And Many More
By Mrs. Prongs and Mrs. Padfoot
Mrs. Padfoot's Note: Yes, it's been a ridiculously long time. Yes, we have two unfinished fics. Yes, we (mostly) intend to finish them someday. But sometimes the bug just hits you. And then you have to have something new.
Enjoy, you guys. Because this is our baby.
Mrs. Prong's Note: Mrs. Padfoot is a dirty liar and promised that she'd write just as much as I had, but ended up making it about three times as long. I thought that point should be made. Also, I am the reason she's in a MWPP mood. Mostly.
Mrs. Prongs wrote the first half of this, while Mrs. Padfoot wrote the second. Authorship switching is identified by a ruler.
Sirius shifted impatiently in his seat for the fifth time that hour. He looked at his watch for the third.
"Three hours till Hogsmeade weekend, Moony," he hissed in his friend's ear.
"Yes, yes," Remus hissed back, looking irritatedly from his notes to his textbook. Dragons were much more fascinating than Hogsmeade, Remus tried to convince himself for the second time that hour. He would finish his essay and he would not get distracted by Sirius's…antics. Yes. Antics.
"Do you know what this means, Moony?" Sirius said importantly.
Remus sighed.
He was clearly uninterested.
"So I overheard Jamesey's dear Evans talking to her friends earlier," Sirius informed Remus.
"Hmm."
"Remus, listen to me."
"Ah. That's nice, Padfoot."
"You are ignoring me!" Sirius exclaimed. Binns looked up from his book and stared lazily at the boys.
Sirius frowned.
"Remus, really," Sirius whispered.
"What is it, Sirius? What?" Remus snapped, slamming his quill down. He wasn't really angry, but he felt this was a good opportunity to make a point.
"So it's Lillikin's birthday, Remus," Sirius said matter-of-factly.
"No."
"Yes, Remus. Yes it is. I've just said it."
Remus rolled his eyes. He picked his quill back up.
Sirius snatched it.
"I GET THE FEELING YOU REALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS, MOONY," Sirius yelled at his friend, slamming the quill on his desk with force.
Binns looked at the pair again.
"Do you really want detention on a Hogsmeade weekend, you two?" he droned. Sirius and Remus shook their heads. "Get to work then."
"Ugh," Sirius huffed.
He pretended to write for a good minute and a half.
"Hey, Moony," he started again.
Remus ignored him.
Sirius tore off a piece of parchment and scribbled a semi-illegible note onto it and shoved it in Remus's direction.
Remus attempted to ignore it. He was actually doing quite a good job.
A minute passed.
And another.
Sirius continued to look back and forth between Remus and the note.
Remus couldn't stand it any longer. If Sirius was this excited about it, it must be pretty mind blowing, he decided if only to make him feel better about giving in.
Remus unfolded the parchment and squinted at it.
He was not sure how James could decipher this during their note-passing in Transfiguration.
From what Remus deduced, the note read:
Lily18.
HogsmeadeHog's Head. Tonight
Remus attempted to hide the smile that was making its way across his face.
He could feel Sirius's eyes on him.
He cleared his throat.
"Well, Padfoot, hmm," he said gruffly, poring over his notes again.
Sirius grinned.
"I know you can hardly contain your excitement," Sirius whispered into Remus's ear. "Look at me, Moony."
"Dragons, Sirius. Dragons," Moony said simply.
"No."
"No, what James?"
"Stop playing stupid, Sirius," said James, not even bothering to look as he methodically placed another card on top of his growing tower. "I'm not going to Hogsmeade tonight."
"I'm not playing stupid, James," said Sirius. "I honestly can't believe what I'm hearing right now."
"Believe it," said James sourly.
"You haven't missed out on a single Hogsmeade trip since third year!" said Sirius. "Nary a detention could keep our James from getting his Zonko's fix."
James didn't say anything. Sirius exchanged a quick glance with the cavalry behind him (which was, predictably, just Remus and Peter) before forging on.
"...nor keep him from spending an hour or two with his friends at the Hog's Head..." Sirius trailed off suggestively.
"I'm not bloody going, Sirius," said James again.
"I must admit, I'm becoming little alarmed at the growing number of manifestations of your passive-aggressive tendencies," Sirius tried.
"Spare me, Sirius," said James.
"Spare you what?" said Sirius carefully.
"This act!" said James, finally glowering up at his friend over his impressive card structure. "The innocence, the stupidity, the ha-ha-ha James, remember all the good times we've had?"
Sirius exchanged a wary glance with his silent partners-in-crime. Time to switch tactics.
Sirius cleared his throat. "So clearly you know. And we know. And, well, we already knew that you knew, but apparently you know that we know too. So."
"Sirius, stop," said Remus.
"Thank you," said James.
"James," said Remus. "I don't think this should let this ruin our night."
"Lily's birthday party?" said James, his attention now fully back on his mini-project. "We're not letting it ruin our night."
The three other marauders frowned, not knowing exactly what to say to that.
"I'm happy here," said James, "with my card tower. I do not need to go to Hogsmeade. I do not want to go to Hogsmeade. This has nothing to do with Lily Evans."
"Right," said Remus warily.
"If anyone is putting a damper on anyone's night it would be you three, putting a damper on your own night. If you want to go to Hogsmeade so badly, why are you still here?" queried James.
"We're a foursome, Jamesey," said Sirius. "We all go, or none of us do."
"Oh, that is such a load of bollocks, and you know it, Sirius," said James, once again moved to the point that he actually made eye contact with his friends. "You and I have done plenty of things without Remus or Peter, they've done plenty of things without us, and I've done plenty of things with only Remus and you've done plenty of things with only Peter. We split in to twos quite easily. Hell, we've all been excluded from something the other three have done at some point. There is no foursome or nothing rule. You are making it up. Why do you need me so badly?"
"I – " said Sirius.
"You don't," said James. "Now go away."
"Well now I really know you need a firewhiskey," said Sirius.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you," said James. "I SAID – "
"AND I HEARD YOU," said Sirius, matching James decibel for decibel.
Unfortunately, the card tower had heard Sirius, and toppled accordingly. James stared at the ruined product of an hour of his life.
"Well, that's just great, Sirius," said James, staring at the wreckage around him. "Really. Just great. Thank you."
"Jamesey, I – " Sirius began.
"No," said James, picking up cards slowly and deliberately. "No. Don't apologize. I'll just start over."
"James, you can't be serious," said Remus.
"It's not a big deal, Remus," said James. "This is how I enjoy spending my Saturdays."
"James, it's a sign," interjected Peter, for the first time overcoming his fear of James' sullenness.
"That Sirius is a big, clumsy oaf who needs to learn to keep his mouth shut?"
"No," said Peter. "That it's time for you to put the damn cards away and come to the Hog's Head."
"No," said James. "I want to build my fucking card tower. Why don't you three just go to the fucking Hog's Head already? I would really like some time to myself."
Remus shut his eyes slowly and pulled Sirius and Peter aside.
"This isn't going to work," he whispered fervently.
"What was your first clue?" muttered Sirius.
"Oh, like you helped," said Peter sullenly.
"We can't leave him alone tonight," said Remus rationally, although he no more wanted to babysit James than he knew his friends did.
"I'll stay," said Sirius finally. "I mean, he's my best mate, right?"
"Great idea, Sirius," said Remus sarcastically. "Because you've helped him so much already."
"This mess was your idea!" he said defensively.
"Sirius. That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard you say," interjected Peter.
"Yes, really," said Remus, "And that's saying something. We all know this is your doing. Have you conveniently forgotten History of Magic this morning?"
"And if you have, couldn't we just skip the guessing games and assume? All the dumb ideas are yours," said Peter.
"This coming from you, Wormtail? Did you really think that we wouldn't get blamed for putting a dungbomb in Snape's cauldron. I mean, seriously. I never thought I'd see the end of those damn detentions," said Sirius. "And I didn't even do anything!"
"Can we come back to our original point?" asked Remus. "Who is going to stay with James?"
"Not Sirius," said Wormtail.
"Are you volunteering?" asked Remus pointedly.
"No," said Peter, "Are you?"
"On the contrary," said Remus.
"Seriously, you guys – "
"Sirius, no," said Peter. "Just no."
"Pick a number between one and ten," said Remus.
"You guys, really – "
"Pick a number, Sirius," said Remus.
"Fine," he said. "I've got it."
"Okay," said Remus. "Wormtail?"
"Yeah. Two," said Peter.
"Nine," said Remus.
"It was eight," said Sirius.
Peter tried to hide his delight, but it was a notably difficult task.
"Okay," said Remus. "Okay. Have fun guys."
"Moony, are you sure you don't want – "
"Sirius, really. No. We're not letting you. And why do you want to stay behind so bad? Let me tell you, sullen James is bad enough, but sullen James is nothing compared to a James occupied with actively not brooding over Lily. This is not going to be a fun night by any stretch of the imagination," said Remus in one breath.
"I feel a little guilty about the card tower," admitted Sirius quietly.
Peter laughed. "Sirius, you are such a girl!"
"For being compassionate?" asked Sirius, puffing up his chest defensively.
"Over a card tower? Yes," said Peter.
"Girls like compassionate men," said Sirius.
"Then let's get out of here and meet some," said Peter, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah," said Sirius. "Yeah, okay. Let's go. Have fun, Moony. You'll be jealous in the morning."
"I'm already jealous," said Remus. "No need to rub it in. Make me proud, you to. Do not make this evening a complete waste of everyone's time."
Sirius saluted before turning to follow Peter out of the portrait hole.
As soon as they were out of view, Remus turned dejectedly back to his charge for the evening, who had already re-erected a significant number of his toppled cards.
It was going to be a long, long night.