A/N: In which Sirius experiences something he never thought he would: he's jealous of Tosspot Clarke.
x3sunnydaay: I'm taking it slow with Regulus/Vivian as I don't want it to overshadow her relationship with Sirius too much. There's still a ways to go though! I have a few scene ideas for him before the end of Season 1
Anne J Black: I know, he's really getting in the way lol
Marnie Quiera: Yay I've lured another Regulus/Vivian supported to my side! In all fairness, I do love Regulus and Vivian together, but I love Sirius more ;)
Toffeeloveryes: Oh I like that idea with Mauve. Another reader suggested Morrigan. I'd be interesting to have one of them go on to become a professional Quidditch player. Also it's very possible that I originally said Avery is a Beater...I'll have to go back and check. There's a lot of discrepancies that I need to edit. Thanks for pointing that out!
gwenwesley: I'll admit that I didn't plan for that to happen. Sirius tends to change every scene he's in without my permission
Manifest-the-shiver: Thanks so much :) I'm very picky too, which is why I end up just writing my own fanfics when I can't find any that I like. I'm happy that I can share my stories and ideas here! I'm glad you enjoyed my Finnick story. I had so much fun writing TSN. I don't think I'll be writing anything else for him in the future, but I do have a Gale Hawthorne story in the back of my mind that I'd love to write, and also a Cato story that I still have to edit/finish. Vivicendium is taking up all my focus for now though! It's become something of a writing challenge for me, so I'm glad you're enjoying it :)
LunaEvanna Lonbottom: True, they weren't. Vivian will have more development on that front in this chapter
Guest1515: She doesn't really let loose very often but that's why Sirius is perfect for her amiright? ;) Also regarding the spells, there will be more on that in the future
haleygur7: She's slowly getting there. I'm trying to keep things realistic. If I was her, I wouldn't rock the boat when graduation is still a few months off, so it doesn't seem realistic for Vivian to jump ship when she's surrounded by Mulciber and friends all the time
Chrysanthemum: There will be a showdown between the brothers in the future, but I'm waiting for a few more events to occur first. Also yes, total karma! Haha. As for Regulus, I'm thinking that he started falling for Vivian at the start of the year, since they've had more to do with each other with the prefect meetings and all that
a-reads: There will be some further mentions of Sirius's latest stunt in this chapter! And some big development with Gavin too. Glad you like the Vivian/Regulus dynamic. It's hard for me to write them drifting apart because I love Regulus! But knowing that I'll be bringing him back into the story later on makes me feel better :)
laleh: Oh I have lots of plans for the dynamic between Vivian and Kreacher in the future and you're not very far off with your speculation! To be honest, that part of the story is more planned out than this one lol
Arctech: Thanks!
remifoster1313: I can't blame you for shipping Regulus and Vivian, I love them together too. It seems like a lot of Reg/Viv fans are being converted though! Some of what you mentioned in your review will be brought into this chapter. I have a pretty good idea as to how the task plot will be dealt with at this point. I'm excited to get into it more! Also James really does have horrible timing haha Hope you're doing well!
laura-firewalker: I absolutely can't wait to hear everyone's reactions to the first kiss! It's very close at this point ;)
Guest13: My favorite book has always been The Half Blood Prince because we got a little more info on Snape's backstory. I've always loved his character. I haven't portrayed him very well in this story so far, but I am thinking of giving him more scenes once we get into the OOTP later on in the story
Anon98: I can relate to this. I have so many ideas for the future of this story, it's crazy!
One of my readers on Archiveofourown mentioned that they wished I had included a heart-to-heart scene with Vivian and Sirius in the hospital wing, so I decided to add one in just to prove that I listen to you all and am always interested in hearing your feedback on the story (and also because I had a great idea for it anyway okay I'm not completely selfless lol). I hope you all enjoy, have a lovely week, and make sure to check back in next Sunday for Chapter 47!
Chapter Forty Six | Vel caeco apparent
[It would be apparent even to a blind man]
It would be a lie to claim that Vivian isn't concerned about Regulus's warning. The fact that she has a deadline for which to create her spell is stressful enough, but the knowledge that the Dark Lord is sending an agent to Hogsmeade soon is even worse. She barely sleeps at all that night – partially because of the celebratory Quidditch party that continues well into the early mornings hours of the morning but mostly because her thoughts are spinning in such a claustrophobic way that she can't settle her mind for the life of her. Dark scenarios color each thought. She can't stop envisioning what might happen should she fail her task. She's never met the Dark Lord personally, but she's heard how merciless he is when one of his followers don't live up to their given purpose. Will he kill her if she fails to come up with a good enough spell?
She tosses and turns for hours after her conversation with Regulus, who is yet another reason for her sleeplessness. She just doesn't understand why he wants to be a part of something so dark. Perhaps he's right, that the world isn't as black and white as she had suggested. After all, she's right in the middle of this whole mess, but she doesn't believe herself to be evil despite the fact that she hasn't yet found a way to remove herself from her current circumstances. Still, the memory of his cold eyes and his low warning makes her distinctly uncomfortable. The stress that it introduces erases any sleep that she might have otherwise found, and after a while, Vivian gives up on sleep altogether. She throws her blankets off and grabs her wand, summoning some light. Then, after slipping the outer robe of her school uniform over her shoulders and collecting 'A Dictionary of Hexes, Vol. III', she slips quietly out of the dorm and into the hall.
Truthfully, she doesn't know where she's planning on going. Perhaps she means to read a bit in the common room, but when she steps into it, it's clear that she won't be getting any peace there. The Quidditch party is still going on despite it being close to three in the morning. Most of the partiers have either passed out in one of the many chairs or are too wasted to notice her presence. She sees Mulciber, Avery, and Rosier lingering by the hearth passing a near-empty bottle of liquor between them, but thankfully their backs are turned towards her and they don't see her arrival. Snape must have left the common room ages ago – he's not one for the loud, uproarious nature of a typical Slytherin party. As for Lucius, Vivian has a feeling that he's with Narcissa in his dorm, because her bed had been suspiciously empty when Vivian had made her way past it.
Vivian slips out of the common room and begins to walk aimlessly down the corridor. She doesn't necessarily mean to walk in the direction of the hospital wing, but when she ends up at the entrance of it, she doesn't question it. She hesitates for only a moment before setting her shoulders back and quietly walking inside, peering around for any sign of the head healer. When she doesn't see any candles still lit, she deems it safe enough to cross into the main room.
Admittedly, she does feel a bit silly when she finds the bed she's looking for. What the hell is she doing, visiting Sirius Black? It's not as if they're close enough for all of this. She's been constantly reminding herself how much she hates him for the past week now, clinging onto her mantra as if it is the only thing keeping her afloat. She hates everything about him – his stupid smiles and his warm eyes and his open laughter and the fact that he seems so adamant about getting closer to her. He's a womanizing arsehole with no respect for anyone but himself, who fancies himself god's gift to women or some shit like that. He definitely doesn't deserve her presence here tonight.
She pulls up a chair anyhow, frowning to herself even as she opens her book. It occurs to her, as she shifts the pages into a beam of moonlight, that it's been ages since she's last read one of Austen's masterpieces. With every stressful thing that's happened in the last few weeks, there is something blissfully calming about imagining Elizabeth's trip to Pemberley. She has yet to realize that the elusive Mr. Darcy is due to arrive to his manor imminently, but in only a few pages, she will stumble upon the man himself on the estate grounds. The scene is already so ingrained within Vivian's mind that it unravels for her easily, and finds herself burying her face into the pages, devouring the words as she sits in that shard of moonlight in the silent hospital wing.
'Every idea that had been brought forward by the housekeeper was favourable to his character, and as she stood before the canvas, in which he was represented, and fixed his eyes upon herself, she thought of his regard with a deeper sentiment of gratitude than it had ever raised before; she remembered its warmth, and softened its impropriety of expression.'
The quiet ticking of the clock across the room vanishes as she turns the page. She doesn't hear the soft breathing of the man before her, nor the gentle wind that occasionally blusters against the windows. Her anxiety is still there, burning against her mind, but it dulls into a softer reminder. Mr. Darcy's sudden entrance to the scene is a distraction, at best, to that anxiety, but it is a better distraction than any she has thus far achieved. And she doesn't know if it's the book itself or the fact that she feels a certain sense of calming disregard as she sits there in the silence – or if, indeed, there is another reason for this calm that she has yet to acknowledge – but she basks in it like she never has before.
'She was overpowered by shame and vexation. Her coming here was the most unfortunate, most ill-judged thing in the world! How strange it must appear to him! In what a disgraceful light might it not strike so vain a man!'
Yes, this is better. Austen's writing is far superior to reading about Inferi and other Dark magics. She'll have to start reading Gavin's latest book, The Invisible Man, when she's finished rereading this one. No doubt her Ravenclaw friend is wondering if she's started it yet. She hasn't seen much of him of late, so she'll have to make an effort to corner him outside of class soon.
'She longed to know what at that moment was passing in his mind; in what manner he thought of her, and whether, in defiance of everything, she was still dear to him. Perhaps he had been civil, only because he felt himself at ease; yet there had been that in his voice, which was not like ease. Whether he had felt more of pain or of pleasure in seeing her, she could not tell, but he certainly had not seen her with composure.'
She turns the page once more, her mind drifting idly through thought and imagery. It is as the page is turning that she happens to realize that though she still hears the soft ticking of the clock, she no longer hears the evenness of breath before her. This realization gives her pause, until she scoffs quietly to herself and drawls, "You're finally awake? Took you ages."
True, she hadn't actually expected that Sirius would wake up, nor had she wanted him to. She doesn't want to admit why she felt the need to come here. She doesn't wish to acknowledge the reasons why she would ever deem it necessary to visit him in such a way, and finds it a little aggravating that she has been unexpectedly caught in the act of doing so. She's not about to make all of this obvious, however, and merely settles back into her book as if this entire situation is completely normal, and not at all out of the ordinary.
Sirius doesn't have quite the same composure, but he's too tired to do much else but mumble, "Sorry. I hadn't realized I had an audience. Way to be creepy, Godric."
That he can still be sarcastic whilst being half-asleep is slightly admirable of him, she'll admit – but she wrangles down the amused smirk that threatens to overtake her upon hearing said sarcasm.
"Don't call me that," she instead says, in a voice too breezy to sound sincere.
Sirius makes a noise in the back of his throat that sounds like a mixture of a sigh and a laugh, and reaches up to rub the sleep from his eyes. Then, turning his head towards her, he studies the moonlight that graces over her face, and the downturned eyes that pour over the book in her hands, and the way she's curled up on her chair, her legs tucked beneath her form. The moonlight gives her a glowing appearance that seems otherworldly, and if his breath happens to catch slightly in his throat, well, he can hardly blame himself. Her presence makes him feel more than just baffled, for he hadn't expected to see her at his bedside, especially not in the middle of the night. He feels the need to sit up a bit so as to study her better, because besides being baffled, he's a bit concerned. After all, he can't imagine that she would bother visiting him like this under normal circumstances. His broken arm has mostly been healed, but the bone is still fragile, so when he goes to push himself up, the movement is accompanied by a slight cringe.
"What're you doing here, anyway?" he asks, sounding a bit more like himself. Now that he's slightly more awake, he's starting to realize that this isn't actually a dream, and that Vivian Blair is in fact sitting by his bedside in the middle of the night for reasons completely unknown to him. It's so strange that he can't help but joke, "Were you worried about me? Had to make sure your savior was alright?"
As expected, her face immediately drops into a disgusted scowl. "My savior? Don't pretend as if you flew into that Bludger on purpose. I'll bet you just didn't see it and you're trying to make it seem like I owe you a favor or something."
Sirius's mouth drops open. "I did do that on purpose!"
Vivian narrows her eyes. "Why? To gain leverage on me?"
"Oh relax," he grumbles, flopping back down into his bed with an annoyed grimace. "Honestly. One might think that no one's ever done anything for you out of the goodness of their hearts. Stop being so dramatic."
She closes her book and sends him a mock-confused glance. "But you don't have a heart, Black."
He rolls his eyes at her.
"Really. What are you doing here?" he asks again, sounding slightly more serious. He peers at her through the dim light. The moonbeams that cascade through the window are subtle things, but they're strong enough for her to see that he's studying her a bit more closely now. It makes her uncomfortable to be on the receiving end of such a close stare, so she shifts in her seat and fiddles with the edge of her book.
Vivian huffs, "I couldn't sleep," and doesn't say anything more on the matter. She's not going to tell him why she can't sleep. She won't tell him anything about her deadline or her task or the fact that there's an agent coming to Hogsmeade to meet with her. The reason for her silence isn't even that this is Sirius Black and that, on principle, sharing such secrets with him goes against everything she believes in. No – her reason actually has more to do with the fact that she doesn't really want to broach such a dark topic when this is the first time in weeks that she's felt so calm. She selfishly clings to that calmness as if it is the only thing keeping her afloat, and refuses to think too much into the possibility that his presence is the very thing that's calming her. That's – ridiculous.
Sirius hums and mutters, "Well. Usually, when I can't sleep, I – "
"Find the nearest broom closet and lure the first girl you can find?" she finishes for him, her voice bathed in sarcasm.
He pauses, mouth open, and begins to splutter out a denial. The denial ends up turning into a laugh, instead, and he snickers, "Oi, I don't think I appreciate that."
She snorts, "Okay fine. What do you do?"
He raises an eyebrow at her and pushes himself onto his elbow, being careful not to put any pressure on his still-healing arm. Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, he tells her, "I go to the kitchens. The house-elves adore me."
He's looking at her as if he expects that this will wow her, but Vivian only leans back and mirrors his expression, raising a slightly more sarcastic eyebrow at him as she scoffs, "Please. Everyone knows where the kitchens are."
At this, he admittedly looks a bit surprised. "That's not true," he denies. "Besides, if you know where they are, why haven't I ever seen you there?"
She flips open her book again and shrugs, "Maybe because I'm not a fat-arse."
He gapes at her, but his eyes are twinkling with something that resembles mirth. It colors his voice when he says in a mock-outraged voice, "Oh, well played, Blair. Well played. Speaking of the kitchens though, I am feeling a bit peckish." He sends her a look which she adamantly ignores.
"No," is her immediate response to his unasked question.
He frowns. "You could at least get me some chocolate cake after waking me up at three in the morning," he mutters, glancing over at the clock.
Vivian searches for where she'd left off in her book and scorns, "Why would I do that?"
He opens his mouth to reply, but before he can give her the several dozen reasons that he can think of, the sound of a door opening at the other end of the hospital wing silences him. Vivian, too, shuts up, and freezes in her chair. A quick glance over her shoulder tells her that they haven't been as quiet as she'd thought, because Madam Pomfrey is even now lighting a candle and suspiciously poking her head out of her office.
"Shit," she breathes, and starts looking around for a place to hide. Being caught out of her dormitory at this hour, prefect or not, would not bode well for her.
She's in the process of mentally berating herself for having come here at all when Sirius scoots over in his bed and whispers, "Get in, Blair." He lifts the edge of the blanket as if he expects her to just jump right into bed with him, and sends her a smirk.
She gapes at him for all of two seconds, before her expression turns into one of careful disgust. "I'm not getting into bed with you, you pervert – "
"She's going to give you another month of detentions if she catches you," he says in a low voice.
In reality, a month worth of detentions for being caught out of bounds after curfew is unlikely, but in that moment, she doesn't realize this. She's too busy watching Madam Pomfrey make her way down the hall, peering suspiciously into each bed as she checks for intruders. It's the threat of what her parents would say if they heard that she's received even more detentions that ultimately makes her throw herself forward. Not the desire to get into bed with Sirius Black. Not the need to be close to him in any capacity.
Sirius releases a low hiss of pain when she pushes him to the side and throws the blanket over her head, disappearing into the sheets just as Pomfrey approaches their side of the room. Admittedly, the situation isn't quite as glamorous as Sirius might have envisioned it. Vivian Blair has boney elbows, and one of them is digging into his gut.
"For Merlin's sake," he mutters, looking down at her in exasperation. "You're making this look so obvious." And then, much to her (disgusted) surprise, he hooks an arm around her and pulls her flush against him, making their forms look less conspicuous as they blend together beneath the blankets.
"What are you doing?" she hisses against his collarbone, nose pressed into his neck.
He arranges the sheet over her head and whispers, "Stop talking already."
She does stop talking, but only because she can hear Pomfrey's footsteps close to Sirius's bed. She definitely doesn't want to give herself away now, not when she's already committed herself to this peculiar brand of torture. And it is torture, but not necessarily because she dislikes it.
That is to say –
Well, she doesn't hate it. It's just that Sirius Black is rather warm and she's rather cold and being pressed against him like this is rather nice, in a weird way that probably ought to be off-putting. In fact, come to think of it, it is off-putting. Very off-putting. She does hate it.
Her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt and stay there, heart beating so fast that she swears he can hear it. She's never been this close to him before and it's completely terrible. She really does hate it.
His own hand is fisted into the fabric of her robes, pressed to her lower back and holding her in place with firm resolve. He's breathing calmly, mimicking sleep, and she imagines that his expression is probably just as calm as the rest of him seems to be. She wishes she knew what he was thinking. She hopes he knows that she's not at all happy about this predicament.
Right. Not happy at all. She closes her eyes.
"…She's gone," Sirius breathes out a few minutes later, and pulls the blankets off her head. Then, looking down at her, the corner of his mouth pulls up just so and he snickers, "Enjoying yourself, are we? It's okay, I understand. You can bask in my glory a while longer – ow for fuck's sake! You always ruin our moments!"
Vivian pulls her fist back from where she had sunk it into his stomach and hisses, "We do not have moments." Then, casting a quick glance around the room to ensure that Pomfrey has, indeed, retreated back to her office, Vivian scowls at Sirius and scrambles off his bed.
She makes a show of angrily grabbing her book, which she had left unassumingly on the nightside table, and then turns back to glower at him.
"This never happened," she growls, much to his amusement.
He smirks, looking overly smug even as he rubs at the spot where she'd hit him. As she turns her back on him and begins to storm away (as quietly as she can – she doesn't want a repeat of that dreadful situation), Sirius smirks wider.
Vivian Blair can deny it all she likes, but they definitely do have moments, and this one takes first place.
"Vivian! Hey – Vivian – Merlin, show down, would you?" Gavin wonders as he falls into step beside her. She's on her way to her Ancient Runes class, ducking around students and generally trying to be as quick as possible. When she hears Gavin, she doesn't slow down, though she does turn to acknowledge his presence with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you want, Clarke?" she wonders, and glances around to see if any of her Slytherin housemates are in the vicinity. Since Regulus's warning the night before, she's been going out of her way to ensure that she doesn't end up getting waylaid by Mulciber. He's been sending her glances throughout the day as if he means to speak to her, and she's been adamantly dodging any attempts made and pretending not to notice.
Gavin seems to find her distracted demeanor a bit confusing, for he sends her a weird look and says, "Have you been avoiding me? I hadn't seen you in ages."
The question makes her stare at him cluelessly. He takes that as a good sign.
"So you haven't been avoiding me?" he clarifies, studying her expression.
Vivian rolls her eyes. "Oh come off it, Gavin. Why would I avoid you?" Then, thinking that she sees Avery's head of reddish-blonde hair, she suddenly grabs Gavin's arm and hauls him to the side of the corridor. With a frown, she mutters, "You're not the person I'm trying to get rid of."
Ah, she'd been mistaken. That isn't Avery, it's just some younger Hufflepuff student. When she glances back at Gavin, he's giving her a knowing look.
"This is what it's come down to? You're avoiding Sirius?" he blurts out, much to her confusion.
She sends him a weird look and barks out a laugh that doesn't sound quite as convincing as she imagined it would. "What? That's ridiculous. He's still in the hospital wing." Then, realizing that her adamant words sound slightly too knowledgeable, she adds, "At least I think he is," and shuts up about anything involving hospitals (and their beds).
Gavin narrows his eyes at her. "Rumor has it that he took a Bludger for you at the match yesterday."
Vivian narrows her eyes right back. "He was just looking for some fame, as usual," she says, trying to shrug it off.
Her Ravenclaw friend doesn't seem to agree, because he crosses his arms and announces, "Bullocks. This is Sirius Black we're talking about. He's obsessed with Quidditch. He would never take a hit for someone on the opposing team." Here, he pauses, and Vivian waits for the inevitable conclusion that she knows is incoming (and most likely riddled with intelligent, well-thought out speculation). She doesn't have to wait for long before Gavin finishes with a decisive, "Unless of course he fancies you, like I've been saying all year."
Vivian rolls her eyes and pushes off from where they're standing against the corridor. As she delves back into the flow of other students, she grumbles, "Yes, I know. You never shut up about it."
He follows her, falling back into step beside her and reaching up to readjust his glasses. "That's only because you never listen to me," he shrugs, and ignores the impatient glance she sends him.
What he can't ignore is the way she grabs him for a second time and shoves him behind the statue of Willoughby the Winsome, though.
"What is going on with you today?" Gavin demands, looking slightly ruffled as he pushes her off of him in hopes of asserting a bit more space between their bodies. This is rather alarming, really, and as a person who prides himself with much wit and discernment, her strange behavior is baffling. Vivian doesn't offer an explanation for her irregular actions, however, because she's too busy peering around the statue with a determined look on her face, and merely hisses at him to shut up.
Now, Gavin Clarke doesn't often find himself pushed into hidden alcoves by members of the female race, but it occurs to him that this particular female seems to have taken a liking to doing exactly that. This isn't the first time she's done this, but the reasons for her taking such an action seem to align in all instances of its occurrence. At least, that's what Gavin assumes when he catches sight of Adrian Mulciber and Evan Rosier walking by.
" – figured I'll just pay off Sinclair again. No point acing Transfiguration when we've already got our lives planned out, right?" Mulciber is saying.
Rosier scoffs and agrees, "McGonagall favors the Gryffs anyway. Fucking blood-traitor scum. Hogwarts is really going to shit."
"Not for long, mate. Things'll turn around soon enough," Mulciber responds, his voice growing fainter as they round the corner and disappear.
The moment they're gone, Vivian releases a pent of breath and turns back to Gavin, only to find that he's frowning intensely at her.
"Really? You're still ashamed to be seen with me?" he says judgmentally, and then leans down to snatch his bag from where he'd dropped it on the floor and shoulders past her angrily. He mutters to himself as he pushes past other students on his way down the corridor. Vivian sighs and follows him, reaching out to grab his shoulder and haul him to a stop.
"That's not true," she denies. "This has nothing to do with you, Clarke."
Gavin looks incredibly frustrated when he demands, "Well what is it all about?" He waits for her to explain it all to him, but when Vivian just opens her mouth and silently closes it several times, without procuring any such explanation, he impatiently mutters, "I thought we were past this, Vivian. I thought we were friends."
She quickly blurts out, "We are friends."
He huffs. "If we were friends, you'd tell me why you've been so out of sorts lately and why you're never around and why you're failing half of your classes."
At this, Vivian's mouth drops open in shock. "I'm not failing half of my – "
"You forget that I help Professor Flitwick grade papers," he cuts in with a frown. "You got a T on your last assignment and according to him, several of the other professors have expressed concerns about your marks."
Vivian stares at him for a long moment before scoffing, "You're acting like some wayward parent, Gavin. My marks are none of your business."
He shakes his head at her and sighs, "Okay fine. Whatever. If you don't want to talk to me then – "
"I have a deadline," she thoughtlessly blurts out, and then promptly shuts her mouth.
He blinks at her in bewilderment. "What?"
Vivian stares at him with an expression that Gavin has never seen on her before. It's suspicious and wary, but bathed in something that looks almost like fear. He furrows his brows and watches as she opens her mouth again, silently searching for something more to say.
"…Look, it's not something we should talk about here," is what she finally settles on, before grabbing his arm and hauling him down the corridor again.
Gavin, once more ruffled by this impromptu action, only manages a short, "Don't you have class?"
She laughs humorlessly and responds, "Gillanders won't notice. I'm hardly ever there anyway," and proceeds to ignore the outrage that immediately leaves Gavin's mouth at her admission.
"But I have class and I'm not skipping it!" Gavin tries to say, but she ignores that, too.
"Oh shut it, Clarke. You need to learn how to be a bit more rebellious," is all she says in response.
"But – NEWTs – " he tries again, and proceeds to splutter all the way down the corridor.
Vivian isn't the only one skipping class today. After a night in the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey's (slightly lacking) supervision, Sirius's injury has been officially cleared. It doesn't take very long to heal a broken bone when magic is involved. The break had been repaired within a few hours of downing the frankly disgusting potion that the healer had given him, and the only reason he hadn't been able to leave immediately after that was because the bone was still fragile and he needed rest. Now, though, in the sunny afternoon following the ruthless Quidditch match, all four Marauders are lounging around the Gryffindor common room, pretending that they have absolutely no prior commitments to speak of. This is obviously not true. Remus is supposed to be in Care of Magical Creatures, Peter is supposed to be in History of Magic, and James and Sirius are supposed to be in Muggle Studies. However, considering who each of their professors are for these classes (and the fact that said professors rarely take a proper role call at the start of class), it's become an ideal time slot to skip.
"I'm thinking of asking Lily to go to Hogsmeade with me for Valentine's Day," James announces to the empty common room. Besides the Marauders, there aren't any other Gryffindors lingering around at this time of day. Everyone else is either in class or in the library.
Remus, Peter, and Sirius all roll their eyes.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Remus wonders, glancing up from the parchment he's writing on. He's not doing homework or anything that responsible. See, Remus Lupin is after all a part of the dishonorable Maraudership, and when he sets his mind to it, he comes up with the best pranks. Boredom is what currently stirs his imagination, despite the fact that he should probably be getting ahead on some of the assignments due at the end of the week.
James immediately sinks down into the couch and mumbles, "…No…" It's obvious that he's remembering Lily's murderous expression the night of the Slug Club party. She hasn't exactly let up on said expression in the days that have followed. She's still absolutely pissed at him.
Sirius snorts. "You need an intervention, mate. I could always introduce you to Ophelia, if you want. I do recall you saying that you like her arse."
James's only response to this is an annoyed shove that makes Sirius nearly fall right off the other end of the couch.
"Hey! All I'm saying is that Evans has you on a fucking leash!" Sirius exclaims, shooting James a glower as he rights himself.
"That's rich, coming from you," James mutters. He crosses his arms and meets the challenging look that Sirius gives him upon hearing this.
Now, the Marauders don't often argue amongst themselves. They are dishonorable comrades, and they are usually able to rise above such pettiness in order to see the bigger picture. Every once in a while, though, things tend to get haywire, as things sometimes do between people who know each other so well, and in times such as these, each Marauders has their own roles. Sirius is the sarcastic one, James is the brutally honest one, Remus is the one who steps in as middleman, and Peter – well, Peter usually pulls up a chair and gets some popcorn. They fall into these roles now, and Sirius's mouth turns up into a caustic smirk.
"If you're referring to Vivian – "
"Oh that's exactly who I'm referring to. You know, the bitchy Slytherin that you've been consorting with all year – "
"Don't you dare call her that, Potter."
"I'm only repeating what you've said about a thousand times."
"Yeah, well I'm not the same person I used to be."
"Clearly, seeing as you'd do just about anything she asked you to, without question – even save her from a rogue Bludger right when we're about to win – "
"Are you actually that pissed off that we lost the match?"
"I'm pissed off that you got me into this mess with Lily!" James snaps.
Sirius barks out a laugh. "What are you on about? I didn't do anything! I don't even talk to Lily!"
"We made a deal in order to get your and Vivian together by the end of February. I mean, I don't hate Blair or anything, and I guess I can get behind you fancying her and all, but it's taking you so damn long. Just fucking kiss her already! Tell her you want her babies! And do it before the end of the month because fuck it, Sirius, my entire future with Lily is on the line here!"
Throughout all of this, the other three Marauders stare at him with varying degrees of shock. James rarely goes on a rant like this, especially to one of his best mates, so it's always surprising in the rare instance that he does. Sirius is practically gaping at him from across the couch, completely taken off guard at this admission, while Peter and Remus stare with equal surprise from their chairs.
"…Tell her I want her babies?" Sirius croaks after nearly a full minute of silence.
Remus clears his throat to hide his laughter. Peter purses his mouth tightly to avoid smiling. James – well, James's mouth twitches just so because he can't quite help himself in that regard. He's never heard Sirius's voice go up so many octaves before.
It's that mouth-twitch that really does it. The Marauders all collapse into riotous laughter, so loud and rowdy that they fill the common with their mirth. Well, all but Sirius, whose face is a particularly vibrant shade of red as he uncomfortably shifts in his seat, mind swirling with memories of Vivian's warm body flush against his. Merlin.
"…Can't believe you made a bet about me," Sirius grumbles after their laughter has calmed down, though his voice lacks any true anger.
He seems slightly deflated now, and his face is still red when James wipes the tears from his eyes and chuckles, "Sorry, mate. I didn't mean to call Vivian a bitch. And uh, right, sorry for using you for my own gain."
Sirius rolls his eyes, but the anger has well and truly left him when he grunts, "You'll do anything when it comes to Lily Evans. Use me all you like, Prongs. What're friends for?" Well, okay, there's a little bit of sarcasm to his voice still, but the amused set of his mouth lessens its impact.
Remus puts his parchment down and muses, "So if Sirius and Vivian don't get together before the end of February, what happens?"
James's laughter dies down and he mumbles, "I can't speak to her again for the rest of my life."
Sirius snorts at this. "Oh please. You deserve this, James. You shouldn't go around making deals like that behind my back."
James glowers at him. "I was trying to help you. And myself at the same time," he adds as an afterthought.
"Yeah, well look where it's landed you," is all Sirius says in response, not sounding very sorry for his friend's plight. He throws his arms over the back of the couch and mutters, "Me and Vivian. I doubt it'll ever happen. She's so stubborn."
Peter sends Sirius a raised eyebrow and says, "So are you, Padfoot."
Remus smirks in agreement. "Yeah, it'd be a match made in heaven. Especially considering how you were both betrothed, or whatever."
Sirius grumbles to himself but doesn't answer, and James just sighs, "That's why I thought it'd be easy, you know? But Lily's been having a tough time befriending her."
"Well of course she has," Sirius cuts in with a roll of his eyes. "Blair is a pureblood, born and raised. She grew up listening to her parents spout bullshit about muggleborns not being as good as purebloods. That sort of brainwashing isn't that easy to get rid of."
They fall into silence after that, each in their own individual thoughts. Peter reaches into his bag to pull out the parchment he had haphazardly jotted his weekly assignments onto, trying to figure out how he'll get everything done. James starts kicking the coffee table in front of the couch, no doubt wondering how to get Lily back on his good side. Sirius leans back and closes his eyes, trying not to think about the feeling of Vivian's fingers curled up in his shirt, or the warm press of her form against his, or the way her breath had fluttered over his neck. Remus returns his attention to his latest prank idea, and opens the Marauder's Map to ponder the ideal location for his plan.
It's as he's turning the pages that his eyes happen to land on two names walking through the corridors of the third floor. Two names that, by all accounts, should be in class. His face must have contorted into a confused expression, because the other Marauders take notice of it.
"What's wrong, Moony?" Peter wonders, secretly happy for a reason not to look at his list of assignments, because there are way too many of them for him to feel at ease.
James glances over at him. Sirius doesn't. His eyes remain closed, and he seems to be off in his own little world. Remus glances over at him before hesitantly saying, "Er…nothing," and tries to brush the situation off, but Peter ends up looking over Remus's shoulder before he can put the map away.
"Clarke? I knew she was meeting someone on the third floor!" Peter exclaims, sounding proud of himself for coming to what he assumes to be the correct conclusion, and all on his own.
Sirius's eyes open.
"It's the middle of the day," Remus argues, starting to fold up the map. "I'm sure they just got lost or something. Maybe they got stuck on the stairs and had to get off on that floor – "
"But we saw Blair in that classroom only a few nights ago," Peter points out, clearly not getting the hint to keep silent on the matter.
Sirius sits up, reaches over the table, and grabs the map before Remus can put it back into his book bag. He unfolds it with a manic gleam in his eye, and stares at the two names with an expression that none of his friends have ever seen on his before.
James leans over to view the map. His eyebrows jolt up when he sees Gavin Clarke's name beside Vivian Blair's, walking through the rarely used third floor.
"Oh come on," James laughs. "Tosspot Clarke? No way!"
Sirius grits his teeth. James pauses.
"…Padfoot, don't – "
"I'm going to see what they're up to," Sirius abruptly announces, nearly crushing the map in his grip as he stands up and turns to the door.
Remus, Peter, and James stare at each other, before…
"I'm coming too!" James blurts, and hastens to follow.
"Er, yeah, me too," Peter shrugs, eager to watch the drama unfold.
Remus just sighs and grumbles to himself as he throws his things onto the coffee table and makes to follow.
The empty classroom on the third floor is as silent as a grave. Vivian supposes that she isn't all that surprised, considering what she has just told Gavin. He's sitting on the rickety chair that had been in the classroom when Vivian first came upon it, head in his hands and completely quiet. She tries not to let it get to her too much. After all, he surely wasn't expecting her to drop this kind of information on him out of the blue. He probably assumed that the reason she's been so out of sorts was simply because she was stressing over NEWTs.
"…So let me get this straight," he croaks after what feels like forever. His face is still in his hands. Unfortunately, she's not able to garner much from his expression seeing as its hidden from her, but his voice is enough to make her more than a little wary.
Gavin sighs and says, "Voldemort, the Dark wizard who is in the papers practically every day, wants you to create a spell that will make Inferi more powerful, and he wants you to complete this spell before the end of April."
His voice sounds disturbingly monotonous. Vivian cringes.
"This whole thing began over Christmas break and you kept it hidden from me even though we're friends," he continues.
She cringes again.
"And now, you just found out that Voldemort will be sending one of his followers to Hogsmeade to collect your spell, and if Voldemort deems that the spell isn't good enough, he'll probably kill you."
At this, Vivian pushes back her cringe to mumble, "I doubt he'll kill me – I mean, I'm a pureblood witch, right?" She doesn't sound entirely convinced, though, and neither does Gavin when he releases another loud sigh.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me all of this before," he says, and finally lifts his head. He doesn't look angry or anything. Actually, he looks extremely worried about her. It would have been endearing, had she not been so anxious about bringing him into this whole mess.
She crosses her arms, feeling distinctly awkward. Her eyes meet his for a brief second, but it's difficult to hold eye contact and she ends up ducking her head as she shrugs, "This isn't your problem and I didn't want to get you involved. You're a muggleborn, Gavin."
She doesn't say this in a mean way, and he seems to understand that. All the same, he grouses, "Yeah, and I'm pretty good with experimental spells, too." When he sees the surprised look on her face, he rolls his eyes. "You don't think I'm actually going to let you die, do you? This spell has to be perfect, so tell me what you've figured out so far."
She barks out a confused laugh. "Please. I've never seen you express interest in anything experimental. I only told you all this so that you stopped thinking I was looking down on you for having lesser blood." Gavin purses his mouth at her and she stops laughing to awkwardly say, "Er…right, sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
He sighs and rubs his face, falling silent again.
Vivian swallows against the lump in her throat and hoarsely says, "This is something I have to do myself."
He looks up at her, eyes shrouded with worry. Then, suddenly, he stands up and starts pacing, running his hand through his hair and sending his glasses slightly askew. "Maybe you should just go to Dumbledore. I mean, we're only seventeen, Vivian. Wouldn't it be better to have one of the professors help you sort this out?"
Vivian immediately stiffens, expression growing colder at this suggestion. In a firm voice, she responds, "No. You don't understand. I have to do this."
He sends her a baffled look. "But if you help Voldemort then you'd be labeled as one of his accomplices! It could ruin you – "
"I can't just abandon my house or my family," she cuts in. "I'd be penniless. I'd have nowhere to go."
"So move in with someone after you graduate and get a job to pay the rent – "
"They would hunt me down, Clarke," she says through gritted teeth. "How are you not getting this? I'd become a traitor to the cause and they'd kill me either way." Then, swallowing hard, she hoarsely adds, "You don't know these people. And besides, no one would take me in."
Gavin sends her a determined look and responds, "I would take you in."
She is, admittedly, a little surprised by this. It's obvious that Gavin is being quite sincere in his offer. His eyes meet hers with a resolution that makes her stumble a bit, because even though they're friends and have been for a while now, it's still a strange thought, having someone care about her enough to make such a sacrifice. She feels an almost overwhelming amount of gratitude for his presence, and it silences her much more effectively than any counterargument would have. Still, though, he doesn't know what he'd be getting himself into if she were to move in with him after graduation. He'd be putting himself into immense danger, especially because of his muggleborn status.
After a lengthy pause, Vivian shoves her hands into her pockets and mumbles, "You'll be continuing your education, though. You've already told me that you think you've got a good chance of being accepted to that Norse school in the middle of nowhere."
It's true enough. Gavin's been going on about that school for a while now, ever since Professor Flitwick, his Head of House, had suggested it. For reasons unknown to her, Gavin's passion is arithmancy and ancient runes, and the Norwegian university is renowned for its curriculum in both subjects. It's also literally in the middle of nowhere, tucked into some remote mountain range miles away from civilization.
He shuffles his feet and mumbles, "So…you could move to Norway with me." He seems to have already realized what a terrible idea this is, and sighs.
She doesn't respond to his halfhearted suggestion and just goes to sit down on the rickety chair that he'd abandoned. They fall into a silence again, but this time, it feels more weighted.
"Look, you can't tell anyone about this," Vivian says after a while, turning her head to stare at Gavin with a heavy look.
He pauses, mouthed pursed. He looks like he wants to argue, but after a moment he just says, "Fine, I won't tell anyone. But you have to promise me that you'll tell me if you need help."
She looks like she wants to argue, too, but Gavin sends her a firm look that makes her cave almost immediately. She can't deny that having someone outside of her house know about her task makes her feel much better about it. Just talking it out like this has been more of a stress-reliever than she ever thought it'd be.
"Fine," she agrees, and turns her eyes to her hands, twisting them in her lap.
Another beat of silence passes between them before Gavin lets out a short laugh. The corner of his mouth edges up just so when he jokes, "I always knew I should've turned you down when you asked me to Hogsmeade. You're trouble, you know that?"
"You were too afraid to turn me down," she scoffs with a smile.
Gavin chuckles. "Yeah, well, if I'd known that all of your 'dictionaries' were really Austen books…" he trails off with a playful grimace, but his expression turns more serious a moment later when he repeats, "You promise you'll keep me informed on this whole thing? And – don't let it interfere with your studies. You still have to focus on your NEWTs, Vivian – "
"Merlin, stop nagging me, Clarke," she complains, and rolls her eyes. She stands up and says, "I guess we should probably get to class."
The reminder that they're skipping makes him visibly pale. "Merlin! I need to head back to the Ravenclaw tower for my Herbology textbook – "
"Relax. You've got plenty of time," Vivian says with a snort, and walks to the door. She feels incredibly good about spilling her secret, and she trusts that Gavin won't blab about it. He has the endearing tendency of sticking his nose up at gossip and rumors, claiming that it's completely immature and 'a waste of time better spent studying'. She knows that he'll take this information to his grave and the knowledge that she has a friend who cares about her makes her feel buoyant and content.
This feeling of relief isn't shared by one Sirius Black, though, who scrambles away from the classroom door when it's pushed open. Beneath the invisibility cloak, all four Marauders are extremely cramped and nearly topple over when Vivian and Clarke walk out into the hall. The slight scuffing sound of their shoes as they move out of the way catches Vivian's attention for one tense moment, before Clarke takes her arm and pulls her down the corridor, saying something about how he can't be late for his next class and that he can't believe he'd let Vivian convince him to skip ("you're a terrible influence, you know."). Thankfully, his hasty verbiage is enough of a distraction to capture Vivian's attention once more, and as the two of them leave, they are none the wiser to their impromptu audience.
The moment they turn the corner and disappear from sight, Sirius flings off the cloak with a tense frown. The other Marauders watch him warily. They know the expression currently taking hold of his countenance. Sirius Black can be a loose cannon sometimes, and the taut set of his shoulders indicates that this is one of those times.
"…Well at least she's not snogging Clarke's brains out in her spare time," James carefully says as he tucks his invisibility cloak over his arm. He glances over at Remus and Peter, who remain silent.
Sirius barks out a humorless laugh. "Right. She's only making some kind of Dark spell for Voldemort himself. No big deal there." Then, in a quieter voice, he mutters, "I can't believe she told Tosspot Clarke. I've been trying to get her to fess up for ages now!"
Now, anyone who knows Sirius Black – really knows him – would agree that he rarely gets jealous about anything. He has more confidence than most boys his age, for good or for bad, and utilizes said confidence in all of his dealings. He certainly has something of an arrogant streak, which is most likely the reason he'd become such fast friends with James. Because of his good looks and charming persona, there is little that Sirius cannot obtain when he puts his mind to it. That said, when something does come along that he can't obtain, jealousy isn't his go-to reaction. The thing is, though, that he's already run through the gambit of other reactions when dealing with Vivian Blair (anger, confrontation, goodwill, and charm, to name a few), and so the thought that she had told someone else about her problems instead of him is making him feel a bit resentful. After all, he's gone out of his way trying to convince her to take her problems to Dumbledore. He'd seen her at her lowest point when she'd stumbled into Godric's Hollow over break. He's had plenty of moments with her since then that he assumed meant they were growing closer. Why else would she come to see him in the hospital wing in the middle of the night? Maybe he had overthought it all, and had made presumptions that were never true. Maybe she really does hate him, despite everything that's happened recently.
"They're friends, Sirius," Remus tries to reason. "She feels comfortable talking to him."
This doesn't seem to help. Sirius glowers at the floor and mutters, "Right. Friends." His tone of voice makes it clear that he doesn't necessarily agree.
"Don't do anything stupid," James warns when Sirius turns on his heel to sulk back down the corridor. Sirius doesn't respond, and James lets out a heaving sigh. "Great. He's brooding again."
Remus and Peter exchange grimacing glances. After all, a brooding Sirius is one thing, but a brooding, jealous Sirius? Watch out, Hogwarts.