#happy birthday to our peter pettigrew!!!

[starchaseriseverything]

Did I forget to post this yesterday? Yes. Did I realize it's not actually his birthday yesterday. Yes, but I was busy and I finished it yesterday.

Peter wakes up to a shout from downstairs, more than likely one of the boys as none of them are in their beds and the door is wide open, almost like they were in a rush to get out. Peter sees the rest of his roommates still sleeping, besides his friends who are supposed to be asleep as well, assuming it’s still before seven.

Peter gets up out of bed and walks out the door, already seeing the light on downstairs. He creeps down the stairs and hides behind the wall as his friends do something by the couches. “Siri, I swear.” Lily whispers, yelling at Sirius.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers back to the red-headed girl. “It slipped.”

“Pads!” James whisper yells when he walks back in through the portrait hole. Sybill walks in behind him. “What did you do!?”

“I dropped it.”

“How could you drop it!?” Sybill whispers back in a hurry. “That was for Peter!”

“It was your globe!”

“It was still a gift for him!”

“Guys, calm down.” Mary says, trying to break up the fight. “We’ll get a new one before anyone wakes up.”

Sybill groans and goes to pick up some pieces that shattered. “Okay, is everything ready?’ Alice asks, standing next to Frank looking at the few people who are still setting things up.

“I think so.” Marlene replies, not acknowledging James and Sirius who are running around putting things down and picking things up to put someplace else.

“James! Sirius!” Remus whisper yells. The two boys stop and put the things down they had and goes to stand next to the others.

“I think that’s it.” Lily says. Lily looks at her wrist. “It’s only seven and Peter won’t wake up for at least ten minutes.”

“So, we just wait?” James asks.

“Yeah, basically.” Mary replies. Peter hears his roommates come out of the room and down the stairs, ignoring him completely.

“Peter should be awake with how loud they are.” Remus says, walking towards the stairs. Peter rushes up the stairs and to his trunk, grabbing his school robes and into the bathroom.

Peter smiles when the doors shut. They remembered. They remembered my birthday. He thinks.

Peter only told them about his birthday at the end of their first year. That was when he finally trusted them enough to tell them everything and they complained about not throwing him a party for his birthday. They threw him a party every year since then, but they’ve been so busy this year that he thought no one would remember. Well, apparently, they did. And they invited his girlfriend.

Peter makes his face go to a neutral expression as to not let them know he knows before opening the door. He gets bombarded by streamers in his face. He spits the few confetti that got in his mouth out and stares at the three boys staring at him dumbfounded. “Happy birthday, Pete!” They yell, another streamer coming in contact with his face.

Once the confetti is out of his eyes, he finally smiles. “Thank you.”

The boys smile at him and pull him downstairs. To the four girls standing there with more streamers and they set them off and another from behind him belonging to Frank. His girlfriend sets another off from beside him and smiles. “Happy birthday, Petey.” Sybill says while smiling. Peter turns to her, picking her up and twirling her around. She yelps in surprise but smiles as he sets her down.

“I love you.” he whispers to her after kissing her on the lips.

She kisses him again. “I love you, too.”

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

Party for Moony. Part 1.

Sirius remembered Remus's eleventh birthday. Sirius remembered the delicious chocolate cake his mum had prepared. Sirius remembered the books his dad had given him which made him happy. Sirius remembered the birthday song, the laughter, Remus's bright smile as he blew the candles.

It hadn't been a huge party or celebration. Remus didn't have more relatives. He didn't have friends at school. But it had been filled with love. Sirius had been surprised with the amount of hugs and kisses Remus had received from his parents. It was a shame Sirius had been the only one to witness it.

"Thank you for coming, Sirius. It was a nice birthday"

"Yeah! I hope you liked my card, Rosie" Of course, Remus was Rosie then. Sirius scratched his head in embarrassment "I didn't have money for a present. I'm a kid"

That made Remus laugh.

"I loved it!" To Sirius’s surprise, he received a kiss on the cheek "Best birthday ever"

Sirius remembered the details so well. But it was stupid that he didn't remember the date. It was until they were talking about Rugby and some match that was going to happen around March, that Remus mentioned it was his birthday. Sirius felt stupid to forget. He used to be Remus's best friend. And now he had missed five birthdays. He felt shitty about it.

"Of course! The beginning of March, right?" Sirius guessed.

"The 10th, yeah" Remus gave him a soft smile over his book.

"Cool! Are you a March child?" James commented with excitement "Me too! Mine's the 27th"

They hit palms. Then the subject was dropped. But Sirius couldn't stop thinking about it. It was mid February already. They had to plan something.

"We have to do something for Remus's birthday" Sirius told his friends at the dorm while Remus was studying with Lily.

"Yeah sure" James answered as he was typing on his laptop "We'll make a party in the Common Room"

He sounded like he didn't care. But Sirius had the urge to do something special. Make up for being a shitty friend and disappearing from Remus's life.

"It has to be something more special than a shitty party in the Common Room" Sirius groaned irritably. James and Peter looked at him.

"Watch it, Potter" Peter joked "Remus is winning your place as Sirius’s best friend"

"Shut up, Wormtail" James threw a pillow at him "I will always be Sirius’s best friend, right?"

"Yeah" Sirius didn't pay attention though. He was thinking of what could Remus enjoy. "It has to be something big" he added without noticing how James rolled his eyes "For what he told me, he hadn't had many friends. Or birthday parties. We have to party hard!"

"Yeah!" Peter beamed with the word party because he appreciated everything that sounded cool.

"Do you remember when we made that huge party at the beginning of fifth year? That even seven years wanted to come?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"Oh! That was wicked" Peter nodded.

James didn't look so happy.

"We should do something big again!" Sirius exclaimed "Invite the whole school!"

Peter beamed but James didn't. "Prongsie?"

"All of that for Lupin and not your best friend?" he murmured under his breath.

"What?"

"Yeah yeah!" he said louder "Sounds cool"

Sirius knew his best friend very well and he knew he was jealous. It was comical.

"Since Prongsie, our magesty, has also his birthday on March" he smiled as he sat on James's bed "We can make a joint party!"

James looked up at him with a pout. "You remember about me as well?"

Sirius giggled "Don't be an idiot, Potter" he said "It's just that Remus had never had a birthday party"

"Never?" Peter asked with surprise.

Sirius shook his head. "Well, he used to have dinner with his parents. But his mum is dead. And his dad is not here. We are his friends now. We should make him feel special"

James and Peter looked pitiful.

"Prongs, you've had plenty of parties, haven't you?" Sirius asked "And your parents will probably come to Hogsmeade for the weekend like every year... Remus will be all alone..."

James sighed "Fine, you are right"

"Plus, you said Remus was one of us now, didn't you?" Sirius asked with a smile "He is supposedly a Marauder now, isn't he?"

Sirius and Peter looked at their friend for a confirmation. James was unconsciously the one who said the last words when it came to Marauders business. And yes, they had told Remus over Christmas that he was one of them. They made him sign the Marauders' Code and all. They baptized him as Moony. They hadn't accepted anyone in their group before. But Remus was different. He was easily liked by all the boys.

James's mouth twisted in a smile. "Yeah of course he is one of us"

That made Sirius smile. He felt Remus was meant to be a Marauder.

"Huge Marauder fuckery then" Peter commented with hands on his hips "It is a sign that Remus and Prongs share birthday month. We can make March our annual time for a party chaos"

"We can make it a tradition" Sirius agreed. Then looking at James again for confirmation.

"Sure" James sighed with a slight smile "Sounds good"

"I also have an idea" Sirius added now that the three boys were sat at James's bed "Remember when we talked to Remus about his business?"

"He owns a business?" Peter asked clueless. Sirius hit his head.

"I'm talking about him being trans!"

"Oh yeah" Peter nodded embarrassed while his friends giggled.

"What does that have to do with his birthday?" James asked.

"I was thinking about presents and what he would like.." Sirius explained "A book? A sweater? Some chocolate?..." he shook his head "And then it hit me!" he smirked "He would like money for his surgery"

"To remove his boobs?" Peter asked making the others chuckle.

"Yes, Wormy. To remove his boobs"

"I don't think you can say boobs, though mate" James suggested.

"Tits?"

James shook his head.

"Melons?"

Sirius sighed as James started laughing "Melons?"

Peter shrugged "I don't know"

"How about chest?" Sirius intervened.

"That sounds better!" Peter exclaimed as Sirius ruffled his hair.

"Carry on, Padfoot" James tutted.

"With what?"

"You had an idea..."

"Oh yeah! Bloody Pettigrew distracted me..." Sirius rolled his eyes "I think we should take the advantage of the party, charge for the entrance or something and gather the money for Remus's surgery"

"Do you think people are going to pay for a party?"

"This school is full of rich wankers that would do anything to have a good time" Sirius explained "Plus, this would not be a common party. We have to make it more interesting, worth paying for" Sirius smiled at the end because he was excited about his own idea. He could picture Remus's smiley face already.

"I would pay for that" Peter commented.

"Good thing you have a free pass" Sirius answered.

"Yeah? How come?"

Sirius pursed his lips "You'll be one of the organizers" then bam, another hit on Peter's head. Then Sirius turned to James.

"Prongs?"

James was looking at Sirius in a strange way. It was a mixture of anger and jealousy, but also pride. James was the good bloke that went around helping others. Not Sirius. He was the hero. Not Sirius. He had ideas to cheer his friends up, not Sirius.

"You really like him, don't you?" James said calmy. As if he was accepting the idea. James was easygoing, good to make friends besides the Marauders. Not Sirius. But Remus was different. He was Sirius’s. In the way he was his friend first. In the way that he discovered how cool Remus was. In the way that Sirius could be liked by other people besides James. He was popular for being a Black and for being James Potter's best friend. But Remus was someone that proved Sirius could be liked for himself. And Sirius liked that.

Now, he blushed. James made birthdays a big deal for The Marauders. Not Sirius. The fact that Sirius cared this much about Remus's was weird.

He must've really liked Remus. And of course, Remus (Rosie back then) was the hype of his childhood. But Sirius was not a kid anymore. So this embarrassed him as a teenager.

Sirius shrugged "I like to do stuff for my friends" he blushed more.

James didn't tease him for blushing. He just pulled him closer to give him a kiss on his head.

"Remus is a Marauder. One of us" James said to his friends "So we have the mission to make him have the best birthday of his life"

When Sirius saw him smiling, he loved James more. He was really lucky to have him. And Remus would to.

"For Moony" he extended his hand in the middle of them. Moony had been his nickname for Remus since always. But now he didn't mind his friends using it as well.

"For Moony" James added immediately, doing the same.

"For Super Moony" Peter added last with a huge smile.

They all laughed and excitedly began planning everything before telling Remus the news.

[iwriteasfotini]

Chapter IX

Sirius POV, first year

“So what’s the latest,” James asked Remus, who was chewing a roast beef and cheese sandwich.  “With what?” “Duh, your mum.” James gave him an exasperated look.  “Oh, same old,” shrugged Remus. “Why do you care so much anyways?” “Because we are your friends.”  The word hung in the air for a few beats before Remus coughed a bit and itched his nose.  “Um, right.” Was Sirius mistaken or were Remus’ eyes looking a bit moist? He certainly wasn’t meeting any of their eyes.  “You lads are the best friend’s I’ve ever had,” said Sirius, which he had hoped would take the attention away from Remus, but ended up making the moment even more awkward.  The boys looked at each other. “Ah, bring it in boys,” said James with a grin, grabbing Remus who was next to him and reaching across the table for Peter. Sirius, who was next to Peter smiled and joined in the awkward across table hug as the four boys wrapped their arms around each others’ shoulders.  “Oi! Get a room,” a seventh year teased.  They quickly broke apart, remembering they were in the middle of lunch. There was some tittering but Sirius didn’t care. He had never had a friend (apart from Regulus but he didn’t count because they were brothers) before coming to Hogwarts and now he had three best friends. And suddenly his birthday wasn’t such a sad occasion. 

From The Heir and The Spare, Chapter IX - Birthday and Worst Day

This chapter has a theme song which is dedicated to Remus. And I want to add a note that I don't go into details on any supposed or real relationships with Sirius and Remus and OTHER people. ATYD stressed me out! These boys might flirt or kiss someone here or there, but they were born for each other.

[simply-cooler]

anyways here’s the marauders era characters at a taylor swift themed birthday party

gosh, that’s a lengthy title

lily evans is our birthday girl!! (wish her happy birthday!! >:( )

regulus black does NOT want to there, but james dragged him out of his hibernation cabin (his room). he’s in a black and white suit, and a snake ring. he refused to wear any color or do anything else taylor swift related.

sirius black is very excited to be there, unlike his brother. james still had to drag him out of his room because he is not a morning person. many pillows were thrown at james’ face that morning. hes also wearing a black and white suit but with a dark green tie, shoes, and an assortment of reputation rings.

barty crouch was invited by regulus as plus one as long as he behaved. (he did NOT behave, he threw up on the pavement due to too much drinking). he’s wearing black button up shirt and a leather miniskirt. he dyed his hair a streak of purple in honor of speak now. lily hated his outfit, but he was too busy partying to care.

lily evans, our lovely birthday girl, was in a green dress, her curls pinned up, and in cowboy boots. her nails were a beautiful teal color.

remus lupin obviously wanted to go, he loves his best friend, lily evans. however, he was very stressed about what to wear. “eras tour attire?!? lily, what even is that??” he exclaimed when he got the invite. with the help of lily and sirius, he found himself in a folklore cardigan, grey dress pants, a button up shirt, and grey dress shoes. he hated the outfit, “who wears a cardigan over a button up shirt?” he thought, but shut his mouth in support for lily.

mary macdonald was very, very excited for her best friends’ party. like barty, she also wanted to dress up for speak now. however, she took another approach with a purple ballgown, her curls with bows in them, and heels. she was very scared of upstaging her best friend. she checked many times that lily was okay with her outfit. lily being lily loved it and was happy that there were some of her friends who actually dressed up nice.

marlene mckinnon didn’t know much about taylor swift, but she was ready with the help of mary and lily. she opted for a big red shirt that stated “a lot going on right now”, little ripped black shorts and red sneakers. “are you sure i’m not underdressed,” she asked mary when seeing her ball gown. “no, you look lovely,” lily exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

dorcas meadows also didn’t know much about taylor swift, but she was assisted by Pinterest. she had created a board just for this event. she wore a long, flowly yellow dress and cowboy boots, representing the fearless era.

peter pettigrew wasn’t very excited to go. he loved lily and all that, but he didn’t know what to wear at all. he settled on a big, brown sweater and pants for evermore. lily let him borrow a necklace that had “evermore” written in gold, cursive letters.

james potter was very excited to go, in support of his girlfriend/friend (ur choice if u ship jily or not). he woke up bright and early, even before lily. he wore a red sweater and black dress pants, along with his spider-man sneakers. lily did not approve of his shoe choice, but didn’t say anything.

evan rosier was not invited, but came as bartys plus one. lily was very frustrated, saying that barty was a plus one, and that plus ones don’t get to invite other people. she was also remarking that there wasn’t enough food for them. so, evan came with a basket of his own snacks for him and his boyfriend, barty. he wore a white vest with black details and a white colored shirt under, along with white dress pants and black shoes. lily did not appreciate that he didn’t come as an era, but she was happy that he was dressed so formally. he also was the one to pat barry’s back as he puked.

pandora was not invited but evan took her as his plus one. lily was very angry to see that evan also brought someone with him. but, pandora was the most normal out of her, barty, and evan, so lily held her tongue. she wore a pink, heart resin top and a flowly white skirt. she had heart clips in her braids. lily even complimented her outfit.

predictably, the night was very chaotic.

[ashesandhackles]

Beyond the Veil (masterpost)

Co-written with @thedreamermusing

Sirius Black/Severus Snape. 97k.

A canon-divergent rewrite of Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows that follows the relationship between Sirius Black and Severus Snape. Think of it as mine and Dreamer's character study with romance.

Our list of chapters (and tiny previews where you can see we have experimented with multiple POVs) under the cut! Also a Snape and Lily prequel written by @thedreamermusing here: January 30th, 1975 (Happy Birthday Lily)

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Time was a standstill in these long hallways and empty rooms, full of memories that ticked under his skin like a pulse under a livid bruise.

Chapter 2 - changing perceptions

He was tempted to laugh, laugh like a maniac, at the absurdity, the injustice, out of grief--let out all his curled up emotions in a big hearty laugh. But then again, that hadn't worked out so well for him 15 years ago.

Chapter 3 - 12 Grimmauld Place meets Spinner's End

What Pettigrew lacked in skill; he made up for in malice.  This seemingly pusillanimous creature hid within him a rusty sword whose efficiency lay not in the sharpness of the blade, but in the unnoticed poison of the rust.

Chapter 4- Enemy of my Enemy

"I brought him here because I finally see the advantages of being brawny rather than brainy," Snape smirked.

Chapter 5 - The Prince and Padfoot

"You disgust me.” rang over and over in his head like a church bell, a judgement in a confessional, a whisper that haunted his ears when he dreamed and lay awake, sometimes unable to tell the difference.

Chapter 6 - Monsters and Old School Friends

His wildness hung over him like an aura of a predator. Long-limbed, lax, but there was danger bubbling within him, an inexplicable ferocity that filled the air around him. How could anyone else not see that monster?

Chapter 7 - Circular Path

When Severus saw it for the first time, he was amazed. It was an answer to a question he had all his life, a representation of what could be built if he just reached out for the future and grabbed it with greedy hands. Now, as Narcissa opened the door with a stone face belied by the terror in her eyes, he was able to see the Manor for what it really was--a mouldering dump of pureblood affectations that concealed its decay as well as Grimmauld Place accentuated it.

Chapter 8 - Tale of Two Black Stars

Severus had known all along how to see who held the room. It was ingrained in him since he was a child. In Spinner's End, it was his father. A looming presence of overbearing violence that his mother, his magical mother, cowered against. He noticed it again in the playground - where Lily flew in air, in a burst of extraordinarily controlled magic. 

Chapter 9 - The Wounds of Men

He did not know where their sudden leap of faith for the ferret came from ( “C’mon mate, I know Malfoy is a git but Death Eater is serious business!” ), but it made him feel stupid and ridiculous--it was almost as if he was back at Aunt Petunia’s, listening to her sweet talk the neighbours about Harry’s delinquency. ( “He told you he sleeps under a cupboard? A nasty, nasty lie! But the poor dear has got no one else; his parents didn’t leave us any money as well. It’s been such a strain on our finances…” 

Chapter 10 - By The Light of The Full Moon

The first week at Azkaban was truly horrendous. Peter valued his mind - it was his best weapon and it helped him fade into the background. Losing the ability to think clearly, unable to tell dreams and memories apart; it was a sensation that terrified him. It felt like getting sucked into the quicksand of his resentment and anger and guilt that he kept at bay. He didn’t want to feel it. What use were those emotions, if they failed to help him survive?

Chapter 11 - Face Death in Hope

Death, Pain - all unavoidable things. Things he had to play with - in hope that one day, he would be able to expiate what he was carrying.  He would not live to see it, he was sure. But he could hope. The only relief he had is that he would not die by his - Gellert’s- hand. “I am the only one who should be allowed to kill you,” he had said, a declaration, a threat - he wasn’t sure. “It is me that keeps you alive.”

Chapter 12 - Who Are You?

He was a son of the House of Malfoy, a noble house, one of the sacred 28, whose line went back generations. Their legacy was set in stone, the purity of their blood unquestioned. It infuriated him that nobody recognised that--that Potter, with his filthy mixed blood and mudblood mother--didn’t recognise that. And now, it had become so much worse. His father was a laughingstock. His mother looked pale and frightened all the time. It was up to him to bring things back to normal.

Chapter 13 - The Last Enemy (Part 1)

There were so many things that he thought were forgotten, so many memories whose life and colour had been drained away by grief and Azkaban. But standing here in the square, it was clear that they had always been there. He had felt something similar after walking into the doors of Grimmauld Place for the first time, but the only memories rising to surface there were of misery long-replaced. Here, every bit of youthful joy and love rose and flickered through his mind like stained-glass colours through snow, and every unremarkable step they had ever made on the square seemed precious in a fragile kind of way. 

Chapter 14 - Shedding the Maker's Skin

“Lyall Lupin,” Fenrir said, smiling at the infinitesimal jerk Remus’ body gave. “I knew you came from money, boy. You’re his son, aren’t you?”

Remus went cold. 

“Soulless, evil and deserving of nothing but death,” Fenrir quoted. “That is what he believes.”

A rage Remus had never felt before was travelling up his spine, fossilising hatred into the marrow of his bones.

Chapter 15 - Ozymandias

Once upon a time, Voldemort had looked at Snape and seen a mirror, a broken mirror of course, because Severus did not have even a shadow of his charisma, charm, looks, or skill. But even so, when Severus had come to him, an angry, profoundly gifted young half-blood brewing with hatred over his Muggle heritage, he had been so hopeful at his promise. They had both seemed to view the world in the same way; they both understood that magic was where power lay. Magic had made Voldemort immortal and then mortal again. They both respected it in a way nobody else did, and Voldemort had thought he found someone who could equal Bellatrix’s esteem. 

But Severus’s weakness had been disgustingly banal. To think that it was lust of all things to claim him, and lust for a plain Mudblood at that. And now, it was the same, only for Lucius’s dullard of a wife.

Chapter 16 - In Noctem (Carry My Soul)

The idea of it makes me feel ill. He is no longer whole; his soul is distorted. He is no better than those vile creatures that guard Azkaban. He intended to murder Kreacher, who has been serving our family for generations. Our family, whose blood is pure and unbroken, has been used to destroy the soul of a magical being. It has become clear to me now. This monster will ruin us all more than any mudblood ever will. 

Chapter 17 - Wings to the Kingdom

Until the time Death claims me, let the moth sing to your bones: I loved you since I saw you. I loved you when I hated you. I loved you when you betrayed us. I loved you when you destroyed me. 

Yours, Gellert.

Chapter 18 - The Last Enemy (Part 2)

The window brought in a draft of salt as Remus cut up chicken for the Order lunch.  Tonks was just beside him, mashing the potatoes with zeal, her arm brushing up against his own on occasion. He felt embarrassed, it was ridiculous the degree to which any proximity to her affected him. It was the isolation of the cottage, he thought, that seemed to keep them away from the dark cloud hovering above them.  It was the rhythm of the sea, a comforting lullaby of a different world, a different life.

Chapter 19 - A Lament in the Ashes

Where is my golden palace? Where is my ivory bed? Where is the joy of my morning hour? Where the Sons of Eternity are singing, Draco thumbed through the book from the shelves in the bedroom. Years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of perusing a book of poetry written by a Muggle.

Chapter 20 - Epilogue

“It must be nice,” he said. “To start again every time you die. You can make as many mistakes as you want and be reborn from them.” 

Fawkes trilled. The corner of Serverus’s mouth lifted. 

[lovely-peace]

The Power of Orion and Walburga Black

The power of Orion and Walburga Black Part 1 (Sirius Black x Reader I am very sorry for my bad English!! English isn't my first language and this is my first fanfiction so I hope you can forgive my bad writing style :'))

The letter

Sirius Black was a difficult man. A person who you cannot tame. A free soul. His parents were never really phased by that. They still tried to make him the person they wanted him to be. But they always failed and he was proud of that.

Well, that's what he thought.

His parents were not shocked when he ran off. "Good", they thought, "now is that problem out the way. " But their pride was damaged even though they would never admit that. Their first born son just ran off to the Potters of all people.

Gryffindors. Even though Blacks were always in Slytherin.

They knew he would be trouble when he was sorted into Gryffindor.

" What will the people think of the noble house black?? The pureblood prodigy! The proud Slytherin estate! Lost their son to a muggle friend… To a Gryffindor…"

Tough times for such pride and stuck up human beings. But Sirius couldn't care less. He learned from his best friend James Potter to be proud of himself that he was in fact a Gryffindor. He hated his parents. He hated the place he was forced to call home for the first 11 years of his life. He hated the Black lifestyle. So he decided to go to the Potters. Because James was his light in the pitch Black atmosphere of the pressure which was on him.

The marauders. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. Four Gryffindors.

Some would call them troublemakers but for Sirius they were home. No pureblood idealogy, no pressure to be a heir. Just him and his friends doing silly pranks.

The letter arrived.

It was his birthday. He turned 17, was finally an adult. It was his 7th year in Hogwarts. He hadn't heard from his parents since he moved to the Potters and he was happy about it. Sirius got presents from his friends and from his new family. The day started so good.

But then the owls came.

The great hall was a magical place. The food was good and the four friends always fooled around. Well, Remus maybe not always but he had at least a smile on his face. But all that seemed like a dream to Sirius when he saw what was coming.

The black family owl.

At first he was sure it would fly to Regulus. With a letter in which it would remind him not to be like Sirius.

It came his way. To the Gryffindor table.

When the owl landed on his table he couldn't move. The owl spatted the letter in front of him and looked at him with big eyes. Like it was waiting. The conversation of his friends stopped. They didn't know what was going on. Sirius was frozen in his place. He didn't know what to think, what to do, hell he didn't even know how to breathe in that moment.

"What's wrong, Padfoot?" asked James. His hand was in his hair, like always when he was nervous. Peter took the letter and wanted to take a look at it, but the owl poked him before he could open it. It seemed to glare at him. "Ouch, what is wrong with this owl?!" he said. "It doesn't want anyone to open the letter except me. It was raised to bring letters only to the worthy ones. The Blacks. That's what my parents think." Sirius explained with a monotone voice. Remus looked at him with a confused look in his eyes. "Why aren't you opening it then? It's your birthday, it can't be that bad." Remus tried to reason with him.

But he didn't know what he was talking about. It will be bad.

Sirius was shaking when he opened the letter. This time the owl didn't move. The 3 friends of his waited. There was a tense atmosphere in the room.

Dear Sirius, Your mother and I decided it is finally the time you will be more than a nuisance to our family. You are a man now. As our first son, you have a duty to forfill. As your parents we decided you will be marrying (y/l/n y/n). The parents of her already agreed to the ceremony. It will be on her 17th birthday.

You can be relieved that anyone was willing to marry you, after all the shame you brought upon our family. We expect a heir from you two after you graduate from hogwarts.

AND DON'T THINK YOU CAN RUN FROM THIS LAST CHANCE TO PROVE YOURSELF TO US.

You will meet her on Christmas. YOU WILL COME HOME FOR THIS OCCASION.

Sirius didn't even realize he was holding his breath until he breathed again. His friends were all waiting for him to explain what was written in the letter. But Sirius was to shocked to say anything. He was angry. So, so angry that he didn't have any control over his own life. His parents still had this influence on his life even though he left them behind. He was still just a Black. Nothing more to anyone else except for his friends. Nothing more to his future wife. Why would she agree to marry him, when she didn't even know him, if it weren't for him being a Black?

So he made a promise to himself. He wouldn't make it that easy for his family.

Little did he know…

… That y/n received a similar letter to his across the great hall. Her parents hadn't talked to her about any marriage. She had no problem with marrying Sirius Black. She had a problem with being arranged to marry him, just for money and a pureblood heir.

She always liked him. Since year 1 when he picked up her stuff and smiled at her after she let them fall.

But she didn't believe her parents knew or cared about that. And that frustrated her. She always wanted to talk to Sirius. But now she wasn't sure what to do. She was sad that they won't be able to be a normal couple. That he will never see her as a normal human being.

Only as an example of the power his parents had over him.

[radarsteddybear]

A Master Post

My Bad Things Happen Bingo Card. Prompts welcome!

Bullet point fics/ideas/meta:

Winter Soldier!Cosmo Brown

Winter Soldier!Tintin

Muppets Singin' in the Rain

What if Donald hadn't made up with Scrooge by the time Della returned from the moon?

The next "Indiana Jones" should be a woman

The Outsiders meta

Original fiction WIPs:

Cassandra | Minnow (the spy story)

↳Whumptober 2023

The Pirate Story

The Knight and the Princess Story (amnesia story)

Miscellaneous:

My gifs

Other Places You Can Find Me:

AO3

Pillowfort

ff.net

Twitter

Selected Fics:

Hogan's Heroes

A Hogan's Heroes Christmas Carol (G) When our Heroes need to distract Colonel Klink one Christmas Eve, Colonel Hogan comes up with a scheme that is particularly fit for the season.

The Last of the POWs (G) [Post-Apocalyptic AU] A world in which both sides came up with the atom bomb before the war's end. "The only thing we have left for sure is each other, and we're not going to let you lose that, too."

The Last Escape (Andrew Carter & Felix the Mouse, G) [Steampunk AU] London has ordered the men of Stalag 13 to return home. Meanwhile, Felix has a nasty run-in with the Kommandant's clockwork mouser. Written for Tumblr's AU Roulette.

That's a Lot of Blood (T) Once [the gunshots] faded away, the men cautiously rose to their feet, brushing off dirt and wincing as they shook out joints and limbs that had made rather abrupt contact with the ground. Nobody seemed to notice that Hogan was the last to get up, favoring his right side. Prompt: "Shit. Shit, that's a lot of blood." (I am not currently taking prompts.)

That's No Scratch (G) What if LeBeau's wound at the beginning of "That's No Lady, That's My Spy" had been more than just a graze?

Name, Rank, and Serial Number (T) Carter is taken in by the Gestapo for...questioning.

Sabotage and Anxiety (Robert Hogan & Louis LeBeau, G) What's going on inside Colonel Hogan's head as he and his men blow up a bridge.

Unwilling Pillow (Louis LeBeau & Hans Schultz, Louis LeBeau & Peter Newkirk, G) LeBeau is a little stuck.

A Small Price in War (Robert Hogan & James Kinchloe, G) Kinch watches over an injured Colonel Hogan.

Blue on Blue (Andrew Carter & Peter Newkirk, G) Someone gets a little trigger-happy on a mission.

That's Not a Kraut (Louis LeBeau & Peter Newkirk, G) "I-I mean it, Fritz! Reach for the sky!" The rustling stopped, and a big, dark shape emerged from the bushes. "That's not a kraut," LeBeau said, looking way, way up at two gleaming eyes.

Singin' in the Rain

The Baby Grand Piano (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood, G) Once Don Lockwood had become a bona-fide, certified movie star, the first thing he had done was buy a baby grand piano.

Ashes (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, T) Cosmo drinks his sorrows away after Kathy discovers that he and Don are more than just friends.

Ring (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, G) Cosmo comes home from Don and Kathy's wedding to a wonderful surprise.

Snow (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Seldon, G) Cosmo, Don, and Kathy wake up to find that it's snowed.

The Rat Patrol

A Blue Tin Kettle (G) A ficlet based on the phrase/idea "a blue tin kettle."

Insomnia (Jack Moffitt & Tully Pettigrew, G) Moffitt has trouble sleeping. Tully gives him a hand.

First Aid (Jack Moffitt & Sam Troy, G) Moffitt tries to patch himself up. Troy doesn't think it's a particularly good idea.

DuckTales 2017

Things My Heart Used to Know (a DuckTales Anastasia AU, G) (also known as The Fusion Fic) "We have to go," Donald said. Scrooge turned to Louie and pressed something small and solid and round into his hand. "Guard it well," he told him before disappearing into the smoke. Or, Louie gives a new meaning to the nickname "Captain Lost."

An Old Letter (Donald Duck & Mickey Mouse, G) The boys help Donald write a letter to an old friend. Written for Mickey Mouse's birthday (November 18). Happy 89th, Mickey!

A Phone Call and a Visit (Donald Duck & Mickey Mouse, G) After a year of letter writing, Mickey Mouse calls Donald on the phone and they arrange a visit. Sequel to "An Old Letter." Written for Mickey Mouse's birthday (November 18). Happy 90th, Mickey!

Just Christmas (Donald Duck & Family, G) Scrooge doesn't quite bring the kids home in time for Christmas, and Donald can't help but be upset about it. Takes place right after "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!"

Mother Hen (B.O.Y.D. & Gyro Gearloose, G) Yep, that was Gizmoduck, launching rockets at Mark Beaks in an effort to keep him at bay. And there was 2-BO flying around, blasting lasers from his eyes. ... And there was 2-BO flying around, blasting lasers from his eyes. OR B.O.Y.D. is damaged and Gyro just about loses his mind.

Lullabies (G) If you ask Donald, he'll tell you that the very moment he lost control of his life was when he found himself up at 2:00 in the morning trying to figure out how to clean up the lyrics of the old sea shanties he knows to make them suitable to sing to his boys.

Ducktober 2017 A collection of short one-shots for "Inktober for Writers" (Writetober?) 2017. Mostly fluff with a little bit of whump here and there.

Ducktober 2018 A collection of short one-shots written for Fictober. I'm using a whump prompt list that can be found here. Prompts might not be written in order. Most (but not all) will be Lena-centric, and those that are (for the most part) take place at some vague future point after Lena is freed from being Webby's shadow and returns to her corporeal form.

Fictober 2019 A multi-fandom collection of short one-shots written for Fictober. I'm using multiple prompt lists this year, including this year's Inktober prompts and these two Whumptober lists.

[sunflower-wormwood]

james speaks sarcasm

peter doesn’t feel appreciated

remus thinks they hate him and they think he hates them but they all jus love each other sm

sirius is dumb.

[giffgaff6592]

anything for our moony

All the Young Dudes by MsKingBean89

[cherrynott]

howlers; h.p.

pairing: harry james potter x fem!reader

synopse: everytime harry fucks anything up and gets in trouble, there is a bet: which howler will he be receiving?

warnings: everything’s fine au, howlers, james and sirius being an iconic duo, just fluff

word count: 1.4k

a/n: this idea is from a pin i saw (can’t link it here), so credits to its owner! hope you enjoy it :)

.

Harry James Potter's life was no easy task, but in the best way possible.

Voldemort had been defeated on the fateful 31st October of 1981, within the dark sky of halloween night. No one knew exactly what happened; just that he went to the Potter's to kill the youngest of them, and the curse, apparently, backfired. There was also a rumor about a stag and a black dog, but we will not get into detail. All that mattered was that Voldemort was gone. For good.

Most of his followers went to Azkaban, including Peter Pettigrew, for his betrayal and hidden devoted passion to the dark side. There were some rebellions in the following years, but nothing too big, as their leader had fallen. And because there were such good aurors taking care of everything.

So, having James Potter as his father, Sirius Black as his godfather, and Remus Lupin as his, basically, second father and godfather, growing up was eventful, to say the least.

Don't get him wrong; he absolutely loved them with all of his might. He just wished that they made it easier for him sometimes. Like now, for example.

It was a typical wednesday morning. Everyone was in the Great Hall, as breakfast time was still going and there would be no classes for another half an hour.

You were currently almost completely in your boyfriend's lap, eating your cereals and talking happily to Ginny and Hermoine.

Harry, however, was not very happy; in fact, he was dreading every minute of this breakfast.

He had his arms wrapped around your waist, and his head was buried in your shoulder, eyes closed. He was trying his best to ignore his friends' teasing, the glances from people around and, mainly, the big windows.

Why? Because Hedwig would enter the Hall any minute now. Why was he dreading it? Howlers, of course.

He had pranked Snape along with the Weasley twins the previous day. It was pretty good, if you asked Harry. All of the cauldrons had exploded, and confetti was thrown at Snape, as it was his birthday. They just had to do it. One week of detention and McGonagalls lectures were more than worth it. But there was a little detail that Harry always seemed to forget; the howler he would get the day after.

There were just three options:

1, James and Sirius congratulating him and wishing they were there;

2, Lily wanting to beat his arse;

Or 3, everything mixed together and the complete chaos.

So, here he was; trying to hide in you, hoping you would save him. "Harry, love, I swear to Merlin, I loved your prank-"

"Hey!--" Fred and George yelled from somewhere.

"- but what were you expecting? They do this all the time. You better be hoping that my mom won't be in that howler, then it would be embarrassing," you grinned at him. In all honesty, you usually were involved in the mess (growing up with Harry would do that to you) and your mom was a troublemaker along with the Marauders in their years- the only voice of sense being Lily (even though we all know that Lily secretly loved it all). So, this didn't really faze you; it was actually amusing.

You weren't part of this prank because Harry wanted it to be a surprise. And one hell of a surprise it was.

You too got a week worth of detention because you couldn't stop laughing. Ron and Dean got 3 days. The rest of the students got all one night just because.

"Why can't they just be normal people?" Harry's muffled voice asked.

You rolled your eyes, still smiling. "We are talking about our families here, Harry. Nothing less should be expected."

A few moments passed. Everyone was talking with their friends, and the High Table was still full with all of the professor's and staff. The noise in the Great Hall was full of life, and it was strangely comforting.

Suddenly all the chatter died down, and everyone was looking at the windows. Harry immediately seated upright and snapped his head to the windows direction.

The motion almost made you fall, and that made Harry wrap his arms tighter around you, and pull your body flushed against his well-built chest.

A snowy owl majestically flew around the room with two letters in its beak. One of them was bright red.

Harry loudly groaned which got several chuckles from around. He could swear that Hedwig did this every time for attention. Sirius probably bribed her to do it; fly in the most attention-bringer moment. Fucking Padfoot.

The letters fell into your lap, as you were still on Harry. You cackled loudly as you picked the howler up and wiggled it right in front of Harry's face.

Harry pouted and took the letter, sighing. Looking around, he saw every single pair of eyes on them, the silence defining.

Harry closed his eyes tightly in exasperation, taking one last deep breath, and opened the howler.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, WHAT THE HELL--" Lily's voice bellowed.

"I AM SO FUCKING PROUD OF YOU, SON!--"

"James Fleamont,"

"MOONY MOONY MOONY, DID YA HEARD ABOUT THE PRANK?!"

"SIRIUS, NO! WHERE DID YOU CAME FROM, OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"PADS, THE PRANK ON SNIVELLUS, BRILLIANT! He learned it from me--"

"Actually, if he learned it from someone it was from me. Remember that time, Remus and Sirius were--" your mother's voice echoed through the letter.

"NO! Out of here!" Remus' voice yelled in the background.

"And he got what? One week worth of detention? AMAZING!" Sirius laughed.

"Minnie's getting soft, honestly--"

"Harry, please behave; I love you- James you get back here right this second or I swear to Godric."

"Lily-flower, darling, hey--!" James yelped after a big metallic bang!.

"Goodbye, Harry, " Remus chuckled.

"Don't forget to write to us! And you too Y/N!" your mother excitedly said.

"PADFOOT NO--!"

And the howler ended.

For ten solid seconds, no one said anything.

And then, the chaos started.

Yells and money was being passed around. At this point, it was regular free entertainment for everyone. Harry wanted to at least pretend that he was embarrassed, but really, he couldn't.

You yelled out a 'yes!' before jumping from Harry’s lap and running to the High Table.

Once you reached it, you slammed your two hands right in front of Dumbledoor and McGonagall. "Well, professor, it seems like you have a small debt to pay, isn't it?" you smirked.

Dumbledoor sighed. "Very well. Ms. Y/L/N," he gave you a small bag full of galleons. "Minerva," he gave McGonagall another one.

"Yes, Albus, Ms. Y/L/N is quite right, I reckon. And I believe you also owe me something, no?" Minerva raised her eyebrows with a small proudful smile.

You high-fived McGonagall, who rolled her eyes, and put your galleons in a hidden pocket of your robe. "Nice doing business with you. Headmaster, Minnie," you started to walk run back to her table.

When you got there, everything was still the same. Yells, laughs, bickering, the usual. You took place in your boyfriend's lap again, this time facing him and grinned as you wrapped your arms around his neck. "Hello there, my love!"

Harry bit his lip, trying to contain his amusement. "How much did you get this time?"

You eyed him suspiciously. However, you quickly gave in when Harry raised an eyebrow. "...20 galleons," you answered proudly.

Harry grinned. "Why do they keep betting with you?"

"Maybe they still haven't memorised the sore taste of loss?" you sighed dramatically.

"Merlin, I love you so much," Harry laughed and brought your face closer.

"Of course you do, doesn't everybody?" you teased.

Harry deadpanned.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding, I've been spending way too much time with Padfoot, haven't I?" you tried again. No response from Harry. You then beamed. "I love you."

Harry brushed your lips together, a soft smile adorning his face. And when you were sure he would kiss you, he suddenly smirked. "Doesn't everybody?"

"Harry James Potter!"

Yes, his life really was not easy, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

[crazyk-imagine]

Napkins

Pairings: Sirius Black/ reader

Characters: Reader, Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans

Briefly mentioned: Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin

Warnings:

Word Count: 1,570

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m happy.” 

“Because you’re with me?” Sirius throws his arm over your shoulder, pulling you closer. 

“No, you toad,” you shove his arm off you. 

“What’s got you all happy?” 

“James and Lily are finally together. Remus is doing alright after last night. I think he’s taking a nap. Anyway, Peter was nice enough to go to the kitchen to grab a few things for Moony.” 

“And?” 

“Our little group is having a rare calm day. It makes me happy.” You smile, staring at him. 

Sirius steps in front of you, walking backwards with his arms behind his back. “And?” 

You tilt your head, “and what?” 

“You forgot to mention one other very important person.” 

“Oh, right? Minnie’s doing good. I think her birthday is coming up soon, so I was thinking-” 

“Not her. Me!” 

You nod, “right, right. Yes, you... are... not looking... as tired as you could.” 

“Really?” 

“What? It was a compliment.” 

“You could have mentioned my dashing good looks or my fabulously soft hair or my amazing skills.” 

“As if you need someone to boost your ego.” 

“I do. You have no idea the kind of pressure I have when it comes to these things.” 

“What? The next girl you want to "date" has softer hair than you?” 

His eyes widen and he gasps. He right in front of you before you can comprehend it. He’s holding onto your shoulders, “you take that back! Take it back now!” 

You do your best to suppress your amusement but fail. “No,” you swat at his arms, “get off of me.” You push him off you. 

“No. Hey! Get here!” He shouts, watching you run down towards the end of the hallway. 

Peering your head around the corner, you shout, “No!” And take off, doing your best to get to the Gryffindor entrance before him. 

Glancing over your shoulder, eyes widen in alarm when you see Sirius is only a few feet away and duck through the entrance, running into the common room. 

-

The two of you stumble upon the newest couple. 

“Well, well, well... What do we have here?” Sirius jokes, interrupting the two. 

James gives Pads an annoyed look as he wraps his arm around his girlfriend. 

Lily doesn’t respond, not because she couldn’t think of anything. It’s only because she’s blushing so much to say anything. She’s embarrassed… her best friend and one of James’ best friends had caught them. 

“We were enjoying our time away from you.” 

You sit on the floor, staring at the fire. 

“You're so mean Jamie,” Sirius whines. 

He stomps his feet, making his way towards you and dramatically collapses onto your lap. 

He leans on your legs so his torso’s floating above the ground with his arms wide open. “Hold me.” 

You scoff, shoving him off you. 

-

Peter enters the room, shaking his head when he sees Sirius pouting. He assumes it’s something you’ve done… or not done. 

Peter holds the small basket up, shaking it to let you know he’s back. 

-

You push yourself off the ground... only to be brought back down into a certain soft haired “dog's” lap. “Let me go.” 

“No.” 

“I need to help-” 

“No.” 

“But-” 

“No! You’re staying here!” He whines louder than before. 

“Shut up Pads. Not everyone needs to hear your loudmouth.” 

“I happen to think I have an appropriate sounding mouth.” 

“Oh Merlin,” you mutter. 

“Why’re you two here anyway? There are plenty of other places to be “alone” together. I can tell you all of the best spots.” He winks at the couple. 

“We don’t really want to go somewhere tainted with germs,” Lily says with sass. 

You chuckle. “What’re you laughing at?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Fine.” He snuggles into you. His chin rests on your shoulder as he leans his head on yours. 

"Sorry Peter. Send Remus my love." 

"SEnD ReMuS mY lOvE," Sirius mimics to himself. 

Although he was most definitely not quiet because everyone rolls their eyes at his behavior. 

“What made you two want to stay here? I thought you two were going on a date?” You ask. 

“We were-” Lily begins but is cut off by a certain boyfriend of hers. 

“But then my darling Lilykins,” James turns, smiling at his girlfriend, “got crumbs on her,” his eyes travel down to her lips, “luscious lips,” he mutters the last couple of words to himself. 

You and Lily look at one another and shake your heads. 

“Just because she’s your girl doesn’t mean you can try and have your way with her anywhere you want? We weren’t even gone for that long and you...” Sirius clicks his tongue, making a tsk tsk noise as he shakes his head. 

You slap his arm gently but Sirius being Sirius makes a big dramatic scene. “Stop it. Anyway, I’m happy you two are together but please for my sanity and whatever innocence I have left. Do that somewhere more private... you know if you do decide to go further. I’m perfectly fine if you two want to make out but remember Lily,” you turn to look at her, “we have children among us and we both know I’m not talking about the actual children that go to this school.” 

James and Sirius let out an offended noise. 

“True. We’ll do our best to keep it to a minimum. If I can get this one,” she points to James, “to corporate.” 

The two of you break into a fit of laughter. 

"Corporate," you and Lily repeat, turning red as you hold your stomachs that are beginning to ache from too much laughter. 

“I feel I should be able to kiss my girlfriend whenever I want,” James grumbles, interrupting you two. 

You fan your face, exhaling slowly as you tried to compose yourself. 

Lily covers her eyes and focuses on her breathing. 

“Prongs, you can totally do that no one's stopping you but... think of me." 

You elbow Sirius. 

"Us. Think of us, your very best friends." 

James narrows his eyes at Sirius. 

Your eyes widen in alarm. “Hey- Hey Pads, maybe- maybe we should uh ease up on them. James has been waiting to get with her. He’s happy, she’s happy. Let's leave them be.” 

Sirius turns his head so he can look at you. “And why on earth would I let Prongs kiss Mrs. Prongs?” He asks with a raised brow. 

You glance back at James who was no longer on the couch. “C’mon, you know you’re happy for them.” 

“Of course, I’m happy for the idiot.” 

“Hey!” James interjects, pouncing on Sirius' back. 

-

You fight Sirius' hold and escape before James could tackle you too. 

"I see you made it out alive," Lily comments. 

"Of course, I did. There's no way I'm getting roped up in," you gesture towards Sirius who has James in a headlock. "That." 

"I don't blame you. I'm lucky James doesn't have more injuries after he plays quidditch." 

"Yeah, same with Sirius. Why can't they use all this energy on the field?" 

"They do but they somehow get more." 

"Or maybe they save it for us. So, what really brought you two here?" 

“I came here to change my sweater.” 

“Why?” 

“James dropped his snack on me, and I got crumbs all over me. Do you think I’m going to walk around with crumbs and stains all over me?” 

“No but you could have grabbed a napkin-” 

“I did! James did but he made it worse, so I figured I’d just come here and change my sweater.” 

“And then you found another way to get warm?” You tease. 

Lily blushes, close to turning the same shade as her hair. “Oh shush. What’d you do?” 

You gasp. “I did nothing.” 

Lily purses her lips. 

“Fine. I was mentioning how I’m happy all of us are able to relax today and I may not have mentioned the idiot and he got upset.” 

“I wonder why?” 

“What are talking about?” 

“The girl he loves didn’t say anything about him.” 

You scoff through your nose. “Okay, he doesn’t love me.” 

“Proves how little you pay attention.” 

“How can I think he loves me when he talks about all the girls he dates?” 

“To make you jealous.” 

“of course. Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“You’ll see.” 

“Will I now?” 

“If he’s anything like James. He won’t give up.” 

“Thank Merlin there’s only one James.” 

“Yes, and he’s mine.” 

“How sweet.” 

“Who’s sweet?” James asks, fixing his glasses. 

“Your darling girlfriend.” 

“I would hope so.” 

“James!” 

“I say it with love!” 

-

You chuckle and shake your head at the two and get off the couch giving the two more space. 

You turn to see Sirius sitting on chair, leaning his chin on hand as he stares at you. 

When he notices you looking at him, he smiles and pats the chair. 

You roll your eyes and sit beside him. 

He wraps his arms around you. 

You lean into him and smile. 

-

Lily snuggles into James and glances your way. 

-

You feel eyes on you and find her watching you two with raised brows. 

You purse your lips and look away, snuggling further into Sirius. 

‘She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’ 

-

James nudges Lily bringing her out of her thoughts. 

He gestures toward the two of you. 

She shakes her head. 

‘Idiots.’ The two think as they watch the two of you sitting together chatting.

[starchaseriseverything]

Remus wakes up to the one and only James Potter standing over him. "Jesus, James."

"Happy Birthday, Moony!" That woke up Sirius from beside him.

"Prongs! Cut it out! I'm tired!"

James' face sags a little. "Sorry, Padfoot. Just wanted to surprise Moony."

"It's fine, Prongs." Sirius sits up and kisses Remus' forehead. "Joyeux anniversaire, Mooney."

"Thanks, my love."

"Always."

"You're sickening!" Peter shouts from his bed.

"You're just sour because you're single." Sirius says.

"Not the point!"

"Shut the fuck up." Remus hears someone say.

James smiles a little wider. "Sorry. Let's get out of here before we keep getting yelled at."

James walks right out, and when James wakes up, he never leaves without getting dressed, so he must already be. Remus grabs his outfit picked out for him by his beautiful boyfriend - which Remus will never mention to his face to keep his ego in check - and walks to the bathroom to get ready.

Sirius picked out a white shirt, his favorite sweater, and baggy jeans. He's not gonna lie. He does look amazing in this outfit.

They go down to breakfast, and while he passes, he gets a bunch of 'happy birthday's' from all his friends. He stares at the Gryffindor table where they sit. It's decorated with balloons and a banner above the table that says 'Happy Birthday, Mooney!'.

James is grinning from ear to ear next to him. "Do you like it?"

"Bit much, ain't it?"

"Never enough for our Mooney." His boyfriend says on the other side of him.

Peter isn't affected at all and just walks to the table and plops down in his usual seat. Marlene is seemingly enthused, smiling up at him as he sits down next to Sirius.

Lily, Mary, Marlene, Alice, and Frank have been sitting with them for years now. Since the second year, at least. But Marlene always sat with James first year before she got her own friends. They've been friends since seven. Apparently, they lived right next to each other and were living next to muggles.

They're family's are weird. That's all he has to say. I mean, Marlene is a half-blood, but James? James is a pure-blood, well, blood-traitor, but still.

Breakfast was - as usual- eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. It's what they always have on Sunday's. It's a tradition for the house elves to cook with the head teacher of each house for birthdays, though. And Minnie is a good cook. So, it should be much better than it usually is.

When Remus took that first bite, he was in awe. Minnie did a lot better this year. It's amazing.

After breakfast, they went back to the common room to open presents. James and Marlene ran ahead of them and set it all up. There was a whole spot just for them. Always has been since second year. No one ever goes in that spot. Not if they want to be the victim of a prank.

Marlene and James are sitting right next to each other, smiles mirroring each other's. The chair is surrounded by presents. Remus' spot. "Why so many?" He asks.

"Because you deserve it." Lily responds as she goes to sit down next to Mary and Alice. Frank follows behind while Sirius sits at the end of the couch closest to the chair. Remus sighs and sits down as best he could without touching the gifts.

Sirius smiles. "Mine first." He says while grabbing a small box wrapped in a happy birthday wrapping paper. Now that Remus is actually looking at them, they all are, and the bags are the same ones for each gift, too.

Remus takes it. When he opens it, he gasps. "You didn't."

Sirius smiles wider. "I did." It's a necklace with the moon and Canis Major - Sirius' constellation.

"I love it, my star." He replies, putting it back in its box and looking back at Sirius.

"Ok, ok, love birds." Frank says. "My turn."

Again, it's a box but bigger. It houses three grandpa sweaters - the ones he mentioned he wanted a month ago. "You remembered?"

Frank smiles. "Of course I did."

"Thank you, Frank." He puts them back in the box and sets them aside. Mary hands Remus her gift next. It's houses the tennis shoes Remus was talking about. "You guys are the best." He says while smiling at his new shoes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Rem." He just them aside, and Peter hands him his gift. He opens the bag and sees hair care products. "Peter!"

"What? I bought all the ones you use, plus some."

"I don't take enough care of my hair?"

"That's not what I'm saying. Just try 'em. They work amazing for me." He says while fluffing his hair.

Remus rolls his eyes. "Sure, whatever you say, Pete." He sets the bag aside, and Alice hands him her present. A sketching pad and pencils. "Aw, thanks, Al. I love you."

"I love you, too, Remy."

Next, it's Marlene' gift. Records. ABBA, to be exact. He smiles. "My favorite." He bought a record player a few months ago but hasn't had any time to buy any records. "Thank you, Marls."

Marlene smiles. "I pay attention."

Remus laughs. "Yeah, you all do."

Lily hands him hers. In a bag, there are three different books. Muggle. Lord of The Rings. All three books. "I've always wanted to read this. Thank you, Lils."

"Book group for a reason."

Remus smiles at that while James hands him his last gift. Three notebooks for the books Lily got him. "James,"

"You're welcome, Mooney."

"Thank you."

The rest of the day goes by in a wizz. They play muggle games that Remus can't quite remember the names of. And even Minnie gave him a gift. Potions books. He doesn't know why she has them, but he's thankful.

All his friends are the best he could ask for. But the best part was falling asleep with Sirius.

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

Regulus didn't mean to intervene. He was simply having a little bit of weed, on the patio outside. Careful not to be caught of course. Too much going on in his life as always. Too overwhelmed by all the people at the party. Seeing Sirius and having a mix of rage and pity. He looked so happy celebrating his boyfriend's birthday, with his friends, his new family. It was obvious that he had been slowly drifting away. Regulus had been changing lately. Or so Sirius thought.

Anyway... Regulus had to carry on with his plan to be able to save his brother, and also Walburga.

"So... I really wanted to speak with you, Mary"

Regulus recognized Pettigrew's voice. So he hid behind a pillar. The least he needed now was for Pettigrew to tell his brother he had been smoking. Regulus tried to wave the smell away.

"God, this vodka tastes like piss" Mary groaned.

"Have you ever tasted piss?"

"You have a general idea based of what it smells like"

Peter chuckled at that. They probably thought they were alone. And Regulus hated to be listening to their private conversation. But he didn't know what else to do.

"I think I am going to stop drinking just for drinking" Mary continued as she dropped her drink on a plant "See? I am a mature woman"

"What did that plant ever do to you?"

Regulus could hear the amusement in Peter's voice.

Mary snorted.

"So what did want to talk about?"

"Well... It is more of a question..."

Mary giggled.

"Okay?"

There was a minute of silence after that. And Regulus rolled his eyes, because fuck it. He knew were this conversation was heading towards to.

"Do you think we are great together?" Peter finally asked. After a pause, Regulus thought they would already be snogging.

"As friends?" Mary asked carefully.

Peter took a deep breath.

"No Mary... You know what I am talking about..."

Silence.

"No, Peter..."

Mary tried to stop him but he carried on.

"I mean we make sense together... Think about it..."

"No... No..."

"Yes  Mary. Yes!" Peter exclaimed "You know how I feel about you. Don't pretend you don't"

"We won't work"

"Why?? Because we are cliché? Because our friends are in couples already? Bullshit! Who cares?"

"It is not about that..."

"Mary, I love you..."

"No you don't..."

"Yes, I do!" Peter sounded desperate "How am I not supposed to feel this if we spend all the time together, you led me on..."

"No..." Mary answered "No, Peter. That's not..." she sighed "I care about you. I do... As a friend"

Regulus heard Peter sniffing and he knew he was crying. God, Regulus kind of felt sorry for him. From Sirius' friends, he was the least annoying.

"Of course... As a friend..." Peter spat.

"Peter... I am sorry..." And she did. She sounded genuinely sorry "Don't be sad..."

"You are probably rejecting me because I am not good enough..."

"No... No.. No... That's not true. I swear" Mary said "You are more than enough..."

"No..."

"Peter, you are amazing. You are good. You are incredible... And any girl would so lucky to be with you. But... But that's not me..."

"I love you..."

"I am not meant for this sort of thing..." Mary tried desperately "I don't know why I can't love you the way you want me to, really.... I don't know..."

"I love you, Mary" Peter sniffed again "God, I played this whole movie inside my head... I am so stupid"

"You are not stupid!" Mary begged, and Regulus could hear her voice breaking "I think I am not meant for love"

Regulus had never been in a situation like this. He hadn't even come near to have a girlfriend. Not like Sirius who found everyone fascinating. Not like Sirius that went around heating many girls' ears, fooling with them, joking around. Perhaps Lupin had been his first serious relationship. Regulus saw the way they looked at each other. It was attractive. It almost made Regulus want that with someone.

But Regulus understood what Mary was saying now. How she wasn't meant for love. Regulus wasn't either. Perhaps it had been the fact that he hadn't met someone he fancied yet, but the mere idea of going out with someone made him want to die. It was fun reading about romance, as long as it involved someone else.

"That's bullshit, Mary" Peter carried on taking Regulus out of his thoughts "I am pretty sure if it were someone else asking you out, you would say yes"

"No..."

"Like... Mulciber for example"

"I don't want anything to do with him"

"You went out on a date with him on Valentine's"

Mary was silent. Then she said in a whisper.

"That was a mistake"

But Peter was furious.

"If it were anyone else, you would say yes!" Peter cried again "But no, nobody wants dumb stupid Peter..."

"Peter, don't say that..."

"Come on, you dated James, you had a thing with Frank and then Mulciber....You even kissed Marlene's brother" Peter snorted "The real reason you don't want anything serious is because you want to fuck around with handsome boys... Not losers like me"

"Peter..."

"Everyone is right" he said "You are a whore, Mary!"

Regulus flinched as he heard the slap. It must've hurt.

"I'm sorry..." Peter cried harder this time.

"Peter, I love you. You are the best friend someone could have"

"I am gonna go..."

"Peter!"

"Leave me alone!"

Regulus heard Peter's steps drifting away and how she let out her breath and a few sobs. Regulus wished she would just go away and find comfort in some friend. Regulus had heard enough. And he hated people crying in front of him.

But Mary recomposed with a few sniffs and she said.

"I know you are here... I could smell the weed since we arrived"

Regulus closed his eyes in frustration. He wondered if he could escape. This was so embarrassing.

"Regulus..."

Shit. Regulus sighed as he came out of behind the pillar.

"How do you know it was me?"

Regulus tried to sound uninterested as always. Hands inside his pockets. Like he hadn't heard that intimate conversation of her.

"You and your weird friend are the ones who smoke weed around school"

Regulus nodded. Although he wanted to ask her if she could not tell Sirius. If Sirius didn't know already. He probably did.

"And I saw you hiding" Mary added.

"Okay..."

Mary was looking intensely at him. Regulus hated to be stared, so he looked at the floor.

"You heard all of it, right?"

"I was just there..." he pointed at his previous hiding spot "Of course I did"

Mary nodded looking sad.

"I didn't mean to... But... But I didn't know what to do... And you were being loud"

Regulus wished his cheeks weren't on fire. It happened when he spoke with people he didn't know well.

But Mary wasn't listening. She began crying right there in front of him. Her shoulders were shaking. And she wiped her nose with her sleeve. Under her hoodie she was wearing a small dress.

Regulus didn't know what to do. He cursed his bad luck.

"Do you think I am a whore too?"

"Ehh..."

"I mean just because a girl doesn't have a stable boyfriend... Doesn't mean she is indeed a whore..." Mary was sobbing harder "And I really love snogging boys... And mooree...." sniff sniff "But Peter... Peter is special. I didn't want to lose him, you know?"

Anyone. Literally anyone would be a better help for Mary right now. Regulus knew he was supposed to hold her, and tell her everything was okay, and probably tell her she wasn’t a whore. But he really didn't want to. Crying women reminded him of Walburga in her worse moments.

Regulus observed awkwardly as Mary stabled herself. And she calmed down.

"Sorry..." she said, wiping her tears "You probably don't care about this at all"

"No... I... I mean I do..."

Regulus was pathetic.

Mary sighed.

"I should've said yes" Mary added "To Peter I mean. He would be a wonderful boyfriend. The best boyfriend someone could have"

"Do you actually want to say yes?" Regulus found himself asking "Do you actually love him?"

Mary twisted her mouth. Her makeup was all ruined.

"I love him as a friend" she said "I love him so much but not like that"

"So why would you say yes?"

"I feel comfortable and incredible with Peter. More than I had ever felt with any boy" she explained "He treats better than anyone. And Peter is perfect, you know?" she swallowed "Any girl would be lucky to date him. Why couldn't that lucky girl be me?"

Mary sighed.

"I think Peter would love me properly"

"But you won't love him" Regulus answered.

"Does it matter?"

"I think it does" Regulus said.

Mary snorted, and something like a smile appeared on her face.

"Have you ever felt like you have to be in love because people around you fall in love and they look so happy that you wonder: 'Why not me?' But then you won't feel it? With anyone?"

Mary had just described what Regulus felt all the time. Regulus found romance stupid. But there was something attractive to the way couples were. Most of songs talked about it. Everyone was looking for it. But it resulted so easy for others. And then Regulus just didn't like anyone. Everyone was too short, too tall, too talkative, too quiet, too happy, too depressed, too stupid, too intelligent... Perhaps none of them were the problem. The problem was Regulus.

"I have felt that, actually"

Mary looked at him in a curious way. Regulus couldn't avoid blushing.

"Have you fancied anyone, Regulus?"

Regulus was going to lie. But he didn't find a point anymore. Not with Mary.

"No" he said.

Mary nodded. She didn't make fun of him, or tell him 'Oh you will find someone eventually'.

"All..." Regulus hated the way he sounded so he cleared his throat "All those boys... That you..."

Mary raised an eyebrow. Regulus carried on.

"Have you fancied any of them?"

Mary wasn't offended by that question. Everyone thought she was an easy girl. The rumors had been worse last term for what happened with Longbottom. But Regulus didn't think she was easy. Or at least he didn't care.

"I've fancied them" Mary answered "For a nice conversation. For really good sex..."

Regulus blushed with that word. And Mary noticed because she smiled.

"But not really, you know?" Mary continued "Not in a romantic way. I've never been in love.... And I don't think I will"

"Me neither"

Regulus realized what he confessed after he said it. But it was true.

They both looked at each other. Mary smiled. And Regulus forced himself to smile as well.

"I thought I was the only one" Mary giggled.

"Me too"

"So..." Mary smiled "Don't mind me asking. Have you snogged any girl?"

"No"

"Any boy?"

"That's not for me" Regulus answered annoyed.

"Okay..." Mary said "That's fine"

"Do you think I am weird?"

Mary snorted.

"I like snogging and sex... You probably like weed" she shrugged "I mean we all have our things"

Regulus found himself smiling.

"You are actually very cool, Regulus" Mary said with a smile "Not just my friend's weird little brother"

Speaking of which...

"Would you mind not telling Sirius about this?"

"About you smoking weed?"

"And the other thing too"

Mary nodded, she smiled again.

"Thank you"

Mary was cool. Perhaps they had that in common. The not dating part. But Sirius was different. Ever since he started dating Lupin he thought romance was the best thing ever. And he would never understand Regulus. He had been teasing him with Pandora. And Panda was just his friend. He didn't get it.

"Would you share some of that split with me?" Mary smiled raising an eyebrow.

Regulus shook his head. But he smiled.

"I could smoke more"

He turned on his unfinished split and took a drag passing it to Mary.

"So weird..." she tutted as she had a drag "I remember when you were such a cute baby in your first year and you followed Sirius around..."

"Oh shut up!" Regulus rolled his eyes.

Mary laughed. And her laugh, Regulus concluded, was beautiful and contagious.

[iwriteasfotini]

In which Remus endures yet another moon, Sirius celebrates his twelfth birthday, then has a terrible day courtesy of one Bellatrix Black.

This chapter has a theme song which is dedicated to Remus. And I want to add a note that I don't go into details on any supposed or real relationships with Sirius and Remus and OTHER people. ATYD stressed me out! These boys might flirt or kiss someone here or there, but they were born for each other.

[bunny-bopper]

I posted 979 times in 2022

67 posts created (7%)

912 posts reblogged (93%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@maikanna

@logicgunn

@snapecentric

@half-blood-slytherpuff

@owlzerness

I tagged 467 of my posts in 2022

#snupin - 56 posts

#severus snape - 38 posts

#<3 <3 <3 <3 - 13 posts

#ask games - 13 posts

#stargate atlantis - 10 posts

#happy birthday sev - 9 posts

#harlivy - 8 posts

#asks - 8 posts

#tag games - 7 posts

#teen sev - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 103 characters

#and i don't wanna download it because i want to contribute to the ratings when it finally does get here

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Rules: List the first lines of your last 10 stories. See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag some people to take part.

Thanks for tagging me @logicgunn! I haven't done this in a while :)

Well They're No Friends Of Mine

(hp, snupin, marauder's era, oneshot)

"Look at him. Skulking about as usual."

Puffed Up Like A...

(hp, lucius malfoy/oc, lucissa, oneshot)

It had not been real.

A Little Nudge

(sga, mcshep, oneshot)

“Fine,” Rodney announced, slamming his tray down on the table, “I give up.”

The Truth Will Out

(hp, snupin, multi chapter, adult)

He knows something is wrong before the potion even touches his lips.

The Reckoning of Severus Snape

(hp, severus snape/euphemia rowle, oneshot, adult, dark)

There was never any performance: no lustful moans or delicate sighs, no hair cascading artfully down one shoulder, no sweetly whispered words, and certainly no declarations of love.

I Like Mine With A Kiss

(hp, fleur/tonks, multi chapter, adult)

Ever since she was a little girl, Fleur simply could not stand mess.

The Potion Seller and the Wolf

(hp, snupin, multi chapter, fairytale au)

The forest held few surprises for Severus Snape.

Aurora

(hp, severus snape/aurora sinistra, oneshot, adult)

"Are you okay, love? Do you want to stop?"

Narcissa

(hp, snucissa, oneshot, adult)

"Lay back down, darling. That's a good boy."

Bellatrix

See the full post

27 notes - Posted February 19, 2022

#4

Kinky Snupin sex, you say?

Is there any other kind? lol.

I thought I had more recs but the only one I seem to have bookmarked is Five Time Lupin and Snape Should Not Have Had Sex At Order Headquarters (But Couldn't Help It) by Snegurochka. Seriously - it's got everything. Humour, angst, kink, and even has surprisingly sweet ending.

I'd quite like to do a kinky Snupin rec list at some point. If anyone has any they want to share please feel free to add to this post!

My kinkiest fic by far is The Truth Will Out which I am actually going to update - shocking I know - today or tomorrow!

29 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

#3

The Truth Will Out

A Remus/Severus fic 

Rating: E

Summary: When Severus spikes his Wolfsbane with truth potion, Remus reveals something neither of them expected.

Tags: porn with plot, porn with feelings, bdsm, dom/sub elements, dom severus snape, sub remus lupin, bondage, edgeplay, spanking, humiliation 

Chapter 11 is up in which it all breaks down at the role reversal. Or does it?

41 notes - Posted April 30, 2022

#2

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape, Remus Lupin & Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape

Characters: Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Lily Evans Potter, James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Mary Macdonald

Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, snupin - Freeform, POV Remus Lupin, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Bullying, Dancing

Summary:

Whenever his friends pull a prank on Snape, Remus always looks the other way. But what if there's another option?

52 notes - Posted January 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I just need a scene at the Battle of Hogwarts where Snape reveals his loyalties by breaking his cover to save someone's life. Then I need an epically clichéd fight scene where he takes on like ten Death Eaters and wins easily. Oh and I need it set to a soundtrack - preferably a classic pop rock song completely incongruous to a fight scene but someone works incredibly well.

98 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[the-dream-team]

Chlorine

A fluffy little one-shot for @efkgirldetective's summer of jily week two prompt: swimming with friends // Today we're younger than we're ever gonna be <3

“What in Merlin’s name is that smell?” gagged Sirius, bringing his towel up to cover his nose.

Mary swotted him with a bright green foam noodle. “That’s just the chlorine, you knob. It’s a chemical Muggles use to keep the water clean.”

“The water’s not clean?” squeaked Peter, his beady eyes widening.

“Take a look around Pettigrew,” laughed Mary, gesturing wildly. “There are about a trillion little kids running around with saggy trunks and juice-stained mouths, it’s not exactly the Prefect’s bathroom here.”

The group of teenagers took a moment to survey their surroundings. Sirius was right, the thick summer air reeked of chlorine wafting from unnaturally electric blue swimming pools, packed with screaming children, brightly colored floaties, and haggard parents. Behind the main pool, reaching up to the sky, stood two impressive slides, winding and bending in every direction before opening up into a smaller basin. Once every minute, the slide discarded a new, squealing child into the water with an eruptive splash.

Lily eyed the Muggle kids with some trepidation. “Are we too old to be here?” she asked, eyes shifting as she clutched her copy of Herbology for Potioneers a little closer to her chest. “It feels like everyone else is about a decade younger than us.”

“Don’t worry too much about that, Evans,” said James, a bright smile aimed in her direction. “Today we’re younger than we’re ever going to be, anyway!” He nudged her affectionately, resulting in a rosy hue that spread across her cheeks as their bare shoulders made contact.

“Alright,” announced Remus after barely dodging a rogue beach ball, “let’s find a place to put our towels before these buggers realize we’re easy targets.”

They managed to snag a row of plastic lounge chairs beside the wave pool to dump their belongings on before Sirius set his sights on the towering waterslides across the park.

“You said these slides were crazy fast, right MacDonald?” Sirius asked, a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“They’re the fastest in Britain,” grinned Mary, tossing her sunnies aside. “And you get some serious air on your way out, it’s the closest thing Muggles have to flying, I’d argue.”

Lily tensed and quickly diverted her attention to her book, though her eyes remained still as she stared at the pages. Almost no one noticed her sudden discomfort.

“That’s bloody brilliant,” grinned Sirius. “Last one to the top has to buy us a round of those mushie drinks.”

“They’re called slushies, Padfoot.”

“Call them whatever you want, Moony, but I want a blue one.” Sirius discarded his t-shirt onto a chair and kicked off his sandals in preperation. “Prongs, do you think we could convince the lifeguards to let us go down the slides together?”

But James wasn’t paying attention to Sirius. “Nah, go ahead without me,” he said, eyes trained on Lily as she continued intently staring at her book. “I think I’m gonna start out a little slower with the lazy river. Evans, care to keep me company?”

Lily’s eyes snapped up to see Sirius’ dropped jaw, Mary’s raised eyebrows, and James’ steady smile.

“Oh,” she said, her voice finding a higher octave than usual, “sure, I could join you.”

“Fine,” grumbled Sirius, pulling the others along with him, “but I’m coming to find you at that dopey river after our first round on the slides. I won’t let you be boring all day, Prongs.”

James shrugged, barely paying the others any mind as he extended a hand to Lily. She watched their friends saunter off before accepting his help to stand up.

“Hold on there, Evans,” said James, plucking her book from her hands and tossing it back onto their pile of towels, “I can’t have you doing homework; today is all about having fun!”

“Then why aren’t you going with the others to the slides?”

He paused, considering her question with a smile. “Because you’re way more fun than a couple of waterslides.”

Before she had a chance to respond, James pulled her away from the chairs and towards the center of the park, their bare feet slapping against sizzling cement as they navigated around young children and indifferent lifeguards.

The lazy river lived directly across from the concession stand, perfectly situated for parents who wanted to keep an eye on their floating kids while they enjoyed a cool beer and a basket of hot chips. The river wound itself around an impressive structure resembling a fairytale castle, complete with canons that sprayed water onto passerbys and waterfalls that poured over plastered mountainsides and into its surrounding moat.

At the water’s edge sat a pile of tubes, growing hot under the unrelenting midday sun. James released Lily’s hand to secure them two floats, missing her subtle disappointed huff at the loss of his grip when he turned his back on her. But by the time he handed over her tube, she’d managed to rearrange her face into a neutral smile.

“After you, Evans,” he said with a little bow, extending an arm towards the gently rolling river.

She rolled her eyes at the exaggerated chivalry, but stepped forward nonetheless, carefully placing her tube in the water and lowering herself into the center. The water, cool and refreshing, lapped against her backside and kissed her heels as she hung her legs over the tempered rubber.

James took a different approach, choosing to throw his own tube unceremoniously into the water before giving himself a running start to cannonball onto it. Lily screeched as he nearly jumped directly on top of her.

“You prat!” she laughed, splashing water on his face, covering his glasses in little droplets.

“You know you love me,” he teased, a glint in his eye.

The pink glow that spread across her cheeks could have passed as a light sunburn, but the way James’ eyes flashed suggested he’d picked up on the truth. His dimples appeared despite the attempt to keep his grin at bay.

“So, Potter,” she started, choosing to change the subject, “what drew you to the lazy river, other than the obvious similarities you share?”

James drove an imaginary dagger into his chest. “You wound me, Evans! But if you must know, I thought it’d be the perfect place to chat with you.”

If the river’s current hadn’t continued pulling them along, Lily might have thought time had stood still. “To chat?”

“Yeah,” he responded as though it were obvious, “the playground would be too noisy with all the kids running around, it seems like we would’ve spent more time underwater than above it at the wave pool, and the hot tubs are simply not weather appropriate.”

“With me?”

It was finally James’ turn to look surprised. “Of course! I’ve spent my whole summer mucking about with the boys, but I’ve hardly seen you since Peter’s party and I missed talking with you.”

Lily tried passing off her pleased burst of laughter as a scoff. “I always forget how forthright you are.”

“I’m an open book,” he replied, sticking her with a pointed stare she couldn’t see as she averted her own gaze, attempting to hide her growing blush he had already clocked.

“I wish I could be more like that,” she spoke to the distance, to the cloudless expanse of sky, hoping it would relay the message to the boy whose intertube continued bouncing rhythmically against her own as they traveled in endless circles.

“As a kid,” she continued, “I loved playgrounds. Gravity melted away when I sailed off swings and soared through slides, when my magic took over before I even knew what I was. But the uncontrollable flying always scared my parents, so when my family visited parks, I’d be kept on the sidelines, hidden away to avoid causing a scene. I guess I got pretty good at hiding.”

“Do you want help practicing?”

Lily jerked her attention back to James and his easy eyes, his ruffled hair. “What?”

“Do you want help practicing being an open book?” he repeated simply. “I happen to be an expert and I’d be happy to lend my talents.”

His cheeky grin earned him a light splashing and an only-slightly-exasperated huff. “You know what, fine. Teach me your ways, Potter.”

“Alright,” he said, eyes brightening as he adjusted his position on his tube to face her more fully, “we’ll start with easy questions and then get gradually harder from there. The only rule is that you have to answer honestly.”

Lily sunk slightly into the hole of her intertube, but nodded, resting her chin on her folded arms, fingers mindlessly dipping in and out of the passing water below.

“First off, who is your best friend?”

“That’s your easy question?” Lily guffawed.

“What?” asked James, watching her curiously. “I already know the basics. Your favourite colour is forest green, you like chocolate biscuits best, and your sister is a piece of work. Now, who is your best friend?”

“Mary, I guess?” said Lily, brows furrowed slightly. “We immediately clicked since we first met, what with us both being Muggleborn, and after Sev was out of the picture…”

“I’m familiar with this part,” James grimaced, his focus shifting to his fingernails. “So, next question. If you had to be sorted into a different house, which one would you choose?”

“Hufflepuff,” she responded without blinking. “Closest to the kitchens, obviously. Next question.”

“Respectable,” he chuckled. “How about… do you prefer Butterbeer or Firewhiskey?”

She paused, catching his eye for longer than she’d planned. “You probably already know the answer.”

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards with a jolt of hope. “Butterbeer spiked with Firewhiskey?”

“Butterbeer spiked with Firewhiskey.”

James leaned forward slightly, his arm extending absentmindedly to reach for the cloth handles on Lily’s tube to pull her closer. “Like the ones we made at Peter’s birthday party last month?”

Their hands mingled together in the water between their tubes, pruned fingers brushing against each other as the current pushed them together. “Exactly like the ones from Peter’s birthday.”

He was near enough to count every sunkissed freckle spattered across her nose. She could practically fall into his growing dimples.

“Oi, Prongs!” came the disappointing voice of Sirius Black from the concession stand’s picnic tables. “You can’t hide from us all day, mate!”

“Maybe not,” James called back, a lopsided smirk sliding across his face, “but I can try!”

Before Sirius had a chance to respond, James sunk through the center of his intertube and disappeared under the water’s surface. Lily peered into the river, wondering if he could have possibly brought his Invisibility Cloak with him to the park, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted when a hand grabbed her ankle under the water. It tugged lightly, willing her out of her tube and into the depths of the lazy river.

Once fully submerged in the water, Lily squinted her eyes open to see her new surroundings, blue like the sky with ripples of sunlight refracting through the flowing stream, circular shadows overhead from the tubes they left on the surface, roaming away like drifting clouds searching for different horizons. A hand found her arm and spun her around, bringing her face to face with James, his glasses attempting an escape into the river’s flow, tiny air bubbles escaping through his nose and growing smile.

He pulled her across the width of the river, through a shower of bubbles from the underside of a waterfall, and into still water again before finally leading them both to the surface. They broke back into the world with gasping breaths and laughter, finding themselves in a dark, quiet alcove behind one of the castle’s waterfall features. The lazy river continued on as they stood together in their hidden cave, separated only by a wall of tumbling water. Despite no longer being pulled by the river’s current, the two found themselves drifting closer and closer to one another.

“Do you have any more questions?” asked Lily, her whisper echoing around and joining in with the soft roar of the waterfall.

James tried to control the beating of his heart, which must have been reverberating all around their little retreat based on how loudly he heard it pounding in his ears.

He cleared his throat. “Did you want me to kiss you that night at Peter’s party?”

She inhaled sharply. “Yes. Next question.”

“Do you want me to kiss you now?”

“Yes.”

She barely got the word out before James’ lips found hers, crashing down like a wave against the shore, pulling them into a riptide of racing hearts, fluttering eyelashes, and sighing breaths. They kissed and kissed and kissed until their heads spun, either drunk off the thrill of new beginnings or thoughts of Firewhiskey-spiked Butterbeer. Or possibly it was the intoxicating combination of magic mixed with chlorine.