Chapter 3: Rumour Has It

Sirius coughed and spluttered as he finished the last of his fire whiskey. The damn thing had burned a line straight down his throat to his stomach. Laughter erupted around him as his fellow Marauders congratulated him, slapped him on the back, and wished him a happy birthday.

His eyes watered and he gratefully accepted the glass of water from Remus. Taking a healthy gulp, he instantly regretted it as the fire started back up again. Fuck, his throat was raw.

"Not a birthday without a healthy dose of fire whiskey, brother." James said as he came to sit at his side. Peter was standing in front of him, and Remus was chuckling next to him.

Damn the lot of them and this stupid tradition they had created a couple years back. When they had been in their third year, James had snuck a bottle of his father's fire whiskey into the school and he had dared Peter to have a sip on his fourteenth birthday, which had been in that first September back. Peter had reluctantly agreed, and Sirius had been more than happy to do the same when his birthday had come around. Of course, he had then waited patiently for four months before daring both Remus and James to do the same on their birthdays. And so the tradition began.

Except somehow a sip had become a whole fucking glass. Sirius didn't remember it being this bad last year.

"At least it's out of the way early. Remember Peter's birthday last year when we made him wait until quarter to midnight?" He laughed at the memory.

"Yeah, thanks for that guys. I was dreading it all day, and we had that Potions exam. Slughorn thought I was a right idiot."

"Slughorn already thought you were an idiot." Sirius replied, loving to bait him. Peter scowled at him, but he knew he was only joking.

"I'd rather wait until midnight than have to do it at nine in the morning." Remus added gravely, and they all burst out laughing at the memory. "I swear McGonagall knew I was half drunk."

Part of the tradition was that the other three got to choose the time and place for drinking the fire whiskey. Sirius realised his friends had been kind to him. Class had finished and they were about to settle into an evening of games. "Thanks for waiting until now. Not sure there could have been a better time." A thought occurred to him. "If you think this means I'm going to go easy on you lot, no fucking chance."

"Knew it." Peter mumbled.

"Never thought that for a second." Remus added with a knowing smile.

"So, what are we playing first?" James jumped up and grabbed a selection of games and cards. They had agreed to have a chilled evening, just the four of them. "Exploding snap? Poker? Snitch Snatchers?"

"Let's start with Snitch Snatchers, shall we?" Sirius said, grabbing another drink – of a less fire variety this time. "We can work our way up to Poker where I will be taking all your money."

They laughed, each confidently announcing they would be the one taking all the money, before settling into some games.

A couple of hours later, surrounded by some fellow Gryffindors who had gathered to watch, Sirius leaned back in his chair and confidently threw his hand down. "Full House." He had won.

"Damn." James muttered, while Peter sighed in disappointment. They both threw their cards down. Remus, however, was suddenly looking less uncertain and way more confident. Fuck. Had he mis-read Remus?

"That's a good hand, Sirius." Remus was looking smug now. "But mine is better." He laid down his hand – four of a fucking kind – and reached in to grab the pot which had amounted to almost ten Galleons.

The watching Gryffindor's laughed loudly, with some clapping for Remus who had managed to fool them all. Sirius swore, then laughed. His polite, gentlemanly friend clearly had a devious streak.

"Well done, Remus!" Mary exclaimed as she came over to stand closer. "You'll have to teach me how to play one day. I'd never say no to winning that much money!"

"We could teach you now." Peter offered, before glancing at Sirius. "If you don't mind?"

"Of course not. Come join us, Mary. And anyone else who wants to play." He looked over and saw a couple nods in acceptance – Gemma and two seventh years; Frank Longbottom and Ivan Jenson.

They all shifted their chairs slightly to make room before Sirius picked up the cards and began to shuffle. It turned out to be only Mary who hadn't played before, so Peter offered to partner with her so she could learn without derailing the game. Gemma had apparently only played once before, but he wasn't sure whether he believed her. He knew her poker face was too good.

"What's that look for?" She asked, catching his eye and his assessing glance.

He laughed a little. "I was just wondering whether the bluffing has already begun with you, Gem. Miss-I've-only-played-once-before. Somehow I can see all of us losing our money in the next twenty minutes."

She smiled slightly, before giving a small one shoulder shrug and revealing absolutely nothing in her expression. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see then."

Twenty minutes later, it was clear Gemma really hadn't played much before. While her face gave nothing away, she wasn't very good at working out when to continue and when to pull back. A small part of him admired her for pushing forward with a low hand. A larger part of him found it funny when she lost. Her nose scrunched up and she made a strange huffing sound. Like a baby Puffskein. He probably wouldn't tell her that though.

"Three of a kind." Peter said as he and Mary laid down their hand. Sirius and the others all folded.

Mary shrieked, grabbing for the small pot of money in the middle. "We won! Peter, we won! Lily, Alice! We won!"

Jumping up to celebrate, Mary ran over to Lily and Alice, while the others cleared up the table. Sirius glanced at Peter, who was smiling and watching Mary celebrate. Interesting.

Gemma watched Peter watching Mary and she smiled. She wondered if there was more going on there than just a new friendship. Mary hadn't said anything, and as far as they all knew she was just enjoying his company in class and felt like the pairing system was working well. But Gemma would ask her about it later. At the very least, Peter seemed interested in Mary.

"Gemma, are you going to Hogsmeade next week?" Ivan Jenson, a tall seventh year who Gemma had a passing acquaintance with, asked. He had moved to the seat next to her.

"Probably. You?"

"Definitely." He paused for a moment. "Would you like to go with me?"

Gemma was momentarily stunned. Had he just asked her out on a date? "Oh, urm…"

"Frank and Alice are going together. Maybe we could walk in with them, then wander the shops together. Then we could meet up with them in the pub?"

She had known that Frank had asked Alice, who had gladly accepted, but Gemma hadn't considered going with anyone herself. And she wasn't sure that she wanted to. Ivan seemed like a nice guy, but she wasn't looking to get involved with anyone and while one date didn't mean anything, she just wasn't feeling it.

"Thank you for the invite, but I'm going to go with my friends." Merlin's Beard, she felt guilty. How did Lily do this to James every single day?

Ivan nodded and smiled, seemingly unfazed. "No worries. Maybe I'll still see you there. And I can buy you a drink." He stood up and left, so Gemma just smiled at him, unsure what else to say.

"So, what's wrong with Jenson?" Sirius had thrown himself into the seat next to her, having clearly just heard her conversation. "He's tall, blonde, nice guy. Plus a Gryffindor. And older. Experienced." Sirius winked at her. "All the things girls usually like."

Gemma rolled her eyes. "If he's so amazing, why don't you date him?"

Sirius laughed. "I'm tempted. I do like blondes." Gemma thought she saw his eyes flicker over her slightly, but she pushed that aside.

"I'm surprised you have a type. Rumour is you go after anything in a skirt."

"They don't have to be wearing a skirt, but it does make it easier." Sirius grinned and Gemma felt herself blushing. Damn. No doubt Mr-experienced himself would see and find that amusing.

Gemma knew exactly what Sirius was implying. She'd read books. She'd watched films. She'd had the awkward talk with her mum during the summer. But she had never experienced anything sexual herself – at least not by the hand of someone else - and the thought did make her blush. She hadn't even been kissed.

Maybe that would be 'uncool' for many, but she had her reasons. For one, she hadn't actually dated anyone. No one had ever asked her out before, and she was ok with that. She was too focused on her studies and ensuring she got the grades she needed to apply for Auror training. And that was her second reason – she was so focused at school and in class, she barely registered other students around her. Except for her friends, she made little effort to get to know anyone else. Maybe she should have, but she didn't feel like she was missing out on much. Most of the students, especially the boys, seemed pretty immature.

And perhaps that was her final reason. She simply hadn't been drawn to anyone enough to actually want to be kissed. No one had caught her attention. Sirius was the most attractive guy she knew, and he was just a friend.

She pulled herself out of those thoughts and turned back to Sirius, moving the conversation onto easier ground. "Are you going to Hogsmeade next week?"

"Hell yes. I want to go to Zonko's. Pick up a few items."

Gemma shook her head as she smiled. "Let me guess, more dungbombs and eye-watering sweets to use on unsuspecting first years?"

Sirius pulled an overly outraged expression. "Give me more credit than that, Gemma Arwin. I'm not thirteen. No, I just want to visit. See if they have anything new in." Sirius paused for a moment, as if contemplating whether to continue. "I also want to head to Honeydukes. They sell these weird calorie-burning toffees that Mrs Potter likes. They taste like vomit but she loves them and I want to get her and James's dad something nice. To say thank you for letting me move in with them."

"You're moving in with the Potters?" Gemma was surprised, although she knew things weren't great between Sirius and his family. But she hadn't realised he was having to move out. "How come? When?"

"From Christmas." He looked down at the playing card he had picked up from the table. "Now I'm seventeen I don't have to live with my parents while I'm not at Hogwarts, but I have no other family to stay with. I was tempted to move out anyway and just live on the streets, but James offered me a room. His parents have always been welcoming. Unlike mine." He paused for a moment. "So I'm done with them. I packed up my stuff before coming here and I won't ever go back."

Gemma wasn't sure what to say. There was a lot she wanted to say – how hurt she was for Sirius for not having a kind, loving family; how relieved she was that he had James and that he wasn't being forced to live on the streets; how she wished she could hug him, because he suddenly looked hurt and alone – but she couldn't say or do any of those things. Sirius had his pride, and she knew he would hate for her to feel sorry for him.

As if reading her mind, he looked up at her, a small glimmer of frustration in his eyes. "Don't feel sorry for me, Gemma. I'm fine. I don't need them. I never have. I've got James and Remus and Peter. They're all the family I need. I'm better off without them."

Gemma nodded, and gave him a small smile. She would never pity Sirius, but she did hurt for him. "I know. And I'm pleased you have a new home. And you do have some great friends." She paused, glanced over at the guys, then turned back to Sirius. She wasn't sure whether to continue. "I know you have James and Remus and Peter, and I know I'm not as fun to be around, or as close to you as they are, and I know I'm not, you know, 'one of the guys'… but you have me too. If you want me. Need me." Gemma sighed, realising she was screwing this up and wishing instantly that she hadn't said anything. He probably thought she was such an idiot. "What I mean is, if you need a friend, I'm here."

Needing to escape what felt like an awkward conversation, she gave him a small smile then stood up and started to move away. But before she could step back from the table, Sirius grabbed her hand. She stared down at where they were joined, then up at his face. He had nothing but kindness in his features – no mockery over her silly sentimental comment – and he was giving her a smile she didn't think she had ever seen before. It seemed so genuine.

"Thank you." He said simply, before squeezing her hand and letting her leave. Gemma walked away, a tight knot forming in her chest.

The following week, Gemma pulled on her warmest jumper and wrapped herself up in her coat, scarf, hat and gloves. She was always cold, so heading out for the day to Hogsmeade meant she needed to be prepared.

She had almost cancelled the planned trip with her friends. The week had been particularly tough, and Gemma was feeling out of her depth on certain subjects. She knew her friends were feeling the same way, with both Mary and Lily getting close to tears on more than one occasion. And even though Gemma and Sirius had just spent the entire evening researching some new potions for a test on Monday, she still didn't feel prepared. She really wanted to stay behind and do some practice work. Especially as Lily – Queen of Potions – had offered to stay too and help.

"I'm so happy you and Lily have changed your minds." Mary said as she stepped out of the bathroom and grabbed her coat, hat and scarf. "With Alice going with Frank, I would have been left all on my own. Or been stuck with the boys." She scrunched up her face.

Gemma chuckled. "The boys aren't so bad. Besides, you and Peter are getting on well." She hesitated slightly, remembering what she had seen on the night of Sirius's birthday. "In fact, you and Peter seem to be getting on really well."

Mary froze, staring at Gemma like she had grown three heads. "Please don't say you're asking if I like Peter - as in, like Peter. Because that is crazy! He's a great study partner and I suppose he is becoming a friend, but I do not fancy him!"

Gemma laughed and held up her hands. "I'm sorry. I just wondered. Although Peter does seem quite taken with you so while you may not fancy him, I wouldn't be surprised if he fancies you."

Mary frowned. "I hope not. I don't want things to get awkward if he's hoping something will happen between us."

At that moment Lily called up the stairs demanding they get a move on, so Gemma and Mary quickly grabbed their bags and headed out. Joining Lily, the three of them walked to Hogsmeade, talking about Alice and Frank, about how annoying James had apparently been all week, and a little bit about Christmas plans.

Walking around the shops, Gemma felt the tension of the week slowly roll off her. She purchased some pretty new stationary from Scrivenshaft's for her mum, and headed to Madam Puddifoot's to pick up a special blend of tea her dad liked, before treating herself to some chocolate. Mary dragged them into Gladrags to look at some new Christmas dresses, but nothing was purchased.

Waving goodbye to Madam Drasnin, they headed over to The Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer, hoping to see Alice and check she was having a nice time with Frank.

Sirius headed up to the bar for a second round of butterbeer. He and his fellow Marauders had been at The Three Broomsticks for a little while already, having visited Zonko's and Honeydukes. None of them wanted to do more shopping. They were far more interested in sitting back, having a laugh and drinking some delicious butterbeer.

As he moved through the pub, he glanced around, seeing familiar Hogwarts students. Alice was in the corner with Frank, and if the hand on her knee was any indication, things were about to get hot over there. Nice work, Frank.

He ignored the table of Slytherins - Mulciber, Avery and Lestrange - who were shooting daggers in his direction. Whilst in the year above, they caused more issues for Sirius and his friends than the Slytherin's in his own year. Snape aside of course. But Snape was a whole separate issue. Less of a hate towards them because they were in Gryffindor, Snape seemed to have a personal vendetta against the Marauders. He was determined to get them all into trouble. Well, Sirius was ready for anything Snape wanted to throw at him.

Ordering four butterbeers, he spotted James over on the other side of the room to where Sirius had left him. Then he spotted Lily. Typical. Watching in amusement as Lily clearly told him to leave her alone, James pulled up a chair anyway. Gemma and Mary were there too, quietly laughing, and he saw Remus and Peter head over to join them. Looked like they were now sitting with the girls.

He saw Gemma laugh at something Remus said, and Sirius smiled. She had been stressed all week, so it was good to see her relax. They were all feeling the pressure, and some of the subjects covered in class were new ground and not straightforward, but Gemma had impossibly high expectations for herself. He wondered if that was the downside of having two world-class Aurors as parents. He didn't know her parents personally, but he imagined they were tough. Especially her dad. George Arwin was well known for being a man you did not mess with.

Despite working closely together all week, nothing more had been said about his move to go and live with the Potters. He wasn't quite sure why he had felt inclined to tell Gemma - it wasn't a secret, he just didn't want to shout it from the rooftops - but he was happy he had told her. She had been sweet in her flustered offer of being there for him. He hoped she knew he felt the same way. She was a good friend.

"Hi Sirius." A soft, feminine voice pulled his attention away from Gemma and back to the bar, where he turned to the girl next to him. He vaguely recognised her. She was in the year below him. Ravenclaw maybe.

"Hi." He said. Where were his drinks? He'd been here for ages.

"Are you having a fun day?" She flicked her brown hair over her shoulder and literally fluttered her eyelashes.

"I am. Are you?"

"I am. Although it just got a lot better now I've bumped into you." Giggling, she placed her hand on his arm and leaned in. "Maybe we could go for a little walk? Head into the forest where it's quiet."

She gazed up at him in expectation and he knew exactly what she was asking. What she was offering. But he had to decline. He really wanted to spend time with his friends. And while she was pretty, he wasn't that interested. She didn't tempt him enough to make him bail on his friends. They always came first.

But he couldn't simply say no. After all, he had a reputation to uphold. And what a reputation it was. Almost everyone in the school believed Sirius had kissed every girl over the age of sixteen, and he wasn't inclined to tell them otherwise. And now some were saying he was having sex with at least half of those girls. Again, he wasn't inclined to say otherwise.

The truth was though, he hadn't had sex with anyone. And he had only kissed about five girls.

He'd been fourteen when he'd first kissed a girl. Chloe. She had been fourteen too, in Hufflepuff and a year above him. He'd been messing around in the library and had gotten kicked out. She had followed him out, told him he was hilarious, and then said he was cute. So he had leant forward and kissed her. It had been clumsy. Terrible really. But she had smiled and kissed him back. For a little while they would meet up and practice kissing. Then she got a boyfriend – who she was still with now – and so they parted ways. He rarely thought of her.

After that, he had kissed a girl in his year, Rachel from Ravenclaw, but that had been a huge mistake. She had thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend. It had been messy, and she still glared at him with hurt in her eyes even two years later. So he decided to only kiss girls who didn't expect too much from him. And there weren't many of those around. Plus, he had standards. Despite his reputation, he didn't actually kiss anything in a skirt.

Somehow, over the years, rumours had started about him kissing girls in closets, empty classrooms, the toilets - even dragging them into the forest to have his wicked way with them. Merlin's Beard, he was sure he had heard a rumour that had involved the Whomping Willow. He shuddered at the thought.

No, Sirius was nowhere near as outrageous as people believed, but he was ok with that. He enjoyed it. It meant girls looked at him like he was a movie star and boys looked at him like he was a hero. It was a nice ego boost.

He turned back to the girl next to him and gave her his most charming smile. "I could think of nothing I'd enjoy more, but unfortunately I promised to hang out with my friends. Maybe another time?" There would be no other time, of course.

She pouted a little, but then gave him a sultry smile. "Count on it." She turned and moved away, heading back to her group of friends who had clearly been watching the interaction. He decided to help her out by watching her walk away – even though he really wanted to check on his drinks – then he threw her a wink when she glanced back at him. She grinned while her friends squealed in excitement. He chuckled to himself. Maybe that was how he got his reputation.

Finally the drinks arrived and he headed over to the new table his friends were sat at. He ignored the fact that Gemma, Lily and Mary all had a drink – how the hell had they gotten theirs before him – and sat down. Peter was telling a story.

"So in they went, all confident and cocky, and suddenly the whole building started to shake with the force of the firecrackers. It was hilarious! We thought they were going to piss themselves."

Ah. He was telling the story of the prank they had just pulled on some idiot Slytherin fourth years. Fourth years who were picking on Gryffindor third years. Unacceptable. The Marauders had decided to teach them a lesson, calling them out as not being brave enough to venture into the Shrieking Shack, then filling the building with fifty firecrackers which went off as soon as they entered. The bullies had screamed like little girls while Sirius and the guys had fallen over with laughter.

And Sirius could see from the girls' expressions that they were torn between outrage and humour. Lily in particular seemed to be battling with her conscience. Gemma broke first though, her face splitting into a wide smile. Then Mary and Lily smiled, accepting that it was funny and they did deserve it.

"I don't know where you guys get these ideas." Mary said. "But I'm glad I'm in Gryffindor with you all. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of some of your pranks."

"Are you forgetting the vanishing books, Mary?" Lily asked, frowning. "Because I'm not sure I'll ever get over that. I swear Professor Flitwick still thinks I'm incompetent."

Ah yes. The vanishing books. In their third year they had been getting into a lot of trouble, and Professor McGonagall, their head of house, had threatened to take them to Professor Dumbledore. While they knew the threat wasn't serious – McGonagall secretly loved them, she just refused to admit it – they decided to lay low for a little while and avoid pranks that were too obviously led by them. Instead, they had played a little game in their own house and their own year.

One by one books began to vanish. It had started with Mary's Muggle Studies book, but damn if she knew everything already and didn't need it. So then they had charmed Alice's Divination book, but it turned out she was grateful for the excuse not to do any work on the subject. After charming a few more books to vanish – including one of Peter's, much to Sirius's delight - students started to become aware of what was happening. A combination of chaos and hilarity began, until James reluctantly agreed to place the spell on Lily's Charms book. That had been the end of their merriment. Lily had freaked, shouted at James – because she knew exactly who was to blame – and was forced to write a Charms paper from memory which was graded as 'Exceeds Expectations' rather than the hoped for 'Outstanding'.

"He doesn't think you're incompetent, Lily. You still nailed that paper." Mary said reassuringly. "I suppose I had forgotten about that. I'm grateful you didn't vanish my Herbology book though. That definitely would have been a disaster."

They all laughed, remembering some of the other pranks the guys had played over the years. Most got tuts and head shakes from Lily, a few smiles from Mary, and full on laughs from Gemma. He liked how laid back and fun she could be – when she wasn't stressing about her school work, of course.

Alice came over to say hello, before heading back to the castle with Frank. It seemed their date had gone well and he wanted to walk her back to the common room. The girls decided they wanted to leave soon after, probably so they could grill Alice. Sirius and the guys were happy to walk them back, especially as James had managed to get a whole five minute conversation out of Lily and he clearly wasn't ready for that to end.

As they left Hogsmeade, Sirius found himself trailing behind with the other straggler of the group – Gemma.

"You ok?" He asked, noticing she had become quiet since they had left the pub.

"Yes. Just thinking about the Potions test on Monday. And that paper we need to write on Unforgiveable Curses." She shook her head, and Sirius could tell she was getting tense. "I feel like there is so much to do."

There was so much to do. The amount of work they had been given had surpassed anything they'd had before. Even he was feeling the heat and he rarely let school work bother him. But Gemma didn't need to hear that. She needed to know that it would be ok.

"You'll get through it. You always do. Just don't let yourself get too stressed, Gemma. You need to keep a clear head."

Gemma nodded in agreement, but Sirius could sense her hesitation. She didn't completely believe him. Unsure of what else he could say, they walked back in silence. He just hoped the rest of the term wouldn't be like this.