A/N: Depending on the response I get to this (i.e. reviews), this may or may not be a short one. Let me know what you think! Don't forget to review!
Chapter 1 – Of BroomsticksOf all the sneaky, underhanded, vile things Sirius Black had done in our last six years at Hogwarts, this was by far the worst. Worse than the time he hexed the words 'Lusty Lucy' on the back of every robe I owned, and the time I spent a month in the hospital wing re-growing my nose and ears thanks to his botched attempt at a vanishing spell. I was still fuming over that last one. I hadn't been able to smell properly for weeks.
But this time, he'd gone too far. Nobody messed with my broom, especially the day before our match against Slytherin. I stalked through the corridors towards the Gryffindor common room, looking, I'd imagine, very much like a badger zeroing in on its prey. I passed some frightened-looking second years and shoved an oblivious Ravenclaw out of my way before rounding the corner and climbing the moving staircase. Each step was another opportunity to stomp on Sirius' face. Finally, I reached the corridor where the Gryffindor common room was rumored to be. I slowed down and retreated nonchalantly into a shadowy alcove near a portrait of a grotesquely fat woman. Hopefully some unsuspecting Gryffindor would pass by and lead me to the common room.
Forty minutes later, I stood up from my cramped position on the floor, my knees cracking. The anger that had fueled my journey into Gryffindor territory was almost gone, disappearing with the last of the feeling in my legs. I had just decided to give up when the portrait of the enormous woman on my right swung open, nearly sending me careening into a suit of armour. I swallowed the gasp that had almost blown my cover. Two Gryffindor Prefects, Emily Thompson and Geoffrey Malcolm, hurried down the corridor, their heads bent together, fervently discussing something immensely boring.
I slipped through the diminishing crack between the portrait and the wall and entered the lion's den. Immediately, I was assaulted by the smell of dungbombs. The marauders were close—all I had to do was follow the stench. The common room, thankfully, was empty, so I climbed the stairs, following my nose. One door short of the top of the stairs, the smell intensified and I pushed the cracked door open a few inches more and peered into the dim room. Seated on the floor were the infamous marauders, all huddled over a cauldron, watching Remus Lupin stir the pungent contents.
"How much longer, Moony? I reckon we only have about five more minutes before Thompson and Malcolm return with McGonagall," worried Peter Pettigrew from his position next to the tawny-haired boy.
"Ten minutes," Remus muttered before dropping what looked like beetle wings into the mixture.
Sirius and James exchanged mischievous looks. "We could always set a few more dungbombs off downstairs. Worked like a charm the first time. The common room cleared in record time," James offered innocently.
"No!" Peter squeaked. "We'll get in even more trouble than we already are. Besides, we're almost out of dungbombs and we've still got another three weeks 'til the next Hogsmeade trip."
"Pete's right. We have to ration our supply. It's time to get creative, boys," Remus said slyly.
All four boys grinned, their faces almost sinister in the dimly lit room. Sirius was the first to move, shifting back until he could reach into his pant's pocket. He withdrew his wand and twirled it deviously with his long, nimble fingers. "Let's see. We need something that will not only give us more time, but also be completely untraceable." He grinned. "I love a challenge."
He stood, still twirling his wand, and paced around the room, obviously rifling through his rather extensive database of Hogwarts-banned spells and jinxes. Unable to help myself, I leaned forward to get a better look at what was bubbling in the cauldron. It had to be something fairly dangerous, and most likely forbidden within the confines of Hogwarts, or the boys wouldn't be so reluctant to scrap it in favor of avoiding McGonagall's anger. I grabbed the doorknob to steady myself when the sound of the portrait opening downstairs startled me. I crashed forward into the door and landed with a thump on the floor. Four shocked expressions met my gaze before all eyes shifted to the doorway behind me.
James tugged me off the floor and onto a bed with a harshly whispered, "Not a sound," and yanked the curtain closed. Surrounded by darkness, I listened to the commotion on the other side of the curtain.
"Sirius. Handle this," Remus said tensely.
A brief pause. Then a muffled incantation. Three heartbeats later, the sound of rushing water filled my ears. Shrieks from the stairs were almost drowned out by the sheer noise erupting from the ceiling. The door swung shut with a bang.
I peer cautiously into the room. Sirius was leaning heavily against the door, his clothes soaked and his hair plastered to his forehead. Remus was still stirring the potion, and James and Peter were frantically picking up empty vials and crushed ingredients and shoving them into their trunks.
"Problem solved," Sirius said smugly.
"What the hell was that?" I said sharply as I slid off the bed and landed awkwardly on a pile of dirty socks.
Once again, four heads swiveled my direction, but this time two of the four were glaring. "None of your business. What are you doing here, Lucy? The boys' dormitories are off limits. And come to think of it, so is the Gryffindor common room," James answered caustically. Sirius remained silent but continued to glare.
I remembered my earlier anger and pointed at Sirius. "Ask that swine what he did to my broom!"
Sirius began, with a rather smug look on his aristocratic face, "I charmed—"
"He charmed my broom to fly backwards!" I interrupted, fuming.
He grinned and opened his mouth to continue, "Ah, but the trick is—"
"—it only flies backwards!" I cut him off again. He looked disgruntled, as if I had stolen his moment to shine. "We play Slytherin tomorrow. Slytherin! I would have thought you blokes, of all people, would understand the importance of a Hufflepuff win tomorrow."
James and Sirius exchanged grimaces. "Yeah. Didn't think that one through," Sirius muttered. James rolled his eyes.
"Easily fixed, mate. Just take the spell off her broom." James looked at him expectantly.
Sirius shrugged and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. "Can't. I found it in Moony's irreversible spells book. The one we got him for his birthday last year."
"You mean the one you guys bought because you wanted to use it for pranks against Snape?" Remus interrupted, lifting his eyebrow at their guilty expressions.
"Umm, yeah, that one." Sirius grumbled. "I thought it would be best if I used a spell she couldn't remove. It wears off, though," he added helpfully. "…eventually."
I crossed my arms and glared. "So what do I do now?"
Remus stepped forward. "If I may interrupt." He paused for my nod. "Why not just borrow Sirius' broom? He flies a Shooting Star 500."
Sirius balked at that idea, "No way. Absolutely not. That broomstick is worth more than Pete's life."
"Hey!" Peter exclaimed.
Sirius ran his hand through his hair. "No offense, Pete." He turned his dark eyes to me, ignoring Peter's offended expression. "There's no way I'm letting you on my broom." He suddenly smirked, "Well, at least not that broom."
"In my nightmares, Black. But the choice is yours. Either you lend me your broom or I tell McGonagall about your little potions experiment." I nodded towards the now simmering cauldron. Remus had returned to check its progress. He looked up with wide eyes.
"Just give it to her, Sirius. We can't afford to blow this."
Groaning, Sirius stalked to his trunk and reverently lifted his broom from where it was leaning against the open lid. He cradled it lovingly in his hands before handing it over. I grasped it delicately and admired its sleek handle and well-groomed bristles. I whistled. "How's it handle?" I asked breathlessly.
"Like a well-cast spell," he admitted grudgingly, his voice dipping low so as not to disturb the moment. James rolled his eyes at our hushed exchange. "Take care of her."
Recognizing this as a big step for him, I hugged the broom to my chest. "I'll treat her as I would my own." We smiled tentatively at each other.
The moment was broken by a loud snort and a slap on Sirius' back. "For Merlin's sake, Padfoot, it's not like you're giving away a child. Your broom will be back, safe and sound, tomorrow after the match. Right, Lucy?" I nodded. "See? Not so bad."
He swiftly spun me around and started pushing me towards the door. "Now, we have some business to attend to, so you'll have to excuse us."
"Whoa, wait." I dug my feet into the floor to slow our progress. "You never answered my question. What did you do to the hallway? Is it safe to leave?"
"Oh, it should be right as rain by now," he said as he opened the door and shoved me out.
"What do you mean should be?" I shrieked. But it was too late. The door slammed in my face. "Damn it." I peered cautiously over my shoulder, half expecting to see a lake instead of a common room. Judging by the dark, wet stains on the ceiling and just about everything else, a few minutes earlier and there might have been a lake down there.
I darted down the stairs, annoyed by the squelching sound my shoes made on the soaking carpet. I remembered just in time that I was illegally in the Gryffindor common room and ducked behind a straight-backed chair as McGonagall turned from drying the tapestries on the wall to march up the boys' staircase.
Feeling smug and just a little bit vindictive, I whispered 'good luck, boys,' before scooting out the portrait hole and heading back to Hufflepuff Commons.
A/N: Don't forget to review!
