#he stole remus' smile for this

[pedroscowgirl]

I love you, I'm sorry

a professor! remus lupin x (legal) student fem!reader series

Warnings: fluff fluff /SMUT at the end so minors DNI! p in v (wrap it up), student x teacher relationship, age gap (reader is 20 something, remus is 38), size kink? (he barely fits), professor kink, reader is sucker for academic validation

summary: fucking your hot new professor 4.5k words

A/N: so once again uni has been killing me and i need academic validation from a hot professor and remus is my current bae so here you go. Also this will be a series cuz I'm way too invested in their dynamic so stay tuned. And there is an insane shortage of older remus lepin smuts btw. pls fix it guys

The September air was crisp as you stepped through the ancient wooden doors of Hogwarts, your heart thrumming with a mixture of excitement and nervous energy. This wasn’t your first time entering the castle, but it felt different now—this was the year you’d finally take Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by the newly appointed Professor Lupin. You’d heard whispers about him in the hallways: brilliant, kind, but carrying an air of quiet sadness that intrigued you more than you cared to admit.

Clutching your books tightly, you made your way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, arriving early to secure a good seat. The room was lit with flickering candles, their light casting dancing shadows on the stone walls. The faint scent of old parchment and wood polish lingered in the air, familiar and comforting. You chose a seat near the front, arranging your materials neatly as you waited, the quiet hum of anticipation growing in your chest.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence, and when the door creaked open, you looked up. In walked Professor Lupin, his robes slightly frayed at the edges, his sandy-brown hair streaked with silver, and a battered leather satchel slung over his shoulder. His eyes, a warm hazel, swept across the room before landing on you. For a moment, he froze.

“Oh, hello,” he said, his voice soft but tinged with surprise. He adjusted the strap of his satchel, suddenly looking self-conscious. “You… you must be one of my students. I didn’t expect… I mean, I wasn’t expecting anyone this early.”

You offered a small smile, trying to put him at ease. “I wanted to make a good impression, Professor. This is my favorite subject.”

His brows lifted slightly, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Ah, well, you certainly have. Punctuality is always appreciated.” He set his satchel down on the desk, his hands fumbling with the clasp. “I’m…” He paused, cleared his throat, and started again. “I’m Remus Lupin. Well, Professor Lupin, of course.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Professor Lupin,” you said, your voice steady despite the way your pulse quickened under his gaze.

He nodded, a faint flush creeping up his neck as he busied himself with arranging papers on his desk. “And you are…?”

You gave him your name, watching as he repeated it under his breath, as if committing it to memory.

“A lovely name,” he murmured, then seemed to catch himself. His eyes widened slightly, and he gave a nervous chuckle. “I mean, uh, it’s… a perfectly fine name. Good, strong. Not that I… Oh dear, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

You couldn’t help but laugh softly, charmed by his awkwardness. “Just a little, but I don’t mind.”

He exhaled, a self-deprecating smile curving his lips. “Well, I’m glad one of us doesn’t. I’m usually more articulate, I promise.”

The door opened again, and other students began trickling in, breaking the quiet moment. Professor Lupin straightened, slipping into a more composed demeanor as he greeted the newcomers. But as the lesson began, you couldn’t help noticing the occasional glance he stole in your direction, as if you had caught his attention in a way he hadn’t expected.

The lesson passed in a blur of practical demonstrations and insightful lectures. Professor Lupin’s teaching style was unlike anything you’d experienced before; he made even the most complex topics seem accessible, weaving stories and humor into his explanations. He had a way of drawing you in, his voice calm and steady, yet tinged with a passion that made you want to absorb every word. By the end of the class, you felt more inspired than ever.

As students began gathering their things, you lingered, hesitant to leave just yet. You pretended to adjust the straps on your bag, stealing glances at him as he packed away his teaching materials. Finally, you took a deep breath and approached his desk.

“Professor Lupin?” you ventured, your voice steady despite the nervous fluttering in your chest.

He looked up, startled but quickly masking it with a warm smile. “Yes? What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to thank you for the lesson. It was really… inspiring. I’ve never had a professor explain things so clearly before.”

His expression softened, and for a moment, he seemed genuinely touched. “That means a great deal, thank you. It’s always a pleasure to know my efforts are appreciated.”

You hesitated, then added, “If it’s not too much trouble, I was hoping I could ask you some questions about today’s material. I want to make sure I understand it completely.”

“Of course,” he said immediately, motioning for you to take a seat. “I’d be happy to help.”

For the next half-hour, the two of you discussed the finer points of defensive spells and magical theory. Despite the growing darkness outside, you felt a warmth settle over you as his passion for teaching shone through. He listened intently to your questions, his responses thoughtful and encouraging. At one point, he pulled out a piece of parchment and sketched a detailed diagram to illustrate a particularly complex concept, his movements precise and confident.

“You’ve really thought this through,” he said, glancing up at you with a look of quiet admiration. “It’s rare to see a student so eager to delve deeper. You’re going to go far, you know.”

Your cheeks warmed at the unexpected compliment. “Thank you, Professor. That means a lot coming from you.”

He gave you a small, almost shy smile. “Well, I’m just glad to have someone so engaged in the subject. It makes teaching all the more rewarding.”

As the conversation finally drew to a close, you gathered your things, feeling a strange reluctance to leave. As you stood to go, he spoke again.

“You have a remarkable mind,” he said quietly. “I can tell you’re going to do great things.”

“Thank you,” you repeated, your voice soft. You hesitated for a moment, then added, “I’m looking forward to the next lesson.”

“As am I,” he replied, his voice equally soft. “Have a good evening.”

You nodded and stepped out of the classroom into the dimly lit corridor. The warmth of his words stayed with you as you walked away, the echo of his quiet encouragement lingering in your mind. All you knew was that you were already looking forward to the next lesson—and to the moments when his gaze would meet yours, even if just for a fleeting second.

—----------------------------

The days that followed were filled with small, quiet moments that slowly deepened the connection between you and Professor Lupin. In class, he often called on you, his hazel eyes brightening whenever you answered correctly. There were times when he lingered after lessons, offering further explanations or engaging in discussions that felt more like conversations between equals than the typical student-teacher dynamic.

One afternoon, as the golden light of autumn streamed through the castle’s tall windows, you found yourself in the library, poring over a particularly dense tome on advanced defensive techniques. Your brow furrowed as you tried to make sense of a particularly convoluted passage. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Struggling with something?”

You looked up to see Professor Lupin standing there, a gentle smile on his face. He held a stack of books in his arms, their spines worn and faded.

“A little,” you admitted, gesturing to the page. “This section on layered shield charms is… well, it’s a bit much.”

He set his books down and pulled up a chair beside you, his proximity sending a faint thrill through you. “Let’s see,” he said, leaning in to read over your shoulder. His voice was soft and soothing as he began to explain the concept, breaking it down into manageable pieces. As he spoke, his hand brushed yours briefly as he pointed to a diagram, the touch light but enough to make your heart skip a beat.

“That makes so much more sense,” you said when he finished, a smile breaking across your face. “Thank you, Professor.”

“You’re very welcome,” replied, his gaze lingering on yours for a moment longer than expected. There was a softness in his expression, a quiet encouragement that felt like a promise—though a promise of what, you couldn’t quite say. You found yourself hoping for more of these moments, fleeting as they were, where the world around you seemed to fade and it was just the two of you.

Over the following weeks, these small interactions began to multiply. Sometimes it was the way his hand would briefly graze yours when passing back an essay, or the way his eyes would crinkle with genuine amusement when you shared a clever observation during class discussions. Other times, it was the unspoken understanding you felt during your private consultations, where the conversation would drift seamlessly from the intricacies of magic to literature, history, or even philosophy.

One evening, as autumn gave way to the chill of early winter, you found yourself wandering the castle grounds after dinner. The moon hung low in the sky, its silver light casting long shadows across the frost-kissed grass. You’d brought your notebook, intending to sketch out some ideas for an upcoming project, but instead, you found yourself simply walking, letting the quiet envelop you.

“Out for some fresh air?” came a familiar voice, startling you out of your thoughts.

You turned to see Professor Lupin leaning against the edge of a low stone wall, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. His robes looked heavier than usual, lined against the cold, and his scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. He offered a small, lopsided smile, the kind that always made your heart flutter.

“I could ask you the same thing,” you replied, moving closer. “Escaping the chaos of the castle?”

He chuckled softly, nodding. “Something like that. It’s nice to step away for a moment. Clear the head.”

You hesitated before sitting on the wall beside him, the stone cool against your hands. “Do you come out here often?”

“When I can,” he admitted. “It’s… peaceful. A rare commodity these days.”

You looked up at him, noting the faint lines of weariness around his eyes. “You must be exhausted,” you said, the concern in your voice unguarded. “Teaching all of us, managing everything…”

“It’s part of the job,” he said with a shrug, though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But thank you. It’s kind of you to notice.”

A comfortable silence settled between you, broken only by the distant rustle of wind through the trees. After a moment, you gathered the courage to speak again.

“You’re a really good teacher, you know. It’s not just the way you explain things—it’s the way you make us feel like… like it matters. Like we matter.”

He turned to look at you then, his expression unreadable. For a moment, you worried you’d overstepped, but then he spoke, his voice quieter than before.

“That means more than you know,” he said. “Truly.”

The intensity of his gaze made your breath catch, and you quickly looked away, your cheeks warming. To your relief, he shifted the conversation to lighter topics, asking about your project and offering advice that was both practical and insightful. The two of you talked until the cold began to seep into your bones, and he insisted you head back to the castle to warm up.

Beneath the surface, there was always the shadow of what couldn’t be said aloud. You both knew the boundaries that existed, even as the line between student and professor blurred into something more intimate. And yet, neither of you seemed willing—or able—to step away.

—-

Professor Lupin—Remus, as you’d begun to call him in the privacy of your thoughts—seemed to gravitate toward you just as you gravitated toward him. There was always a reason to linger after class, always a justification for a quiet conversation in his office, but the excuses were growing thinner with each passing day.

It was one such evening, after a particularly rigorous Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, that you found yourself in his office again. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the small, cluttered space. Books were stacked haphazardly on every surface, and a faint scent of parchment and tea hung in the air.

“You’ve outdone yourself with today’s essay,” he said, his voice warm with genuine praise. He held the parchment in his hands, his thumb brushing over the edges as he glanced at you. “Your analysis of nonverbal defense techniques was insightful, and your argument about their limitations was… well, brilliant, really.”

Your cheeks flushed at the compliment, though you tried to hide it by looking down at your hands. “Thank you. I’ve had a good teacher.”

He chuckled softly, but there was something in his gaze that lingered longer than it should have. “You give me too much credit.”

“I don’t think so,” you said, daring to meet his eyes. “You’ve made me believe I can do more than I ever thought I could.”

For a moment, the room seemed to grow impossibly still. His smile faded into something softer, something almost hesitant. He set the parchment down on his desk, his fingers lingering on it for a moment before he folded his hands in his lap.

“I see so much potential in you,” he said quietly, his voice tinged with a vulnerability you hadn’t heard before. “You’re capable of things you don’t even realize yet.”

“Is that why you’ve been so patient with me?” you asked, your tone light but your heart racing.

“Patient?” he repeated, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “You make it sound like a chore. It’s not. It’s never been that.”

The weight of his words settled between you, heavy and charged. You weren’t sure who moved first—if it was him leaning forward or you—but suddenly the distance between you felt impossibly small. His hand reached out, hesitating for a brief second before his fingers brushed against yours. The touch was light, tentative, as though he were testing the boundaries of what was allowed.

“I shouldn’t—” he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

But you interrupted him, your own voice steady despite the tremor in your hands. “I think we’ve both stopped asking what we should or shouldn’t do.”

His eyes searched yours, and for a moment, you saw the conflict warring within him—the weight of responsibility battling with the pull of something undeniable. Then, as if the tension became too much to bear, he closed the remaining distance between you.

The kiss was gentle at first, his lips brushing against yours like a question waiting for an answer. When you responded, leaning into him, the hesitation melted away. His hand came up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin as he deepened the kiss. There was a desperation to it, as though he’d been holding himself back for far too long and could no longer resist.

The fire crackled softly in the background, the warmth of the room wrapping around you like a cocoon. Every nerve in your body seemed to come alive under his touch, the world outside fading into insignificance. For a moment, it was just the two of you—no titles, no expectations, just a connection that felt raw and real.

When you finally broke apart, his forehead rested against yours, his breath coming in soft, uneven bursts. His hand remained on your cheek, his thumb tracing a gentle line along your jaw.

“This…” he began, his voice hoarse. “This is dangerous.”

“I know,” you whispered, your own voice barely audible. “But it doesn’t feel wrong.”

He closed his eyes, exhaling a shaky breath. “No, it doesn’t. And that’s what scares me.”

You stayed like that for a while, the silence filled with the unspoken understanding that whatever this was, it couldn’t be undone. 

—---

It had been weeks since the first kiss, each stolen moment adding another layer to the unspoken understanding between you. It wasn’t just the kisses or the way his hand lingered on yours—it was the way he looked at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention. There was something in his eyes, a mixture of wonder and hesitance, as though he couldn’t quite believe you were real.

One evening, after a particularly long day, you found yourself once again in Remus’s office. The castle was quiet, the only sounds the occasional creak of the old walls and the faint crackle of the fire. His office had become a second home to you.

“You’re lost in thought again,” Remus said, his voice breaking the comfortable silence. He was seated across from you, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. His eyes, warm and inquisitive, searched your face.

You smiled softly, setting your own cup down. “I suppose I am. It’s hard not to be, lately.”

“Something troubling you?” he asked, leaning forward slightly. The concern in his voice made your chest tighten.

You hesitated, unsure how to put your feelings into words. “Not troubling, exactly. Just… overwhelming. Everything feels so much bigger than me lately—school, the war, us…”

The last word slipped out before you could stop it, and your cheeks flushed as his expression shifted. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and you feared you’d said too much. But then he set his tea aside and reached out, his hand covering yours.

“Us,” he repeated softly, his thumb brushing against your knuckles. “That’s a word I never thought I’d hear in this context. And yet, it feels… right.”

Your breath caught at his admission, your heart pounding in your chest. “It does,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

The room seemed to shrink, the air between you charged with something electric. His hand tightened slightly around yours, and you saw the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. He wanted this—you could see it—but he was holding himself back.

“I’ve tried to tell myself all the time that we shouldn’t,” he said, his voice low. “That it’s too risky, too complicated. But the truth is, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

You stood then, the need to close the distance between you overpowering. He followed your lead, rising to meet you as you took a tentative step closer. Your hands found their way to his chest, your fingers brushing against the soft fabric of his sweater.

“Then stop trying,” you said, your voice steadier than you felt.

He let out a shaky breath, his hands coming up to cradle your face. “You have no idea how much I want this. How much I want you.”

“Then show me,” you whispered.

The words were all the encouragement he needed. He kissed you, his lips capturing yours with a hunger that took your breath away. It was a kiss that spoke of weeks of restraint finally breaking, of emotions too strong to be contained. His hands slid down to your waist, pulling you closer as your fingers tangled in his hair.

The sofa was only a few steps away, but it felt like an eternity as he guided you toward it. His movements were careful, his touch reverent, as though he were afraid of breaking the spell. When your legs hit the edge of the sofa, he hesitated, his gaze searching yours.

“We can stop at any time,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “You say the word, and we’ll stop.”

“I don’t want to stop,” you said, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. “I want this. I want you.”

His breath hitched, and then he was kissing you again, more fiercely this time. He lowered you onto the sofa, his weight settling over you as his hands explored, each touch leaving a trail of fire in its wake. His lips moved to your neck, his kisses slow and deliberate, as though he were memorizing every inch of you.

“Tell me if I’m going too fast,” he murmured against your skin, his voice a mix of desire and restraint.

“You’re not,” you assured him, your own hands roaming, desperate to feel more of him. “Please, don’t stop.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his lips brushing against your collarbone. “I don’t think I’ve ever told you that.”

Your response was a soft sigh, your hands threading through his hair as you pulled him closer. There was no rush, no urgency—only a deep, mutual need to be as close to each other as possible. Time seemed to stretch, each moment etched into your memory with perfect clarity.

He had just shrugged off his sweater, revealing the slightly faded button-down shirt he wore underneath. Your hands moved instinctively, reaching for the buttons to slide them open. His breath hitched, and then, suddenly, his hands came up to stop you. The look in his eyes was a mixture of vulnerability and hesitation, making your heart twist painfully in your chest.

“Wait,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He swallowed hard, looking down at where your hands rested against his chest. “I… I have a lot of scars. I don’t want to scare you.”

Your heart softened at his words, and you smiled gently, tilting your head to meet his gaze. “You could never scare me, Remus,” you said with quiet sincerity. You leaned forward and pressed a soft, reassuring kiss to his lips. His tension melted slightly under your touch, and he gave a small, grateful smile in return.

Encouraged, your hands resumed their task, slipping the buttons of his shirt open one by one. He shivered slightly under your touch but didn’t stop you this time. Once the shirt joined his sweater on the floor, your hands roamed over his torso, tracing the raised, pale lines of the scars that criss crossed his skin. You didn’t flinch or look away. Instead, you admired the strength and resilience they represented, leaning down to place a tender kiss over one of them. Remus’s breath hitched again, but this time it wasn’t from fear.

Your hands moved lower, brushing against the waistband of his trousers. His sharp intake of breath was audible in the quiet room, and he hesitated for a brief moment before nodding slightly. You unfastened his belt, and he stood to step out of his trousers, leaving him standing before you in nothing but his boxers. As he slid those off as well, exposing himself to you fully, your eyes widened slightly, and a nervous laugh escaped him.

“Sorry, I just…” he began, but you cut him off with a soft smile.

“No, it’s okay, dear,” you assured him. Your eyes sparkled with affection as you leaned back against the cushions. “It will fit, don’t worry.”

His lips quirked up in a shy smile at your words, and his gaze roamed over you with a mixture of awe and desire. His hands moved to the hem of your skirt, lifting it slightly to expose the delicate lace of your panties. He bit his lip as his fingers hooked under the waistband to slide them down your legs.

“Darling,” he murmured, his voice husky, “I hope I’m the only professor you’re this wet for.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks at his teasing remark, and you hid your face behind your hands for a moment before peeking out to respond. “Of course. No one is as wonderful as you.”

He chuckled softly and grabbed your thighs, pulling you closer to him while your skirt bunched around your hips. You reached for the buttons of your blouse, slowly unfastening them as his eyes followed your every movement. When the blouse slipped from your shoulders, revealing your bare chest, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“No bra?” he asked, his voice tinged with amusement. You smirked in response, shrugging playfully.

His hand moved to your tie, loosening it with the intent of tossing it aside, but you stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “Wait,” you said, your voice soft but insistent. “Use it to tie me up… please.” Your eyes were wide and pleading, and he hesitated, his own cheeks flushing.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he admitted, his voice laced with concern.

“You won’t,” you reassured him, your voice filled with trust. “I want this, Remus.”

He nodded slowly, swallowing his nerves as he looped the tie around your wrists, securing it firmly but ensuring it wasn’t too tight. The silk of the tie felt cool against your skin, a stark contrast to the heat radiating between the two of you. His eyes flickered over your bound form, taking in the way you looked so willingly vulnerable for him. The sight sent a thrill racing through his veins, igniting a fire that made his hands tremble slightly as they traced delicately over your exposed skin. He hesitated, his touch reverent, as though he were afraid of breaking the spell between you.

He positioned himself between your thighs, the fabric of your skirt bunched around your hips, and his hand moved to guide himself. His tip brushed against your entrance, teasingly slow, and you squirmed beneath him, a soft whimper escaping your lips. When he finally pushed into you, your head fell back against the cushions, a gasp spilling from your lips as your body stretched to accommodate him. The sensation was overwhelming—a mix of pleasure and a hint of discomfort that quickly gave way to a delicious fullness.

“Oh my God, professor, fuck,” you gasped, your words slipping out before you could stop them.

Remus groaned deeply, the sound rumbling in his chest as his hands gripped your hips to hold you still. He stilled for a moment, his own breath ragged as he tried to steady himself. “God, dear,” he muttered, his voice thick with restraint. “I love it when you call me that. And you’re so tight… I’m not even sure you can take it all.”

The teasing lilt in his voice made your cheeks burn, and you whined in response, your tied hands flexing against the restraint. “No, I can take it,” you begged, your voice trembling with need. “Please, Remus, I need you.”

His laughter was low and rich, vibrating against your skin as he leaned down to kiss you. “Such a needy little thing,” he murmured against your lips before trailing kisses down to your neck. His lips found a particularly sensitive spot, and he nibbled gently, drawing a shiver from you.

As he began to move, slow and deliberate at first, his hands wandered over your body, touching and caressing every inch he could reach. Each thrust pushed him deeper, and your moans grew louder, filling the room with the symphony of your shared pleasure. His pace quickened, and the angle shifted just slightly, sending sparks coursing through you. Your tied hands flexed uselessly above your head, and the restraint only heightened your senses, every touch and movement magnified.

“You feel so perfect,” Remus groaned, his voice raw with emotion. His lips continued to worship your neck, marking your skin with faint red imprints of his teeth and tongue.

The pleasure built steadily within you, coiling tighter and tighter until it finally snapped. Your release washed over you in a powerful wave, your body trembling and arching into him as you cried out his name. The intensity of your climax sent him over the edge as well. With a low, guttural moan, Remus pulled out at the last moment, his release spilling across your chest in warm, white streaks.

Both of you lay there for a moment, your breathing ragged and mingling in the quiet intimacy of the room. He reached for a nearby tissue, gently cleaning you up before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. His fingers brushed against the tie still securing your wrists, and he paused, his gaze meeting yours.

You pouted slightly, and he noticed immediately, his expression softening. “What’s wrong, darling?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from your face.

“I wanted you to finish inside me,” you admitted, your voice tinged with disappointment.

He sighed softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I can’t,” he said, his voice filled with regret. “I… I’m scared of what might happen. I don’t want to risk making you pregnant. And there are… things about me you don’t know yet.”

You looked up at him with curiosity and concern, but you didn’t press him further. Instead, you cupped his face with your bound hands, offering him a small, understanding smile. “Whenever you’re ready to tell me, I’ll listen,” you said softly.

Remus’s heart swelled at your words, and he leaned down to kiss you once more, silently vowing to himself that he would find a way to share his secrets with you when the time was right. For now, he was content to hold you close, savoring the warmth and trust that flowed between you.

[soapyblubbles]

⋆｡˙ runaway pets ˙｡⋆

pairings: dark regulus + dark poly marauders

warnings: NON-CON, DUB-CON, implied kidnapping, threesome, implied fivesome, voyeurism, overstimulation, (light) slapping, choking, stockholm syndrome, smoking, shotgunning, pet names, etc.

a/n: please enjoy the much more comprehensive version of one of my very first works. there were a lot of inconsistencies and issues with the first version. I added a lot more detail to this and it honestly feels more like a one-shot than a drabble now. i'll add the unedited version at the bottom just incase anyone wants to take a peak. anyways, happy reading <3

“I told you it’d be worse if you went to get help.” Regulus sits on one end of the bed, a small indulgent smile flitting across his lips. As if nothing was wrong. 

As if you weren’t being fucked within an inch of your life.

You turn your head to him, breathless pants leaving your mouth as Remus continues to rock into you. His hips slap into your own at a steady pace. How long had he been sitting there?

The air is stifling, sweat beading along your forehead and the small of your back. The arm around your waist only adds to the oppressive feeling, Remus’ strong grip keeping you upright and in place.

Your arms shake from exertion, and you have to force your hands to unclench from where they’re fisting the damp sheets.

With a whimper, you reach for Regulus, trying to find the comfort you once found in him before it all. Before he had selfishly stole you away. Before you knew of the darkness lingering just beneath the surface.

You weakly try to pry off the arm wrapped around you, but it doesn’t budge. It only tightens, pulling you up until your back hits Remus’ firm chest.

“Want sir now. Please- Remmy-” The lanky brunette ignores you, muttering something unintelligible into your neck as his thrusts speed up. Your attention was stolen from him. He doesn’t like that- not one bit.

Your face crumples at the silent dismissal, the tears you’d been holding in falling just as you reach another trembling high.

“Please, m’sorry sir- c-can we please go home now?” You gasp out. Your limbs burn, they have been for a while you suppose, but still you try to ignore it, concentrating on just Regulus for now.

But he only hums noncommittally, standing as he makes his way to the makeshift bar in the corner of the room. Regulus rubs his jaw in mock thought, scrutinizing the scene before him while he pours himself a glass of firewhiskey. The smell of cinnamon saturates the air, adding to the heavy atmosphere.

“Thought you wanted to come here-“ He gestures around the room, lazily draping himself on the nearby armchair. “For help.” The last word is said with a sneer and laced with so much venom that you balk.

Even though you can tell he’s done arguing about it, you still sob out: “I’ll be good- promise.”

You hear Sirius let out a scoff. He’s leaning against the headboard, his shirt unbuttoned and a lit cigarette in hand, doing nothing but watching as his friends ruin you.

He’d been the one to call Regulus when you came running to their house, barefoot and in nothing but a frail, white nightgown. “You’re already being good here, pup- s’no use in leaving.” He makes his way towards you, squishing your cheeks together, your lips forming an o-shape.

He blows smoke into your mouth, smirking when you cough at the burn. “Y’already gonna be punished anyway, might as well do that here- ain’t that right Reggie?”

Regulus rolls his eyes, breaking his normally composed demeanor. “Don’t call me-”

“Hush, I can’t focus when you lot keep talkin.” James' speech is slurred as he speaks up, moving his head slightly from between your legs. He pays no mind to the way Remus pumps in and out of you. His mouth is so close to where the two of you meet that you can feel his cool breath against your clit as he talks.

“S’annoying.”  

You clench around Remus at the feeling, and the man in question groans, giving you a particularly rough thrust.

James goes back to work at that, humming softly as he drinks in yours and Remus’ juices. You let out a another strangled moan, instinctively trying to tilt your hips away.

Instantly Sirius’ face darkens with anger, “Uh-uh, I don’t think so puppy.” A hand shoots out to grab the base of your neck as James’ hands grip the front of your thighs tightly.

“Don’t fuckin’ run away from him- you understand?” 

You nod shakily, chest rising and falling quickly as you watch him with unseeing eyes.

“Just take it like a good girl, princess.” James cooes, lightly nibbling on the inside of your thigh. You let out a startled yelp.

“What d’you say bunny?” Remus asks from behind you, hips slowing as he tries to find that spot. Trying to coax the words out of you. You whine, unable to answer until Sirius gingerly slaps your cheek, raising a sharp brow at you.

“M’sorry- m’so sorry Jamie.” Your head is spinning, an ache growing until it becomes practically mind numbing.

At this point it’s all you can focus on.

“Thought I taught you better than that pet.” Regulus chides, clicking his tongue in disappointment. He looks only slightly more disheveled than before. His hair is not neatly combed back like it was earlier, and his tie considerably loosened. His fingers dig into the cushioned arms of the chair, the veins in his forearms flexing in a way that makes your mouth water.

You lick your lips. “Sir-”

Remus shushes you. “S’ okay bunny- y’just have to make it up to him.” You cry out as he brushes against your g-spot, finally finding what he’s been looking for this whole time.

Each hit of his hips is aimed perfectly, giving you no room to breathe until you’re a gasping mess.

James’ mouth certainly doesn’t help. His warm tongue suckles at your clit, unrelenting as he brings you to that exhilarating peak over and over again.

Eventually he breaks away, wiping the wetness around his mouth with the back of his hand. A feral grin forms as he pushes the hair away from your face, cupping your teary cheeks. “That wasn’t so bad now was it? You can take a little more, right?”

Sirius answers before you can even think to open your mouth, a mocking frown on his face. “I don’t know about that Prongs- she seems a right mess already, huh? Don’t think she can go on.” He slaps between your legs, and a panicked moan startles its way out of you. 

You quickly come undone, so worked up from before, but the torment doesn’t end there.

“I think you're right, Pads.” James murmurs, as he slips his fingers through the mess of your cunt, the tips of his fingers grazing the base of Remus’ cock.

It’s enough to startle a groan out of him.

Sirius grabs onto your hips, reaching around James to take control of the even pace Remus set. “C’mon pup, make a mess on Moony’s cock- be a good little cockslut for us.”

He bounces you viscously atop Remus, everyone watching intently as you become a drooling mess.

Your set your lidded gaze on Regulus, whose self-control looks like it’s seconds away from snapping. 

Yet he makes no move to stop the situation.

“Come on princess- fuckin’ come for us. Make a fucking mess.” James growls into your ear, pinching your clit roughly. Tears well in your eyes, body tensing as you are, yet again, pushed off the edge.

“Fuck- such a good bunny.” Remus curses. 

Sirius and James mock your high pitched cries, taking a sadistic pleasure in watching you sob at the overstimulation.

Your limbs go slack, Remus panting heavily as he fucks you through it all, his breath fanning against your neck. He kisses your temple softly and you whine, barely able to move, even as the aftershocks flow through you. 

The three continue to overstimulate you, and Remus lets out a breathy chuckle when Sirius lets go of your hips, letting you fall face first into James’ chest.

“S’your turn princess. We’re not doing all the work for you- besides you still have three more cocks to go.”

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾

UNEDITED VERSION

[moonstruckme]

tumblr is hiding only the request I want from me again :(

request: would u be able to do a poly emt marauders x reader where the reader is iron deficient cause she doesnt eat properly (always eating like "girl dinners") and the boys tell her off for it

cw: poor eating/nutrition intake, potential ed triggers although portions aren't mentioned and the boys aren't concerned about reader's general relationship to food, Sirius being a bit prickly because he's worried+protective

emt!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 821 words

It’s only just past dark, but your head longs for a pillow. Sirius’ shoulder does well for now, his fan of cards held in his other hand to avoid jostling you as he plays rummy with your boyfriends. You’d surrendered your own cards to the discard pile a few rounds ago, content to watch Sirius on your one side and Remus on your other as they both try to beat James, who’s better at the game than any of you. He radiates a smug self-assurance as he looks down at his cards that bodes poorly for your other boyfriends. 

James looks up and catches you watching him, his instinctive smile tinging with sympathy as he notes your drooping eyes. “Sleepy, sweetheart?” 

“Yeah, sorry.” You try to blink yourself to alertness. “I’ve been tired so early lately, I don’t know why.” 

There’s a brief moment of silence wherein you think to regret your statement. Then, Sirius sing-songs, “I know.” 

You groan, transfering to Remus’ shoulder in a show of dissent. He chuckles and takes you in, wrapping an arm around you. His cards fold over your shoulder. 

“He’s right, you know,” Remus says. 

“Angel.” James sets his cards down, looking at you imploringly. “Let me make you something, please.” 

“I already ate.” 

Sirius scoffs. “You had a snack.” 

You turn your forehead into Remus’ shoulder sulkily. You know any arguments will only be rebuked. 

Your boyfriends came home from their shift just in time to find you finishing up your dinner. On your plate was everything you could want—sweet, savory, and just enough to fill you up—but evidently it left something to be desired for them. Remus had looked down at it and said, “That’s not your dinner, is it?” 

“Yeah,” you replied, warily. 

“Baby,” Sirius laughed, picking up a grape. “This is not a meal.” 

You stole the grape back from him, popping it into your mouth. “It’s girl dinner.” 

“I’m fairly sure girls need just as much nutrients as everyone else, gorgeous.” 

“There’s nutrients in this.” You waved demonstratively to your plate of grapes, cheese, and crackers. That was practically half of the food pyramid, you were pretty sure. “Leave my dinner alone.” 

Remus had begun talking about the necessity of balanced meals, and things devolved from there into a debate about health and nutrition which you’d tabled by telling your boyfriends (with love) to mind their own business. You doubt you’re getting out of it again quite so easily. 

“It’s not like I had a chocolate bar,” you mumble. “It was healthy.” 

“It was healthy,” James agrees, tone placating. “It just wasn’t everything you need in a meal, sweetheart. You’re probably tired because there was no iron in there.” 

“I’ve been tired for days, though.” 

“And when was the last time you had an iron-rich meal?” Remus asks. 

You’re silent. Sirius laughs. 

“It can be hard to keep track of.” James is ever forgiving. “How about some eggs, yeah?” 

You turn your face again to look at him. “I’m already pretty full,” you say honestly. 

“One egg, then. With spinach.” He stands, leaving his cards flat on the table and stooping to drop a kiss on your head as he goes by. “Thank you, m’love.” 

“Thanks,” you say back, sheepish. 

You fall quiet again after James goes. You listen to the sound of the cupboards opening and closing in the kitchen, the crack of an egg, the stove being flicked on. After a while, Sirius snickers and pokes your ribs. 

“Don’t pout,” he says. He pokes you again until you smile, hiding it under Remus’ arm. 

“I hate it when you guys are right.” You heave a sigh, affecting a tone of mopiness. “It’s never any fun for me.” 

“Awe.” Sirius leans over to rest his head on your shoulder. Remus chuckles, shifting his arm to accommodate the both of you. “I’m sorry it happens to you so often, baby.” 

That makes you laugh, though you try to muffle the sound. “Mean.” 

“I’ve never claimed to be anything different.” 

“It’s important to be sure you’re getting everything you need from your food, dove,” says Remus, at one soft and stern. “You need to choose more carefully.” 

“Okay,” you acquiesce. In truth, the fight left you long ago. “Sorry.” 

“You don’t need to be sorry, though.” He kisses the top of your head. 

“You can totally make it up,” says James, coming back with a small plate, “by eating these delicious eggs.” 

You take the plate from him with a small smile of thanks. “Eggs, as in plural?” 

He grins, caught. “There may be two. Sorry.” 

“This is how you earn your forgiveness,” Sirius teases, sitting up so you can eat. He bumps your shoulder lightly with his. 

“Yeah, yeah.” You roll your eyes, but scoop up a forkful of eggs. After your first mouthful, you say, “These are really good, Jamie. Thanks.” 

His beaming smile is worth the stomachache. 

[rainydayathogwarts]

Stolen kisses, pretty lies - Sirius Black

yes, the title is inspired by miss taylor. summary: sirius and his unlikely slytherin!gf wc: 0.6k+

Sirius had been an avid hater of slytherins since the moment he’d learned that both his parents had been slytherins at Hogwarts. He never thought he’d be in this position right now: hiding away with his slytherin girlfriend in a secret room of the castle, cradling your thighs in his hands while he passionately kissed you. His body rhythmically moved with yours, perched on his lap. Panting, you pulled away from the kiss, putting both your hands on Sirius’s chest as he tried reconnecting your lips. You moved your head away from him, turning to glance at the clock hanging on the wall, each second ticking away loudly.

The second you faced Sirius once more, he stole a kiss from your lips, causing a grin to form on your face. “You sure you won’t be late?” You asked with pretence worry, immediately melting back into Sirius’s torso when he hummed in reassurance. “Anyway, they know how to find me.” He mumbled against your lips, causing you to abruptly pull away from him once more. “You told them?” You asked, face blanching with horror. Sirius shook his head, eyebrows furrowing at your reaction.

“Haven’t told them, but we’re not exactly hiding it, are we?” Sirius was specifically thinking about how your arms had been wrapped around his body in the courtyard a mere two days ago, moaning softly as he left marks on the side of your neck. His hand now trailed upwards to graze against the fading hickeys, and you couldn’t help but lean into his touch. “Sirius, my parents can’t find out.” Sirius sighed, a melancholic look overtaking his features. He wished it wasn’t this way, wished he could take you to meet his parents and have him meet yours. But his tarnished reputation, and both your estrangement from your parents didn’t let that happen.

Sirius felt the energy shift in the room, so he smiled his handsome smile, adding “What? You ashamed of me?” In a mock accusatory tone. Sirius felt his heart soar at the way your face lit up. Your hands ran down his chest, and you leaned in close enough so your chest brushed against Sirius’s, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw as you whispered. “So ashamed. Can’t have my parents meeting this rebellious bad boy.” Sirius barked out a laugh, a hand travelling to the nape of your neck as he pulled you into a proper kiss.

Sirius’s second hand tightly gripped your hip, and he firmly planted both his feet on the ground to help slowly roll you over on the couch, so that he hovered over you. You giggled as Sirius pressed teasing kisses from your lips to your jaw, eyes fluttering shut in satisfaction. You moved your head to the side to allow Sirius more space on your neck when you accidentally glanced at the round clock again. Your eyes widened as you took in the time, the image of the clock’s moving hands triggering the memory of the promise you had made Severus to help him with his transfigurations homework. You gasped loudly at the realisation, pushing Sirius off you as you tried to stand up. “I forgot about Severus!” You yelped, not taking notice of the way Sirius’s eyebrows furrowed unhappily at the other boy’s mention.

“Snape?” Sirius questioned, watching as you tried gathering your things before wrapping his arms around your waist and powerfully tugging you back onto the couch. “You’re absolutely not leaving me for that git.” Sirius complained, immediately getting on top of you and resuming his actions. When a loud clatter was heard beside you, you ignored it, fully allowing your belongings to fall all over the floor, because right now, Sirius was your sole focus. And despite your promise, you wouldn't let anything change that.

taglist:

@ravisinghs-wife, @amatoanima, @starry-remus, @pain-in-the-ashe @hiireadstuff @superlegend216

[my-castles-crumbling]

astronomy tower - @wolfstarmicrofic - word count: 215

"Stop staring at Sirius and get back to work!"

James's voice made Remus jump a mile, and for a second, he thought he'd finally been caught.

All four of them had snuck onto the Astronomy Tower for an unusually productive trip to complete their overdue Astronomy homework. Remus, however, was gazing at a star much closer to home.

He couldn't help it anymore. He'd tried, really. But the way Sirius's hair shone in the moonlight, the way his smile made Remus's stomach fill with butterflies? He found himself getting lost in thoughts he could never admit aloud.

So yes, he was staring as Sirius bent down so gracefully to look into the telescope, his hair falling around his shoulders like a waterfall. He admired the way his frame looked in his beat-up leather jacket and perhaps someday he would admit to himself that he stole glances at the other boy's arse. But he didn't think anyone noticed!

He almost denied it. But thank Merlin he didn't, because Sirius yelled out, straightening up and turning to James indignantly. "At least I can find one bloody star in the sky!"

"Doesn't count if it's you!" James retorted.

Oh. James was talking to Sirius.

Swallowing, Remus turned back to his own work. His secret was safe for now.

[crescenthistory]

Still Totally Just the Fifth and Sixth Wheel, You Guys

Pairing: Regulus Black x Reader

Summary: The two couples, and one pair of best friends who are not dating thank you very much, finally go on their not-date to Hogsmeade.

Words: 4.5k

Warnings: not proofread, fem!reader (she/her pronouns), use of y/n, lots of bickering and banter, mentions of black brothers drama and angst, healing brother bond, hella pining, intimate moments, talk of kissing, brief mention of hooking up, featuring rosekiller and wolfstar

Note: this is part two to this fic. part three can be found here.

“Wait, but if it’s not a date now, can’t I join?” James called from where you were all about to leave him behind in the Entrance Hall.

You almost felt bad for him, but couldn’t fight the small laughter as you were the last of the six of you to turn around to look at him.

“Sorry, Prongsy, but it is still strictly for couples,” Sirius said, and upon seeing Regulus turn to him, about to argue, he added, “or those who are best friends enough to be mistaken for a couple.”

“So unless you finally win Evans over, or get much closer to Wormy…” Remus’ voice trailed off, the apology in his tone weakened by his sight smile.

You could barely make out James murmuring “totally unfair” under his breath, before he gave a tight-lipped smile and waved. “Will go work on that, then!”

“Good luck!” you and Barty called at the same time, though in completely different tones, before your little group turned back around to continue towards Hogsmeade and this dreaded not a triple date you were somehow sort of looking forward to.

As the six of you walked, the chilly autumn air wrapped itself around you, nipping at your nose and cheeks. You were trailing slightly behind the others, arms linked with Regulus, the both of you sinking into the easy silence that had always come naturally. His long, lithe frame was stiff beside you, and though he never said anything, you could sense his reluctance. His hesitation clung to him like the cold mist swirling around your ankles.

"Still time to run," you whispered with a teasing lilt, tilting your head towards the forbidden forest that loomed dark and mysterious off to the side. “We can ditch the whole thing. Just you, me, and a pack of hungry werewolves – sounds fun, right?”

Regulus glanced sideways at you, the ghost of a smile flickering across his face. "Tempting," he murmured, his voice soft and low, the kind of sound you had to lean in to catch. “But... it might be nice to spend some time with Sirius.” He sounded less sure about that part.

You squeezed his arm gently, offering a reassuring smile, and felt him lean further into you in response. You both knew that his relationship with Sirius had been strained, fractured by years of tension, secrets, and choices neither of them were ever fully ready to confront. That made the faint glimmer of hope in Regulus' eyes all the more important, both to you and him. An unspoken desire to bridge the gap both brothers had been toying with – you knew you would support him through it, no matter how long it took to fully heal.

"Well, if you’re sure," you replied, letting your playful tone linger, as if to lighten the weight between his words. “But the offer still stands. Any time, really.”

Regulus chuckled under his breath, his body easing a little as the two of you continued your slow pace. The rest of the group – Sirius, Remus, Barty, and Evan – were ahead, animated in their own conversations. Barty was half-draped over Evan, practically buzzing with energy, while Evan walked beside him with a brooding air, casting occasional amused glances at his boyfriend. They were a chaotic contrast, loud and quiet, impulsive and restrained, but there was an undeniable balance between them that was hard to miss.

Barty's eyes glinted with mischief as he stole a look back at you and Regulus. "Oi, lovebirds!" he called out, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You're falling behind. Regulus, not getting cold feet, are you?"

Regulus rolled his eyes, but before he could reply, Sirius cut in with a bark of laughter. "He was born with cold feet, look at the state of him. But let him be Junior."

Contrasting statements you heard Regulus murmur beside you.

“Don’t worry, we’ll catch up,” you interjected smoothly, though not altering your pace as you gave Regulus a light tug on his arm, as if to shield him.

Finally reaching Hogsmeade, you passed through its cobbled streets, bustling with students eager to escape the confines of the castle. The Three Broomsticks was already crowded when you arrived, warmth spilling out into the chilly air from its open door. You were greeted by the comforting scent of butterbeer and the hum of conversation, the perfect haven from the cold outside.

Inside, you all squeezed around one of the larger tables near the fireplace. The seating arrangements happened naturally – couples with couples, as Barty heartily proclaimed – with Barty predictably claiming a spot beside Evan, his arm thrown lazily around his back as he chattered away. Sirius plopped himself down next to Remus, already in the middle of a bickering debate over who had a better strategy in last night’s chess game.

You and Regulus, as usual, gravitated towards each other, sitting opposite Sirius and Remus and beside Evan and Barty. You moved your chair closer to Regulus', so that your thighs were practically smushed against each other and you could hook your ankle around his. A faint smile played across his lips as he settled in. The heat from the nearby fire was welcome, but the slight tension of being roped into all of this was still palpable.

"So," Sirius started, stretching the word as if he were setting up for something, eyes flicking between you and Regulus, "what’s new with you two? Anything you'd like to share?"

You shot him a pointed look but didn’t bite. Regulus seemed content to let you take the lead on this one, his focus elsewhere, probably already imagining an escape route.

“Same as always,” you said casually, though your words were lightly laced with sarcasm. "Being unfairly dragged into your romantic schemes. Couldn’t ask for more, really."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but Barty cut him off. "Speaking of romantic schemes," he drawled, "Evan and I are officially a thing now, right? Isn’t that right, darling?" He nudged Evan, who simply raised a brow in his direction.

"That’s what you’ve told me," Evan said dryly, though his eyes softened as he looked at Barty.

"Exactly," Barty continued, undeterred. "But Dorcas doesn't believe us! She thinks we're playing some prank on her. Now, how do we prove it to her?"

"Why doesn't she believe you?" Remus asked, a sly smile playing over his lips.

"Barty and Dorcas have quite the history of pranks none of us understand," you explain, looking half-exasperated half-amused at your best friend. "They try to convince the other of something untrue, only to laugh at them for weeks. Last year, Dorcas made Barty believe–"

"No one needs to hear that story, Treasure." Barty cutting you off made you and Regulus giggle, both knowing why he didn't want anyone to know, while Sirius looked highly offended of being left out.

"Well, I'd like to know," he tries his luck.

"Too bad I don't care for what you want then, hm? Anyway, how do we prove it to Dorc, because Evan here thinks it's taking it too far to shag in her bed."

"I would have to second Rosier on that," Regulus drawls, mirth still in his eyes from laughing at Barty's expense.

"Me too."

"No, no," Sirius gleams. "I think you should totally do it, I have DADA with her and reckon she could kill you in just about fifty ways."

"That would be a welcome sight," Evan says. Barty slaps his arm without turning to look at him, while waving his other hand in everyone's faces.

"Yeah, yeah, funny, funny – now let's talk strategies, you tossers."

As the babbling continues, Sirius and Barty turning out to be a perfect duo who makes each other so much worse, you lean into Regulus' side, looking up at him through your lashes. He is already looking at you, having turned his attention when he felt you shift.

You mouth a you good? at him, to which he smiles and nod. Your lips mirror his when you realise it's genuine, reaching down to grab his hand under the table and squeeze it. He squeezes back, before looking up when he senses his brother trying to get his attention.

"Where did you get these freaky friends of yours?" Sirius questions, gesturing vaguely to Barty and Evan, the latter of whom's hand was currently being gnawed on by the former. Evan's face remained impassive.

"First year." Regulus provided no further invitation, blinking owlishly at his brother.

"Yeah, that's really the only way, isn't it? Merlin, they're a match for sure though."

You cock a teasing brow at Barty as he lets Evan's hand go from his teeth, only to hold it in a death grip. "You that bored already, Junior?"

"Yes, Treasure, thank you for noticing. It needs to be addressed." Barty's voice is overtly dramatic, as he digs into his jacket pocket.

He conjured up a deck of magical cards, all but slinging the container onto the table, just barely missing the candles, as he began to shuffle them with a flourish. "Let's make things more interesting. Care for a game?"

"Doesn't seem like we're given much of a choice," Sirius murmured at the same time as Remus said sure! and elbowed his boyfriend in the side.

Regulus groaned. “We all know you always cheat Barty, I catch you almost every time."

“That’s because you don't know how to have fun,” Barty replied, flipping a card over and eyeing it dramatically before sliding it back into the deck. “And obviously delusional, as I would do no such thing."

He gives you a wink and you roll your eyes, albeit with a smile.

A small fight ensues between Barty and Sirius as they try and decide on what game to play, before Remus makes a decision for all of you, taking the cards from Barty to stock them properly.

"It's everyone for themselves right?" he asked as he looked down at the cards.

"No, Treasure and Regulus always play together." Barty's comment is off-handed, going off of instinct.

"Always?" Sirius' smirk is teasing as his gaze flickers between the two of you.

"Yeah, she doesn't care much for most card games, so we usually just pair off," Regulus explains matter-of-factly, though his voice is a bit quieter than normal and his hand unconsciously tightens around yours. It's only now you realise you're still holding hands, unsure if you should use it to ground yourself or panic over.

"Yeah, they're inseparable yada yada." Evan rolled his eyes, as if you two were just horribly exhausting.

"Just like us," Barty teased in an overly-happy voice, kissing Evan square on the lips with an overdramatised smooching sound.

"Disgusting," Evan winced, wiping his mouth before wrapping an arm around Barty and squeezing him tight.

Sirius looked thoroughly confused at the boys' expressions of affection, but seemed to let it go.

You exchanged an amused glance with Regulus. "You wanna look at our cards?" you asked, nudging him gently while eyeing the cards Remus had placed in front of you. He seemed to take a moment to rip his eyes away from you before picking up the cards, moving even closer to you.

Soon, the table was abuzz with laughter, shuffling cards, and accusations of cheating flying in every direction. It didn’t take long for you and Regulus to settle into a comfortable rhythm, working together to strategise while everyone else tried to undermine each other. Even Evan, typically more reserved, joined in on the playful taunts, a small smirk on his face as Barty egged him on.

“Barty, you’ve been ‘shuffling’ those cards for three minutes straight,” Remus commented dryly, watching Barty’s theatrical motions as he tossed the cards between his hands. “At this point, you’ve either enchanted them or lost the ability to count.”

Evan, smirking beside him, shook his head. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Oi!” Barty exclaimed, feigning offence, before tossing an arm over Evan’s shoulder with a mischievous grin. “Don't you lot dare forget how naturally brilliant I am. I know numbers and I don't cheat.”

"Yeah, you sounded really smart just now, mate."

“Brilliantly annoying,” you quipped, grinning as you drew a card from the deck and slid it over to Regulus. “That counts for something, I suppose.”

“Thank you, Treasure,” Barty shot back, tilting his head as if he’d just received a compliment. “You always know how to flatter me.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t fight the laughter bubbling up. Regulus, sitting next to you, leaned in slightly, a small smirk playing on his lips as he observed the scene unfolding in front of him.

“They can’t help it, Junior,” Sirius chimed in with a grin that was borderline feral, leaning back in his chair as he tossed his cards onto the table. “They have to deflect. It’s either that or admit they’ve got no idea what they’re doing.”

“Excuse you, we’re doing perfectly fine,” you replied, your competitive streak flashing as you glanced at Regulus. “Reg and I are winning, aren’t we?”

Regulus gave a barely perceptible nod, lips twitching at the corners. “As usual,” he murmured under his breath, flipping over a card with precise ease. “But you don’t have to tell them that.”

Your quiet, shared moment of confidence made your stomach flip, though you kept your expression calm and collected. There was something so steady about Regulus, something that made it easy to forget about the noise around you, the teasing jabs from the others, and just sink into the comfort of his presence.

“Winning by sheer luck, more like,” Sirius teased, drumming his fingers on the table. “What’s next, Reg? Gonna let her do all the work while you sit there looking pretty?”

Before Regulus could respond, Barty leaned forward with a wicked grin. “Oh, he’s definitely good at looking pretty. Right, Y/N?”

You rolled your eyes again, though your cheeks warmed at the implication. “I don’t need to answer that. Though shouldn't you focus on calling your boyfriend that, instead?”

"Yeah, I'll call mine pretty if you do the same to yours."

You stuck your tongue out at him at that, retreating back into Regulus to look at your cards.

He had stayed quiet, but you could feel the amusement radiating off him. He gave a subtle shrug, like the teasing was something he was long accustomed to. His knee bumped yours beneath the table, a silent gesture that said let them talk, it doesn't matter.

“Doesn't matter,” you added, taking another sip of your butterbeer with a smirk. “We’re still winning.”

“You two are disgustingly good together,” Barty agreed, leaning back in his chair and lazily drawing a card from the deck. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were the ones cheating.”

Evan snorted. “Shut it, Junior.”

“You adore me,” Barty shot back without missing a beat, pressing a kiss to Evan’s cheek, much to the other boy’s quiet amusement.

The group fell into a rhythm, exchanging playful insults and light bickering as the game progressed. You were deep in conversation with Regulus about your next move when you took another sip of your butterbeer, not realising a bit of foam had clung to your upper lip.

Regulus, ever observant, caught it immediately. You, completely unaware, kept talking, pointing at one of the cards in front of him and suggesting a play. He wasn’t paying attention to the cards anymore, though. Instead, his focus had shifted entirely to the butterbeer foam, and without thinking – without hesitation – he reached up.

His thumb brushed against your upper lip, so soft and natural that you almost didn’t register what was happening until it was done. His touch was tender, deliberate, like it was something he did every day. The action made you pause, your words catching in your throat as his thumb lingered for just a second longer, other knuckles brushing against your cheek, his skin warm against yours.

Your eyes lifted to meet his, and suddenly, everything else seemed to fade away. The loud chatter of the group, the clatter of cards, the clinking of glasses – it all dulled in the background as the two of you became the centre of a much quieter, more intimate world.

Regulus’ gaze was steady, softer than usual, like he was studying you, reading into something deeper. His hand hovered near your face, frozen in place as the moment between you stretched longer than either of you had intended.

You felt your breath hitch slightly, the warmth from his thumb still lingering on your skin, and the look in his eyes made your heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the game. There was something unsaid in the way he looked at you, something that hummed beneath the surface.

Neither of you spoke. The moment hung between you, fragile and delicate, like a thread waiting to be pulled.

For a second, you thought he might say something, or do something more. His thumb lingered, hovering just above your skin, and his eyes flicked to your lips, just for a heartbeat, before darting back to meet your gaze. Your pulse quickened as the silence deepened, the air between you charged with something new, something you weren’t sure either of you were ready to acknowledge.

But before anything could happen, Barty’s loud laugh from across the table shattered the bubble around you. Right. There were other people around.

You blinked, the spell broken, and Regulus pulled his hand back with a soft clearing of his throat. His expression didn’t change much – he was as composed as ever – but there was a subtle pink tinge to his cheeks that told you the moment had affected him just as much as it had you.

“Everything alright there, Reg?” Barty asked, his voice full of smug amusement as he leaned back in his chair, looking between the two of you with a knowing smirk. You felt the heat rise in your face again, but you didn’t let it show, instead giving Regulus a playful nudge under the table with your knee.

Regulus, ever calm, only narrowed his eyes at Barty in return. “Just fine,” he said coolly, though you noticed the faint curve of a smile tugging at his lips. He was used to Barty’s antics by now, and though he could’ve easily snapped back, he chose instead to let the moment pass, his arm brushing lightly against your shoulder as he shifted in his seat.

Barty, however, wasn’t done. “I don’t know, mate. You looked a bit… distracted.”

“Oh, he was,” Sirius chimed in, grinning as he kept his eyes trained on the two of you. “Completely gone. He’s mastered the art of selective hearing.”

You snorted softly, shaking your head. “I’m sure it’s just his natural state from growing up with you. Completely unbothered by all of your nonsense by now.” Deflecting, deflecting.

“I don’t know,” Remus added with a thoughtful look. “He seemed pretty focused on something else entirely.”

You were saved from responding by the loud call of Madam Rosmerta that all Hogwarts students had to leave for curfew. Groans sounded around the room, and around your very own table, but no one dared argue with her – they knew it was no use. Everyone began gathering their things, the light atmosphere continuing with playful jabs and comments flying between the group as they readied to head back out into the cold.

You and Regulus were the first ones out the door, regretfully, as you had to wait for the others. As you stood, tugging your coat tighter around you, the bitter wind immediately stung your fingers. You rubbed them together, trying to chase the chill from your skin, but the cold had already settled in deep.

Without a word, Regulus took your hands gently in his own, his long fingers wrapping around yours with a kind of care that felt second nature to him. Before you could react, he brought your hands to his lips and blew warm air onto them while rubbing with his hands, breath hot against your cold skin.

You blinked in surprise, but the gesture felt so natural, so easy, that it didn’t seem out of place. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness – just Regulus being Regulus, quietly looking after you in the way only he knew how. His hands lingered over yours for a moment longer before he slipped off his gloves and slid them onto your hands with the same gentle touch.

"Better?" he asked, his voice low and fond, almost like he was speaking only to you despite the many students bustling around you.

You nodded, feeling the warmth of the gloves and the lingering heat from his touch. “Much better. Thanks.”

His eyes met yours again, softer this time, and there was that unspoken connection again – only now it felt less like something that needed to be questioned, and more like something that just was.

“Won’t you get cold, though?”

“Nah, you know I run warmer than you.” There was an endearingly teasing tone in Regulus’ voice as he looked past you. “Plus, I’ve got you beside me to keep me warm, right?”

You bit back the always sitting prettily on your tongue, instead just nodding and pressing your nose into his shoulder as you stood close. For warmth, of course.

Sirius and Remus finally make their way outside, Barty and Evan not too far behind them. The first of the bunch give you and Regulus a once over when he sees you huddled together.

“Well, I’m glad to see tonight didn’t change my mind whatsoever that you two are a thing, whether you know it yourselves or not,” he says in a neutral tone, though his creeping smirk betrays him.

“I didn’t know that was still on the table,” you say dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Of course it was!” Sirius scoffs lightheartedly. “You two, sitting there together, basically telepathically in sync. No wonder you always team up for cards – it’s frankly disturbing.”

“Oh, come off it, Siri.” Regulus wasn’t looking at Sirius when the comment slipped off his tongue, so he couldn’t catch the slight hitch at the sound of his childhood nickname. You smile softly at him, but he keeps his eyes on Regulus, seemingly trying to keep steady.

“As your big brother, I don’t think I can. It’s my duty to meddle”

“Leave the kids alone, sweetheart,” Remus says, coming up beside Sirius with a knowing smile. “You’re just jealous you’ve never been able to sit quietly for more than five minutes, let alone work together with someone without bickering the whole time.”

Sirius gasped in mock offence. “That’s because I have passion,” Sirius declared, flipping his hair back with a grin. “It’s not bickering if it’s done with flair.”

Barty finally stepped out to hear that, and, always ready to cause more chaos, chimed in. “Oh, please. You lot wouldn’t know passion if it hit you in the face. Now, we”—he pointed between himself and Evan—“are the real deal. You should’ve seen us strategising earlier. Absolute power couple material.”

“You weren’t even playing together, Barty,” you commented, but he gave you a look that said please.

“My life doesn’t revolve around you lot, we have other things to strategise about. Like Dorcas.”

That received a few “right”s from around the group, to which you lovingly rolled your eyes. Barty blabbered on about something, stalling the group from beginning to move back towards the castle, and you took the opportunity to turn back towards Regulus.

You looked up at him, meeting his gaze, and trying to school your expression as you studied what you found there. The soft crinkle around his eyes, the quiet warmth swirling around his otherwise cool irises. You took his bare hands between your gloved ones, rubbing lightly at them to keep him warm, as promised.

For another beautiful moment, the two of you stood still, lost in your own world. The noise of the others faded into the background as Regulus’ eyes flicked to your lips, just for a split second, before meeting your gaze again. His hands move to hold each of yours independently, fingers intertwining with yours, despite that exposing his skin back to the cold air again.

You felt the flutter in your chest again, and for a brief moment, you wondered if he was thinking the same thing you were – that maybe, just maybe, there was more between you than friendship. Before either of you could say anything, you pulled your gaze away from his, focusing it back to your group of friends, who seemed increasingly eager to walk home.

“Alright, lovebirds, you done being all cute, or do we need to give you more time?” Barty said, looking at you with a smug look on his face.

You felt a flush rise to your cheeks, but you quickly brushed it off, shaking your head. “You never quit, do you, Barty?”

“Never,” he replied, flashing you an exaggerated wink. “You know me too well.”

Regulus shot Barty a sharp look, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Maybe you should find a new hobby,” he suggested dryly. “One that doesn’t involve sticking your nose in other people’s business.”

“Oh, but where’s the fun in that?” Barty grinned. “Besides, I’d be out of material if you two would just finally–”

“Barty,” Evan interrupted, giving him a pointed look as he slid an arm around his waist. “Let them be.”

Barty pouted dramatically, but he relented, leaning into Evan as they started walking. “Fine, fine. But I’m just saying – it’s only a matter of time.”

Sirius looked baffled at how easily Evan made Barty shut up, mumbling something about we should always bring him with to Remus.

Regulus shook his head, his arm brushing against yours as you fell in step beside each other, trailing behind the rest of the group. Your hands were still warm inside his gloves, and every now and then, your shoulders would brush as you walked, the quiet connection between you speaking louder than words ever could.

Regulus glanced down at you, his expression thoughtful. The quiet between you felt comfortable, but there was an intensity in the way he looked at you, something that made your breath catch again.

All that was running through Regulus' head was how beautiful you looked in the nighttime, surrounded by cold air that came out in white puffs when you breathed. How beautiful you had looked inside by the fire, laughing beside him, butterbeer foam on your lips – or better yet, his thumb on your lips. He realised as he walked that you were always on his mind like this, and you were always so unbelievably beautiful.

And finally, he realised that when he had looked at your lips, he wanted to kiss them.

Regulus knew that if he ever got the bollocks to do so, Barty would never let him live it down.

[etclouie]

day thirteen — caught staring

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — summary; your boyfriend gets caught staring and has to answer to your giggling friends (James Potter x fem!reader)

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — warnings; established relationship, james gets caught staring at reader, he’s stupidly in love, readers described to be wearing a dress (james compliments it once and that's it), that’s it

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — word count; 552

ᯓ ꨄ︎ — a/n; 🤗🤗

prev day | next day louie’s 14 days of love | main masterlist

your whole friend group were sat outside the castle’s walls, spread across the grass as the sun shone down on you. 

you and Remus were last to join the group, having to finish a project together. but as you joined the group, you felt James’ eyes on you instantly.

his eyes followed your every move as you sat down opposite Sirius, feeling him eye you from head to toe. 

trying to ignore James’ wandering eyes, you turned to Remus. talking about the project you had together when you heard Lily and Marlene giggle at something, before Sirius joined in with their laughter. 

tilting your head away from Remus and towards the three of them, confusion settling inside you.

“what?”

you asked, eyes flicking between them as they continued to laugh. it wasn’t until Sirius pointed towards James, his eyes still on you.

shaking your head as you watched James for a minute, hearts practically beaming from his eyes as he admired you.

it wasn’t until Sirius nudged James with his foot did he leave his trance, a pink hue creeping across his cheeks as he scratched the back of his neck. 

you found it cute, while everyone else giggled at him. 

Lily and Marlene were giggling as they asked James questions, but as he tried to answer them his eyes found their way back to you. 

after a couple attempts to get James’ attention back to their conversation they gave up, his attention fully on you as he began to admire you again. 

you excused yourself from Remus’ side and made your way over to James, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“hi Jamie”

you whispered, resting your head on his shoulder. the smile on his face showed his love, but the look in his eyes painted it further. 

“mhm hi love”

he murmured back, laying back against the grass and keeping you against his side. 

laying your hand on his chest and feeling the steady beat of his heart while his fingers trailed across your back, his eyes flicking from your face and down your body again. 

is smile a look of pure unadulterated love was painted across his face, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. 

“i like your dress”

he told, his hands moving from your back to your hip as he continued to admire you. 

the warmth from his gaze spreading through your chest and warming your heart. 

“thank you James”

you whispered back, leaning in to kiss him while his hand squeezed at your hip appreciatively. 

breaking the kiss before he could deepen it, he pouted at you. 

“hey Lily and Marlene already caught you staring, don’t think they want to see that too”

you warned, listening to him huff before he stole another kiss. 

you couldn’t really blame him, but you did find his frustration amusing. 

“they can just look away then, i want to appreciate my very pretty girlfriend”

James retorted which made you laugh, shaking your head at him again before pushing his face away. 

the rest of your friend group knew that there was nothing that would change how James acted around you, and frankly you wouldn’t either—even if they teased him for how whipped he truly was. 

nothing would change the fact that James Potter was well and truly in love. 

reblogs are highly appreciated !

[izels-writing]

r. lupin — nargles, wrackspurts, and moly necklaces, oh my!

Pairing: remus lupin x fem!whimsical!reader

Summary: remus realizes he’s been a bad boyfriend.

Warnings: remus is a little dumb, i tried to portray an eccentric reader and failed i apologize, used the same three creatures im so sorry😭, slightly specific, NAMECALLING (not by anyone important), LET ME KNOW IF I MISS A WARNING!!

PART ONE, PART TWO

the first thing remus lupin noticed about you was your smile. it was subtle and contagious, but warm all the same. you were very beautiful, that he was sure of.

"oh hello," you introduced in a soft kind voice. "don't suppose you're looking for nargles as well? me and my friend lena are searching for them,"

remus paused. "i'm...i'm sorry...nargles?" he'd never heard of those before.

"yes, have you seen them?" you asked lightly. "they stole my friend lena's shoes, her brother said it had to be nargles,"

remus shook his head, afraid he'd say something insensitive. you hummed, looking dazed—or rather, in your own little world. he'd seen you around before, every once in a while, but he didn't really know your name.

"very well, thank you," you hummed, turning to walk away.

"wait!" he called out louder than he meant to. you turned around, surprised, but curious nonetheless. "what's your name?"

you smiled. "i'm y/n, nice to meet you. goodbye now," and you were off, not a care in the world.

remus wasn't sure what it was that attracted you to him, be it your carefree nature or your beauty—but he had to get to know you.

——

TWO YEARS LATER...

"uhm, why are we out here again, love?" remus asked, following behind you as your wand illuminated you both a path through the forbidden forest. it was day time, but the forest was still rather dark. you jumped over a tree root and stood there, looking around the forest with a rather dreamy look on your face.

"have you got a wrackspurt in your ears?" you giggled. "we're looking for any sign of the crumple-horned snorkack, lena's brother xeno said there's been sighting near hogsmeade,"

remus was quite sure there was no such thing, especially since he knew xenophilius liked to trick you and lena often. you two were best friends and rather...eccentric. you believed in many things others didn't, but perhaps lena might've been more quirky than you—making you the perfect pair. unfortunately for you, lena was in your shared dorm recovering from the flu.

but remus also enjoyed spending as much time as he could with you.

"i figured if anyone could help me find it, it'd be you—your werewolf senses will come in handy," you said  in a distracted hum.

remus liked that about you too, you'd figured out his furry little problem two months into dating him—and you never treated it like a disease, always looking for a bright side to the curse.

"besides, i figured you'd enjoy coming along—since no one will see us together," you said calmly, continuing to walk into the forest. remus' eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he followed after you quickly.

"how do you mean, love?" he asked calmly, putting a hand on your shoulder. you stopped, turning to him.

"well, i've noticed that you enjoy doing things where people won't see us," you said in a thoughtful tone, though your eyes told an entirely different story. "if you're embarrassed to be seen with me, you should've told me," you explained.

remus looked at you shocked. "what?! no, of course i'm not embarra—how could you think that?"

for the first time in his life, remus noticed a fiery look in your eye as your eyebrows furrowed angrily. "your friends and family don't know you have a girlfriend, we only see each other after curfew, and you hardly talk to me in classes where it’s not just the two of us," you said sternly, your voice still it's soft melodic tone.

truth be told, you were right. and perhaps he was slightly embarrassed, but not for the reasons you thought. he was afraid of what everyone would say, him, a werewolf, dating such a kind and beautiful girl? not to mention, you and remus were very different. while he was logical, you were emotional. while he believed in the facts, you were open minded to all possibilities. he was afraid his friends would make terrible fun of you.

was he embarrassed of you?

"let's just finish looking, dinner will be soon," you said softly, turning to continue walking. he followed behind, attempting every way he could to measure just how mad you were at him.

——

"thank you for looking with me," you said gently, getting in your tippy toes to kiss remus' cheek. "i'll let you get to your friends now," you added, pulling back.

before you could turn and walk off, remus grabbed your hand. "who're you having dinner with? i thought lena was still sick?" he asked.

"she is," you replied fancifully. "i was going to sit at the end, watching for any nargles," you assured.

remus shook his head. "come, have dinner with me and my friends,"

"why?" you asked curiously. "oh, i made you upset earlier, didn't i? your face did that twitch,"

"what? no! i'm not upset, you had a point, i think you should meet my friends and family," remus replied. "we've been dating for a year now, what better time than now, right?"

you hummed in agreement. "yes, but i don't suppose they've got moly necklaces? like the one i gave you for christmas?"

remus tried to hide his amusement as your concern for his friends not having a small jar of moly made into a necklace. it was a perfect plant to counteract enchantments, but you liked to make it more appealing and accessible to eat if needed. you cared, in your own eccentric way.

"well, no," he replied softly.

"well, then i can't meet them yet! it's bad luck to not give people moly necklaces when you want to impress them! i'll meet them tomorrow!" you said determinedly in your soft, breathy voice. you turned to leave, but spun around one last time to give him a quick kiss on the lips, before beginning to dart down the hall.

"where are you going?!" remus called out, smiling admirably at you as you walked away from him.

"to make necklaces!" you called back softly.

——

divination class was one of your favorite classes, and it was one of the few classes remus actually talked and worked with you in. he was your table partner, of course, so it only made sense.

"well, my dream was morbid. i saw a dead body," he mumbled quietly to you.

you thought carefully. "one body or two?"

"one," he replied.

"you're going to fail your next potions test," you finalized, extremely confident in your statement.

he smiled at you, chuckling slightly before nodding at your journal. "what was your dream last night, love?"

"oh it was terrible," you sighed. "i couldn't find my potions textbook, and then my stuff kept disappearing left and right. and then people, you weren't there at all—it felt scary. but, i suppose it was the night hag paying us both a visit." you shrugged.

you had a knack for doing that, saying something very intimate but brushing it off with some creature. remus, at the beginning of your relationship, didn't know what to make of it. now, he just went along.

"i make you feel safe?" he asked softly, looking for your eyes.

"of course! who else if not you?" you replied, as though it were obvious.

remus smiled softly to himself.

"everyone else just thinks i'm mad," you smiled. "you actually listen to me," you placed a small kiss on his cheek.

——

though you didn't look it, remus could see you were a bit nervous to have dinner with his friends. you clutched the necklaces of moly tightly, waiting and watching as you waited for him outside the door the great hall. truth be told, he was more than nervous.

what if they made fun of you? what if they didn't like you? they were his only friends—his brothers, what would he do without them?

he went up to you, fixing his sweater collar. you looked beautiful, wearing a dark red shirt with a low-cut black overall dress over it and lacey tights with your mary-janes. your hair was neatly brushed and your makeup was minimal but precise. you looked like you were putting in effort, but still yourself.

“hello, love,” he smiled, pretending to be subtle as he checked you out. you smiled, “hello, rem,”

“come on, let’s meet the boys, i promise they’re fun once you get to know them,” he mumbled to you, to which you nodded. you didn’t try to reach other for his hand, feeling it wasn’t the right moment, but he did it instead—showing you that he really wasn’t embarrassed of you.

you both walked into the great hall, clutching his hand with one of your hands and holding the moly necklaces in the other. you spotted his friends—james potter, sirius black, and peter pettigrew—and felt a feeling you’d never felt before.

shy.

remus pulled you beside him as the two of you faced his friends, smiling at you before turning to them. to say they were shocked was an understatement.

the three of them looked between the two of you, confused and amazed all the same. especially as they glanced at the two of you holding hands, as you both sat right in front of them.

“this is y/n, my girlfriend,” remus emphasized to the three of them, before turning to you. “y/n, these are my mates sirius, james, and peter,”

“oh uhm…” james said, still recovering from his intial shock.

“has a wrackspurt interfered?” you asked before you could stop yourself, leaning close. “they can be tricky things, aren’t they?”

sirius smiled widely. remus thought for sure this dinner was going to be cut short, as sirius didn’t exactly have a talent for being sensitive.

“i’m sorry…did you say…wrackspurt?” he asked again. remus closed his eyes, fearing and dreading the worst.

“yes,” you replied in your dreamy tone. “do you know what they are?”

sirius chuckled, but not in a humorous way. “uhm, pandora burke , xenophilius lovegood’s girlfriend, she was telling me about them at some pureblood party we were both forced to attend. just hadn’t heard anyone else talk about them? do magical creatures interest you?”

remus opened his eyes, relieved and no longer bracing for impact that was tension.

“yes! i hope to be a mazooligist after graduating,” you added.

“that’s amazing, my dad knows plenty of them, says they’re always looking for interns over the summer—maybe i can ask for you?” james suggested. remus furrowed his eyebrows a bit. he didn’t know that.

“that would nice!” you smiled.

“what is that?” peter asked politely, pointing to your hand which still held the moly necklaces.

“oh! i almost forgot, these are for you,” you replied, handing each of them a necklace. “they’re molt necklaces, great plant for countering enchantments. i also topped it with butterbeer corks, to keep the nargles away,”

peter smiled kindly, though confused because he didn’t exactly know what nargles were, and replied, “well, thank you very much,”

the three boys put them on immediately, without another word. soon enough, they began conversing with you and each other like they’d known you as long as remus had. despite your quirks and eccentric ways, they seemed to like you.

remus smiled softly. he had no idea what he’d been so afraid of.

you and his friends were going to be just fine together.

[missmoonfrost]

Drunken love - a wolfstar microfic

@wolfstarmicrofic - February 24: Heart - Words: 203 - Warnings: Swearing, being drunk

"Hello! Did you have fun?" Sirius helps Remus out of the taxi.

The next second, he barely saves him from stumbling head-first into a bush, scoping him up with one hand under each arm.

"Oh fuck, you're drunk."

"And you're lovely."

"Mhm," Sirius unimpressedly raises his eyebrows. "I get why James told me to meet you outside."

He helps Remus up the stairs to the front door and props him to the rail, then decides to place himself between Remus and the three steps while he searches for the keys.

"Sirius, are you a thief?"

"No. Why?" Sirius sighs.

"Because you stole my heart!"

Sirius covers his eyes with a hand. "That was the worst fucking pick-up line I've ever heard."

"Must have worked since you’re following me home." Remus smiles dopily.

"Unfortunately, we live together," Sirius chuckles, unlocking the door.

"That’s so cool, though. It's all I've ever dreamed of!"

Sirius watches Remus repeatedly fail at untying his shoes before he decides to bend down and help him.

"Yeah," he whispers fondly, "that is cool. That's brilliant. It's - No!" Sirius complains when Remus lies down on the floor. "Get up!"

"Mtired."

"Our bed is literally a few meters away. Come on!"

[hirayalore]

— PART 01, PART 02.

the one where the thought of someone liking you romantically has never crossed your mind, much less being liked by your own crush, sirius black, who proves to you that all your doubts are nonsense.

pairing: sirius black x fem!reader

word count: 2.7k

rating: PG-15

content: fluff, kinda idiots to lovers; ft. gryffindor!reader

warning/s: mentions of being insecure, low self-esteem

୭ৎ ࣪ ׅ ⊹ reposted from my other account !

You’ve already accepted it long ago that you were always going to be invisible.

It had its perks really. It gave you enough liberty to not be the center of attention during classes and be on your own whenever you had free time to catch up with some assignments.

Plus, it’s not like you were completely invisible. You still had friends and was well-liked in your Hogwarts house. They saw you as the shy, timid girl that would smile all the time if approached, voice always gentle and soft that no one ever felt like they were a bother each time they talked to you, regardless of how busy you were.

Speaking of being busy, you were currently inside the library with two of your close friends, Martha and Iris.

Unlike you, the both of them were what others defined as the ‘it girls’ of your year, as a lot admired them and wanted to be in their circle. They were approached not only because it was the last resort or they looked friendly to have decent answers, but because being given attention by either of the girls was treated as such a big privilege.

“Iris,” Martha whispered from her seat in front of you, “Sirius Black has been staring at you for ages.”

At the sound of his name, Iris, who was seated on your right, also subtly glanced at her right to peer at the table next to you three. The occupants of the said table were indeed Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew; the four of them were in the same house as you, which was Gryffindor.

“Don’t make eye contact,” Martha scolded Iris when she was looking too long. “He might catch you and think you’re interested in him as well.”

“Well, I mean, Black does have a face that is a pleasure to look at,” Iris defended, and that was when you finally lifted your head up from your book, listening more to their conversation.

“Does that mean you like him, Iris?” Martha smirked and Iris shook her head.

“Of course not! I’m just saying he’s handsome.”

“Everybody with eyes says that.”

“That’s because it’s true, no denying it.”

“But Lupin is quite handsome too, you know,” Martha added. “Shame he’s a bit quiet. I tried talking to him in Potions once, but he didn’t seem like he was in a good mood.”

“He’s nice,” you finally said something, “I think he’s similar to me.”

“Introverted and shy?” Martha guessed, laughing with Iris. It wasn’t in a bad manner, just two friends who wanted to tease you for your known similar quietness.

You sighed, nodding and playing along. “The worst combination, really.”

The both of them laughed again, along with you this time, as hushed as you could.

“Is he still staring, Martha?” Iris asked after a few seconds, and Martha stole a quick look over the other table.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Curiously, you decided to do the same as Martha, wanting to see if Sirius Black was really staring at Iris.

It has been a common occurrence for the past week for Sirius to seemingly always be caught in the same vicinity as Iris or looking at her, that was why it has also been a common topic recently for Martha to bring up Sirius’ apparent crush on Iris. You were starting to believe her, frankly, as you’ve always been a witness whenever Iris told Martha of her catching Sirius looking or the four boys always laughing like they were teasing each other whenever you three were around as well.

You couldn’t blame him for fancying her. Iris was gorgeous, intelligent, and someone you could deeply depend on. You didn’t want to compare yourself to others, but you thought that if you were Sirius, no doubt the obvious choice would be going for someone like Iris who’d go well with a handsome man like him. You could already imagine how the school would label them as the star couple of your batch, rooting for them as much as you were aware a lot liked James Potter and Lily Evans together.

Though the moment you twisted your head slightly to his direction to see, to check if he was making his crush on her apparent, his eyes immediately connected to yours, and then a smile made its way to his face. It looked a little mischievous, but still friendly nonetheless.

You faced away instantly, not aware of what to do once more. That has been happening frequently too, wherein you accidentally locked eyes with Sirius as he was looking over to Iris.

Maybe it was just another mistake (like what you were telling yourself on the previous four times this happened). Maybe his gaze just flickered to yours at the exact time you chose to look at him. You weren’t sure why you were making such a big deal out of it, but truth be told, you’ve been harboring a little (and secret) crush on Sirius ever since you saw him playing for Gryffindor at the Quidditch Match last academic year. You just didn’t tell anyone because for starters, you were still sort of in the state of denial; two, you thought it was embarrassing for someone like you to like someone like him; and three, you were pretty sure he liked Iris.

“____, are you alright?” Iris placed a hand on your forehead all of the sudden. “You’re really red in the face.”

“I — I am?” You put your own hand against your cheeks and felt them burning up.

“Are you okay?” asked Martha upon noticing your sudden flustered state thanks to Iris.

“Oh. Um, I’m alright.”

“You sure?” asked Iris.

You glanced back at Sirius and saw him still staring at you. However, he was no longer smiling but looked concerned.

“Yeah, yes.” You told the two. “But, uh, I think it’s getting rather hot in the library. I better go and cool down..” You began to gather your books and kept your parchments, ink, and quill inside your bag in a clumsy and fast manner. “I, um, I’ll go ahead to the common room and continue doing my essay there. I’ll see you girls later.”

Without waiting for a response, you literally dashed away and didn’t stop with your fast-paced walking until you were far enough from the library, stopping by a corridor that didn’t have any students hanging around the place. You took it as a good sign to lean against the wall, catching your breath and feeling ridiculous for running away like that when you only made eye contact with Sirius. It wasn’t like he did anything major for you to react that way. It was just a simple look and smile and now you were here, your heart beating so fast that it seemed like it wanted to jump out of your ribcage.

You sighed. You shouldn’t be treating this as some sort of problem. So, with another loud exhale, you pressed your things tighter against your body and turned back towards the corridor that would lead to the Gryffindor tower, only to collide with a fellow student which almost made you fall if it weren’t for their two strong hands holding your elbows to keep you on your feet.

“Sorry,” you muttered, not bothering to glance up at the person, wanting to just rush to the common room as soon as possible, but the person holding you didn’t let go of you until you lifted your chin up and met the same pair of eyes you caught gazing at you in the library.

“What’s the hurry, love?” Sirius asked, genuinely curious with a small smile on his face. His fingers were still wrapped around you. They had moved to your forearm yet a bit more loose, as if they were just there in case you were to fall again. “You feeling alright?”

“Me?” you repeated.

“Yeah, who else?”

“Oh. I’m… I’m fine.”

You and Sirius weren’t exactly friends for his question to come out as normal. Perhaps he was just engaging in small talk to get rid of the awkwardness of the situation.

“That’s good. I thought something bad happened. You just ran out of the library a few minutes ago, and it seemed like there was some kind of emergency,” he said.

“There was no emergency. I just wanted to move fast.”

“Move fast?”

“Yes.” You knew you sounded funny, but you paid no attention to it. “Uh, anyhow, sorry again for the run in. I should’ve looked where I was going.”

You were beginning to make a run for it again, but Sirius’ grip was back on one of your forearms before you could do so. “Wait,” he said, “I actually followed you here. I wanted to talk to you.”

You froze. He sounded serious yet not at the same time. Did that make sense? Nonetheless, you began to ask, “Talk to me? What about?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask something. Delaying it, honestly. I think you even noticed me thinking about it while we were in the library.”

“I don’t think I did.”

“Well, maybe Martha did. I think she certainly noticed something.”

“Martha?”

“She would always catch me in the act, I suppose. And earlier, dhe probably caught me staring again, didn’t she? Then she told you?”

It dawned on you right then and there what was happening. This scenario had happened a lot, of course, wherein a guy who was attracted to either Martha or Iris (in this case, the latter) was going to ask you if you could put a good word for them and boost them up to your close friend. You always immediately declined their request, to be frank, never willing to be some kind of messenger between two people who could have a conversation on their own.

“Oh,” was all you said, trying to mask your disappointment.

“I’m usually not like this, I assure you,” Sirius carried on speaking. “I mean, no shame at being nervous and all, but I think it’s safe to say that I usually carry myself better than this.”

He was right. Sirius never looked not confident. He had this elegant yet commanding aura about him, a quality that you were sure stemmed from him being a Black and a pureblood. Though Sirius wasn’t like those arrogant purebloods who saw themselves as royalty just because of their blood status, he was still superior in terms of his wits, skills, and looks.

“That said, I was just wondering, ____,” he started, “if you would —”

Your mind started to zone out from that point as well. You abruptly just kept on thinking about how you were politely going to decline him, planning to say that he should just ask Iris himself if he wants to have a date with her or perhaps ask Martha instead if he really couldn’t do the first move. The only words that managed to register in your brain were Hogsmeade and this weekend. 

“What do you think?” he finished, and you flickered your eyes to his, dazed.

“Uh,” you pressed your mouth together, “um, I think it depends on Iris.”

“Iris?”

“Yes.”

He appeared confused. “Why Iris?”

“What do you mean ‘why Iris’?”

“I’m just confused on why it depends on Iris. Does she stop you from making wrong decisions?” He joked.

You didn’t laugh. You were confused as he was. “Obviously it depends on Iris because she’s the person you’re going with. She has to be okay with going to Hogsmeade with you this weekend for it to happen.”

Sirius stared at you. What you replied to him definitely didn’t help him become less puzzled about your answer prior.

“Darling,” he was smiling now, and you were watching his expression change from confusion to realization in an instant, “it seems you have it messed up. I’m not hoping to go out with Iris this weekend to Hogsmeade. I’m hoping to go out with you.”

“Me?” you repeated, surprised.

“Yes, you silly girl.” He looked endeared; a hint of mischievousness crawling up his features too. “Why would I go to you if I wanted to ask her?”

“I… I thought you went to me as a way to persuade her.”

“I didn’t.”

“Most guys do. No offense taken, honestly. I think it’s because I look friendly.”

“But I didn’t, ____. You’re still not listening to me.”

You frowned. “I’m sorry. I’m having a hard time grasping all of this.”

“Am I being too straightforward?”

“I’m not sure. It’s just that I never thought you’d ask me out.”

“Seems a little too sudden?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm, or perhaps, you’re just unbelievably oblivious.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “I’m not oblivious.”

“You are. If you weren’t, I’m sure you would have seen this coming.”

“Why would I?”

“Last game, do you remember? I literally pointed at you after I made a score.” He played as a Gryffindor Chaser, and upon the mention of it, you did remember him doing that — just in an altered version of what he was sharing now.

“No, you didn’t. You did that to Iris,” you said.

“Why do you keep bringing Iris into this?”

“Because she’s the person you like!”

“Says who? You?”

“Yes?”

“Such a reliable source, I might say,” he sarcastically said, and you could feel yourself burning up again. “You’re more convinced with your own thoughts than you are to me, which I may add, is the person who fancies you.”

He fancies me, you repeated inside your head over and over again, not entirely believing him still, although your heart seemed to be betraying you by continuously thumping fast.

“Is this some kind of prank?” you asked then, voice more quiet and unsure. You knew that he and his friends like to play jokes on people, all for the sake of having a good laugh about it.

“What? No, no, of course not,” he clarified right away, his hands tightening on your forearms. “It’s not like that. I’m not that sick, ____, I would never fake this.”

“Oh, I’m… I don’t know — I told you, it just feels sudden. How could you like me?”

Sirius softened at your question. “Because, pretty girl,” he started with an endearment, walking closer to you which you unconsciously stepped away from, your back touching the corridor wall, “there’s something about you that pulls me in. I can’t pinpoint what it is, but I want to get to know you more to discover what it is. But I do like how you’re kind and how your mind works. It’s very fascinating.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Yes. And if you’ll accept my offer to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend, I’ll be glad to talk about it more,” he said. “That is, if you do go with me, but if not, then I guess you’ll just have to live with the mystery.” There was that familiar playfulness he had a reputation of.

Slowly, a smile was making its way on your lips. “This weekend, right?”

“Yeah.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He grinned. “We can go to the Three Broomsticks, or even at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop if that’s what you like.”

“I have a hard time believing you’re okay with the latter.”

“I’ll be okay with going anywhere as long as it’s with you.”

You gave him a skeptical look, though regardless, nodded. “Okay. I’ll go to Hogsmeade with you this weekend.”

His grin became wider. “It’s a date, love.” He proceeded on getting your books and bag from you, a gesture you were too surprised to stop. “Where are you headed? I’ll accompany you before my Quidditch practices.”

“Just the common room.”

He let you lead the way, starting a new conversation as you walked with him. It was a new experience for sure, even though having someone you were beside with being ogled at wasn’t a new event to you, it still felt unreal to be walking with Sirius and have him carry your things.

When the both of you entered the common room, a lot of eyes turned to your direction, intrigued and shocked.

No doubt this was going to be the talk of the Gryffindor house for the next few weeks.

gentle reminder: this author loves feedback! let her know your thoughts if you enjoyed reading this fic and you’ll add 100+ points in her writing motivation meter ♡

[charlottes-diary-entries]

just a little something to get started with this blog <3 enjoy!

"afternoon amour" poly!marauders x reader, very, very fluffy

Now, despite the difficult and dreary task it is to stay focused in History of Magic, despite the awful, droning tone of Professor Binns, and despite the pleasant day outside that called to every Hogwarts student like a siren, you were dutifully scratching out notes on Elfric the Eager.

That's just who you were, a good student. Focused, dutiful! Your grades never suffered, and, quite frankly, you took pride in your work.

So, when the end of class rolled around and students were itching to chase out the door and into the sun, you were reasonably surprised to have Binns return a paper to you with a "Dreadful" marking on it.

You gaped at the "D" on the paper before quickly flipping through the pages. Red ink was scribbled all over it, corrections here and there and everywhere. By the time you recognized the handwriting and realized Binns had made a mistake by handing you the wrong paper, the student's paper that you held had scrambled out of the classroom with the rest of his famous friends.

You thought the Marauders were all relatively smart, how did Sirius Black manage such an awful grade?

Glancing around the now empty classroom and then out the window, you sighed, trying to decide just how worth it it was to follow the rowdy group outside and retrieve your actual paper. You looked at the "Dreadful" paper again.

Not that the Marauders had ever done anything horrible to you personally, it was quite the opposite.

They were far too friendly.

It was perfectly fine that they were cozy and affectionate with each other, seeing as the whole school knew about their sweet romance, but they always managed to pull you into their show. Little compliments here and there, the occasional brushed hand or shoulder. You flushed thinking of some of the things Black himself had shouted to you in public. Potter incessantly held doors for you and practically stole your books off your shoulder to carry them for you. Even Lupin had his moments of quiet suaveness, standing and sitting too closely to be entirely friendly, speaking to you gently as he explained things or said a joke only meant for you.

Not that you entirely minded, of course. But having three gorgeous Gryffindors flirt with you and distract you and be so romantic but never fully ask you on a real date could be... overwhelming.

A gentle sigh escaped you as you stood with your bag on your shoulder and Black's paper in hand. Might as well take the opportunity to enjoy the pretty day outside.

As you made your way out the doors, sunshine washed over your face, followed by the shouts of your peers enjoying the day. A quick glance around the courtyard led you to exactly what you were looking for.

There stood James Potter, emphatically recounting a story to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. He seemed completely in his element, skin glowing under the light of day as he jumped and kicked and shouted to them. Remus leaned against a tree with his legs crossed, one arm holding Sirius to his chest (who was enraptured with James's story) and the other holding a novel. You smiled watching them. Their shared happiness was completely contagious to everyone around them.

Sirius looked like he was about to chime in with Jame's when you caught his eyes, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Hey gorgeous! Don't you look lovely as ever?"

His shout made James turn and Remus look up from his book, smiles spreading across their faces as well as a flush spread across yours. James bounded towards you and tossed an arm around your shoulders, bright as ever.

"Hey there lovey," He said as he dragged you towards the others, much faster than you had been walking before, "to what do we owe the pleasure of seeing your pretty face?"

"A misplaced paper, it would seem." You shyly produced Sirius's horrid essay, and James snatched it from your hands.

"Christ, Pads, how'd you manage that?"

"Manage what?" Remus frowned, putting down his novel as James handed him the paper. He skimmed the front before pushing Sirius aside to flip through the leaves of paper, frowning more. "Sirius, I helped you study for this! How'd you still manage a 'Dreadful'?"

The boy in question scoffed a little, before smirking and offering a hand towards you. "Way to tattle on me gorgeous."

Your cheeks felt even warmer as James grabbed your bag and nudged you towards Sirius, who, once in range, grabbed your wrist and pulled you to sit with him. He wrapped an arm around your waist and tugged you into his side, leaning his head against your shoulder.

You whispered a quiet sorry to Sirius, who playfully shushed you, as Remus looked up again, scolding in his tone.

"I'm serious Pads, this is just horrendous. Did you even try at this?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," He then turned his gaze to you, mischief in his eyes, "maybe I was distracted during class."

At this you tucked your face behind your hands and groaned, making James and Sirius coo at you while Remus's frown softened.

"Quit using our dovey as an excuse, and set the poor thing free, you've just about crumpled them."

Sirius shot up at this, scandalized. "I've done no such thing!" He tightened his grasp on you and pulled your hands into one of his as he looked at you. "They don't mind my loving on them! Do you, gorgeous?"

"Uh-" You glanced between Sirius, Remus, and James, who had now set your bag down and sat in front of the two of you. Your face felt like it was on fire. This felt a little more serious than the playful comments you four had shared up to this point. James smiled pitifully and reached over to stroke your arm.

"Do you really mind, lovey? We'll leave you be if it's too much."

If it's too much.

You glanced between the boys, thinking about how overwhelmed you felt around them. The touches, the soft words, the loving pet names.

Glancing between them, you realized just how wonderful the feeling was. Sure you were overwhelmed, but it was a completely fuzzy, delightful feeling. You felt loved.

The longer you sat quietly, the more boys seemed to deflate. Sirius removed his arm and was about the shuffle off before you grabbed at his arm to stop him.

With a smile, you spoke up,

"No. Not too much. It's alright. I-... I like it."

Sirius grinned, scooping you entirely into his lap and holding you tightly as James laughed and Remus rolled his eyes fondly at his behavior.

"Perfect, I knew you'd be on my side, gorgeous." He tucked his chin over your shoulder to give Remus a stink eye and a smirk. "Looks like I win this time."

You feared Remus's eyes may get stuck if he kept rolling them, but he shook his head and scooched to lean against Sirius. His voice was filled with loving as he spoke up,

"There's no winning for you considering this essay."

You giggled as Sirius groaned and hid away in your neck, whispering a quiet "see what they put me through?" to you as James laid his head across your lap with a grin.

"Maybe they can help you study, Pads! Since it's clear Remus's tutoring isn't workin- OW! Hey!"

James rubbed at his cheek where Remus had just pinched him. The latter huffed and cozied up closer to you and Sirius, who laughed at James's misfortune. You began to run your hand through his curls as your eyes shut.

The sun's warmth felt lovely on your face, but being surrounded by your boys possibly made you feel warmer.

this completely not proof read i fear but i wanted to write something before the night ended, so have this as a gift my dears <3 much love, charlie

[coyotelip]

jegulus microfic: lipstick || modern au || @into-the-jeggyverse || wc: 400

Regulus is beaming.

Not a trace of the doubt and fear he started the night with is left on his face. Now, there is only a big smile and a warm gaze with which he responds to the girls' sincere words.

Mary compliments his pants, Marlene promises to take revenge on him next time at darts, Dorcas taps him on the shoulder and promises to write to him later about the book they were discussing.

James stands off to the side with Peter, watching as Lily is the last to reach Regulus, leaning in close to whisper something in his ear, that James obviously can't hear, and leaving a light kiss on his cheek.

Regulus beaming, and his smile grows even wider as he meets James' eyes and walks over to him after saying his goodbye's to girls.

"So, how did it go?" Regulus asks shyly.

"Oh, you're asking me? You literally stole all their attention, Prince Charming. I guess Remus isn’t their favorite anymore." James says to his boyfriend tenderly, unable to hide his own happy smile at the fact that the introduction of Regulus to his friends went so smoothly.

For a week after the invitation, Regulus had been nervously spinning and looking for reasons not to come, so sure that no one would like him. But James knew better, so he spent the week gently reassuring him otherwise. Now Reg's brilliant success felt like his own.

"You have something here," James says, reaching up to Reg's face to wipe away a pale mark on his cheek with his thumb. Pink lipstick remains on the pad of his finger.

"Oh, pay attention, Jamie," Remus's joking voice comes. "First Lils just refused to take part in your romantic life, and now she seems to be trying to cancel it altogether for you. A couple more nights like this, and Regulus will be enchanted, and you'll be left alone and forgotten."

James freezes at the thought of this, but a charming laugh escapes Regulus' lips in response to Remus' obvious teasing.

"Not a chance," Regulus confidently closes the short distance between them to press his chest against James' and leave a gentle kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. "No one can take my attention away from this treasure now."

Perhaps James should let his friends get Regulus drunk more often if every time he will end up saying something like that.

[moonstruckme]

Hey!!! Congrats on 7k that's absolutely epic. Are you willing to do Apple pie(with prompts¹⁾ cartoon-patterned plasters ⁶⁾ scraped knees)

With maybe poly emt marauders and reader who scrapes their knees.

I adore your emt marauders so much.

Thank you lovely!!

emt!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 449 words

“I don’t think it’s fair for you all to be cross with me,” you say while James cleans up your knees. “I only did it because of Sirius.” 

Sirius’ mouth drops open. “I object!” 

“You were the one who dared me to climb the tree.” 

“But I changed my mind before you got halfway up! I deserve impunity.”

Remus comes back in with a box of plasters, side-eyeing him. Sirius makes an incredulous huffing sound.

“How was I meant to know that branch was going to give?” 

James looks up at you. “Do you want me to make him climb the tree, angel?”

You pretend to consider it, regarding Sirius critically. When he cocks an eyebrow, though, you can’t help but smile. “No, that’s alright,” you tell James. “I did still climb it.” 

“I was going to say,” Remus leans on the counter next to where you’re sitting, watching James work, “I thought we all knew better than to accept a dare from Sirius.” 

“Sometimes they’re good,” Sirius protests. Remus casts him a questioning look, and he looks at your battered knees, going sheepish. “Not always, though. Sorry, darling.” 

“It’s fine.” You smile at him, but a second later James surprises you by digging a small rock out of your knee, making you hiss through your teeth. All three boys frown. 

“Sorry, lovie,” James says sympathetically. “Nearly done with this part.” 

You realize you’ve gripped his shoulder without meaning to. You retract your claws carefully. “I’m sorry,” you counter, rubbing the spot. 

Remus offers you his hands instead, and you take them sheepishly. He rubs his thumbs over your knuckles. “It’s not your fault,” he says, kissing you on the cheek. “You’re only a victim of Sirius’ misdeeds, remember?”

“You’re right,” you agree readily. Sirius makes a disgruntled sound, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Alright, I think we might just get through this without stitches,” says James. He pretends to wipe his brow on his forearm, then holds a hand out blindly. “Gauze.” 

Remus passes him a plaster. 

“Why does it have rainbows on it?” you ask. 

“We stole these ones from work,” he explains. 

“Oh.” You chuckle, watching as James smooths one plaster over your knee before holding his hand out for another. 

“What’s so funny?” Sirius raises a brow at you. “Are our plasters not good enough for you?” 

“No,” you laugh. “I think they’re great.” 

“Good.” James finishes with your first knee, giving your calf a solid rub before Remus passes him another plaster to begin on the second. “Because let me tell you, lovie, these rainbow ones are a hot item. You’d be the envy of A&E if you walked in wearing these.” 

[uhhlifeig]

Flirt - Feb. 21st - word count: 278 - @wolfstarmicrofic

Remus was currently regretting going out.

He had been dragged along by Lily, who had told him that, “You look like a ghost, Remus, c’mon. Interact with the humans every once in a while.”

So Remus had begrudgingly agreed to go. Except he shouldn’t have, since a very beautiful man with the most gorgeous- well, everything- was talking to Lily.

She threw Remus a wink over her shoulder and continued talking to the guy. Remus internally groaned, averting his eyes.

The next time he stole a glance at the beautiful man, he noticed that he was walking towards Remus.

Fuck you, Lily, he thought.

“Hey,” the handsome stranger said, once he was in earshot of Remus. “Remus Lupin, right?”

“Yeah,” Remus replied cautiously. “Did Lily tell you?”

“Mhm,” the man grinned. “I’m Sirius. Sirius Black. But you can call me yours.” He winked.

“You’re a terrible flirt,” Remus remarked dryly. “What was that?”

Sirius laughed, boisterously loud over the din of the pub. “That, Remus, was a dare. A dare from your dear friends Lily, who so happens to be dating my dear friend James.”

“Oh. You’re James’s Sirius?” Remus asked. “Lily won’t shut up about you being the ‘one’ for me.”

“Well, first of all- I’m offended that you think there’s more than one Sirius in London. And second, James won’t shut up about how Lily told him that you’re my perfect match.”

Remus grinned slyly, probably the first real smile he had adorned that day. “Well, we should exchange numbers, no? To vent about our insufferable best friends who want to meddle in our love lives?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Sirius hummed, pulling out his phone.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Splash

@w-stachu I hope you don't mind I took some creative liberties!

"I can't believe you stole a boat," Remus laughed, wand pointed toward the back of the small, wooden vessel, propelling it lazily forward as Sirius laid happily on one of the benches.

"We stole a boat, dear Moony," Sirius smirked, sitting up to face him. "And I had to! Our annoying friends wont give us a moment alone!"

"We could tell them we're dating, you know," Remus suggested, shifting to Sirius and cupping his face in his hand, allowing the boat to slow in the middle of the Lake, distracted by the beautiful smile of the boy in front of him.

"But that wouldn't be nearly as fun as sneaking around!" Sirius grinned, pressing their lips together.

However, as their kiss grew more heated, a shout from the shore caused them both to look up.

"Oi! Snog him harder!" James screamed, grinning and pointing a pair of binoculars in the direction of the boat.

Sirius and Remus both gasped, gaping at the crowd of students staring at them from a bush.

"Yes, go on! I have money on this!" Regulus urged, laughing with Barty Crouch, Evan Rosier, and Peter Pettigrew.

Angrily, Sirius stood, probably to yell at his brother for spying. However, he immediately began to twist back and forth, his balance lost, rocking the boat furiously.

"Sirius, no-!"

Remus's warning came far too late.

With a splash, the boat flipped over, and they both surfaced to a round of roaring laughter.

[everythingisromant1c]

It's Always Been You - Chapter 3

james potter x fem!reader

summary - Even with things going back to normal, like your yearly Hogwarts classes, not everything is staying the same. Not to mention the fact that it's getting harder and harder to ignore your feelings for a certain someone, especially as drama starts to spread around the school.

wc [5.2k]

all chapters | <- Chapter 2 - Chapter 4 ->

The longer you went through the next day, the more you regretted staying up so late doing that prank. Your tiredness seemed to hang over you like a rain cloud all morning, and the fact that you now had to go to Potions wasn't helping in any way.

You'd all gathered into the dungeon of a classroom and went to your regular seats from the years before, you and James always being Potions partners every year without fail. The minute you sat down, Slughorn waltzed into the classroom with a walk much too merry for how the majority of the class appeared to be feeling at the moment.

"Not so fast," he sang, looking around at the seats you all had taken. "I'll be selecting your Potions partners this year, in the hopes it will inspire some ... productivity." He scanned the room, and you swore his gaze settled on Sirius for a beat longer than everyone else, and your lips quirked up. "Let's make the year interesting, shall we?"

The disbelieving stares from everyone in the room told you that nobody else seemed to care very much about keeping things 'interesting,' something that didn't phase Slughorn as he ordered you all to the back of the room. The class was one you shared with Slytherins, a fact that hadn't left everyone else either. You could've sworn it was death row from the looks on your classmates' faces.

"Matilda Rosier," called Slughorn, a short Slytherin girl taking the first seat at the corner of the room.

"Remus Lupin."

You all watched as Remus took a seat on the stool next to the girl in the green robes, offering her a friendly, albeit awkward, smile that she returned with an almost lifeless stare. You fought back a snort.

"Marcus Craggy," he then called. The broad-shouldered boy marched to the front of the room, well-known and well-disliked by half the Gryffindors in the school for his position as the captain of Slytherin's Quidditch team.

"Sirius Black."

Clearly, Slughorn wanted nothing but pure chaos this year. Sirius didn't hold his groan back, stomping over and dropping his bags down on the table next to Craggy without care. James grimaced amusedly at it all from behind you.

More names were called and only a few of you were left standing at the back of the room, including both you and James. Your hope of actually being paired with him was growing, especially after noticing at least two pairs of partners in the same house, but you didn't think you had that kind of luck.

Slughorn finally called your name next and you gave James a hopeful look before taking your seat. You sat impatiently, waiting for the sound of Slughorn's voice to announce who'd sit in the empty stool next to you.

"Sebastian Vance."

You couldn't stop the way you sat up straighter in your seat at the sound of the boy's name. Images from the first night back flickered across your mind, of the way you'd met his eyes across the Great Hall, replaying the way your friends had all had a grand time poking fun at you. You were sure Marlene was somewhere off in the distance smirking.

The sound of the wooden stool next to you moving against the stone floor stole your attention, along with the green-robed figure next to it. He took his seat, holding out a gentlemanly hand in greeting, teeth showing through his inviting smile.

"I'm Sebastian," he greeted casually, "but I guess you just heard Slughorn just say that."

You shook his hand as he introduced himself, the corners of your lips turning up. "I'm- you also probably just heard Slughorn say my name."

"Yeah," he said honestly, the both of you softly laughing. Something about Sebastian seemed to invite you in, all warm skin and bright eyes, and he had a bright smile to match. There was something about him that could have anyone charmed him in a matter of seconds.

The two of you kept talking for a few minutes, seeming to be one of the only pairings to actually engage with each other, and something settled peacefully inside of you when you'd determined maybe this class wouldn't be so horrible with Sebastian as a partner. You'd remembered he was always good at potions too, a comforting thought.

"We should probably focus," you said a few minutes later. "He already dislikes me enough." You gestured over to where Slughorn began lecturing at the front of the room. "I'm God awful at potions. Slughorn never let me forget it last year."

Sebastian shrugged. "Who cares about what he thinks anyway?"

You peered at him in wry amusement. "You? I thought you were in his Slug Club or something."

"That's more for my parent's sake than my own. Trust me, I think I'd be okay without the privilege of small talking with Sluggy."

Your jaw lightly dropped, and you fought to smother your amusement. When the two of you stopped talking, you searched subtly around the room for James, missing the mention of his name being called by Slughorn. You frowned when you couldn't find him, until you risked turning fully in your seat and finding him in the seat directly behind you.

He had a firm set to his brow that lightened when you cheekily smiled at him, noticing the quiet Slytherin boy he was sitting next to. He mouthed what you thought was a 'help me,' and you rolled your eyes at him, turning back around in your seat.

Slughorn had finally assigned a potion for each pair to brew, listing out the ingredients and steps to the room. You'd volunteered to go collect the ingredients from the front of the room while Sebastian got your cauldron to the right temperature.

You and half the class crowded around the shelves along the far wall, and you stepped into the line that had formed. There was some conversation meeting your ears busily, but the hushed voices of two Slytherin girls a few feet ahead of you were what grabbed your attention.

"Yeah, she and Potter," one of them whispered not-so quietly. You focused on them at the mention of James's name, interest peaking confusedly.

"How do we know that's what they were doing?" the other one asked.

The first girl scoffed. "Two people walk out of a broom closet together out of breath. What do you think they were doing?"

Your stomach dropped at the words that left the girl's mouth, momentarily stunned. It didn't matter that they hadn't said your name directly; you knew exactly what they were talking about. Or at least you thought you did. A thousand questions swarmed through your head—How had they seen you and James? What the hell were they implying?

For a second, you tried to force your mind to slow down and consider the possibility that maybe they'd been discussing something else. But the way that they both seemed to falter after turning around to see you standing behind them confirmed it.

One of them looked visibly awkward, looking anywhere but at you as she returned to her seat. The other gave you a judging look that you didn't like as if you'd done something worthy of shame. Even if you wanted to say something to her, put her in her place, you felt too stunned and confused to think of anything to possibly say.

You'd tried to put the incident out of your mind, collecting the ingredients you needed to brew your potion and returning to your seat next to Sebastian. Forgetting it seemed all too difficult as you became suddenly more aware of everyone around you, of the way the same two girls and a few more seemed to be glancing at you ever so often. You couldn't seem to make sense of what was happening. Sebastian definitely noticed something was wrong, but you'd brushed off his questioning and tried to hang onto your sanity for the rest of the class.

The moment Slughorn dismissed you, you'd left the room with rushed steps that your friends had to jog to catch up with.

"What's with the rush?" Remus asked you, quickly catching up to you with his long legs and brisk strides.

"Nothing, I just-" you shrugged, distracted. "Don't like Potions."

"Me neither," rang James, tone grim and weighed with audible irritation. Sirius gave him a look, rebutting with something about his own Potions partner, but the noise of your busy mind drowned the conversation out as you continued walking through the halls, lost in your thoughts.

James moved closer to you and nudged you softly in the side, giving you a private and questioning look. "What's wrong?"

You glanced up at him shiftily. "What makes you think something's wrong?"

"You always make that face when you're upset about something." Your expression stilled as you became suddenly conscious of the tug of your brow and the tenseness in your face. "C'mon, what's the matter?"

You took a second before answering, looking around wearily. "Do you feel like people are ... looking at us?" You scanned the hallways that seemed to be lined with chattering students. Maybe it was all in your head, but whispers seemed to leave the mouths of half the people you walked past as soon as they saw you.

"I don't know." James looked out into the crowded hallway with an air of casualty. " 'Suppose I haven't really paid attention."

If people really were staring, it figured James wouldn't think much of it. Your friend certainly had his fair share of popularity around the castle with all the girls who were obsessed with Golden Boy Quidditch Captain James Potter. Even being constantly in his presence, his confident habits hadn't rubbed off on you, something that was difficult to ignore right then as people seemed to be glancing your way left and right.

You wanted to tell him what you'd heard in Potions, if only to try to make sense of it, but you didn't think you knew how you'd go about even phrasing something like that to him. You were suddenly impossibly aware of James's close proximity to you and the way his arm brushed against yours ever so often as you walked. You wanted to crawl into yourself by the time you made it to your next class, and the feeling stayed with you for the rest of the day, along with an unignorable pool of dread at the bottom of your stomach.

It might have been in your head before, but now you were one hundred percent sure you weren't imagining the stares from people as you walked into the Great Hall for dinner. They would look at you, then over at James, and then continue on with their whispering as if it wasn't painfully obvious to you that people were talking about you. Judging from the conversation the two girls in your Potions class had been having, you had a dreadful suspicion you knew exactly what people were talking about.

You were able to ignore it for most of the day and even half of dinner, until you watched as three different Gryffindor fourth-years quite literally stood up from their seats to get a better look at you from down the table, practically straining their necks. You dropped your fork.

"Okay, that's it." You shook your head angrily, rising from your seat to leave.

James noticed and tugged at your wrist, frowning up at you. "Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?"

You peered down at his concerned eyes and the cluelessness behind his gaze. "You seriously haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

You quickly glanced around, finding it miraculous that James could've made it the entire day without noticing the way people seemed to stare at the both of you like they were at the zoo. You gestured around. "The stares? The whispering?"

He continued to gape at you like he had absolutely no idea what you were on about. It took everything in you not to raise your voice and give all the onlookers anything more to gossip about. You sighed exasperatedly, lowering your voice.

"People are saying we..." you stopped yourself, face already going warm at the idea. You didn't think you could explain something like that to James's face, especially not when he was looking up at you like that with his undivided attention.

He quirked a brow, waiting for you to finish curiously. "We what?"

Another beat went by of you trying to find words that wouldn't leave you flushed and sputtering before Sirius cut in.

"People think you shagged in the broom closet."

Both of you snapped your heads to Sirius right away, your jaw going slack.

"You knew about this?" Your tone raised without your brain's permission, whether from anger or embarrassment you didn't know, but the people around you were surely relishing the sight.

Sirius frowned at you as he forked some food into his mouth as if he hadn't said something mortifying. "Only for a few hours." He finished chewing, looking between you and James with a visible suspicion growing. "Just so we're clear, you didn't actually shag in the broom closet last night, right?"

You reeled back in shock, wrist slipping from James's hold as you willed yourself to stay calm.

"Bloody hell, Sirius," groaned Remus, face-palming himself with a sigh. Pete looked between all of you, silently entertained.

You had no idea what the hell was going on, and you didn't feel like staying in Great Hall with most of the school for a minute longer as you figured it out. Ignoring Sirius's question, you grabbed your things, throwing your bag over your shoulder. "I'm going back to the common room."

James hurriedly stood up to follow after you, probably now as confused as you, but stopped as you held out a hand to his chest, one that you pulled back right away like the contact burned you.

"Don't-" you stopped, looking around and grimacing at all the eyes on you right now. "Please don't follow me."

With that, you stormed out of the Great Hall, head cast down as your feet moved in a hurried pace all the way back up to the common room. Your anxious footsteps echoed through the portrait and into the common room, where you counted half a dozen heads turn your way.

You felt like you were spiraling into your own mini Hell, footsteps trying their best to take you out of it as you marched up into your dorm room away from all the prying eyes. You shut the door harshly behind you, leaning against it like you'd just finished a marathon.

Lily was lying on her bed reading before she snapped her head up from her book, taking in your distressed state. "What's the matter?"

Marlene walked out of the bathroom then, face lighting up as soon as she saw you, not noticing your unease.

"Hey you," she greeted, leaning against the wall. "What's this I'm hearing about you and Potter snogging in a broom closet?"

Your expression sunk even further at her question, sending you deeper into despair. "Not you too," you groaned, collapsing onto your bed. "This can't be happening."

"What can't be happening?" asked Lily, sitting up on her own bed. Finally, one person who hadn't already heard tales of you and James's supposed broom closet romance, if you could even call it that.

"The end of my life." You rolled onto your back. Lily turned to Marlene with confusion as the latter took a seat next to you on your bed. You looked up at her. "How'd you hear it?"

"I heard it from Melissa Bagshot, but she said Horace Kneen told her this morning."

"Great." You ran a hand through your hair, turning onto your stomach to give Marlene a begging look. "Tell me you told her it wasn't true."

She paused, lips parting as her eyes evaded yours guiltily.

Your jaw dropped. "Marlene!"

"I didn't know if it was or not!"

"Can someone please tell me what we're talking about?" Lily looked between the two of you and your yelling like you'd lost your minds.

Marlene sighed. "There are some rumors going around that she and James were snogging in a broom closet last night."

"Sirius said people are even saying he and I were shagging." You felt yourself heating up again at the notion. "Can you believe it? I mean, how did anyone even see us last night?"

Marlene froze, eyes widening in alarm. "You're telling me you two were actually in a broom closet together?"

"We were pulling a prank and had to hide from Filch." Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "That was all. Nothing else happened," you promised, though the memories of James flush against you in the darkness of the closet spread through your mind like a heat wave.

"We believe you, don't worry," assured Lily. Marlene murmured her agreement.

"Thanks," you sighed. "To think that me and James would- ... he and I are only ever going to be friends." You didn't turn to Marlene to see what she thought of your words, simply letting them hang in the air like a mental note to yourself. "Plus, I'm sure Lily would have a bloody heart attack if I ever got with him."

Lily furrowed her brows. "What do you mean by that?"

"C'mon Lily," you urged. "We all know how repulsive you find him. You don't have to be nice for my sake."

Marlene and you both watched with curiosity as Lily's usual cold reserve at the boy seemed to melt with a shy shrug of her shoulders. "Oh, I don't know. He's not the worst in the world."

Marlene tilted her head playfully. "Lily Evans, are you warming up to James Potter?"

"No! I just ... " Lily glanced downward for a moment at her hands. "Don't you think he seems different ever since the summer? A bit more mature? Less annoying?"

Marlene gasped dramatically. "You do like him!"

"I do not!" Lily sent the both of you a glare. "I mean it. I just ... don't hate him as much as I used to."

You and Marlene shared an amused look, laughter bubbling through the both of you.

Maybe three months ago you would've taken your friend's words to be bad news, something more for you to obsess over and overthink everything from the moment Lily didn't seem remotely disgusted by James. But, the you now was almost excited at the idea that she was warming up to James. It could be a way for you to force yourself to forget about your feelings for him. Not to mention the fact that James, your best friend, finally might have a chance with the girl he'd been pining after for years. Even with all you'd gone through in trying to get over him yourself, you still felt happy for him.

Your happiness and laughter died out once you remembered your current situation. You felt helpless, dreading the school days to come more than you already did.

"Don't worry about the rumors," Lily said, noticing your weighty sigh. "Marlene and I will tell anyone we can that they're not true."

"Yeah," Marlene added. "People will move on as soon as they find something else dumb to gossip about." Her eyes lit up with mischief. "I say we find out who started the rumor and see how they like being the talk of the school. A good hair dye hex should do it."

You shook your head at Marlene, a grin fighting to break through your horrible mood. All three of you got ready for bed, and you tried not to give any more thought to all that had happened that day. You did your best to trust Lily and Marlene's words. Surely people wouldn't care much about this rumor, or believe it, for much longer. You could only hope they'd be right.

You were eternally grateful the next day was a Saturday because it meant you could stay holed up in your dorm rather than being stared at and whispered about all day. You loved days like this, when you had all the time in the world to finish up some assignments and-

Your comfortable thoughts were cut short at the sound of your name being called. You forced your tired eyes open to see Marlene at the door, poking her blonde-haired head in lazily.

"Your lover boy is calling after you."

You squinted over at her from your bed, voice laced with sleep. "Who?"

"James, who else?" She deadpanned. "He's at the bottom of the stairs."

"He told us he won't leave until he can talk to you." Lily waltzed into the room, leaning back against the dresser with a pointed look at you. "Please go and talk to him so he'll stop hovering by the girls' dorm rooms. Not a good look."

You let out a slight breath of laughter through your nose, rolling back onto your pillow again. "Tell him to come back after breakfast."

It was like you could hear the roll of Lily's eyes, not even looking up at her as she said, "It's almost noon."

You groaned. It took a lot more coaxing, but Marlene and Lily had gotten you out of bed and walking down the steps to the common room.

James and his unruly hair shifted into view as he stood up from his position against the wall, hands tucked away into his jean pockets.

"There you are." His eyes went bright from below. Even with the warmth in his tone, you felt too groggy to return it.

"What's wrong James?" You were aware of the unpleasant gravel to your voice, sounding nothing short of grumpy as you paused at the last step. It was obvious that you weren't a morning person like James was. He looked up at you with creases by his eyes, them dancing delicately over you as his cheeks seemed to raise.

"What?" you asked, pausing, suddenly feeling insecure about your bedhead.

He only smiled more, tipping his chin out at you. "You look cute when you're tired."

Your lips parted, lashes blinking quickly before you let out an awkward breath of something like laughter, looking down at your feet. You shook your head. "I meant," you began, feeling the difficulty of speaking to James now more than ever. "What's wrong? Why did you send Lily and Marlene after me?"

James stared at you like he hadn't said anything remotely out of the ordinary and rolled his eyes. "It's almost twelve and you're lying in bed on the first weekend back." He took one of your hands in his, swinging them both around aimlessly. "C'mon, let's go do something."

You tilted your head, staring at your interlocked hands. "I really don't feel like having people stare at me wherever we go today."

"It's not that many people."

You stopped the motion of your arms, giving him a disbelieving look.

He shrugged, relenting. "Okay, fine. But who cares about them?" He paused in thought, perking up again. "We can go to the library. You always like going there, and it's been practically empty ever since the prank we pulled."

You quickly let yourself think back to the night you'd spent charming half the books in the library to let out a scream at just a touch. The sides of your lips pulled up, James taking the sight in stride as he continued.

"Nobody's gonna bother you in there. And if they do, we can leave. Promise."

You could always tell when James was being sincere with the way he'd look into your eyes unwaveringly with a bit of hope being his gaze. It was always patient and never prying, and now it had you relenting and telling him to give you a minute to let you freshen up in your dorm before you left.

When you came back downstairs, the rest of the boys were waiting for you too, and the four of you walked straight to the library as promised. There were definitely some stares from just the walk through the halls, but not as many as yesterday. The thought was only partly soothing.

The five of you took a seat towards the back of the library, avoiding taking any books in case they were still charmed but taking out parchment and a quill instead. Or at least some of you did, since Sirius had been doing anything but studying for the first ten minutes you'd sat down.

"Must we hang out in the library of all places?" He let out a groan, tipping his chair back against the bookshelf behind him dramatically.

James eyed him from across the table through his glasses, finally having put them on to reluctantly do some school work. "We're staying in the library because of all the staring, remember?"

"Of course," Sirius drawled, peeking over at you. "Anything for the lady."

You frowned, rolling your eyes at the boy. He smirked, reaching behind him for a book. The four of you each recoiled back, expecting a screech to ring out through the room, but only silence followed as Sirius opened the book and lay it open on his face. You must've been sitting in the section of books you hadn't gotten to charm before Filch caught up to you.

"Well you can't hide in here forever," came Sirius's muffled voice unceremoniously like he hadn't almost unleashed screams into the quiet room. "Don't forget about the party in the common room tonight."

Your face dropped. "Ugh," you whined. "Definitely not in the mood to go to that."

Sirius removed the book that'd been covering his face, chair tipping forward with a loud snap to the wooden floor. The librarian shot him a glare that he didn't pay mind to.

"Are you kidding?" He gaped at you. "It's a yearly tradition. You're going."

Peter nodded from his spot next to Sirius. "Yeah, you can't miss it."

"We'll see." You peered down at the empty parchment in front of you. "I still have to study for Ancient Runes and work on our Potions essay."

Sirius grimaced, leaning back in his seat. "Can't believe that old git gave us an essay already. You'd think he'd be nice after forcing us to sit with those Slytherins." He looked visibly disgusted.

"Oh please," you said, shaking your head. "You lot and your house rivalry."

"This isn't about rivalry," Sirius argued, looking as serious as ever. "My partner is an actual dunce at Potions. If he wasn't so dense I'd think he was actually trying to blow my head off so I couldn't play our first Quidditch match."

"You're being dramatic. They're not that bad." You motioned to Peter. "Pete's partner seemed perfectly nice. She's a prefect, isn't she?"

Peter tensed at that, appearing to shrink in his seat. "She won't let me touch a thing." He let out a breath out like a shiver. "She scares me."

James and Sirius laughed as you tutted. "Well, my partner isn't bad." You dipped your quill into your ink, tone positive. "Sebastian's actually quite nice. And really great at Potions too."

"Yeah, well, he's a Slytherin." James's tone cut through the air with the same sour drawl Sirius had taken up. "Not exactly special."

You lifted a shoulder, feeling a crease between your brow forming. "He's in the Slug Club. That counts for something."

"Not when Slughorn favorites all the Slytherins like they're his own snake babies."

You looked up sharply from your parchment, confusion crinkling your features. "What the bloody hell are you on about James?"

He wasn't looking at you, a sore look on his face as Sirius and Peter snickered.

"Ignore him." Remus closed the pages of the book he'd been reading, probably from home, joining the conversation. "He's probably just upset he's sitting so far from Lily."

James squinted at Remus, elbows crossing on the table. "Ha ha," he mocked. "Liked you better when you were quiet."

Remus shrugged, wryly smiling through a lazy yawn as he leaned back in his seat.

"Speaking of Lily, that reminds me," you began slowly, turning in your seat. "She and I were talking about you last night, James."

He glanced your way, scanning your face carefully for a hint at whatever you were hiding.

"Uh oh," rang Sirius. "Might wanna cover your ears for this Prongs. Spare your feelings."

You glared at him. "Actually, it was all good things."

James leaned back hesitantly. "It was?"

You nodded. "You just came up in conversation and, I don't know," you shrugged a shoulder, words slow. "It seemed like you were growing on her." James watched as you glanced forward as if you were recalling a memory before your expression seemed to blossom brighter. "It looked like she was almost smiling, even."

A beat of silence passed over the table as everyone took a moment to process your words, but it was gone in an instant.

"Alright mate!" Sirius boomed as he stood up from his seat slightly, reaching across the table to shake James's shoulder. The librarian gave him a second warning stare from over his shoulder that told you any more yelling would have you all being kicked out.

James had offered a boyish half smile and nothing more, waving Sirius away. "Calm down, that doesn't mean anything." He shook his head. "We all know how Evans feels about me."

"Um, did you not hear the part about her smiling over you?" Sirius crossed his arm. "She wants you, mate."

"You should ask her out again," chipped in Peter. "I'd reckon she says yes."

"Wormtail's right," Remus added, to your disbelief. "You should ask her."

"Slow down you guys," you chimed, putting up a hand. "All I said is that she's starting to warm up to him. You're gonna scare her off."

"Yeah, so can we drop it?" James voice rang through the air with a seriousness none of you anticipated. He shifted in his chair, fixing his glasses. "Let's just go back to studying or something."

Sirius blanched, not having any of it. He stared at him through his lashes like he'd grown a second head. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with James Fleamont Potter?"

James ignored him and went back to the parchment in front of him.

"Look, James," you began, and placed a hand lightly on the side of his shoulder. "All I'm saying is, as long as you don't go proposing to her with rose petals just yet, you could have a chance." You were surprised at how genuine and hopeful your voice sounded discussing the topic of he and Lily, a feeling that was apparently new to both James and you in that moment. You shoved him a little playfully. "She seems to think you've matured."

"Well of course he's matured." Sirius leaned forward, gesturing to James. "I mean, have you seen those bloody glasses of his? He's like a sexy librarian."

You put a hand to your mouth at how loud he was being in the library of all place. James grimaced and responded by chucking a crumpled-up ball of parchment at his friend from across the table. Sirius dodged it with a cocky swerve to the right, the movement was too ragged for the chair that he'd been leaning back in to support. With a loud crash that had you cringing, it fell backward onto the floor, wood slamming against wood, and Sirius with it.

You gasped, all of you bursting out into laughter at the boy who glared up at you from the ground, a sight that had you wheezing. All your laughter echoed through the room without control, but you stopped the second you noticed the librarian coming towards you all, a ruefully cold look in her eye.

"Out!"

She pointed towards the door, and the five of you didn't need to be told twice. You managed to mask your amusement to collect your things for a second before you were all exiting the room, letting your laughter free as you stumbled through the hallway.