"So… What shall we do this summer?" Sirius asked merrily, pushing aside the scroll he'd long ago given up work on.
"You know we can't go anywhere. We have things to do for the Order," Remus said, not looking up from his report.
"Why do you always have to do that? Just go ahead, rain on my parade!" Sirius exclaimed, standing up and stretching. "Why does he always do that?" he asked James.
James shrugged and continued chewing on the end of his quill. After a moment, Sirius gave up on James and turned to Peter, "What about you? What would you like to do this summer?"
Peter looked slightly nervous about being asked his opinion, especially because he was right in the middle of translating a report from Germany and it wasn't going very well. "Er… I thought we weren't allowed to do anything. I thought we had to work for the Order all summer."
"You three are the biggest bunch of party poopers I have ever met!" Sirius said, wandering into the kitchen to find something to eat. Peter shrugged and returned to his translation. Remus and James didn't even show any signs that they'd been listening.
"I mean, come on!" Sirius said, returning from the kitchen with a bunch of pumpkin pasties in his hand and mouth. "Just because we're in this organization thing, fighting Voldemort, doesn't mean we aren't entitled to a little fun!"
Sirius sat in silence for a minute, possibly hoping that someone might give any reaction. "Are you even listening to me? I really don't think you are. This is just ridiculous! Look at you! It's taking over your lives! Your minds! All this work, it's hypnotizing you!" Sirius glanced around the living room again. No one looked up.
"You are getting very sleepy!" he exclaimed. No one paid him the slightest bit of attention. Sirius tended to get bored of writing reports very quickly. He really wasn't the sort of person who could sit around fiddling with ancient spells all day. He was built for action. He was the kind of person you wanted to have on your side in a fight and he enjoyed trying to annoy the hell out of everyone whenever he took one of his self-allowed breaks.
"This is bad, really bad," Sirius said. He was becoming almost foolishly optimistic at this point. Everyone had pretty much learned how to tune him out by now.
"I could say anything I wanted about you and you wouldn't even notice. In fact I think I will. Let me start with James. James is such a stuck up, four-eyed know it all! And he thinks he can play quidditch! Ha! He's dillusional! What a loser! Don't you agree Remus?" Sirius looked expectantly at Remus who, of course, made no reply.
"Uh huh, that's what I thought. Ok, it's your turn then. Ahem, Remus is such a clumsy, brainy, idiotic moron whose always got his nose stuck in a book!" Still there was no reply.
Sirius was starting to get a little bored. It really drained him when he wasn't in the limelight for elongated periods of time. Gently he tapped Remus with his foot, "Ahem, my dirty little half-breed… How are things going for you? Huh? How's that report going? Filthy little…" Sirius leaned close to Remus's ear and hissed, "werewolf."
"What?" Remus asked, startled out of his concentration. Sirius cocked an eyebrow. "What did you just say, you stinking blood traitor?"
"Why you little…" Sirius leapt at Remus, scattering papers everywhere. "Take that back!" Sirius exclaimed.
"No!" Remus choked through his laughter, "Not until you take back what you said!"
"Never!" Sirius said, pinning his friend back against the couch, "besides, it got your attention, didn't it?"
"Alright, alright, I give up!" Remus gasped, "You're smothering me!"
"Sirius!" a disgruntled James snapped angrily, "I'm trying to get some work done!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! James you really need a break. The stress is getting to you!"
"Yeah, well it wouldn't be if you'd shut up and quit playing with Remus!"
"Ooooh! He's asking for it! James, my man, I would have shown you mercy, but you've gone too far!" Sirius exclaimed, releasing Remus and lunging for James.
James made a valiant effort to keep a straight face but he soon gave in and pushed Sirius off, throwing his report to the ground. "Pass me a pumpkin pasty," he said in a defeated voice. Sirius obliged, satisfied now that he had managed to thoroughly distract his friends.
"I'm serious, though," he said, bringing the conversation back to the idea of a vacation over the summer.
"Yes, and I'm James."
Sirius threw a book at him, "Just for that you're not getting any more of my pasties."
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!"
"Too bad. It's too late now. Anyway, I've been thinking, we really do need to go on holiday. The Order isn't too busy now. I'm sure they could spare us for a week or so. There isn't that much that needs to be done."
"How would you know?" Remus asked, "You never do any of it!"
"You're not getting a pumpkin pasty either, Mister Moony!"
"I didn't want one. Besides, it's my house. I'll get myself some if I want to."
Sirius pouted, "Quit trying to outsmart me!"
"Well, it's not very hard. I often do it by accident," James put in.
"Anyway, back to taking a vacation," Remus said quickly, trying to save James from having another book thrown at his head, "What do you call New Years?"
"Well, granted," Sirius said, "that was one hell of a party. But what we all need is some time off! A chance to relax!"
Remus snorted, "I doubt anything with you around would be a chance to relax!"
Sirius shrugged, "Maybe not. But really, we do need a good time! And I'd at least be sure to provide that!"
"What exactly do you have in mind?" James ask, starting to warm to the idea.
"Hmmm… something tropical, for certain. Why don't you leave it up to me? I can arrange everything!"
"I'm really not sure that's such a good idea," Remus said.
"What? Me arranging things or us going on vacation?"
"Both."
"Peter thinks it's a good idea! Don't you?" Sirius asked him.
Peter shrugged but he couldn't hide his enthusiasm. A vacation sounded like an excellent suggestion to him
What finally convinced Remus in the end however, was Sirius's enthusiasm. Despite his resentment toward Regulus, losing his brother had been a blow to him. He'd been in sort of a state of shock ever since. It wasn't that he hadn't taken every chance he could to be the center of attention. He just had done it in a more desperate way than ever before. The difference was almost undetectable, but perceptive Remus had noticed it. Perhaps this break would do Sirius some good.
A/N: Thanks so much to reviewers and readers! Evenstar, up on the rooftopand jnglkat to name some!