This story is for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

The Wigtown Wanderers

BEATER 2- Sirius/James ship sinking

Optional Prompts:

2. Red Nails

3."Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you." ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

8. Breathless

I gasped, writhing on the four-poster bed as he bit and nipped at my collar bone, his hand caressed my hip, his other was buried in my hair pulling my head back and making me arch off the bed. "Fuck Prongssyy…" I had barely breathed the words, but it was too much, his hand untangled from the long hair he liked so much, and clapped down over my mouth.

"Don't talk."

My response was muffled through his hand "Why not?"

He sat up, ruffling his hand through untameable hair, and sighed, "It just ruins it for me lately."

I sat up beside him, wrapping my arms around his waist and propping my chin onto his shoulder, "But Prongsy dearest, only a few weeks ago you were desperate to tease every naughty word known to man out of me."

My fingers began to slide down, but his hand quickly found mine and fiddling with my fingers he shook his head, "You just sound too masculine."

My eyebrows shot up, "I wasn't aware that was a problem for you…"

"…It's not, hell, I don't even know Padfoot." He flopped back onto the bed, pulling me with him. "I dunno what's wrong with me Siri."

I brushed a kiss across the corner of his mouth, "Well, tell me when you feel better, I'm gonna go get us cupcakes from the kitchens."

He groaned, "Oh yes, confetti cake ones if the elves have any."

I winked back at him before closing the door, but my smile drooped when it was shut. "…Too masculine?"

Down in the common room Remus was helping Peter through a charms essay, something about the uses of colour changing spells; a rather useless branch of magic we had learned solely for its many pranking applications. I was half way to the kitchens when inspiration struck, near instantly I was sitting on the hallway floor with my wand out, pointing down to my fingernails. Truly, there was only one colour a proud Gryffindor like I could go with.

As it turned out, the elves didn't have confetti cake cupcakes, but they were VERY interested in my nails. The elves had felt absolutely horrible that they didn't have what I wanted ready-made, but I had offered to wait; sitting at a table in the kitchens the elves instantly crowded around me offering me many different drinks and snacks. I declined many of the offers but accepted some pumpkin juice; it was when I reached for the glass that an elf noticed.

"Oh Master student! Is your friendses being playing jokeses on you?"

At first I had not understood what the elf was referring to, I tipped my head in confusion and she clarified, "Yourses fingertips Master student, they are colourful very likes the young Miss's do."

I looked down at my red nails and smiled, the kitchens were lit better than the corridors had been, and well, it actually looked quite nice. I grinned at the elf, "Well, I figured I'd give it a try, but I think I might like it actually."

The elf instantly nodded in agreement, "Reds are being very much the good colours for Master student! Would Master be liking Hoppsy to be bringing Master more Miss's things?"

"What, wait? You're willing to steal girls' stuff for me?"

"Oh no Master student sir! Hoppsy is not permitted to be stealings! The Misses leave their thingses behind when they is to being adults very much often! Hoppsy woulds be liking to be bringing you forgottened things."

I shrugged thinking about it, a little eyeliner couldn't hurt, maybe a few more shades of red to paint my nails, and what WERE those snappy things girls put in their hair anyway? Surely a few of those would look rather handsome. A bit witlessly I agreed, "Okay Hoppsy, you can bring me a few things."

As soon as she popped away another elf shot me a pitying look, "Master student, Hoppsy is having very loose of a knowledge about how 'few' is to mean."

I chose not to worry myself on the matter, and accepted a turkey sandwich from one of the elves. Scarfing down the small snack I wondered, just how much stuff Hoppsy would bring me. Only minutes later, the house elves were taking many dozen cupcakes from the ovens, the kitchen was filled with their succulent aroma. That was when Hoppsy popped back, her tiny arms were overflowing with clothes, more nail polish, makeup bags, and some weird little cylinders.

"Uhhh… Hoppsy? What is all that?"

"Master student sir! I found some skirts and blouses in your size!"

"Uhh… I'm not so sure about skirts. But, do you have any eyeliner? What are those tube thingies?"

Hoppsy then proceeded to give me a crash course in hair rollers, and after assuring me that my hair would look quite lovely with a bit more uniform curl I accepted them. Next she held up various eye pencils, that all looked the same to me, but she quickly snatched many away before handing me three claiming "These oneses Sir! They is being your shade!" After a brief attempt to coax me into a skirt, she gave up only to pull out lipstick and some powdery stuff that was apparently meant for eyelids.

When she was finally done with me I cast a quick Tempus before stumbling at the time. It was nearly midnight; I had left for cupcakes at 10. James was surely asleep by now, but I was beginning to wonder if that might be a good thing, I had after all, just spent the evening being prettied up by an elf. Although I had looked in a mirror and agreed that I looked very lady-like, James' comment about masculinity was likely just moodiness and another one of his "I'm NOT gay!" excuses. Surely if I wandered in now with make-up and nail polish on… well, he might be a little shocked to say the least.

And a little shocked he was, still awake sitting on his bed waiting; but he wasn't shocked how I thought he'd be. Quite contrary, he appeared to be a little turned on. "You look damned sexy Pads."

I passed him the tray of cupcakes with a grin. Hell, if James liked it, I liked it. Maybe I would take Hoppsy up on that skirt after all. "Like what you see do you?"

He tugged me towards him while taking a bite of cupcake, "mmmfff so good…" his eyes never left mine. I practically pounced him, straddling his lap. Shoving the cupcake aside I found his lips and pushed him back onto the bed. We landed with a bounce, the springs creaked.

"Go to sleep, poofters." Peter's voice was very unwelcome at the moment.

"In your own beds please." Remus softly added.

"Whoops! Caught by Mr. Prefect again…" I gave James another kiss before leaving to my bed.

James was the type to fall asleep near instantly, it was something I had always been jealous of. He'd be out in a matter of seconds, whereas I'd lie in bed for hours rolling from side to side desperately trying to turn off my thoughts. Sometimes the silence was nice, it was always a good time to think, whether my thoughts were good or bad. It had always been a wonderful time to gather blackmail on my sleep talking best friend.

I'd been in my bed, experiencing another sleepless night for perhaps two hours when he started to moan, a smirk crossed my lips at the thoughts of what he could be dreaming. My fingers dragged themselves down my body, under the covers. Just as my thumb brushed under my waistband he groaned, and I with him. His next mumble stopped me in my tracks, had I heard correctly? Then again he gasped her name.

"Lily!" He'd said. The air rushed from my lungs in a half-sob, too masculine. I was indeed that, if he was dreaming of girls. When I finally fell asleep that night, I didn't dream. I'd already experienced my nightmare.

Through the rest of the week I tried to keep his interest, I kissed him rougher and when his thoughts strayed I kissed him softer. I played with his hair, something he had always loved of me. I wore vibrant red nail polish every day. By Wednesday I had begun sleeping with hair-curlers to achieve more refined and graceful- ladylike, curls. On Thursday between classes I applied eyeliner, then before dinner I added eye shadow and mascara. James barely noticed, he dutifully snuck away for kisses in dark alcoves between each class; but his mind was elsewhere, it showed. Friday evening I grabbed the skirt from Hoppsy and had her help me with my makeup, I had her help me style my hair, she expertly manicured my nails and painted them a dark bloody crimson with soft French tips. I even waxed my legs.

I looked in a conjured full length mirror and frowned thoughtfully. My hair was too bouncy, I preferred it to fall in ruffled waves. The lipstick was definitely too far and why had I let Hoppsy put blush on me? The skirt was too short, girls were meant to have thin smooth thighs and mine were muscled and scarred. Why had I waxed my legs when it was such a distressingly painful job? James would certainly like it; I definitely looked feminine, if a little flat chested. I grinned, James would like it, wasn't that what mattered?

I wandered up to Gryffindor tower, apparently looking enough like a girl that no one recognized me. Though as soon as I entered the common room Remus looked up at me, a thick brown eyebrow raised in question. I sauntered over to him, "Where's Prongsy? I thought he might like this…" His easy grin fell into a sympathetic grimace. He quickly grabbed my hand and dragged me up the stairs to our dorm, a few catcalls followed our ascent, apparently some Gryffindors were a bit slow to the catch.

I settled on Remus' bed as he paced before me, occasionally sending me worried glances. "Moony, what's wrong?"

He sighed, "Let me just say, that you make an uh absolutely breath taking woman. Er, if that's what you really want to… be? Or look like, maybe?"

"I'm really just doing most of this for Jamie… because he thinks it's hot."

The flesh between Remus' eyebrows crinkle when he's about to ask personal questions. "Well, what about you Sirius, do you like the way you look right now? Is this something you'd do even if James didn't like it?"

"I like some things… but a lot of it, well, it's what my mother would expect."

"What do you mean… about your mother?"

"She said faggots like me were sick, and should be killed. Then she asked a lot of rhetorical questions along the lines of "Why couldn't you have been a girl! Save my noble family this stain on our ancient blood! Blah blah blah…"

He pulled me up, "Let's go get you back into trousers, and wash your face too."

"But what if James comes back soon? I don't want to ruin it!"

He looked back at me and worried his lip, "He's out on a date with Lily right now."

I stumbled forward; he caught me, and supported my weight into the bathroom where I sunk to the floor. "Date… Lily?"

"Yeah Padfoot, I thought you were just friends with benefits anyway?"

"It started that way, but when we got more serious I just figured. You know, we'd be exclusive."

He settled on the floor across from me, "I don't think Prongs got the memo."

It began to sink in, Prongs was with Lily now… he didn't need me anymore. He didn't want me. I'd made myself pretty and feminine for nothing. I put my head between my knees, "Remmy, get it off of me."

"Alright, alright, we'll get rid of it all."

"No."

"No?"

"I kind of like the nail colour and I might keep a few eye liner pencils… that was good."

"This is what you want right? Not James or anybody else."

"Yeah, I kind of like it."

"Alright then, let's get you out of that skirt first."

An hour later I was dressed in pajamas and my face was washed clean. We were still sitting on the bathroom tile, though now Remus was beside me, an arm slung around my shoulders. "Why Evans? Wasn't I enough? Maybe if I dyed my hair red…"

"No, Padfoot."

"Why not? Jamie is probably disgusted by me anyway, it probably just got through his lovely thick skull that I was gay. He hates me doesn't he?"

"No, Padfoot."

"What do you mean no? He's on a date with a girl in case you haven't noticed."

"I have noticed actually."

"Then WHY?"

"Because Sirius, James does not hate you, he's merely an idiot, and YOU shouldn't change yourself for him, or anyone for that matter."

"But I'm gay."

"And you'll never forget it. But that shouldn't weaken you."

"But I'm a pariah, hated by almost every member of society."

"Since when have you cared what they thought, besides, I'm a werewolf in case you hadn't figured that out."

"I don't see how this applies."

Remus glared at me.

"Oh right, society hates werewolves too."

"Exactly, society hates me for something I can't change. Society hates you for being gay, something you can't change. But don't let them break you. Make it empower you."

"We can both be hated together."

Remus smiled wryly, "I think if this conversation is to continue, we're going to need chocolate."

"And firewhiskey."

"Well, I have a stash of Honeydukes' finest in my trunk, and James does deserve to have his liquor stash pilfered right now…"

"Do you think we should invite Wormtail?" I knew he would enjoy a night of drinking, but Remus disagreed.

"Tonight is for social rejects only."