Next chapter for this fic will actually be up not this Monday, but the Monday afterwords. I miss posting on Monday's, made my week feel better.
The scarlet plush carpet and gold trimmed furniture would have given it away, but Frank still easily deduced they must have landed in the Gryffindor common room even without that.
They were obviously in one of the towers, the view from the window showing the Whomping Willow in the distance and Hagrid's hut smoking mereily in a late afternoon sun. He'd always had a guess this particular house was opposite his own side of the castle, though he spun in a curious circle how remarkably more roomy it seemed, he'd been picturing medieval weapons upon all surfaces, and all the suits of armor to hang around in here.
Usual occupants of this place of course made themselves right at home, the four Marauders instantly claiming cushioned seats by the fire, though Black made a face as he lounged sideways across his, feet dangling near Potter's face. "Not as much fun when there's no competition for them."
Potter shoved the trainers away and seemed completely at ease with this, stating, "better than Guffin telling us off again for taking 'his' spot. Honestly, every time Percy's mentioned I think of that inflated Head Boy who thinks he owns this place."
"Which I still say is the reason not one person in the common room blamed you for getting the chair stuck to his backside," Pettigrew snickered.
"Down a chair, up a win," Lupin agreed as he slouched in his own nearest the fire and looked ready to take a nap.
Evans was resting on the girls stairs with a put out expression in place, evidently she'd tried to go up to her room to get away from all this for a moment but of course all of those were still blocked off.
Regulus was at the tables far away from everyone again, digging his pinky nail into the wood. Frank, finally decided he was curious enough about this one and went over to sit next to him, Alice following in surprise.
"I don't think we've ever been properly introduced-" he tried to begin politely.
"Did you realize that the third or fourth time we went jumping around," he muttered back without looking up. He was digging his nails into the wooden surface of the table and seemed completely transfixed on his task of carving something into place, without magic, which was odd in itself.
"Well to be fair, after all being shoved in a closet together, I think proper hello's were a thing of the past anyways," Alice said with chipper.
Regulus gave a small bit of laughter in agreement for that before using his other hand to wave vaguely. "These seats may not be sat next to a fire, but they're free."
"Thanks," the two said peaceably.
Awkward silence only hung though, as Regulus was being friendly enough but clearly not up to anymore of a conversation, so Frank summoned the book to him which somehow fell as if it had been stuck to the ceiling for whatever reason. Then he glanced up and saw that the house-elves had yet come through for a nightly cleaning, including unsticking many papers waded up to the wall with spit. He decided to use his wand to flip to the right part and continue.
The chapter itself certainly started off with a bang, a vivid nightmare that would give anyone the creeps, a tiny moment of joy in hearing of Quidditch practice for the Marauders, and then everything was ruined with Wood's announcement.
Not one of them could come up with why it was actually a good reason for Snape to be refereeing anything, let alone a Quidditch game. Though the idea sent Black into mirthless tears considering the only time he'd ever seen him on a broom before, even Evans was aghast at why he'd be doing any such thing.
It was clear he didn't like Harry, which honestly Lily couldn't much blame him for, but there must be some motive she was missing in him wanting to be closer to this game. She just wouldn't believe Harry's, or Potter and his gang's, motives Snape was after him. It was all the more depressing to her she seemed the only one left believing this, even as she watched Frank reading he wasn't doing a very good job holding himself back from nodding in agreement with the kids ridiculous desires of trying to get Harry out of this game.
Neville came as a nice distraction then, until she pursed her lips up in distaste that only Hermione really stood up to help him while every other person fell over laughing. At least Harry was being decent to him, he and Ron finally showing more worth than she'd ever seen of the Marauders as they spent time to make this kid feel better whom they hadn't anything to do with before now.
No one could have seen coming the answer to Nicolas Flamel being in a candy wrapper.
"To think that was dropped on us ages ago and none of us took notice," Frank grumbled, eyeing that with much less annoyance than he meant to, he was still smiling it had clearly meant so much to Neville.
"Who actually reads the cards," Regulus shrugged, looking on with intrigue the story was finally progressing again even while he defended, "it's just the rarity of the card you want, not what the wizard did."
"You knew this whole time!" Frank startled in surprise and the book fell out of his grip as he turned around to see Evans glowering at Potter, who didn't look remotely abashed.
He just shrugged casually and hardly turned to acknowledge her this time, like she'd interrupted an important conversation, "sure, I've had Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card memorized for months now, knew Flamel was an Alchemist. Why the yelling?"
"You couldn't have shared that?" Regulus demanded.
Sirius rolled his eyes, all four looking dumbfounded at the others dumbfounded expressions. "And why would we do that? What reason have you lot given for us to be sharing anything with you?"
"Well it's not as if you've had anything else to do, I'm still the only one looking for a way out of this mess!" Evans thundered.
"Yes, and checking every door is really doing you good," Lupin muttered, probably more loudly than he meant to in the usually much noisier common room.
"Who says we haven't been doing that as well while being ahead of the lot of you on Harry's mystery," Potter challenged, a gleam in his eye making at least Frank realize this wasn't all show. The four of them had taken every opportunity to be quietly talking to each other, and though they'd only heard a few stupid comments, it did cross his mind for the first time they really could be up to something other than just goofing along for the ride.
Evans was still muttering some foul mouthed comments Potter had known something before her and even Regulus still looked outraged at this slight, but Frank just sighed and kept going on so that he could catch up.
Indeed Hermione's explanation fascinated him, the idea that such a Stone could exist was such a fundamental part of magic that seemed so unattainable the more he learned of it, he wanted to get his own hands on this stone purely for studying purposes, it was no challenge at all to see why Snape or anyone would want it. Of course Evans' nostrils flared further at this comment, and she began muttering for no one to listen about how it could be anyone in the world besides her best friend, but at this point Frank found it easier to ignore her, and didn't envy Alice. When the redhead finally had no choice but to admit to this truth all of them had accepted, it would probably fall to his girlfriend to comfort the girl, considering she was the closest things to friend Evans had in this room.
The kids discussion of what they'd buy with the Stone was amusing, and mirrored along with the Marauders. Though now Frank was listening for it, he did notice that they were speaking at a perfectly normal volume when the dialogue hovered in the story, but the moment another conversation broke out such as Alice trying to engage Regulus in this same conversation, the four boys turned into sudden whispers.
Potter did fall out of his seat in shock though at Harry's proclamation. "Merlin my kids suicidal! A maniac he knows wants him dead will be within arms reach of him during a dangerous bloody game, and he's still going to play!"
Frank couldn't help it that time, he fully turned in his seat, craning his neck around over the high back red pleather seat to get a look at those words escaping Gryffindors prized Chaser. Yet this was no joke, he was frowning heavily and ruffling his hair, looking genuinely concerned for the fate of this future child. Considering Harry's last Quidditch performance, Frank would have thought any parent would fear their child continuing in this game, but as far as he could tell Potter had brushed the whole thing off. Now though, it was clear he'd taken this threat far more seriously than any believed, especially Evans.
Her brows shot up into her hairline, the shock finally the most prominent expression on her face execpt contempt as she gazed on at him as well.
Black snapped his attention away from this shocking reaction fast enough though. "Would you get on with it Longbottom? I'd like to know if the kid lives past this next game."
He actually sounded upset as well, eyes more on his best mate than anything, but the genuine concern shocked him as much as Potter's reaction. Seemed those boys were even more invested in this Harry kid than any of them had yet realized.
Since Potter looked ready to snatch the book away from him any second if he didn't get on with it, Frank quickly read through the next parts, that pep talk from Wood somehow only mounting things up worse than whatever he'd been intending. Finally though, Frank didn't feel all eyes on him were a glare when Dumbledore was mentioned.
"I'm probably supposed to be relieved," Potter muttered, finally taking his seat but still shifting restlessly. "At the same time though, Dumbledore wouldn't be there if there wasn't something to worry about."
"Cheer up Prongs," Pettigrew said, clearly infusing that into his own voice far better than the others could have. "Maybe even the twins will be keeping a better eye on him considering the last game, if Harry even starts to slip one of them will scoop him up before Dumbledore can draw his wand."
"Yeah," Potter seemed cheered at once by this idea. "Then they can knock Snivlieus out of the air for us on their way doing it."
Evans scoffed, the mood wasn't truly back to content, but Frank got through the match with only a few curses for the whole event. Turned out Harry wasn't even the one to be worried about during this game. Malfoy finally said one to many comments and Ron and Neville doing something about it was more of a show than Quidditch for once.
"I love Harry's friends!" Black cheered from his seat, all of them giving a great whoop of joy as the proceedings included yet more thrill of Harry winning the game in a record time!
The Gryffindors celebration was short lived. The same four boys who'd been high fiving and cheering each other on as if they'd just walked away from their own game froze and went right back to uneasily listening when Harry turned around to do his next foolhardy stunt.
"This kid is unbelievable," Evans whispered. Who was mad enough to follow a teacher into the Forbidden Forest, and eavesdrop on that conversation?!
Regulus agreed with her, but his unentinally glancing over at her for doing so was instantly corrected when they accidentally met eyes. He went back to digging his nail back into the surface of the wood. In the time it had taken them to be in here, he'd done out a rough drawing of his houses family sketch, two stars above a sword, separated by an arrow point. He was just putting the finishing touches of the shield around it when Frank's voice hitched in his own bit of concern upon hearing Neville came out unconscious for that squabble, but aside from Alice covering his hand with hers and squeezing the two passed over the moment. Considering the main kid had now been in four near death experiences already to Neville's one, he still thought they were overreacting.
The closing bit felt ridiculous on these kids parts, Regulus would agree with Evans scoff of disbelief up to a point. They truly couldn't see Snape as anything more than the lone man out to get this object, but Regulus more believed Quirrell could be in it for a cut. That little argument had hinted the two were trying to work out a problem after all, and the Snape he knew certainly didn't ask for help willingly.