Lovers Quarrel:
"What did you say, Potter?"
"I said you can stay with me, I have plenty of room at home." James responded to his best mate, Sirius Black. They were in the common room sitting across from each other at one of the back tables. The topic of summer break came up amongst the Marauders and James immediately noticed his friends melancholy facial response.
"What do you mean, 'stay with you?'" Sirius asked, wanting some clarity to his best friend's proposal. It was their fifth year. He was confused to why James would offer his home to him. Of course, he and the rest of the Marauders had visited before, it was a bloody mansion.
"Padfoot, I'm just saying that you don't seem too keen on going home for the holiday. My parents won't mind at all. It would be fun," James further explained trying to make his friend understand the proposition. Sirius' knuckles were growing white as he clenched his fist. Remus was leaning against the wall next to the table and was suddenly very interested in the way his quill moved when he swished it through the air.
James ruffled his hair and lowered his voice, "listen mate, you're always moping how things at home aren't amazing. I just wanted to offer a getaway from your parents and Regulus for some time."
"What the hell is wrong with my brother?" Sirius asked increasingly growing perplexed and angered. Regulus was always a tense subject for the boys. Sirius only wanted good things for his little brother, but their relationship was strained. It didn't help that Regulus was in a different house and tended to hang around the wrong lot of people.
"Nothing! I'm not trying to upset you, Sirius. Just I want you to have a good break."
"And I can only do that at the Potter Castle with your servants and airy, open rooms to fill. I don't need your charity, Potter," Sirius picked up his bag and made a bee-line to the dormitory. Peter glanced at Remus worriedly and he returned a pair of raised eyebrows and and shrug.
"Mate, you know that's not what I'm about," James replied, obvious annoyed that Sirius brought up his family's wealth. James was never one to brag about his money or house. He grabbed his bag and followed Sirius up the steps. Remus and Peter were close behind.
"Right," Sirius said dryly and continued up tot their room. He threw open the door and tossed his bag in his bed.
"Sirius, what's going on? Why are you being so damn dramatic?" James asked, reciprocating his friends behavior.
"Dramatic? Oh because I'm just a huge drama queen all the time! Merlin forbid I have real problems! It's not like my little brother is a fucking junior death eater and my parents are crazed lunatics who hate me!" Sirius screamed in his outburst.
James, Remus and Peter stood their stunned. Sirius rubbed his face and rubbed his wrists. "Not all of us are so goddamn privileged."
James snapped. "Privileged? Are you joking?! Honestly Black, you have a lot of nerve. We get it! Your family sucks dragons ass and your so bloody tortured. But we're here to help you! Same as we did for Remus! Same as we did for Pete when his mum died! Same as you all did for me whenever my parents went missing! Remus turns into a bloody dogman each month! We didn't spend a year learning how to transform into all the goddamn forest creatures out of pity! We didn't skip a moth of clases to console Peter out of sheer stupidity! You- YOU didn't write the fucking Minister of Magic once a fortnight out of the goodness in your heart. We did it because we care about each other! We're each other's family! So shut up and let us help you!" James was shaking and his throat burned. Remus grabbed Peter's shoulder tightly and Wormtail looked sick.
Sirius spun around and sat on the edge of his bed. He out his head in his hands and his shoulders began shaking. James started to walk over, but stopped himself. Instead he grabbed a pillow off of Peter's bed and chucked it across the room at Sirius. "Black's don't cry."
Sirius flinched when the pillow hit him and his tear stained face looked up at his three friends. "But Marauders do," James added before very stiffly going over to embrace his friend. Sirius stood up and it was one of those tight, hands clapping each other on the back, guy hugs.
"So, what was the first thing I ever said to you?" James asked trying to get his friend back.
"Move over, bitch, that's my seat?" Sirius tried and then said, "And then I shoved your ass and we became good mates."
"No!" James exclaimed. He then ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "What did I first say to you when we both made it into Gryffindor?"
"Oh, brothers stay brothers, no matter what. And then you saw Evans and that bullshit went out the window. You're ass has been whipped since day one, Prongs. You would dump us in a second."
"Maybe, but I would feel guilty about it, for like, a whole week." They both laughed and punched each other in the shoulder until it got a bit too violent.
"Thanks, mate," Sirius said to his best friend. James messed up Sirius' perfect hair and replied, "It's my job, Padfoot."
"Now stop crying before someone important sees," James added. Sirius cracked a smile and wiped his eyes.
"Has anyone seen Zach Rusben?" Asked a voice poking into the Marauder's room.
"Beat it, Fenwick!" James screamed at an innocent Benjamin Fenwick. He was a very nice and friendly boy, one of Lily's good friends.
"Yeah, Benjy, why don't you go kiss Flitwick's ass some more!" Sirius yelled as he turned to hide his red face.
Remus added in calmly, "Fuck off, Ben." And Peter simply gave him the old middle finger with a mean scowl. Peter loved to curse people out, but he wouldn't waste his breath on someone like Benjy.
"Fine, geez," he said as he closed the door and left.
The boys simply stood and stared at the door leading to the hallway. It was covered in old homework papers, forgotten prank plans, notes passed in class, pictures of the four of them, and scratched into the wood at the top left corner, "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs."
"Hate Fenwick," Peter said and the three other Marauders immediately followed with, "Fuck Fenwick." It was a little inside joke they had going ever since Benjy and Lily became friends.
They stared at each other and burst into laughter. Sometimes you need to forget what you have to remember what it's worth.