A/N: In which Vivian receives Honorary Maraudership, until she remembers why one should never trust a Gryffindor.
Lots of reviews on the last chapter so I think I'll just keep this note nice and short this week! First of all, thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really don't say it often enough but every review honestly makes my day. Also a few people mentioned the quarantine/more frequent updates during this time, so here's my current standpoint on that:
Like many of you who are either in school or work in businesses where you aren't able to work from home, I now have lots of time on my hands. That said, I do have an online business that keeps me occupied despite not currently having my usual hours at the store I work at. In regards to more frequent updates, I'm going to have to play it by ear and see how busy I get with my online shop. We are also getting to the end of Season 1 (roughly 2-3 more chapters), which means I'll need to take some time to figure out my outlines for Season 2. Basically everything is up in the air right now and I'm going to have to see what my schedule is like moving forward. I have been writing like crazy this past week and am very excited to start getting into the next installment of Vivicendium, so I am hoping I'll be able to update a bit more than I normally would, but no promises yet.
Also. I have recently decided that, since I like to make my life as complicated as I possibly can, I'm going to eventually expand Vivicendium into a wider universe with multiple side-stories for other characters. Eventually in Season 3, (if I plan it all out properly) everything should connect during the height of the second war. This week I'll be introducing the first side-story (Bill Weasley/OC), so if you're interested in checking it out, you can expect Chapter 1 to be up on Tuesday. But fear thee not, for I will still be updating Vivicendium religiously, as it is the most important thing to me rn because I am an antisocial nerd who has no social life. Especially now.
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe wherever you are!
Chapter Fifty Two | Lapsus pennae
[Slip of the pen]
There is a saying: "What goes up must come down". It's a trivial set of words, but there is a ring of truth to them nonetheless.
Vivian is a tiny bit amused at the way Potter is trying to steal Sirius's firewhiskey. He's sitting on the garden wall behind the greenhouses with one leg hanging over the edge, and every sip he takes from Sirius's flask makes him a tad bit more idiotic. Even though he seems to have a love-hate relationship with firewhiskey, he keeps moving it out of reach whenever Sirius tries to reclaim it. Peter and Remus are watching the scene as if it is perfectly normal. That is, the addition of one Vivian Blair is decidedly not normal, but Peter seems too timid to remark upon it and Remus doesn't seem to mind that much either way. Vivian is another story, of course. It would be a lie to claim that she's comfortable, but when Sirius had grabbed her hand during her patrol that evening and dragged her down here, she hadn't exactly realized that they would be having company.
You may wonder what is going on. Allow me to take you back in time to one hour ago, when Vivian Blair was walking down the pitch-black corridor on the second floor, grumbling to herself about having to do patrols by herself. See, she was supposed to be meeting up with one of the Hufflepuff prefects tonight, but he had mysterious disappeared. Vivian isn't sure if this is because her fellow prefect forgot (it does happen sometimes, especially with the craziness of NEWTs on their doorstep), or if he just hadn't wanted to patrol with Vivian because of her reputation (honestly, she doesn't actually lock people in loos, usually). Of course, she doesn't know it yet, but the reason why she's alone tonight isn't due to any forgetfulness or fear of being trapped in the loo. Rather, her fellow prefect is at this very moment hanging upside down several corridors away from the kitchens as he's heckled at by Peeves, who had been wrangled into service by a group of students who just so happen to be members of a dishonorable Maraudership.
Since we are on the subject of Marauders, let it be said that while Vivian Blair no longer loathes one of them, she still isn't crazy about the others. She naturally thinks Potter is an idiot, thinks Peter is creepy, and has a very blasé perspective of Remus. Becoming an Honorary Marauder is most certainly not on her to-do list, which is why she is initially quite put-off when Potter hands her the flask and starts spewing nonsense about joining their Maraudership and shit – but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Vivian is just turning the corner near one of the prefect bathrooms on the second floor when a hand suddenly reaches out to grab her. In the thick darkness of the corridor, with only the light of her wand to guide her, she doesn't actually see who it is until their hand is already clutching her wrist. Now, anyone who happens to be walking through the dark before being grabbed and pushed against a wall would understand why Vivian's reaction is so…well.
"Merlin's Balls, Vivian! No need to overreact!" Sirius yelps as she grabs a fistful of his shirt and shoves him backwards, a hex on the tip of her tongue.
It takes her a moment to realize what, exactly, is going on. By the time she does, Sirius is righting himself just in time barely avoid the fist that's swinging towards his chest. Yes, she does know that it's only Sirius. That doesn't mean she doesn't want to punch him for his little stunt.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she hisses as Sirius jerks out of the way. She points her wand at him and he lifts a hand to shield his eyes from the bright light that nearly blinds him. Vivian looks entirely unapologetic as she growls, "You can't just grab me like that, you idiot – Salazar, I thought you were Adrian."
This sobers him up a bit. Sirius clears his throat and mumbles, "Right. Sorry."
She just rolls her eyes and grumbles, "What the hell do you want? I'm in the middle of my patrols." Under her breath, she mutters, "I'm so going to give that fucking Hufflepuff a piece of my mind tomorrow…"
Sirius hears that last bit and grimaces, "Don't be too hard on him, Vivian." Then, seeing the sharp look she sends him, hastily adds, "Anyway, come on. We're going to the greenhouses."
He tries to take her hand, but Vivian merely crosses her arms and demands, "What do you mean, 'don't be too hard on him'? What did you do, Sirius?"
The way he smirks and rubs the back of his neck makes her raise an eyebrow expectantly.
"Oh come on," he snickers. "I didn't do anything. Peeves is the one you should blame. Now hurry up or we'll be late."
Vivian's patience is already at its limits, so when she asks, "Late for what?", it really sounds more like a growl.
Late for what, indeed. She's beginning to realize that Sirius Black has a bit of a silver tongue, because when she ends up being led through the darkened corridors towards the main entrance of the castle, she doesn't actually complain – that much. Of course, she wouldn't be a respectable Slytherin if she didn't grouse a bit here and there, but she doesn't actually try to stop him. Maybe she would have if she had known that Sirius wasn't bringing her to the greenhouses for a snog, but by the time she discovers that his intentions aren't of the romantic sort, it's far too late to turn back.
The first thing she hears when she rounds the corner of the greenhouse is a familiar laugh, which makes Vivian stop in her tracks as a dangerous expression thunders over her face. The second thing she hears is a faint, '…should be here by now,' murmured in a familiar voice, and the thunder promptly transfers to her vocal cords as she growls, "Sirius."
He sends her a lighthearted smile. "Yes?" he wonders innocently.
She opens her mouth to demand what the hell he's doing, dragging her all the way down here if he isn't going to make it worth her while, but before she can…
"Oi, Padfoot, Pride! Finally!" James calls as he catches sight of their shadowy figures beneath the light of the crescent moon.
'Padfoot' sends Vivian another innocent smile and gestures to the awaiting group with a dramatic flick of his wrist. "Shall we?" he asks, and presses back an amused smirk at the expression currently settling over Vivian's face.
Apparently, he doesn't need to drag her to his friends after all, because James Potter's new nickname for her makes her immediately stalk forward, thundering across the grass and demanding, "Did you just call me 'Pride'?"
James just grins and says, "You can't be an Honorary Marauder without a proper nickname – "
"I refuse to be a part of your weird Maraudership or whatever it is you call it – " Vivian interrupts.
"You should really be a bit more gracious, Pride. Not everyone can claim to be an Honorary – "
"If you don't stop calling me that, I am going to hex you – "
"Well this is fun and all, but look what I brought," Sirius cuts in, and blindly reaches out to take Vivian's hand before she can pull her wand on James. As Vivian tries to wrangle herself free, Sirius pulls a flask of firewhiskey and tosses it to Remus, who catches it with a laugh.
"We were thinking of making a trip into Hogsmeade for some butterbeer," Peter says, though it doesn't stop him from reaching over to take a hearty swig from the flask. He looks quite nervous as he glances towards Vivian, no doubt wondering she's going to sends curses at them.
Instead of curses, though, Vivian's eyebrows jolt up. "Hogsmeade?" she repeats, sounding incredulous.
"Right. We figured it'd be a good way to see if you have what it takes to be an Honorary Marauder," James explains, pushing his glasses up with a wide smile.
"Excellent idea, Prongs," Sirius says, and throws an arm around Vivian's shoulders before lowering his voice to add, "Just go with it, Vivian. There's no negotiating, with this lot."
Vivian sends him a narrowed look and hisses back, "You're acting as if this wasn't your spectacular plan."
Sirius just clears his throat and opens his mouth to respond, but James beats him to it. "It wasn't just Padfoot's idea, Pride. Once you get the hang of being an Honorary Marauder, you'll understand how our democratic system works – "
"Stop calling me that," Vivian snaps, completely uninterested in hearing Potter rattle on about the finer points of their stupid Maraudership. What a nightmare tonight is turning out to be. She hadn't expected this and she feels like a bit of an idiot for thinking that Sirius dragged her all the way down here just for a snog.
"It'll be fun, Vivian," Remus says as he watches James snatch the flask of firewhiskey from Peter and take a large sip.
As he does, Sirius exclaims, "Oi! Don't drink it all, Prongs – that's the last of it!", as he reaches over to grab it back.
And here we are at the beginning, with Vivian watching as Sirius and James battle for the firewhiskey like two immature idiots. Merlin preserve her.
"We should probably leave, though, don't you think?" Peter murmurs to Remus as the pair of them watch their two friends.
Remus shrugs, "Yeah, probably. Come on. They'll realize we're gone sooner or later."
With that, Peter and Remus stand up and begin walking away, but Remus pauses before they get too far and calls back, "Are you coming, Vivian?" He raises an eyebrow at her, then glances over at his squabbling friends. "Or would you rather stay behind…?"
In the background, Sirius barks, "I spent good money on that firewhiskey, Prongs!"
James's very original response is, "I'm your best mate though!"
Vivian rolls her eyes and stalks towards Peter and Remus. The former pulls back with a fearful look in his eyes; the latter merely stuffs his hands into his pockets and ambles onward as Vivian falls into step beside them.
"This wasn't what I was expecting," Vivian mutters to herself. A blustering wind tunnels over the grounds and catches into them, so she pulls her robes tighter around her frame.
Remus casts her a knowing look and slyly wonders, "What were you expecting, then?"
She pauses to throw an annoyed look at him and purses her mouth. She's not about to answer that question truthfully, but Remus seems to already know the answer anyhow and just snickers. The shove she promptly bestows upon him doesn't make his snickering stop, so she just huffs and keeps walking.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Vivian grumbles after a few minutes. Now that she's paying more attention, Remus and Peter seem to be cutting across the grounds as if they're intention is to go into the Forbidden Forest. They wouldn't be that stupid, would they? It's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason, after all.
Remus just shrugs though, and responds, "You'll see soon enough."
His cryptic response makes her scowl.
By the time they reach the small hilltop overlooking the Whomping Willow, James and Sirius catch up with them. They're laughing together as they do, as if they hadn't just gotten into an argument over firewhiskey only minutes before. When Vivian sees their grinning countenances, she rolls her eyes yet again.
"So. Here we are, at the start of our quest," Potter dramatically swoons, falling over Remus's shoulder. "Before we carry on, I think a speech is in order."
Sirius prompts snorts, "Only the leader of the Marauders should give speeches, don't you think?"
When James pauses and shoots Sirius an impatient look, Vivian has the distinct impression that this an old argument. She's proven right when James pushes up his glasses, turns to Sirius, and declares, "After your stunt with the fireworks, Padfoot, we all agreed that I make a better leader than you, which naturally means that the speech-giving right belongs to me."
Sirius crosses his arms and counters, "I'll admit that the firework incident didn't go quite as planned, but I hardly think that one mistake should take the leadership away from me."
James smiles pretentiously. "Ah, but in order for the leadership to be taken away, it had to have been yours in the first place. Is that not correct, Moony?"
Off to the side, Remus dryly responds, "That's usually how it works, yes."
Prongs nods happily and raises a finger to declare, "Therefore, I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight on this most Dishonorable adventure. We are gathered here to celebrate the Honorary membership of Padfoot's official bird, who – "
"Sirius, let me hex him," Vivian hisses when she tries to pull out her wand, only for Sirius to promptly drag her hand away.
James sends her an annoyed look for interrupting his speech and carries on in a louder voice, " – who, upon sharing this adventure with us and proving her worth as a Dishonorable Marauder, shall unto this day be known to us exclusively as 'Pride' – "
"I am literally going to kill him," Vivian hisses again, interrupting James mid-sentence once more.
James sighs and grumbles, "Fine, I'll stop the speech there. Short and sweet, right Wormtail? Now, before we go any further, you've got to swear not to divulge our secrets to anyone, Pride."
'Pride' scowls at him heartily.
With a cough, Remus steps up and says less obnoxiously, "You really can't tell anyone about what you're about to witness, Vivian."
James nods quickly and adds, "We're putting our faith in you."
Peter looks a bit doubtful as he watches the proceedings, but Sirius just squeezes Vivian's hand and declares, "She'll keep our secret. I trust her."
It's the look Sirius sends her in that moment that really makes her lose the will to argue. Soft and ardent, almost. Meaningful. She stares at him in surprise as warmth blossoms through her chest. She never thought she'd hear those words coming from Sirius Black's lips and she frankly doesn't know what to say in response. Trust is a formidable thing, after all.
Thankfully, she doesn't have to say anything, because James just nods and pats Peter on the back, and what happens next makes her stare in shock. Well, it's not every day that you see a man transform into a rat, after all.
Vivian's mouth drops open as Peter changes form, lets out a nervous squeak, and darts off through the grass in the direction of the Whomping Willow. It's impossible to follow his fast movements in the dark, but whatever he ends up doing must immobilize the dangerous tree, because only a few seconds later, the creaking branches freeze completely.
Vivian stares with wide eyes, still overwhelmed by the fact that Peter Pettigrew – awkward, brainless Pettigrew – is apparently talented enough to become an animagus. She's never heard of a student becoming one before. That sort of magic requires a lot of skill, but it all makes sense, suddenly. Pettigrew's friends call him 'Wormtail', don't they? The nickname must be a result of his animagus form. So, does that mean that Sirius, Remus, and James are also animagi? It would explain their weird nicknames. Her mind is busy churning with the legal implications of this newfound knowledge when Sirius suddenly takes her hand and urgently says, "Come on, Vivi – don't just stand there!"
It's only then that Vivian breaks out of her daze. Still, it takes her a moment to realize that her and Sirius are the only ones remaining on the hilltop. It takes several moments more before she realizes what he had just called her, but she doesn't exactly have a chance to question him about it because Sirius is already dragging her down the hillside, underneath the eerily frozen limbs of the Whomping Willow, and into a hidden passageway that she doesn't notice is there until she's already halfway through it. Then, gasping and panting from the sudden and unexpected sprint, Vivian is a bit too out of breath to say anything but, "Vivi? Really?"
Sirius laughs aloud at her dry voice and crowds into her line of sight, catching her arms and leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead. "What, you don't like it?"
She shoves him back, but only because the others are nearby. "I don't like any of your stupid nicknames for me," she grumbles, and tries her best to scowl.
"Alright, Pride, break it up. We don't need to watch you get it on with Padfoot right now," James says from further down the tunnel that they are in, and Vivian's scowl becomes a shade more pronounced.
Sirius coughs back a laugh as she shoulders past him to indignantly demand, "Would you stop calling me – "
"Hurry up, you two!" Remus shouts from further ahead. "The butterbeer isn't going to drink itself!"
Merlin. She thinks she's starting to understand why Remus is a Marauder. With her scowl set firmly in place, Vivian gets shepherded through the tunnel after the others. She sees Peter's figure up ahead, now human once more, and glances over at Sirius to whisper, "How did Pettigrew become an animagus?"
Sirius catches her eye with a secretive smile and loops an arm over her shoulder. He hauls her into his side and whispers back, "It's a long story, best had over a mug of butterbeer."
She raises a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Why can't you just tell me now?" she grouses, a bit annoyed with all the secrecy.
Honestly. Is she that surprised that the Marauders apparently travel via tunnels into Hogsmeade now and again to get alcohol? Well – not really, actually, but it's the principle of it all! He could have warned her before dragging her across the grounds and throwing all of this at her!
Sirius snickers and prods her forward, towards a set of stairs that have been built into the dirt. As she shoots him an annoyed look, he murmurs, "Because we're nearly there."
She's about to impatiently ask him 'nearly where?' when she realizes that the stairs are leading her towards a ceiling. Well, she's not sure she'd necessarily call it a ceiling, actually. It's really more of a floor, if you want to be semantical about it. A trapdoor has already been pulled open. When Vivian climbs the rest of the stairs and clamors through it, her shock returns once more in a jolting wave.
She's in the sitting room of the Shrieking Shack. She sees the dust-laden couch against the far wall, and the side table that lies on its side near the window. It looks so chillingly familiar that she falters for a moment as Sirius follows her through the trapdoor, overcome by memories of the last time she had been inside this building. Sirius sees the expression on her face and reaches over to take her hand.
"Hey," he whispers, giving it a squeeze. "You alright?"
Vivian glances down at their entwined fingers and responds, "…Yeah, of course."
He opens his mouth to say something more, but –
"Come on, you two! Honestly, you'd think we were taking a leisurely stroll through the gardens or something," James says from the doorway that leads into the kitchen.
Vivian breathes out impatiently and Sirius chuckles, nudging her forward. "Let's go before he has an aneurism," he jokes, and follows James, Remus, and Peter through the shack to the back door.
Well. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. Then again, tonight is full of the unexpected.
As the group exits the Shrieking Shack, James stretches his arms over his head and sighs, "I always forget how cramped that tunnel is."
Peter laughs and says, "Well you never go through that tunnel as a – erm. Anyway, Hog's Head?" He casts a frightful glance at Vivian, as if he had been about to say something that she ought not be privy to, and clears his throat awkwardly.
Vivian spears him with a weird look as Remus responds, "Well we can't go to The Three Broomsticks after the last time."
Sirius laughs. "Ah, that was a good time, wasn't it Prongs?"
James laughs too. "It was. I always love it when Peter gets sloshed."
"Yeah, that time he mistook a mop for a girl really had me in stitches," Sirius snickers. "What'd you say again, Wormtail?"
James sighs girlishly and says in a high-pitched voice, "I believe it was something to the effect of: 'I'd like to get tangled in your hair!'"
Peter rolls his eyes at his friends and mutters, "Oh shove off. I was plastered."
Vivian feels a touch awkward as she follows the group. Despite the fact that Sirius is still holding her hand, it's difficult not to feel removed from their inside jokes. She hadn't really thought this far ahead, to be honest. When she had spent all that time with Sirius, she hadn't considered the rest of his friends. In hindsight, it had been a bit foolish of her. After all, the Marauders are very close.
With a frown, she suddenly wonders if they know everything that's happened between her and Sirius. Had he told them about her task? Their detentions? Kissing her against the alchemy shelves, even? She sends Sirius a distrustful look.
He doesn't notice at first, because he's too busy teasing Peter. It's only when he happens to turn his head to smile at her that he sees her expression, and pauses mid-sentence.
"…Why're you looking at me like that?" he wonders, raising an eyebrow at her.
Vivian narrows her eyes at him and mutters, "What have you told them about me?"
The random question has his eyebrows rising higher, until he sighs and slows his pace. "You lot go on ahead, we'll catch up in a minute!" he calls to the others, and then turns to face her. James shouts something about how they'll likely need 'more than a minute', but Sirius is too busy taking her other hand and saying, "You've got to learn to trust me more."
At this, Vivian pauses too and shoots a glance at Potter's disappearing back. Sirius sighs and cups her cheek, bringing her attention back to him.
"You told Potter that you kissed me. Back during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Don't deny it," she accuses. "So what else have you told him?"
Sirius raises his eyebrow again and responds, "Okay first of all, you kissed me that time, and second, I only told him that to get him off my back. I've might've mentioned some things to them about the task, but I haven't gone into detail about it – don't get angry, Vivian, I usually tell them everything."
She crosses her arms and stares past his shoulder, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at her reaction. "…But you didn't tell them anything about our detentions?" she asks haltingly.
Sirius snickers. "What, you mean all the times you threw me against the wall and kissed the living daylights out of – "
"Why do I even try to have a serious conversation with you?" Vivian grumbles, and turns away to continue walking. But before she can take even a step, Sirius is catching her shoulders and whirling her back around, shuffling closer as he loops his arms around her waist and hauls her against him.
She's breathless because of the suddenness of it all. Not because he looks like he's wants to kiss her. Obviously.
"What do you think I do, sigh about you in my dormitory while James gushes about us being together?" Sirius asks.
Honestly. He's never done that before. Ever. It'd be so unmanly, you know?
She eyes him. "…I'll bet you have," she mutters after a moment.
Sirius rolls his eyes and shuffles closer. "I do not sigh about girls," he tells her.
She snorts and threads her fingers into his collar. "Please. Not even after I kissed you in the owlery?"
His eyes flash at the memory. He shuffles even closer, feeling incredibly warm in the winter chill, and tilts his mouth towards hers.
"…I'd never tell you if I did," he murmurs lowly, and kisses her.
James had been correct in assuming that they'd need more than a few minutes. As Vivian lets out a breathless sigh and drags him closer, Sirius reckons that he may need more than that. After all, he has a terrible tendency of getting lost in the way Vivian kisses him, especially when she pushes her hands into his hair and clenches down around it.
He gathers her closer, nearly tilting her head back with the force of his kiss, and buries his hands beneath her cloak to clutch at the back of her shirt. She is warm in all this cold and he finds himself falling right into her without even questioning it. After all, what's there to question now? He's crazy about Vivian Blair. He thinks he'd do just about anything for her, even.
"Sirius, they're probably – waiting for us," Vivian breathes against his mouth, but clutches him tighter despite her words.
Vivian Blair, he's beginning to realize, is a bit of a conundrum. A mixture of polar opposites. A mystery carefully tucked out of sight – good and evil and all the shades in between.
It amazes him, how much he loves her.
She's kissing him deeper now, tongue brushing over his bottom lip as fire settles within their veins, and Sirius is hauling her closer and –
"OI! IT'S BEEN MORE THAN A MINUTE!" James's voice hollers from the distance.
Sirius sighs. Vivian scowls.
"I am going to hex him," she mutters, glaring towards his figure.
Sirius merely grumbles, "Yeah, me too," and takes her hand to lead her onward.
Vivian doesn't hex him, though. Not yet.
By the time her and Sirius catch up to him, James must see the dangerous glint in Vivian's eye because he high-tails it back into the Hog's Head, where the others have already gotten a table in the back corner. Peter is already half-finished with his butterbeer, nervous taking sips every other second. Remus looks like he's only just started his, and keeps nudging Peter to get him to slow down. James slides into the booth and murmurs something to the other two that makes Peter look disgusted and Remus look amused.
As they start towards them, Sirius sighs, "That twat just told them we were snogging."
Vivian glances at him skeptically. "How do you know that?"
The look Sirius sends her then is half exasperated, half knowing. "It's the eyes. They're downright demonic sometimes."
James overhears that last bit and looks a bit offended. "I hope you're not talking about me, Padfoot, because I am a bonified angel."
Remus snorts into his butterbeer. Peter coughs out a laugh as he swallows a sip. Sirius just rolls his eyes and slides into the booth beside James, pulling Vivian in with him.
"Let me guess – you paid off the bartender not to rat us out to Dumbledore?" Vivian drawls as she grabs the mug of butterbeer that Sirius is reaching for. He sends her a disgruntled look that she ignores.
Remus smiles at her and shrugs, "Nah. We spy for him occasionally, so he gives us a break."
Vivian raises an eyebrow at the word 'spy' and James leans over to explain, "Yeah, he's got an enormous crush on the new proprietor of The Three Broomsticks – what's her name again, Moony?"
"Rosmerta," Moony supplies.
"Right, Rosmerta. So anyway, we keep him updated on her. If a bloke tries chatting her up, he's the first to know."
Vivian's eyebrow twitches. She stares at them all for one long moment before scoffing, "That's the most pathetic thing I have ever heard."
Sirius shrugs, "Yeah, it is pretty pathetic. If a bloke likes a girl, you'd think he'd just go up and talk to her, you know?" Then, noticing all the looks he's receiving from the table at large, he frowns in confusion and asks, "What? What did I say?"
James shakes his head and sighs, "Oh Padfoot. You innocent little puppy." He reaches over to pat his head as Remus and Peter snicker.
Padfoot just glowers at James and bats his hand away. He reaches for the remaining butterbeer and pulls it towards him, sweeping an arm over the back of the booth as he casually takes a sip.
"So now that we're finally all here and not snogging in the woods like a couple of rabid animals," James begins, "it's time to enact the second part of our quest."
Sirius rolls his eyes at the 'rabid animals' bit and is thankful that he had the foresight to sit between James and Vivian, because the latter of the two looks tempted to reach for her wand again.
Across the table, Remus dryly hums, "Right, the interrogation."
James laughs, then takes one look at Vivian's expression and backpedals with an innocent, "It's just a conversation, Moony. Merlin, you're so dramatic."
Remus raises an eyebrow but just shakes his head, a little too accustomed to James Potter's antics by now, and just drawls, "With an Honorary Marauder, to figure out what her intentions are towards Padfoot. Isn't that right, Prongs?"
James stammers, "Uh – is that what I said? I don't remember saying it quite like that – "
"My intentions?" Vivian repeats incredulous, leaning around the man in question to stare at James as if she thinks he's gone insane. "What are you, Sirius's mother or something?" Then Vivian smirks at James and scoffs, "Do you really want to know what my intentions are towards him? I could go into specifics, if you'd like."
James pales slightly at the innuendo in her voice. As for Sirius, he coughs into his butterbeer and hoarsely chokes, "I would be interested to know, actually."
She ignores him and just stares at James, who looks quite regretful at having brought up her intentions at this point. "Um…I don't think it's necessary to go into detail or anything," he hedges. He glances over to Moony for help, but Remus just leans back and watches him flounder with an amused smile. Yes, Vivian is definitely starting to understand why Remus is a Marauder.
"But you could tell me all about your intentions – " Sirius tries again, but is once more ignored.
"How about you tell us what your intentions are towards Lily?" Vivian drawls, turning the tables on James before he's quite prepared.
"Huh? Lily?" James asks, "Aren't my intentions obvious? I'm going to marry her, of course." Vivian snorts, which makes James look rather indignant. "What, you don't think it could happen?" he demands, completely forgetting about his original purposes for bringing Vivian all the way here.
Vivian shrugs and rests her chin on her palm before slowly responding, "No, it's definitely possible. She was looking at you all lovestruck after you caught her in class the other day. It was absolutely revolting."
At this, James beams and huddles further over the table to lean around Sirius, who suddenly feels a bit boxed in. In a smug tone, James says, "See, she's just being stubborn as usual. She's hopelessly in love with me. Maybe I should stop ignoring her – what do you say, Padfoot?"
Vivian raises an eyebrow dryly as Sirius runs a hand over his chin. He's about to give Prongs his masterful advice concerning members of the female species, strange as they are, when Vivian cuts in with an unimpressed, "I really can't believe you're taking his advice, Potter. This is someone who literally spent his entire life pretending to hate the girl he's always secretly fancied. Just look at his track record. It took him over a decade to convince me that he's not a complete prat – if you include all the years when we were kids and he'd run around without his trousers."
The whole table goes silent, for varying reasons.
Peter's face is going red with the effort it takes to not burst out into laughter. After all, it's not every day that Sirius Black gets so casually insulted by a girl he fancies. This is something that has never happened before in the history of their Maraudership, as the girls he usually hangs around with are too busy crooning over him to bother insulting him.
Remus's mouth is dropping open at the vivid imagery that their resident Slytherin has supplied for them. He is, of course, also in the same boat as Peter, and finds it incredibly amusing at the offhanded insults flying from Vivian's lips. It's almost as if she doesn't even realize that she's insulting him at all – though, upon closer inspection, the way her eyes are absolutely glinting makes it clear that she's very much aware of it, thank you, and is enjoying every second.
James is staring at Vivian in surprise, partly because her insults are also somewhat amazing to him and also because he's trying to imagine a young Sirius, who has always been a rebel at heart, flat-out refusing to wear his trousers even with company around.
It's Sirius, though, whose reaction is naturally the best. His mouth hangs open, his face gets a little flustered, and he turns to gape at Vivian with an exclaimed, "You remember that? We were seven!"
His flustered response is the last straw, really.
"Oh Merlin!" James crows, pressing his head to the table as he collapses into laughter. Remus and Peter also dissolve into laughter, pushing away their butterbeers to avoid spilling them all over the table as they watch Sirius's face become a touch redder.
As for Vivian, she smirks evilly and continues, "He'd always try to get out of his pants, too, but thankfully his mum – "
A hand slaps itself over Vivian's mouth before she can continue, and Sirius hisses, "Really? How do you remember this?!"
She just bats his hand off of her and smirks, "Consider it payback for all the times you called me a bitch, Padfoot. You didn't really think that I'd let you off easy, did you? I'm a Slytherin."
As he gapes at her, James incoherently cackles, "His pants! Merlin!"
Across the way, Remus grins, "You know, I'm glad you brought Vivian along tonight, Padfoot. I feel like this has been a great bonding experience for us."
Sirius shoots him a glower and looks like he wants to say something, but Peter cuts in with a laughing, "I can't believe you ran around without your trousers, Padfoot!"
James snickers, "So what other embarrassing stories do you have, Pride? Let's hear 'em."
Vivian's smug smile lessens at the usage of her new nickname, which makes Sirius smirk now as the tables are turned.
"Okay what is the deal with the nickname?" Vivian demands. "And if you say it's because I'm conceited or something, I will hex you."
James raises an eyebrow, but it's Remus who responds. He catches Vivian's eye and shrugs, "Your patronus is a lion, yeah? Lions have prides."
She stares at him. That…wasn't what she was expecting.
At her side, Sirius smiles and loops at arm around her shoulders to pull her closer against him. He sounds rather pleased when he tells her, "It was a joint effort, because we're your new pride, now."
Right. Not what she was expecting at all. Her chest fills with warmth. Shucked against Sirius's side, taking part in the Marauders' antics – even being considered one of them, somehow – it isn't something she would ever have expected in a million years. In fact, a few months ago, she would have sneered at the thought. And yet, now…well, it's strange, but she feels incredibly happy to be here, despite her earlier reservations. She still thinks Potter is an idiot, of course, but he isn't all that bad. Well, sort of.
"So can we just talk about Lily for a moment?" he says once he regains control of his laughter. He sees the way Sirius sighs in relief and adds, "Don't get too comfortable, Padfoot – we're definitely going to talk about you rejecting your trousers soon. It explains a lot about your character, actually."
Sirius glowers at him as the others start snickering again.
Tonight really is full of surprises, which makes Vivian feels immensely warm. This could be due to the fact that the Marauders had managed to bribe their proprietor confidante to serve them firewhiskey after their first round of butterbeers, or it could be because Sirius has his arm around her waist as they sit together in the booth and hasn't let her go even once. Regardless, Vivian is feeling way more comfortable around the Marauders than she ever thought she would.
She's learned quite a lot about them already. For example, Remus's father works in the department for Magical Creatures. The reason they're always getting away with pranks is because they know just about every hidden passageway that Hogwarts has to offer. Peter is shite at Wizarding Chess. It's trivial knowledge, but it makes Vivian feel like she's a part of their world, which is a still a bit strange to think about, but she's not questioning it as much as she had in the beginning.
She also learns that when James drinks firewhiskey, he becomes even more pathetic than usual.
"Maybe if I pay someone to trip her again, I can replicate my incredible catch," he's saying.
Right. So when she says 'pathetic', she means 'pathetically in love with Lily Evans'. Of course, he's like this anyway, but firewhiskey seems to intensify it.
"She'll swoon into my arms and agree to go out on a date with me," he girlishly sighs.
Remus, still the voice of reason despite drinking just as much as the rest of them, logically points out, "If you pay someone to trip her, she'll murder you."
James frowns sadly and bemoans, "You're probably right. Merlin, isn't she so attractive when she's trying to murder me, though?"
Vivian rolls her eyes and snorts, "You're a fucking psychopath, Potter. If you want Evans to notice you, stop being such an idiot. There's literally nothing else to it."
At this, James blinks over at her and, sounding immensely confused, says, "I thought girls liked it when blokes acted like idiots."
She sends him a look that makes it obvious how unimpressed she is with this, and glances over at Sirius to drawl, "Did you tell him that?"
Sirius just snickers and breezily responds, "That was all him this time, I'm afraid."
Vivian rolls her eyes again. "Look, Potter, here's what you need to do: stop sending her flowers every morning like a creep, stop calling her 'Lilyflower', and stop being such a smug arsehole all the time."
James drops his mouth and splutters, "But that's my MO! It's what I do! It makes me unique!"
"It makes you look like a moron," is her only response. Then she shrugs, "If you ask me, Evans could do way better."
James glowers at her and pushes up his glasses, muttering, "No one asked you though," as he stares mournfully at the table.
Sirius laughs. "This is what you get for making that stupid deal, Prongs. Consider it payback, yeah?"
As Peter snorts in agreement, Vivian raises an eyebrow and wonders, "What deal?"
The question has Remus grinning as he shoots a smirk at James, who seems to be silently trying to tell him not to talk. Alas, Remus doesn't listen, and merely catches Vivian's eye as he explains, "James and Lily made a deal to get you and Padfoot together by the end of your month of detentions."
James sighs as this information is revealed, but Vivian's reaction isn't what he's anticipating. Instead of drawing her wand to hex him or getting annoyed that he made a deal about her behind her back, she just raises an eyebrow and drawls, "Oh? What were the stakes, then?"
None of the Marauders were expecting this reaction, it seems. Then again, they don't usually make a habit of hanging around Slytherins, who happen to love making bets and setting high, seemingly unreachable goals for them. They still have a lot to learn about Vivian Blair, it seems.
"…Er. Well, Lily wanted me to take on some of her work load if we lost, and I agreed to never talk to her again…if we lost." James pulls a confused face as he repeats the agreement, as if he's only now realizing that he literally gets nothing from it either way.
Vivian's expression is complete and utter incredulity as she demands, "Are you really that much of an idiot? You should have made her agree to go out with you if you won."
James's expression grows a touch more conflicted. "…Yeah. That's true."
Vivian shakes her head at him. "Well this is probably just as well." At the confused look he sends her, she shrugs, "At least Evans doesn't have to waste her time with you now."
He scowls and takes another shot of firewhiskey. Vivian snickers.
Sirius does too. "She does have a point, Prongs. Your stakes were pretty shortsighted."
James scowls at the both of them now and bemoans, "Oh Merlin, are you two going to start ganging up on me now?"
Sirius smirks, glances down at Vivian, and snickers again. Vivian smirks too. It's a bit creepy how well they match.
"We've already concluded that Lily was giving you starstruck eyes the other day, so it's just a matter of time before she caves and agrees to give you a chance," Remus tells James, no doubt trying to make him feel better.
Peter nods and adds, "Yeah, don't lose hope, Prongs." He seems to have turned his hero-worshipping endeavors to James, perhaps because the thought of Sirius being with Vivian is still making him slightly disgusted even now. He's starting to get used to it, but it's still a bit unnerving.
"Oh, so I came up with a great prank the other day," Sirius suddenly declares, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. James reaches for the bottle of firewhiskey that they're all sharing and pours them all another shot as Remus and Peter look up.
"Let's hear it, then," James says.
Sirius reaches into his trouser pocket and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. As he unfolds it, he says, "Right, so imagine this: we head down to the kitchens, ask the house-elves to cook us up some tuna, load it with Pepperup Potion, and leave it outside Filch's office as a gift for Mrs. Norris."
James snorts out a laugh and leans forward to take a look at the drawings that Sirius had scribbled down. His artistic talents are truly horrendous, which Vivian soon discovers as she, too, leans forward to take a look. Mrs. Norris is depicted as an oval with four stick-legs jutting out of the bottom, a lightning bolt for a tail, and a face with two X's to represent her eyes. In front of her is a plate of what is presumably tuna, though it looks more like a mysterious blob. The image has been enchanted to show steam shooting out of Mrs. Norris's mouth and ears. Beside her is a scrawled note that says, 'Mrs. Norris', just to be thorough.
It's that note that draws Vivian's attention. Her eyes drift over the scrawl of his handwriting, then to the tuna, which is also labeled with a flourished, 'Tuna a la Pepperup = bane of Mrs. Norris's existence'. She stares at the writing for a long moment as Sirius irons out the details of the prank to the others, trying to figure out why it looks so familiar to her. Well, it's not as if Sirius hasn't sent her notes during class before. Maybe she's just overthinking it.
But there are other labels scrawled onto the page, and when her eyes alight over an image of Pepperup Potion, which is labeled, 'Vial of Pepperup, kindly supplied by Poppy', she pauses. The slashes of that 'V' looks oddly recognizable, as if she's seen it many times before. Her expression turns a shade contemplative and she wracks her brain for answers. Something just doesn't feel right. It's hard to explain – a gut instinct, perhaps, that makes her feel strangely wary all of the sudden. Only she can't quite pinpoint what it is. Maybe she's had one too many shots of firewhiskey to think clearly, because her thoughts seem to swirl together.
"What do you think, Pride?" James drawls, his voice a bit teasing as he uses her new nickname.
She sighs upon hearing it but is quick to respond, "It's completely cruel. You should definitely do it."
Well, Mrs. Norris probably deserves it, after all. That cat is pure evil.
Sirius snickers, "I wonder how many detentions Filch'll give us for this."
James doesn't look very concerned at the thought of wracking up detentions – until of course he remembers that he's Head Boy. He isn't stricken by any sense of responsibility towards his position, of course, but rather…well. "If I want Lily to fall for me, I probably shouldn't get involved," he nods, and tries to look authoritative as he pushes his glasses up and then rests his hands together on the tabletop.
Remus shrugs, "Well I'll help you out, Padfoot. That cat has been the bane of my existence for years now."
Vivian belatedly wonders why Mrs. Norris is only the bane of his existence – his wording seems strange is all – but before she can ask, the proprietor of the Hog's Head steps over to their table and announces, "Alright boys, time to leave. It's getting late and I'll be closing soon."
Is it already closing time? That must mean it's after midnight. Have they really spent hours in this little pub, sitting around this table? She can scarcely believe it.
"Right. Let's get going, then," James says. "I suppose we should probably get some sleep. We've got class tomorrow."
Peter snorts as they all stand up. "You really are trying to be responsible, Prongs."
James shoves him playfully, then loops an arm over his shoulders and sighs, "I sacrifice so much for Lily, honestly. I hope she appreciates it someday."
They head back into the winter night, but the firewhiskey keeps them warm as they begin to amble their way back to the Shrieking Shack, chattering together as they go. Sirius entwines his fingers with Vivian and pulls her back a ways, so that they're a few steps behind the others. He looks down at her and grins, "So? Aren't you happy I dragged you out here?"
Vivian merely scoffs, "I don't know if I'd go that far."
Her denial makes him laugh. "Oh come on. You like us. Don't pretend otherwise."
She doesn't grace that with a response, because then she'd have to admit that he's right. She does sort of like them. In a way. Well, at least they aren't quite as annoying as they were before. She doesn't feel the need to hex them all, in any case. Sirius laughs again and drags her into his side. She also decides not to admit that she very much likes being tucked against him like this.
"So you never explained the whole animagus thing to me," Vivian says as they make their way up the path towards the shack, which rises up in the distance on its solitary hilltop. The crescent moon shines down from above, just barely illuminating the ground.
Sirius shrugs against her and murmurs, "And I only will if you swear not to tell anyone."
At this, Vivian elbows him and repeats the words he had used earlier that evening. "You've got to learn to trust me more." Then she muses, "If Pettigrew is a rat and he's called 'Wormtail', then why're you called 'Padfoot'?"
Sirius just smiles secretively and lets go of her hand. She's about to demand that he stop being so annoying secretive, but when she turns her head to look at him, Sirius is no longer there. Her eyebrows jerk up in surprise when something nuzzles against her leg, and with a startled jump, Vivian looks down to see a mangy black dog blinking up at her with an innocent look on his face – the sort of expression a dog has when they're watching you eat and wondering if you're going to throw them some scraps.
Vivian stares. Sirius blinks up at her as his tongue lolls out of the side of his canine mouth.
"Padfoot. Right. Why am I not surprised that you're a mangy dog? It explains so much," she mutters, and then keeps walking, leaving him behind with an exasperated expression.
Padfoot lets out an indignant bark and trots after her, whining a little as he nudges her leg again, pressing the side of his face against her thigh. The action makes Vivian jump backwards for the second time as she snaps, "Just because you're an animal doesn't mean you get to feel me up, Black."
Before this moment, she hadn't known that a dog's face could look so offended, but apparently it can. Sirius whines again and shuffles closer to her, only for Vivian to push him back with a disgusted, "I hate dogs. They smell bad and are infested with fleas."
The offended look only seems to grow. Sirius leans back to sit on his hindlegs and whines up at Vivian, who stares back down at him with crossed arms as she watches him transform back into a human. Now that she's seeing the transformation properly this time, a jolt of amazement shudders through her. She hadn't been expecting this. Sirius Black, an animagus as well? Merlin.
"You can't hate dogs. And I don't smell bad!" is the first thing that leaves Sirius's mouth when he transforms back.
Vivian eyes him distrustfully. "But I bet you're infested with fleas, aren't you."
At this, he pauses to shoot an annoyed look at her.
"You're never getting into bed with me, if you were wondering," she breezily informs him, and keeps walking.
He quickly follows her and reaches out to grab her arm, pulling her to a stop and grinning, "Oh, so you've thought about being in bed together, have you?" He raises an eyebrow in amusement.
She rolls her eyes at him. "I think you just missed the point I made."
He just grins and shuffles closer. "I'm sure I'll be able to change your mind about letting me into your bed."
"You're a fleabag, so I doubt it."
"Your entire argument is groundless on the account that I'm usually a human and therefore don't have fleas."
"That doesn't matter. Now when I look at you, all I'll see is a mangy, dirty dog – "
"I clean myself regularly, I'll have you know."
"There are so many insults I could use right now, it's hard to pick just one," she muses.
Sirius pushes her playfully and takes her hand once more, dragging her forward to catch up with the others, who are just entering the Shrieking Shack. As they start walking again, he laughs, "I think you're more impressed than you're letting on. You just don't want to admit that you think I'm amazing."
They banter back and forth all the way back, much to the amusement of the others, who keep throwing them glances over their shoulders. They don't stop until they reach Hogwarts once more, and their playful insults have to be put on hold lest they are caught out of bounds.
"Goodnight, Pride," James drawls as the Marauders part ways in the entrance hall, heading up to Gryffindor tower. Well, all except one.
"I'll walk you back," Sirius murmurs. He loops his arm around Vivian's shoulders as she scowls at James, still not knowing how she feels about the nickname. As Sirius pulls her down the blackened corridor that leads to the lower bowels of the dungeons, he draws his wand and murmurs, "Lumos." The corridor is instantly lit up with bright light and Vivian is reminded of earlier that same evening, when she had been patrolling the halls before Sirius had dragged her outside. She releases a laugh as she thinks about it, which naturally has Sirius turning his head to look at her curiously.
"What is it?" he wonders, quirking a brow. The bright wandlight makes his eyes shine into hers.
Vivian shrugs and snickers, "Nothing. It's just – when you first mentioned going to the greenhouses, I thought we were going there to snog."
At this, he slows his pace. The corner of his mouth swings up just so as he looks at her. "That explains why you didn't argue that much."
She rolls her eyes and halfheartedly responds, "I argued plenty. Shut up."
He grins boyishly, turns his eyes to the corridor ahead of them, and shrugs, "Seducing me in the library, snogging behind greenhouses… I had no idea you were that sort of bird. Not that I mind or anything."
It's Vivian's turn to quirk a brow as she grumbles, "I didn't seduce you in the library. How many times do I – "
"You may not have been trying to, but you were definitely succeeding," he cuts in, and the look in his eyes – well.
It's fire and brimstone again, and Vivian doesn't even realize that she's stopped walking until he's turning towards her and backing her up against the wall, his eyes flashing tempestuously. The light emitting from his wand forms a brief radius around them, making it seem as if they are the only people who exist. It feels intimate in a way she can't explain. They stand together in a pool of light that vanishes just beyond their peripheries, dissolving into the blackness beyond.
"…If I do try to seduce you, it won't be anything like that," she tells him then, feeling strangely confident. Maybe it's the firewhiskey that's still thudding through her veins, transforming her into a creature of gilded silver; unbreakable and strong.
Sirius lets out a breath and leans over her, settling his forearms against the wall beside her head and studying the angles of her face. Sharp but soft, delicate but fierce. He whispers, "What will it be like, then?"
He's dying to know.
However, just as Vivian is tilting her face towards his and opening her mouth to respond, their small two-person world is joined by another.
If Vivian Blair is silver, then Regulus Black is iron. His voice certainly sounds like it when he suddenly says, "Vivian. Sometimes you are a darkened sky; a cloudy night; a tempered sigh…that sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
With a surprised jolt, Vivian and Sirius jerk apart. Neither of them had heard Regulus approach. They were too caught up in the other; too distracted to take notice of anyone else. They're so taken aback that they both turn to stare at Regulus in quiet shock, hardly even hearing his words at all. Sirius raises his wand to bring his brother into the fold of its light. Regulus is leaning against the wall nearby, holding a piece of parchment and raising an eyebrow at their reactions. His dark hair is sweeping just slightly into his eyes as he stares at them. His gaze is iron too; like lead, it drags them down.
It's only when Vivian sees the piece of parchment that Regulus is holding that his words register in her mind. She furrows her brow and demands, "Did you go through my things or something? How do you have that?"
Regulus glances at her, then turns his eyes to Sirius and drawls, "She kept them all, did you know? They're in a little pile in her trunk."
Sirius stiffens and glares at his brother, gritting his teeth angrily. His wand shakes in his hand as he hisses, "Shut up, Regulus."
Regulus doesn't shut up, though. Instead he sighs and turns his attention back to the poem as he recites, "A winter cardinal singing high upon a distant tree. That was a nice touch. The cardinal, I mean. Very poetic." The dark smile he sends Sirius in that moment has Vivian furrowing her brow even deeper.
She glances over at Sirius, who had, only moments before, been leaning into her with soft, ardent eyes. Who has shown her so many sides of himself tonight – sides she hadn't known existed, before. Sirius who, with only a single look and a crooked smile, has the startling capacity to make her feel like the most important person in the room. She stares at him in confusion now, and wonders why he looks as if he wants to tear his brother apart. Then she turns her eyes back to Regulus – Regulus, who has within him the potential for so much more – and sees that he is wearing an expression of ruthless triumph.
Her eyebrows pull down now for a different reason, because suddenly she feels far more sober than she had moments before. Suddenly, she thinks she knows why Sirius's handwriting had looked so familiar to her back in the Hog's Head. Suddenly she feels like a complete idiot for not realizing it sooner.
"It's really romantic, Sirius, don't get me wrong. Vivian ate it up," Regulus drawls, but this time he turns his eyes to Vivian as he says it, like he's quietly judging her.
Vivian sweeps forward, walking to Regulus and grabbing the poem out of his hands. He doesn't put up a fight. He just watches as her eyes skim over the handwriting, focusing on –
The two downward slashes of the 'V' in her name, which looks startlingly identical to the one on the parchment earlier that night. She stares at it, goes deathly silent, and holds the poem so tightly that it begins to wrinkle beneath her touch.
Behind her, Sirius breathes out, "Vivian – "
But when she whirls around to face him, her expression firmly cuts off whatever flimsy explanation he'd been about to give her. He falls silent and watches her transform into Vivian Blair, the same Slytherin who looked down on him for being a blood traitor. The same Slytherin who loathed him with everything she had. The same Slytherin who can't stand to even look at him, because he disgusts her. Every trace of the person she'd been only moments before is shuddered away, pressed back beneath as mask of haughty scorn. And then she laughs, and it's so cold that it makes Sirius's heart drop in his chest as if it has been filled with weights.
"I don't know why I'm so surprised," she admits. "Everything is a prank to you."
Sirius swallows thickly and steps forward, opening his mouth to explain, but she just curls her lip into a sneer and hisses, "This whole time you've just been messing with me, haven't you?"
"No!" he quickly says. "Vivian, let me – "
"You don't need to explain anything, Black," she cuts in, her eyes dark and thunderous. "I have to applaud you for being creative with your pranks. You really had me fooled."
Her cold voice makes his panic reach new heights. He shakes his head and tries to say, "I – it started as a prank but it – I swear, Vivian, I meant every word – "
He watches her crumple the poem into a ball and throw it at him, and cringes at the mask she's wearing; pureblood supremacy at its finest. Every angle of her face that had once been soft and delicate is now a maelstrom of coldness, as if her features have been painted over with ice. He's seen that look too many times in the past to not understand it for what it is: an effort to rein back every weak emotion that lingers just below the surface, hurt and in pain – because of him.
Merlin. Because of him.
"I meant what I said. What I've been saying," he tells her, "I really do lo – "
"Why don't you run along to your common room?" Regulus drawls, still leaning against the wall as he casually delivers destruction to their doorstep. He catches Sirius's eye and smirks, "I'm sure you'll want to have a good laugh about this with your little friends."
It's the look that's blazing across Regulus's face, arrogant and triumphant, that has anger rising to the surface of Sirius's voice when he growls, "You fucking snake. You just had to ruin things for me like you always do – "
Regulus snorts. "You're the one who pretended to care about Vivian like the bastard you are. I'm just looking out for her, like I always do." Then, glancing at Vivian, he murmurs, "This is why Slytherins should stick together, Blair. Never trust a Gryffindor."
Sirius grits his teeth and snarls, "You conniving little prick!", but Regulus is already scoffing as he throws an arm around Vivian's shoulders and begins to pull her down the corridor towards the Slytherin common rooms, where she belongs. She doesn't look back at Sirius even once as she allows Regulus to pull her away.
Swallowing tightly, Sirius tries to follow – tries to make her understand, one more time – but it's far too late for that.
"Vivian, wait," he begs, but she's already gone, vanishing into the darkened shadows of the dungeons and disappearing from sight. The knot of despair that's been forming in the pit of his stomach tightens into a heartbreak of his own doing, and he can only blame himself for it.
As Regulus had said, you can't trust Gryffindors. She had been a fool to go to Dumbledore. A fool to think that there was another way. Now she sees things clearly – there is no other way, not if she wants to survive past graduation.
"Where are you going?" Regulus demands when Vivian throws his arm off and turns down a corridor that will take her away from the common room. She doesn't respond to him. She doesn't even turn to look at him as she stalks away, hands fisted at her sides. She has books to retrieve from an empty classroom that she hasn't stepped foot in for days. Books that she needs to finish a spell that she's been tasked to create – a spell that she's suddenly feeling very driven to complete.
