Two words before the chapter. One, I'm very open to hear about my grammar, typos and syntax mistakes. Feel very free to point them out to me! And two, damn it, the reference I've done in the previous chapter was ALL mockery!

There. I'm good. Enjoy!

Third year: 1973-1974

7/17

Sparkler

"You're sick." Remus stated when he walked in the dorm.

He had felt a bit dizzy this morning after his usual running around being silly, it was true. His body was still getting used to sleeping even less than before since Remus and he had made an habit of three hours sleep on weekend and fifteen minutes power naps on weekdays. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was always too busy making sure he didn't break anything to notice his stealing pepper up potions during his monthly visits. His mother had told him it could be another fortnight before his mind got complete control of his body about his resting needs. Until then, Peter was always nice enough to wake him up when the classes were over.

"I prefer 'different', if you don't mind." Sirius retorted as he put his head on the boy's lap, his favorite place in the world to nap.

Remus rephrased, touching his forehead. "I mean that you are medically sick. You have a fever."

"Please. I never get sick."

It would be the last straw if he did. Attending classes where he learned nothing? Fine. Making sure he still learned things? His pleasure. But adding being sick to his having to play nice with people he didn't always like and not spending enough time with his brother would be too much. Besides he would have had to ask his mother to focus his next holidays on his body, then. The Quidditch trainings were good to strengthen his muscles but he still could feel how weak it was in comparison of his mind. If his body was stupid enough to get sick, his Christmas holidays were ruined.

"Let's go to the infirmary." Remus pleaded, sounding more and more worried.

"I am not and I will not get sick. Relax, Moonshine. Everything's fine."

The thought of spending the rest of his Sunday chilling with him had washed his tiredness away, anyway. He did feel good and healthy. He'd be even better if Remus started to play with his hair like he had last time. His stroking them back and sideway during their conversation always made him smile. He also liked when he did it in the morning to wake him up - much more that he liked James yelling his name a tad bit too much like his mother would.

"Would you bet on that?"

Sirius straightened up, confused. "I thought you thought betting was a stupid thing to do."

It wasn't, really. James and he did it all the time and it didn't always end up badly. One trip to the nursery and they were all good to go for another. Even Peter would accept any bet! It was just Remus and his fondness of staying pain-free since one night a month he would already try to shred himself to pieces.

He understood, of course. Remus wasn't a spoil sport at all, he stayed out of their bets and had told him only privately how stupid he thought them. Sirius hadn't told him that James thought he was a coward of sorts because... Remus, a coward? He was even more courageous than all of those Gryffindors together! It still annoyed him that James had said that last week, but the speech Peter had given him had been very fun to watch. Mighty Potter blushing and stuttering in front of angry Peter and his highpitched sentences?

Such a sight!

"I changed my mind."

"Brilliant!" He grinned, delighted that they had yet another thing in common. "Do you want to bet how many Bertie Bott Beans you can put in your nose?"

Remus made a gagging gesture. "And then you wonder why I think bets are stupid?"

All right, yes, they were often challenging themselves about silly things. But those silly things could be considered as experiments just as much as silly things. It could! Asking Peter to jump from the highest tower to see if suicide was possible at Hogwarts could have been very instructive! Besides they had secured the ground and James had been there to catch him if he wasn't stopped.

If Professor Dumbledore hadn't come to ask them not to, it would have been a great discovery!

Perhaps it had been a bit dangerous. All of Bella's ideas were. That was why he liked them so much.

"No." Remus shook his head. "I bet you're sick."

"My poor moonshine." Sirius said as he stood up as well. "I am afraid you didn't quite understand the concept, did you?" He paused. It may be Remus but it was still a bet he could win. "All right. So... when you'll lose, you're going to give me a shoulder massage!" He could win, but it was still Remus. "See how nice I am? I don't even profit from your naïveté."

Remus shrugged, crossing the door.

"Wait up!" Sirius called when he began walking down the stairs. "What if I lose?"

"I thought you weren't sick?"

"I am not!"

"Then it doesn't matter, does it?"

To avoid any confusion and people wondering if I'm referencing twice to something, I want to make sure all of you understood that "Bella" is Bellatrix. Yes?

Good!

See you tomorrow.