in Torpoint, which she soon after figured that she would need to give up in order to have more room for Harry as he got older, though it wasn’t a concern for her at the moment.  She just knew he needed rest. 

Once she was inside her small house, she looked at the time on a grandfather clock that was pushed into the corner of her living room, which read 2:26.  Lucy just sighed and looked around her living room, trying to figure out where she should put Harry for the night.  She didn’t want to put him on the couch, because he could easily roll off.  She didn’t have his cot set up for when he would usually spend the night, and she didn’t want to risk waking him after the long night he had already had.  So, she settled on carrying him up to her bedroom and letting him take her bed for the night.  

She wasn’t going to get much sleep, anyway.

She set the toddler down on her bed so his head was rested on a pillow, setting one pillow on either side of him so he didn’t turn too far one way or another.  He seemed to settle down almost immediately and fall right to sleep again, like nothing had ever happened. 

Lucy grabbed a picture frame off of her bedside dresser and sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at the photograph with a frown.  It was a picture of her, the Marauders, and Lily on their last day of Hogwarts.  They were all smiling and they looked so happy, like nothing bad was going on around like them.  Like nothing bad could ever happen to them.  

She looked at the photograph for a while, even after the glass covering was stained with her tears, and long after she knew she should have tried to get some sleep.  It wasn’t until she heard her nephew babbling from behind her that she wiped her cheeks and set the picture frame on the bed beside her, looking around and giving Harry a small smile.  “What’s up, bug?”

“Pong?”

Lucy raised an eyebrow at the odd word he had spoken to her, wiping her eyes with her sleeves before moving up to the head of the bed where he was laying.  She pushed some of his growing hair out of his face, her stomach sinking as she saw the scar on his forehead again; she knew she’d never get used to seeing that mark on his innocent face. 

“What’s pong, bubba?” she asked softly, picking him up and setting him in her lap.

“Pong,” he repeated, frowning up at his aunt as she didn’t understand him. 

She just shook her head a bit, chewing on the inside of his cheek as she tried to comprehend what he was asking of her.  “I-I don’t know-”

“Where Pong?” he asked her with a huff, folding his small arms across his chest. 

“What do you mean Po-... oh,” she said, giving him a bit of a frown as she silently tried to figure out what to say to him.  He obviously wouldn’t understand what had actually happened, though she knew he probably wouldn’t remember what she even told him, and she’d have to re-explain everything all over to him every few days.  She just gave him another sad smile, letting her hand fall into his lap.

“Pong and Mama had to go away, bub.  But you’ll get to hang out with me for a little while,” she told him softly, hoping it was a good enough explanation for the young boy. 

Harry frowned for a moment before nodding, then standing up and leaning against his aunt.  “Play now?” he asked her, to which she just smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Sure, we can go play.”

-x-x-x-

Harry was silent for a few moments as he listened to her, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he looked down at his lap.  

“I almost didn’t live with you?” he asked, looking up at her finally after a few more moments of silence. 

Rather surprised at his choice of question after what she had just unpacked onto him, Lucy simply nodded.  “Yeah.  Dumbledore really wanted you to live with your mom’s sister and her family, but you hadn’t even met them yet, and I wasn’t about to let my favorite nephew go and live with some random people,” she told him, kissing the top of his head softly as the train came to a halt outside the Kingston upon Thames stop.  

They gathered up their bags and everything they had bought down in Diagon Alley, scuffling out of the empty train car and onto the platform.  Harry looked down at his feet as he walked out of the train station with his aunt, and down the street a few blocks to their house.  He did his best to just to stay silent - whether it was only because he didn’t know what to say or if he didn’t want to say anything about wizardry in public, Lucy didn’t know.

When they finally reached their little house in the far corner of a far street, Lucy unlocked the door and led him inside, closing the door and locking it behind the two of them.  After he set his bags down in the middle of the living room, he turned around to face his aunt again.  “Why did he have to kill them?” he suddenly asked.

Lucy was unsure of how to even respond to the question, sitting down on the couch and looking over at him as she gave him a sad smile.  “Well, the Order heard about the possibility of a prophecy about a boy born at the end of July, one who could be his equal,” she explained to him.  She didn’t entirely know what the prophecy was about, in all honesty; she just knew it was possibly about her nephew.

“Then why did he kill them?  They didn’t do anything wrong, Aunt Lucy,” he said firmly, frowning a bit as he hadn’t gotten the answer he was looking for.

She nodded softly, letting out a soft sigh before tapping the space on the couch next to her.  “I hate to say it, bug, but I’m afraid that’s just the way the world works sometimes.  It’s not all funny, pretty, and sweet like I make it out to be in your little stories.  There’s a lot of bad things that happen - which I tried my best to keep you from growing up - and that’s one of the bad things.  Your mom and dad tried to protect you, and that meant they were in his way, and he was willing to do anything to get to you,” she explained to him, kissing the top of his head again.

He just leaned his head against her shoulder as she finished, frowning for a moment before wrapping his arms around her as tight as he could.  She rested her hand on his back and patted it gently, silently wishing she could do more for him than just comfort him.  

“Is it possible to miss people you don’t even remember?” he asked quietly, looking up at his aunt with glass, red-tinted eyes, which seemed magnified by his little round glasses. 

Lucy nodded softly, pushing some hair out of his face a bit as she looked down at him lovingly.  “Of course it is,” she assured him, kissing his forehead gently before he snuggled up to his aunt again.  “I miss them too, you know.”

He nodded gently as he rested his head against her side, sniffling a little bit as he listened to his aunt.  He stayed in that same spot for what felt like hours to her, but she wasn’t complaining; she just combed her fingers through her hair to try to keep him calm.  After a little while, though, he sat up and sniffled a bit, wiping at his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt before he looked up to his aunt again.

“Thank you, Aunt Lucy.”

“For what, bubba?” 

“For telling me, I guess,” he shrugged, standing up and grabbing his bags.  “I’m glad you told me what happened now so I didn’t have to find out on my own.”

She just gave him a small smile and nodded, ruffling his hair up a little bit.  “No problem,” she said, grinning a bit as he bound up the stairs with all of his bags.  “Don’t try to use your wand, though!  I’m not gonna deal with you getting expelled before you’ve even gotten to school!” she called up after him with a small grin. 

She knew it was gonna be hell once he got to school.

She wasn’t entirely wrong, though.  On September 1st, she and Remus packed nearly all of Harry’s belongings into her car, since she didn’t want Harry to feel awkward with everyone else being dropped off with their big families and Harry only having his aunt.  The entire drive to King’s Cross Station, Harry wouldn’t stop asking either of them questions about what Hogwarts and everything associated with it was like. 

“Is the food good?”

“It’s really good, bubs; you’ll love the desserts.”

“How long is the train ride?”

“I think about nine hours, right, Luce?”

“If they haven’t changed anything, yeah.”

“Are the professors nice?”

“Most of them.”

“Who was your favorite professor, Uncle Moony?”

“Harry, if you ask him any more questions, there won’t even be a need for you to go; you’ll know everything about the school already.”

“Sorry Aunt Lucy.”

“...My favorite professor was Professor McGonagall.”

“Remus!”

“Sorry, Luce!”

They arrived at the train station at precisely 10:45 A.M.  Harry practically jumped out of the car, quickly grabbing the cage his pet owl was in and waiting for his aunt and uncle to grab his trunk, which was a little too heavy for him to drag himself. 

“Careful, Harry.  You don’t want to hurt her wings before you get the chance to send letters,” Remus warned him, getting out of the passenger seat and going round to grab Harry’s trunk from the back seat.  Harry just gave an apologetic smile, but still was practically jumping up and down as he waited for his aunt to come with them.  

Lucy grinned a little bit and grabbed his train ticket, finally getting out of the car and locking it behind her.  She ruffled up her nephew’s hair a bit as she finally began to lead him and Remus inside, smiling down at him as she watched him.  

“Are you excited?” she asked, looking up at the different signs posted up so they were headed in the right direction; contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t too difficult to forget where to go, especially when the train station is filled to the brim and it had been nearly fifteen years since she had been to the station.  

Harry nodded quickly, looking around at everything like he already was at his new school.  “I can’t wait,” he told his aunt with a bright smile, squeezing her hand a bit as they walked through the station.  

After a few more moments of walking, Lucy was able to pick out a large group of fiery red-headed kids, two of which quickly disappeared into a brick wall.  

“Weasley’s,” Lucy muttered to herself, to which Remus nodded gently in agreement, leading Harry over towards where they had seen the group.   The second the three of them got to the brick wall, the only two girls in the family were remaining. 

“Molly!” Lucy called out, giving her a bit of a wave as they got closer.

“Lucy Potter!  Remus Lupin!” she exclaimed with a bright smile, making her way over to the two of them before kissing each of them on the cheek.  “How are you two?  It’s been so long!  Do you still have that part time job at the Ministry, dear?” she rushed out quickly, resting her hand on her daughter’s shoulder.  

“We’re good, Molly.  I’ve still got the job down in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, but I’ll probably pick up a few extra hours now that Harry’s headed off to school,” she said, grinning down at her nephew with a proud smile.  Harry, however, just looked up at the new woman somewhat warily, despite how warm she appeared to be. 

“Oh, goodness!  Is it time already?  We’re sending Ron off today.  He just went through with the twins,” she told her with a smile, looking down at Harry, who now looked rather confused.  

“Sent through?  How do you get to the platform?” he asked, looking between the two of them.  

“Oh, it’s nothing, dear, you just go right through that wall.  It’s best if you do it with a little run,” Molly explained to him with a smile.  

He just nodded up at her before looking at his aunt.  “You’ll go through with me, Aunt Lucy?” he asked softly, to which she just nodded gently. 

“Good luck,” the youngest Weasley told him with a small smile.  Harry gave her a small nod and looked to his aunt again.  She counted down with him slowly, before they both made their way through the brick wall quickly, and it, quite literally, opened up a new world to the young boy. 

There were clusters of family’s bunched around the bustling platform, with handfuls of owls flying around overhead before they’d be cooped up on a train for the rest of the day.  Harry could’ve sworn he even saw a toad hopping past his feet at one point.  

As he looked around in wonder, he heard Remus bidding his goodbye to Molly and her daughter from behind him, before resting his hand on his shoulder as Harry admired the scarlet and black train in front of him. 

“It’s almost eleven, bug, you’ll have to get on the train soon,” Lucy said softly to him, before he looked up at her almost nervously.  She raised an eyebrow and knelt down to his height, to which Remus backed away for a moment to let them say their own goodbyes. 

“Are you sure I’ll like it there?” he asked his aunt quietly.  She smiled softly and nodded, pushing some hair out of his face.  She was a little relieved that was his only concern at the time.

“Of course.  You’re gonna meet a lot of great people that you’ll love.  You’ll feel right at home, I promise,” she told him, holding her pinky out to him with a grin.

He smiled softly and wrapped his much smaller pinky around hers.  “Can you write to me if I miss you?” he asked her quietly, like he was almost worried someone would overhear.  

She chuckled softly but nodded nonetheless.  “I’ll write to you every day if you want me to,” she promised.  He laughed quietly at this, before wrapping his arms around his aunt’s neck.  She hugged him back without hesitation, kissing the side of his head gently. 

“I love you, Aunt Lucy.”

“I love you too, bubs.”

After a few moments of them standing there like that, she stood up, glancing over to Remus and giving him a soft nod.  Remus took his time giving Harry his goodbye, and Lucy was almost positive she heard him telling Harry to say something to Professor McGonagall for him.  Harry just laughed and nodded, hugging his uncle tightly.  Remus hugged him back, sighing a bit before his nephew pulled away.  

Harry turned back to his aunt and took his ticket from his aunt, giving her one last hug.  “I’ll miss you, Little Prongs,” he told her with a smile.

She chuckled weakly and nodded, pushing some hair out of his face to get one last look at her nephew, her brother, and her sister-in-law for a few months.  She gave him a weak smile and kissed his head.  “I’ll miss you too, Baby Prongs,” she replied, leading him over to the train and helping him on. 

“You’ll do great, I promise,” she called after him as he got on, smiling at her through the open window of the train as it slowly began to pull away.  He waved at her dramatically until he couldn’t see her anymore, before shuffling into an empty car and quietly hoping someone would sit with him. 

Lucy backed away from the platform, standing beside Remus for a moment as she just lingered on the spot where the train was only moments before.  Remus rested her hand on her shoulder gently, giving her a silent, reassuring smile. 

“He’s going to be just fine.  You don’t have to worry about him,” he promised her, squeezing her shoulder gently. 

And he was right.  Despite missing her nephew, who felt like her own son at this point, she managed on when he wasn’t there.  She wrote to him every day as she had promised, sending him a bag of sweets every few days along with a letter.  He wrote back as frequently as he could, and every time she saw an owl on her kitchen window holding an envelope with her name written in blotchy chicken scratch that she would know anywhere, it never failed to make her smile.  Even though she let go of a big part of herself on September first, she knew it was for his own benefit, and he’d be better off for it. 

And because of that, all was well. 

[adhonoremrpbios]

-- CHARACTER --

Name: Sirius Black Faceclaim: Charlie Rowe Age: 20 Blood Status: Pureblood Affiliation: Order Former School & House: Hogwarts, Gryffindor Occupation: Bartender at Three Broomsticks

-- BIOGRAPHY --

“Sirius Motherfucking Black. You all know him, you all love him, you all wish you could be half as cool as him. What a life that guy lived, doing it all, living the dream, giving a big ol’ ‘fuck you’ to all the idiots in the world who wished he would be any different. Anyway, he’s dead now, and although that sucks for the lot of you who decided to show up to his funeral, don’t worry: He’s promised to haunt you all, with varying levels of niceness. He’ll be at Hogwarts. He’ll be at the Three Broomsticks. He’ll be at Prongs’s house. Location of haunt currently pending. Rest in peace.” Sirius wrote this eulogy for himself his fourth year at school. He’s kept it in his bedside drawer ever since, and though he’s no longer sure if he wants that to be the only thing read at his funeral, he still definitely wants it read. It’s a great relic of his fourteen year old self, with the only addendums being the changing places of haunting.

Is it weird how often he thinks of his own funeral? Probably. Either way, it’s something he’s thought about since he was brought to Great Aunt Lycoris’s wedding when he was six. It was quiet, and stuffy, and no one really cried, and no one really seemed to miss her at all. It was like everyone was just there because they felt like they had to be. Sirius didn’t want that. His funeral was going to be a party, and people would cry, definitely, but they’d also be anything but quiet and stuffy. If he was dying, it would be for something, not just from being old like Great Aunt Lycoris.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t so odd for a child like Sirius Black to think about his own funeral. In the world he grew up in, a funeral was an incredibly tame thought. He’d often wondered if the powers that be put his soul in the wrong body; he never felt right at Grimmauld Place, not from the very beginning. The “last heir of the House of Black,” it felt like a cruel joke. Though the true main event of his rebelliousness began once he met three particular boys on a train to Hogwarts, Sirius was born too loud, too argumentative, too boisterous for his family. He was too much for his mother in particular, with an average night at Grimmauld Place coming to a close to the melody of a shouting match between the two of them. That was all typical rebellion, a big personality in a tiny body with far too much pressure put on his shoulders before he even hit double digits. Of course he’d crack under it.

True rebellion came with Hogwarts, and we all know how that story goes: A boy meets three more, they become best friends, the boy breaks family tradition with a hat sorting and the ball really gets rolling there, until it comes crashing at the bottom of the hill with the boy running away and being officially disowned by his family. Thousands of tiny stories within that one sentence, and yet it can still be boiled down to those bare essentials. The Potters saved him first, taking him into their home and allowing him the week or so of back-and-forth moping, sighing in relief, and absolutely fucking freaking out. Uncle Alphard saved him second, leaving him far more money than he knew what to do with and allowing him to finally breathe. He was free when he ran away, sure, but with Alphard’s money he was finally free.

Uncle Alphard’s funeral was also the last place Sirius saw his parents, in the same black outfits he was so used to seeing them in when it came time for a funeral. Their stony expressions didn’t change when they saw their estranged son, but they sure as hell cracked when they learned what Alphard had done for Sirius. The money was a fucking incredible gift, yeah, but the anger and betrayal in Walburga’s face was the best last present Uncle Alphard could have given him.

Now… he’s here. The inheritance got Sirius this far, got him an apartment in London and a cushion to live with for a bit. Contrary to popular belief, though, he’s not a total dumbass and knew that the cushion would run out fast if he didn’t get a job to sustain it, which is why he asked Rosmerta for a job at the Three Broomsticks (and somehow, miraculously, she said yes). He works there a few days a week, tending the bar and running food and doing all sorts of odd jobs around the place, and it’s enough to keep him afloat while he focuses on the Order and just, well, life in general.

Sirius has been fighting – and will continue to fight - for the Order. He’ll wake up, go for a ride on his motorbike, grab a newspaper, see what shit got stirred today. He’ll go to work for a bit, bother Rosmerta and fix the leaky faucet in her back kitchen and make drinks for the usual regulars. He’ll see his friends, maybe, hopefully, though not as often lately, and he’ll do at minimum three dumb things he’ll regret the next day. You’d think with a whole ass war going on his life wouldn’t be this predictable, but Sirius is painfully aware of just how predictable it is. He knows what he’ll be doing tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and honestly, few things bother him more. A restless Sirius is a reckless Sirius, and he’s feeling himself veering closer and closer towards that second category with each passing day.

-- TRAITS --

Negative - temperamental - reckless Positive + charismatic + brave

Sirius Black is taken by Cass.

[notorious-lightning-thief]

The Stag and The Doe Chapter Seven

Here is an excpert from Chapter 7! Read the entire story on Ao3

Chapter Seven: We Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts

Lily, James, and the gang head back for their final year at Hogwarts.

"Where is she?" James asked to no one in particular. It was 10:45 a.m., and the Head Girl had yet to show up to catch the Hogwarts Express. James must have searched the entire train three times, and he had yet to find a trace of her.

"Relax, mate," Sirius said casually. "I'm sure she's just late. She'll be here."

"Lily Evans, late?" James asked incredulously. "Lily Evans has never been late a day in her life."

"She's not late yet, Prongs," Remus pointed out. Remus Lupin, always the voice of reason. And the only Marauder that could ever keep a calm head under pressure. He was arguably their most important member with that skill.

"Yes, but she's cutting it awfully close," James said while pacing their compartment.

"Maybe it's to avoid looking at your ugly face," Peter joked. Everyone but James laughed.

James gave Sirius a look that read I can't deal with this right now.

"Yeah, not a good time, Wormtail," Sirius said to Peter. Sirius grabbed James firmly by the shoulders. "Look, Prongs, I love you, but you have got to calm the fuck down. Lily Evans will walk through that door any minute, is this really how you want her to see you when she does?"

"You're right," James took a deep breath. "She'll be here. Thanks, Padfoot."

Sirius smiled at James and brought him in for a hug. "Anytime, Prongs."

"Well, well, well, doesn't this look cozy," a voice came drawling from the compartment door.

James and Sirius broke apart and whipped around to find the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, and hip cocked, was none other than Lily Evans.

James's heart skipped a beat when he saw her standing there. He didn't have much time to admire her, because a second later, Marlene McKinnon was bounding into the room.

"Hello, boys! Miss us?!" Marlene yelled while jumping at Sirius. He caught her at the last second; she was being unusually clumsy. Sirius turned to look at James with a face that clearly read, What the fuck? James just shrugged. Marlene was weird sometimes.

"For fuck's sake, Marlene," Lily snapped. "Not so bloody loud."

James took a moment to admire Lily. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that was snug across her chest, her hair was knotted in a bun on the top of her head, and she had a pair of large sunglasses on. James thought she looked rather tired. Something is wrong, James thought. Lily Evans was always the picture of put together. Maybe she's sick?

"Sirius, darling, it's been too long," Marlene cried. She gave him a loud, wet kiss on the cheek.

"Good to see you too, McKinnon," Sirius said, confused. He looked around helplessly at the rest of the group.

"Remus!" Marlene yelled shrilly. James noticed Lily wince, and her fingers immediately started massaging her temple.

Marlene planted another wet kiss to Remus's cheek before moving on and greeting Peter in the same fashion. She stopped when she got to James.

"James Potter! I won't kiss you because I don't want someone to get jealous," she whispered loudly while pointing at Lily.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Ignore her. She’s still drunk from last night."

"Wait, last night?" James looked at Marlene. Her hair looked like she had just rolled out of bed, she had dark streaks under her eyes and running down her face, and now that she was close enough, James noticed she reeked of alcohol. "You're drunk?"

Marlene started giggling. "Shhh, don't tell Lily."

"I think it's a little late for that," Remus said. "Marlene, why don't you come sit next to me?"

He gently tugged her down onto the bench, and she flopped down next to him. "Lily and I went out in Muggle London last night."

"Muggle London?" Remus asked. "How did you even get served? Aren't you underaged for a Muggle? I thought the drinking age was eighteen?"

"Oh, Remus, you're cute," Lily smiled at him. "You'd be surprised what a pretty smile and low-cut top can get you."

"That's my girl," Sirius said with a wink. "Pray tell, Lilykins, what else did you get, you little vixen?"

"I got three boys' felfyphone numbers," Marlene said proudly.

"Telephone numbers," Lily corrected. She started to drag two large trunks in. "No, Mar, don't help. I'll get your bloody bags."

"Let me get them," James said, stepping forward and grabbing one of the bags from Lily.

"Thanks," she smiled at him gratefully. Together they started bringing in the girls' trunks.

"Three phone numbers, eh, McKinnon?" Sirius said with a wink. "Not bad. How about you, Evans. How many numbers did you get?"

"None," Lily answered while she helped James left their trunks up to the luggage rack. "Who would look me while the beautiful and radiant Marlene McKinnon in the room? Isn't that right, Mar?"

"I would," James murmured. He didn't know if anyone had heard him. But Lily looked at him and shot him a grateful smile. Her smile quickly disappeared, though, and she once again looked almost ill. "You okay, Lily?"

James could see a blush starting to appear on her cheeks, even with her large sunglasses covering most of her face.

"I'm fine," Lily snapped. "You would be in a foul mood, too, if you had to deal with a drunk Marlene trying to get onto the platform."

James chuckled. "I don't envy you, that's for sure. You guys must have gone pretty hard last night if she's still drunk."

"Don't even get me started. We switched to scotch pretty early on and were out until three this morning." Lily and James had finished with the trunks and sat down next to each other on the bench. "I'm exhausted."

"Lily!" Sirius yelled, scandalized. "Do my ears deceive me? You were drinking scotch?"

Lily winced when Sirius yelled her name. "Bloody hell, Sirius. Can everyone please stop fucking yelling!"

Everyone looked at her for a moment. "Are you hungover?" Sirius asked.

Lily just groaned and put her head in her hands. "Please, just whisper, alright?"

"You are, aren't you, Evans?" Sirius looked like Christmas had come early, and he certainly did not whisper.

"Yes, alright. I'm completely hungover," Lily admitted. "Happy?"

"Yes, actually I am," Sirius smiled. "Poor Lily can't handle her scotch. Let me guess, you drink it on the rocks, too. Nice and watered down for you, eh?"

Lily glanced up, pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, and sent her classic Evans glare at Sirius. "Do we look like little boys to you? We are women, Black. We drink our scotch neat."

James, Peter, and Remus howled with laughter. Sirius glared right back at Lily. "I would drink you under the table, Evans."

Lily stood up with her hands clenched tightly to her side. "I would like to see you try, Black."

"Name the time and place, dear," Sirius said lazily.

"Friday night. Gryffindor Common Room." Lily said through clenched teeth.

Sirius stood up as well, holding his hand out to Lily. "Deal."

They shook hands while they continued to glare at each other. James knew it was unfortunate timing, but he was extremely turned on by this side of Lily.

"Well, that should be interesting," Remus said.

"I want in!" Marlene yelled suddenly.

Lily winced again. "Dammit, Marlene, keep it down!"

"I'll take that action, McKinnon," Peter said. They shook on it as well.

Bloody hell, James thought, this is going to be a disaster.

Lily closed her eyes and massaged her temples again. "Remus, we should get going. The prefect meeting is about to start."

Remus, Lily, and James made their way to the door. "Where do you think you're going, Potter?" Lily asked.

"To the prefect meeting," James answered simply.

"Which is for prefects only," Lily said.

"Right, and the Head Boy," James had been waiting all summer to surprise Lily with this.

"You? You're Head Boy?" Lily asked, shocked.

"Afraid so," James answered while running his hand through his hair nervously.

"Don't worry, Evans," Sirius said. "We were all surprised as well. I mean, who in their right ruddy mind would make James Potter Head Boy?"

James shot him a look. Sirius knew James was nervous about being Head Boy. James had thought about writing several letters to Dumbledore and McGonagall to ask them why the hell they had made him Head Boy. Remus had to talk him down from doing it.

"Actually, I think it makes perfect sense," Lily smiled sweetly at James.

"You do?" Sirius asked.

"You do?" James repeated.

"Sure," Lily shrugged. "I mean you're a great leader, students really look up to, and you finally stopped being such a prat last year. I think you'll be brilliant."

James beamed at her. He had been so worried all summer over what her reaction might be. He knew they had been getting on much better lately, but he still worried that she considered him too much of a git to be any good at the job. Hell, even James thought that. But hearing her say he'd be brilliant erased all doubt from his mind. Lily believes in me, James thought. I can do this! Hearing her say that was all the validation James needed. Who gives a fuck what everyone else thinks?

"Shall we go, Head Boy?" Lily asked with a sly smile.

"Let's, Head Girl," James smiled back. Lily dropped her sunglasses back onto her face, and they set off towards the Prefect Compartment.

Read the rest of the chapter here.

[amarauder]

chapter twenty ❥ original

it’s a hate-love thing original version.

james potter x reader.

"I do think that people should've at least known that our O.W.L.s were near," commented y/n, staring as a hysterical Frieda Lawrence was carried off to the Hospital Wing on an invisible stretcher, guided by a sulking Mark Goldstein.

Remus smiled. "Well, you know, y/n, you're the one who's actually been studying for the O.W.L.s."

"And you haven't?"

"Er—well, don't tell Jenny that I have," he pleaded.

"All right, everyone, I guess this is the end of our meeting," said Teresa loudly. "I'm afraid, without our Ravenclaw prefects, that we can't accomplish anything. You are dismissed."

"That was such a waste of time," muttered y/n, as they exited the Prefect's Lounge. "We didn't accomplish a single bloody thing! I mean, what's there to be afraid of for the O.W.L.s? She could've studied! But, oh, they're drawing so near!"

"We have to memorize so many facts and spells and—oh, Merlin, my head's bursting just thinking about those bloody O.W.L.s," said Remus despairingly.

"Did someone mention O.W.L.s?" said Frank, one of the sixth year prefects, leaning curiously at the Gryffindor prefects. "Oh, I remember last year when we had to take it..." He groaned.

"It wasn't that bad, Frankie," argued Alice. "All right, History of Magic was a complete failure, but the rest were all right, I suppose."

"I failed Divination," informed Frank, nodding at Y/n and Remus. "I couldn't see a single bloody thing in that stupid crystal ball, so I made stuff up. Trelawney definitely wasn't convinced. I got a 'D' in it when my O.W.L. results came."

"You see, this is why I didn't take Divination. I took Arithmancy instead, and it turned out to be a very good choice, if I do say so myself." Alice drew herself up in dignity.

Y/n still didn't look very convinced, and she chewed her nails in worry. Alice saw this immediately and took charge by grabbing Y/n's hands away from her mouth.

" Y/n L/n, what do you think you are doing?"

"Oh, Alice, I can't help it! I always chew my nails when I'm nervous."

Remus gave an odd bark-like laugh that was very similar to Sirius'. "Y/n, you've gotten mostly O's and a few E's on your homework this year, and you're still worried? You'll do fine!"

"The worst of it is, Potter and Sirius never study, and they still do just as well!" she continued, rambling furiously.

"It is aggravating," admitted Alice. "I do know exactly how you feel. You see, Frank here has always gotten exceptional grades, and he doesn't even look at a textbook! How he got to be a prefect when McGonagall could've chosen Sturges Diggle from his dorm is beyond me—"

"Hey! For your information, I'm much smarter than Diggle, and I'm prettier."

Y/n and Alice giggled, while Remus and Frank shared looks that clearly said, "We men will never understand women."

"Moony!" exclaimed Sirius, bounding along the corridor tailed closely behind by James and Peter. "I see you're back early."

"Yes, Padfoot," said Remus, rolling his eyes. "You've just stated the obvious."

"How did you know that we were let out one hour earlier?" asked Y/n in wonder.

"So, what happened that made Teresa change her mind about the meeting?" continued Sirius, ignoring Y/n's question.

"Frieda Lawrence had a nervous breakdown and went into hysterics," explained Remus, chuckling slightly at the memory. "Mark had to take her to the Hospital Wing. Teresa decided it best to cancel the meeting, as our Ravenclaws were indisposed."

"It was a complete waste of time," said Y/n angrily. "I could've done my Charms homework in those fifteen minutes!"

James rolled his eyes. "Are you still thinking about those stupid O.W.L.s, L/n? Surely you know that someone like you will obviously do well in them. You'll probably get all the O.W.L.s you need to become an Auror."

"How did you know I wanted to become an Auror?" asked Y/n. "You Marauders are full of surprises every day."

"Our little secret," murmured Sirius, winking impetuously.

"Alice and I are going to become Aurors as well," reported Frank, beaming. "They're very elite, of course, but we've already got all the O.W.L.s we need for it. All we have to do is to get the N.E.W.T.s that are required to become one. Oh, and to pass all those tests during Auror training."

"But the bad part," said Peter mournfully, "is that we have to do Potions for our sixth and seventh year, since it's very useful for Aurors."

James groaned. "Don't remind me, Wormtail. Potions with Hurst for an extra two years...what WAS I thinking? But I really do need to become an Auror, so I suppose I just have to face the music."

"I hear that Hurst is only going to accept people with an 'O' on their Potions O.W.L.," remarked Y/n, her nerves getting the better of her again.

"Don't worry, you'll get into Potions class next year," reassured Alice, smiling. "I mean, Frank and I managed to scrape an 'O' in our O.W.L.s last year, but boy, it definitely wasn't easy—"

"We studied an extra four hours on Potions," said Frank heavily.

"You actually spent precious time doing that?" said James incredulously.

"Hey, Alice made me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Jamie, when you're in love, you tend to do anything the love of your life wants you to do."

"That's not fair." James frowned.

"So that means Prongs will jump off the London Bridge, since he's in love with—OUCH! Merlin's beard, what did you do that for, Moony?" Sirius glared at Remus.

"Padfoot, I do believe you need to reconsider finishing that," said James, through gritted teeth.

"What the—oh yeah, whoops, what was I thinking?" Sirius laughed nervously.

"Er—" Frank, Alice, and Y/n raised their eyebrows at the foursome, and then shrugging. After all, the Marauders had their strange moments very often.

"So how many hours did you spend studying for your O.W.L.s?" asked Y/n, as they proceeded to the Fat Lady's portrait on the seventh floor.

"Oh, I'd say, maybe eight to twelve hours," replied Alice casually. Noticing the five fifth years' stares, she added, "It wasn't too long, some people spent nearly twenty-four hours a day studying."

"Merlin," whispered Sirius hoarsely. "Twelve bloody hours? That's complete hell!"

"We spent a third of the time on Potions, and the other two-thirds on the rest of the subjects. I suggested to study an extra two hours at night, but Frank wouldn't hear of it."

"Surely not!" cried the four Marauders.

"We're not even going to study, period," added James.

Frank and Alice both stared at them without blinking, as if trying to comprehend James' comment.

"Not study?" choked the latter. "You'll fail, then!"

"So let it be," said Sirius nonchalantly. "What difference will it make? Of course, Prefect Moony will study, since he's such a goody-two-shoes..."

"Padfoot," warned Remus, looking irritated.

"Oh, so sorry, Prefect Moony."

"Padfoot, shove it."

"You guys are so immature," said Alice, sighing. "Frank, I do pity you for being neighbors with Potter."

"I send you my condolences, Frank," agreed Y/n, wincing at the very thought of having James as a neighbor, let alone classmate.

"Thank you, ladies," said Frank, smiling amusedly, "but, really, once you get to know James, he's a nice guy and a romantic at heart..."

"Frank," mumbled James, turning rather red at the ears. The other three Marauders sniggered.

"Oh, what does he do, Frank?" queried Sirius eagerly. "Write love poems for Y/n?"

"Well, I don't know why you're all laughing," said Alice defiantly. "I think it's rather sweet." She smiled at a very scarlet Y/n.

"I was just joshing, James." The sixth year grinned and ruffled James' already-untidy hair affectionately.

"Hey!"

"What? You always make your hair messier than it already is, so I may as well help you. Oh yeah, and I don't know what the girls think, but I don't really think that messy hair attracts females."

"It certainly doesn't attract me," put in Alice.

"But you see, Alice," whispered Sirius, so that only she could hear it, "Jamie wants to impress Y/n and Y/n only—"

Alice's mouth curved upwards into a wide grin as her blue eyes glinted evilly at Y/n and James, who were now blushing furiously.

"Padfoot, shut up!" said the very crimson latter.

"Aww...but why, Prongs? Annoying the hell out of you is fun!"

"Padfoot," chided Remus, sighing helplessly. "Some people just never change..."

"Well, why should I?"

"Why do you guys have those funny nicknames anyway?" said Alice curiously.

"Er—" The four Marauders looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"Well, c'mon, you can tell us!" she urged.

"Uh..."

"Well, you see, it's a secret," said James.

"A secret?" repeated Alice blankly.

"Oh, yes, a secret. You see, it all began when Moony was just a wee baby—"

"All right, we get the point, Potter," snapped Y/n impatiently. "Don't even try to get answers out of them, Alice. They never give you a direct one, no matter how simple the question is."

Alice giggled. "Thanks for the note there, n/n."

"Y/n, where were you?" said Arabella, nearly bouncing on top of Y/n, followed shortly by Jennifer and Violet. "Sirius told us that you guys came out early from the meeting..."

"Yeah, Lawrence fainted," said Remus. "Pressure of the O.W.L.s, we all think."

"Don't tease," scolded Jennifer. "The O.W.L.s are pressuring."

"But you see," said Y/n logically, "if you guys studied beforehand, you wouldn't be so nervous."

"Like you?" asked James acrimoniously.

"Like me."

"And you thought I was an patronizing git."

"You are."

"Ha! Well, what about you? You just said that you aren't nervous, and now you're bragging to your own friends that you studied beforehand. At least I don't brag to Sirius, Remus, or Peter."

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do n—"

"Oh, will you please put a cork on it?" yelled Frank, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll help you, Frank," said a demure voice from the portrait hole, and sure enough, Trish Vance preceded and put a Silencing Charm on Y/n and James, causing them to argue, though with no effect whatsoever.

"Hello Trish," greeted Frank, smiling. "How are you today?"

Y/n was mouthing furiously, and Arabella said the counter-curse, allowing Y/n and James to speak again.

"Why did you do that for?" the former exclaimed. "You could've told us to stop, and we would have!"

"Well, I do love to do it more professionally, you know," replied Trish, batting her eyelashes at Frank.

Alice narrowed her eyes and whispered to Y/n, "That's Trish Vance. She's in Gryffindor, and in the same year as Frank and I. She's in my dorm as well, and what an idiot she is. It's been old news that Trish has been trying to get Frank since fourth year. But unfortunately, it's obvious that she hasn't."

Y/n grinned and stifled a laugh. "Frank doesn't seem to mind flirting with her."

"Well, Frank has always been intimidated by her, though he constantly tells me that he loves me and he'd never dump me for a girl like her. But what do guys know? They only go for the good-looking girls with a brain the size of a Knut."

"Oh, Lise, Frank does love you! That Trish would never get him."

"I hope so," said Alice, sighing, watching helplessly as Trish grabbed Frank's hand and pressed it firmly with her own, "I hope so."

"Well, it's the first time you've ever been wrong, Y/n," said Alice furiously, as she collapsed into an armchair. It was the Easter holidays now, and the weather was warming up considerably. Most of the Gryffindors had gone home for the holidays, but the Marauders, the girls, and a few older students decided to stay at Hogwarts, as usual.

"What happened, Al?" asked Arabella, concerned.

"Frank dumped me for that bi—idiot," spat Alice, burying her head into her arms. "My life is now officially over. Frank specifically told me that he'd always be with me and he'd never dump me for another girl, because there's no one else he'd rather be with than me. And what does he do? He dumps me right then and there! Of course, I'm not going to cry, since that's so stupid. Why cry over Frank anyway? He wasn't much good. 'Sides, I got a new boyfriend."

"Already?" said Y/n, surprised.

"Yeah. Apparently, Sturges Diggle has had a crush on me since third year, and he asked me out straight away after the news spread that Frank Longbottom and Alice Hart have officially broke up."

"Well, that's good, isn't it? Diggle's a sweet and nice guy, and he would never dump you, would he? Since he's carried a torch for you for three years."

"Yeah, Sturges is awesome. But"—Alice sighed—"he's not Frank."

"Look," said Arabella excitedly, beaming at the older girl, "I have a plan that'll put Frank in shame that he ever dumped you."

Alice looked up, her eyebrows raised. "Oh?"

"Yep. Now, all you have to do is be all fluffy and—you know, to Sturges, and then Frank will get jealous and then he'll apologize, and you'll be back together in no time! Oh, and there's dumping Sturges, but he'll understand, I'm sure..."

"So you want me to use poor Sturges? Oh, no, not that. I really do like Sturges, and I don't want to hurt the poor boy. Who knows? Maybe Alice Diggle sounds better than Alice Longbottom."

"Actually, I really don't think it does," said James casually, appearing out of nowhere. "I heard about you and Frank."

"And?"

"You guys make the perfect couple, and you should get back together again."

"No WAY, James Potter. Frank is now a distant acquaintance to me. Who knew he'd break a promise so sacred and full of love? Now I've realized that he's a complete prat, and that Sturges is much better than he is. I don't know what I was thinking when I started to date him in fourth year."

"'Cause you love him, Al," said Sirius quietly, standing next to James.

"I do not! He's an insufferable git!"

"Alice?" whispered Frank, coming down from the sixth year boys' dormitory. "Alice, I think we need to talk."

Alice stood up abruptly. "Oh, do you? Well, let me tell you something, Longbottom. You are nothing but a prat and a promise-breaker. You're nothing more to me now. I'm with Sturges, and you can have your beloved Trish after wanting her for so many years. I know Sturges can make me happy; much happier than you can make me!" She marched into her dorm and slammed the door behind her.

Frank sighed and ran a hand through his light brown curls distractedly.

"You know you deserve it, Frank," said Sirius seriously (no pun intended).

"What? I know. But—oh, it's so confusing! What was I thinking, dumping my beautiful and wonderful Alice for that idiot Trish? Now Lisa will never forgive me. I may as well start preparing for her wedding with Diggle."

Surprisingly, James smiled. "You know that's not true. Alice still loves you, Frank. I know how you feel, being rejected when all you want to do is give love instead of taking it away."

Everyone fell silent. They had never heard James talk so emotionally, and Y/n was especially surprised. Though she wasn't aware of it, her hatred for James began its process of thawing.

Frank smiled back. "You know, James, it wouldn't kill to get a girlfriend yourself. Unless if you're still pining for—er—her."

James nodded sadly, and the Marauders and Frank grinned, while the girls exchanged looks of perplexity. The high and mighty James Potter, pining for a girl that's playing hard-to-get? It was very unbelievable indeed.

"Who's 'her'?" they asked simultaneously.

Sirius grinned. "I'm afraid we cannot tell you four lovely ladies."

"Why not?" demanded Arabella.

"Bella, I don't trust you to keep my mate's secret."

"Why not?"

"'Cause..."

"It's between us guys," supplemented Frank.

"Besides, you'd tell the girl if you knew," said James softly, looking to Arabella's eyes, and she instantly understood.

"Oh, James, you finally realize it, do you?" she said, smiling widely.

James turned red. "Don't mock," he ordered.

"What are you all talking about?" said Y/n impatiently. "What girl?"

Arabella rolled her eyes at Jennifer and Violet, and all three of them giggled. The Marauders (excluding Peter) and Frank shook their heads, muttering, "Girls."

"Y/n, I do think it's obvious, don't you?" said Remus, smiling very slightly.

"Oh, Remus, I thought you'd have the common sense of the group? What are you guys talking about?"

"Don't tell her," ordered James.

"I wasn't going to, Prongs. I was merely going to—let's say—give her a hint, shall we? We do want to make your life easier, you know."

Y/n still stared at them with confusion. What kind of girl is Potter pining for? Is it Violet? She's single. Ugh, stupid Potter! Why, I'm so much better than Vi. Wait a minute, what am I thinking? This has to be from lack of sleep.

"Hello? L/n?"

"W-What?"

James raised his eyebrows. "I was wondering if you can help me with a Silencing Charm."

"Potter, we've learned that at the beginning of the year!"

"Yeah, well, it's not my fault I stink at Charms. Besides, you're so good, and I know you can help me get it right!"

Y/n smiled, unable to restrain it back any longer. Everyone else looked at her in surprise. They had expected her to start yelling at James again. The three Marauders and girls exchanged joyful looks with each other.

"Oh, fine, Ja—Potter. Let's go then."

James beamed and followed her to a table, feeling as though his birthday, Christmas, and summer vacation had come early.

"Now," began Y/n, "the Silencing Charm is a sharp jab, so don't do a light swish or anything. And try not to cause an accident; Bella nearly took an eye out from the frog she was practicing on once."

He chuckled and stared at Y/n, muttering, "Silencio!" To his disappointment, Lily continued to talk incessantly.

"What did I do wrong?" he whined.

"Potter, I told you to do a sharp jab. Think of it like you're about to poke me in the eye or something, but don't—er—actually do it."

"Silencio!" cried James, and nearly stabbed Y/n with the end of his wand. However, he did accomplish the charm, for Y/n was mouthing silently, without uttering a word out loud. "I did it!"

Y/n was still mouthing furiously, and she frowned and started to mouth silently, pointing to her mouth.

"What is it, L/n? Oh, right! The counter-curse—erm—"

"Talkitus," said Frank, pointing his wand at Y/n. She smiled in relief.

"Thanks, Frank."

"No problem."

"I did try," insisted James, feeling a strong possessiveness to the redhead. "Please, L/n, don't hurt me."

"What gave you an idea that I was going to hurt you?" inquired Y/n, surprised.

"Well...weren't you?" James cocked his head sideways questioningly.

"Not particularly thinking of it, though I will be only too happy to do it if you want me to."

Frank chortled, clapping James on the back. "I'll be finding Alice now, Potter. Good luck with your girl." He disappeared into his dormitory.

"Your girl?" said Y/n, frowning.

"It's a secret," he said hastily, silently cursing Frank for saying it out loud.

"Oh? And I'm not going to be let in on it?"

"'Fraid not, L/n. Besides, you wouldn't understand."

"Oh, really?" Y/n placed her hands on her hips. "And why wouldn't I?"

"Because—" He sighed dismally, and looked away. "Because you don't care enough."

"Y/n, I love you," whispered an older James Potter, as he cradled Y/n into his chest. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you. You know that."

"I know, James, it's just that – I'm scared," whispered Y/n, hugging his neck.

"Y/n look at me," he ordered. "Whatever happens, nothing will stop us from loving each other. Voldemort's not going to tear us apart if I can help it."

"Oh, James! I love you, too. And – gosh, why are you so irresistible?"

He chuckled and kissed Y/n deeply and passionately. They broke off nearly a minute later, both breathless and with fluttering hearts.

"You're my flower, Y/n, and I'm never letting you go."

Y/n smiled at the engagement ring on her left hand, and kissed James lightly on his cheek. "You're so sweet, James. It seems impossible how only yesterday I told you to back off Snape. And now you're telling me all these wonderful things. I have no idea how you went through that change."

"It was because I finally realized that I was being a prat, and an egotistical one at that. I knew that a change was needed, especially since the Wizarding world needs Aurors like me to protect everyone from Voldemort. He's gaining so much power now."

"James, you're not an Auror yet," corrected Y/n smiling at her fiancé's determination.

"I know. But I also know that I'm going to be an Auror no matter what it takes."

"Now I know why I agreed to marry you. Two years ago, I would've hexed you into oblivion if you asked me for my hand in marriage. And now I'm the happiest woman on earth because I'm going to get married to the man I love and live as much of life as I can."

"Aww...n/n, you're too sweet." A single tear trickled down James' cheek, and a stunned Y/n wiped it off, hugging him closely.

"Aren't I though? But I do think I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For being such a stubborn prat these years. I've always loved you, ever since fifth year, and yet I've been trying to trick myself out of my love for you. I'm so sorry, James."

"Now, now, love, there's no reason to be sorry. I'm definitely not. I'm getting married to the most wonderful woman in the world soon. I can't be happier."

Y/n smiled and the two lovers held each other, oblivious to their surroundings. For their love was unconquerable, and they'd always have each other, no matter what.

Y/n woke up, sweat pouring down her face, as she breathed quickly and harshly. She had just woken up from another one of her visions, and it affected her more than any of the others.

"Y/n? You there?" Arabella sat up groggily, wiping her eyes and blinking at the blurry redhead.

"What's wrong?" asked Violet, concerned. "Did you have another vision again?"

"Yes."

"What was it about?" said Jennifer curiously.

"Oh, you won't believe it. Potter and I were sitting next to each other, and we were saying words of love. It was so sick, I swore I was going to throw up or do something drastic. Surprisingly, Potter was actually—I don't know—pleasant in the dream, and he was a romantic, just like Frank had said. What does it all mean?"

Arabella rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you think it means? James is going to change, obviously! He's going to grow out of hexing innocent people and strutting around the school like he's a king or something. Well, that's a good thought, at least."

Y/n snorted. "Impossible! Potter...changing? That's as unlikely as Gryffindors and Slytherins becoming chummy with each other."

"Don't think like that," warned Violet, shaking her head. "James is a nice guy, and you should give him a chance, Y/n. You never did let him change."

"Well, I hope he's not going to change for me! I just want him to change because he realizes that hexing people, especially Snape, doesn't do good, and it makes you stoop low to the same level as Slytherins."

Jennifer sighed, exchanging exasperated looks with Arabella and Violet. Suddenly, she gave a dazzling grin, showing off all her teeth, and it reminded Y/n strongly of Gilderoy Lockhart.

"What're you grinning at?" she demanded.

"You love Potter, that's what. Merlin's beard, you really do love him! Oh, this is brilliant!" Jennifer was nearly in hysterics.

"Well, of course she does, Jen," said Arabella matter-of-factly. "Where have you been?"

"No, no, not that. It's just that Y/n loves James. It's not just a simple crush; it's true love that's unbreakable in any way. It's a simple, pure, beautiful love."

"Yes," agreed Violet dreamily, her eyes shining. "It's so romantic."

"Vi!" Jennifer scoffed.

"What?"

"Don't be a goose. You're always in for romantic things."

"So are you! Ever since you started dating Remus, that is, in our second year. It's been three years and you two still haven't had a fight yet. Quite a miracle, in my opinion. Sirius and Bella have gotten into three fights and a million bickers."

"Don't jinx it, then. As I was saying before Vi rudely interrupted—"

"Y/n and James are madly in love," supplied Arabella.

"Oh, yes, right! Y/n, you and James are in love with each other. It's that simple. Don't look at me like that! There's nothing to argue over; it's so obvious."

"Why do you keep insisting that I love Potter? Do you love to torture me so?"

"Yes," replied the other three girls simultaneously. Y/n rolled her eyes and threw her pillow straight across the room, hitting Violet square on the face.

Soon there was a jumble of pillows flying about the room, while the four fifth year girls squealed and shouted, waking up nearly everyone in Gryffindor Tower. Girls from other dormitories dragged their sleeping belongings to their dorm, flustered and angry, and yelling for them to stop disturbing their "beauty sleep".

Finally, McGonagall had come into their dormitory with her usual stiff black hair in curlers and wearing a tartan nightdress. She squinted at them through her spectacles and her eyes widened when she realized that Y/n was one of the occupants.

"Ms. L/n!" she exclaimed in horror. "You are a prefect! You know better than to wake up Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning. I do expect better of you."

Y/n flushed. "Oh, please, Professor, I really didn't mean it. You won't deduct points from Gryffindor, will you?"

McGonagall sighed. "I suppose not, at least not today. But I do hope this won't happen again."

"No, Professor," the four girls chorused, amid snickers and finger-pointing.

"Well," began Jennifer, as everyone left, "that was interesting."

"Very."

The dreaded O.W.L.s were finally over with as the fifth years headed outside for a well-deserved break after their last exam. The Marauders and the girls went to different directions: the former to the shade under a tree and the latter next to the lake. The main reason for their ignorance with each other was because of Y/n and James, whom were both furious with the other.

Nearly two days ago, James had hexed Snape openly after an O.W.L. exam, and Y/n had intervened, having not able to stand the tyranny of the latter any longer. The result was not wonderful; Lily had not "deflated" James' head, and James got even more rejection from the girl he loved. Life was not going well for the both of them.

The Marauders had taken refuge under the very same tree where a famous trio would be under twenty years later. They were planning their summer, and decided to not have anything to do with the girls, for the two groups were not getting along well at all. Arabella and Jennifer were still Sirius and Remus' girlfriends, respectively, of course, but they weren't as close as they were before the lake incident. They did, however, agree that they should be over at James' house for one week that summer just to plan more havoc.

The girls had also agreed to a reunion during the summer, and it was decided that it would be at Arabella's house, since Jennifer's parents were going to France for their wedding anniversary. They readily decided not to invite the Marauders over, for there was still a stiff, unsettling tension between them now, and the chummy feelings were gone.

Now Y/n and James have come to an unsettled agreement and hadn't talked to each other ever since the "incident" with Snape. After Y/n had stalked off when James refused to listen to her and was planning to take off Snape's pants, they had started an argument in the common room that night. It had ended when Y/n finally shouted at James that Snape would hate Harry when he grew up because of the poor treatment James had given the former in their old school days. So now the two used-to-be-friendly groups were on in their own worlds, discussing topics unrelated to each other.

"Snivellus was lucky that L/n was there, or I would've done something even more drastic," said James, yawning, as he played with his Snitch carelessly, while Peter gasped and applauded once more.

"Definitely," agreed Sirius, sighing. "But I wish that the girls would speak to us; I mean, it's all over now, isn't it? Arabella won't even look at me when we pass in the corridors or something."

"Then that's her problem, isn't it? I don't know why they won't speak to us, Padfoot, since this is only between L/n and me. You guys should just go back to being good friends with each other."

"But they don't want to," put in Remus, looking rather wild at not having talked to Jennifer for more than he could stand.

"Well, like I said, it's their problem."

"Prongs, why don't you and Y/n become friends?" asked Peter, exasperated.

"Exactly my point," agreed Sirius. Remus nodded emphatically as well.

"Wormtail, you do know that I really like Y/n—maybe even love her. But she hates me. I may as well give up. I mean, how can she not hate me?"

Remus smiled. "That, Prongs, is called the process of deflating and becoming a gentleman."

"Excuse me?"

"No offense, Prongs, but your ego is a bit—er—"

"Bigger than it should be," finished Sirius.

"And that's the main reason why Y/n doesn't like you—or so she says. She's seeing the façade that you put on to hide your real self. You're seriously trying to belie yourself, Prongs. Show Y/n the real you...the James that was determined to help my transformations get better by going against the law and endangering yourselves. And the James that is caring and thoughtful and always helping whenever he can. That's the James you have to show Y/n in order for her to care for you."

"That was beautiful, Moony," croaked Sirius, his voice cracking.

"You're right, Moony," said James, smiling, afraid that tears were about to pour out of his eyes at any minute. "But how do I do all that?"

"We'll begin this September, when sixth year starts," said Remus, secretly happy that James was finally going to let go of that ego he possessed in great amounts.

"Thanks guys." James gave them all a brotherly hug. "I owe you for life."

"Nah, consider it a freebie favor," said Sirius, winking. They all chuckled at his antics.

Meanwhile, the girls were by the lake, dipping their feet into the cool water and feeling the tentacles of the giant squid touch their soles lightly.

"Finally, the evil O.W.L.s are over," said Arabella gratefully.

"Finally," echoed Jennifer and Violet.

"It wasn't that bad," said Y/n optimistically, "though the Divination one was a disaster, I tell you. Professor Marshbanks was looking at me like I was mad when I told her that she was suffer from heart pains for the rest of her life."

"I told Tofty that he'd lose all his money and that his lifeline was as short as his hair," said Arabella, shrugging. "He wasn't so happy about it, to tell you the truth."

"That's because you should've told him that he'd grown as old as Dumbledore and become rich," said Jennifer promptly. "That's what I told Tofty, and he started beaming at me like I was his granddaughter or something. It works with nearly everyone except for Trelawney."

"That's 'cause she's a miserable bat," said Violet gloomily. "I failed Potions too...I couldn't get the last ingredient for the Remedial Potion."

"It was leeches," said Y/n.

"Oh, was it? I said it was bat ears."

"Bats don't have ears, Vi," corrected Arabella, giggling.

"They do! How else are they supposed to fly so well?"

"With their eyes..."

"Bats are blind!"

"Now, now girls," chided Y/n. "We're almost at the end of our fifth year; you should at least be kind to each other."

"Yes, Mum."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't L/n, Figg, Dean, and Walker." Trish Vance sneered at them, while clutching Frank's arm painfully.

"Hello, Trish, Frank," greeted Y/n through gritted teeth. "I see you've been enjoying yourselves."

Frank sighed immediately, rolling his eyes, while Trish pretended not to notice and said, "Oh, we're having the time of our lives! Ever since Frank dumped that Hart girl, he's been happier than ever."

"Are you sure about that?" said Jennifer sharply.

"Of course I'm sure, Dean. Who wouldn't be happy with me?" She gave Jennifer a smug smile.

"I wouldn't," the latter muttered under her breath.

"Frankie? Why so quiet?"

"Don't call me that," he ordered.

"Why not? I think it's utterly cute!"

"It's—it's what Alice used to call me."

Trish narrowed her eyes. "You mean Hart? Well, at least she has fine taste in nicknames, I have to say—"

"Alice is better than you," interrupted Y/n, her green eyes blazing. "She's kind, considerate, smart, and she's a prefect. And you're just a low-life brat who's jealous of her! Yes, that's right! Jealous!"

"My dear L/n, I do believe you're raving," said Trish smoothly, though her delicate cheeks looked rather flustered. "Perhaps a bit of pumpkin juice will do the trick..."

"Leave her alone, Trish," said Frank quietly.

"Why should I?" she demanded angrily.

"Because she's right," said Arabella coolly. "Alice is so much better than you. You are just jealous—jealous that Alice has Frank and everything that you've ever wanted."

Trish snorted. "Hart doesn't have Frankie anymore. He dumped her, remember?"

The four girls looked at Frank expectantly, as if wanting him to say that he still loved Alice. But he remained silent, looking at his reflection on the lake. Trish huffed and stomped off back to the castle again.

"Why don't you get Alice back?" hissed Y/n.

"She hates me," was his only coherent reply.

"Well, I don't blame her. If you don't get her back, then...see you at her wedding."

"Wedding?" Frank spluttered.

"Yeah. Sturges is planning to ask her to marry him next year. So if you don't hurry up, she'll be Alice Diggle instead of Alice Longbottom."

With that said, Y/n led her friends back to the castle, leaving a stunned Frank Longbottom behind.

"Potter," said Y/n venomously. "You have to let us share this compartment! There's no where else to sit. The only one with space in it is occupied by Snape and his gang. C'mon, please?"

"I thought you rather favored Snape, since you so willingly stood up for him a few days ago," replied James coolly. "Go off with you now; we're not going to allow you the pleasure."

"James..."

Did L/n just call me James? James shook his head. Maybe I should give her a chance. After all, Moony told me that I had to start the process of deflation soon.

"Oh, fine, L/n, you can take this compartment. If it makes you any happier, I'll go and sit with the Slytherins so you can have my seat, since there aren't enough in this compartment."

Y/n looked surprised. "No, you don't have to, Potter, I'll just sit on the floor if I have to—"

"Oh, no, I do insist." With that said, James swept out of the compartment, not giving a single last glance.

"That was sweet of him," commented Jennifer, smiling. "I never knew James had it in him."

Remus grinned mischievously and exchanged delighted looks with Sirius and Peter, who understood James' whole plan of changing everything he was known for.

"All right, Remus Lupin, tell me what James is really planning," whispered Jennifer, frowning.

"He's started," said the werewolf briefly.

"Started what?"

"The process."

"The process of what? Remus!"

"Oh, just kidding, Jenny. Prongs—James—is starting the process of deflation. You know, deflating his ego, stuff like that. It's working, too."

"That's wonderful!"

"What's wonderful?" said Y/n suspiciously.

"Nothing," the couple replied automatically.

"Whatever."

Meanwhile, James was having bad luck in the Slytherins' compartment.

"You owe me, Potter," said Snape viciously. "You owe me your whole life."

"Sure, Snivellus," said James cheerfully. "Whatever you say! How are you today?"

"Absolutely spiffing," replied the greasy-haired boy sarcastically.

"Potter, tell us what you're doing here with us Slytherins when you should be conversing with your slimy Gryffindor friends," said Rosier, frowning.

"My dear Evan, don't be so sour! I want to be friends with you; don't you understand?"

Bellatrix and Narcissa snorted with disbelief, and Lestrange raised his eyebrows.

After the uneventful train ride, the eight of them met their parents. James grinned as he spotted his parents waving next to a Ministry car.

"You didn't come out of the same compartment as your friends," said Mr. Potter immediately.

"Yeah, the girls came to sit with us, and there wasn't enough room for Y/n, so I decided to—er—go to another compartment."

"That's so sweet, James," said Mrs. Potter tearfully. "I didn't know my son was such a gentleman!"

"You didn't sit with Hufflepuffs, did you?" Mr. Potter was thunderstruck.

"Er—no, actually, I sat with the Slytherins." James closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to come.

"WHAT?"

"It was the only compartment with space in it!"

Just then, Y/n left her parents and stood in front of James, her cheeks red.

"Yes?" said James curtly.

"C-Can I speak to you privately?"

As they reached a part of King's Cross that was inhabited, Y/n blurted, "Look, thanks."

"For what?"

"For giving me your seat in the train and having to sit with those awful Slytherins." Y/n made a face.

James laughed. "It's no problem, L/n—Y/n."

Y/n smiled and hugged James. "See you this September...James."

James looked dazed, watching Y/n go back with her parents again. She had called him by his first name, instead of "Potter"! He felt as though he could jump for joy, but fought the urge, as he went back to his parents again, beaming.

There's hope after all, he thought joyously, as he got into the car.

A/N: I'm so sorry that I kept you waiting for this chapter, but it's done, and I'm rather pleased with it...not. It's terrible again, I know, but I'm getting major Writer's Block! However, I do have stuff planned for Y/n and James' summers...especially for James. This summer is where he gets a new companion moving in with his family.

tags; @theredheadedwinchester

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sirius/remus, part iii

part i / part ii

The Survivor, by apolesen (145k)

1985. Four years after the death of his friends, Remus decides to break out of the pattern of his post-war life and try living among Muggles. In a sleepy town in southern England and the bustling city of London, he tries to build a new life for himself, piece by piece. The more he sees of the Muggle world, the more Remus wonders if that structure is as stable as he would like to think it is.

“The Survivor” is set in Thatcherite Britain, in the wake of the Falklands War and the onset of the British AIDS epidemic. It explores themes of disease, stigma, war trauma and grief, reflecting both on the historical context of the 1980s and Rowling’s characterisation of Remus Lupin.

Time, As a Symptom, by tigrrmilk (12k)

“Ah,” Remus had said, as dry as he could manage. “An aristocratic youth on his grand tour.”

Sirius knocked his arm. “Hey,” he said. “Grander than most, at least. You’ve got to give me that.”

Seven of them go to space. One stays there.

Light in August, by orestesfasting (21k)

Summer, 1977. With the full moon approaching, Sirius heads up to the Lupins’ countryside cottage to make himself useful. Or to make a complete and utter arse out of himself, because really, that’s all he can seem to do around Remus these days.

EXILE/RETURN, by zambla (5k)

Sirius makes a road trip down to the Gower peninsula. Non-magic AU. 1980s-1990s.

Orbital, by tevere, (3k)

The thing about orbiting is, see, that it’s not flying at all – it’s falling. It’s just that you’re going fast enough to match the curvature of the Earth: you’re falling round and round, and never getting any closer.

Anastasia & Spinning Jenny, by librae (8k)

Grimmauld Place is eating Sirius alive.

A Bright Particular Star, by torch (24k)

Remus and Sirius celebrate their last Christmas at Hogwarts.

A Late Frost, by kest (1k)

Remus and Sirius in the first war.

the summer you let your hair grow out, by ladymemebeth (20k)

an AU story in which sirius decides to go to remus’ house when he runs away, rather than james’. remus finds this situation to be trying in more ways than one. includes gratuitous references to twentieth-century cinema and music.

A Short Discourse on Cruelty, by imochan (1k)

So, friendship - it hurts, sometimes. Companion to A Short Discourse on Kindness.

A Short Discourse on Kindness, by imochan (1k)

Companion to A Short Discourse on Cruelty. Three verses.

The Rosary, by fluorescentgrey (31k)

On a Thursday in April 1943 Remus took the train from London to Birmingham, where a stately black car was waiting at the station to take him a short drive southwest to Hagley. In a wood on the estate of the Viscount Cobham of Hagley Hall four local boys hunting quail had found a woman’s skeleton in a wych elm tree.

These Young Lions, by enjambament (26k)

On Hallowe’en night, 1981, Sirius runs for his freedom and ends up as a dog on the doorstep of No. 11 Privet Drive. But that’s only the beginning. What comes next is a desperate hunt for the evidence to give Sirius his life back, and give Harry a home.

The Weather Inside, by earlybloomingparenthesis (43k)

Sirius rides a flying motorbike, and snogs strangers in pubs, and strikes moody poses Remus finds irritatingly attractive. But for Remus, who drinks milky tea and wears flannel pyjamas, there’s a chasm cracked right down the fault line between wanting and doing.

How he wants, though. How he wants.

Longsdune, by imochan (3k)

He supposes that this is what is expected of him, to sit here and listen to wetness sinking into the earth and remember how it felt when it was sunny, and there were four of them, and Sirius Black looked at him like he was a piece of the universe he wanted to understand so badly that he was willing to take Remus apart completely and then put him back together.

Tesserae (the Missing Pieces Remix), by glass_icarus (3k)

Post-PoA. Sirius is picking up the pieces, but putting them back together requires help.

When We Were Gone Astray, by shaggydogstail (4k)

A brief history of Christmastime with Sirius bringing up Harry.

it is our crooked aim, by misandrywitch (4k)

He’s been gone for three days, and he didn’t tell Sirius where he was going or how long he’d be gone. He has no idea where Sirius is, or when he’ll be back. That’s how it’s been for a while now. He makes himself tea and runs a bath and sits in the tub until the water is grey and chilly with sloughed-off dirt. Remus is twenty-one. He feels eighty.

This World Lies At The Bottom Of A Lake, by berhanes (7k)

Briefly he’d considered going to visit Remus, but Sirius has too many stacked up feelings about him to add any more, and he doesn’t trust himself not to ruin their carefully patched situation in the wake of the incident – it’s only been a year, after all, and there’s no better way to shatter a barely recovered friendship than by doing something stupid like throwing out a declaration of love in the middle of explaining the myriad ways in which your family is deranged and terrible. So instead Sirius had hailed the Knight Bus and requested Bowness-on-Windermere.

Postscript, by yeats (1k)

“All that anger — I don’t like how it feels anymore, having it inside me.”

What forgiveness might look like.

One That You Can Keep, by thistlerose (1k)

“Where all my journies end / If you can make a promise / if it’s one that you can keep / I vow to come for you…”

bright ambassadors, by librae (1k)

(PWP, basically)

The Years to Come, by toyhto (3k)

Remus is watching him closely and trying to weight their love, trying to decide if it’s real enough or not, and he knows he would be doing the same if he didn’t already know. It’s real. It always was. They were complete idiots.

Escape for Another Day, by veeagainst (2k)

A life and death experience brings Sirius and Remus together.

four thousand two hundred and sixty, by Kel (2k)

I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn’t a happy thought, so the dementors couldn’t suck it out of me.

– Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Atlantic Specimen, by ourmutualfriend (3k)

Opiate dream.

A Peripheral Vision, by carmine_ink (2k)

Set in Cambridge at the end of the century, Remus and Sirius struggle to exist in a society that refuses to accept them.

Hold On to Whatever You Find, by fallovermelikestars (10k)

“…he hadn’t planned to jump Sirius’ bones almost as soon as he walked through the door, had actually planned to fix him a square meal and then set about avoiding him for a few days – or forever – but he’d been marinating in whiskey for over an hour and Sirius had fucking smiled at him as he pushed the door closed behind him and that smile, it’s always been Remus’s undoing.”

Then I Would Come and Find You, by RuinsPlume (2k)

This is what saves them every time.

between towers, by tigrrmilk (8k)

Through the doorway at the end of the entrance hall, he could see a wide portion of the small quad ahead. Green and lush. It was early October, and the sun was shining, thank the lord. Or at least thank Merlin. It was Michaelmas. And Remus was taking up a place at Oxford to read English.

Argentum, by happiestwhen (1k)

Memories are only as permanent as you allow them to be.

Homeless Near a Thousand Homes, by lorax (3k)

“He went there because he wanted to remember, and he stayed because he had no other place to be.”

Our lives will run like / Sparks through the stubble, by zambla (13k)

1984. Remus J Lupin, post first wizarding war, is in Berlin. His father has just died. He goes back to his childhood homes, the places he passed through, and realizes that his memory is a map that is folded on itself.

Told in interwoven present and past times, concerning his relationship to his parents, himself, and the traitor, Sirius Black.

My homage to the film Blue (1993) by the great English filmmaker Derek Jarman.

Diamonds and Rust, by toyhto (6k)

“My heart would get broken,” he says roughly, “that’s why.“

Sirius draws his hand back. “I wonder how that feels.”

“I don’t.”

The Season of Love and Death, by mustntgetmy (2k)

A little love letter to autumn, Remus/Sirius style. From their first kisses at Hogwarts beneath the Forbidden Forest foliage, to sharing cups of cocoa in a London park near the end of the first war.

The Man Who Counts Waves, by Underlucius (1k)

If he stops counting he’ll remember who lives on the other side of that azure flood, and then he would walk into the sea and never return. So he counts the waves.

The Impossible Season, by coyotesuspect (21k)

Six months after falling through the Veil, Sirius comes back. As a seventeen-year-old.

Remus takes him in.

A Candle Put Out, by sopdetly (2k)

Now they hadn’t had sex in months, and Sirius knew he pulled away from Remus in his sleep, when they managed to sleep in bed together.

Lay Down, by taffetablue (1k)

After, they Apparate home, saturated with rain and blood, and the oily slide of dark magic skidding along Remus’s skin like unfamiliar hands.

Ghost of Winter, by earlybloomingparenthesis (3k)

Christmas is coming and the bite of winter is in the air, and way up north in the Highlands the mountains are big and bleak enough to hide even Azkaban’s most wanted from prying eyes. All Remus can imagine is being snowbound alone with Sirius. Unfortunately, there’s a ghost who has other plans.

Wandering, Gets You Down, by hiddendaze (5k)

AU premise: Remus is in Ravenclaw and doesn’t really know Peter, James and Sirius. Consequently, there is no Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs.

a country mile, by sea_schtick (1k)

The summer after Harry’s third year, and Sirius refuses to be alone.

To Fill A Gap, by berhanes (8k)

Sirius’ face is caught in a rectangle of late afternoon sun and Remus wants suddenly to reach across the three feet and fourteen years between them and touch him where the light hits. He lets himself imagine that he could, that in a moment he’ll just lean forward and trace the curve between Sirius’ neck and his jaw with his fingertips without it feeling like penitence. A different version of himself would’ve already done it. But then, a different version of himself wouldn’t be here in the first place.

Any Other Night, by mustntgetmy (6k)

In 1977, Remus and Sirius set about trying to kill the moon, and years later, in Azkaban, Sirius reflects on this and on his damaged relationship with Remus.

Of Monsters, by llassah (8k)

Sirius always expected to go into the Black family business. Said family business just happens to involve kneecappings, murder, and the most powerful criminals in London. When Sirius decides to leave home at nineteen with a briefcase full of money and a few other essentials, he has no idea that he will end up sharing a dosshouse with a lunatic in a tweed jacket with the reading habits of an Oxford don and staggering intermittent anger issues. Sad thing is, it’s probably the safest place for him right now. Until it isn’t.

stir the flame anew, by blanketed_in_stars (5k)

It’s a light tawny who sits patiently while he reads. Moony—send something back if it’s a bad time. Otherwise I’ll be there at noon. Cheers, Padfoot. There’s nothing more, as if it were the last note in a conversation they’d already been having, but Remus can’t recall anything of the sort. He’d remember if they’d talked about this. He’d remember, he thinks, watching the owl drink the water which he absentmindedly offers her, if they’d talked at all.

Two winters after the war, Remus receives an owl, and, shortly thereafter, an unexpected houseguest.

Souvenir, by sopdetly (3k)

Remus returns from another mission; Sirius has missed him.

Concomitant, by peccadilloes (1k)

Remus comes home and into the kitchen that evening with a soft blue book, and he sets it on the table.

“Some hipster hippie witch in Venice gave it to me,” he says. “Makes them.”

Sirius picks up the book and in his hands it changes, grows large and slim and harder bound. He rubs his thumb over its waxed thread, and its cover pools with longing.

a lie low in Los Angeles, oneiromancy

We’ll Both Forget the Breeze, by happiestwhen (1k)

In winter, time seems to trickle down with the melting snow.

[padfootagain]

All That The Wind Carries

Chapter  1 : One Year, Two Schools

So... this is a story I’ve been posting on fanfiction.net, but I have a massive writer block on it. So I’m trying to edit it to get back to it. I’ll be posting the chapters here too as I edit them, I’m sure It's going to give me some motivation.

This is an AU. It’s Jily and Blackinnon. It’s gonna be a long ride... I hope you all like it. Tell me what you think about it :)

Word Count : 5350

It was strange not to go to back Hogwarts.

It was strange not to go to the train station, not to run through the wall to the platform 9 3/4, not to hear the sound of the train as it was about to start its trip to Scotland.

It was strange not to walk with Sirius through the Muggle crowd, not to hug Remus and Peter on the platform after weeks without seeing his best friends, not to recognize Lily's hair coming out of the blue through a cloud of smoke.

It was strange to think that he wouldn't be at the feast this year, nor play a few pranks at the new students, nor see the Sorting Ceremony.

It was strange to think that he would not walk to his dormitory in the Gryffindor Tower, relieved to abandon his robes for his pyjamas, and claim a good night of sleep in the welcoming school he loved so much.

Instead, James was walking in Muggle clothes towards the portal of a private High School in London.

A Muggle school.

All around him, no one was wearing robes, nor holding wands. They were in uniforms, but only with a black tie, a white shirt and black trousers. No one was wearing gold and red, nor blue, yellow, or green. He knew that they didn't have schoolbooks about charms or potions in their bags, but chemistry and literature.

He didn't recognize anything as he walked through the wooden gates and into the schoolyard. The walls were all made of stones, and there were trees that grew through the paved yard, just like they did at the magical castle, but it wasn't his school. He couldn't find back this feeling of coming home that he felt every time he walked into Hogwarts.

Clearly, Saint Peter School was nothing like Hogwarts.

Although, there were some things that never changed...

"Well, that's what I call a statue," Sirius said, whistling and nodding towards the impressive statue of Saint Peter that seemed to watch over the yard, its serious figure staring at them with a disapprobative glance. "Even in Hogwarts, this lad would look proud."

"It would make a good friend for Mourning Myrtle," James answered.

Sirius laughed, but the boy on their right merely rolled his eyes.

"We haven't been here for five minutes, and you're already being stupid," Remus complained.

"Come on, Moony, you can't deny it was funny!" Peter protested, finally catching up on his friends.

There was a flash of red, like a wave of fire through the crowd, and even if James could only see it for a second, he recognized to whom this hair belonged in an instant. His heart started to beat faster into his chest, and he felt his stomach doing crazy flip-flops.

"So... Ginger Devil's already here, hey..." Sirius said, a mischievous smile badly hidden on his face.

James merely walked on his friend's foot purposefully.

"Don't start, Padfoot."

"Come on, Prongs, relax. I'm sure you'll finally manage to seduce her this year. After all, she didn't jinx you that much last year... she only made your head swell once, okay, but it wasn't that bad..."

"If this was supposed to make me feel better, it didn't, Pads."

"You're always so touchy when it comes to Evans..." Sirius complained.

"Well, I don't know, perhaps it's because I've tried to convince her to go out with me for years and that all I ever received from her are shouts and jinxes."

"You don't have the most delicate techniques though."

"Oh, shut up!"

Remus chuckled, patting James's shoulder.

"Don't worry. You're Head boy now after all. And she's Head girl. You'll have plenty of occasions to hang out with her, and chat, and... try to seduce her."

James heaved a sigh.

"I hate you, guys."

"We know you don't, Prongs," Peter replied, laughing.

Sirius finally recognized the group of Hogwarts students that stood in a corner of the yard.

"Looks like we've found our classmates," he said, walking towards them, his friends following close.

They shook hands with Frank Longbottom and Caradoc Dearborn, along with some Hufflepuffs who played in the Quidditch team. But when James recognized Severus Snape in the crowd, apparently talking to Bellatrix Black, he couldn't help but frown.

"I didn't think we would see any Slytherin here," he mumbled.

"Apparently, they all came," Frank said.

"Why?" asked Peter.

"Trouble I guess," the Hufflepuff Seeker answered. "I'm sure they hope to fuck up the whole program. You know?' Muggles and Wizards will never be able to live peacefully together' and all the shit."

"Yeah, I bet they're hoping it will go ill..." Remus nodded gloomily.

"I don't reckon it would have been easy even without them..." Sirius said, nodding towards a group of Muggle students who were staring at them like they were animals in a zoo.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I guess... we all have to get used to it, that's all," Remus reassured him.

"Hmm... not so sure."

"Don't be pessimistic, Padfoot."

"All I'm saying is that... if there are some students coming from Hogwarts who want to make all of this fuck up because they're too stupid to think that we could all live as equals and in peace, you can be sure that some students from this High School will think exactly the same. We'll have allies and foes on both sides, and it's naive to think the contrary."

"It freaks me out when you actually speak intelligent things, Pads."

"Fuck off, Moony."

"Here, sounds more like you."

On the other side of the schoolyard, another group, made this time of Muggle students, had formed. They were looking at the Wizards and Witches with curious expressions...

"You think they're the students that we're going to study with?" Frank asked the four Gryffindor boys.

"I guess," James shrugged."Apparently, they started class yesterday, they already know who their referent teacher is."

"And we didn't have our traditional feast..." Peter complained.

"I guess we'll just have to follow them to class then," Dearborn said.

James merely shrugged again in response. But the suspense was not to remain for long. Soon, Albus Dumbledore, followed closely by Professor McGonagall and a Muggle woman who seemed to be the Headmistress of the Muggle school, walked into the yard.

"Your attention, please, children," Dumbledore said, in his loud and warm voice.

All the Wizards and Witches approached him in an instant to listen to his speech, though the Muggle students seemed more hesitant. But they approached anyway, and listened as well to the Headmaster of the Wizarding school.

"All of you who are gathered here have volunteered to be part of this program, that I hope, shall prove to the world what we all believe in. That Wizards and Muggles can live in peace, together. It's been five years now since our existence was revealed to the eyes of Muggles. And I'm sure that there is no need to remind you that the situation between our two communities have never been more uncertain. Many of us, in both sides, have suffered from all this hate, and I am sad at the thought that we all shall suffer from it again before it is all over."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"But this is our chance to show the World that hate can be overcome," he went on. "This is our chance to show to all who still doubt that we can live peacefully, and that we all have things to teach and learn from each other."

The Headmistress of Saint Peter school stepped forward, and came next to Dumbledore.

"Until February you shall all study here, at Saint Peter School," she said in a very high-pitched voice. "During this time, you shall spend half the day together, studying Muggle classes. During the other part of the day, the Wizards and Witches will follow their own classes, so they can get prepared for their NEWTs. After February, you will all be sent to Hogwarts, the Wizarding school, where you will all follow Wizarding classes half the day. Muggle students will next be separated from Wizards to follow their own lessons and prepare their own exams that are coming at the end of the year. Thus, both Muggle and Wizarding students shall be ready to pass their own examinations."

"I hope you will remember," Dumbledore went on, his tone serious, but full of hope as well, "that this is a chance that will probably not occur again before a very long time. And if things were to turn ill, the tensions between our two communities would only rise. So, even if I know that you are only children, I expect from all of you to behave like the adults you have already started to become..."

He stared for a moment at the Gryffindors, his electric blue eyes fixed upon the four boys.

"Now, I guess we should all get to work," he added, and there were sparkles of mischief back in his eyes.

It was McGonagall's turn to step forward.

"Before I tell you which class you are going to follow this morning, and thus with which Muggle students you're going to study until February, I'd like to remind you that as long as you are studying Muggle classes, you cannot use Magic."

She intensely stared at Sirius and James.

"Is it clear for everyone here?"

They all nodded, though it was hard for the two boys not to laugh.

"We can begin then," Dumbledore nodded, but he was awful at hiding the smile that curved up his lips.

"The four houses shall be mixed with four classes from Saint Peter School," McGonagall said. "Ravenclaws shall follow Mrs Arthur's students to Mathematics lesson."

The Ravenclaws followed the group of students who started to leave the yard and head for the stairs.

"Slytherins shall go join the class of Mr Lewis for English literature."

The Slytherins followed the second group of Muggles that left the yard in silence.

"Hufflepuffs will follow the class of Mrs Willows for Physics and Chemistry."

The Hufflepuffs disappeared as well. And now, there were only the Gryffindors left, along with ten Muggle teenagers that stared at them as if they were in a circus...

"Gryffindors, you shall go to History class with Mrs Hamilton."

When James turned around towards the Muggle students they were already leaving the yard, and heading towards an impressive wooden staircase that climbed into the main building directly to the third floor. They then turned left and walked down a corridor, that seemed dusty and smelled like moist.

All along, no one talked. No one really knew how to start a normal conversation. No one really knew what they were supposed to do, except walking to class. And so they did just that, and James tried to memorize the map of the school already. He guessed it was just a reflex after all these years spent mapping Hogwarts.

First one corridor on the left, then turn right, second door on the left, climb up a flight of stairs, and then the third door on the left.

A Muggle boy opened the blue door, upon which the old paint was cracking, letting guess the colour of the wood under the worn-out colours. But instead of stepping inside, he turned towards the rest of the students.

"Hi," he breathed.

He sounded like he was afraid of these unknown faces. Lily merely smiled at him, a reassuring warmth in her green eyes.

"Hi," she answered, a little laugh in her voice.

She sounded amused. James had stopped looking at the Muggle guy. He could never look at anything but Lily when she smiled anyway...

"Mrs Hamilton won't arrive before 15 minutes," the Muggle boy went on. "Apparently, they thought it was best if we explained how the school works before our first class."

Remus smiled and nodded, encouraging the boy to continue.

"To make sure that we would all interact with each other, our teachers have already decided for us where we would sit in class."

James and Sirius exchanged a horrified glance... If McGonagall was involved in this, they would never be able to sit next to each other this year...

"So, the list is here on the teacher's desk. Let's go and find our seat, shall we?" the boy went on, before stepping into the classroom, and heading towards the long and old wooden desk at the front of the classroom.

Everyone gathered around him to take a look at the sketch of the room, searching for their names on the piece of paper.

And McGonagall was most definitely involved in this...

"Oh, Fuck!"

They all turned towards Sirius. His eyes were round, he looked absolutely horrified.

"I'm on the second row! I'll kill McGonagall for this!"

James finally spotted his name. He was on the first row, next to the door, on the right of the classroom. Sirius was on the second row, on the opposite side, next to the windows. There was no way they could interact during classes without being noticed.

"Shit, man... She's got to be kidding me!" he breathed.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"We've been in class for less than two minutes, and you're already complaining..."

"It does suck, though..." James replied. "I bet you won't be particularly happy to learn that you're at the back of the class either, are you?"

"What!?"

Whilst the Gryffindors were complaining about their position in the classroom, the Muggle students had all walked to their seat, without a single word.

"At least we're together Lils, look," Alice reassured her.

Lily smiled at her friend.

"You're right. It's not that bad."

Meanwhile, Sirius had walked to his seat, and let himself fall in his chair with a desperate sigh. Remus merely chuckle when he walked next to him to reach his own seat.

"It's not that bad," he told Sirius, as he sat two rows behind the boy.

Sirius merely glared at him.

"I hate you," he said, which only made his friend laugh harder.

Marlene McKinnon sat right before Sirius.

"Oh, wonderful..." he sighed, but this time his tone wasn't annoyed, it was mischievous. "Now, I even have an arse before me."

The blond girl turned around, glaring at him.

"Don't start, Black."

"Start what?"

"Calling me things like 'arse'. Don't you know you're not supposed to insult people every time you open your fucking mouth?"

"Language!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I just said you were an arse..." Sirius went on. "...And a lovely one too, by the way."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Don't start."

"Start what?"

But she merely turned back towards the board, and chose to ignore him.

"She doesn't seem to like you very much."

Sirius turned towards the black haired girl behind him.

"Nah... she likes me," he answered.

He offered the girl his open hand, staring right into her big blue eyes.

"I'm Sirius, by the way."

"Angel," she answered, shaking his hand.

He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was...

"So... how is that teacher of yours?" he asked.

"She's okay I think."

"Yeah, she's a kind woman," the blond boy next to Sirius added.

"Is there any teacher we should be worried about?" James asked from the other side of the classroom.

"Arthur is very strict," the boy answered. "And Mr Howley is completely crazy."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he teaches biology. He's fucked up. You'll see. We have class with him right after Mrs Hamilton's lesson."

"When will we have our time tables ?" Lily asked.

"No idea," the boy shrugged. "Probably this morning."

They were finally all talking together. For sure, of not very important things, but still...

It felt good to see the ice melt between them all.

It was the moment their teacher chose to walk through the door and enter the room. She was young, not older than thirty, with long blond curls falling on her shoulders. She grinned at the sight of the teenagers all talking together across the room.

"Ha, I can see that you're talking together already. Perfect, I was scared you would all be a bit shy at first."

She walked to the desk, and put her coat on her chair, before sitting on her wooden desk, rearranging her blue dress.

"I'm Mrs Hamilton, and I teach History. I will also be your referent teacher in the Muggle school," she added for the Wizarding students. "So, if your Head of House is not at Saint Peter, it is me you have to call for. Before we start, I'd like you all to quickly present yourselves to the class. Let's start with you."

She pointed at James, and the boy merely shrugged in response, getting up and saying his name.

"What is your favourite class at Hogwarts, James," she asked.

"Transfiguration," he answered without an hesitation.

"What is it?" the teacher asked, an obvious curiosity in her voice.

"It's the Magic used to change the form of objects."

"Could you make us a demonstration?"

James shrugged again, and took his wand out of his pocket. In the back of the class, Lily cleared her throat.

"We are not supposed to use Magic during Muggle classes, professor," Lily told her.

"I'm sure your teachers will forgive you if I am the one who actually asks to use Magic, Miss..."

"Evans, Lily Evans."

The teacher nodded, before focusing on James one more time.

"So... could you show us?"

James turned towards the Muggle girl sitting next to him. He pointed his wand at her book, and with a quick flick of his wand, the pages turned into feathers, and a beautiful raven was soon walking upon her desk.

All the Muggles in the class looked at the animal in awe.

"That's beautiful, James! " the teacher clapped.

Another flick of his wand, and the bird had disappeared, the history book back on the desk.

"Well, thank you, James," Mrs Hamilton nodded. "Now, please, everyone, when you present yourself, tell us also what your favourite class is, and for the Wizards and Witches, a demonstration is more than welcome."

All the students rose one by one, and spells were cast (Sirius's firework in the shape of a dog was clapped for a long while), until it was Remus's time to stand and tell his name.

"My favourite class is Defence Against the Dark Arts," he explained.

"Dark Arts? What are these?" Angel asked.

"Dark Magic. Magic can be used to hurt people as well. And there are some magical creatures that use this kind of powers against humans too. It teaches us how to defend ourselves."

"But, you mean that only creatures can use Dark Magic?"

"No. We are taught how to defend ourselves against dark creatures. But we are also taught how to fight."

"So... you can use your Magic to hurt people as well..."

A rumour shook the Muggles gathered in the room.

"We are not supposed to. But there are evil people in both the Muggle and the Wizarding world," Remus tried to explain. "If we have this kind of class, it is to avoid that people could use Magic with evil means."

But it wasn't enough to stop all the whispering.

"Could you show us one of the spells, Remus, please?" the teacher asked.

He thought for a moment, before closing his eyes and raising his wand, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"Expecto Patronum," he said.

And all the whispers died out when a white wolf came out of the boy's wand and walked across the room in mid-air. It was like light in the shape of an animal. When Remus made his patronus disappear, the whole class clapped, and it seemed that the mention of Dark Wizards was forgotten.

But not quite yet...

"What do you use this spell for?" the black haired boy next to him, called Joey, asked.

"It's used to repulse Dementors," Remus answered.

"Dementors?"

"They are Dark creatures, they nourish themselves on happy memories. They steal all the joy from the world around them."

"How lovely..." Angel snorted.

"They are also the guardians of the Wizarding prison here, in Britain. It's called Azkaban."

"So... you have a prison especially for Wizards?" Joey asked.

"Yes, of course."

"So there are dangerous Wizards out there..."

"Like there are dangerous Muggles," Sirius answered in Remus's stead.

"So it's true what they say..." Joey went on, ignoring Sirius's remark. "About this Wizard and his followers."

Remus took a careful look at Marlene.

"Yes, it's true," he said slowly.

"Like the Free Minds Movement is real on the Muggle side," Sirius added, but he was once again ignored.

"So... there are Wizards who want to kill Muggles," Joey insisted.

"And there are Muggles who want to kill Wizards," Sirius replied.

"There is evil in both the Muggle and the Wizarding societies. It doesn't mean that we can't show everyone that there is nothing to fear in sharing our two worlds," Lily said.

"I know, it's just..." Joey stuttered. "Don't get me wrong, if I'm here it's because I want to learn about Magic and everything, but... It's still scary to think that some people are ready to do pretty much anything to make sure that we will never live together in peace. "

"But... I heard that some Wizarding families were attacked as well by this... Voldemort or something..." Angel asked.

Peter winced.

"Don't say his name," he shrieked, and Angel blushed as she saw terror in his eyes.

"It's just a name, Peter," James replied, his voice deadly cold. "Don't react like that, like you were just a coward."

"James is right," Marlene said slowly. "It's just a name. It is this kind of reaction that have led us to this situation. To fear and sorrow..."

All the Gryffindors stared intensely at her, and there was a moment of silence, broken by the teacher when she cleared her throat. None of the Muggles could understand why they were all staring at her this way, but it was obvious that something terrible had happened, or would happen...

"Let's continue," Mrs Hamilton said. "Maggie, it's your turn," she added to the girl sitting next to Remus.

Once everyone had been introduced to the class, Mrs Hamilton jumped down from her desk, and picked up a white chalk, turning towards the blackboard.

"Alright, there isn't much time left for the lesson, but we'll start anyway. Please, take out your notebooks and pencils. This year, we'll start by studying the 1920s..."

She turned around as the class was shaken by a wave of whispers.

"What is it?" she asked her students.

The Wizards and Witches had picked up their parchment, quill and dark ink from their bag, and the Muggles couldn't refrain their chuckles.

"Wait, are you serious?" Maggie asked Remus.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"You use quills?" Joey asked, aghast.

"Yes..." James answered, narrowing his eyes. "What about it?"

"Why do you not use pens and pencils?"

"I don't know... we all use quills and parchment," James merely answered with a shrug.

"When you will be done with talking about quills and paper," the teacher interrupted the two boys, an amused smile curving up her lips, "let me know, so we can begin the lesson."

They immediately stopped talking, and turned again towards the blackboard, to copy the title of the first chapter they would study that year.

"So, what happened during this period?" the teacher asked the class. "And for the Wizards and Witches, you can tell us about this period too of course. It is History class, and I intend to study both History of the Muggle and the Wizarding World with you this year."

As always, Lily's hand was the first to rise.

"Yes Lily, go on," the teacher nodded.

"The 1920s were mostly marked by the raise of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald. He was very active in Europe and America during this period of time. It was also the period of rebuilding after the War..."

"Wait... do you mean that you fought during World War I?" Joey asked, aghast.

"And World War II," James nodded.

"Really?"

James nodded.

"What kind of fighting did you do?" the teacher asked.

"Normal fighting," Sirius shrugged.

"The British Communication Center is known to have been the most efficient and the safest service for the exchange of information during the two World Wars," Lily answered. "The British army was also most feared for its knowledge in dragons warfare."

"You used dragons?" Angel gasped.

Lily nodded.

"The British army was very good at it," she said, but there was a bitterness in her voice, like she didn't approve the use of magical creatures.

James smiled. It wasn't surprising that someone like Lily would not approve...

"What about this dark Wizard you were mentioning?" the teacher asked Lily.

"Gellert Grindelwald was a Dark Wizard. He wanted to reveal the existence of Wizards to the Muggles, because he thought it would provoke a war between us. And he thought Wizards could win it."

There was a heavy silence across the classroom for a moment.

"Why did he want to do that?" Mrs Hamilton asked.

"He thought that Wizards and Witches should not have to hide and be afraid of Muggles. He thought they were more powerful. He saw Muggles as enemies."

"Why did you hide in the first place though?" Angel asked.

"There are less Wizards and Witches in the World than Muggles," Peter answered. "To protect ourselves, and our traditions, we thought it was best to hide."

"By separating the two communities, it insured a certain peace," Remus went on. "Muggles usually don't like much Wizards and Witches."

"It was a long time ago though, the time when we used to burn Witches," Joey said.

James laughed.

"You never burnt any Witch. An elementary spell allows us to be completely protected of fire."

"You only killed Muggles this way, not witches," Sirius nodded.

"But the persecution was still there. Witches and Wizards were always hated, and they grew afraid quickly," Remus said. "It was best for everyone to separate the two worlds."

"What was your reaction when your society was revealed to us?" the teacher asked the Wizarding students.

James shrugged.

"It changed many things on a daily basis, that's for sure. I don't think they changed for the worst though. We don't have to be as cautious as before."

"What about you?" Mrs Hamilton asked Lily.

The girl shrugged.

"I'm a Muggleborn, so..."

"A what?" Angel asked.

"Both my parents are Muggles," Lily explained. "Although, I have Magical abilities."

"So... even with Muggle parents, you can be able to make magic?"

"It is quite rare though," Lily nodded.

"So you already knew everything about us," the teacher smiled.

Lily nodded, smiling as well.

"Now I can practice my spells in my garden without fear of being seen by my Muggle neighbours during the Summer," Lily smiled.

They were interrupted by the ringing of a bell, signalling the end of the class, and soon everyone was walking towards the door. But Sirius couldn't help but notice that Marlene was taking her time to pack up her things.

A bit too much for it to be natural indeed...

"Hey, McKinnon, you're okay?" he asked.

She looked up at him. He seemed genuinely worried, which was rare enough to be noticed. Sirius was never worried about anything. He was the always-confident-always-reckless-and-childish Sirius Black.

Or at least, he never showed his worry to her...

"I'm fine, Black," she answered.

"You'd better hurry, or you'll get lost throughout the school without your Muggle guides," the teacher told them, smiling.

They both hurried out of the classroom and into the corridor, and soon found back their classmates. But Marlene didn't seem so keen to join the rest of the students, and so Sirius remained with her, a few strides behind their friends.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Her tone was cold, and defensive. It was a tone he knew only too well. He had used it for years with James and Remus. It was the tone that allowed him to run away from conversations. It was the tone he used when he didn't want to answer a question.

It was the tone he used to avoid talking about his family.

"Look," he said slowly, "with all you've been through this summer..."

"I don't want to talk about that now, Black."

"I know, I just mean..."

"I don't need your pity, Black," she spat.

He stopped her before she could follow their classmates into the new classroom.

"It's not what I meant..." he added. "Pity is not what I had in mind."

She looked up at him. To prevent her from joining the others in the classroom, he had caught her by the arm. His hold was firm, but gentle as well. It was reassuring, somehow, like the gesture of a friend.

"I... I won't say that I know what it is to lose your family, to lose both your parents..." he went on, in a low whisper, making sure that no one could eavesdrop their conversation. "But I know what it is to find yourself in the home of a friend, and to have to act as if it was your own."

She could see that he was confessing something very personal, something he had probably never told anyone. She was transfixed, merely able to stare at his hypnotic grey eyes.

"I know what it is to unpack your suitcase in the home of your best friend," he went on, "and to have to start over. So... if you need to talk about that, you can come and see me, okay?"

She wanted to laugh. Sirius Black offering her his help... it was hilarious. Or well, under any other circumstances it would have been. The subject of their conversation was everything but funny though...

She gave him a sad smile.

"Thank you, I'll think about it."

He nodded, letting go of her.

"Let's go for a new adventure then," he said, his mischievous smile back on his lips, as he pointed at the classroom.

"What is it supposed to be about again?" she asked.

"Bio... something."

"I have a bad feeling about this class," she shook her head, starting towards the open door.

But Sirius was frozen on the spot, staring at something down the corridor, a serious frown on his face. Marlene followed his gaze.

Down the corridor, some Slytherins were talking together and he could easily recognize them from where he stood : Snape, Avery, Lestrange and Bella Black. Anyone who didn't know them would have thought they were not less innocent than any teenager in the school. But Sirius knew better. He had seen through their games a long while ago. He knew they were playing a game of appearances. They were wearing masks of innocence, only to hurt more in the end.

When he spoke again, his voice sounded stern and cold.

"I have a bad feeling about this entire year..."

*******************

Tag list : @brien-odylan , @geeksareunique @giggleberts @justanothermaraudersblog @sad-orange-thoughts @aylinnmaslow @haritini2000 @ladyblablabla @drinix @joelynnp @mxrihollxnd @mikeselevennn

[scaredofrobots]

Unusual (chat with Evans 315)

Happy Galentines day @petalstofish this is for you. 

Thanks (I guess) to @shacklebolt-k for the idea. And @elanev91 and @beks21 for being my sentient fedoras with the European Colonial Construct of Grammar (I guess) cc @oyevans because you love BlackEvans as much as me and also are a sentient fedora on FFN

Sirius Black was on a mission.

Something was afoot, amiss and simply just not right.

Lily Evans Potter had lost all Christmas cheer. It was December 12th and she was not in her very favourite “13 days until Christmas jumper” which featured all the characters from the 12 Days of Christmas song.

So today, Sirius Black was going to get to the bottom of this- as he always did- with a chat and several bottles of Firewhiskey.

The Problem was first discovered on November 30th and there was nary a Christmas tree in sight.

It had been an odd year, to be fair, and Sirius had been travelling for much of October and November- so he hadn’t exactly been around the Potter household to experience the typical 84 days of Lily Evans Potter Christmas magic.

Therefore, he was a little shocked when he went to pick Lily up from the cottage in Godric’s Hollow to find there was no Christmas tree and no porch coated in glitter, garland and bobbles.

He assumed that this was because James was gone for six weeks to train with England for the World Cup and wouldn't be back until Christmas Eve.

“Alright, Evans...I’m sorry- Mrs. Potter?” he asked as she opened the door and let him in.

“You keep saying that like it is funny every time,” Lily responded, rolling her eyes. “It was funny once.”

“Evans, you wound me,” he smiled and was surprised to find Lily was hugging him. “There, there, Evans- I know you’ve been lonely without your boys.”

Sniffing slightly, Lily stated, “You have no idea.”

“Well,  my lovely Mrs. Prongs- I know what will cheer you up! Let’s go get a Christmas tree and decorate the shit out of your house,” Sirius said and offered his arm to her.

Lily took it and they went on their way. They spent the day getting the Christmas tree and several decorations.

They transformed the cottage into a winter wonderland and Sirius was glad to see Lily looking slightly full of Christmas cheer. She even joined him in singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs as they hung garland across the porch. Lily seemed happy but not Twenty Six Days Until Christmas!! Happy. He decided that she must be missing James too much to really embrace the spirit. It was the first time since they’d gotten together that James was gone for Lily’s usual Christmas countdown. Since James was out of town- and Remus was still teaching at Hogwarts- Sirius decided to make it his personal mission to bring the Christmas Cheer back out of Lily Evans Potter.

Sirius woke the next day with a plan. He dug through his old school trunk and found the slightly burned and completely wrinkled copy of the legendary failed Advent calendar. He highlighted the top 24 activities and planned an order of events sure to restore Lily Evans Potter to her usual level of Christmas preparation.

The Plan was a disaster.

Sirius had tried all of Lily’s favourite pre-Christmas activities.

She fell asleep halfway through their carolling trek.

Then during ice skating, she had to stop skating to go vomit.

THEN when they were making Christmas cookies, she burst- inexplicably- into tears. She rushed out of the kitchen crying. When Sirius found her five minutes later, she was asleep in one of James’ old quidditch jerseys in their bedroom.

Lily had never really been a codependent person, so Sirius found her consistent moping odd and her lack of Christmas cheer odder, but still, he blamed it on James being gone. Furthermore- she wouldn’t fucking talk about what was bugging her, no matter how many ways he asked.

Which is why on December 12 The Plan shifted into Get Evans Fucking Drunk and Chat About Our Feelings While We Braid Each Other’s Fabulous Hair.

Sirius arrived at the cottage at 6pm with four bottles of Firewhiskey. He let himself in, as was his custom, and announced in his loudest lawyer voice, “Alright Evans- It’s time to have a chat!”

She popped her head out of the kitchen warily and responded, “I can’t- go away Sirius”

Rolling his eyes, Sirius entered the kitchen and sent down the bottles.

“Yes you can. Something is afoot, Evans, and I intend to figure it out,” he said.

“Please stop pretending you’re Sherlock Holmes,” Lily complained.

Sirius uncapped a bottle of Firewhiskey and took a deep drag and then tried passed it to Lily, who didn’t reach for it.

“Come on Evans- this is how we solve things,” he prompted.

“I can’t,”  Lily said.

“Evans.”

“Can’t.”

“Why?”

“It’ll hurt the baby.”

“What baby?” Sirius asked.

At this- Lily just stared at him.

Confused, Sirius asked again, “What baby?”

“The baby currently growing inside of my body, Sirius.”

Inexplicably, Sirius felt tears prick in his eyes- “There is a baby in there? Your baby? And Prongs? A little Prongs?”

Lily rolled her eyes at this and said, “No it’s the milkman’s- of course it’s mine and James’ baby.”

“WE’RE HAVING A BABY?!?” Sirius asked again, suddenly full of an excitement he couldn’t quite describe.

“Well, technically-“ Lily started but once she saw the look on Sirius’ face, she stopped herself- “Yes- yes we are.”

Sirius put down the Firewhiskey bottle and scooped Lily up into a big bear hug exclaiming again, “A baby!”

Laughing fully for the first time in weeks Lily said, “Yes, a baby!”

Suddenly panicked, he set her down, “Did I squeeze you too hard? Did I hurt the baby?”

“No, you prat!” Lily laughed and gave Sirius a soft whack on the shoulder before wiping her tears away.

“Does Prongs know?” Sirius asked.

“No- this is in-person news. So no blabbing!” Lily admonished him as she poked him in the chest

Crossing his heart Sirius said, “Marauders’ Honor. Now come on. We’ve got shopping to do.”

And for the first time ever (but certainly not the last)- they abandoned their Firewhiskey mid-chat to take care of the smallest member of their family.

The next twelve days flew by. Telling Sirius about Little Prongs (as he insisted on calling the baby) seemed to unlock Lily’s Christmas Spirit again. It also helped that she was finally feeling a little more energetic and now having as much morning sickness- which was, in large part, due to Sirius researching a multitude of potions and vitamins to help her feel more like herself.

They spent a few days turning the spare room into the nursery. Lily had plans to have James open the nursery door when he returned Christmas Eve and for him to see the crib and for that to be his present. This was fifty percent because she she thought it was sweet, and fifty percent because “it’s about time I out surprised James on Christmas Eve”.

On December 19th, Sirius and Lily had plans to pick Remus up from Kings Cross for his holiday break from “teaching those little snot nosed shits” (as stated in his last letter). Sirius arrived at the cottage at 9 am and knocked on the front door.

When Lily opened it she looked at Sirius incredulously, “What the fuck is that Sirius?”

“Lily- first of all- watch your fucking language. There is a baby present. Second of all- it's a wheelchair. For you. To keep Little Prongs safe.”

Lily stared, took a deep breath, and then said in her very best mom voice, “Sirius Black. I am pregnant. I am not an invalid. Women have been having babies for thousands of years. In caves and shit. Not to mention that Evans women have naturally strong baby hips. I believe you listed them on ‘reasons why James should marry Evans’ in fifth year.”

Grumbling, Sirius folded up the wheelchair and transfigured it into an umbrella and told Lily sternly, “You start to feel tired at all- and I’m pushing you around.”

“Deal,” Lily nodded, “Now am I apparating or shall you?”

“Evans. We are driving. Like muggles. Apparating could be bad for the baby.” Sirius scolded.

“You’re an idiot Sirius,” Lily said and grabbed his hand. Sirius felt the familiar pull as the sneaky red head apparated them to London.

When they arrived, Sirius gave Lily a five minute lecture about endangering Little Prongs and dragged her to St. Mungos to make sure “everything was still alright”.

As the healers looked her over, they were barely able to contain their laughter as it was explained to Sirius that “Apparating was fine until the end of the second trimester,” and that, “No, Mrs. Potter does not need to be in a wheelchair or on bed rest, the baby is growing just fine.”

Sirius pouted for the rest of the day.

When Remus joined them he asked, “What's wrong today, Sirius?”

Sirius responded with a huff, “Ask Evans.” When Remus looked to her for the answer, she simply shrugged.

His pouting continued until they reached their favorite muggle diner where they traditionally ate on their Pick up Remus from Hogwarts days. Sirius could rarely find a way to be upset when there was a cheeseburger to be consumed and he brightened significantly as they ate their lunch.

That was until the waitress arrived and asked if they were finished.

When Lily handed her plate over with half of a burger and several chips still left on her plate- Sirius instantly scowled.

As the waitress left, Sirius hissed at her, “Evans- you didn't eat enough.”

“Yes I did- Sirius- I am full!”

Remus watched the exchange confused until Sirius all but whisper shouted

“What about Little Prongs then? Little Prongs might still be hungry! You’re eating for two now!”

“I am quite aware of the baby currently growing inside of me Sirius- I don’t you reminding me every minute” Lily rolled her eyes

“Yes well- sometimes I wonder-”

At this Remus politely cleared his throat.

Suddenly remembering he was there, Lily and Sirius stopped what would quickly escalate into a situation.

Clearing his throat again, Remus asked hopefully, “A baby?”

With a rush of tears and sudden movement, Lily moved into the booth with Remus and Sirius.

“Yes, oh Remus, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you. Sirius has been like a mother hen and I forgot we hadn’t told you. I wanted to tell you and James on Christmas Eve and now I’ve-”

She stopped as Remus pulled her into a hug, and, through his tears, he said, “That's alright Lily. A baby. We’re going to have a baby!”

Pulling away Lily ruffled his hair, “Yes, we are. I haven’t told James yet.”

Remus dabbed at his eyes and said, “Of course- this is in person news”. They embraced again and Sirius interrupted with, “This is all lovely but it still doesn’t change that you didn’t eat enough, Evans”

“Shuttup you ass,” Remus told him, “Lily can eat whatever the fuck she wants and I’m going to get her some ice cream-” and then realizing himself Remus added,  “….oh shit- we have to stop cursing now don’t we?”

“Like hell we do,” Lily responded just as Sirius shouted, “LANGUAGE!”

Remus proved to be the balance Lily and Sirius needed. He kept Sirius from being too much of a mother hen and kept Lily calm when she would start to panic.

The day before James was due back, she was in the midst of such a panic.

“We can’t be parents Remus! I can’t even bring myself to wash the dishes half the time! I don’t even know how to change a wizard diaper! James is going to try to teach a little person to fly! And- and- Sirius called dibs on godfather when we got married and how the hell-”

“BREATHE LILY,” Remus told her for the five hundredth time, “A child needs warmth and love and a place to be safe. They’ll have that in spades with you and James. Little Prongs will also have two uncles to show him care and get him out of trouble”

Slowly relaxing Lily asked, “Yeah?”

“Until the very end,” Remus assured her.

The next morning, Remus and Sirius arrived at the cottage to find Lily in full Christmas Eve tornado mode.

James was due to arrive around dinner time, which meant that Lily was busy cooking a feast and putting up her Christmas Eve decorations. Sirius was relieved to see she was wearing her Christmas Eve jumper- so James wouldn’t suspect anything.

After lunch, they retired to the lounge to play cards. James was due to arrive just before dinner so they could make it to the later Christmas pageant. They’d all attended as a family since Lily and James had gotten engaged years before.

Around 3pm- they moved on from muggle card games to exploding snap. Sirius refused to allow Lily to play without some sort of protection for Little Prongs.

“The cards aren’t going to explode inside my uterus Sirius!” Lily argued

“First of all- ew- secondly- I am not taking any chances on my godchild. Besides I’ve been DYING to try this on someone,” Sirius argued.

At this, Remus took another sip of wine.

“Fine,” Lily huffed, “protect me.”

Brandishing his wand with his usual dramatic flair Sirius cast the protection charm.

Lily suddenly found herself inside a bubble.

“Sirius what the FUCK!” Lily tried to get over to him to WHACK him but the charm made her unable to move quickly. Sirius was running from her and slammed into Remus who promptly spilt his wine and dropped his glass. There was so much commotion and noise they didn’t hear the front door open.

Lily had Sirius cornered near the fireplace when James’ voice cut through the chaos, “What the fuck is going on? Why the hell is Lily in a bubble charm?”

Before anyone could say anything else, Sirius exclaimed, “I was trying to protect the baby!”

Trying to cover Remus said jovially, “You’re back early James!”

“They let us out early,” James responded, “but….did Sirius say….a baby?”

“I swear to God Sirius take this thing off of me and don’t say another word or I will shave your head” Lily hissed.

“You would never!” Sirius gasped

“Padfoot-” James said, trying to remain calm, “What the fuck is happening?”

At this Sirius dropped the charm and gave James a smile, “Welcome home Prongs- good practice? Going to win us the cup?”

Looking to his wife, James asked quietly, “Lily?”

“Welcome home, James,” Lily said as she crossed to him and embraced him, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” James said and kissed the top of her head, “can you explain….” and he gestured vaguely.

She grabbed his hands and pulled him up the stairs, “Honestly, I don’t know how Sirius kept his mouth shut when you were planning the proposal. I mean I only told him before you because he was trying to get me to drink and that isn’t good for the baby and-”

James stopped short, “I ask again? Baby?”

“Fuck- I mean- fiddlesticks- I mean…..” with this Lily turned to look him in the eyes.

Lily had thought she’d seen James nervous. When they fought about singing Christmas Carols in October and he approached her in that stupid Santa suit, anytime he walked onto the Quidditch field, and when he had waited for her answer on a Christmas Eve. But now she knew what nervous James really looked like. Terrified, hopeful and with something like joy dangerously bubbling to the surface.

“Yes, James….we’re going to have a baby. I found out right after you left but this is-”

“In person news” he finished.

And it was like a dam had broken. The joy bubbled over and James pulled Lily into his arms with a whoop. “I’m going to be a dad!” Their laughter quickly dissolved into kisses and several “I love yous”.

Once Lily felt grounded again she pulled him to the spare room and told him, “This is how I wanted to tell you- but the best-laid plans...”

James opened the door slowly and felt overcome with something he couldn’t quite define. There sat a crib and a rocking chair. Lily hadn’t done any decorating but here was tangible proof that everything was changing and that there would be someone new in their family.

“Do you like it?” Lily whispered, “I wasn’t sure on the colour or-”

He turned to her and pulled her into another embrace and blinking back his tears he told her,  “I love it, Lily. I love it so much.”

From downstairs they heard Sirius shout, “CAN WE COME UP YET?”

“Yes, you mangy mutt!” James yelled back.

The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, tears, hope for the future but mostly family.

It was Lily’s best Christmas Eve Yet.

[marlmckitten]

@thesnowwhitegoddessnymphadora​ ~ Not only do I love your username and see your name pop up all the time because you are a lovely human, but you gave me the cutest prompt idea and I think I have a crush on you. (^_~) 

It was September 1st and Sirius Black was not getting on board the Hogwarts Express. Although, things were going fairly well for him, it seemed wrong. His stomach felt all knotted and he missed his home. Waking even earlier than usual, he got out of his bed, careful not to wake Marlene in the process. (Although, it wasn’t hard, she could sleep through nearly anything.) Going to the small living room of their humble flat, he looked out the window, trying not to let the fact that he was graduated get him down.

There were a lot of good things to, obviously. No exams, no Slytherins. No chance of running into family or getting detention, but it just was not the same. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when Marlene came up behind him and wrapped her arms lazily around him shoulders and leaned in to kiss his neck. Looking at the time, his eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at his girlfriend, “Isn’t it a bit early for you to be up McKinnon?” Typically she could sleep till the early afternoon and still be grumpy that she didn’t get enough sleep, it was one of the many things he loved about her. She yawned and sat next to him, resting her head on him in an unusually affectionate morning. “And you’re cuddly, is everything okay?” His voice spiked to actual concern as he looked her over and felt her forehead.

But the blonde swatted his hand away, “I’m fine, Sirius. Just thought you would be a little disappointed about not going to school like the weirdo that you are.”

This made him laugh, “It’s not school, it’s friends and Gryffindor, and McGonagall-”

Marlene cut him short, “It was a home to you, I get it. But you have here now. And I know how to cheer you up.” With no explanation she got up and left the room, leaving Sirius confused and even more concerned. But it didn’t take long for her to return, throwing a t-shirt at him, “What’s wrong with you, Sirius? Get dressed already!”

“Erm, Marls, I actually need you to confirm with me that you’re okay. You got up early, came over to cuddle and now want to go outside? Like out of our flat? I don’t know who you are today.”

She rolled her eyes in response, “Once in a while I can be a decent girlfriend, put your shirt on, we’re going out.”

He obeyed and pulled it over his head before running to their room to grab an old pair of jeans as well. Sirius loved muggle clothes, he thought they made him look good, plus it defied his families every wish. Of course, to top it all off, he grabbed his leather jacket and grinned to Marlene. She laughed and grabbed his hand, tugging him out the door and led him around a back alley. He had insisted they live in a muggle part of London, which she didn’t mind, except that they always had to find inconspicuous places to disapparate from. “Where are we going, Mar?”

Marlene didn’t answer, and instead tightened his grip on her hand and he felt a familiar lurching of his stomach before the scenery changed and they were in the unmistakable Diagon Alley. “We can’t go back to school, but we can get ice cream and enjoy the calmness of the street since most of everyone will be working or on their way to school.”

His whole face lit up, Sirius loved his ice cream, and most treats. He loved going outside and he loved attention, especially if it was from one very specific pretty blonde witch. Keeping her hand wrapped around his, she led him to Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour and ordered for both of them. “One regular vanilla ice cream for me. And one chocolate dipped with sprinkles, extra scoop with the colourful cone for my idiot boyfriend please.”

Sirius sniggered at her words, but didn’t disagree. He knew that every time she insulted him it was only out of love and he had long learnt to accept that. When the got their cones, Marlene playfully took a bite out of his before handing it to him. His whole face dropped and his eyes met hers in a sad pout, “Marlene! The top is the best part, it has the most about of sprinkles!”

Before replying she opened up her mouth and stuck out her tongue so he could see all the sprinkles colouring the inside of her mouth. But, she didn’t get a chance to make any sassy reply, before his mouth was on hers, tongue flicking between her lips to regain his treats. She pulled back and he grinned in triumph, “You’re disgusting, Sirius.”

“Oh, McKinney. There is not part of your body my mouth has not been on, so it’s not too afraid to steal my sprinkles back from you. If you like, we could get one to go and we could try spreading it all over?” He winked as he licked his ice cream happily beside her.

As much as she wanted to argue it, his comment only had her lips curl into a smile, “I’m not covering my tits in ice cream for you now or ever.”

“Mhm, whatever you say,” he replied with a shrug. They both knew that she would, if the moment was right. So she went back to her own ice cream to lick up what was starting to fall onto her fingers.

“So, are you still sad that you’re not sitting on a train for a million hours today?” She questioned him, as her eyes fell on some familiar faces a few yards away.

His mouth stopped around the ice cream cone as he looked up to her. Biting down on the cold treat, he quickly made a loud whining noise at the coldness against his teeth and dropped the rest of his cone in a panic. Marlene collapsed into laughter, much to his dismay and so he crossed his arms and glared at her. “I’m upset I don’t get to see my real friends who wouldn’t laugh at my pain!”

“Come on, Pads, anyone would have laughed at that!” James voice came from behind and Sirius spun excitedly to see all three Mauraders, plus Lily standing together.

Jumping up, he wrapped his arms around each of them before his eyebrows pulled together, “Wait, what were you all doing without me?! Even Lily, she better not be replacing me Prongs, I don’t care how in love you are!”

Marlene kicked his shin and Peter giggled as Sirius winced. “No you dummy, I invited them. Didn’t want you being all moody all day.”

Lily, Remus and Peter all sat with them as James went to get ice cream for the rest of them. (And a new one for Sirius as well.) It only took a few seconds for the boys to start animatedly talking about what they were going to do with their first year away from Hogwarts and for Marlene and Lily to catch up since the last time they saw one another. (It was only three days ago.)

When James returned, the group only got louder and they had planned three road trips before Marlene cut in to remind them that only Sirius knew how to drive, and even then, he only could drive a motorcycle. It put a quick end to those plans, but they made different ones just as easily. Hours passed at ease, before Remus finally nudged Sirius and looked over to Marlene who was deep in conversation with James about the Quidditch World Cup this year and who had deserved to win.

“Never thought I’d see you in such a serious relationship.”

He grinned, “I’m always-”

“Don’t say it!” Peter jumped in, laughing in unison with Remus.

Sirius pouted, “Well, Marlene’s pretty great,” he answered sheepishly when he realized they were both staring at him waiting for him to go on about her. “I mean, she’s fun, she can be kind of mean, but she has a good heart.”

“Padfoot’s in looove~” Peter teased in a sing-song voice.

But Sirius couldn’t even argue with him. He was completely in love with the spunky blonde who he had so hated up until he was fifteen. Out of all of them, he was the most surprised that he was living with his girlfriend, but he couldn’t have imagined it any other way. She even anticipated him being lonely today and made sure all his friends could come meet them on their ice cream date. “Yeah,” Sirius shrugged in reply. “Yeah, I am,” his eyes fell on her as she glared and smacked James’ head lightly when he commented that the Hollyhead Harpies could play better if they had a different Keeper. It only made Sirius’ smile grow larger until it hurt his face. 

“Lucky girl, to have won the unyielding affections of Sirius Black,” Remus replied after getting his attention back from Marlene. “You’re ever bit entranced by her as James was by Lily.”

This comment caught the redheads attention and she shifted her chair to join the others, “What are you mentioning me for?”

Peter smirked, “Padfoot is as much a moron around her as Prongs used to be around you!”

“Used to be?” Lily retorted. “Did you not see him fall into that rosebush on our way here to try to impress me with a pretty flower?”

All of them laughed at this and Marlene finally had an answer to where all the scratches along James’ neck came from. “Ah, well, some things will never change.” Remus leaned back in his chair happily.

Sirius looked around at his friends, and thought about Remus’ comment. If this stayed the same he would surely be the happiest man on Earth until his dying breath. Ice cream dates with the most beautiful witch in the world and surrounded by the best friends imaginable, Sirius hoped that it would never change.

Thank you again. It got a little off topic but I’m happy with the ending. Also I should have went to bed two hours ago and am going to hate myself in the morning, but what are your twenties for anyway? ;)

Also, side note, I like it when Peter is portrayed as a real, friendly, affectionate friend. Because that is what he was. And I will forever be curious about what made that change.