#sirius ur in love just admit it

[lee-isnotcool]

band au except remus asks marlene and dorcas to switch up the setlist to include a cover of good luck babe by chappell roan after he catches sirius kissing a girl

[moonstruckme]

Hey angel!! hope ur doing well!!

i was wondering if I could request roommate!marauders where they have crushes on reader buttt she already has a bf but he's just a total jerk.... and u sorta get the idea?? (if u haven't done one like this already)

much love!!! <3333

Thank you for requesting lovely <3

cw: douchebag boyfriend, marauders fancy reader but don't genuinely want her to cheat or end her relationship for them

(poly)roommate!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 1.1k words

It’s heartbreaking how lovely you look first thing in the morning. Sweet, rumpled pajamas, plodding gait, sunlight stretching over features still soft with sleep. You raise your hand to cover a yawn as you enter the kitchen, eyelashes still drooping like they’ve weights sewn into them. 

“Morning,” you say on the tail end. 

“Morning.” James opens one arm to you. You step into the hug automatically, and he drops a kiss to your head, his own private indulgence. You’re eyeing the omelet he’s frying up with his other hand. “Want one?” 

“Mm, wish I could,” your voice is a somnolent mumble, “but Dale’s taking me to breakfast in a bit.” 

James tries not to react, but his hold on you stiffens some. From the living room, he hears Sirius scoff. “Oh.” 

“I’m sure your omelet would be better.” You pat his side, moving out from under his arm to go to the coffee pot. “We’re going to this cafe he likes, and they never have anything I want. Still, I can hardly show up full.” 

James feels himself frown. Typical of your boyfriend to take you somewhere you don’t even like. Perhaps he’s a tad biased, but James thinks you should eat one of his omelets and show up full just to teach Dale a lesson. 

He plates up the one he’s just finished. You tail him into the living room as he delivers it to Sirius, curling your feet up underneath you on the couch. Remus is sitting in the armchair reading the paper. He and James have already had their breakfasts, but you and Sirius are always the last up on weekends.

“Are you finished with the funnies?” you ask Remus. 

He looks up at you with a tenderness James doesn’t know how you can’t see. “Yeah,” he says, shaking out a page. “Here.” 

Sirius snickers at your choice of reading material as you reach across him for it. You nudge his thigh with your knee. “Bite me.” 

“Anywhere you’d like me to, babe.” He winks. 

You roll your eyes and fold the page to read, well used to Sirius’ flirting. Similarly to how he’d done with Remus, Sirius’ ill-advised tactic for winning you over involves alternating between taunting you relentlessly and acting like his affection for you is all one big joke. It only barely worked on Remus—James’ interference had been required there, and that was before he’d admitted to himself his own feelings for either of the two boys—so James doesn’t understand why Sirius would give it another go with you. 

“Oh.” Remus closes his paper, seeming to remember something. “I was wondering if you might have time to go with me to the farmer’s market this morning. We’re out of eggs, but I can’t haggle with the woman like you do.” 

You give him a sorry sort of smile. “I would, but Dale’s meant to pick me up at ten.”

“Oh, well.” Sirius rolls his eyes, chewing malignantly on a bite of omelet. “If Dale said he’ll be here at ten, then surely that’s what’s happening.” 

You bump his thigh again good naturedly. “Be nice.” 

James bites his tongue, and even Remus reopens his newspaper with a tad more vigor than necessary. Sirius is by far the most vocal with you about your boyfriend’s flaws, but your roommates all hate him. The guy’s a prick. James would never in a million years try to convince you to leave your partner for them—and despite Sirius’ joking, he knows neither of the other boys would feel right about that either—but if you broke up with Dale, he would be very tempted to throw a party. 

James really doesn’t understand how someone like you could end up with someone so holistically unpleasant as your boyfriend. He’s rude, inconsiderate, he doesn’t express any gratitude for the sweet things you do for him, and he is never where he says he’s going to be when he says he’s going to be there. He shows so little regard for anyone but himself. If he told you he was going to pick you up at ten in the morning, he’s just as likely to arrive at three in the afternoon. Even for your half-hearted defense of him, it’s nearly ten and you’ve made no move to change out of your pajamas or get ready, because you know he won’t be here on time. It irks your roommates to no end to see you tolerate such poor treatment. 

“Maybe you can go with Remus to the farmer’s market,” you tell Sirius. “You seem like you could negotiate.” 

“Sirius doesn’t know how much eggs are supposed to cost,” Remus says idly. 

“Oi!” Sirius objects through a mouthful of omelet. “I do so.” 

James smiles at him. “Really. How much do you think eggs cost, love?” 

Sirius manages to take another bite while James is asking, so his mouth is conveniently too full to answer. 

“I can manage it on my own,” Remus says with indulgent fondness. “Dove, do me one favor, though?” 

You lift your coffee. “Sure.” 

“Don’t let him summon you outside with his horn again.” 

There’s a brief but thick silence while you finish swallowing your coffee and all three boys try not to look too obviously judgmental (Sirius trying the least, naturally). The purse of your lips reveals some embarrassment. 

Still, your voice comes out unconcerned. “It’s not a big deal to me. It’s not like we’re in school and I need him to come to the door and meet my parents. It’s a time saver.” 

“It’s rude,” says Remus gently. “You deserve someone who will come to the door for you.” 

James’ thoughts exactly. 

“Sure you don’t want some toast or something while you wait?” James asks, partly to dispel the tension and partly because he really does think you should eat something if Dale isn’t likely to be here until the afternoon. “You could call it an appetizer.” 

You stand with your emptied coffee mug, passing an affectionate hand over James’ hair as you move between his legs and the coffee table. “Thanks,” you say genuinely, “but I’m alright. I’m going to go get ready.” 

However eager James is to avoid the tension that comes from insulting (or, really, just speaking frankly about) your boyfriend, Sirius has no such concerns. “While we’re telling Dale things,” he says after you, “be sure to remind him that our flat has a three-strike roommate tears policy. Next time you come home crying, Jamie and I get to make a house call.” 

Your laughter echoes down the hallway. “Sure, I’ll let him know.” 

Sirius looks at James, perplexed. “Did I sound like I was joking? I was not using my joking voice.” 

James pats his leg consolingly.

[mischievousmoony]

Omg I love ur James fics. You think you could do one where reader finally feels comfortable getting drunk while going out with their group because she knows James is there to take care of her. Ur drunk reader x James interactions are too cute. I feel like I always have a hard time letting go cause I’m afraid I’ll need to take care of my other friends haha. Love your work!

thank u love! i have fun writing them, i just know james would be so caring! ps thank you for being patient ik this request came in a while ago

𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍

⟢ james potter x fem!reader ⊹ 1.0k ⟢ warnings/tags: intoxication (i think that’s it but lmk if i missed any pls)

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

"But what if Sirius tries to get a new tattoo again?" you ask, twisting back and forth with a steady squeak, squeak, squeak of your barstool.

James clasps his hand on your shoulder, turning you one last time to face him. "Remus is watching him."

"What if Marlene tries to go on another one of her adventures?"

Marlene has a knack for getting herself into precarious situations when she gets drunk, which she likes to call her “little adventures.” Usually, this means going home with a stranger, whether it’s for a hookup or to steal their lightbulbs because they looked at her wrong.

"Lily’s got her.”

"What if I do something stupid?" you ask, now swinging your legs. The nerves eating away at you just won’t let you sit still.

James puts his other hand on your knee, soothing you with a gentle squeeze. "I'm watching you," he says. After thinking it over for a moment, he adds, “And I don't think you'll do anything stupid. Even if you do, I'll do something more stupid so that nobody notices."

This earns him a giggle from you, and he’s happy to see you smiling. He picks up your glass, which is now covered in beads of water, plenty of time having passed for condensation to run its course. He dries what he can with a napkin because he knows you hate when the droplets land in your lap.

You once asked him why it happened, even though you knew the answer. He simply told you it was science.

“Science is stupid,” you had said, eyes fixating on several small spots of water soaking into your jeans.

Now, James wraps your glasses with napkins. He holds out your drink, a black napkin enveloped around it, as he asks, “You want to do this, right?”

You peek into the glass and watch the dwindling ice cubes swirl around in a vodka cran; a drink that James had called “beginner friendly.”

“Yeah,” you answer shyly.

James frowns. “It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind.”

You chew your bottom lip, thinking it over. A part of you wants to forget it, but another part of you knows you’d be disappointed in yourself for chickening out again.

You wrap your hand around the glass, cringing at the squish of the soggy napkin beneath your fingertips. You don’t know what’s worse: this feeling or the water dripping all over you. But James’ attempts to help make you feel warm inside, so you don’t complain.

“No, I still want to do this.”

“Then I’m here for you. Promise.” James gives your knee another squeeze.

You cast a look toward your friends. For years, you've nominated yourself as the designated driver. Or you've claimed to have early morning obligations. You've always felt better knowing someone sober was around to deliver plenty of water and carb-rich snacks to your incapacitated friends.

That was your excuse, anyway. Not that it isn't one of your concerns, but truthfully, something about drinking makes you feel uneasy. You always knew your friends were safe because you've been there, ready to hold back anyone's hair or stray them away from bad decisions. If you drank too, how could you be sure your friends would have someone to depend on? How could you be sure you would have someone to depend on?

Then, you started dating James, and you found a level of trust you never knew was possible. You know you can depend on him for anything.

When you admitted to him why you never drink when you go out, he swore up and down that he would be there for you.

Remembering his promise summons a wave of courage. You shoot James a nervous smile, and take your first sip, scrunching your nose as it burns your tongue.

"This is kind of gross."

James barks a laugh, "We can try to find something you'd like better next round. That is, if you decide to have another."

Feeling brave, you do have another. That's when you discovered something called the Cosmic Lemon Fizz; a drink that sparkles with edible glitter and manages to be blue, green, and yellow all at once. You laughed when you saw it, not knowing how in for it you were.

"Jamie!" you exclaim after taking a sip of your third Cosmic Lemon Fizz. "This tastes like happy feels!" you gasp as if the thought had just occurred to you, despite this being the fourth time you tell him.

"I bet it does!" James cheers. His eyes wrinkle in the corners as he beams at you.

"You should try one!" you declare, and immediately try to flag over the bartender.

James smoothly takes your hand, stopping you as he says, "No can do. Made a promise to a pretty girl that I wouldn't have a drop tonight."

You whip your head around. "Who!?" you ask, eyes wide.

"Who do you think, pretty girl," he says, poking you in the side.

Giggles escape you and you swat his hand away. He doesn't go far, lifting his arm to brush some stray hairs out of your face. His hand lingers on the side of your face, soothing the pad of his thumb against your cheek.

You lean into his touch, gazing up at him with an affectionate glaze in your eyes; a look that gives him butterflies.

"Wowww," you say dreamily. "You're handsome."

James feels his heart flip in his chest. "Thank you, love," he says, a soft smile playing at his lips.

"Hey," Sirius says, appearing out of nowhere as he lazily throws an arm over your shoulders, "How's it going over here?"

While you're distracted with Sirius, James waves over the bartender and replaces your drink with water. The next time you reach for your glass, you hesitate.

"Where's my cosmo magic fizzy thingy?" you ask, an eyebrow raised as you glance at James.

"You must've finished it," he shrugs, acting clueless.

"That's like the oldest trick in the book. You replaced it with water and now you're trying to be sneaky!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," James feigns innocence.

You giggle, bringing the straw to your lips. "I knew you'd take care of me. I love you," you say, happily sipping your water.

James feels another eye-wrinkling smile break out on his face. "I love you too, pretty girl."

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

[ecklekecle]

HEADCANON i think Regulus was a happy baby compared to Sirius. Like, imagine this, i think Sirius was the type of baby who would cry non-stop, no matter what his parents did, he would cry and whine and do what babies do yk, and was just a difficult baby to take care of in general, but Regulus on the other hand was a happy, giggling, smiling baby. And like, this dynamic would continue into when they were kids. Regulus would find Sirius hilarious, and would follow him around everywhere. Regulus would probably have one of those really contagious laughs that are like, you know when kids laugh? and they're giggling and can't breathe, it's like that. And I feel like Sirius would always be causing trouble, but not because he hates his parents, not yet anyway, but because as an older sibling, he likes to show Regulus that he's cool and he wants Regulus to look up to him.

Now when Sirius goes to Hogwarts, Regulus laughs less cause their no more happiness in the house, but it's back when Sirius comes back of course, and tell's Regulus all the things that happened. But once Regulus goes to hogwarts (and gets sorted into slytherin) they start talking less, even at home. Sirius starts rebelling more, and Regulus starts to keep more to himself, mental health definitely getting worse. Even around his friends he never lets himself go and laugh like he used to, they only get a chuckle or two, and thats on his good days. And during his school years, before getting the dark mark, he would just continue to shield himself from others, creating a cold personaity for himself to keep others away, though his friends knew the "real" him. But as his parents got worse, and Sirius left home for the Potter's, he got worse mentally and physically as he kept himself safe from his parents.

When he gets the dark mark, and he's finally alone and spiralling, he just lets out a hysterical laugh and there's no more of the childhood innocence and no more joy in the laugh, it's just filled with anguish as he as he tries to hold back tears annd sobs by laughing. yeah And then he yk dies

But to add to this imagine all their relatives knowing Regulus and his laugh and like, their cousins loved making little Regulus laugh and while Sirius was the moody one yk But in hogwarts everyone knows Sirius Black. He's charismatic and whatever but everyone questions how he's even related to Regulus. If they didn't look so alike, no one would even guess they were related.

I guess there could be a happier side to this (if ur a jegulus fan), as he and james start to talk adn get moore serious yk. even tho Regulus won't admit it, James makes him laugh. With James, Regulus can relax and laugh like a child again, and it sounds just as it did when he was younger, filled with joy and the childhood innocence he thought he had lost. And then he reconnects with his brother and they all live happily ever after the end :0

someone's probably already talked about this but i thought it would be interesting especially since younger regulus contrasts older regulus, and vice vera with sirius but also sirius and regulus contrasts each other. parallels or whatever i might just be using words to seem smart lol the black brother just make me sick i love them sm this idea just came to my head as i once again procrastinated studying but luckily exams are over now so yippee?

[weasleykisses]

You’re So Pretty I (Remus Lupin x Reader)

(GIF not mine)

A/N: Remus and you very clearly like each other, however, hes convinced you have a crush on a mutual best friend. Friend-to-lovers, fem!oblivious!reader, jealous!Remus, mutual pining

Loosely influenced by the song “ur so pretty” by Wasia Project.

word count: 3.9k

________

“Going on another study date, Y/N?” Marlene asked as she watched her dorm mate gather up her books and a couple scrolls into her bag. Y/N rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t lie to yourself. You aren’t just going to study.”

“As a matter of fact, I am going to just study.”

The blonde haired girl wasn’t the only one that pestered Y/N about her crush. Despite never admitting to it directly, her friends ganged up on her and joked about it fairly often. “You won’t learn anything from drooling over Lupin the whole time,” Marlene laughed.

“I do not drool over Remus. He’s just a good study partner.”

“Whatever you say.”

She finished packing her bag and making sure her uniform was straight. Her hands slid down her skirt to smooth it out and through her hair as she looked into the standing mirror. Wanting to look presentable did not mean she was trying to impress him. Definitely not. She just didn’t want to look unkempt, is all.

When she was confident she didn’t look like she just rolled out of bed, she turned to leave her dorm and head to the library. She waved to Marlene who made a heart shape with her hands jokingly. After so long, she’d gotten used to the teasing though, just dismissing her with a ‘tsk’.

She left the common room without another confrontation by one of her friends, walking leisurely to the library where her transfiguration textbook waited. She was never the best in transfiguration, or charms, or defense against the dark arts; truthfully she wasn’t very good at anything most people would would consider important. Her saving grace was care for magical creatures.

Sometimes she felt herself grow so embarrassed by her lack of skill, but Remus never made fun of her for it. He helped her fix the issue, and she was grateful to him for that. He was probably the only reason she passed her classes the past few years.

Kids bustled around the halls and the stairways as she walked through the castle. The sound of her feet clicking on the marble floors kept her occupied as she walked through the familiar walkways. She listened in on some conversations as she passed by, eavesdropping when she shouldn’t.

The only other thing on her mind was her study partner, who she found herself growing awfully attached to over their years at Hogwarts. Now that they were in their seventh year, she occasionally felt herself completely consumed by her crush on him, which she quickly tried to correct by thinking of something else.

It wasn’t that she wanted to smother down her crush on the boy, she just didn’t want it to take over her life. It would never happen, and the inevitable rejection would destroy her. It was normal for her to not get her hopes up, terrified of being disappointed in the end.

Sometimes, she just wanted to forget about him and fancy someone actually obtainable. Someone like the hoard of boys that confessed to her over the years, bringing her flowers and candy and sweet love notes. Only she didn’t like them and couldn’t bring herself to pretend. Her friends asked why she never accepted any of the propositions, to which she would just say she was waiting for someone specific.

Eventually some of her friends figured out who she liked. At first it was Lily, and then the rest of the girls followed suit after seeing her interact with the tall boy enough times. She suspected that Sirius knew as well, knowing how perceptive he was. He would send her some suggestive looks now and again when Remus wasn’t looking, which she just ignored for the most part.

Still, no matter how hard she fought it, she fell deeper and deeper into her infatuation with Remus Lupin. She thought he was the most handsome, smart, kind boy she’d ever met. He was just perfect in her eyes. He could do no wrong.

And so, she found herself drowning in her feelings for the boy. Honestly, it was difficult to keep afloat. To be around him and pretend she just wanted to be a friend. To pretend she didn’t want to cuddle him when they sat on the couch together. To pretend she didn’t want to kiss him every time he smiled her way.

Before entering the library, she took a deep breath and smoothed down her hair once more. Confident in her ability to socialize with him without completely falling apart, she pushed open the heavy wood door and into the large room filled with whispering voices and floating textbooks.

Remus sat in their normal spot towards the corner where not a lot of people crowded around. It was quieter, and he preferred that. For Y/N, she was just happy to get more one on one time with him. The other marauders wouldn’t step foot in the library so she didn’t worry about them. Lily maintained her distance when she was studying. She wanted to give the pair some “private time”, as she had said once when teasing her friend.

“Hey, Rem,” she quietly greeted him, giving him a small wave. He peered up from the novel he was reading, giving her a warm smile back. It was adorable. Everything he did was adorable, really.

She took a seat beside him, setting her bag to the side. She pulled out her transfiguration textbook. He was particularly good in this subject, so this would be easier than something like Charms.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’m fine. How was your day?”

“It was okay. The guys are planning a new prank for tomorrow so they’ve been pestering me about that,” he told her, and she nodded. He loved their pranks secretly, not wanting to come across as immature. Not to mention, James could be a little overwhelming. Especially when he spent the nights with Sirius planning, keeping the other two boys awake.

She grinned brightly. “Oh really? What are they gonna do?” She loved pranks, as long as they weren’t directed towards her. They were an escape from the strictness of the school, not to mention a relief when certain Slytherin were involved.

“Stink bombs in the Slytherin locker room. Nothing fancy.”

“Sounds exciting.”

“I suppose.”

Her eyes trailed down the book that was sitting in his lap now. To get a better look, she leaned closer to him and tried to read the upside text. “What are you reading today?” It was normal that they exchanged books after reading it, that way they could discuss the novels together once they were both done.

“Shakespeare.”

Her eyes widened and she urged him on, “What play?”

“Midsummer’s Night Dream.”

“That’s my favorite! I'm so glad you’re reading it,” she told him happily, clapping her hands together from excitement. As a muggle born witch, she loved when her friends experienced a bit of her world. Shakespeare was just a taste. He’d read a couple other muggle books before, but mainly it was novels by famous wizards and witches.

He smiled, tucking the book into his own bag. “I know. That’s why I picked it.”

“You remembered! I’m excited to talk to you about it when you’re done.” He had to look away from her face. She was so beautiful when she got excited, it made him want to swoop in and give her a thousand little kisses. Of course, he wasn’t insane, so he wasn’t going to do that. He was always looking at her, catching glimpses of her captivating smile and her sparkling eyes. When she looked away, he peered over at her and just watched, regardless of where they were. In class, while studying, in the common rooms. He couldn’t help but stare.

It wasn’t a coincidence he picked her favorite play. He wanted to see her get all giddy because of their two person book club. Anything to see her happy. It seemed he had successfully achieved that, too.

“So what did you need help with?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure. I’m doing well in all my classes right now. Probably because of you, but still,” she told him. Honestly, she never really wanted to study, it was just her way of hanging out with Remus for a while. “Do you want to do something else other than sit in here?” Y/N asked, a bit nervous he might say no.

He leaned on his elbow, cheek pressed to his palm. “Depends. What do you have in mind?” He asked, even though he knew he’d say yes to basically anything she could ask. She could ask him to join her in the broom closet for a snog and he would agree.

She thought for a moment, tapping a finger on her lips as she pondered what they could do. There wasn’t anything she desperately needed done, and it wasn’t close to dinner yet.

“Do you want to come with me to feed the nifflers and diricawls?” It was the only class she excelled in. Hagrid allowed her to come and visit the animals as often as she wished, knowing her to be quite talented at the subject. It was rare to be so compatible with the beasts, but she’d done it.

He wasn’t the biggest fan of the class, and had not taken it for a couple years. Still, he was willing to do just about anything for her. “Let’s go then.” He nodded, gathering up his belongings and tucking them down into his bag. She did the same with her textbook which she never actually opened anyway.

He took her bag from her without her asking. He always carried her books if they were walking somewhere together. She figured it was just him being polite. James would do the same, bragging about his impressive strength. She was grateful though, and walked beside him with her hands in her cardigan pockets.

As they turned the corner, entering the main corridor, she caught the eye of a familiar face, one that Remus thought was busy with Quidditch practice for the time being. “Sirius!” she called, waving over at him with a newfound grin on her face, teeth showing and eyes bright. He looked up from Mary and Alice, who also waved in the pair’s direction.

“Fancy seeing you here, Angel,” he hummed, but opened his arms as he usually did for a hug. She threw herself into his arms and he squeezed her tight, maybe even too tight in Remus’ opinion. She pulled back, peering up at him before nodding to the other two Gryffindor girls.

“Hi, Mary, Alice,” she hummed sweetly. They happily greeted their friend with warm smiles.

Remus almost felt himself move past his surge of jealousy, if he hadn’t seen Sirius rest the palm of his hand on her lower back when he stepped to the side to face the rest of the group. He never understood why the two of them were so close, and why Sirius practically hung off her shoulder when the two were together. The two were just best friends, from all he could tell, but it sure felt like more. Sirius wasn’t known for settling for one girl, he preferred to leave his options open. Surely, he didn’t have a crush on her.

Remus could only hope.

“Moony, where are you two off to?” Mary asked. While Remus looked at the brunette, answering her question, he missed the look that Alice sent Y/N. She raised her brows, her eyes flicking between the pair. Y/N felt her cheeks heat up at the notion that her and Remus were hanging out as anything other than friends. The girls loved to taunt her, probably because they consistently got a rise out of her.

“The creature pens outside,” he replied, gloomier than he wanted to sound. “I thought you guys had practice today?”

Sirius shrugged, “It was postponed for an hour. Something about the weather. I thought you two normally studied on Thursday afternoons.”

“I’ve been doing well enough in my classes that I figured I deserved a well earned break,” she told the three of her quidditch-playing friends.

“Well, I guess we should leave you to it, right, ladies?” the raven-haired boy asked. Bidding the two study partners a goodbye before trailing off with Alice and Mary in tow. Y/N waved while Remus just watched with a defeated look on his face. He always felt defeated when seeing Sirius and Y/N together.

For the rest of the trek out to the animal pens, they walked beside each other silently, just navigating the halls in thought. She could only think about how close he stood beside her, and how attractive it was that he carried her bag for her. A dazed smile was left on her lips and she stared at her feet to avoid him seeing how happy he made her. She was such a lovestruck fool. It was obvious.

It was cold outside but not quite snowy yet. She cuddled into her thick cardigan, wondering if he was cold in just his sweater and uniform shirt. The leaves had fallen from all the trees, crinkling under their footsteps. The sky was white, indicating a storm was brewing, potentially snow considering it was December. A few other students hung out in the courtyard, playing games with each other or sitting by the gardens talking. Not a single person was hanging around the animal pens.

She stopped when they neared the small building beside the care for magical creatures classroom. The diricawls and nifflers were inside this time of year so she pushed open the door to the shelter. Inside, they were met with a dozen or so diricawls walking around on some freshly laid hay.

She turned to Remus and grinned, pointing to a diricawl with three black spots on its head. “This one is my favorite. His name is Cookie. Isn’t he just the cutest?” She asked.

He shut the door behind them so none of the creatures escaped. “You named him Cookie?”

“Yeah, because he’s so sweet.”

She walked over to the food barrel and scooped out two handfuls of food. She tossed onto the ground beside the animals, but kept a few pieces in her hand. With her free hand she urged Remus to come closer.

He did as she asked. “Here, you can feed Cookie this time,” she told him, handing him the pieces of kibble. It was exciting to share her passions with him. He was happy she just included him in the first place. He wanted her to invite him into all aspects of her life. What classes she liked, her favorite books, favorite songs, her favorite holiday, and favorite food. It was like a collection he wanted so badly to complete. To complete her and all her quirks.

He took the kibble from her hand. “How do I feed him?” He asked.

“Didn’t you pay any attention in class?” She joked, but patted his shoulder nonetheless. “By hand, if you want. He doesn’t bite,” she laughed. He knelt down closer to the creature and extended his hand, looking to her for guidance. She gave him a very enthusiastic thumbs up. Soon enough, the little bird was taking food from his palm and munching on his snack.

When he was finished and stood back up, she couldn’t help herself but hug him from the side, pressing her face to his arm. “Y/N?” His heart was skipping a beat. He patted her on the head gently, feeling a bit too awkward to hug her back. Even if he loved her being pressed so close to him, he couldn’t function when the real thing happened.

She answered with so much glee in her voice, “I’m just so happy you came with me. No one ever comes with me to feed these little guys. Always too busy with quidditch or hanging out in the common rooms.”

“It’s no big deal. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy too.”

Her stomach was doing somersaults and her heart raced at his kind words. She took a step back and straightened herself out again. “Thanks, Rem. You’re such a sweetheart.”

If his face wasn’t red already, it certainly was now. She looked like an angel standing there, the diricawls gathered at her legs like her own little army of birds. He loved the way her Gryffindor cardigan swallowed her up. He loved the way some stray hairs fell into her face as she glanced down at the ground. He thought it was adorable how she fiddled with her fingers when she was nervous.

It was admirable how she treated the animals, the things she loved. Even if she wasn’t the smartest book-wise, she was friendly and kind, to animals and humans alike.

Most importantly, there wasn’t any judgment from her when she found he was a werewolf. She caught the boys carrying him up the common room stairs one day in the early hours of the morning, and from then on she doted on him. She gathered ingredients from her furry or scaly companions, persistent in making healing potions for him, different creams and salves for his wounds. She worked long hours in the Potions room with Slughorn’s permission, desperate to make something that would ease his suffering.

She’d come up to their dorm after the full moon and take care of him each time, cleaning his wounds and doing the best she could with her limited knowledge of healing spells. Over time, she got better, nearly perfecting her spell casting, all for him.

That was when he started to fall for her. No one had ever cared for him like she did. As Sirius liked to call her, Y/N truly was an angel, he was sure of it. Sirius might have meant it as a joke, but Remus came to find the nickname truer than any other. True like he was Moony and their friend was Padfoot.

She pointed over to a few cages to their right, where the nifflers lived. The cage was decorated with shiny things, silver necklaces and some gold coins, probably the result of a thieving niffler.

“Do you want to feed the nifflers now?”

“Anything you want, love.”

———

While James was chasing after Lily Evans, and Sirius was busy romancing Marlene McKinnon, Y/N sat back on the couch beside Remus Lupin. Peter sat on the floor by her feet, resting his head against the sofa cushions. She’d grabbed three cups and a pot of hot tea for her and her couple of friends as they watched the flickering of the fire before them.

While the more outgoing of the friend group were always off doing something, this left just the quieter three hanging around amongst themselves. It was peaceful. Remus read his book silently while Y/N and Peter talked about the newest gossip from that day. Peter was great to talk to. He always listened intently, and could discuss basically anything she could think of. She supposed he was just happy that the cooler marauders let him hang around.

She took a sip of her drink and sighed, the warmth of a nice cup of tea soothing her otherwise freezing cold frame. She grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and wrapped herself up. It was nearing Christmas, which meant many things.

It meant that she would have to sit outside in the freezing cold during every quidditch match. It meant going to Hogsmeade every weekend and filling up on butterbeer and goodies from Honeydukes. It meant spending more time huddled up on the couch with her friends sitting around the fire, laughing all night long.

She drifted off into her own thoughts for a moment, completely missing the question that Peter had just asked. She felt a tap on her knee and blinked away that dazed look in her eye.

“What was that, Peter?”

“I asked, do you have any plans for Hogsmeade this weekend?” he said once again. She tapped the side of her teacup in thought. She originally planned on staying inside over the weekend to finish up some homework due the next week, but she couldn’t resist the urge to go out and visit the little town, get some candy, and drink in the Three Broomsticks. She couldn’t miss out on a fun outing with friends.

Y/N shook her head ‘no’.

“Wanna come with?”

“Of course.”

She stirred her cup of tea, her eyes scanning the room. “Any specific plans you all have this weekend? Zonko’s, Honeydukes, Spintwich’s?” she asked. Usually they followed some sort of routine. Visit the Three Broomsticks for drinks, head to Honeydukes to stock up on sweets for the rest of the week, and either stop at Zonko’s for the newest gadget or Spintwich’s so James could see if there were any upgrades for his broom.

Her personal favorite was Brood and Peck. Sometimes they had special creatures that you could only find in the forbidden forest. She was still waiting for a unicorn, but in the meantime there were always mooncalves, nifflers, and diricawls to play with. She also liked spending her time in the bookstore too.

Not that she wanted books, she just liked going there with Remus so she could watch him out of the corner of her eye. He furrowed his brows as he scanned the books for one that he was interested in. She would pretend to do the same thing, but really she just went for him. To watch him get excited by a new book that was just released, or half priced older novels he’d been meaning to buy, books they would read together. Seeing him happy made her feel soft inside, and that’s all that mattered to her.

“Well, I heard that Lily and the rest of the girls are going to Honeydukes around noon and I plan to be there,” James said confidently. He was obsessed with that girl, but Y/N couldn’t judge. She was just as obsessed with Remus as James was with Lily. She was infatuated, and had been for years.

“Speaking of which, why aren’t you going with the rest of the girls, Y/N?” Peter asked the girl sitting beside him.

Originally, she declined going to Hogsmeade that weekend altogether. She was far too preoccupied with her schoolwork to even think about taking the day off to fool around, but she couldn’t say no to spending the day with Remus. She had to say yes to the boys, on the off chance she might get some quality time with the boy she fancied.

She shrugged, “They offered, but had to say no. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish my potions essay in time. Gladly, I got it done this morning, so I should be fine to go with you guys.” She wasn’t exactly lying, but she certainly wasn’t telling the entire truth. She wasn’t doing well in her Herbology class either…

Remus found himself tense up at the mention of Hogsmeade. He always found himself nervous when she was around, and somehow, they always ended up singled out by the group when they went places. It was always Sirius and James goofing off with Peter following closely after, leaving Remus standing in the dust with Y/N at his side. He was never prepared and felt like he made a fool of himself every time just trying to strike up conversation. He could be so terribly awkward.

He just hoped that on the day of the actual visit to Hogsmeade, he would be normal. That all his friends would stick together instead of separating and leaving him to be his embarrassing self in front of the girl he so desperately fancied.

Part Two out.

[lesbojournals]

🍳: could you do a poly!maraduers x reader when they suddenly just collapse? Fluff ending, please! And fem or non binary is ur choice!

Poly!Marauders x Reader (who collapses)

a/n: i hope that this is what you were looking for !

You were fine one second. You swore you were. It was just that you were standing, one second, and then the world got dizzy, your world got blurry and splotchy, and when you opened your eyes all you could see was sky.

Well, sky and the faces of your boyfriends Sirius, James, and Remus. 

“What-” You moaned, going to get up before some hands pushed you down. 

“Shh, stay down baby.” Remus shushed.

Within seconds there were EMTs by your side, slowly guiding you up. They brought you inside the ambulance, and strongly advised your boyfriends to wait outside. They ran multiple tests on you, and eventually came to the conclusion you were dehydrated. 

It was up to you whether or not you wanted to go to the hospital technically, and you didn’t want to go, but your boyfriends insisted on it the second the EMT came out of the ambulance with you.

“Just ride with them there love, we’re right behind you. We’ll see you in the hospital.” Sirius promised, holding your hands tight.

You begrudgingly agreed, for the sake of the sanity of your boyfriends. 

When you got to the hospital, Sirius was right, they were right behind you. They must’ve blown a few red lights in order to get to the hospital at the same speed as the ambulance. You’d be sure to chastise them for that later. 

You didn’t officially reunite with one of them until you were admitted into the Emergency Room and in your assigned bed. It was Sirius who came running to your side, immediately grabbing your hand.

“Oh Dolly,” He cooed. “Are you feeling alright?”

You nodded, and squeezed his hand for reassurance. “Where are James and Remus?”

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes, expressive as always. “They wouldn’t let us all through. Only one visitor per patient.”

And one visitor a patient it stayed. You were with Sirius, mindlessly chatting for about an hour when he got up. 

“Okay my love,” he started. “It’s my time to leave. Remus or James will be out in just a minute, alright? We all played rock, paper, scissors last time to determine who could come first, so I assume they’re playing it again now as we speak to figure out who’s coming next.”

You reluctantly let go of Sirius’s hand. “Rock, paper, scissors?”

“And shoot.” He completed, teasing you. “I love you darling.”

Next it was Remus who visited you, and you already knew that James was likely moping in Sirius’ arms while they sat in the waiting room. 

Remus rushed to your side and held your face in his hands, gently pushing back your hair. He made sure your IV wasn’t bothering you (like the darling he is) and called a nurse over to get you some ice chips.

“You really scared us there, dovey.” He gave you a worried smile. 

You gave him a sheepish expression back. “Sorry.”

You spent your time with Remus in mostly silence, as he encouraged you to shut your eyes and rest up. He timidly massaged your head and played with your hair as you rested, and you were so relaxed you actually did fall asleep.

You didn’t notice when Remus left, but you did notice when James arrived.

“Oh my love!” He yelled, and practically flung himself at you in your bed.

You let out an “Oof!”.

That shot him right out of holding you, looking at you with stress in his eyes. “Did I hurt you love? I’m sorry, are you alright?”

You shook your head negatively. “No, no, Jamie. Just surprised me is all.”

“Oh, good.” He smiled, then shook his head. “No, not good! I just-you know what I mean. I’m sorry baby-”

You interrupted his frantic nature. “James, it’s alright. You can relax, have a seat. I’m okay.”

Instead of sitting in the chair next to your bed that Sirius and Remus had occupied, James opted to sit at the edge of your bed, holding your hand and bringing it up to his face to kiss.

“Just worried.” He admitted. “Gave us quite a fright.”

“Rem told me.” You replied. “I’m okay now though, honey. They’ve got me hooked up to some fluids so I should be out in no time.”

You spent your time with James getting chastised for not taking better care of yourself, as well as just listening to his general anxiety about you collapsing.

He continued his ramblings as you were discharged, and it took Remus with a gentle “James, love, it’s alright.” to calm him down officially. You leaned on Sirius in the backseat as Remus drove and James rode shotgun.

Sirius took your hand in his and rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb. “Get some sleep, Dolly.”

You closed your eyes and rested your head on Sirius’ shoulder. You really did have the best boyfriends, didn’t you?

[theemporium]

yes please, I love ur Remus stories <3 maybe write about him and reader having a fight but the other boys kinda agree that she's right and remus getting mad at them too? idk if u understand what i mean haha but a happy ending ofc

thank you for requesting!🖤

.

You and Remus didn’t fight often, not really.

You had the odd squabble here and there, the ones that didn’t really mean anything and would usually end with the both of you laughing it off. Or the ones that were so stupid that you’d go a few hours not talking to each other before realising just how dumb you both were.

But it had never been this bad. And it had never been in front of an audience either.

“He’s gonna come around, bug, just gotta give him some time,” Sirius murmured as he slumped down onto the couch next to you, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his side.

“Is he though?” you whispered, the thought that had been plaguing your mind for the last few days and saying it out loud only made the pit in your stomach deepen. “He hasn’t spoken to us in three days, Sirius.”

“He’s just a stubborn git sometimes,” Sirius assured you with a soft squeeze to your shoulder. “He needs some time to realise that he’s wrong. He’s gonna come back to us, bug, I know our Moony.” 

“I’m just worried,” you admitted, your chin tucked against your chest as you stared down at your hands, picking at the skin around your nails before another hand reached over to bat your fingers away.

“We are too,” this time it was James who spoke as he settled on the other side of you, flashing you a smile that made the tightness in your chest ease a little. “But he’s a good egg, even if he is a bit emotionally slow sometimes.”

In all honesty, you couldn’t remember exactly what the fight had been about. It started off as a conversation about the full moon and Remus’ safety, and it ended with you two yelling at each other from across the room before he stormed off after Sirius and James stepped in, backing you up.

He didn’t return to the flat that night and you heard from Lily that he had crashed at Mary’s place for the time being. You were happy he was safe but you wish he was home, you wish he was with you. Sleeping in your bed alone only further set you on edge and the fact the house seemed so empty didn’t help. 

It was why the two boys had been hanging around as much as they could. You knew exactly what they were doing, even if they didn’t say it out loud. But you appreciated the gesture nonetheless. 

“What do you feel like for dinner today?” James asked as he reached for the pile of takeout menus lying on the coffee table. “It's your turn.”

Sirius frowned. “I thought it was my turn?”

“Yeah but you’re gonna choose something weird,” James grumbled, narrowly avoiding the attack when Sirius leaned over to smack the back of his head.

You laughed. “Both of you are actual children, I—”

But you cut yourself off when you heard the door lock turning. 

In an instant all three of you were standing, the boys taking a stance in front of you with their wands drawn and ready, only to pause when they noticed it was Remus walking through the door. Remus, with heavy bags under his eyes and a bouquet of your favourite flowers in his hand. 

“Hi,” he whispered, taking in the sight of his two friends before his eyes fell on you.

“Hey,” you whispered back with a timid smile.

“Uh, we’re gonna go!” James suddenly announced as he slapped his hands together. “Isn’t that right, Pads?” 

“Very right indeed, Prongs!” 

If it weren’t for the werewolf standing a few feet away from you, you would have found the sight of two grown wizards scattering and rushing towards the door quite amusing. But your attention was completely snagged on your boyfriend.

“Let me just get this out before you say anything,” Remus quickly spoke up before you could even open your mouth. “Please.”

You nodded for him to continue.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered out as he began to walk closer to you. “I am so fucking sorry for being an idiot these past few days. I am sorry for having my head up my ass. I am sorry that you just cared about me and my safety and I freaked out on you.” 

His eyes never left yours as he stopped a few inches in front of you, letting out a shaky breath. “I guess it’s still hard for me to remember that I have people who care about me and accept me. That I have someone like you who loves me unconditionally.”

“Even when you’re being an ass,” you added with a soft smile.

Remus grinned. “Even when I’m being an ass.”

“I just want you to be safe,” you murmured softly, almost as if you were scared to kick off the argument all over again.

“I know, I’m sorry I freaked out,” he muttered as he placed the flowers down gently before taking your face in his hands. “I love you and I would have done the same for you.”

You leaned into his touch. “I love you too, Lupin.” 

“Thank fuck for that,” he said with a sigh of relief before he leaned down to kiss you.

“Be honest,” you muttered against his lips. “Did Mary kick your ass when you told her the whole story?”

Remus snorted. “Big time.” 

Your grin widened. “I knew I loved her.”

.

[sunonwaxyleaves]

After hanging out with Sirius’ little brother for a few months now - sometimes the three of them but more and more just the two of them - James first realizes he’s in love with Regulus on a summer night with cheeks warm from sunburn and sweet red wine. They’re on an old leather couch at a party Sirius is throwing at the Potter’s beach house, and Regulus rests his head on James’ shoulder with a deep, heavy sigh. Absolutely plastered, he mutters in defeat, “I think I’m now ready to admit that I’ve probably missed my chance at becoming a mermaid.” James wants to laugh until his stomach cramps, wants to kiss him on his peeling lips and point out that Regulus turns 21 in just one week, what does he mean he’s willing to admit this now, but instead he shrugs lightly and rests his head on Regulus’. He says in that cocky voice of his that makes far too many people swoon, “You’d be the prettiest mermaid of them all” and Regulus would roll his eyes even though James couldn’t see, he’d bury his head further into James’ neck, and tell him “Yeah, James, obviously”.

And then a week would pass, the morning of Regulus’ 21st birthday, and he’d wake up before anyone else and sneak out of the house for his morning run. Sometimes on the really hot days, like the day of his 21st birthday, he’d cool off in the ocean before walking back to the house, the walk long enough to let the sun dry him a bit.

Except this time was different.

Regulus runs and jumps into the ocean, does a few slow strokes atop the rolling waves, then promptly begins to scream bloody murder in the blink of an eye; his legs have become so heavy it’s as if an overweight adult man is clinging to him. He twists and turns his body, lifts his cement legs up to see what the fuck is going on, freezes, starts drowning, then screams even as his mouth fills with saltwater.

Where his legs are supposed to be - where they used to be - there is now a beautiful emerald mermaid tail with scales that glitter tiny rainbows like the polish on his finger nails.

A mile away, the split second Regulus screams the first time, James wakes from a deep slumber with a gasp so sharp it throws him into a coughing fit. He drinks from the glass of water on his bedside table and grabs his phone before leaning back onto the fluffy pillows, pulling up his messages to text the birthday boy.

(7:02am) Happy birthday Reggie!!!! 21 WOOHOO!!!!!

(7:03am) Are u back from ur run?? Do u want blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes?

(7:04am) Had the craziest dream last night. Need to tell u all about it over some Potter Pancakes(;

(7:26am) Reggie??

(7:38am) Sirius said u never came back from ur run is everything okay???

(7:41am) Ur freaking me out Reg can u pls respond

(7:55am) Wherever u are: STAY THERE

(7:55am) I’m coming to find u. Call me when u see these, pls pls please

(8:06am) Where the fuck are you, Regulus?????

[petals2fish]

Order In The Court (The Incident)

Summary:

They would joke about ‘The Incident’ for years after, the story always becoming more melodramatic with each theatrical retelling. It was Sirius’ favorite story to tell, and he recited it at their wedding two years later. “And it all started because I got called to jury duty…”

Read on A03

"Please, do find yourself a comfortable seat," the woman behind the front desk instructed, extending a badge emblazoned with the word JUROR in bold crimson letters towards Sirius Black. "Our orientation session is set to commence in a mere two minutes."

Sirius couldn't help but entertain a sense of incredulity at the summons to jury duty. After all, he held the esteemed position of being the closest confidant and cherished friend of none other than Judge James Potter. Sirius had naively assumed that his role in assisting James with his meticulously organized Pokémon card collection would surely render him exempt from the mundane responsibilities of jury service. 

Alas, fate had a different plan, as the summons found its way into their mailbox, delivered with no small amount of glee by James himself, his smirk rather too wide for someone delivering stupid civic duty. James, in his characteristic wit, dubbed the summons as 'bring your best friend to work day', a moniker that Sirius cynically rebranded as a 'governmental conspiracy.'

As Sirius made his way into the juror room, James' image beamed proudly from the screens above, accompanied by a short biography detailing his legal prowess. Cheryl, the woman stationed at the front desk, cast a scrutinizing gaze upon Sirius as he navigated past her station to claim a seat.

With a resounding thud, Sirius deposited himself into an unoccupied chair adjacent to a red-haired individual whose face bore an expression of palpable frustration, their heated conversation on the phone permeating the room with an air of agitation.

"This woman at the front desk told me that this could take all day, so if you don't hear from me, I've asked the supposed murderer to murder me."

the irate woman said into the phone, shooting Sirius a look to convey her similar disdain for being there. She was speaking to someone with a high-pitched voice, but the conversation ended abruptly. The woman pulled her phone from her ear and pouted.

Sirius' gray eyes returned to the television screen in front of them. James' face reappeared, accompanied by his bio. The woman looked up just as James' face disappeared, leaving only his bio, which stressed his love for doughnuts and race cars.

"What kind of idiot admits they like Krispy Kreme over Dunkin' Donuts?" the woman muttered next to Sirius with a slight grunt before resuming her phone surfing.

Sirius resisted the urge to tell her that James had a knack for picking the worst foods to love. Anyone who chose Denny's over IHOP was clearly insane, and James picked Denny's every single time. 

Suddenly, Sirius' phone went off in his pocket. He leaned up to pull his cell from his jeans pocket. The white screen flashed with more than one message from James Potter.

JP: I can't believe that we get to hang out all day together! / If u get picked to be in my courtroom, that is. / I could get fired for telling u this, but old man Alexander needs a panel of like, twenty jurors, so good luck NOT getting picked. / Are u downstairs?

Sirius rolled his eyes and began texting James back.

SB: They've stuffed at least 150 of us in this tiny room and are about to start orientation. / What happens if I leave before they call my name? 

JP: Death penalty for running from ur civic duty 

SB: How many jurors do you need? 

JP: Idk. This attorney in my case is killing my vibe, and I can't focus. / G2G, the attorney just realized I'm not paying attention to the case and threatened to sue me. 

SB: Threaten him with the death penalty. 

James remained silent, prompting Sirius to exhale wearily as he reclined in his chair. Glancing at the clock across from him, he noted only a few minutes had elapsed. He sighed once more, drawing a glance from his striking neighbor. Before she could utter a word, a voice resonated from a small stage to their right.

It was Cheryl, the woman from the front desk, positioned at a podium to give instructions. "Alright, let's get started. I see you're all eager to begin your jury duty today."

The surrounding individuals chuckled, albeit with a tinge of bitterness. Cheryl appeared encouraged by the response and proceeded, adjusting her blonde hair. "First, we'll recite the pledge of allegiance."

Reluctantly, Sirius stood and placed a hand over his heart. The red-haired girl beside him wore an indifferent expression as she mimicked the action. Once the pledge concluded, Cheryl instructed them to affirm their commitment to truth before the court of law.

Sirius couldn't shake the feeling of being back in grade school, facing the stern gaze of the principal.

Finally, Cheryl had them seated again before outlining the rules. "Most trials are resolved within a day, and not everyone will be selected. If chosen for jury duty, remember you cannot disclose any information once you leave the courtroom. Those not selected must remain on standby in case additional jurors are needed." Sirius frowned deeply at the prospect of spending the entire day confined to the same room. "Lunch will be provided around midday, and I'll announce when it's time over the loudspeaker. Any questions?"

There was silence.

"This is the perfect time to turn to your neighbors and introduce yourselves."

Of fucking course Cheryl would encourage socialization.

Sirius turned to the redhead, who was eyeing his long black hair with interest. He hadn't noticed before, but her eyes were a startling green, and she was wearing a Levins University sweater. Sirius and James had both attended Levins. The woman stuck out her hand, and he took it kindly.

"Sirius Black," he grunted.

"I'm Lily," she said. "Lily Evans."

Sirius' eyes flashed to her sweatshirt. "When did you graduate?"

Lily responded lukewarmly, "I dropped out."

Sirius raised an interested brow at his neighbor. "Me too. Not your slice of pie?"

Lily tilted her head at him. "What?"

"I mean, did you drop out because you're not very good at school?"

Lily's eyes twinkled precariously. "I got into Harvard Law."

Sirius’ frown faltered. "Oh, sorry..."

"I happen to have an IQ of five hundred and fifty-six."

"Is that even a thing?" He couldn't tell if she was kidding or not.

"I dunno, you tell me."

He stared at her with uncertainty, and then she laughed, a sound that was both warm and spirited.

"I'm just kidding; I don't go to Harvard," Lily waved her hand at Sirius with a grin. "I had to leave LU for a year to take care of my dad. I'm back for my last year. I'm a chemistry major."

Sirius was surprised by her choice of major. "Wow, how—erm—" he paused, not knowing how to phrase his question without insulting her again. 

Chemistry was more boring to him than watching wet paint dry. 

Instead of being awkward, she challenged him. "Say what you're thinking. You think I'm a nerd."

"Intellectual," Sirius stated.

Her smile widened. "Nice save."

Sirius cracked his own grin; she had the same sense of humor as James. It was uncanny that he'd find the pale, red-haired version of his roommate in jury duty. She even ran her fingers through her loose hair in a way reminiscent of how James messed up his curls.

Lily stopped looking at Sirius to glance down at her phone, which was going off every ten seconds. She was texting back someone with little smirks and a few eye rolls. Since Sirius didn't have anything else to do while they waited, he continued watching her interact with the world behind her screen.

"You're quite popular," he finally said, after about forty minutes of her back and forth texting.

Lily blew her hair from her eyes and sent Sirius a disgraced look. "Everyone's giving me tips on how to get out of jury duty."

"You don't want to be here?"

"You do?" she asked in surprise, as if every word from his mouth was preposterous.

Sirius shrugged. "Not really," he admitted. "But as far as I understand, we're stuck here."

"Well, my friend Marley told me to walk in here with a Donald Trump hat and a Black Lives Matter shirt to confuse the hell out of them," Lily said firmly. "But my other friend Angela is certain if I tell everyone that I believe in the death penalty, they'll send me home."

"Interesting."

"She's convinced they'll let me go on grounds of insanity."

Sirius liked talking to her; she had a sharp sense of humor. "I hear the hospital down the road is quite nice. Padded walls and such."

Lily shrugged at his teasing. "Gotta stay committed to the role."

Sirius barked a laugh. "Commit to a role?" he motioned to her black leggings and university sweater. "The only role you're committed to right now is being a lethargic college student."

Lily stuck her tongue out. "Do you have any better ideas? I'm open to anything."

"Sleep with the judge?" Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Lily slammed her back against the seat in despair. "I'd seriously consider it."

Sirius laughed and then lightly kicked at Lily's ankles. "I'll let him know."

"Thanks, pal," Lily laughed, as if finding Sirius amusing and not in any way honest.

"In fact," Sirius pulled out his phone, "I'll text him right now."

"Yeah," Lily rolled her eyes, "Because you have Judge Judy on speed dial."

"His name is James, actually," Sirius didn't miss a beat, "And he's my roommate."

Lily eyed him, waiting for his expression to give into her scrutiny. "You're bluffing."

Sirius didn't say anything; he was too busy texting on his phone. Once he'd finished the text and hit send, he flashed the screen right at Lily's green eyes.

SB: James, one of the jurors just told me she's willing to sleep with you to get out of jury duty. 

Her forehead furrowed as she read his text, and then she laughed. "Is he attractive?"

Before Sirius could answer, the woman called over the loudspeaker, "Alright, the judge has called for jurors. We will be calling you by the numbers on your badge, and this is a sample size of forty."

There was a collective groan from around the room. Lily crossed her arms moodily and looked at her badge for her number.

 "I'm 147," she said, looking at Sirius. "What about you?"

Sirius flipped his badge in her direction. "213."

"What are the chances of us getting called together?" she whispered as the woman started calling out numbers.

"45! 67!"

Slowly, people began filing towards the door at the back of the room.

"Jesus, it's like the damn Hunger Games in here," Lily hissed.

"Just waiting for someone to jump up and yell that they'll volunteer as tribute..." Sirius whispered back.

"I'd need to be thoroughly intoxicated, but hey, for the sheer amusement of it, count me in," she chuckled, her eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Absolutely, that would definitely add some much-needed excitement to our otherwise mundane confinement," he agreed with a grin.

Sirius couldn't help but admire Lily’s quick wit when she said out loud,  "I should've thought of sneaking in some vodka.”

At that moment, Sirius resolved to permanently befriend the clever redhead.

As the forty selected jurors were escorted out by vigilant security personnel, Lily and Sirius exchanged relieved glances. They breathed easier knowing their numbers hadn't been called during the drawing. Watching the jurors depart, they shared a knowing look, silently acknowledging the tension that lingered in the room.

"Can we leave now, then?" Lily asked.

Cheryl's annoying voice came over the intercom, "If you remain in the sitting area, please know we must keep everyone here until all the judge's needs have been met."

"Guess we're stuck here," she shot a glare at the front desk. "Fucking Cheryl.”

 Just then, Sirius' phone pinged.

JP: Tell her I at least need 2 take her 2 dinner first. 

Sirius laughed and showed his screen to Lily.

Lily fake gasped as if shocked by James’ response, "How old-fashioned!"

SB: She says you're old-fashioned. 

There was a reply almost instantly.

JP: Does she like old-fashioned? 

Lily, reading over his shoulder, told Sirius, "Tell James I prefer my men in colonial wigs."

JP: Tell her I only wear the white wig when on stand. 

Lily's laughter bubbled louder at Sirius' reply, and she reached out her hand, gesturing for his phone. Sirius gladly handed it over to the blushing woman, who appeared thoroughly amused by James' (admittedly weak) retorts. Her fingers danced across the screen as she typed away eagerly. James responded just as eagerly, causing the phone to buzz animatedly in her hands.

After what felt like an eternity, Lily tossed the phone back to Sirius with a satisfied grin. As he scrolled through the messages, a knowing smirk played at the corners of his lips.

SB: Hey Judge Judy, do you have the power to dismiss us from this Hell? - Lily 

JP: Hello Lily. Unfortunately, I can't dismiss you unless you're picked. 

SB: So now we have to HOPE we get picked?! 

JP: I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. / If it makes you feel any better, you'll be paid for being here. 

SB: Yeah, like, fifteen dollars. 

JP: Maybe they'll buy you all lunch. / Probably not though, because our government has budget cuts. 

SB: Aren't you supposed to be judging people right now, not ruining my hopes and dreams? 

JP: Actually yes, but this attorney has been going on for literal hours about the color of someone's shoes, and I lost interest about three days ago, so I'm texting under my desk. 

SB: Is that not against some judge's code of law or something? 

JP: Probably, but I don't always follow the rules. 

SB: And they let you be a judge? 

JP: A surprise to all, including my professors. 

"Well, I have to say," Sirius looked up at Lily, who was reading something on her own phone now that she’d passed his back, "James hasn't held a conversation with a girl this long in a while."

"Not the conversation type?" she hummed, not looking up from her phone.

"He's more the 'kiss don't tell' type," Sirius commented slyly, seeing her neck turn red at the suggestion.

"He just told me that you're the 'kiss don't tell' type," Lily looked up with a smirk.

Sirius frowned, "Wait, are you texting him?"

Lily sniggered and showed her phone screen. Sirius' jaw dropped when he saw that she had her text open to a certain chat with a contact named ‘Judge James’.

Sirius rubbed his eye, trying not to laugh again. "You really labeled him as Judge James?"

"I considered Judge Judy," she crossed one leg over the other casually, "but he convinced me otherwise."

Sirius ran his fingers through his long black hair in disbelief, "I can't believe you got his number."

"Sent it to myself, didn't I?" Lily grinned as she turned her phone back so she could reply to whatever text had just come in. "I had to ask him if he was a Republican or Democrat."

"Politics?" Sirius mused, "Interesting topic."

"I'm not going to have sex with someone who voted for Trump."

"You want to have sex with the judge, Evans? I'm appalled."

"You're the one who suggested it," Lily replied as she kept texting. "Don't worry, I've bargained for your freedom from Jury Duty in the contract."

"There's a contract?" Sirius couldn't believe how much Lily and James had spoken about in the last forty minutes.

"According to him," Lily replied as she smiled at a meme James had sent her. 

The woman from the front desk came over the intercom, and the noise in the room quieted considerably. Lily even dropped her phone screen from her face.

"We've just received news from one of our judges, and he might have needed another juror group around one in the afternoon. Now would be the time to get some lunch. Please be aware that if you drive out of the parking garage, you will be subject to fees pertaining to parking. It is our suggestion that you go to one of the restaurants on this street."

"So we can't drive," Lily groaned. "I guess I'll go to the Subway down the road and have a bland sandwich."

"Nah," Sirius stood up and stretched. "Let's go to the bar."

Lily's interest peaked. "A bar?"

"You did say you'd like to get drunk before volunteering as a tribute for the Hunger Games," he reminded her.

"I mean, I won't say no to getting a drink or two."

"It's a date."

"Will James be on lunch then as well?" she asked as she stood up.

Sirius shrugged. "It depends on his case."

"What is his case?" Lily asked as she and Sirius made their way out of the tiny room and down a set of stairs.

"Probably murder," Sirius griped. "Old lady killed her husband after he offended her cat Mr. Snuffles."

"Poor Mr. Snuffles," Lily sighed dramatically. "He didn't stand a chance."

Lily walked ahead, smiling at everyone they passed politely. Sirius felt totally relaxed around her, like they’d been friends for ages and not just a few hours. That didn’t normally happen, not with him at least. Sirius' phone went off again, and he checked it with interest.

JP: So really, how pretty is she? Because right now, based on her texts, I'm in love. 

SB: Discernibly average. 

JP: Sirius. 

SB: James. 

JP: This case is taking forever. I should get lunch. Where are you headed? 

SB: A bar. She's a riot and wants to get drunk. 

JP: She said you dared her. / I bet she’s so pretty. / What color are her eyes? 

SB: Ugly 

JP: I hate you. 

"Sirius, what's the bar called?" Lily pulled Sirius away from his phone.

They stepped outside into the cool October air, with Lily standing there, her phone in her hands as she tried to navigate directions around the courthouse. Other jurors on lunch strolled around them. Lily's red hair fluttered in the wind, and her eyes sparkled, full of life. At that moment, Sirius knew that when James finally met this woman, he'd be a fool not to fall in love. Sirius decided to make himself comfortable around his best friend's future girlfriend.

"I dunno, Evans," he complained. "That's what Google Maps is for."

Lily stood there for a few more moments, typing into her phone. "James says there's a bar on Mayberry and Castle."

"Let's go then," Sirius motioned for Lily to lead the way.

Lily gave a pretty little cheer before heading towards the pillars that led to the streets. Apparently, she had been downtown enough to know where the streets were. She led Sirius about a block away from the courthouse and through a short alleyway. A small bar called Thickens sat between a beauty parlor and a convenience shop. Lily opened the wooden door, and the smell of cigarettes and cinnamon wafted over Sirius as he entered the dimly lit bar.

Once they had their drinks, Sirius eyed the red-haired woman with interest. "So, tell me about yourself, Evans."

Lily took a swig of her cider. "Well," she said with pursed lips, "I grew up an hour south of here in a small town, hated it there, and moved away."

"What a great story," Sirius faked astonishment. "Lifetime movie material."

Lily smirked. "You got a better one, Black?"

Sirius nodded solemnly. "I was disowned by my super conservative family for refusing an arranged marriage to my second cousin, dropped out of school due to depression, and relocated here to be with my best mate."

Rather than pulling away from Sirius, like most people did, Lily leaned in closer. "Sounds like you've had a rough time – but does your sibling despise you with every fiber of their being for no discernable reason?"

Sirius took up her challenge. "My younger brother Regulus didn't break free from the family like I did – he tragically passed away. Took his own life, actually. In his final words he blamed me for his misery."

She took another hearty swig of her drink. "Could've used a happier twist."

Sirius cracked his knuckles. "Well, I was adopted by my best friend's family, and we sing about rainbows and sunshine every night before bed, so I’m pretty happy now."

"What a charmed existence," Lily remarked, her sharp green eyes holding a depth of intelligence Sirius rarely encountered. 

“I bet your life is all butterflies,” Sirius surmised, playfully nudging her to give up her story. 

Lily looked at the ceiling before sighing and stating out loud, "My father passed away four months ago, my sister disowned me for apparently killing him, and just last week, my cat Argus met his end after darting out and being struck by a bus."

Sirius had to hand it to this girl, she was not shy, nor was she afraid of judgments. She’d be the perfect match for James, and made the perfect friend to help Sirius gang up on James with. 

"Are we in a contest for the most miserable life?" Sirius sloshed his drink in his cup to ‘cheers’ her.

"No, just bonding over our shared trauma," Lily offered with a wink.

"That's more like it."

She lightly touched his arm with her bottle. "And what about James?" she asked playfully. "Is he the epitome of perfection?"

"He snores like a freight train and has a penchant for fast cars," Sirius replied. "Not exactly my cup of tea."

Sirius laughed as she took another swig. "Cheers."

Lily requested another cider, having polished off her first. Both of them sat staring at the screens, lost in their own thoughts. Sirius often utilized his tales to dissuade others, and it was rare for anyone to stick around. Yet James had stayed. Remus had stayed. Peter had stayed until he found something more enticing. And now, this girl—this randomly selected girl in jury duty—didn't even flinch when he recounted his story. Sirius downed his whiskey as Lily concluded her second cider.

"Keep pace, Black," she teased.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "I challenge you to try and outdrink me."

"I never back down from a challenge," Lily winked as she lowered the bottle from her lips. "If I'm going to endure another six hours in that infernal jury room, I might as well have some fun."

Sirius clinked his glass with hers. "This marks the beginning of a splendid friendship, Evans."

Lily had no objections to that. "We should play a fun drinking game to celebrate this momentous friendship."

"How much fun are you thinking?" Sirius asked. 

"Take a sip for every time your family has let you down?" Lily proposed.

"I'd be drunk really quickly if we used those rules."

"Me too," Lily raised her bottle in his direction. "Cheers to that."

He finished his whiskey and downed three more, a testament to Sirius's renowned tolerance for alcohol. Meanwhile, Lily, slightly tipsy and giggly, leaned on Sirius's arm as they made their way back to the courthouse. She looked at the world with a contented sigh, expressing her joy at the strangest things. She was like a breath of fresh air, as much as he loved hanging out with his other friends. Sirius didn't have too many friends who were girls, in fact. 

"I'm so happy we crossed paths," she declared, "And I plan on charming your best friend to help us out of this situation."

Sirius chuckled, guiding her through the courthouse door. "You think flirting with a judge might get us kicked out?"

"It'd be a relief," Lily replied as they ascended the staircase to the jury room, "Considering I've been trying to flee since seven thirty this morning when Cheryl had us singing the national anthem."

"I challenge you to sing it again, but this time to Cheryl," Sirius proposed.

"Really?" Lily whispered, briefly checking her reflection on her phone screen.

"They might actually send you packing," Sirius mused.

"I'm game," Lily affirmed, determination flashing across her features. "Anything to escape this place, but you're coming with me."

Sirius couldn't suppress his laughter as she broke free from his embrace and twirled up the stairs. Her red hair billowed behind her, and she collided with a messy-haired boy in black robes and thick glasses. Sirius recognized him instantly, though Lily and James were strangers to each other.

James caught Lily's shoulders, steadying her with a half-smile. "You alright?"

"Oops, sorry!" Lily giggled, withdrawing from James's grasp and dancing excitedly down the hall toward Cheryl. "Let's go, Sirius, we're getting kicked out of jury duty!"

"Right behind you, Evans!"

James Potter turned to see Sirius striding confidently, while Lily charged ahead, oblivious to the fact that she had just bumped into Judge James without a second glance. James ran his fingers through his hair, further tousling the black curls as he watched Sirius and then Lily disappear down the corridor.

"Is that—" James began.

"Indeed it is," Sirius confirmed as he passed James to join Lily.

"Fuck me, she's gorgeous," came James' less than eloquent reply.

As Sirius followed Lily into the jury room, he couldn't believe his eyes. Lily wasn't just walking in, she was belting out the national anthem at the top of her lungs. Sirius was beside himself with laughter as the entire room turned to watch Lily make her grand entrance, serenading the women at the front desk. Cheryl, in particular, looked utterly mortified as Lily proudly delivered the country's anthem with unexpected gusto and bursts of laughter.

"Oooooh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light!" Lily's rendition sounded like a distressed whale.

Sirius couldn't fathom how he ended up in jury duty with this wild woman, but he was grateful nonetheless, thoroughly entertained as Lily sang directly in front of Cheryl, sporting wide arms and a terrible dance.

"Ma'am, please, have a seat!" Cheryl pleaded. "What on Earth are you doing? Someone, call security!"

"Damn," Sirius chuckled, still unable to contain his amusement, as he reached out to gently pull Lily away from Cheryl's murderous glare. "I can't believe you actually went through with that dare."

"I never back down from a dare," Lily declared before glaring at Cheryl. "Can we go, please?"

Cheryl stood up, shaking her finger at Lily and Sirius. "You can't leave until all the judges' needs have been fulfilled."

Lily glared unhappily at Cheryl. "You fetch Judge James, Cheryl, and I'll ensure his 'needs' are taken care of."

Sirius doubled over, struggling to contain his laughter. James would surely be in stitches when he hears about Lily's drunken declaration of fulfilling his needs.

"Are you intoxicated?" Cheryl implored, eyes wide with horror. 

"Me? Intoxicated?" Lily chuckled, shooting Sirius a mysterious glance. "Not at all."

"She's definitely drunk," Cheryl pointed out to someone entering behind Sirius.

"I only had, like, two beers," Lily countered as security brought out a Breathalyzer. "That's hardly enough to get me wasted."

"Please, escort her out," Cheryl pleaded with security. "She's disrupting the proceedings for everyone!"

Sirius couldn't agree less; the room was either erupting in laughter or capturing Lily's antics on their phones. She had the entire room on her side, some people were even asking if they could leave too. Sirius had a sneaking suspicion that Lily might be able to get anyone to do what she wanted, she just had a certain charisma to her that most people dreamed about having. 

Undeterred, Lily continued, "Cheryl, listen. I'm all for the death penalty, so you might as well send me home—"

Cheryl motioned to the security guard, who seemed perplexed by Lily's behavior. "Come on, remove her from here!"

"Only a judge can dismiss a juror," the security guard reminded Cheryl, pointing out the rule she was so keen on enforcing.

"I want her out of my jury room!" Cheryl demanded. "She's mocking our national anthem, she's threatening to prostitute herself out of jury duty, and she's drunk!"

Sirius really couldn't keep a straight face as he pulled out his phone to contact James as quickly as humanly possible. 

SB: James, your future girlfriend is going to get arrested. 

JP: Someone just came into my courtroom complaining about a drunken woman in the jury room. Please tell me it was her. 

SB: I mean, it would've been fine, but then I dared her to sing the national anthem to everyone in the room and she did it.

JP: I'm going to marry this girl.

Sirius looked up from his phone to see Lily struggling against the hold of a policeman, her green eyes narrowed with frustration. He immediately turned to the woman at the front desk, Cheryl.

"Hey," he beamed dramatically, using all the Sirius Black charm he could muster. "So, my friend there isn't drunk. I swear. I dared her to sing to you. No harm meant. It was just for a bit of laughs."

"It won't be so funny when she's facing fines or jail time," Cheryl warned.

Lily let out a derisive snort. "Relax, Cheryl."

Sirius turned away from the desk to shoot Lily a disapproving glare, finding her lack of cooperation exasperating. Meanwhile, Lily was growing increasingly agitated with the security guard attempting to administer a Breathalyzer test. Sirius had little doubt that if they managed to get a reading, Lily wouldn't come out sober. Hell, he wouldn't either.

"You have no evidence that I'm intoxicated!" Lily snapped, her nose wrinkling with frustration. "We were just trying to pass the time because we've been stuck here all day!"

"Please, blow into this breathalyzer, Miss," the officer insisted, appearing as though he'd rather be anywhere else.

Join the club , Sirius thought.

"No way!" Lily exclaimed, pushing the breathalyzer away from her mouth. "I won't give you ammunition to use against me in court."

Suddenly, the double doors swung open again, and Sirius felt a surge of relief at the sight of James entering. Cheryl seemed relieved too, but James's attention was solely focused on Lily, his eyes brimming with joy. Sirius marveled at how James hadn’t even officially met the girl and was already getting heart-eyes like right out of a comic book. 

"Alright, alright, what's happening here?" James interjected as he approached from the staircase, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I came up here to dismiss everyone from jury duty, and now there's all this commotion about some drunken escapade. Where was my invite to the party?"

"She won't breathe into the breathalyzer, Your Honor." The policeman motioned in frustration to Lily, who had her arms crossed and mouth squeezed shut like a child at the dentist.

"Why does she need to be breathalyzed?" James asked. 

"We believe she's been drinking." Cheryl stated firmly, glaring at Lily with all her power. 

"But you have no proof?" James noted, shrugging nonchalantly. 

"She was just singing the national anthem at the top of her lungs." Cheryl deadpanned, “and you want to tell me she’s sober?”

"I'm actually just really super patriotic," Lily muttered resentfully, and Sirius had to clamp a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't laugh out loud again. 

The same couldn't be said for James, who laughed out loud at Lily's cheek. "She has a point," James said to the police officer with a chortle. "It's not illegal to sing the national anthem."

"She smells like the bar," the officer said pointedly.

"I smell like cheap beer and disappointment too.” James said, tilting his head dangerously, “You want to breathalyze me?"

"Of course not, Your Honor," the police officer said irately. "But you wouldn't show up to a courthouse drunk."

"That you know of," Lily hissed loudly enough for everyone to hear, staring at her fingernails, not quite realizing which judge was standing before her.

"Miss, we can't have drunks running around the courthouse," the policeman hissed. "Please just—"

"Let me talk to the offender," James ordered in his deep tone, reminding Sirius how menacing James could be when he tried.

"Alright then." The policeman motioned for James to proceed, releasing his grip on Lily's elbow.

Sirius observed as James turned towards Lily, a smile spreading across his face. James stuffed his hands into his robes, wearing the goofiest grin imaginable before coyly greeting, "Hello, Lily."

Lily's eyes widened, and her complexion paled. "Shit."

Sirius wished he could etch every moment of this day into his memory, especially the look on Lily's face when she realized who the judge was.

James's hazel eyes danced with playful amusement. "Yes, it's me, Judge James."

"Judge... James?" Lily's surprise was palpable.

James inclined his head towards Lily, causing her cheeks to flush once more. "Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," he said, offering his hand to her. "I'm the one who upholds the rules around here."

Lily hesitated, eyeing his outstretched hand. "Well, I'm in trouble now."

"And why is that?" James asked, a hint of amusement evident in his voice.

"Because you're hot," Lily quipped, a mischievous smirk gracing her lips as she finally accepted his handshake. “Got any handcuffs?”

James snorted, but Sirius could tell he was pleased by the compliment. "You don't have to butter me up, Evans. I'm letting you off the hook."

"Your Honor, she's clearly inebriated," the security guard interjected anxiously. "That goes against the code—"

James cut him off. "it's not just her, all these people are released from jury duty."

Lily let go of James’ hand and danced in place. "What? You're serious? We’re free?"

"You're released from jury duty," James confirmed with a nod. "You can go."

"Finally," Lily sighed happily, turning to Sirius with a triumphant look. "And I didn't even have to sleep with the judge!"

"I really hope that's not ruled out completely," James remarked shrewdly, earning an aghast look from the security guard. 

"Not completely," Lily shrugged. "But I thought you had to take me to dinner first."

Before James could respond, Lily (who was most definitely drunk off her ass) grabbed a fistful of James' robes and kissed him squarely on the mouth. For a second James remained motionless, and then he responded in full, his hands gathering up in her hair to anchor Lily to his lips. Cheryl almost had a heart attack when she came out around the desk to find Lily wrapped up in James' arms. And James was thoroughly enjoying it. All Sirius knew is that James took entirely too long "walking Evans back to her car" after they’d finished swapping spit. 

James faced repercussions from his boss for delaying an unresolved court case.

Lily was reprimanded for causing a scene and was slapped with a fifteen-dollar fine.

Sirius successfully dodged jury duty and found the entire outcome enjoyable.

Plus, Sirius had gotten another friend out of it. 

A week later, Lily and Sirius sat at the kitchen table engrossed in a fierce game of Monopoly, determined to outmaneuver each other, when James returned home from work. He hung his bag on the back of Lily's chair and leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. Sirius made a show of gagging before making his move in the game, eliciting a string of curses from Lily directed at his family name. 

Sirius just flipped her off and took more of her money in the process. 

“I love you both.” James chuckled at their playful banter before slipping his arms around her frame and planting his chin on her skull like a headrest. 

"So, still gainfully employed?" Lily inquired, Sirius knew she was legitimately concerned that her antics might have jeopardized James’ job.

"Nah," James replied. "I'm the only one there who actually cares about the cases. They can't afford to let me go, despite Cheryl's complaints."

"What does that woman have to complain about," Lily remarked as she navigated her way around the Monopoly board. 

"Cheryl, swears she witnessed you 'assaulting' James…” Sirius teased Lily, kicking her lightly under the table. 

“Yeah cause I was,” Lily said proudly, “with my mouth."

"Cheryl was way out of line with that accusation," James stated with a roll of his eyes. "It was quite evident that I was reciprocating the assult. 100% consensual assault of the mouths."

Lily leaned into James's touch. "It's not my fault that I'm utterly irresistible."

"Yeah, that would've held up in court," Sirius said, watching as James nibbled Lily's neck unashamedly. "God, you two are like lovebirds. It's nauseating."

Lily winked at Sirius as she tilted her head for James to get better access to her bare skin. "Feel free to leave."

"And let you have sex on our kitchen table?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Absolutely not."

"You two are iconic now, you know," James told them, pure joy practically bouncing off him. "Cheryl has taken to warning every juror that enters the courtroom that there will be no drinking before, or during, jury duty."

"Why does she feel she has the right to tell people not to drink?" Lily asked with a self-righteous shrug.

James hummed. "Apparently, you're supposed to serve your time in court sober."

"I bet she says you shouldn't sleep with the judge either," Lily mocked, looking up at James and batting her eyes.

"Probably, but I don't always follow the rules," James said, kissing her full on the mouth.

When he pulled back, Lily was beaming.

"And they let you be a judge?" she teased him, running her fingers through his black hair.

To Sirius, James had never looked happier in his entire life. "For some reason, they deemed me trustworthy."

Sirius swallowed a bit of whiskey before reminding the couple, "Don't forget the sorry bastard who introduced you two."

He wasn't sorry, not at all, especially when they all walked down the street to a Chinese takeout forty minutes later. Lily had one arm in James' embrace and her other arm wrapped around Sirius as they discussed what movie they were going to watch over dinner. They would joke about ‘The Incident’ for years after, the story always becoming more melodramatic with each theatrical retelling. It was Sirius’ favorite story to tell, and he recited it at their wedding two years later. 

“And it all started because I got called to jury duty…”

[aalyre]

I actually didn't view Kevin as a coward myself until recently. Seeing Nora say Neil wouldn't have left Jean at the Nest changed the way I saw Kevin. I don't think anything can change my mind now tbh.

Especially because in some ways, like the other anon said, it could have been harder for Neil to stay. He would have been property like Jean, unlike Kevin. He wouldn't have gotten to travel or leave the Nest or been loved by the public, etc. He probably would have endured similar physical, psychological, and sexual abuse that Jean did.

I know it's hard to say who has it worse in the Nest (and cults in general). But I know for certain if somebody told me I had to join one and I had the choice of being 2nd/3rd in the hierarchy (depends on whether you count Tetsuji), or being even lower than dead last, like I'm literal property of the cult and its leaders... I'm choosing 2nd/3rd...

Not one of the others anons btw- just to avoid any confusion haha 😅

hi!! i can actually see that, but i think for me i don’t really count levels of cowardice based on whether he stayed or not.

don’t get me wrong, i think that the way he did it, using jean and all, wasn’t the bravest thing at all.

but i actually think that leaving in the first place was a brave act. especially when the nest was what he knew best, and in the series we see this very clearly in the way that he acts (still has some raven reflexes/habits)

i do think neil would have stayed (based on his personality not was nora said) but is it bravery? or recklessness? because we know neil has a tendency of putting himself in very dangerous/mortal situations, and i’m not sure that this equals bravery to me (not yet set on this, would need a ten hours discussion)

my bottom line is that i feel we could argue that neil is also a coward in some ways, but in the end no one really thinks that because his ultimate choices are bold, and this boldness i believe is a mix of recklessness and courage (i personally don’t think i see neil as a coward either, but he fits the comparison)

i think kevin is similar to him in that sense, but without the recklessness. he’s not reckless that’s for sure. he’s cautious, prudent in the way he acts (mostly in front of the public eye)

i also dont believe that kevin should have stayed in the nest for jean. like i get the whole, he left him there alone, and i totally agree that using him was wrong (as jean said, he didn’t have to slit his throat on the way out) but staying wouldn’t have made him brave to me.

i’ll make a small comparison that might not talk to you and then i’ll stop bc this is becoming way too long but basically i’m in the marauders fandom and there is a similar situation where Sirius Black left his abusive home (House of Black) and “left” his little brother Regulus Black behind. and there is a huge discourse about who was right (sirius for saving himself although he left his brother who wouldn’t come with him, or regulus for resenting him for leaving/thinking sirius should have stayed) but one thing everyone agrees on is that Sirius is one of the bravest characters.

kevin and sirius black are very different but basically i don’t believe that one can mesure cowardice/braveness on whether someone stays of leaves an abusing household. in the end it’s about survival and i’m not sure that bravery/cowardice have a place in survival.

anyway i liked reading about ur pov so thank you!! and pls don’t hesitate to tell me more. also thank u for specifying about the anon because i admit i wasn’t sure ahaha

[ohodie]

my great and canon moonwater headcanon 👍

ok so around 5th year remus is like “hm. i’m lowk down bad for sirius black” and he has his little queer werewolf crisis and in 6th year he kinda becomes his sneaky link lowk!

sirius and remus get drunk af and decide to go up to the astronomy tower for shits and gigs! but guess who’s up there??? regulus…

they’re like “oh soz” and they leave, but remus is kind of like “hmmm that’s weird xx” so he comes back up the next day without sirius, and regulus is still there!

regulus is like “why the fuck r u here cunt??” and remus is like “mmm cause i want to be xx”

they chat a little bit and get a little stoned bc remus doesn’t really have any bad blood with regulus. they’re chill.

eventually it gets to like 1am and remus goes “why do you come up here?”. regulus is super quiet and gets all fidgety. remus is like “ohhhh u come up here to reminisce over a girl and be all romeo and juliet core”

regulus is like “no that’s stupid as fuck. i come up here to think about how i stupid i am.”

remus says “why r u stupid” and then regulus goes on a giant tangent while remus is just sitting there. eventually regulus accidentally spills that he is confusingly attracted to someone and he’s soooo irritated and angry at himself for it!! and remus is like “who?!!!” and regulus is like ummm im not telling u

they chat a bit more and it becomes like… a nightly tradition. a week goes by and reggie admits that he’s weirdly into james potter. he didn’t even think he liked men until he kissed barty crouch drunk and on a dare one time. remus is super shocked!! jaw on the floor!

but he’s supportive and he’s like “i get it lol. i’m down bad for ur brother”

regulus is like “ohhh that’s why u came up here a few nights ago x. i thought he was dating a girl tho”

and remus is like “yeah he is 👍 he’s two timing 🤭”

they get a lot closer after that and they just sit and pity each other, regulus loathing himself for being so infatuated with someone he hates and talked to a maximum of TWO TIMES! remus loathing himself for letting himself fall in love with someone who doesn’t want to be seen with him doing anything slightly romantic.

they get very close and help eachother with school work, their crushes, etc… and they honestly become good friends. neither of them would admit it though.

regulus’s crush remains unrequited and completely secret as james starts finally dating lily in their last year of school. and then he becomes a death eater lol xx

remus is like “well maybe he was coerced into it!!” because he literally was and regulus told him so. but sirius is like “… no he is a full blood supremacist…”

remus misses their nightly chats after graduating hogwarts and when the news comes out that he died, he had no choice but to honour his wishes and their secrecy by refusing to expose their friendship xx

[moonstruckme]

Hi lovie a lil request if u pls! I would love to see Sirius (but could also be down with one of the other boys if ur not feeling him) with a gf who has a migraine and just him doting on her

alternatively could also do it's like early in the relationship and she tries to hide it from him?

Thanks for requesting!

cw: modern au, migraine

Sirius Black x fem!reader ♡ 997 words

You decide to text Sirius rather than braving the lights and sounds of the living room. You keep your phone brightness on low, clicking your screen off as soon as it’s sent. 

Do you have any painkillers I could use?

You feel guilty for commandeering Sirius’ bedroom like this. You’re supposed to be cooking dinner together, but when you came home with the groceries you’d asked meekly if he’d mind if you napped for a while. He offered to make it himself so it’ll be ready when you get up. You sort of dread when that will be. You know you’d feel better back at your own place, but you don’t trust yourself to drive like this, with pain taking all your concentration and spots and lines flashing across your vision, so instead you’re spoiling the evening you and Sirius had planned together. Now you’re asking him to wait on you, too. 

Sirius doesn’t respond to your text, but you hear him moving. The soft thump of footsteps coming down the hall and the quiet sshk of a drawer coming open. 

“Just a nap, huh?” he murmurs as he comes into the bedroom. He sits by your knees on the bed, shaking a couple of pills into his hand. “Does something hurt, lovely?”

“Yeah,” you manage a hoarse whisper as he passes you the pills and the glass of water he’s brought you. “Sorry. My head.” 

“I thought something might be wrong,” he admits, keeping his voice low. “You got awfully quiet earlier. Why didn’t you say?”

You set the glass on his nightstand after downing the pills. Cover your eyes with the hand cool with condensation. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ruin our night.” 

Sirius tuts softly. “Don’t worry about that.” His hand finds your forehead, first feeling for a fever and then brushing a few pieces of hair back from your eyes, but he stops when your face tightens. “It’s quite bad?” 

You make a low humming sound. “It’s a migraine. I get them, sometimes.” 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Sirius takes his hand away from you, though by the pain in his voice it costs him to do it. “I’m sorry. What can I do?”

“I just need to lie with it for a bit. Hopefully it’ll calm down. I have things to help at home, but I don’t think I can make it there right now.” 

“What sort of things?” 

You tell him, admittedly somewhat short in your speech. Sirius doesn’t seem to mind. He leaves you to rest afterwards, and you hardly hear him again until nearly an hour later. You think dinner has to have long since been ready, but when Sirius comes back into his bedroom it’s not with food. 

You watch through slitted eyes as he creeps into the corner, plugging in a machine that starts billowing steam up into the room. He fiddles with it for a moment, and soon you’re aware of a familiar scent upon the air, floral and relaxing. 

“Did you get that from my place?” 

Sirius jumps, pressing a hand to his chest as he turns around. “Fuck, babe, I thought you were sleeping. No, I didn’t want to ask you to give me your key.” 

You look at the essential oil diffuser. “Huh. Looks just like mine.” 

“Well, good. Hopefully it’ll work just as well, then.” Sirius stands, typing something into his phone. “Do you think those binaural beats things will help right now, or will they keep you from falling asleep?” 

“M’not falling asleep anyway,” you mumble half bitterly, but your boyfriend only nods. He connects his phone to a small speaker and sets it by the bed. “Tell me you didn’t go buy a diffuser?”

Sirius looks at you, raising an eyebrow as a low, soothing thrum starts to emanate from the speaker on the nightstand. “Not sure what you want me to say then. Would you have rather I broke into your place to get one?”

“Sirius.” Your voice drops to a whisper. “You didn’t have to. That’s so sweet.” 

“Oh.” He brightens. “Good then. There’s a weighted mask in the freezer, too, by the way. Thought I’d give it a minute to chill first.” 

You’re starting to feel slightly teary, which isn’t really what you want during a migraine. “That’s really kind of you.” 

“Don’t mention it. Couldn’t have the world's loveliest girl suffering here in my own home, could I?” He smiles softly, looking like he’s going to reach for your face again before he stops himself. 

“You can touch me,” you say quietly. 

Sirius’ brows twitch together. “Yeah? Are you sure?” 

“Mhm. I feel a bit better than before.” 

“Could I kiss you as well?” 

You can’t stop your lips from curving, just a little. “Yeah.” 

Sirius smiles, too, pressing his lips gently to yours. He doesn’t stop there. “Better than before doesn’t seem quite well enough,” he murmurs as his affections grace your cheek, your closed eyelid, the space between your brows, “but we’ll get you there soon, I think. Remus sometimes has migraines, too. I called him and he said a massage might help, if it suits you. Just while your mask is getting cold.” 

“Yeah?” you ask on a breath. “I’ve never tried that.” 

“Do you wanna?”

You nod, and he gets you to roll onto your front, thumbs finding the tight muscles of your neck. It’s not a skillful massage, but Sirius is a quick learner, and soon you find the tension from your face to your shoulders relaxing from his ministrations. The air smells of lavender, the room pulses with a low, resounding hum, and Sirius’ touch bleeds affection into your skin. 

“Thank you for doing this,” you mumble, words slurred with relaxation. 

“Don’t know what you’re thanking me for,” he hums back. “I told you, I have the world’s loveliest girl right here in my own home. Great power comes with great responsibility and all that, right?”

You’re too enamored to even scoff.

[del-stars]

I'm about 2 chapters into prea hers dog.... I'm so sick I feel nauseous it's so good Jesus........ Ur actually an incredible writer..... Will report back🫡 I've been collecting certain passages I ❤. Also Regulus in this fic is actually perfect in my opinion.. Like u really captured him.

My favourite little line/idea so far was this->

It reminds me of turning like 8, that was the year we were meant to get communion, and kind of realizing and understanding the idea of sin and repentance and real guilt. The idea we were told of the 'timeline' to do with the seven sacraments and that was just when things happened. Looking back the idea is kinda weird lol, that all of a sudden you're responsible for every bad thing you'd ever done while still in early development and that you could just confess and it'd be undone. Like I remember asking the sister who taught religion and was preparing us for communion if, at confession, you could confess and repent for murder or other horrible things and it'd just be forgiven so easily just for admitting it and saying sorry, and they said anything could be. Anyways enough to be said that Regulus and Sirius and even their parents, both being raised and religious as they are, and in their own ways and levels, feel as though they can do much as long as they repent or be punished or justify it religiously, instead of just not doing it in the first place. They can avoid all of the poison in their blood and the want and need and sin as much as they can but they will always give in and they will always eventually break. And they just pretend like it's all okay. Will they ever feel truly punished by God for their sins or is the guilt that seeps through, despite what they do to "make up for it" (whether be justification or repentance), enough?

Also, just curious, which denomination are they supposed to be?

Anways sorry for the mini rant, I'll be on my way to reading more... VERY good absolutely 🫡🫡

IM SO EXCITED I DONT HAVE WORDSSSSSS IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS DAY

UGH ur so right because i do think it all changes when you're fkn like. eight years old and adults start telling you that you are fully responsible and to blame for every bad action and thought u do even tho u fr are eight years old. like it reminds me of that quote where someone asks a christian missionary like "would i have gone to hell if i didn't know about god?" and the missionary says "no, not if you didn't know" and the response is "then why would you tell me?" and ugh YES i also remember going to my religion teacher & being like. well what if i killed eight bajillion people. & they said babe as long as ur honest about it!!!!! sirius def hyperfixates on this idea of repentence and that like. anyone could do anything and as long as you say your sorry (to GOD, not necessarily the person you did wrong) it's fine. the idea of sin and confession is what drove me away from organised religion so i do love subverting with it and chatting shit about it bc imo the whole idea of it holds zero water at all. which is the position i want to put sirius in: trying really hard to grasp onto this and have it make sense because everyone is saying that it does, but it doesn't, so all he has are these meaningless phrases to repeat to himself

ohhh denominations hahahahahahahah ummm what a great question 😅😅 the truth of the matter is it's intentionally vague. i was raised catholic so that was inevitably going to work it's way in there but my father's family is southern baptist/lived in appalachia so i wanted that to be a part of it, too. i would say they're probably an offshoot of southern baptist? but also they live in such an isolated town & with only one church ur just kinda going along with whatever the preacher says. so i would imagine that they loosely define it as some form protestantism without a strict dedication to denomination

[juniperpyre]

writer wrapped

this is from @clare-with-no-i but yeah i thought it would be fun!! happy new year

it got long so everything under the cut

ur fav line u wrote this year

cheating with like 9 sentences from somewhere on lsd when jily meet because lily is lyinggggggg to herself girl stand UP.

"Handsome in a simple, obvious way, with blunt features and broad shoulders, the most remarkable thing about him was his smile. He met her eyes. Lily’s stomach flipped upside down and stayed that way. He wasn’t that special. There was a magnetism to him Lily had never experienced before. He was wearing slacks and a button-up like every other yuppie that came into the Snowy Owl. They fit him perfectly, his sleeves pushed past his elbows and the first few buttons undone. He and his friends were obnoxiously loud. They were laughing, genuinely, in a way that made Lily want to laugh with them."

saying james is handsome in a simple way. like it's simple because he's literally perfect for you. and the back and forth is so funny she's so adverse to experiencing a connection but it's undeniable

scene u wrote this year

honorable mention to priest james and vampire lily bent over his lap in the pew (ch 2 of earth after rain). favorite smut scene for sure.

& in this christmas thing where james asking lily and severus to join him in hogsmeade that fucking cracked me up. james is soooo dismissive to severus and they're both rude to each other but james is just so much more cool and collected. i think the flaws of all 3 of their characters and how the flaws play off each other really come through in the scene too.

but my true favorite is the first part of the second chapter in the sun and the storm. bc it made me cry to write. and i think i invoked the emotions well in such a short passage. plus james is always born after lily, and he always.... yeah

chapter u wrote this year

broooo i dunno. maybe chapter 3 or 6 of earth after rain?

chapter 3 has james admitting to sirius that lily could make him do anything she wants, lily putting her vampire-ness and intention to eat james on the table, the internal thoughts of lily when she's washing up and how james intrigues her, and it has james just desperately wanting her to drink from him.

it was high drama and i think it characterized everyone so well.

and then in chapter 6 both are working through their complicated, fucked up feelings for the other. they're both confused and angry and questions the foundations of who they are! lily is emotionally vulnerable! they have the craziest "what are we?" "can we be exclusive" conversation that i think has ever been written!

one shot u wrote this year

might be supercut... fabian/lily my loves. this is wildly unpopular so it's truly just for me. a real, pure love.

i am always pushing the fabily agenda. perhaps i'll write a bit about lily's relationships (in order, marlene, fabian, james) and what they mean/how they impacted her. it's really all centered around lily as a character (i don't think james had a deeply meaningful romantic relationship besides lily)

fic u planned this year or idea or whatever

planned and executed, earth after rain. shocked that i finished something in like two months. and it's almost novel length.

planned and have not executed, the jily orpheus and eurydice au. i have the whole plot outlined, tho not a full chapter outline. this is not winning my what should i write next year poll but god. it really pulls at something in me.

fav comment u got

perhaps uncertainwallflower's comment on the last chapter of the sun and the storm, the earth after rain epilogue, which is a long comment but quoted one of the lines from that chapter I really enjoyed (about the weird smell of james' dead body!) and was just so sweet about the whole series

honorable mention goes to Nina (a guest so I have literally no clue who) for calling earth after rain jily a messy elderly couple

honorable mention to soupcrackers for saying somewhere on lsd is one of their comfort fics

fav thing that inspired u

the beautiful city of chicago (somewhere on lsd) the beautiful art of maleuch (earth after rain)

[rizzulusarcturizz]

what’s some of ur james head canons ?

james fleamont potter my darling boy!!!

-LOVES learning about the muggle world; particularly their entertainment like music, movies, tv shows, etc. He’s absolutely enthralled the first time he goes to a movie theatre!

-He’s a great cook but only if he’s cooking the recipes his parents taught him. He’s not very good at following recipes out of a book but he’s got all the family recipes memorized. If you asked him to write it down his measurements would look like “a little” or “not too much” because he does NOT measure that shit out.

-He absolutely loves listening to people talk about things they’re passionate about. He doesn’t understand the first thing about smart but he really loves listening to Regulus get passionate about techniques and meaning even if he doesn’t fully get it.

-One of his biggest flaws is that he’s extremely self-righteous; his parents taught him a strict set of morals and he doesn’t understand why people might make “bad” decisions. It puts him in conflict with others, especially Regulus and Remus, who would resent the fact that he can’t see how his privilege allows him to safely make “good” decisions.

-ALWAYS BEEFING WITH BARTY CROUCH JUNIOR!!!! Like yes obviously over Regulus but even before Regulus was in the equation they butted heads. They just can’t agree on anything, and when they do agree on something they refuse to admit it out of principle.

-Loves quidditch but isn’t interested in going pro; he would become the wizarding equivalent of a social worker. Seeing the way that the system allowed Sirius and Regulus to be abused would be something that really deeply impacts him. The idea that their government could let people do terrible things because they’re rich and powerful would keep him up at night.

-The first thing that draws him to Regulus might be his hero complex (and superficially Regulus is a very pretty boy) but ends up being amazed by all the things Regulus silently does for the people he loves. James has a way of making a show of things because he tends to have big feelings; Regulus doesn’t want recognition but has very staunch loyalty to the people he loves. They both make each other feel very seen; James for noticing Reg’s silent displays of love and Regulus for recognizing that James wants to take care of people but still calling him out for the condescending nature of a hero complex.

[orbitfalls]

🧠 lily evans…. my tragic girl (4 the ask game!!) also bonus and not a character but pandalily if u ship ( am also intrigued by ur bartylily hc’s if u have any delicious ones >:) )

hi anon!! this ask had a little sleepover here in my inbox cuz i was on vacation, but ask and i shall supply!!!!

MY best lily hc is not a hc at all, it's a little AU idea i like to play around with in my head but will probably never write. the concept is this: harry and james are both killed that night on halloween, but lily survives, is framed for the murder, and imprisoned in azkaban instead of sirius. she manages to break out of there with a personal vendetta against both voldemort AND dumbledore (who got her imprisoned the same way he did sirius in canon) that she intends to make everybody's problem, and thereby takes her own side entirely in the war. i like to think she plays it lowkey in the beginning, infiltrating hogwarts barty-style to manipulate students and spy on dumbledore. here, she would meet barty (they both would be both quick & paranoid enough to see through each other's disguises i think), and i think their interests would align to a degree that would surprise even themselves. i imagine she'd eventually seek out voldemort through him and meet bellatrix, creating a (to me) dead interesting trio-dynamic of the three most devoted characters in canon. and i think they should destroy the world together. and take over hogwarts. anyway this is getting long but feel free to come throw me an ask about it and i'll love to elaborate more if youre interested!!!

now for pandalily, i'll admit i'm not the world's biggest shipper, but it's mostly just because theyre a little TOO different imo, and i don't find them all too compatible. i think lily is a deeply loyal and devoted character, and i think pandora is the exact opposite of that - i think she's extremely emotionally detached, impulsive and untamed. i think lily might be fascinated by pandora the way she would by a fictional character, and that maybe she might even develop some sort of projective 'this could be me if i stopped worrying what others thought' kind of crush, but i don't think it would ever get further than that, and i think pandora would be indifferent about lily entirely. imo pandalily works when both characters (tho mostly pandora) are watered down, and i do enjoy the ship, but i prefer the characters more extreme!!!

bartylily works better to me because theyre both sort of spun around the same core devotion, but still manage to compensate for each other's flaws, which i think gives them a really compelling dynamic. it's hard for me to even point at a specific hc cuz the captivating thing to me is the correlation between their characters that everybody somehow missed until the bartylily movement randomly began rising on tumblr not too long ago. i just know they would go a little too hard on the academic rivalry, everybody thinks they hate each other until one day you see them sharing a joint behind the greenhouses on the lawn and you realise that hatred is such a precise and severe emotion to these two people that it is both crucial- and entirely detached from both their characters, and whatever it is that they share, it has nothing to do with hatred and everything to do with boredom. i think they pick fights in classes and purposely take opposite stand points simply for the thrill of it, because theyre both bored out of their minds.