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arwenscarlettalisonsloaneb · 11 months ago

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this is incredibly cool

i got my eye on you - two; marauders

pairing: marauders (sirius black x reader) | 4.2k words plot: albus reaches out to you to keep the marauders save, to not have them die, so you join them in their seventh year. authors note: I've been on a roll while writing this, i hope you like it as much as i do :) leave a comment if you want to be added to the taglist :)

navigation | part one

„Suki has retrieved the cigarettes, Miss Y/N.“ The giddy creature smiled your way and you took the pack with a smile on your face.

„Thank you a lot, Suki.“ You patted her head and she nodded at you.

„Take a cookie, as a reward.“ She smiled back at you, hands clasped in front of her stomach.

„Thank you, Miss. Suki is happy to help herself to a tasty cookie, you‘re too kind, Miss.“

You swatted your hand and pushed a stick between your lips, with a swift move Suki held a lighter for you to take. „Thanks.“ She waved you goodbye and vanished with a kiss she blew your way.

„She delivers cigarettes to you? Kreacher only ever hissed at me.“ You turned around to catch a sight of the approaching boy. You nodded and held the pack out for him.

„It‘s all I make her do.“ You paused to light his cigarette. “My parents sent her to me in my third year of school, as a present.” He huffed some smoke and nodded.

“There’s not really any need for an elf but she’s been with me through thick and thin, so she keeps the house clean and I send for her once in a while.” You took another drag of the cigarette.

“Keeps her happy, I think.”

Sirius sat himself down on the stone bench next to the both of you and without a word you joined him.

“There was something I wanted to talk to you about.” He started, cigarette between his plump lips once more. Your shoulders connected as you crossed your legs, the dim light illuminated his face just the right amount.

“Sounds serious, no pun intended.” He chuckled before he brought the can of soda he had brought with himself to his lips. After his swig, he held it out for you and you took it without hesitation.

“Nothing serious, I swear.” He paused. “Pun intended.” He now faced you, his legs connected with yours as he watched you.

“Our match is tomorrow, Gryffindor against Hufflepuff.” You nodded and took another sip before you placed the can between you both.

“Of course I'll be there to cheer for you.” He smiled and took another drag from his cigarette.

“Afterwards there’ll be a party, to celebrate our win.” It was your turn to chuckle, you turned towards him, your leg rested on the bench, awfully close to his.

“You don’t know that yet.” He only shook his head, a smile on his face.

“It’s Hufflepuff, they have three second years on the team, plus, they��ve never been the best, come on.” You nodded and placed a hand on his knee.

“Of course, when you say so.” You cooed before you brushed his chin with your finger in a playful manner. His head lowered with a snicker. “Come to the party.” He said. Your eyes found his before you took another drag from your cigarette. You moved your head closer, awfully close before you blew the smoke in his face.

“No.” You whispered back. His head fell back with a dramatic sigh. “What do you mean, no?” You shook your head and took another sip of his soda. “I mean, I'm way too old for a house party full of drunk hormonal teens.”

“Too old? Why do you make it sound like you’re fifty?” He rested his arm on the backrest of the bench before he took another drag. “You’re twentyfour for godric’s sake.” You nodded and threw the done cigarette on the ground.

“That means I’ve had my fair share of parties, I’m good, thanks.”

He nudged your shoulder with a pout on his lips.

“Come on, you haven’t had one like ours. It’ll be fun, I swear.” You took another sip of his soda, can in hand. “You’re like so cool, how can I celebrate a win without you?” He pouted, his done cigarette now on the ground.

“You can’t handle me at one of your parties, sweetheart.” You spoke, head tilted.

His eyebrows raised. “Is that a challenge?” You smirked at him. “It’s a promise.” He smirked back at you and nodded his head. You lifted yourself off the bench.

“So, you’ll come?” He stood in front of you, frame towering over yours. Your hands found his tie, his shirt, which you playfully fixed.

“Bring me a trophy first.”

With hooded eyes he looked down on you, cheeks flushed as you tapped his cheek gently. “Yes m’am.”

You nodded with a small smile on your face. “Good boy.” You whispered back. He huffed a breath before you retreated.

“Fuckin’ hell.” He whispered more to himself as he watched you leave.

Breakfast the next morning was normal, the kids were cheerful. James and Sirius gloated their Quidditch uniforms like the buffoons they were. Sirius threw an arm over your shoulder with a wide smile on his face.

“Morning, love.” He spoke, his other hand grabbed for your cup. “Morning.” You responded before you shoved a piece of biscuit into your mouth.

“You’re in good spirits, I see.” You chuckled as James placed his gloves down. He nodded, taking a sip from his cup. “Of course, we’ve got nothing to worry about.” He said with a smile on his face.

“You’ll join us in the stands, right?” Lily spoke as she placed her cup down on the wooden table. You gave her a nod, a cigarette between your lips now.

“Since Sirius asked me really nicely.” You lit the stick with a tap of your finger and blew the smoke with a grin on your face.

“He asked nicely?” Marlene threw in. You lifted yourself off the bench, eager to make it to the lavatory on time. One hand on his shoulder, the other grasped the hair on the back of his head. You pulled his head back slightly as you threw Marlene a smirk.

“On his knees and all.” You chuckled and walked off. His friends just stared in disbelief. “Did not!” He yelled after you.

The stands were packed and loud. Lily sat to your right and Remus to your left. You had pushed your sunglasses up to hold your hair back, there was no need for them anyways.

The audience broke out in cheers as the teams made their way onto the field. Without much talking the teams mounted their brooms and shot up into the air.

The game started tame, both teams seemed relaxed. Relaxed enough for Sirius to hover by the Gryffindor stand and throw you a wink.

Your eyes wandered to the Slytherin stand over and over again. You hadn’t missed the way the Slytherin’s would eye the two marauders, the constant prank war between them and the fact that Severus Snape and his dear little friends were loyal dogs to one dark wizard in particular.

Snape seemed agitated by James’ taunting, his fists clenched as he watched Sirius stick his tongue out.

“What is it?” Remus spoke next to you, but you didn’t take your eyes off Snape. His face had grown crimson, his wand clasped tightly in his hand. You pushed yourself farther to the edge of your seat.

Just as Sirius slumped over on his broom with laughter, Nott mumbled something into Snapes ear. With joined forces they mumbled something, to not make it obvious, you thought.

Sirius’ broom seemed to suddenly have developed a mind of its own as it went rampage, trying to throw him off. His hand slipped and the broom took off without him.

His red ropes swooshed in the wind as he fell. Without much thought you jumped out of your seat, placed your feet on the railing and jumped off. You grabbed onto Sirius ropes and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug as you recited a spell, almost inaudible.

The earth beneath you seemed to become mushy, like rubber and your bodies didn’t crack into million little pieces but it had cushioned your fall like a trampoline.

You scrambled to your knees as the spell wore off and found Sirius huffing coughs next to you.

“Sirius, god, are you alright?” Your hands patted down his body to check for any kind of injury. “Are you hurt?” His hand found your arm, to stop you.

“I’m fine, love.” He cracked a smile and lifted his upper body to push a hand through his hair. “Thanks to you.” You nodded and brushed some dirt off his cheek.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” You whispered as you heard the incoming footsteps. You pushed a quick peck to his forehead and lifted yourself off the ground.

“Y/N-” He was cut off by the mass of people who checked for his well being. Without another chance to arouse your attention he watched you aparate away, you had someone to visit.

The corridor was dimly lit, cold. Your wand was twirling around between your fingertips as you waited for them to show up. The handy dandy map Sirius had showed you a few days ago folded to show you exactly where those worms lingered around.

Severus Snape’s tiny footsteps wandered just the way you wanted it to. Sirius and his friends have been pacing around in their dorms, probably distraught about your disappearance.

You were glad Sirius was fine, to fail your job after mere weeks would’ve wrecked your reputation and your weak besotted heart.

Their voices reached your ears. The map disappeared into your pocket as you gripped your wand tightly, a hand through your hair as you pushed yourself off the brick wall.

“What?” One of them spoke, voice quiet as Snape raised his hand, for him to shut up. You waved your fingers and reached for the handle of the empty classroom.

Without a word you waved your wand in the direction of the room. Severus gave you a snarl and followed you suit. His three friends followed him but didn’t miss out on eyeing you from head to toe.

With a quick movement from your hand the candles came to life, illuminating the classroom. With your wand you laced a concealment charm on the bricks around you, no noise would be able to be heard.

“What is the meaning of this?” You sat yourself down on a table while the four of them kept standing in front of the blackboard. Their hands held their wands tight, ready for an attack.

You had to chuckle, your pack of cigarettes already in your hands. As you pushed a stick between your lips and lit it with the tip of your finger, they tensed.

“You’re smart, Snape. I’m sure you know what the meaning of this is.” You blew some smoke in their direction as you tucked your wand into your pocket.

“I don’t kn-”Don’t lie to me.” You paused to take a drag. “I saw you, you four, today.” Snape slightly raised his wand, face tense as one of his buddies spat.

“You don’t know anything, you filthy mudblood!” Your face contorted into an unamused frown as you blew some more smoke.

“Very original, but I’m the furthest thing from a mudblood, dear.” You took another drag.

“The thing is, you tried to hurt Sirius Black, who stands under my protection.” Snape raised his wand, chin held high.

“No harm in that, he’s a filthy blood traitor, he is!” Snape spoke, voice confident.

“Wrong again.” You flicked the cigarette butt to their feet to which they flinched just the tiniest bit.

“I’m not here to play around with little cockroaches like you four, so you better leave them alone from now on or I'll have your head, alright?”

“You wouldn’t dare, we are more powerful-” He was cut off by your loud laugh, your head fell back as you wiped a non existing tear.

“Oh, how I love false confidence, it’s truly amusing.” You walked to them, Severus’ collar now in your hand as you got awfully close.

“You mean the power, Voldemort promises you?” He gulped as his eyes grew to slits.

“Let me tell you something, You’re nothing more than some rats who lavish in the thought of possessing as much power as he does, though I believe the man to be nothing more than a joke.” You paused to not to so gently pat his cheek.

“So keep that ego down as long as you’re as weak as the first years, you’re embarrassingly foolish and honestly a little bit annoying.” You let go of the angry young man and took a step back.

“Don’t make me angry again, for your own good.” You gave them a wink and turned to grab your pack of cigarettes as out of the corner of your eye you saw an object flying towards you.

Too slow to fend it off with magic it flew straight for your head. With a sharp pain it hit your forehead. With a hiss you raised your hand, ready to recite a curse. You caught yourself as you decided on something less physical harming.

Suddenly all the hair on their heads swayed to the ground. Your balance was off but you managed to eye them down.

“You know, as much as I love inflicting pain there’s something way better.” You held yourself on the table behind you, the boys furious and petrified as they looked at each other.

"Humiliation."

You almost whispered as a pained smile formed on your lips. “I’ll rid you of this well deserved punishment only when you apologize to Sirius Black in front of the whole school during breakfast.”

You took a few steps forward before you raised your hand and slapped Severus Snape across the cheek. “That’s for throwing something at me.’”

Before they could say anything else you aparted away, in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor dorms. The hot blood which seeped from your wound made its way past your eye and you had to squint out of instinct. The portrait opened without demanding a password from you, Dumbledore had made sure of that.

The dorm was still dimly lit as you heard shuffling and voices, which belonged to the teens you were assigned to. You walked forward, your head pounding before you grabbed your pack and pushed a cigarette between your lips.

“Y/N!” Lily almost yelled before Marlene hushed her.

“Isn’t there supposed to be a party?” You threw in before you lit the stick.

“Where the fuck were you?” Sirius threw in, his hands reaching for your elbows before he eyed your head, his eyes grew uncomfortably cold.

“Who did this to you?”

He spoke, eyes almost dark. You shook your head and just took another drag from your cigarette.

“I’m fine.” You said to him but he huffed a breath, frustrated. He guided you to the couch as James made space for you.

“Where were you?” Remus tried and you blew some smoke as you eyed the fire. Sirius urged Peter for a tissue and he started wiping the blood off your face, you let him.

“I met with some snakes.” You answered and Lily gasped as she leaned forward.

“You met Severus?” You had to smirk, another drag off the cigarette filled your lungs. Smart little witch.

“I seeked the little shits out.” Sirius was the one to frown now as he looked at you. “Why would you do that?” You held his hand, stopped him from wiping your skin off.

“I’m supposed to keep you safe, can’t have some Slytherin shitheads believe it’s alright to throw you off your broom on my watch.”

James and Marlene had to stifle a laugh as Sirius didn’t budge. “Getting hurt for us is stupid though.” He said and you pushed yourself off the couch before you let the cigarette butt vanish in your palm.

“That’s literally my job, Sirius.” He stood as well, hands clasped in fists as he stared at you. “I’ve dealt with worse.” You walked up to him and planted a hand on his chest as you pushed some hair away from your face.

“Stop sulking, big boy, and get ready for your party.” His face was still in a frown. You grabbed his collar and yanked him down. “I said, stop sulking.” You petted his cheek and aparated to your room, desperately.

You had to steady yourself on the edge of your sink, the pounding in your head only growing worse. With a quick movement of your hand the wound disappeared and Suki appeared.

“Miss Y/N, the painkillers, Suki has them here.” You turned around and slumped down on your bed.

“Lay down with me Suki, please.” Suki didn’t hesitate and laid herself down with you. Her hand still held onto the pill which you took and swallowed without another thought. Her big ears flopped on her face as she watched you with big eyes.

“Suki urges Miss to be careful, don’t want Miss to get hurt again.” You laid a hand on her face and a small smile on your face.

“Thank you, for worrying about me, Suki.” She laid her small hand on yours as she gave you a toothy smile. “Always, Miss Y/N.”

You opened your arms and without a word having to be said she scrambled into them and there you laid, tangled in a hug, just like you had all those years ago. Hugging Suki while being a student helped and it still did.

She was more than a house elf, she was your friend.

Suki helped you pick out the outfit for tonight and you were satisfied as you finished up your makeup.

“Miss looks dashing.” You smiled at her and stroked her cheek lovingly.

“Be sure to treat yourself big time tonight, you helped me a lot, Suki.” She clasped her hands like a child and gave you a sheepish smile.

“Suki lives to serve Miss, Suki is happy she was of help.” You sprayed some perfume on yourself and gave her a big smile.

“You’re always of help to me, what would I do without you, Suki?” She rubbed your leg with a smile on her face and left with a poof.

You grabbed the bottle of alcohol, Suki had left behind and you made your way to the Gryffindor dorm. The noise thumbed through the halls and you were surprised that no teachers interfered with the ongoing celebration.

The portrait opened and you stepped inside, instantly greeted with heat, the smell of sweat, perfume and surprisingly, weed. People from all houses, except Slytherin, were present.

After a few more minutes of searching you found one of the Gryffindor boys, Peter. You greeted him with a hug and pushed the bottle of Bacardi into his hand.

He thanked you and placed it on the table next to you, where all the booze was sitting. He grabbed your hand and led you to his friends, who sat on the big couch, again. They were dressed nicer but still sat there like they did when you left.

“Who died?” You laughed before pushing a stick between your lips. Sirius’ friends looked at you, faces hopeful while he still sat, pouting. With a cock of your head you signaled the lot to take off and have fun, you’d take care of Sirius.

James jumped off the couch first and engulfed you in a hug. “You’re a gem, Y/N.” You patted his arm.

“I brought some Bacardi.” He smiled at you and threw his arm over Remus’ shoulder. “She brought booze, too good for us.” He laughed before he squeezed your arm and took off.

You popped down next to Sirius who didn’t say a thing.

“What’s wrong with you, party pooper?” He eyed you and huffed like a child.

“I'm not talking to you.” He spat, arms crossed. You grinned at him.

“You are tough.” He frowned and turned his back towards you. You shook your head and turned around.

A kid behind you rolled himself a joint, you turned towards him and brushed some hair behind your ear. You took two cigarettes from your pack and held them out for him to take and with a shy smile on your face you held out your other hand.

With a grin he placed his joint in your hand and took the two cigarettes. You sent him a wink and mouthed a thank you. He nodded at you and gave you a smile.

You placed the joint between your lips and lit it, taking a drag. It has been a while, so you savored the hit.

You grabbed Sirius neck and pulled him back, he rested on your chest as you placed the stick in front of his lips. Without much thought he took a drag and closed his eyes. You brushed his cheek as you whispered in his ear.

“Relax, you’re being annoying.”

He turned around and gave you a shocked expression. You urged him to take another drag before he could say anything.

“I’m fine, so please, stop being like this.”

He didn’t answer but took the joint from your hand. A few moments later he pushed his arm over your shoulder and pulled you close.

You took a drag as he held his hand out and he did as well.

“You scared me.” He said, his fingers played with your hair. “I know.” He paused.

“I was so worried.” He said and you answered. “I know.” He let go and looked at you.

“You can’t just disappear like that.” “Okay.” His hand found yours as he let you take another drag.

“You can’t get hurt on my behalf, I don’t care if it’s your job.” He said, face serious.

“Alright.” He didn’t say anymore and took the final drag. You stood and pulled him with you.

“How about some booze?” He nodded and followed you, finger intertwined. He towered over you as you pushed a cup of alcohol in his hands, which he drank without complaining.

You dragged him along and started dancing. Fame by David Bowie seemed like the perfect song to dance to right now, so you took a sip of your drink and started to dance, he followed with a smile on his face.

He bent down and threw his hand over your chest, your back to his front and fingers intertwined as you swayed along to the music. The world seemed to slow around you and the only thing that existed were Sirius, You and the music.

You turned around and downed your drink, discarding the cup on a table nearby. He did the same and threw his hands over your shoulders, his face in a big smile.

The fifth song or so stopped and you pulled apart. Sirius excused himself to use the loo and you took that as your cue to flee to the balcony. You desperately needed some fresh air.

You lit yourself a cigarette and slumped over the railing.

“Y/N, the moodmaker.” You heard next to you as Remus came into sight. His lips in a smile as he took a drag of his own cigarette. “You smoke?” He nodded, obviously intoxicated.

“I like you, Y/N.” He spoke as he took another drag from his cigarette. You smiled and spoke. “I like you too, Remus.” He gave you a smile, his arm now around your shoulders.

“You’re good for him.” You didn’t answer.

“He’s absolutely besotted, actually.” You had to laugh and turn towards him. “We were all pretty worried about you.” He confessed as he took a sip from a cup.

“Think about us the next time, will ‘ya?” You gave him a nod and patted the back of his head in a kind manner. He gave you a smile and flicked the cigarette butt off the balcony.

“You look beautiful, Y/N.” He stroked your cheek gently and left you alone. His wonky figure retreated inside, his steps swaying.

You loved these kids, more than you would like to admit. Remus was an absolute sweetheart, drunk or not.

“Here you are.”

Sirius's inebriated form came towards you, drink in hand. “How nice of you to bring booze.” He managed before he took your hand in his. “James told.” He said, brushing a hand through his hair.

“I see.” You held the cigarette out for him, he took a drag and gave you a smile.

“You’re so pretty.”

He said, taking a swig of his drink, holding it out for you shortly after. You took a sip and gave him a smile as well. “Thank you, Sirius.”

He brushed some hair behind your ear and held your hand with the other. Slowly but surely he came closer, your noses now inches apart. You could feel his breath on your face.

“Sirius, Y/N!” You pulled apart as Lily stumbled onto the balcony, face distraught.

You stepped in front of Sirius, hands still intertwined.

“It’s Remus.”

( taglist: @navs-bhat ; @amethyistheart )

#sirius black x original female character

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honeym00ngirl · 2 months ago

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How do we feel about full length fics centered around OCs? Would I benefit more from making an AO3 account to post said fic types or is Tumblr a fine place to start?

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treacletartfilm · 3 months ago

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All That We Shared. [Excerpt from my marauders era Sirius X OC fic]

They all jumped down after Remus, the trapdoor closing behind them with a creak and a thud, leaving them in temporary darkness until one by one they lit up their wands with the simple charm, 'Lumos.' "Who do you think made this?" Peter waved his wand, gesturing at the walls. "No idea. And leading right into Honeydukes? That's asking for trouble." "Well judging by the looks of it," James poked at a cobweb with his wand-immediately regretting it and wiping it hastily on his trousers. "Eurgh-No one's been down here in ages." He finally continued. "It was probably a previous student. Someone who started working at Honeydukes?" Lily proposed. "What's the motive for that?" Remus called out from the front. "Motive? Like this is some murder?" Sirius chided. "Can we perhaps not talk about murder right now." Peter squeaked.

Eventually the long passage came to an end, with another trapdoor now above their heads. When they made it through, lifting and pushing each other, they found themselves in what was evidently Honeydukes' storage room. Chocolate frogs, fudge flies, bottled butterbeer, exploding bon bons and everything else you could possibly imagine lined the walls from floor to ceiling, all illuminated by a single golden light bulb. It was as if the room had been put there, set up conveniently and oh so beautifully all for them. "Holy shit." "Fudge flies?" Lily eyed the orange and purple packet suspiciously. "Oh they're fine," Peter reached for one from the shelf. "What you have to have to careful about are the cockroach clusters." "The...What?" "Ugh" Remus seemed to be struck by a very unpleasant memory at the mention of cockroach clusters and he reached for a small bag of sherbet as if to soothe himself. "On the train ride, first day here. Some little bugger offered me some-" "And being the greedy gut you are you took them without a second thought." Peter teased, promptly dodging a swift slap to the back of the head. "Shut up. They looked like chocolate and peanuts." "What!?" Lily had been growing increasingly horrified by the minute. "They fed you cockroaches. I think I'm going to be sick." "I know what'll make you feel better." James searched the walls for a moment, before settling his eyes on bright pink plastic. Fizzing Whizzbees. "James if you think after that story that I'm going to-" "Trust me Evans." Laurie was watching the interaction gleefully, taking the fudge fly Peter offered her without taking her eyes of Lily, who shot her a quick look, begging for help. Laurie nodded encouragingly. And slowly, Lily took the small, bright pink ball from James' palm. And before popping it in her mouth she glanced up at the ceiling as if in prayer.

"Oh! This is nice, it tastes like strawberr- ohmygod-" Lily had begun levitating. Only a few feet from the ground but levitating nonetheless. "James put me down!" She was looking at the ground frantically, kicking her feet. "I'm not doing anything!" He held up his hands nonchalantly but Lily just squealed, this time kicking in his direction. "Hey!" James held up a fizzing whizzbee, raising his eyebrows pointedly as he placed it on his tongue. "They're brilliant!" Soon enough James was up in the air with Lily, and her nerves subsided. "This is fun!"

#ao3 fanfic #found family #friends to lovers #marauders #marauders era #marauders fandom #marauders fanfiction #sirius black #the marauders #remus lupin #archive of our own #fanfic #benbarnes #female original character #sirius black x ofc

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latenightreadingpdf · 4 months ago

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Secrets of the Heart - Marauders Era

Chapter 5 - Prank Gone Wrong

Secrets of the Heart Masterlist

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Aurora was running a bit late for Potions that morning, and as she hurried down the corridor toward the classroom, she had no idea what awaited her on the other side of the door. The Marauders had gotten away with their prank on the Slytherins the day before, but retaliation was inevitable.

As soon as she stepped into the classroom, a loud splat echoed through the air, and a thick, slimy green substance poured down from above, coating her from head to toe. She stood there frozen, dripping in goo as laughter erupted from the Slytherins. The slimy mess clung to her hair and robes, the sickly green substance dripping onto the stone floor. Her stomach tightened, embarrassment flashing through her chest.

The Marauders, walking in shortly behind her, immediately jumped to her side. Sirius was the first to reach her, James and Remus close behind. Peter followed a few steps back, his face a mixture of shock and concern.

"Aurora, are you alright?" Sirius asked, his voice unusually serious as he tried to brush some of the goop off her shoulder.

Professor Slughorn came bustling over, his face red with anger. "What is the meaning of this?" he barked, his eyes scanning the room. “Miss Haven, are you hurt?”

Aurora shook her head, swallowing her frustration. "I'm fine," she said, though her tone was tight.

The Slytherins were still laughing, their smug faces only making the situation worse. Aurora glared at them, feeling a wave of anger surge through her.

Professor Slughorn turned his sharp gaze to the group of Slytherins, his voice stern. “Twenty points from Slytherin for this childish behavior, and detention for all of you. I won’t have pranks of this sort in my classroom.”

The Slytherins’ laughter quickly died down, though a few were still smirking.

Slughorn turned back to Aurora. “One of you boys—take Miss Haven to get cleaned up. You can return when you’re done.”

Both James and Sirius jumped at the chance.

“I’ll take her!” James offered, stepping forward.

“Absolutely not, I’ll take her,” Sirius argued, pushing James back slightly.

“I saw her first!”

“Oh, please, like she’s going to want you helping her.”

As they started to bicker, Remus rolled his eyes. Without a word, he gently placed a hand on Aurora’s shoulder, his touch comforting. “Come on, let’s get you out of here,” he said softly, guiding her toward the door before James and Sirius could even notice.

Aurora followed Remus out of the classroom, her head still swimming with anger and embarrassment. They walked in silence until they reached the Prefect's Bathroom, its large, ornate door looming in front of them. Remus muttered the password, and the door swung open.

She stepped inside and, for the first time since the prank, let out a small sigh. “I didn’t know you were a prefect,” she said, her voice tinged with surprise.

Remus gave her a small smile. “Yeah, well, it comes in handy when the others want to pull off their stunts,” he said, grabbing a towel and offering it to her.

Aurora leaned against the sink, sitting herself up on the counter. Her legs dangled as she reached for the towel, trying to get the slimy substance off her face. Remus stood in front of her, closer than usual, and he started gently working the green goo out of her hair, his movements careful and precise.

“I can’t believe those Slytherins,” Aurora muttered, her frustration bubbling back to the surface. “They’re lucky Professor Slughorn caught them. I was this close to hexing them.”

Remus chuckled softly, his fingers still working through the tangles in her hair. “That’s what you get for being friends with the Marauders,” he teased, though there was a warmth in his tone.

She rolled her eyes, a small smile breaking through her frustration. “I’m not so sure ‘friends’ is the right word. You guys are a lot to handle.”

Remus smiled, the corners of his lips twitching upward. “You’ll get used to it. We have our moments.”

For a brief moment, there was quiet between them. The only sound was the water trickling from one of the golden faucets and the soft rustle of Remus’s fingers through her hair. The tension from earlier seemed to melt away, replaced by a strange sense of calm between them.

Once most of the goo was gone, Aurora let out a breath. “Thanks,” she said, meeting his eyes. “For this.”

Remus stepped back slightly, giving her a reassuring smile. “Anytime. You should probably head back to your dorm, though. Get properly cleaned up.”

Aurora nodded, hopping down from the counter. “Yeah, I think I’ll skip Potions for today. I’ll see you at lunch.”

“I’ll let Slughorn know,” Remus replied. “See you at lunch.”

As Aurora left the bathroom and made her way back to the Hufflepuff common room, she felt her anger begin to dissipate. At least Remus had been kind enough to help, and the Slytherins’ prank hadn’t completely ruined her day.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Back in the Potions classroom, Remus walked in and took his seat next to Sirius and James, who immediately bombarded him with questions.

“What happened? Is she alright?” James asked, leaning forward.

“Did you get all the slime out?” Sirius added, peering at him intently.

Remus held up a hand, clearly amused by their concern. “She’s fine. She’s going back to her dorm to shower and change. You’ll see her at lunch.”

James and Sirius shared a look of mild disappointment but settled back into their seats, clearly eager to see Aurora again and probably plot some sort of retaliation against the Slytherins.

Remus, for his part, simply smiled to himself. It was only the first few weeks of the term, and yet Aurora was quickly becoming someone they all cared about—maybe more than she realized.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

By the time lunch rolled around, the Great Hall was buzzing with chatter. The long tables were piled high with platters of food, and students from every house were scattered around, catching up between classes. The Marauders had already claimed their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, with Sirius and James deeply engrossed in an animated discussion about the upcoming Quidditch season while Peter eagerly listened.

Remus, however, sat quietly, keeping an eye on the entrance. After what had happened in Potions, he wasn’t sure if Aurora would show up right away. He was halfway through his plate when he spotted her entering the hall. She was dressed in fresh robes, her hair cleaned and free of the slimy mess from earlier. She looked around, seemingly scanning the Hufflepuff table where her housemates were sitting. But before she could make her way over, Sirius caught sight of her.

“There she is!” Sirius exclaimed, waving his hand enthusiastically. “Oi, Haven! Over here!”

James, noticing her as well, grinned and joined in. “Come sit with us, Aurora! We saved you a seat!”

Aurora hesitated, her eyes flickering between her housemates at the Hufflepuff table and the Marauders, who were all looking at her with wide grins and beckoning hands. After a moment of deliberation, she sighed softly and made her way over to the Gryffindor table, slipping into the empty seat next to Remus.

“Look at that, she actually came back to us,” Sirius teased as she sat down.

Aurora smirked, shaking her head. “Maybe I just enjoy watching you all embarrass yourselves.”

Sirius clutched his chest dramatically. “Ouch, Haven, you wound me.”

James leaned in, his attention still half-focused on the Quidditch discussion. “Anyway, Aurora, you’ve got to come watch one of the matches when the season starts. Hufflepuff’s decent, but Gryffindor—we’re going to win the Cup this year. We’ve been training for weeks.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? What makes you so sure?”

James’s eyes lit up. “With me as Seeker and Sirius as Beater, it’s practically a given. Plus, Remus here,” he gestured toward him, “keeps us in line.”

“Right,” Remus said with a wry smile. “Because I’m always the voice of reason.”

Peter nodded enthusiastically. “He really is, you know.”

Aurora couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t doubt it.”

As the conversation drifted back toward Quidditch, Aurora quietly picked at her food, listening to the boys’ banter. Sirius and James were getting louder, going back and forth about the best strategies for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. They were completely engrossed in their debate, acting as if nothing else in the world mattered at that moment.

“Look, all I’m saying is, the Bludgers are key. If we can knock out their Chasers early—” Sirius started.

“Or,” James interrupted, “I catch the Snitch in the first ten minutes, and we win before they can even score.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You say that every match.”

Aurora smirked at their antics but stayed quiet. She found herself glancing at Remus, who seemed to be the only one not diving into the Quidditch debate. He caught her eye and gave her a small, understanding smile, as if to say, Don’t mind them, they’re always like this.

“How’s the hair?” Remus asked softly, leaning closer so the others wouldn’t overhear.

Aurora gave a light shrug. “Mostly back to normal, thanks to you. I’ll still need another proper wash later, but I’ll survive.”

Remus nodded, his expression softening. “Good.”

As the conversation between the others continued, Aurora found herself relaxing a little more. Despite the chaotic morning and the embarrassment from the prank gone wrong, sitting with the Marauders wasn’t so bad. They were loud and a bit overwhelming, sure, but there was a warmth to their friendship that felt oddly comforting.

James suddenly turned to her again. “You ever play Quidditch, Aurora?”

“Not really,” she admitted, shaking her head. “I watched the matches at Beauxbatons, but never played myself. It’s not as popular there.”

“That’s a shame,” Sirius chimed in. “We’ll have to change that. You should at least try flying—get a feel for it. James’ll teach you.”

James grinned. “Yeah, I’ll show you the ropes. We’ll have you flying in no time.”

Aurora couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm. “I’ll think about it.”

Before she knew it, the lunch period was winding down, and students began trickling out of the Great Hall to head to their afternoon classes. Aurora stood, pushing her chair back.

“I should go,” she said, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Still need to clean up a bit before Herbology.”

“I’ve got that too. I’ll walk with you,” Remus offered.

Sirius and James immediately perked up. “What about us?” Sirius asked with a pout. “Aren’t we good enough to walk you to class?”

Aurora rolled her eyes playfully. “I think I’ve had enough of your Quidditch strategies for one lunch break.”

The boys groaned in mock disappointment. As she and Remus began to head out of the hall together, he glanced over at her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“You know,” Remus said casually, “I sometimes go and watch them practice in the mornings. You should join me sometime.”

Aurora raised an eyebrow, surprised by the offer. “Watch them practice? Isn’t that kind of boring?”

Remus chuckled softly. “You’d be surprised. It’s not as boring as all their Quidditch talk.”

Aurora smiled. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

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addisonstars · 2 years ago

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“ice cream and trouble”

written for day 21 of august for @wolfstarmicrofic with the prompt “ice cream”

555 words!

“Dada, dada! I want ice cream!” Estella yells, as soon as she hears the ice cream truck. “Ice cream, ice cream!” She chants as she runs to the ice cream truck.

Sirius picked her up before she could get too far and held her in his arms. “Ok, my little star, you can have some ice cream.” Sirius said, kissing her on the forehead. “But you can’t tell papa alright? You know he doesn’t like you having all these sweets.” He says, booping her on her nose.

“ ‘K dada,” Estella says, smiling, showing off her two missing front teeth.

Sirius smiles too and says, “Let’s go get that ice cream.”

Once they get to the ice cream truck, Stella picks out a popsicle, one of the bomb pops. And Sirius said that he wouldn’t get any, but he ends up getting one of those cookie ice cream sandwiches.

They walk back to their flat and eat their ice cream on the way, and Stellas ends up half on the sidewalk and half on her face. Sirius munches down on his so when they get inside he can quickly clean her up before Rem gets home.

“Come on,” he says as they step inside their flat, “let’s get you cleaned up.”

Sirius sits Estella up on the counter and grabs a paper towel and lightly wets it to wipe her mouth off. Just as he went to wipe her mouth though, he heard the front door opening.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Remus said, smiling as he set down his bags, moving to kiss Sirius hello.

“Dada said I could I have some!” Estella exclaimed pointing at her dada before Sirius could come up with an excuse. “Andddd,” she added, drawing out the ‘d’, “to not tell you.”

Remus scoffs in mock offense. “How dare you.” Stella giggles.

“Ooo papas in troubleeee.” Stella sings.

“Hey! I thought we were on the same team!” Sirius exclaims, getting ratted out by his almost 8 year old daughter.

“Papas not in trouble, stella.” Remus says calmly. “Papas just gonna get what he deserves later.” Remus lays his hand on Sirius’s shoulder.

Sirius raises his eyebrows, looking at Remus, who has a smug look on his face. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Siri!”

“What?!” He utters, then realization dawns on him. “Oh.”

“I told you to stop cursing in front of Stells,” Remus dotes, “Now you’re in actual trouble.”

“Sorry Stella, but we don’t say those words ok? Dada wasn’t supposed to say those words and now he’s in trouble,” he glares at Remus as he moves to pick Stella up off the counter, and he washes their hands. “Say you won’t say those bad words for me, Estella.”

“I won’t say bad words Daddy,” She says totally serious.

“Thank you.” Sirius said, and he turned the tap off and dried off her and his hands.

Remus moved further into the kitchen and opened up the fridge, looking at what there is for dinner.

“Alfredo sound good?” It was pretty much all they had, Remus was going to have to make a grocery run tomorrow.

“I’m not really hungry papa.” Stella says, frowning. At the mention of those words, Remus sends Sirius a glare, sending a message of “I told you,” with his eyes.

wolfstar dads are so special to me you don’t understandd 😩

a.n.: we’re gonna ignore the completely unoriginal title, i couldn’t think of anything 😭

-a.s.

#wolfstar #sirius black #remus lupin #remus x sirius #wolfstar dads #god i love them so much #original female character #wolfstar microfic #wolfstar fic #ice cream #addisonstars

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im-just-confused · 9 months ago

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Lily Evans x Fem!oc

teensy bit of that Sirius' twin sister x Lily fic that i mentioned. I don't know whether this is good enough to continue writing so lmk what you think!

Carina Black was a force to be reckoned with.

As mischievous as her twin brother Sirius, she was known for getting into all kinds of trouble; however, her distant, distrusting facade more resembled her younger brother, Regulus. She loves her brothers. Not that she tells them that, but she truly does. It’s a childish love that tells her to hide them from the world to keep them safe. No matter how much they’re arguing, Carina acts as an anchor between the two, not letting either of them drift too far.

Despite her aversion to conflict, Carina’s not one to back down from a fight she knows she can win. She’s light of her feet, always ready to make split second decisions. And, despite her near perfect marks, she’s constantly driven to know more, a desperate attempt to feel the control she never had in Grimmauld place. Thus, much to her parent’s disappointment, the sorting hat placed her in Ravenclaw.

Carina was always grateful to be at Hogwarts. The castle was much warmer than Grimmauld place ever would be and the people were nice.

For the most part.

One person that the Ravenclaw despised was Severus Snape, or Snivellus, as Sirius called him. One might think that this is because of his attitude or his looks or his beliefs, well, that last one was part of it, but Carina's hatred stems from jealousy. Snape was friends with a particular redheaded girl.

Lily Evans.

should i finish this?

#lily evans x fem!oc #marauders era #the marauders #lily evans #sirius black #regulus black #dividers by cafekitsune #original female character

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mokochan · 1 month ago

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Chapters: 80/80 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Language: Italian Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Sirius Black/Original Female Character(s), James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Regulus Black/Marlene McKinnon, Remus Lupin/Mary Macdonald, Rabastan Lestrange/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Alisia Prewett (OC), Dorcas Meadowes/Original Male Character(s), Evan Rosier/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Original Prewett Characters (Harry Potter), Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans Potter, Severus Snape, Gideon Prewett (Harry Potter), Fabian Prewett, Avery Jr. | Severus Snape's Schoolmate, Mulciber Jr. | Severus Snape's Schoolmate, Peter Pettigrew, Albus Dumbledore, Marlene McKinnon, Mary Macdonald (Harry Potter), Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Regulus Black, Dorcas Meadowes, Evan Rosier, Original Hogwarts Professors, Barty Crouch Jr., Wilkes (Harry Potter), Black Family (Harry Potter), Emmeline Vance, Benjy Fenwick, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Antonin Dolohov, Tom Riddle | Voldemort, Alisia Prewett (OC), Selwyn (Harry Potter) Additional Tags: Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Unrequited Love, Family, Deviates From Canon, Original Character(s), Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Het, Slash, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, What if?, POV Sirius Black, POV Third Person, True Love, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Romantic Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travelling Sirius Black, Regulus Black & Sirius Black Have a Good Relationship, Smut, Fluff, Angst and Feels, POV Regulus Black, Good Regulus Black, Explicit Sexual Content, Sexual Tension Series: Part 1 of Looking too closely Summary:

La Morte propone a una donna Babbana di rinascere negli anni Sessanta in una famiglia magica, imponendole dei pedaggi e un unico avviso: Lily Evans è destinata a morire. Fa la stessa proposta a un Sirius Black in attesa nel limbo dopo aver attraversato il Velo, facendo leva sul suo affetto per James e Harry. Torneranno entrambi agli anni della Prima Guerra Magica.

• BOOK I – The Lovers – [80/80 capitoli - COMPLETA]

↓ [Atto V - Estate 1975 [Mentirsi] - POV di Sirius Black] “Non era così. Si era riscoperto ad amarla come non aveva amato mai – poiché lui di quell’affetto non aveva conosciuto nemmeno l’ombra, neppure nelle forme belle di Marlene e in quel tenero sentimento che lei gli aveva offerto e a cui si era aggrappato in un’altra vita, quando i primi traumi dell’adolescenza lo avevano portato a diventare uno stronzo arrogante, un finto indifferente in perenne ricerca di gloria e fama sociale. Uno dei Malandrini, l’alternativo che andava contro gli ideali della famiglia Purosangue più rinomata del Mondo Magico perché era quello che un Grifondoro avrebbe fatto – quello che James avrebbe fatto.”

[Canon Divergence]

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berryflavouredkoolaid · 2 months ago

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Ophelia Black - Harry Potter OC

~ General ~

Full Name: Ophelia Volpecula Black

Nicknames: ‘Phee, ‘Phelia

Birthdate: March 3rd, 1961

Blood Status: Pureblood

Residence: London, England | Bath, England | Giverny, France | London, England

~Physical Appearance ~

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Grey

Skin Tone: Pale

Body Type: Ectomorph

Height: 5’5

Misc: Mole on her right cheek

~ Background ~

Hometown: London, England

Although Ophelia lived her childhood in London, she and her brothers were strictly forbidden from entering the muggle parts of the city. However, their mother’s threats did little to stop the Black children from sneaking into the heart of the city and exploring to their heart’s content. Although the punishment was always harsh if they were found out.

~ Magic & Schooling ~

Wand:

Wood: English Oak

Core: Phoenix Tail Feather

Length: 10 Inches

Flexibility: Pliable

House: Slytherin

Best Class: Charms

Worst Class: Flying

Patronus: Incorporeal/White Swan

Patronus Memory: She, Regulus and Sirius sneaking out of a ball and gorging themselves on stolen sweets in the garden

Boggart: Her brothers dead

Riddikulus: Unable to cast

Amortentia (what she smells like): Peppermint, vanilla, patchouli

Amortentia (what she smells): Sandalwood, grass, coffee, pine, sweat

Mirror of Erised: She, Sirius and Regulus all together, No divides or messiness, all alive and happy.

Quidditch: No

Prefect: Yes

Clubs: Slug Club

OWLs:

Transfiguration: Outstanding

Charms: Outstanding

Potions: Exceeds Expectations

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Herbology: Exceeds Expectations

History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations

Astronomy: Outstanding

Study of Ancient Runes: Exceeds Expectations

Arithmancy: Outstanding

NEWTs:

Transfiguration: Outstanding

Charms: Outstanding

Potions: Outstanding

Study of Ancient Runes: Exceeds Expectations

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Exceeds Expectations

Career:

1971-1979: Student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

1979-1981: Wife to Evan Rosier, Double Agent

1981-1994: Independently Wealthy, Presumed Dead

~ Family ~

Mother: Walburga Black

Walburga always doted on her youngest daughter, although her attention was of the critical kind. She groomed her to be flawless, unyielding. If Sirius was the heir and Regulus the spare, Ophelia was the rung on the ladder they would climb to rise to the top. By Ophelia’s 5th birthday, she was betrothed to Evan Rosier, a match of her mother’s making.

Father: Orion Black

Orion Black had little interest in Ophelia, he really had no interest in any of his children. To him, children were women’s work. He was proud of them, sure, or at least of Regulus and Ophelia, but did he really care about them? No.

Elder Brother: Sirius Black

Despite undoubtedly being similar, Sirius and Ophelia’s relationship has been difficult at the best of times. The few memories that don’t involve screaming, crying, and more than a few times, flying projectiles are rare and often mediated by an impartial party. To Ophelia, Sirius is an entitled, selfish asshole who thinks he’s so tortured when really he’s the most privileged of the three. And Sirius never really considered Ophelia anything beyond his annoying little sister with a victim complex and who never really liked him much. Andromeda always said Sirius and Ophelia were like oil and water, just not able to mesh together.

After his graduation, Sirius didn’t see his sister in person for almost 15 years. He saw her smiling face in the paper, hugging Evan in their wedding finery. And again, once again beside Evan, announcing the birth of their first child. He only saw her face-to-face long after all these milestones passed. In the kitchen of their childhood home.

Twin Brother: Regulus Black

When Ophelia and Regulus were born, the midwife told Walburga that twins were two halves of one. As children, the twins had their own language no one else, not even Sirius could understand. Similar but different, Regulus and Ophelia just fit together. Like puzzle pieces, without the other they’re incomplete. As children, whenever they were separated they would burst into tears and not be silenced until they laid eyes on each other.

Son: Hugo Regulus Rosier

Something changed when Hugo Rosier stepped to the Sorting Hat and without a second thought, it placed him firmly into Gryffindor. Soft-spoken and sweet, he has the quiet kind of charm that ingratiates him to even the most unfriendly of people. Ophelia often was reminded of Regulus with her eldest son, from his dark mop of hair, to his soft grey eyes. His tanned skin was all Rosier, though.

Daughter: Aquila Marguerite Rosier

The polar opposite of her brother, bright and cheery Aquila matched Evan in her outgoing charisma. With her mother’s brains and her father’s charm, Aquila was popular and well-liked despite her family’s blood traitor status. Despite her scholarly excellence, Aquila never missed a chance to let loose. As such, she has friends in nearly every house, except Slytherin, where enemies abound.

~ Personality & Traits ~

Personality: Ophelia is, at her very core, a rather selfish person. She cares more about what people think of her, that her life stays safe and comfortable, that the people she loves are happy and healthy and alive than the fates of the world and people she doesn’t know. Ophelia is smart as a whip, always getting top grades and showing a talent for magic comparable to few others. She cares deeply for her family and friends, even their wrongs are wrapped in a silver lining to her, for better or for worse. Ophelia is much like her older brother, they share the same all-encompassing, complete loyalty, willing to do anything and everything for their loved ones.

Likes: Dancing, playing the violin, school, safety, comfort, citrus, calligraphy, writing

Dislikes: Flying, heights, her mother, diets, balls, fighting, disruption, magical creatures

Favourite Place: The Rosier Estate

Prized Possession: Her journal

~ Relationships ~

Love Interest: Evan Rosier

Evan and Ophelia were sort of destined for each other. Both pedigreed children of pureblood families, the pair were betrothed practically before they could walk. Always pushed together at every step, it’s almost shocking they didn’t end up hating each other. But, it ended up being quite the opposite. Evan and Ophelia were each other’s first everything. As they entered their final year of Hogwarts, Evan’s parents continued to pressure him to join the ranks of Voldemort’s followers. Halfway through their seventh year, he relented. Ophelia and Evan married not long after their graduation, at the Rosier estate, where they would live.

Best Friend: Regulus Black

Friends:

Narcissa Malfoy

Barty Crouch Jr. (Formerly)

Antonia Avery (Formerly)

Remus Lupin

Albus Dumbledore

Rivals:

Cosette Fawley

Molly Weasley

~ Misc. & Notes ~

Walburga has had Ophelia on a strict diet since she was 13 years old.

She has beautiful handwriting, a product of rigorous practice and training. Her handwriting is delicate, spidery and smooth, almost fragile.

Ophelia’s favourite colour is really a dark red, but she lies that it’s green when asked, upon occasion.

She and Regulus can practically read each other’s thoughts.

In her thued year, Ophelia tried to select Muggle Studies as one of her courses, but her parents contacted the school and forced her to switch.

In December 1979, Ophelia Rosier made a deal with Albus Dumbledore, more than a year before Severus Snape. She exchanged every piece of information about Voldemort, Regulus’s suspicions about the Horcruxes, and the identities of many of the Death Eaters for the safety of Regulus Black and Evan Rosier.

Regulus Black went missing, presumed dead only one week later.

Following Regulus’s death, Evan and Ophelia Rosier disappeared without a trace. Eleven years later, Hugo Rosier arrived at Hogwarts.

#oc: ophelia black #original character #harry potter original character #ancient and most noble house of black #black family oc #regulus black #sirius black #evan rosier x oc #evan rosier #original female character #harry potter #harry potter oc #order of the phoenix #death eaters

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whatstruthgottodowithit · 1 month ago

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Messy Christmas, Everyone

Fandom: Harry Potter,Marauders

Pairing: James Potter x Original Female Character, James Potter x Regulus Black, Sirius Black x Original Female Character

Characters: James Potter, Original Female Character, Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Euphemia Potter, Fleamont Potter,

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 15370

Summary: Euphemia Potter always ensures Christmas is the most magical time of year for everyone but will a house full of heartbroken teenagers change that?

Tags/Warnings: Cheating, Unrequited Love, Betrayal, Established Relationship, Implied Homophobia, Black Family Dynamics, Angst, Fluff

Notes: yes its a month since christmas but ive been BUSY okay

Marauders Masterlist // Tag List

Anyone who was anyone in the wizarding world knew that Euphemia Potter’s Christmases were something to behold. Of course that could be said about anyone with money, and yet they were still no patch on Effie. From her lavish Christmas Eve soirees, inviting practically everyone they knew to enjoy the spirit of the season, to her Boxing Day brunches, designed to help those who’d overdone the sherry become semi-human again, she was a hit. And that was without mentioning the weeks she’d spend visiting the elderly, procuring gifts for the less fortunate, and ensuring her son and his friends had the best holiday season imaginable. It didn’t even factor in Christmas Day, which, though small in numbers, remained just as demure and special. In fact, one would think of Euphemia’s Christmases as the height of decorum and grace. Or at least they were.

✵✵✵

James could barely contain his excitement. It never failed to amaze him how excited he got around Christmas despite having firmly left his childhood long ago, if only by numbers a couple of years since. But come December first he was always caught up in the spirit, and it never failed to grow the moment he touched down at his parent’s house for Christmas. Granted he’d fared better than his friends, who hadn’t managed to escape the clutches of work until a couple of days before the big day, which was why he was standing in his bedroom, glancing outside at the expanse of snow-covered lawns outside and listening for the telltale crack of apparition that would signal his friend's arrivals. With each growing minute it failed to come, he grew more antsy, but he knew heading downstairs would only leave him open to being collared by his mother to help with some errand or chore. So, he sat listening, and the moment he heard a knock on the front door, he bolted down the stairs, ready to greet whichever of his friends had arrived first.

It was Peter, bundled in his thick coat and scarf with his suitcase dangling from his gloved hand. He could’ve only been there two minutes, but his nose and ears were tinged pink from the cold so that their familial embrace was shortened as James pulled him in from the snowy front step.

‘Have you come straight from work?’ James asked as he watched Peter strip his layers off, hanging them and his bag by the coat stand, where they’d no doubt be tidied away by the house-elves, revealing his suit and tie.

‘Had to. I thought I’d get some of the work out of the way before the holiday; that way I’ve nothing to worry about,’ Peter said.

‘Gave up on the ol’ leave-it-to-the-last-minute method from school?’ James teased.

‘Well, the number of detentions we got ourselves using that method kind of put me off,’ Peter said as he shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it over his suitcase, loosening his tie as he did so.

‘Yeah, that’s true,’ James said, as the pair moseyed through to the drawing room. The fire was roaring, crackling gold flames that glinted off the ornate tile that surrounded it, throwing light and heat into the finely decorated room. Cakes, biscuits, and sandwiches adorned trays on the coffee table and were accompanied by a teapot and several cups. Even running errands Mrs. Potter would never be known not to cater to a guest.

‘Oh thank Merlin,’ Peter said as he sank onto a plush sofa, taking a sandwich from the tray as he went, ‘I’m bloody starving.’

‘You’re always starving,’ James smirked as he took a seat opposite him, pilfering a cake from the tray himself as a lazy flick of his wand started the teapot pouring a cup for him.

'Have been since I moved out of Mum and Dad's,' Peter said, sandwich rolling around his mouth as he spoke, 'then again they're not a patch on Hogwarts. Or here for that matter.'

'Well, I'm glad to hear it,' Euphemia said as she appeared at the door, a lanky nineteen-year-old Remus Lupin, standing by her shoulder. Both James and Peter sat up further at the appearance of their friend, and though his enthusiasm didn't quite meet theirs, most likely due to the deep purple bags under his eyes, he replied to their 'hello mates' with a weak, 'hiya.'

'Look who I found on the doorstep,' Euphemia said as she ushered him into the room, fussing over him as he slipped into a chair, 'looked barely awake enough to knock, poor thing.'

'I'm fine Euphemia, promise,' Remus protested weakly.

'That may be, but it's nothing a fresh pot of tea won't fix. And I'll get the elves to fix up your room right away so you can rest if you want,' Euphemia said.

'Thank you,' Remus said, patting the hand that was resting on his shoulder before she slipped out of the room. Once she was gone, he sank back into his chair, his eyes closing for a moment as the others watched him, waiting for him to settle, which he did, his smile tired but happy as he looked at them.

'Rough one?' James asked.

'S'alright,' Remus said with a yawn.

'Sorry I couldn't make it,' James said, 'Mum needed me to—’

'Don't worry about it,' Remus said, waving him off.

'You missed a good 'un though,' Peter said, 'I don't even remember making it through work the day after I was so tired.'

'Yeah, probably why I’m still aching,' Remus said, ‘Pads enjoyed himself though.'

'Speaking of, where is he?' James asked, curious to find his best friend and Remus’s roommate not in tow as normal. The truth was James was kind of glum he didn’t live with them. He and Sirius had always been thick as thieves, and it would've made sense for them to live together once inducted into the real world. But one failed relationship had steered him to a lonely apartment that felt all the lonelier recently with Remus and Sirius becoming closer than ever, at least that's how James felt every time that his other friend blew him off.

'Coming later,' Remus said with another yawn, 'said he had something to sort out.'

'What?' James said, trying to fight the feeling of rejection that he had been left out of yet something else.

‘Dunno,’ Remus shrugged before he leaned forward to make himself a cup of tea, touching the lukewarm pot to see if it was worth the effort. James was about to try and question him further, though he knew it wasn’t the man’s fault, but fortunately Peter distracted him by asking, ‘So, you all set for the big day?’

‘Not quite,’ Remus said first, settling back when he found the teapot not worth his trouble, ‘I’ve bought everything mind. Just been too tired to wrap it all.’

‘Ask Mum,’ James said, his frustration melting to sympathy in an instant, as it often did where Remus was involved.

‘No,’ Remus said, stubborn as he usually was when it came to accepting any form of help.

‘She’ll not care,’ James protested.

‘I do,’ Remus replied, an annoyance tinging his voice that everyone recognised was at himself rather than James.

‘Oh come on,’ James pleaded, ‘you don’t want to waste time sitting wrapping everything, and she’ll want the paper to match the rest for the look of it all anyway.’

‘He’s right. You know how Effie likes things to look proper,’ Peter agreed, ‘and once she sees the state of mine, she’ll probably rewrap them too, so you might as well—’

‘Might as well what,’ a low, velvet-like voice said, capturing their attention and forcing it to the doorway where Sirius was standing. He was sans a coat, but his outfit was a mix of layers offset by the glint of silver jewellery and his shoulder-length locks, which appeared to shine, no doubt due to the snow that had quickly melted once inside.

‘How did you get in?’ James asked, watching as he swanned into the room. rolling over the side of the high-backed armchair until he was sprawled across it.

‘Well, I’m not going to loiter on the doorstep, am I?’ Sirius asked, grinning at his friend as though that was the obvious answer, ‘Besides, Euphemia would never allow it.’

‘Can’t have her favourite child catching a chill, eh James?’ Peter chuckled, nudging James, who forced a weak chuckle at their banter, though his annoyance had mounted slightly upon seeing Sirius.

And if his annoyance at being ignored over the past few weeks wasn’t already biting at him, the surprise of hearing the sound of another visitor calling Sirius’ name was enough to make him seethe.

‘Oh, don’t just stand there,’ Sirius said, gesturing for Regulus, his brother, to come into the room instead of remaining in the doorway looking unsure and out of place. He stayed put, surveying the room until his eyes locked on James’ before dropping to the floor.

‘What’s he doing here?’ James said, his jaw tight and his words even stiffer.

‘Staying for the holiday,’ Sirius said nonchalantly, far too busy counting the cigarettes in the pack he’d produced from his top pocket to notice how he was being stared at. It was why his expression became curious as he looked up and found James watching him, seemingly annoyed, which was a rather rare occurrence for his normally happy-go-lucky friend. Sirius sat up in his chair and said, ‘I did run it past your Mum…she said it was fine.’

‘I can go if you want,’ Regulus said, his arms folding in indignation. James watched him, and then, acutely aware that all the boys were watching him with curiosity, he forced a smile and gestured for him to come into the room as he said, ‘It’s fine. More the merrier and all that.’

It was a rocky start from there. Regulus accepted the invitation, taking a seat in the chair next to his brother, but he didn’t speak, opting to shrink back and remain out of the conversation as if he weren’t even there at all. And since it had been a while since they’d all hung out together, he wasn’t really missed. The four had gone from spending every day together at school to seeing each other when time permitted, which recently hadn’t been much. And as they spoke and chatted over another round of tea, toddled in by Bonnie the house-elf, James realised his annoyance wasn’t at being left out but rather missing his friend. And as he thought about it, he realised it wasn’t Sirius�� fault solely. Sure, he had been busy but so had James. He had a new woman in his life, and given the disaster his last one had turned out to be, this one he had been taking extra time to tend.

Hence why the topic of conversation steered that way as Remus asked, ‘So the new girl is coming today, right?’

‘Yeah,’ James said, ‘she’ll be here later.’

‘Isobel’s coming?’ Sirius asked.

‘Yeah,’ James said, ‘have to let her meet the parents sometime.’

‘Yeah, I guess,’ he replied quietly, ‘I just didn’t realise things were that serious I guess.’

‘I thought you were serious,’ Peter mused, earning a roll of the eyes from Sirius, though it seemed lacklustre. James didn’t even have time to ponder it because a small voice spoke from Sirius’ side, dark questioning eyes watching him as he asked, ‘Is Isobel your girlfriend?’

‘Yeah,’ James said.

‘I thought you and Lily—’

‘We broke up,’ James said curtly, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling he got whenever someone spoke the redhead's name. Regulus nodded.

‘Yeah, a year ago,’ Peter said, ‘besides, you and Isobel have been going out for some time now, right?’

‘Few months,’ James said.

‘Longer if you count all the time she spent hanging around your department,’ Peter mused.

‘About as much time as you spend hanging about our department, eh, Wormy,’ Sirius said tightly, making the other man’s smile dim quickly. Remus cleared his throat and grabbed another biscuit, turning all eyes on him as he asked, ‘So what’s the plan?’

‘All the usual stuff,’ James shrugged.

‘I expect Effie’s got everything planned to a T,’ Remus mused.

‘Think we could get in a game of Quidditch?’ Sirius asked.

‘Ooh, we could probably get a good three-on-three going,’ Peter said excitedly, ‘if Isobel and Regulus will play.’

‘Shouldn’t be a problem, right Reg?’ Sirius asked. Regulus looked at him and then at the others before he nodded tightly.

‘Great,’ Remus sighed.

‘Oh, don’t be so glum, Moony. It is Christmas after all,’ Sirius said. But as the pair of them got into talking about the excitement of the season, James watched as Regulus put his cup down on the end table beside him and then rose from his seat. Eyes flicked his way before going back to the conversation, accepting his mumbled, ‘toilet,’ as an acceptable excuse as he slipped from the room. He had barely been out of the room a minute before James stood too, garnering more attention than the previous departure, which he dismissed by saying, ‘I just realised I should probably show him where it is.’

He slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him, and headed down the corridor, yet he didn’t find Regulus anywhere. He could hear the elves in the kitchen and the sounds of movement in the drawing room, but down this end of the house it was quiet. He had even started to wonder if not being familiar with the house had meant that Regulus had gone upstairs in search of a lavatory, but his wondering was cut short as a downstairs bathroom door opened just ahead of him and Regulus slipped out.

He looked startled to find James lurking outside but recovered quickly, keeping his head high as he attempted to walk past him. James, however, caught him by the arm.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked harshly.

‘Using your loo. Or is that a crime now?’ Regulus asked with disdain.

‘You know what I mean,’ James said tightly, his eyes flicking up the hallway, not that his voice was loud enough to carry down the corridor.

‘Don’t ask me,’ Regulus said.

‘Well I am,’ James replied.

‘I’m here to enjoy Christmas,’ Regulus said sarcastically, finally realising his arm was still in James’ iron grip, which he promptly wrenched himself from, moving himself further away once he realised just how close they had been. James seemed to notice it too, the rush of cold air on his face now that Regulus was no longer close feeling sharper than he had expected, and painful enough he couldn’t help but breathe, ‘Reg—’

‘I’ve been staying with Sirius,’ Regulus said quietly.

‘Why?’ James asked, his brows knitting together worriedly.

‘What do you care?’ Regulus scoffed, rolling his eyes, but James just continued to watch him worriedly, whatever animosity he’d been feeling towards the boy melting just enough for Regulus to say, ‘I left. For good, if you must know.’

‘Better late than never I suppose,’ James quipped, ‘You should’ve said.’

‘Would it make a difference?’ Regulus asked, watching James as he pondered it and glanced guiltily at his shoes, ‘thought not.’

Using the silence, Regulus moved away from him, headed back up to the others, where the encounter was sure to be ignored, not talked about like every other moment they’d ever shared before now. Though as he heard James speak, he faltered.

‘You chose that remember,’ James said quietly, watching as the boy turned, his eyes dark and stormy. He didn’t say anything, but James watched him take a steadying breath before he turned around and headed away. James didn’t say anything; he didn’t know what to say. Instead, he slipped into the bathroom himself and willed himself not to fall apart.

✵✵✵

Isobel Rookwood had never had a Christmas away from home. If truth be told, she hadn’t really planned to spend this holiday season anywhere but her family home, but when her parents had informed her that they were going to be spending two weeks on the other side of the globe visiting her brother, she hadn’t had anywhere else to go. And so just like that she became another waif and stray to be collected by the Potters. And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with her boyfriend; their first holiday together was one she wanted to spend apart; no, it was nothing like that. It was just that it all felt too soon, too rushed. They’d only been together a few months, and now she was going to spend the next four days being paraded around the who’s who of the wizarding world as James Potter’s new beau.

And love him as she did, she couldn't shake this uncertain feeling inside her whenever she thought of the fixedness of it all. It was a feeling that grew as there was a knock on the door. James wouldn’t wait for her to answer, which filled her with nerves as she called, ‘Come in,’ to whoever it was lurking on the other side of the door. Fortunately, it was a familiar face, if one that made that feeling of uncertainty turn into butterflies.

‘Hi, James sent me up to see how you were getting on,’ Sirius said as he poked his head around the door before coming in and shutting it behind him, ‘Are you ready?’

‘Yeah, nearly done,’ Isobel said, making sure to pull a jumper from the pile in her suitcase upon seeing Sirius’ full Quidditch attire. She wasn’t a big fan of the game, but the boys had begged her to play the moment she had arrived, and so she had used unpacking as leverage to avoid it for as long as possible. Now her time was up, evidenced by the fact Sirius lingered by the door.

‘You don’t have to wait for me you know,’ she said quietly.

‘I know,’ he said, watching as she continued to unpack, his eyes like fire as they danced across her skin. Isobel tried to ignore him and the butterflies running rampant inside her.

‘I thought you were going home for Christmas,’ he said, a statement cloaked in a hint of accusation. It was true that was supposed to be the plan; it was the thing he’d clung to when he’d heard her mention it. Spending every day in an office with James rabbiting on about her had been torture enough, let alone spending four days in the same house.

‘I was,’ she said, swallowing thickly, ‘my parents have gone to Australia to visit my brother for a couple of weeks, and I couldn’t get the time off work, so I couldn’t go.’

‘So you’re not…’ Sirius said, his words fading as she looked up at him.

‘Not what?’ she asked.

‘I thought this might be…’ he said, going quiet again, which made her raise her brows in expectation, ‘getting serious… with James.’

‘Is that a surprise?’ she asked, ‘it’s been a few months after all.’

‘So he’s the one?’ Sirius asked, his gaze dropping to his feet as she looked at him, that feeling of uncertainty rife inside her.

‘I don’t believe in ones,’ she said, snapping his gaze up towards her. His eyes were dark and stormy, but full of hope, which made her heart squeeze heavily in her chest. Still, she stayed firm, the point they had danced around for months remaining the axis on which she was going to continue to move around, ‘I believe in telling people how you feel about them and not just sitting by…bowing out.’

‘I didn’t bow out,’ Sirius said, whatever upset he’d been feeling overcome by indignation. He leaned up from the wall he’d been resting against, coming towards her so that they were just a foot apart, but all she did was look at him, her green eyes begging him to go further as they always had. When he didn’t elaborate, she sighed, ‘Well, you didn’t exactly fight either.’

‘So using James was the answer?’ he rebutted, making her mouth fall into a scowl.

‘I am not using him,’ she snapped, ‘He asked me out, and I accepted. He’s a nice guy, and I like him a lot, and well-’

‘Well what?’ he asked, though he’d been through it a thousand times in his mind to know what she was going to say.

‘I asked you before we got in any deeper, and you-’

‘I didn’t say anything,’ he said.

‘Exactly,’ she sighed, her hand reaching out to touch his chest, stopping him from coming any closer, ‘you didn’t say anything to stop it. So don’t do this.’

‘I'm not,’ Sirius started, though he knew what he had been doing. He shouldn’t be up here. He’d tried his damndest to stay away from her, as hard as it had been, as it meant staying away from James too. He’d chosen to let her get away when he hadn’t needed to, and now he couldn’t help himself but want it, want her.

‘Don’t make trouble,’ Isobel warned, ‘not here, not to them. Not at Christmas.’

Sirius looked down at her and then at the hand keeping him at arm's length. He wanted to grab it and yank her towards him. He wanted to kiss her; James, Christmas, and Euphemia’s plans be damned. But she was right. He’d had his chance and he blew it; now he just needed to stay away from her, and so he nodded, ‘No trouble from me.’

✵✵✵

There was an uneasy tension when Isobel got down to the Quidditch pitch, a field adjoining the vast gardens of the Potter’s luxurious manor house, and it deepened as James pulled her into him the second she got close enough, kissing her temple. She didn’t dare look at Sirius but kept her gaze straight only to find his brother glaring at her. Isobel threw him a weak smile and looked away, her mind whirring at the possibility that Sirius had confided in the boy.

‘So,’ James said, as he bent down to undo the latch on the box of Quidditch balls, ‘I figured three on three. First team to say ten goals?’

‘Ten?’ Remus groaned as James handed him the uncharmed quaffle before pulling the rapidly twitching snitch from its snare and slipping it in his pocket before kicking the box shut, the two vibrating bludgers protesting as they fell out of view.

‘Yeah, some of us are actually good players Moony, so it won't take that long,’ James grinned.

‘Speaking of, how are we dividing the teams?’ Sirius asked.

‘Hadn’t thought,’ James shrugged, ‘what do you reckon?’

‘Well, I’m not very good,’ Isobel said meekly.

‘That makes two of us,’ Remus replied sympathetically.

‘In that case, how about me, Pete, and Moony vs. you, Reg, and Iz?’ Sirius said, her vow about not making trouble ringing in his ears. After all, it was easier not to make trouble when she was a pitch away.

‘No, I mean Reg,’ he said quickly, tripping over the nickname as he protested, ‘Regulus is a seeker, isn’t he? Isobel isn’t great at passing, so he wouldn’t be able to seek if we’re all on one team. How about me, you, and Isobel seeking? Regulus, Moony, and Pete?’

‘No offence, but I’ve seen Pettigrew play,’ Regulus sniped, earning himself a scowl from Peter, ‘if I’m going to have the self-confessed poor player, I want someone with skill too.’

‘It’s just a three-on-three,’ Remus said, rolling his eyes.

‘Fine, I’ll swap,’ Sirius said, feigning heartbreak at being placed opposite James. James watched him go, volunteering all too easily, which made those suspicions and upsets from yesterday creep into his mind once more. But there was no point arguing as Sirius stood staunchly beside his brother, the pair of them both so calm and collected that protesting the lineup of a measly Quidditch match would surely make him look insane.

‘Fine,’ James said as he kicked open the ball box, ‘but since the stakes are fair we might as well play properly.’

And with a flick of his wand, two bludgers flew into the air, and he strode off to pick his broom up from the rack nearby.

Regulus loved Quidditch. He always had, from the moment he had been taught how to, mainly because it meant he didn’t have to be inside that house. His gloomy, depressing house that smothered every inch of him. He could be free. Not only that, but it had also been one of the only times he and Sirius could play together, truly together, without their laughter or happiness being heard from a few rooms away and snuffed out. His parents wanted their children to learn so as not to show them up when they landed at school, but they had no interest in doing the schooling. It was probably for the best and probably the reason the Black brothers were incredible players, even when playing a small three-on-three match. They were three goals ahead and homing in on a fourth. In Regulus’ opinion, Remus was an okay player, but James’ reluctance to release the snitch until they’d managed to have some gameplay was a good idea, as it allowed Regulus to act as a chaser alongside his brother rather than a seeker full time.

Isobel, however, was not a good player. She could fly, he supposed, but she was textbook in her movements, her hands barely leaving the broom handle even if she did control it right. He was watching her, the pause he’d taken to look for the snitch James had just released leading him to watch her looking for it too. Then he found himself staring too long, wondering what it was James saw in her. He’d half expected her to be a redhead, fiery and determined like Lily had been, though looking at her now, her caramel hair half hid by a hat and scarf, he had to commend James. He certainly didn’t have a type. So what was it that lured him in? He’d learnt from Remus this morning at breakfast that they’d met at work. She had a job in the magical law office, which worked with their department quite a bit, and upon meeting him she’d then kept appearing, lingering like a bad smell he suspected.

Maybe she was nice, funny even. Maybe James’ heart had healed enough that the first person taking an interest, or at least the person in the nearest proximity, had appealed to him. Maybe they had a raft of things in common, Quidditch clearly not being one of them. Or maybe, he reasoned to himself, maybe when the time came, she actually chose him. Maybe she hadn't been too scared to put herself on the line. After all, what good had it done anyway? He’d left his family behind when it had come down to it, and now it was too late to go back. James had moved on. To this pretty blonde thing, a pretty blonde thing moving down the pitch at speed. Regulus looked ahead of her, seeing a glint of gold down by the goal posts. The others were down the other end of the pitch, and if he didn’t move she’d surely catch it, and so he zoomed down towards her. She startled as he arrived by her side, moving ahead of her as they both zigged and zagged after the ball taunting them. As it flew ahead he pushed on, but so did she, back towards the others who’d noticed their race for the snitch. As they got down to the halfway point of the pitch, she braved taking her hand off the broom, reaching it out as she pushed ahead. Her fingertips brushed against it gently before it moved out of reach. She tried again, grabbing her broom once more as it weaved left. It was on her side of the pitch; to reach he'd have to lean over her, which was getting harder to do as she pushed ahead of him. Regulus watched himself lag behind, her fingers inches from gold, and before he knew what he was doing, his own hand had reached out, yanking the bunch of stiff bristles with his left hand. The broom fell down, slipping from her grasp as she’d only had the one hand holding on.

And then everything went into slow motion. Regulus was still moving, watching as she fell towards the ground, desperately trying to hold on and regain control as he moved further away, unable to make his brain switch on to help. She was nearing the ground, the broom and her head surely going to splinter into pieces as they hit the frozen earth, but then she wasn’t falling; she was dangling from his brother’s hand as he flew low, decanting her onto the floor in a heap.

Isobel lay on the ground, the hand that had been reaching out for the snitch now twisted underneath her torso in a painful direction. She didn’t know how she’d gotten there; all she had felt was a hand on her back, holding her as she descended roughly onto the ground to make her contact with the floor come somewhat slower than before. In instinct she’d put her hands out as if she could push the ground away and stop the impact. For a moment it was quiet; the sounds of the boys hadn’t hit her yet, which meant she could lay there and assess the damage before chaos descended.

And descend it did. It started gently. Sirius was the first to land and fuss over here.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked as he knelt beside her, concern in his grey eyes as his hands hovered, unsure of where to look first.

‘Fine,’ she said weakly, ‘my wrist hurts.’

‘Lemme see,’ he said, taking her wrist gently in his hands as he looked at it. She hissed making him frown, but the pain was starting to kick in, as was the swelling, ‘anything else?’

‘No, just hit everything a bit rough, but that bent under me,’ she said.

‘I tried to drop you as gracefully as I could,’ he admitted, sorrow on his face, though it was far from his fault, and in fact, quite impressive he’d managed to get to her at all given the distance he was away. Though he must have been closer than James, who was only just touching down, the other boys were close behind him.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked, dropping to his knees beside her, his hand on her cheek.

‘Fine,’ she nodded, ignoring the twinge in her wrist as Sirius dropped it, causing it to fall into her lap.

‘You could’ve been killed!’ he protested.

‘It’s fine,’ she lied, the severity of the situation dawning on her and making her feel queasy, ‘it was just an accident.’

‘What even happened?’ Sirius asked, ‘First you were up, then you were plummeting to the ground.’

‘We saw the snitch. Both tried to get it, but he got my broom instead. It just fell from under me,’ she said. She hadn’t seen what had happened, but she had felt the yank, the tugging of the broom sliding out from between her legs where she couldn’t catch it.

‘What?’ James said quietly, looking towards Regulus. He stood there watching further away from everyone and more ashen faced than she’d ever seen him, the Black family's pale complexion now looking gaunt instead of ethereal.

‘You did this?’ he asked, rising to his feet.

‘It was an accident,’ Regulus said weakly.

‘An accident!?’ he asked, striding towards him and grabbing him by the jumper, ‘you could've bloody killed her!’

‘James!’ Isobel squealed.

‘All for what? A bloody match? Couldn’t bear the thought of someone winning—'

‘Prongs, mate, come on, he didn’t mean it,’ Remus said, moving towards them, trying to get in between the pair, though their eyes never left each other. Isobel glanced at Sirius, half wondering why he wasn’t intervening, but his normal protectiveness over his younger sibling seemed all but gone. In fact, the way he was looking at James hinted at an agreement.

‘I got lost in the game,’ Regulus said, ‘you’re telling me you’ve never gotten caught up in the moment.’

James was about to respond, but Regulus’ eyes were watching him, boring into his face with a knowing look that sent flashes of all the moments he’d ever gotten caught in a moment back to him. The truth was James had often lost himself in a moment, lost himself in Regulus himself. With that he loosened his grip, shoving him away from him as he turned his attention back on Isobel. The group was rather silent as James helped her up, Sirius moving dutifully out of the way as the pair walked back towards the house.

‘Well, we better sort the stuff out,’ Remus said, but Sirius waved him off, his eyes on Regulus, who was picking up his broom, checking it hadn’t become too damaged when he’d thrown it down in haste, but he stopped when he felt his brother’s eyes on him.

‘We’ll sort it,’ Sirius said firmly. Regulus glared at him and watched as Remus and Peter nodded, sensing this was a family matter, and headed the way the others had gone.

Regulus didn’t give him time to speak, busying himself with levitating the remaining brooms into an orderly line that he started to walk back towards the garage. Sirius kicked the ball box open and flicked his wand to corral the outstanding equipment into their places. Once they were firmly locked away, he slammed it shut and levitated it behind him, storming after his brother.

‘What was that?’ Sirius said the moment they were in the safety of the garage.

‘Could ask you the same,’ Regulus scoffed, arranging the brooms in their holders.

‘Don’t look away and throw out pithy little remarks hoping I'm not going to follow you up,’ Sirius snapped, throwing the ball box down onto the shelf.

‘It was an accident,’ Regulus lied, finally turning to face him.

‘You yanked her broom from under her,’ Sirius whispered harshly, ‘I watched you do it.’

‘I was going for the snitch,’ Regulus grunted.

‘Yeah?’ Sirius challenged, ‘because I’ve seen you play, that snitch was miles ahead of you there was no way you'd reach it from there. The only thing that would've helped was being Iz out the way.’

‘It was an accident,’ Regulus reiterated coolly.

‘Like when Narcissa fell down the stairs?’ Sirius challenged.

‘She tripped on the—’

‘Carpet? Yeah, I know,’ Sirius said, ‘but it was your magic that moved it.’

‘I was eight!’ Regulus scoffed.

‘And jealous and petty. Like you’re being now the only reason I don’t know why,’ Sirius said.

‘Because there isn’t a reason. I don’t even know her,’ Regulus said, rolling his eyes, ‘question is, why do you care about her so much?’

‘She’s James’ girlfriend. He’s family,’ Sirius lied.

‘Is that it?’ Regulus said, his eyebrow raising in a way that made Sirius’ fist clench by his side, old sibling rivalries bubbling inside him.

‘If you’ve got something to say. Say it,’ Sirius spat.

‘Oh, I’ve got nothing to say,’ Regulus smirked, moving towards him so that they were face to face, ‘but maybe stop flinging accusations about. Could get messy, and like you said, they’re family.’

Sirius clenched his jaw but said nothing, allowing Regulus to move past him and out through the garage door. Some Christmas this was turning out to be.

✵✵✵

‘James,’ Isobel sighed, watching as he shirked off his jumper huffily and threw it across the room at the washing basket. He’d been ranting the whole way back to the house, even dismissing his mother as she had called after them after catching a glance of them walking by the kitchen. He’d stomped off upstairs as if he couldn’t hear her leaving Isobel to shrug apologetically at her from the bottom of the stairs before she followed him.

‘Don’t tell me it’s fine,’ James huffed, pushing his rain-drizzled hair back out of his face, which made it stick up more than usual.

‘But it is fine,’ Isobel said. In all honesty, she didn’t know why he was so het up about the thing. Yes, it could’ve gone horribly wrong, but it hadn’t. And it had been an accident; she didn’t even know Regulus well enough to think of why it wouldn’t be. She just needed James to focus on the positives.

‘Look,’ she said, ignoring the twinge in her wrist as she ensnared her arms around his neck and forced him to look at her, ‘it could've been bad; I get that, but Regulus didn’t mean it, and Sirius caught me in time.’

‘I should’ve caught you,’ James said guilty.

‘Is that why you're so upset?’ she asked. When James didn’t answer, she sighed, ‘it happened so fast. Sirius was closer. If you could have helped, you would have. I know that.’

‘I could though. I wasn’t much further than Sirius; he just moved like lightning,’ James said. Suddenly the idea of Sirius soaring to her rescue and the memory of him holding her injured hand flooded her brain, and she started to feel as guilty as James looked.

‘We never know how we’re gonna react in those situations,’ she said, swallowing the lump in her throat, ‘you probably panicked because it was me. It doesn’t mean anything.’

‘Yeah,’ he said quietly, and she wasn’t sure if she had convinced him or herself of it.

‘Look, why don’t you go get me some ice? My wrist is still twinging,’ she said.

‘Okay,’ James nodded.

‘And then maybe you could run me a bath?’ she said, ‘get rid of the cold and wet and maybe put us in a better mood.’

‘Us?’ James said, a curl of a smile appearing on his lips.

‘Well, it's no fun bathing alone; besides, it's not like we can hide away. We’ve got dinner to attend,’ she smiled, pecking him on the lips before pushing him away. James beamed and headed to the door, closing it behind him and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

As she peeled her damp jumper off she thought about the look in Sirius’ eyes, the worry. And as much as she’d told him that she had no inclination of causing trouble and that if she wanted action, it was months ago when this had all begun, she couldn't help but like it.

✵✵✵

Dinner was a fairly excruciating affair. Euphemia was nothing if not a good host, and so the idea of tensions running rampant under her roof made her go into overdrive to make everyone feel good. Fortunately, her years of graciousness towards the boys had left them dutiful and respectful enough to let tensions peter out as they chatted around the dinner table, even if they all quickly headed to bed once they could safely escape. But Isobel’s tension didn’t disappear, keeping her awake all night as she thought about everything. It had been foolish to come here she supposed. To put temptation in her own path when Sirius had been so determined to keep her at arm’s length. But if truth be told, she did miss him.

She'd been his friend first. Their flats close enough that their journey to the ministry overlapped frequently enough for it to become noticeable. A smile turning to a hi. Two journeys becoming one. Her new role meant she was now in and out of his office. Their work together somehow turning to lunch. And then James. He just fit in somehow, on the periphery at first, but then she felt the shift. Sirius must’ve too, but he didn’t say anything. And then one lunch she’d invited him to go and see a new band play at a muggle pub in the east of London. Only he’d brought James, and Peter and Remus. He didn’t even say anything when he walked her to her front door. The next day James had asked her out, and rather pettily she’d said yes because she did like James. And when she’d asked, dancing around the subject like they were prone to do, Sirius had said nothing.

James had healed her broken heart unbeknownst to him. Sirius had pulled away, leaving her empty, but James helped fill that void, and she loved him; she did. But with Sirius there, around her, caring about her like he had today, it felt like a different thing altogether. Around three am she’d finally succumbed to sleep, and when she awoke, she was alone. Her eyes were tired; she’d definitely need some pepper-up potion to get through a party tonight, but her wrist was no longer hurting, which she supposed was a bonus. Though it was harder to focus alone. James’ aura filled a room, made her thoughts disappear just for a while, and he was missing. She got out of bed and got changed before going downstairs to investigate.

She didn’t dare go into the vast amount of rooms of the Potter's mansion. After all, she had only met them a day ago, and now without James around she felt rather awkward; she was just hoping to bump into Peter or Remus first. After yesterday she didn’t think seeing Sirius or Regulus for that matter would go down well.

When she wandered into the kitchen she was met by Euphemia, who was poring over a list on the counter, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose that she looked over as Isobel came into the room, ‘Hi darling. Sleep okay?’

‘Great,’ Isobel lied, scoping the room and finding it was just them, ‘where’s James?’

‘He’s headed into town,’ she said, her attention dropping back to her list.

‘Oh, he, uh, he didn’t say,’ Isobel said.

‘My guess is he’s got a bit of last-minute shopping to do,’ Euphemia sighed.

‘For me you mean?’ she asked. Euphemia looked up worriedly, ‘oh please don’t mark it as a reflection on him sweetheart! Merlin knows he’s got a heart of gold but not much skill on the organisational front.’

‘That’s men in general,’ Isobel ribbed, ignoring the way the ‘heart of gold’ comment made her own squeeze in her chest.

‘Don’t worry! He took Sirius with him so I’m sure they can muster the brainpower between them,’ Euphemia said.

‘Just Sirius?’ Isobel said uneasily.

‘Yes, but don’t worry; the others are around somewhere,’ she said, packing up her notepad under her arm and pushing her glasses onto her head as she watched the girl, lost in her own thoughts, ‘unless you want to come with me?’

‘Where?’ Isobel asked.

‘The shelter down in town. It’s sorting donations, food, and the like for tomorrow,’ Euphemia said, her own charitable nature dropping into conversation without a second thought, proving that heart of gold was surely generational.

‘Yeah, go on then,’ Isobel said, hoping that doing at least one good deed today would help her stop feeling so uneasy.

✵✵✵

The shelter did help Isobel to clear her head, as did the manic nature of the house when she got back and found everyone rallying around to get the finishing touches ready for the Christmas Eve party. Caterers, decorators, and unfamiliar faces appeared at every avenue. Euphemia immediately took charge, descending into the chaos unfazed whilst Isobel slipped upstairs to James's room. She moved into the adjoining bathroom, slipping her jumper off as she flicked her wand to fill the bathtub. The water was thunderous against the porcelain, making it hard to hear anything, which was why she squealed as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist.

‘Hi,’ James whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she straightened up, allowing him to rest his chin on her shoulder.

‘Hi,’ she said, placing her hands on the arms wrapped around her.

‘You’re back late,’ he said, ‘spending time with my mother too much fun, eh?’

‘I was abandoned,’ she mused, ‘I missed you. Your mother’s bounding enthusiasm made it feel as though you were never away.’

‘I had to be. Sirius needed me,’ James said.

‘Why?’ Isobel said, any tension she'd relieved bubbling back up inside her.

‘Christmas shopping,’ James replied.

‘Not yours then,’ she asked, moving herself out of his arms so that she was facing him. James grinned, ‘maybe, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow before you find out. C'mon, let's get ready. If we don’t make it downstairs soon my mother will make sure we won't make it till tomorrow.’

✵✵✵

By the time Isobel and James appeared from their room, the chaos of downstairs seemed to have melted away. As they stood on the landing, they could hear low music and demure chatter waft up towards them rather than the clunking of furniture being arranged and the buzz of staff speaking to one another. They descended the stairs to the foyer where a couple of staff were loitering, awaiting the door to go or the fire to illuminate as someone floo’d in. Inside the living room, as arranged, Remus and Peter were sat waiting and chatting amicably by the roaring fire. James sank into an armchair and pulled Isobel to sit on his lap.

‘Where’s Padfoot?’ James asked, glancing at the door as if he expected the boy to walk straight in, the pair of them usually as late as one another.

‘Probably styling his hair within an inch of its life to get it to fall in a naturally chic way,’ Remus said.

‘Or debating how many buttons to unbutton to get just the right amount of allure for those middle-aged witches who have a thing for him,’ Peter added. James smirked. Isobel, however, felt a heat in her cheeks, not caused by the fire crackling beside her, and so slid from James’ lap, finding his hand capturing hers as she stood, ‘bathroom. Two ticks.’

James let her go and resumed conversation with the boys as she flitted towards the exit, though as she got outside the door she bumped into someone. Sirius. As predicted, he was dressed in a dark black dress shirt, buttoned so low that a glint of jewellery could be seen amongst pale flesh. Atop that he had a dark velvet blazer, which his hair danced along the collar of, tickling along his jawline.

‘Sorry,’ she breathed.

‘It’s okay,’ he smiled, bending down to grab the clutch bag she’d dropped upon collision, ‘here.’

‘Thanks,’ she said as he handed it back, their fingers brushing along one another’s for a brief moment, ‘everyone's in there.’

‘Right,’ Sirius nodded, far too happy where he was currently standing to bother heading to his friends. In the twelve hours since he’d seen her, he’d missed her more than in the months he’d been pushing her away, especially given all James had put him through trudging around the shops this morning.

‘I’m going to the toilet,’ she said firmly, though her feet didn’t move.

‘Okay,’ Sirius said. Isobel nodded, as if convincing herself, and then forced her feet to walk ahead, her heels clacking against the polished wood until he said, ‘Iz?’

Isobel turned to look at him despite herself.

‘You look really nice,’ he said, his smile sadder than it had been.

‘You too,’ Isobel said, her own matching his before she toddled off in search of a toilet. Sirius took a deep breath, but before he could walk into the living room, he heard someone clear their throat and turned to find Regulus watching him with a bemused expression on his face. Sirius scowled, ‘you’re late. They’re waiting for us.’

‘They’re waiting for you,’ Regulus corrected as he joined his brother, ‘none of them want me here.’

‘I wonder why. You’re such a delight,’ Sirius muttered, and before his brother could retaliate, he headed into the living room.

‘Finally,’ Remus sighed as the pair came in, loitering by the seating area instead of sitting down.

‘I know I’m starving,’ Peter said, rising from his seat quickly, as did the others.

‘Hang on, Isobel’s not here yet,’ James said.

‘We passed her as we came in. She’s just in the loo, right Sirius?’ Regulus said, watching his brother, who threw him a dirty look but recovered quickly to say, ‘yeah we can probably wait outside for her. Don’t suppose she’ll be long.’

‘Not too long I hope; otherwise most of the canapés will be gone at this rate,’ Peter said.

‘I hope they’ve got those little shrimp things they had last year,’ Remus said as the group meandered to the doorway. Isobel was just outside when they got there.

‘Oh, you’re all ready,’ she said.

‘Yeah, come on,’ James said, taking her hand and pulling her to him. Since yesterday he’d found himself doing that more often. Whether the incident of almost losing her had scared him or because every time he did it he felt Regulus’ eyes on him, he didn’t know. And if it was the latter, he didn’t know why he enjoyed that so much. Still he couldn’t help but lace his words scathingly as he added, ‘we’re already late. My mother will be having a stroke.’

At that, Regulus’ eyes turned steadily away, and he took rank with Remus and Peter, who were oblivious to all the goings-on and much more party or rather food orientated. Spying his chance, Sirius slipped in between the happy couple and the others, Regulus confirmation that he had heard everything between him and Isobel making him nervous. So much for a party atmosphere.

✵✵✵

If James had found his friend's behaviour over the past few months odd, he didn’t show it, not even when he was hit in the face with a complete one eighty of actions. Sirius stayed by his side all night. Of course they never really strayed from the group, the majority of people at the party being his parents friends rather than people their age, but even when they did spot someone they knew from school or work or had the opportunity to network, Sirius stayed by his side. He'd even gone to the loo at one point, and when he'd emerged from the bathroom, he found Sirius waiting outside patiently for him. Actually, it was quite like having Padfoot around, trailing behind him dutifully like man's best friend does. And because of it, Regulus seemed determined to keep his distance, which was fortunate. He was still angry with him. For the Quidditch thing. For coming here uninvited, by him at least. For stirring up all the feelings he’d long since stuffed inside of him.

It always struck him as odd that he was definitely the most emotionally healthy one of all his friends and yet he'd never managed to deal with this situation. It hurt too much. Coming to terms with himself only to be told it wasn't worth it had done a number on him, so had hurting Lily, who had been blindsided and yet the epitome of a good friend. She'd never exposed him; she’d never betrayed his confidence, even in all her hurt. Most of their friends understood it to be an amicable split when it was far from it. And now he was back in his life. He couldn't do that again. Not to someone else, so keeping his distance—that was the best plan all around.

However, keeping his distance and also sticking to Sirius like glue had meant one issue. He’d lost Isobel. He couldn’t spot her amongst the throng of people, and more importantly, he couldn’t spot Regulus. His mind started whirring.

‘Where’s Isobel?’ James said, scanning the crowd once more. Sirius looked around too.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘toilet maybe?’

‘When did we last see her?’ James probed.

‘About five minutes ago?’ Sirius said, looking to his friend with concern, ‘why what's up?’

‘Nothing, just I’m gonna go look for her. Save her getting caught by some bore from transport or something,’ James said, causing an "Oi!’ to come from Peter, who was sat in a window nook beside them, chomping down his tenth canape, who happened to work in that department.

‘Sorry mate,’ James said without thought before he took off, snaking through the various gathered groups of partygoers.

He made it halfway across the vast ballroom, throwing out ‘excuse mes’ and ‘pardons’ every five seconds to get by, but before he could get to the door, he was stopped by his mother, who peeled herself away from the group of people she had been chatting to as she said, ‘There you are.’

‘Mum, I’ve not really got time—’ James protested, assuming he was about to be dragged into conversation, but his mother ignored him, moving her hand to his hair to flatten it, though he was half a foot taller than her at least. He pressed on, ‘I’m looking for Isobel.’

‘I’m sure I’ve just seen her head out to the hall,’ Euphemia said, ‘but that’s not why I want you.’

‘Why what is it?’ James asked knowing refusing anything his mother wanted him to do was no use.

‘Why don’t you take your friend with you?’ she said.

‘The boys are fine here,’ James said, glancing at the three of them huddled away in the corner, not engaging granted, but not causing trouble, which in their case was always a bonus.

‘I don’t mean them,’ Euphemia said, glancing to another corner where Regulus was sitting in another window nook, watching the world go by with the most passive of expressions as if he wasn’t even in the room.

‘He’s not hurting anyone,’ James said.

‘Oh I know, but this is a party darling,’ Euphemia said, still managing to fuss over his appearance as she dusted non-existent lint off his shoulder, ‘he doesn’t have to stay down here if he doesn’t want to. Just go and tell him that.’

‘He’s a grown-up,’ James said, his jaw tightening. ‘he can leave if he wants to.’

‘I doubt he knows he's allowed to. I expect he’s had manners drilled into him since he was able to listen,’ Euphemia said, looking on him with the same concerned sympathies she did Sirius,’ go on, just tell him. For me, and then you can find Isobel. Maybe he can help you.’

Fine,’ James grumbled.

With that, he peeled himself away from his mother and moved counterintuitively on his mission for Isobel towards where Regulus was sitting. He didn’t look up at him at first; his gaze burnt into a spot on the rug, but as his feet came into view, he looked up, looking somewhat surprised to see James being the one standing there. Regulus didn’t say anything. Given there were still people around, James didn’t dare start off in anything other than a neutral tone, though his words were a tad sarcastic as he asked, ‘have you never been to a party before?’

‘What?’ Regulus asked tightly.

‘I mean most people mingle or at least stand with their friends instead of moping in the corner. I mean, what about the Christmas spirit?’ James said.

‘What can I say? I’m not like most people,’ Regulus said, ‘besides I haven’t got any friends here. And I don’t feel very Christmassy.’

‘Pretend then,’ James said firmly.

‘Like how you pretend I’m not here,’ Regulus retorted.

‘Reg,’ James warned.

‘You know what? How about I help you with that?’ Regulus asked before he stood up and stormed past James, weaving expertly through the couple of people standing near them before he was out the door and into the foyer. James followed him immediately.

‘Reg,’ James whispered harshly as they moved through the foyer. From what he could tell there was no one around, but he couldn’t be sure, and so he moved fast, following him down the corridor as Regulus ignored him. Again he said, ‘just hang on.’

‘Don’t bother,’ Regulus sneered over his shoulder. A moment later he felt James’ hand on it, spinning him around. Regulus stepped back, boxing himself in against the wall as James sighed and said, ‘Look, I'm sorry, okay. Sorry, I've been a bit harsh whilst you’ve been here.’

‘Yeah right,’ Regulus said, rolling his eyes.

‘Can you blame me?’ James baulked. Regulus shifted, folding his arms across himself as if that would protect him from any harsh words that James might fling his way. They stood in silence for a moment, the buzz of the party just audible, the corridor cold and draughty even despite the proximity at which they were standing. James shifted, swallowing thickly but continuing on despite that. He’d been shoving everything down too long. He’d never gotten the chance to say what he wanted to, and given the way things were, it didn’t look as though that was going to be an option again, and so he bravely said, ‘I know I'm angry, but what did you expect? You chose this.’

‘Chose? You think I chose this?’ Regulus scoffed, ‘I had no choice.’

‘You chose to go back to them. You let the shame and disgust get to you. I left Lily for you, broke her heart, and then it was 'sorry I'm going back to my nutty mother so she’s not embarrassed of me',’ James said.

‘It’s more…’

‘Complicated?’ James finished, guilty grey eyes looking up at him, ‘it’s simple to me. I was ready to give you everything. A home, a life. I was going to blow up my life, hurt Lily, and risk losing Sirius, and that wasn’t enough. And they kicked you out anyway.’

‘They didn’t,’ Regulus admitted, ‘I left because you were right.’

‘Well, I'm glad you finally saw sense,’ James said, ‘but I'm with Isobel now. I’ve moved on. Isobel loves me.’

‘Does she?’ Regulus probed, the flashes of Sirius’ adoring gaze flashing in his mind.

‘Of course she does,’ James snapped, ‘and I love her.’

‘And you don’t love me?’ Regulus asked, moving forward and taking James's hand in his. James looked at it, his throat thick with tears.

‘I can’t,’ he whispered.

‘James, please,’ Regulus pleaded.

‘You hurt me too much Reggie,’ James whispered, ‘it’s too late… let’s just get through Christmas, yeah? Then we can just—'

‘Forget we exist? Until next Christmas? Or I bump into you and Sirius,’ Regulus said thickly, ‘or I get the invite for your wedding.’

‘At least I’m her first choice,’ James sighed, pulling his hand from Regulus’ and moving away. Regulus watched him walk up the corridor, tears gathering in his eyes. James brushed his away quickly, a sniffle relieving the lump formed in his throat by the time he got back to the foyer.

As he got there Sirius was just emerging from the ballroom looking harried, ‘where have you been? I thought you were looking for Iz?’

‘I was,’ James said, clearing his throat when his words came out uneven and thick.

‘I saw you leave with Reg,’ Sirius said, his curiosity evident even if he didn’t ask an outright question.

‘Yeah, Mum asked me to get him out from the moping corner,’ James said.

‘Where is he?’ Sirius asked.

‘Dunno,’ James lied.

‘You two didn’t talk about anything?’ he probed.

‘No, look mate, I don’t really give a fuck where your brother’s gone to suck the Christmas cheer from. I just wanna find Isobel and enjoy the party, yeah?’ James said, realising how harsh his words sounded when Sirius’ eyes widened. He recovered quickly, his suspicion about Regulus throwing him under the bus running wild, though it eased as he said, ‘I’ll help you,’ and James said nothing but nodded. Whatever had gone on between the pair of them hadn't involved Regulus’ suspicions, but it wouldn’t take long before he opened his mouth. And in that case, Sirius would have to find Isobel first.

✵✵✵

A party at the Potters' was perfectly lovely. Fine dining, nice music, and lovely company, not to mention the who's who of the wizarding world, which would always come in handy for those attempting to get ahead in pretty much any field they wanted. But for Isobel it was too overwhelming. And that wasn’t even the fault of the party itself. From Regulus glaring at her, James being all over her for no reason, and Sirius sticking to them like glue, the whole thing was just too much to bear, and so she’d slipped away, spending a long time in the upstairs bathroom, and when she had bothered to venture downstairs, she still hadn't gone back to the party, finding the kitchen packed with food and booze far more alluring.

She was sitting at the long counter, a plate of canapés and a glass of champagne beside her, watching the house-elves flit about continuously to make sure the party continued as planned. Too busy with the task at hand, they pretty much ignored her, which she was thankful for, as her head was spinning. So much so that she didn’t hear the opening of the kitchen door until there were a set of black boots in front of her, obscuring her eyeline from the stone floor. Sirius.

‘Hey,’ he said, as she looked up at him wide-eyed.

‘Hi,’ she breathed. Sirius looked around, quickly scouting that his brother was nowhere around but using that pretence to stay anyway, ‘have you seen Reg?’

‘No,’ she said quietly. Sirius nodded, and then he took a seat at the counter beside her, taking a sip of her glass of champagne. They watched one another quietly before Sirius said, ‘what are you doing in here?’

‘Hiding,’ Isobel said quietly.

‘From?’ he asked, picking at the pastry on a tartlet on the plate beside him until it crumbled onto the white ceramic.

‘I don’t know,’ she admitted, looking at him steadfastly. Her green eyes were uncertain and somewhat sad. It made him swallow thickly.

‘What about you?’ she asked.

‘Not important,’ he said, his brother a million miles away from his thoughts at the moment. After all, nothing had happened between them. If Regulus did decide to tell James anything, there’d be nothing to tell. She’d already told him she’d chosen James. All these feelings stirred up inside him were just his. Even if he wanted her to share them, which was probably why he said, ‘I missed you today.’

‘Sirius,’ she said quietly. He ignored her, words falling out of his mouth without thought.

‘Listening to James bang on about you. Reminded me why I’d been avoiding him. I knew he’d noticed, but it was hard listening to him talk about you at the office. Watching you come in and eventually end up at his desk,’ he admitted.

‘Sirius,’ she said again.

‘I know I had a chance and I let it go,’ he said, looking up at her instead of his now destroyed food. She was watching him sadly, though it didn’t look like pity, and that’s why he didn’t feel foolish asking, ‘if I said it now. If I tried again, would you give me a second chance?’

‘Sirius, I can’t hurt him,’ she said quietly, her hand on the back of his crumb-laden fingers.

‘You think I can?’ he asked. As a house-elf bustled past, claiming the empty champagne glass from between them, she seemed to come to her senses, brushing her hand across her face as she stood up and said, ‘I should go.’

‘Iz please,’ Sirius said, standing up too.

‘Sirius stop,’ she protested, but he didn’t, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into the alcove.

They weren’t really concealed here, but it was out of the hustle and bustle of the main kitchen, with countertops housing appliances and gigantic fridges and freezers lining the wall. There he held her to him, his hand on her face. Isobel placed a hand on his chest to stop him, though she didn’t push him away like she could have, should have.

‘Sirius,’ she said thickly.

‘I don’t want to hurt him. But I can't watch you love him anymore; I should’ve said something, but I didn’t. But I'm saying it now. ‘Please let that be enough,’ he pleaded.

‘We can't,’ she whispered.

‘Then kiss me,’ he said, hastening to beg when her eyes went wide, ‘if I have to watch you and him, just give me one little thing. Just something. I mean, I can even conjure some mistletoe if you want-'

He was rambling, and then all of a sudden he wasn’t, his lips stalled by hers, his whole body pulled against hers, and she ensnared her arms around him. And given this was likely to be the only one he got; Sirius didn’t waste a moment of it. He would kiss her until he was blue in the face. Till he was starved of oxygen, because even collapsed, his brain was surely only to think of her. She consumed him, the way she had for months. He was making the most of it, which was why when the door opened, there was no denying what was going on. If he was on trial, his lawyer probably would’ve told him to plead guilty.

‘You have got to be fucking kidding me,’ Remus sighed, making them instantly pull apart. Isobel looked at him panicked, but he’d already held his hands up in defence, which made sense given Remus was angrier than she’d ever seen him.

‘Moony,’ Sirius said calmly.

‘What are you doing? Are you actually stupid?’ he continued.

‘Mate,’ Sirius retorted.

‘Don’t mate me! What about James, you know, your mate?’ Remus said.

‘It’s not—’ Isobel said, but Remus glared at her, rolling his eyes as he said, ‘Spare me the cliché. Actually, don’t even bother telling me what's going on because James is looking for you, so why don’t you save your sob story and go and find him before he comes in here and asks us why we’re all standing around?’

Isobel looked shocked at the firmness of the man, but Sirius knew this Remus; he’d only ever seen this Remus once, and that had been the last time he’d severely fucked up. But this didn’t feel like a fuck-up. She’d kissed him.

When the door clicked closed they looked at each other, daring the other to speak until Remus sighed and said, ‘Well?’

‘Mate don’t,’ Sirius sighed.

‘Don’t what? Call you out on this bollocks?’ Remus scoffed.

‘I know I’m stupid okay,’ Sirius said petulantly.

‘Do you?’ Remus baulked.

‘Yes!’ Sirius snapped, ‘I know I’m stupid to kiss her. I know I shouldn’t even like her, but I do. I have from the first moment we saw each other walking to work. From the moment she swanned into my office of all offices. And you know what? She liked me. She kept coming back for me. Begging for my attention! And that terrified me because I liked her. So I fucked it up like I always do. When James showed interest, I practically pushed her at him. No regard for what she wanted or me; I just tossed her like a grenade and blew up my life.

‘Pads,’ Remus said sympathetically. He almost looked as though he was going to put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, but he pulled away, his eyes stinging and glossy.

‘And you know what?’ Sirius said, finally looking at Remus’ sympathetic face, ‘it worked. He loves her and I’m miserable. Have been since their first date, watching every bit of it. Even went with him this morning and found him looking at fucking rings…all ‘cause I was too chicken to just be honest.’

‘So now you’re blowing up his life too?’ Remus frowned.

‘No,’ Sirius sniffled, shaking his head, ‘course not.’

‘You kissed her,’ Remus reminded him.

‘I had to just once before,’ Sirius said thickly, the ring James had pointed out flashing in his mind. He’d nodded and made some agreeable comment before making his excuse to leave the room, the idea of an engagement making his stomach churn. Remus placed a hand on his shoulder.

‘You have to tell him,’ he said quietly.

‘No.’

‘Pads,’ Remus sighed.

‘He’ll hate me,’ Sirius said. Losing Isobel had been bad enough; he couldn’t lose James as well.

‘And when he finds out? Tomorrow or ten years from now, do you think he’s going to be more forgiving knowing you lied?’ Remus asked, ‘mate I know it's hard, but this is James we’re talking about. Even if he’s angry…he's understanding. You have to tell him.’

‘And if I don’t?’ Sirius mumbled.

‘It won't come to that,’ Remus affirmed, ‘you love him too much.’

Sirius sighed and then nodded, allowing the taller boy to put an arm around him, holding him together as they headed out of the kitchen and back to the party. And then, once they were out of sight, Regulus emerged from where he’d been listening. He hadn't anticipated anyone coming in this nook, the side of the refrigerator too cold and dusty for anyone to bother even if it was the perfect concealment spot. Now his head was spinning. For James to pick someone else was one thing. For him to pick someone who didn’t even love him was another. And if Sirius wasn’t going to tell him, he was.

✵✵✵

The start to Christmas Day in the Potter household was a subdued one. Sirius and Isobel barely looked at one another, though he did share guilty looks with Remus. Regulus stayed quiet, the most he offered being a thank you to the Potters, who had bought him several gifts so that he wasn’t left as the only one with nothing to open. And if none of them knew any better, it felt as though James was trying to make them all crack under the strain. Even for an outrageously affectionate and caring man he was over the top, lavishing Isobel with gifts and never allowing her to stray from his touch for more than a few seconds. It made Regulus’ stomach churn with jealousy.

‘Well, that looks as though we’re about done,’ Fleamont said, surveying under the tree once more and finding it finally empty.

‘I swear there’s more every year,’ Euphemia said.

‘There is more every year. I should know; I sign the bank withdrawal slips,’ Fleamont teased as he took a seat beside her, his large hand encroaching on her smaller one as he did. Euphemia rolled her eyes as he said, ‘but I’d have it no other way.’

‘I should hope not,’ she said, kissing his cheek quickly.

‘Actually, there’s one more present,’ James said, diverting attention from the couple to him. He was sitting in an armchair, Isobel perched on his lap from where he’d pulled her to sit with him.

All eyes watched him shuffle, jiggling her as he reached a hand into his pyjama pants pocket to reach something out. Then he produced a small, square box-shaped present and offered it up to Isobel. Her eyes went wide, and for the first time all morning, she found her gaze flicking to Sirius. He looked away, his eyes staring at his sock-covered feet and then the pattern of the carpet below it. He could feel others’ eyes flick to him, but then they went right back to the couple. James was watching her, encouraging her to open it.

Isobel tore the paper off, revealing the velvet box to her. Her stomach was churning as her fingers felt for the seam and clicked it open.

‘Oh James, they're beautiful,’ she said, staring at the pair of diamond earrings that twinkled in the lamplight.

‘Do you like them?’ James smiled.

‘Course I do,’ she said, her nerves subsiding the moment she saw them, though the guilt didn’t ebb. The guilt of having him spend so much on her. The guilt of not deserving them, or the way that he cared about her. The guilt because of the surge of relief she had felt when it wasn’t a ring.

‘Come on then, show us,’ Fleamont said, gesturing for Isobel to show them. She turned the box outward, flashing the earrings to a sea of lukewarm faces. All apart from Euphemia, who said, ‘Oh, aren’t they lovely!’

‘Should be for all the dawdling I did picking them out. I think we looked at every piece of jewellery in the place,’ James smiled.

‘As any man should. It’s the thought that counts after all,’ Fleamont said before he stood up and said, ‘right. Now that we’re officially done, how about we get some breakfast?’

‘Sounds good to me,’ Peter said, clambering up from where he’d been sitting on the floor by the fire. James nudged Isobel to stand up and then followed behind his father towards the dining room. Euphemia, Remus, and Peter walked through too, chatting about their gifts. Sirius trailed behind, Regulus a step behind him, though as the others turned into the dining room, he yanked on his brother's sleeve, stopping him in his tracks. Sirius looked at him in confusion.

‘What happened to the ring?’ he asked, his voice urgent but low.

‘I don’t know. Wait, how do you know about the ring?’ Sirius asked, trying to rack his brain about when Regulus could’ve possibly heard about that. He’d only mentioned it to Remus, ‘you spied on me!?’

‘I was staying out of the way; it wasn’t my fault you decided to have your lovers—’

‘Will you shut up?!’ Sirius whispered furiously, checking the door to the dining room was still out of earshot. Regulus folded his arms across his chest, looking indignant at being chastised like a child.

‘You need to tell him,’ Regulus said simply.

‘This has nothing to do with you,’ Sirius said.

‘It’s not fair to him,’ Regulus said, ignoring the accusation. On the contrary, he saw this to be his business. Even if James didn’t want him, he couldn’t let them do this to him. Worse, he couldn’t watch him marry someone who didn’t truly love him.

‘Why do you even care?’ Sirius scoffed, ‘a few months ago you didn’t care for him or even me for that matter. Only since mother dearest kicked you out have you bothered about my life—

‘Maybe that’s because you were always too busy with him, your real brother, to notice me,’ Regulus said, ‘then again, if this is how you treat the people you supposedly care about, maybe I was better off. Tell him, or I will.

‘If you tell him I’ll never forgive you,’ Sirius said.

‘I don’t care,’ Regulus said firmly, and then he strutted past his brother into the dining room.

✵✵✵

Dinner was a tense affair. Sirius was seated next to his brother and yet barely spoke to him other than when absolutely necessary. Isobel kept glancing their way, her own contributions just as minimal even though the Potters took an interest in her, their opportunity to grill their son’s new beau not having arisen till now. And James kept looking at Regulus. He couldn’t help it. Every so often he’d look his way, unable to allow himself to be happy just being with Isobel on Christmas despite what he’d told him.

‘You go,’ Isobel said, still rifling through the makeup bag looking for something. They were only going for drinks downstairs, but there were guests, and so Euphemia insisted they dress up for the occasion. He adjusted his tie, glancing in the mirror in the hall on his way down before he headed down to the drawing room. The fire was crackling away to itself, illuminating the entire room in a warm, golden glow. And there by the drinks trolley was Regulus. He turned as James entered, the creak of the door meaning that he couldn’t escape back to the hall.

‘Evening,’ James said, clearing his throat and moving towards the drinks cabinet himself. Regulus watched him, eyes boring into his face as he fixed himself a scotch and then downed it in one before pouring another. James glanced his way before he took another sip.

‘You know a picture would last longer,’ he grit.

‘Don’t marry her,’ Regulus said, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could stop it. James looked at him wide-eyed before he said, ‘what are—’

‘I know about the ring, and I don’t know when, but please don’t marry her,’ Regulus pleaded.

‘How do you even know?’ James said before it dawned on him, ‘Sirius had no right to tell you about—’

‘If you’re marrying her because you’re angry at me, you don’t have to,’ Regulus implored.

‘I’m not doing anything for you. I’ve moved on Regulus. I’m happy, and if I want to marry Isobel, I will,’ James said indignantly, moving to sit on the couch just as the door opened, his parents filtering in. James didn’t look over at him, allowing him to blend into the background as his friends came down and his parents, family, and friends started to arrive.

But the thought never left his mind. He’d been in a tailspin since Regulus had arrived, and he’d barely been thinking when he’d picked the ring out at the jewellery shop. Because he did love Isobel. In the short amount of time they'd been together she had made him happy, or at least she had been the first thing to make him happy in a long time. And watching her chatting with Remus by the fire made him happy. It also made the ring box that was sitting in his pocket start to burn, and before he knew it, he was standing up.

‘You alright, mate?’ Sirius asked as he left their conversation, but James ignored him, moving towards her. Isobel and Remus looked towards him as he got near, expecting him to join the conversation, though he took her hand and pulled her towards him.

‘Fine, just something I wanted to ask Isobel,’ he said, pulling her to him.

‘James, what are you doing?’ she asked as he pulled her to the middle of the room. Almost everyone was looking at them now.

‘I wanted to say something. I was going to hang on, but watching you just now, I have to do it,’ James said, ‘Isobel I love you.’

‘James,’ she whispered as he pulled a small box from his pocket.

‘I know it’s not been very long, but you’ve made me so happy. Happier than I’ve been in a long time,’ he said.

‘Oh my,’ Euphemia said, clutching at her husband's arm as she watched the pair of them.

‘James, please,’ Isobel whispered, her eyes flicking to Sirius behind him, who was watching ashen faced.

‘Mate, maybe you should listen to her,’ Remus whispered, but James ignored him.

‘And I just wanted to ask you if you would—’

‘James stop!’ she said, clamping her hand around the box as he opened it. He looked at her confused, and she had to swallow to make her voice come out even though it was unsteady anyway, ‘I can't. I can't marry you.’

‘What?’ he asked.

‘I can’t,’ she whispered.

‘Why not? I know it's soon, but we're happy, right? You love me, and I love you, and—'

‘I kissed Sirius,’ she whispered. His words stopped, his hazel eyes watching her in disbelief for a second before his brain seemed to kick in as he whispered, ‘what?’

‘I k-kissed Sirius,’ she said.

‘No, I heard,’ James scoffed, ‘I just don’t understand.’

‘I can explain,’ Isobel started, but he’d already rounded on Sirius, who’d stood from his seat the moment he’d been outed.

‘You kissed her?’ James shouted.

‘Maybe we should leave,’ Euphemia said, though no eyes left the group, far too interested in the drama of it all.

‘It’s not that simple. I can explain, please,’ Sirius started.

‘Well, you either kissed her or you didn’t,’ James spat, ‘when?’

‘What?’ Sirius asked.

‘When did this happen?’ James asked, looking between them both expectantly. Isobel dropped her eyes to the floor, her sudden confidence at speaking up now absent, especially as James continued, ‘When?’

‘Last night,’ Sirius said.

‘Last night so,’ James said, his thoughts were coming too fast for him to say anything coherent, though his attention was caught by someone watching from behind Sirius, ‘Is this your doing?’

‘What?’ Regulus said as all eyes turned to land on him.

‘Is this something to do with you?’ James pressed, moving away from Isobel altogether, seething as he asked, ‘did you put him up to this?’

‘Of course not!’ Regulus snapped.

‘No, all that don’t marry her bollocks before!’ James shouted, ignoring his mother and father as they hurriedly tried to get their friends out the other door, an audible gasp escaping Euphemia's lips as he swore.

‘You told him not to marry her?’ Sirius asked, looking at Regulus.

‘I was right, wasn’t I?’ Regulus snapped.

‘So you knew?’ James baulked, ‘why didn’t you say so? You know what? Forget it.’

‘James, please,’ Isobel said, attempting to grab his hand as he started to storm past them, but he yanked it out of her hand.

‘Mate,’ Sirius said.

‘I’m not your mate,’ James snapped as he stormed from the room, shoving Regulus hard with his shoulder as he got in his way.

✵✵✵

The knocking had been incessant for a while, mostly Isobel, who had been begging him to open the door without any success. He hadn't been looking where he was going when he stormed out of the room; he just wanted to get out, to get away from them all. Isobel and her guilt. Sirius and his betrayal. Regulus and his concern despite being shouted at. He just needed to think, away from them all, and so he’d landed in his father’s study, somewhere, thankfully, with a lock.

Eventually, after mumbled discussions that were hard to make out through the door, though he was sure he could hear Remus acting as the voice of reason, outside went quiet. If only his brain would. He didn't know how long he’d been in here, thinking, but he was startled when he heard another knock at the door. He ignored it, but it came again.

‘Go away,’ James snapped when the knocker tried once more.

‘Darling, it’s me,’ his mother’s worried voice rang out from the other side of the wood, ‘open the door, sweetheart.’

‘I don’t want to see anyone,’ James replied, his voice becoming thick as he spoke, though he tried to keep it cordial for her. It wasn’t her fault after all.

‘Oh darling, at least let me put my eyes on you. Just so I know you’re alright. Everyone’s gone… it’s just me,’ Euphemia promised. James thought about it, and knowing his mother’s nature, both determined and caring, he knew there wasn’t much point in refusing her, and so he stood from where he’d been sitting on the floor, knees hugged to his chest and moved to open it.

‘There you are,’ she said with a sad smile. He dropped his gaze to the floor, knowing his eyes were red and blotchy. Euphemia pretended not to notice as she said, ‘are you okay sweetheart?’

‘Not really,’ James admitted, earning himself a sad sigh.

‘Maybe you should come out of there. Have something to eat or head to bed,’ Euphemia reasoned.

‘If it’s all the same to you, I think I want to be alone and… Isobel’s in my room,’ he mumbled.

‘Right,’ Euphemia said, cursing herself for not having realised, ‘do you want some tea or something? A bite to eat?’

‘No mum,’ James said, trying to fake a convincing tone and smile, ‘I’m fine. I promise.’

‘Me and your father are just a stone’s throw away if you need us,’ she promised, placing her hand on his cheek and patting it before she sighed and moved away, leaving him to shut the door behind her. He rested his head against it as he turned the lock, steadying his breathing into something that didn’t have a chance of devolving into another round of crying.

Eventually he pulled back and turned around, where he found Sirius now sat on the window bench, closing the window behind him as though he’d just climbed through. James folded his arms across his chest and glared, ‘I don’t want to talk to you.’

‘I know,’ Sirius said, pulling a cigarette from behind his ear and then his wand from his pocket to light it. James scoffed.

‘Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You just seem to do whatever you want these days anyway,’ James said.

‘That’s me,’ Sirius said, taking a long drag of his cigarette and looking at it between his fingers as he exhaled and added, ‘no thoughts, just actions.’

‘Am I supposed to disagree with you?’ James challenged.

‘No, but I'm hoping it’ll let me explain,’ Sirius said earnestly, looking at his best friend with pleading eyes. James had half a mind to tell him to stuff his explanation and throw him out on his ear, but this was Sirius. That was never going to happen. With a sigh he took a seat on the window bench beside him, staring across the room at the vast bookshelves full of old tomes and trinkets. They were quiet for a moment. Finally, James sighed.

‘Go on then. Go ahead and tell me how none of this is your fault,’ James said.

‘Oh, it’s one hundred percent my fault,’ Sirius said, glancing at the boy next to him who watched him silently, ‘because I watched it. I watched it all, and I did nothing to stop it.

‘What are you talking about?’ James muttered. Sirius looked at him pained.

‘I love her. Have done for a while. I didn’t mean it; we were just friends at first, but then it started being more than that, and I got scared. Remember the night we went to that pub?’ Sirius asked, placing his sagging cigarette into an ashtray on the table beside him.

‘Yeah,’ James frowned, his mind automatically running over the whole night trying to remember every inch of it.

‘It was supposed to be a date…just us two,’ Sirius said meekly.

‘But you said—’

‘You presumed it was a mates thing, and I didn’t say no. I saw an out,’ Sirius admitted, ‘because it was easy when it was just us…then it became real. Labels and that and-’

‘You pushed her away,’ James said, the dots connecting faster than ever. After all, hadn't that happened to him? He had been ready to give up everything for Regulus, who’d run at the first moment things got real.

‘Yeah,’ Sirius sighed.

‘What did she say?’ James asked.

‘We didn’t really talk about it. She told me you’d asked her out, putting the feelers out, but I lied and said I was happy for the pair of you,’ Sirus admitted.

‘That’s why you’ve been AWOL.’ James said, rolling his eyes.

‘It was hard… to see you with her,’ Sirius said.

‘Why?’ James scoffed, ‘sounds like she didn’t even like me anyway.’

‘That’s not true,’ Sirius said firmly. James looked at him sceptically.

‘I mean she agreed to go out with you. She can't have disliked you that much,’ Sirius reasoned.

‘She liked pissing you off probably,’ James muttered.

‘Okay, maybe initially, but she does love you,’ Sirius said, James scoffed, ‘it’s true!’

‘How do you figure?’ he asked.

‘Because… because she didn’t kiss me. I asked her to,’ Sirius said, dropping his gaze and taking another drag of his cigarette as a reason not to look his way. James said nothing, watching him closely when he finally met his eyes. Sirius sighed, ‘I didn’t realise how much I loved her till she showed up the other day. Pushing her away, I don’t know, it didn’t lessen it, but it took the sting out of it a bit. Then she was here, in my face, and it was unbearable. Then you... you bought the ring, and it was like my world stopped. I couldn’t say anything; I didn’t want to hurt you, but the thought of you two together forever… Having to see it, pretend forever... I just didn’t think—'

‘You could live knowing that was it?’ James asked. Sirius nodded.

Again silence fell. The pair of them stared out into the room, unspeaking, until finally James took the cigarette from Sirius’ fingers and took a long drag of it, smirking before he handed it back. Sirius took another toke himself.

‘So what now?’ James sighed.

‘Fuck knows,’ Sirius said.

‘I mean... do you want to be with her? Does she want to be with you?’ James said, taking a deep breath as he stumbled over the words. Sirius paused guiltily.

‘I know I do,’ he said, ‘selfish as it is…I don’t know about her.’

‘I suppose I better go and talk to her,’ James sighed, standing up. Sirius dabbed his cigarette out in the ashtray and stood too, watching as James trudged to the door.

‘Prongs,’ Sirius said, making the other boy turn, eyebrows raised expectantly, ‘after that you might want to speak to Regulus.'

‘Why?’ James asked, heart hammering in his chest.

‘Because pushing people away is kind of a family trait,’ Sirius said, his eyes watching James knowingly, ‘but that doesn’t stop us from caring…loving people.’

‘Sirius-’

‘You’re a good bloke. More forgiving than most, even when it’s not deserved…but you deserve to be happy too,’ Sirius said. James swallowed and then nodded before he slipped from the room.

✵✵✵

‘Well, that looks as though we’re about done,’ Fleamont said, surveying under the tree once more and finding it finally empty.

‘Actually, there’s one more,’ James said, pulling a small bag out from the crevice between his back and the couch cushions before leaning over the gap between the armchair and the couch to hand it over to Isobel. She took it from him with a smile.

‘Ooh,’ she said, unsticking the cellotape from where it had glued the top of the bag shut.

‘Yeah it’s just a little something,’ James said as she pulled a long flat box from inside, gliding her fingers along the crease until it opened up revealing a long golden chain with a small red pendant attached to it.

‘Oh James, it’s beautiful,’ she said, trailing her fingers along it as she looked at it with awe.

‘Let me see,’ Euphemia said as she got up to look. Isobel tilted the box so that she could see, as could the others who’d been straining to look.

‘Should I be concerned about you buying my wife jewellery?’ Sirius joked, looking at his mate with a smile. James rolled his eyes.

‘Well, people usually buy stuff for the baby instead of mum, so we thought it would be a nice gesture,’ James said.

‘And it’s a garnet,’ Regulus said from beside him, ‘the baby’s birthstone. Well, when she gets here.’

‘He,’ Sirius said, scowling at his brother.

‘I don’t know,’ Regulus mused, ‘I like to think you’ll have a girl just to picture the look on dear old father’s face when he realises the Black heir is a woman.’

‘Yeah well, he won't know about it from me,’ Sirius muttered, dropping to Harry, who had been sitting quietly on his lap before he’d started fussing, ‘I like to think his first grandchild having two dads would have already finished the old coot off.’

‘Sirius,’ Euphemia chastised, though there was a glint in her eye when she said it. Sirius smirked.

‘Well, whatever they think, it doesn’t matter,’ Isobel said firmly, ‘because we don’t them. This is our family.’

‘Yeah,’ James agreed, his hand slipping into Regulus’s. Sirius leaned his head against Isobel's knee, allowing her to stroke his hair gently as Harry stood up, smashing his tiny fists into his godfather’s face for attention. Sirius pulled his nephew towards him, littering kisses along plump cheeks. James’ heart swelled. It might not have been the easiest path to go down, but he wouldn’t have changed it for the world.

Marauders Tags

@ilovejamespottersomuch @caitlin1996 @imthebadguyyy

#james potter #sirius black #sirius black x original female character #james potter x regulus black #james potter x original female character #marauders #marauders fic #marauders era #harry potter fic #my writing #christmas #messy christmas everyeon

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iobsessoverfictionalmen · 2 years ago

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I've finished the Harry Potter AU that I have been working on and I'm really, really happy with how it has turned out! It's called Letters and Consequences.

Here's the moodboard for it:

I'll upload the fic to AO3 tomorrow and once I've done that, I'll post a link to the fic here.

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padfootagain · 2 years ago

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Because We Are Made of Dreams (II)

Chapter 2 : Kiss and Resolutions

Hello!! Here is chapter 2 for my rewriting of my first fic ever!! Things are slowly set into motion…. I hope you like this new chapter!

****

Pairings: Sirius Black x Original Female Character + Jily

Warnings for this chapter: None! Just cute and… nothing particular, really, just setting things into motion.

Warnings for the series: graphic depictions of violence and torture, graphic depiction and mentions of child abuse, mature themes.

Summary: The Marauders come back to Hogwarts to begin their sixth year there, and many things will change for them during these coming months. Outside the safety of their school, the world is growing darker. Inside the Castle, they'll find both new friends and enemies.

Word Count: 5895

"Potions and then Divination,” James announced, letting the sheet of paper fall right into his plate. "I think they're trying to kill us..."

The first day of classes was always a busy one. In the Great Hall, it was time for an early breakfast spent chatting with friends, meeting new people, and most of all it was time to discover the timetables that would organize their lives for the entire year. And sometimes, students were everything but satisfied about it all…

"And again the Slytherins in Potions," muttered Sirius, "It's like they actually want get us into trouble. I mean, haven't they realised yet that it's never a good idea to put us all in the same room?"

Remus nodded, barely touching his food. The full moon was only a week away, and he was already beginning to feel the first effects of his monthly transformations.

“Some of them are alright, though,” Peter tried to cheer his friends up. “Meg’s very nice!”

“I know, Wormtail, I am aware,” Sirius mumbled, chasing his remark away with a quick gesture of the hand. “When I talk about the Slytherins, I mean the idiotic ones.”

“The wannabe Death Eaters,” James nodded, shoving a mouthful of pancake into his mouth.

“And sadly, there are quite a few of these here,” Remus heaved a sigh. “I’ve heard that Jackson - the seventh-year Ravenclaw, you know? – I’ve heard he wants to be a part of it too, after he passes his NEWTs.”

“How nice,” Peter groaned, a dark expression passing on his face, before he would take a sip of pumpkin juice.

“I’m giving us two classes with Snivellus and co. before it all goes to shit,” Sirius predicted, shoving some egg and bacon into his mouth.

“Yeah, well… we’ll see,” Remus shook his head, taking a tiny bite out of his toast. “What else do we have on Mondays?”

While the Marauders were busy talking about their timetables, Clara, Alice and Marlene came to sit next to the four boys, filling the last spots still available around the Gryffindor table.

Professor McGonagall handed them their timetables as well, and Alice soon let out a moan.

“Divination…” she groaned, desperate.

“You should have taken Ancient Runes,” Clara chanted to annoy her some more, until Alice shoved her away. They two of them let out a merry laugh.

Alice was distracted from thoughts of her terrible class though, when her boyfriend took the empty seat next to hers, and dropped a sweet kiss on her forehead.

“Where’s Lils?” he asked, looking around with a frown.

"She's coming. She still had some things to… organize… plan… schedule… or whatever," Clara answered with a vague gesture that clearly indicated that she had no interest in whatever Lily was busy with at the moment.

Casually listening to the girls’ conversation, Sirius couldn’t help but chuckle at Clara’s disgusted expression.

"Now… are you telling us that you’re unorganized, Clearwater?" Sirius asked in a mocking tone, his mouth full of bacon again.

"Very much so," Clara admitted.

“I thought you’d be like Evans: uptight.”

Clara was about to answer, an amused smile on her lips, when she was interrupted by Marlene suddenly grabbing her by the arm

"Oh! Love is in the air..." said Marlene excitedly.

They all followed her gaze towards the doors. Indeed, Liam and Lily were talking, standing on the threshold of the Great Hall. The girl nodded, blushing and grinning, and finally headed towards her friends at the Gryffindor table, whilst Liam was joining the Ravenclaws. Lily sat down next to her friends as if nothing had happened, but no one around the table was fooled.

"All right, spit it out, Lils! Now!" ordered Alice.

"He just wanted to talk to me," the prefect answered, picking up a toast in the most casual fashion she could manage.

"And...?" her three friends encouraged her in unison.

"And... we're going to take a walk at noon."

Marlene was so excited that she almost emptied the bottle of pumpkin juice all over Peter.

"Girls, you really are ridiculous, " Lily admonished, but she couldn’t refrain her grin.

She suddenly stopped eating, her fork halfway between her plate and her mouth.

"Do you think I should wear lipstick?" she asked bluntly.

The boys all rolled their eyes, all of them listening to the girls’ conversation by now.

"Pink!" Clara answered in an instant.

"Red!" replied also Alice, in chorus with Clara.

The two girls exchanged a look, before focusing again on Lily.

"Definitely red!" confirmed Alice. "Your lips are perfect, Lils, show them!"

"Don't trust her," replied Clara. "It's not an official date, is it?"

"No, we're just going to talk," Lily shook her head, taking a bite into her toast.

"Then follow this crucial rule of make up: "no date, no red"!"

"This rule is bullshit, Clara," Alice fired back.

The young witch narrowed her eyes and pointed her fork at Alice.

"It's one of my Mum's rules, it's not bullshit! By the way, here is the explanation: it's not an official date, you're just going to talk with him, which means that there is a high probability for nothing to happen at all. After all, you could realise that he doesn't want the same thing as you, that he’s jerk... whatever. In this case you will not want your lips to be irresistible, quite the contrary. But, if everything goes fine, and you want something to happen, you will need lipstick. So, wear pink lipstick. And by pink lipstick I am obviously referring to this lovely one you have, you know the very light one..."

"I don't have any bright pink anyway," Lily smiled.

She seemed to think for a moment, eating slowly, before she could take a decision.

"Sorry Alice, but Clara's right. Pink lipstick it is."

"But Lils, your lipstick is not even pink, it's too discreet!"

"Discretion is good for you, 'cause it's leaving you a way out," replied Clara.

Lily shook her head.

"Pink lipstick, definitely."

James was still half-listening to the girls' conversation, half-listening to the debate that had resumed between Peter and Remus concerning their classes of the day. Had he been asked about the matter, he would have told her not to wear any lipstick at all. She was already perfect, and she didn't need red or pink lipstick to improve the delicate curves of her lips. He always wanted to kiss them anyway…

He shook these thoughts away. He had to stop thinking like this. James had taken a decision, an important one, and he needed to stick to it. Lily was the past. Lily was the past. Lily was the past...

The ginger girl finally took a look at her time table.

"Potions and Ancient Runes, which means Divination for you two."

Alice groaned again.

"Oh, come on Alice, it's not that bad," Frank laughed at his girlfriend.

"It is," Sirius joined in. "It is and has always been utter bullshit."

"Why did you take this class then?" asked Marlene.

Sirius pointed an accusing finger at James, and the four girls rolled their eyes.

"Your problem, Alice, is that you're too honest in Divination," stated Clara. "You have to make things up!"

"I don't know how! What would you do?"

Clara heaved a dramatic sigh, and her four friends already had amused smiles on their faces, knowing that whatever she was going to say next ought to make them all laugh. It was a talent of hers, really.

"I don't know, Alice, I can't answer that question. You have finally discovered my darkest secret: I have the Inner Eye, and I can prove it."

"Prove it then!" Sirius challenged her, already chuckling.

Clara closed her eyes, throwing back her head and making her hands tremble above the table. She took a deep and theatrical tone.

"I see... I see that Lily is going to burn her tongue with her tea..."

At the same moment Lily choked and put her napkin on her mouth, tightly closing her eyes. She had clearly burnt herself with her tea…

They all burst into laughter.

"See? Nothing complicated really," Clara winked.

“How did you know I’d do that?” Lily frowned, but stopped her friend when she was about to answer, knowing all she would receive as an answer was some teasing. “Actually, you know what? Never mind…”

They all laughed again, and for the first time in years, all the Gryffindors enjoyed their breakfast together in a merry gathering.

After breakfast, they all headed together towards the dungeons. It was a bit weird to walk with the boys, but it turned out to be quite pleasant. It was a nice surprise to start their first day. James and Lily barely spoke to each other, and so the girl didn't scowl at him, nor made a scene. And James chose not to ask the girl anything, and merely enjoyed the casual conversations that crossed the group. Clara was grateful, as she was enjoying her own conversation with Sirius. It turned out that he wasn’t as superficial and childish as she had thought he was. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad, after all…

They were walking down the magical staircase, holding the railings as it turned smoothly to the left, pivoting while suspended in mid-air. They had barely reached the entrance of the corridor, leaving the stairs behind, when they passed by a group of fourth-year students. Most of them were Slytherins, but there were a couple of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors as well. Sirius froze at the sight of a dark-haired boy in their midst, sporting the green and silver colours of the Slytherin house. It took him a few seconds to muster the will to walk again, but he did so anyway, following his friends. Clara had stopped to wait for him, a frown on her brow, but she asked nothing. She followed Sirius’ stare instead, glued onto the Slytherin boy, and she was quite taken aback by the striking resemblance between the two teenagers: this boy was an almost-identical replica of Sirius, only two years younger.

Sirius walked past him.

"Reg."

He nodded his head to his younger brother, but Regulus only replied with a disdainful look and strode away, without another look towards Sirius.

The Gryffindor clenched his jaw, looking over his shoulder to stare at his younger brother as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Your brother?" Clara asked.

"Yeah..."

Sirius had managed to avoid Regulus on the train and at the feast the previous night. Though it was obvious that he couldn't escape from his little brother forever in this way-too-small castle, Sirius had hoped that their first confrontation since he had run away from his parent's house would be delayed as much as possible. And he couldn’t hide it, the way it still hurt to have his younger brother look at him this way. Because this… this wasn’t Sirius’s fault. None of it was…

"He didn't seem very happy to see you," Clara added.

"Long story."

She noticed that he Sirius didn’t seem eager to speak about it, so she dropped it. Instead, she picked up the conversation where they had left it, and asked him again about his favourite Queen song. Sirius smiled. He felt grateful for it.

When both James and Remus turned towards him, wearing worried frowns, he gave them a reassuring nod.

He would be alright. He was always alright.

Lily could feel Severus’s stare burning a hole in her skull, and she hated it.

After what had happened at the end of the previous year, she couldn’t be his friend anymore. She couldn’t talk to him, let alone sit next to him and partner with him for this class. After all, he had insulted her; he had betrayed her, in more ways than one.

His loss. She was determined to not let him ruin her new year at Hogwarts.

She was now sitting next to Marlene, but she couldn’t ignore the disappointment in the Slytherin’s eyes as she walked past him, as she took her seat next to her Gryffindor friend. She couldn’t ignore the way he stared at her now.

And she hated it. She hated it because it made her feel guilty, when none of this was her fault. He was the one who had fucked up, insulting her, becoming friends with people who looked down on her as their inferior, at best; as some kind of vermin to get rid of, at worst. She couldn’t be his friend anymore, and it wasn’t her fault. He had no rights to glare at her like this, as if she was the one making the other suffer…

She tried to focus again on the task at hand, writing down the ingredients for the first potion they would study this year.

Moonstone, seaweeds, dried grass…

She had noticed Avery sitting down next to Severus. And Avery was not a kind person at all. He was part of the most fervent followers of Voldemort’s ideology in the school.

What was Severus doing with this kind of people?

She shook her head, copied the list of ingredients written on the blackboard again.

Mandrake, salt, a pinch of silver dust…

She hated herself for feeling guilty, as if she was abandoning him, somehow. She wanted to believe he could still be saved, but what was the point? Over and over again, it seemed, he kept on proving her wrong.

Was it truly selfish, then, to push him out of her life? He could only bring darkness, and there was enough fear and hurt outside the protective walls of the school. No, it wasn’t selfish to push him away. He was the one who was wrong, she reckoned she had been patient enough with him. If he wanted to follow the wrong path, it was his choice. She would be sad for him, still. Maybe, one day, he would realize how wrong he had been…

Again, her quill wrote down instructions, although her brain wasn’t registering any information for now, it was too busy thinking about the past.

Stir for fifteen minutes until the concoction becomes grey.

She heard some quiet laughs coming from somewhere behind her, and wasn’t surprised when she caught Sirius and James trying their best to stifle their laughter. She saw Remus glimpsing over his shoulder too, and shaking his head at his two friends, amused, while Peter smiled at the mere sound of his friends’ quiet laughter.

It was strange to start her sixth year spending time with these guys, but James seemed willing to let her be and it was a great improvement, for sure. And then, there was Liam, that she was about to take a walk with, and maybe… maybe he would be her boyfriend by the end of the day.

It was a crazy year already, for sure… full of surprises.

The lesson passed by rather quickly, even though it was a little dull. But as she was throwing her bag on her shoulder, Slughorn asked Lily to stay for a moment. She couldn’t refrain a wince as he asked Severus to do the same. The teacher waited for his classroom to be empty to speak to his two students.

"Why aren't you two partnering anymore?" he asked, crossing his arms before him. “The two of you work so well together, it’s a shame!”

"It's personal, professor," Lily answered quickly, so Snape would not have a chance to give his own excuse, "I don't think I can work with him anymore, that's all."

"Well, I'm quite sad to hear this. Is everything alright, though, Ms. Evans?"

"I'm sorry, professor. But yes, everything is fine. I simply don’t want to work with Severus for now."

Slughorn seemed to hesitate, but chose to drop the subject. Next to Lily, Snape was remaining silent, but he clenched his fists, hiding the gesture behind his back.

"Well, off you go then,” their teacher added with a smile. “It doesn't matter very much I guess, and you can't be late for class on your first day, not on my account!"

The two students exited the room in silence. It was heavy, painfully so. Too much to last for too long. Severus ended up taking a deep breath, before trying one more time to convince her…

"Lils..."

"Sev, don’t,” she quickly interrupted him, unwilling to listen to arguments she had heard a hundred times before. “There's nothing you can say that will make me forgive you for what you did last year. You insulted me and humiliated me in front of the whole school..."

"I'm sorry, Lils. How many times will I have to apologise?"

She stopped walking and heaved a deep sigh.

"It's not just about last year, Sev. It's everything. I don't recognise you anymore, and the gang of Slytherins you've become friends with… they aren't good people, and they'll get you into trouble."

"But Potter and his gang won't get you into trouble, will they?" he snapped.

"What?"

"I saw you at breakfast with them this morning, and you came with them to the dungeons. They aren't good people either, Lils! Have you forgotten what they’ve done? What Potter has done?"

"You're acting like you’re jealous again, Sev, and this is another reason why I can't be your friend anymore."

She strode towards the staircase, but she stopped and turned back one last time towards the Slytherin as she was climbing upon the first step.

"And just so you know, James Potter may be something of a git sometimes, but at least he and his friends have nothing against muggleborns, against people like me and my friends. He's annoying, but he doesn't insult me. And he drives me insane, but he’s never been mean to me or tried to control me. So, I guess between the two of you, my choice is easy to make."

She ran up the stairs, fleeing from Severus's hurt gaze.

She felt guilty, terribly so. She hated to see so much pain in the eyes of someone who used to be her friend… And yet, she knew she had taken the right decision. Maybe, one day, things would get better between the two of them. But for now, she couldn’t simply forgive and forget.

Sirius was starting to doze off, partly hidden behind his crystal ball. Their extremely old teacher, Professor Needles, was trying to explain how they could all use this extraordinarily powerful tool to glimpse into their future, but no one was really listening; except for Remus, as always. But as the boy was listening to every class anyway (even History of Magic, and Merlin knew that was the worst), it didn't really count.

The classroom in itself wasn’t helping the bored students to remain focused. It was dimly lit with only a couple of tiny round windows, decorated with stained glass that painted colourful shapes upon the wooden floor. The walls of stone were covered with heavy tapestries, making the air of the room heavy with the dust that settled between the threads. They were old, dusty, and their colours had faded long ago, making some of the images barely readable now.

In this heavy atmosphere, it was hard not to feel tired; and the boring monologue of their teacher, spoken with a monotonous voice, was not helping.

"By the way, Prongs, are you alright?" Peter asked, sitting straighter again, in an attempt to stay awake.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" answered his friend, taking off his glasses and rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Well, I don't know, Lily and Liam will probably be officially together by the end of the day, so..."

"How delicate, Wormtail, as usual…" Sirius replied dryly, while keeping his eyes closed, his cheekbone resting in his palm.

Peter scowled at him.

"I'm fine, Wormtail, thanks," answered James.

It was a lie, obviously. He wasn't fine at all, actually. How could he be fine? Lily would soon be snogging some stupid Ravenclaw, how could James be alright?

The mere thought of Liam kissing her made him nauseous…

But he was determined to not let any of his feelings show. He was going to get over Lily, and he had no intention to wallow in self-pity. She was moving on, and he was going to do the same. Or well… moving on… He guessed Lily wasn’t moving on, as she had never felt anything for him at all…

He cleared his throat, folding and unfolding the corner of his parchment in a bored gesture. He was fine. Everything was fine…

"You know what, Prongs? You should do the same as Lily," Sirius told him, finally opening his eyes to look at his friend.

"What do you mean?" James questioned him, resting his chin in his palm, still playing absentmindedly with his parchment.

"You should find yourself a girlfriend."

"I’ve already tried this Sirius, remember?” James answered with a wry chuckle. “Many times. And it never works."

Sirius shot him a mischievous smile, a triumphant glint alit in his grey eyes as he sat straighter again and leaned a little above the round table towards his friend.

"Ah, but you’ve tried to heal yourself with snogging and sex… I'm talking about the real thing right now."

"What do you mean?" asked Remus.

Even he couldn't focus too long upon the nonsense their teacher kept on speaking.

"You should try to have a real girlfriend, to have a serious relationship," Sirius added.

James didn't answer. It didn't sound that stupid, actually...

"I mean," Sirius went on, "maybe if you're with someone who actually wants to be with you, you'll want to be with her too after a while. And then, you'll forget Lily."

James nodded slowly.

"That's a good idea, I reckon."

"It's weird, but sounds logical," agreed Remus.

“I’m a little hurt that you both seem surprised by the fact that I’m having a brilliant idea.”

“Those are pretty rare, coming from you,” Remus teased him, owning himself a playful glare.

"Now, we have to find you a girl, Prongs,” Sirius stated with a bright grin on his lips. “Operation HGP is on!"

"Operation what?" asked Peter.

"H.G.P: Hot Girl for Prongs."

The four boys chuckled, choking on their own laughter as they tried to remain as quiet as possible. But their teacher kept on monologuing, and he didn’t notice a thing. He was slowly pacing through the classroom, his dark robe making a soft sound as it brushed upon the floor at every step.

"I know, I'm the best with codenames," said Sirius, "no need to remind me."

"You're the best, Pads," agreed James.

"Or the most idiotic, it depends on the point of view," replied Remus mockingly.

They doubled over with laughter, choking as they tried to remain as silent as possible.

But as they grew calmer again, James grew unusually weary, his shoulders slumping down as if a heavy weight had been thrown onto them.

"Do you think she will go out with this jerk?" he asked his friends, staring blankly at the crystal ball in front of him.

"I'm afraid there's a rather high probability for her to accept, Prongs," Remus answered slowly, a sad smile full of compassion on his features.

James sighed, straightening his glasses.

"Well, operation H.G.P. it is, then."

He smiled, but didn’t manage to fully hide his sadness, while he kept on staring at his crystal ball, wondering what would happen at noon...

He saw her coming his way across the grass. The sun was blue and bright despite the heavy rain from the previous night. The air still smelled of it though, of the raindrops that covered the earth and grass and trees for a while. The ground was still a little muddy, but Lily didn’t seem to care as she strode towards him, shooting him a bright smile as she spotted him. It was quiet in the grounds: a gentle breeze drawing ripples and strange patterns across the lake; in the distance, the Whomping Willow slowly swayed; a steady white smoke escaped towards the sky from Hagrid’s hut.

And as she walked closer to him, Liam reckoned that Lily truly was beautiful in this September sun…

She joined him by the Lake, at last. He noticed that she looked nervous, her freckled cheeks slightly coloured with a blush.

They spent some time casually chatting about their summer holidays, about their first classes of the morning. But Liam was becoming more and more nervous with each passing minute. So, when the conversation died down by itself after a while, he slowed down their pace, lingering on a spot of the shores of the lake where merpeople sometimes dwelled during the summer.

It was empty now though, a patch of pebbles and sand bordered by high grass and calm water.

She turned to him, frowning a little as if to silently ask him what this was about. He took a deep breath, and dived, even though his voice was uncertain and a little weak.

“We should talk about what happened yesterday."

Lily nodded, but didn't say anything. She looked down at the ground instead, clearly nervous now.

"All right, I guess it's better if I'm direct," Liam announced.

He inhaled sharply, trying to control his shaky voice, to gather his courage, to calm his crazy nerves...

"I really like you, Lily,” he blurted out the words as if he was afraid to grow too scared to speak them out loud again if he waited, if he tried to say it in a more delicate way. “And… I'd really like you to give me a chance."

"You do like me?" Lily cautiously asked him, looking up at him once more.

Her gaze was intense and hypnotic, made of vivid shades of green under the bright sun. The Ravenclaw had to force himself to answer.

"I do. And yesterday, it felt like you liked me too, right?"

Lily blushed hard, but nodded.

"I like you too,” she confessed, her words passing slowly her lips, as if with reluctance. “But... I would be lying if I claimed that I’m confident with all this. So, I don't want us to go too fast... Now, that being said… I’m really happy with what happened yesterday on the train."

Liam grinned at her. She was wearing a discreet, but beautiful pink lipstick, and her lips were even more tempting in this shade. He was sure that she wasn't wearing it that morning, she had probably put it on just before meeting him… for him. His grin doubled in size at the thought.

"It's fine by me. I mean… I get it. I’m not particularly used to this either, so… We should take things slow. But I'd love it if you wanted to be my girlfriend, Lils."

She smiled, nodding again.

"I'd love that too," she answered, blushing even more.

He smiled, his voice soft and gentle when he asked his next question.

"Is it alright if I kiss you right now?"

She nodded once more, and he took her face in his hands, kissed her softly on the lips by the shore of the calm Lake.

"SO?" Marlene asked the moment Lily sat at the Gryffindor table at lunch.

Lily didn't answer, but her grin and the reddening of her cheeks spoke volumes. Her three friends almost shouted in the middle of the Great Hall, causing their classmates to look at them. Frank almost choked on his chicken as he started laughing.

"I told you to wear red lipstick!" Alice winked, full of mischief.

"Pink was perfect," Lily replied with a laugh.

"So, you finally have a boyfriend. Definitely not too soon..." commented Marlene.

Lily threw some bread at her friend, shushing her.

"It's weird though that James hasn’t said anything about it," Alice pointed out. "Even this morning when we were talking about you and Liam in front of him, he didn't react at all."

"I hope it stays that way,” Lily answered in a sigh. “I'm tired of his stupid game, really."

"You know, I was thinking about this and…" Clara said slowly, choosing carefully her words. "I'm not sure that it was just a game anymore. Yesterday, he asked on the train what was going on between you and Liam, and he really did look hurt when I told him you were close."

But Lily rolled her eyes.

"It just hurts his monumental ego that he couldn't change my mind. He doesn't care about me, Clara. I'm a challenge, that's all, and he was disappointed because he didn't win."

"I don't know, Lils, I think he's more honest than you think about you two," replied Frank.

"No, he's not. Trust me, he's not."

Frank and Clara shrugged. After all, Lily didn’t like James, and she had chosen, Liam who seemed to be a nice guy. He was a prefect, he was a safe choice, he seemed to suit the girl quite well. As Clara glanced over at the Marauders further down the table, they were laughing and joking merrily, as if nothing was wrong. She shrugged again, focusing on her mashed potatoes. Maybe Lily was right. Maybe it was nothing serious at all...

James took out a bottle of ink, a quill and a piece of parchment.

He was sitting with the rest of the Marauders in the empty space at the centre of their dorm. It was night already, they were coming back from dinner in the Great Hall. But it was not time to sleep, the Marauders had some work to do.

It was a tradition, really. As Remus passed the bag of jelly beans to Peter, he couldn’t refrain a smile. It was nice to have these rituals with the boys. It made him feel at home. It made them all feel like they were more family than mere friends…

Since their second year, the four boys gathered like this after their first day of class, sitting on the wooden floor while eating treats, in order to write down their list of resolutions for the year. The list would then be hanged next to Remus’s bedpost, and he was the one in charge to remind the group of the missions they decided to fulfill before the next summer break.

James cleared his throat, dipping the tip of his quill into the dark ink.

"All right, fire away!"

Behind him, Frank closed his curtains, laughing softly and thanking himself for the sound-proofing spell he had cast on the curtains during his third year. This spell really was saving his life... or well, his nights at least...

"I'll start the list with 'getting over Lily Evans', I reckon it's an important point," James added, half-joking as he began to write. “What else?"

"No Exploding Snap for Peter in the dorms," said Remus.

"Hey!" Peter protested, but he was quickly interrupted by James.

"No Wormtail, Moony's right. You really did scare us last year when you set your curtains on fire..."

The boy added Remus's remark to their annual list of resolutions, straightening his lopsided glasses.

"Don't accept students in their second year on the Quidditch team," said Sirius wisely.

James nodded and wrote it down, sadly remembering how the second-year boy he had selected the past year had vomited on his broomstick at the beginning of their first match…

"Clean up the dorm," said Remus.

Sirius and James looked up at him with surprise.

"You still have hope? After five years?"

Remus sighed.

"Write it down anyway," said Peter. “For Moony.”

James shrugged and bent over the parchment again. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he quickly went through the list.

"Prepare a good prank against the Slytherins before the end of September," James added.

His three friends enthusiastically nodded.

"Spend more time with the girls," said Sirius.

They all frowned at him.

"Which girls?" asked Peter.

"The Gryffindors, of course. Who else could I be talking about?”

Remus rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Padfoot, we've already talked about that, and there's only one tiny rule concerning your passion for girls and boys you must follow: do not touch the Gryffindor girls in our year. Is that really that complicated?"

Sirius glowered at him.

"I didn't mean that, Moony. I said talking to them, not snogging them. Besides, you’re saying that as if I was only thinking about sex, which is not true at all."

"Why do you want to talk with them anyway?" asked Peter.

Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know, they're okay, I guess. And you can't deny that we had a good time during the trip to Hogwarts yesterday. Clara's funny."

James narrowed his eyes.

"Do you want to talk to the girls or to Clara?"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"The girls. I'm just pointing out the fact that they might not be as boring as I thought they were."

Remus threw him a stern look.

"Sirius, I know them better than you. And Clara is funny, it's true. And she's clever, and kind-hearted, and she's also a human being whom I appreciate very much. I officially forbid you to try anything with her. Do you understand?"

"Moony, again, I said talk, not snog. She's a Gryffindor in our year, I know, thanks, and I don't intend to 'try anything with her'. I just enjoyed talking with her. It's not like I've been flirting with her, anyway. Why are you so upset?"

"It's not like you usually care about girls, Pads," replied James.

"Okay, you know what, don't write it down. I just meant that we should try to be more friendly with them, and know them better, because we've all enjoyed their company today, but as you seem to think that I can't control myself..."

"That's not what I meant, Padfoot," said Remus. "I just don't want you to hurt her, that's all. She's very pretty after all, and..."

"I didn't say all this because I thought she was pretty, I just genuinely enjoyed talking with her. For Merlin’s sake, I’m not a pervert. I’m not obsessed with sex..."

"So, you don't find her attractive at all?" asked Peter, propping up an eyebrow.

Sirius sighed and shook his head, annoyed.

"Of course, I think she's attractive, Wormtail. I'm not blind. But she's a laugh, I enjoyed myself with her today, and on the train. End of story."

James bent over and started to write.

"Prongs, don't write it down, it'll upset Moony."

"No you're right, Padfoot. We should talk to them more."

"All right. But also write down the fact that Sirius can't touch Clara, nor any of the girls," Remus said.

"Already did."

"I can feel your trust and faith in me, guys," replied Sirius, glowering at them.

"It's not that way, Pads..." said Remus. “I’m just… you can’t handle a relationship, don’t try to deny it. And I know Clara, she wouldn’t settle for anything less. So… just… don’t…”

"It's okay Moony, I understand. I’m well aware of the fact that I’m emotionally unstable.”

“Pads…”

“What? It’s true,” Sirius shrugged, genuinely unphased by the statement. “They’re nice, though.”

“Alright, I’ve written that down,” James nodded, looking up at his friends again. “What else should we put on there?”

They spent most of their night chatting and laughing and joking, while adding another item to their list from to time to time. It was a merry night in the boys’ dormitory.

A good way to start a new year…

*************************************

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