Team: Montrose Magpies
Position: Beater 2 - Dialogues: "It was gross at the beginning, but you kind of get used to it…" (Word for Word)
Prompts: 3. (Word) Passion, 13. (Word) Stranger
Subject: Fairytales
Task: Write about a secret meeting point and what happens there.
Prompts: (Location) One Eyed Witch Passageway, (Object) Invisibility Cloak
September Event: Back to School
Prompts: 47 (Dialogue) "Evil and smart." / "Fear it. Embrace it.", 60 (Location) Hogwarts Express
Writing Club: International Day of Charity (5th September): Write about someone doing something charitable, fundraising, sponsored event, even visiting a charity shop.
Word Count: 1664
Meet Me?
"James, how am I going to get Remus to notice me?" Sirius sighed as he flopped into the seat across from his friend on the train. "I sent him owls every day of the summer and he's still non the wiser to how I feel."
"Mate, what exactly did you write to him about?" James asked, knowing that if the content was similar to that in the letters he had sent him, then there was no way Remus would realise Sirius was head over heels in love with him.
"The usual," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders. "My mum and that awful house-elf. Regulus and his growing infatuation with the Death Eaters."
"And you wonder why he doesn't realise you love him?" James cried.
"But I signed my letters with three kisses," Sirius said sadly. "THREE!"
"Kisses, Sirius, really?" James asked, sighing heavily. "That's your big idea?"
"Well, I don't know what else to do without being obvious," Sirius answered.
"Yes, because staring at his arse every chance you get isn't obvious at all," James said, rolling his eyes as he thought about the number of times he had caught his best mate checking Remus out.
"Okay, genius, what do you suggest?"
James thought about it for a moment. What Sirius needed was a grand gesture—something that appealed to Remus' bookish and inquisitive nature.
"I have a brilliant idea," James replied. "Just be at our first and best discovery at seven o'clock on the 3rd."
"Why?" Sirius asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "What are you going to do?"
"We are going to set our friend a little scavenger hunt," James informed him, thinking about what a great act of charity this would be. "At the end of it he will find his true love... you."
"Evil and smart," Sirius commented.
"Fear it," James said with a smirk. "Embrace it."
The door rattled quietly and looking out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that it was Remus. Quickly, he decided to act as though he was in the middle of a recount about his summer holidays.
"Yeah, so it was gross at the beginning, but you kind of get used to it…"
"What was?" Remus asked as he dragged his trunk into the carriage, looking between his two friends. "What are you two planning?"
"Nothing," the two boys said in unison.
"Cut the bull," Remus demanded. "You two have your scheming faces on. So I ask again what are you planning?"
"Fine, if you must know," James said, ignoring the terrified look on Sirius' face, "we're planning a little surprise for dear, slimy Snivelly. A kind of welcome back present, if you know what I mean."
Remus looked between his friends for a moment, suspecting that James wasn't being completely honest, before shrugging his shoulders and taking a seat next to Sirius.
"Well whatever it is, keep it small," Remus said. "I don't want to be in detention on my first day back."
James sat back in his seat as Sirius and Remus began to engage in easy conversation. He took note of the way Remus leant in towards Sirius, never breaking eye contact with him. In that moment, James knew that his small charitable act for his two best friends would be easier to achieve than anything else he had done in his life.
~o~o~o~
3rd September.
6:45pm
Remus furrowed his eyebrows at the latest clue.
After years of knowing James and Sirius, he was fairly certain who it would lead to—or at least who he hoped it would lead to—but the question was, where would it lead?.
Open me and you shall find,
No one else hidden inside.
Every man, boy and child would love to use me,
Even if they don't know where I lead.
You are the object of my affections,
Every day with you in it makes my world so much brighter.
Damn, you are so fine,
With you is all I want to be.
I think your arse is absolute magic,
To no one else do you compare.
Come and find me, your one true love
Here I wait for your loving embrace
Remus couldn't figure out where the writer, who he hoped was Sirius, wanted him to go next. He, hopefully not she, would be waiting for him there and the first clue, which had been carefully placed on his pillow, had said they would be there at 7pm.
Remus glanced at his watch and realised that he had been staring at the note for the last ten minutes. If he didn't figure it out soon, he would be late and break his perfect on time record.
Think, Remus, think.
You can figure this out!
~o~o~o~
6:55pm
"So, Peter's still in the hospital wing," James said, attempting to take Sirius' mind off the time.
"Yeah," Sirius laughed, looking up from his watch. "What an idiot!"
"I know," James answered, shaking his head as he thought about how the incident had occurred earlier that day. "I've told him so many times that Quidditch is not his thing and what does he go and do... he comes to tryouts and then falls off the broom whilst hovering 5 feet in the air."
"Classic Wormtail," Sirius remarked.
A comfortable silence fell between the two as they waited for Remus to show up.
"Where's Remus? What if he doesn't show up, James?" Sirius asked after less than a minute, bouncing up and down on his feet. "Or what if he does show up and is disappointed that it's me waiting and not some hot chick? I don't know which would be worse. They both sound equally as bad."
"Sirius, stop working yourself up," James said. "Remus will show and he will be elated to see you. Anyone with half a brain can see that he is as crazy about you as you are of him."
"But—"
"No buts, Sirius," James snapped, waving his wand and conjuring a rose. "Now, wait here and give this to Remus when you see him."
"It's nearly seven," Sirius said quietly, looking down the corridor hopefully as he took the flower from his friend.
"Then I should be off," James answered. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Hey, James," Sirius called as his friend set off the corridor.
"Yeah," said James, turning to face Sirius.
"Thanks."
"Any time, mate," James answered, before he carried on walking down the corridor and throwing his invisibility cloak over himself so he could slip past Remus unnoticed if they crossed paths.
~o~o~o~
7:05pm
As James stepped through the portrait hole, his eyes immediately fell on a frustrated looking Remus Lupin.
"Remus, what are you doing here?" James asked, thinking back to the concerns Sirius had voiced earlier as he shoved his invisibility cloak into his pocket.
"I couldn't figure out the final clue, James," Remus said. "I tried, but I just couldn't work it out and now Sirius, well I hope it's Sirius, is going to think I stood him up."
James sighed and walked over to his friend. In his opinion, the last clue was by far the easiest one to work out, and he couldn't fathom why Remus had so much difficulty. After all, he managed to figure out the clever cypher that had been left as the second clue, and had broken into McGonagall's office and risked detention to get the fourth.
"Pass me the note and a quill," James requested.
Remus slid the piece of parchment across the table and handed him his quill. He watched with wide eyes as James put a ring around the first letter of every sentence and slid it back to him.
O
N
E
E
Y
E
D
W
I
T
C
H
"Of course," Remus whispered, shaking his head. "It's so simple. Thanks, James."
"If you go now, you might catch him," James said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, I will," Remus said, jumping out of his seat and rushing towards the portrait hole.
"Good luck," James called.
~o~o~o~
7:15pm
Sirius looked at his watch again and sighed. Remus was fifteen minutes late and he was beginning to think that he would never show up.
He clutched the rose close to his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying in vain not to cry. His grip on the small piece of parchment fluttered from his hand as he slid down the wall, feeling completely and utterly dejected. He was no stranger to the disappointment that was washing over him. He didn't know how he would be able to face Remus when he returned to the common room.
He pulled his knees into his chest and rested his head in his arms. He was so caught up in his own misery that he didn't even register the approaching feet.
It wasn't until a hand tapped his arm that he realised he wasn't alone. He glanced up as little as possible and saw a hand he would recognise anywhere holding out a piece of parchment.
Sirius accepted the parchment off him and noticed that it was the same one that he had dropped earlier as he read it.
Do you like me?
Circle Yes Or No.
Sirius felt his heart leap out of his chest when he saw a small circle around the word, yes. He glanced up, looking at Remus for the first time since he had arrived.
"Do you really?" Sirius asked hopefully as he stood up.
"Yeah," Remus answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Sorry I'm late by the way. Your last clue was so simple that it was hard after all the other ones you left me. Can you forgive me?"
"There's nothing to forgive, Remus," Sirius said, closing the gap between them. "So, does this mean we're boyfriends now and I get to kiss you and stuff?"
"Yeah, I suppose it does," Remus answered, grinning broadly.
"Excellent," Sirius muttered before leaning in and kissing Remus with as much passion as he could muster.