"You're not eating, Sirius."

The Great Hall is positively roaring this evening, though that fact proves surprising to an approximate population of zero. The light and the laughter provide a comforting atmosphere on this May night. James Potter, himself, speaks with half of his meal hanging out of his mouth. If someone were to notice a loss of appetite it would be this idiot.

"What - you think I'm not working for this figure?" I say, forcing a smile.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were nervous," to my left, Peter inserts a timid input, "I'm losing sleep over the OWLs, myself."

"Yeah, you would be, Peter," James rolls his eyes. He seems cheerful but after swallowing a mouthful of chicken, he looks me in the eye. I catch a glimmer of concern. "You okay though, mate?"

"'Course," I stab some green beans and stuff them showily into my mouth. Worry isn't an expression that fits James' face; he's easily satisfied. By the time I've swallowed, he's returned to making jokes about Snivellus.

Peter's already rejoined the fun too, but the more acute Remus whispers, "You really are okay, right?"

I give him a small smile. "Nothing I can't handle."

He smiles back, sadly, as Remus always does. Remus has got his demons – the very obvious, wolfish type. Mine are probably more obvious, or at least more notorious. But neither James nor Peter have any in sight, and as Remus isn't complaining it's not my place to start any time soon.


"Do we really have to study?" James groans on our way back to the common room. "I mean, what's passing the OWLs even going to do for us? Muggles get by just fine without them."

The halls aren't really empty, but they're pretty sparsely populated. With James scarfing down his meal, me barely eating and the Remus and Peter tagging along with whatever the hell James and I do we've left the Great Hall pretty early.

"Muggles go to Muggle school," Remus says, "so they can earn Muggle money."

"Is it too late to cue into my Muggle side?"

"And clean by hand for the rest of your life?" I laugh loudly, "I'd rather take Filch's job, after he's kicked the bucket."

"You know, that doesn't seem like such a bad gig," James turns towards us while walking up the stairs, which is never an advisable idea on the Hogwarts staircases. "You don't have to pass school – hell, you can even be a Squ-"

"James!" Remus shouts, hitting him on the shoulder. "Watch your step!"

"Oh, shit," wobbling in a circle, James turns and finds Filch stopped two steps above him.

"Fuck me," I look down towards the floor in an attempt at hiding my ear-splitting grin. Next to me, Peter's eyes have nearly popped out of their sockets. I lean to him and whisper, "You think he's gonna recover?"

Too shocked to speak, Peter shakes his head no. But James pops a smile right on and says, "Sorry sir, nearly ran you right down."

Filch mutters something under his breath and avoids eye contact while hurrying down the stairs.

"Holy shit, James, I thought you were done for," I pat him on the back.

"Could you be any louder, Sirius?" Peter casts a nervous glance over his shoulder, "He could very well still hear us."

"No way the geezer'll do anything though. We've grazed upon his soft spot."

"It's not particularly nice, though, is it?" Remus casts a glance down the steps.

"Worrying about niceties, that's so like you Moony dear," I throw my other arm over Remus, so he and I and James are squished together like three peas in a pod. "That's our Remus. Savior of the weak and defenseless."

"You know what I mean," sheepishly, he wiggles out from underneath my arm. "It's not particularly in good taste."

"Has Sirius ever once in his life done something in good taste?" James proposes an excellent question. I squint, as if I were intensely considering the question.

"You know, I can't say I have."

"Well there you have it. Dragon Tongue."

"Right you are," the Fat Lady quips while swinging open. James steps in first, while I follow close behind. The room's empty, save a couple of other fifth years who're getting a jump on studying. Talking is hushed, in whispers, so everyone looks up at our boisterous entrance.

"So, what're we up to tonight boys?" James plops onto the couch, completely unaware of the disturbance he's causing.

"Absolutely nothing," Remus slides into a nearby armchair. "While you may try getting by without studying, I'd prefer to pass my exams."

"If Remus is studying, I guess I will too. To keep him company, and all," Peter stutters. While half of me's rolling my eyes, I'm kind of glad Remus spoke up. No way Peter would've voiced his opinion by himself, and that kid really does need to study.

"You all are boring," groaning, James turns his attention to me. "I guess it's just you and me, then?"

"Gosh, however will we salvage the night?" I grin back.

From the corner of the room, someone moans, "Boys."

I look over James' shoulder to see a red head of hair. Though her head's still buried in her book, I'm positive Lily Evans is the culprit.

"Feel free to join us if you get the urge, dear!" James grabs my shoulder and heads back towards the portrait. "I'm sure if you're really motivated, you'll manage to find us."

We're both cackling as we exit the common room, so much so we earn a glare from the Fat Lady. The dinner crowd is starting to pour in. I pull James to the side, so we're not standing right in front of the entrance.

"You've got to give that one up."

"Like hell I will," he looks up, panting slightly. "God, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Hell if I know," I shake my head, "you left the cloak in the dormitories, after all."

James groans, spinning dramatically in distress. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"I'm sure we'll find something."

The suggestion of mischief sparks something in James' brain, so he ceases pacing and grins at me with a glint of malice.

"Oh we'll find something Padfoot. That much I'm sure of."

I grin back because, though I hold Remus and Peter near to my heart, no one can get in trouble quite like James and I can. It's unlikely we'll make it back to the common room before midnight. And that's just the kind of distraction I need.