~Year Six~
'Hm... They're here early once more.' I sighed (in my head of course). 'What a shock!'
Sirius and Remus strolled in, heads bent together and hand-in-hand, and my unbeating heart leapt.
'Finally!' I breathed. 'Finally, they realize! Took them bloody long enough.'
They sat on the isolated bench they were at the beginning of their fourth year, identical to their former positions with Sirius' head upon Remus' lap and Remus gently stroking his friend's long hair. Neither spoke, their actions yielding far more than mere words could ever murmur.
Slowly, Sirius lifted a hand up to clasp the other boy's hand, ceasing the relaxing action, and brought the palm to his lips, his eyes never leaving his friend's.
"Siri..." he breathed.
"Hm...?"
Remus ran his free hand along Sirius' cheek, leaning down slightly. Grinning, Sirius propped himself up on his elbows. With a moment's pause, he tilted his chin up and caressed his lips with Remus'.
It was as if I had only seen a half-finished painting before. Finally, the final nuances were included, the paint had dried, and my wary expectations became astonished at the final frame of life captured on the canvas. Such vibrant life had never been expressed through something so ordinary before.
A simple kiss and I was deliriously poetic. Pathetic.
As they sat there, hopelessly lost in each other, another couple quietly entered and spotted their friends. Lily leaned over to whisper to James, who nodded enthusiastically.
Silently, Lily crept up behind the column in back of the boys' bench. So wrapped up in each other, neither heard her mutter an incantation. The air behind the bench shimmered before solidifying.
"Boys!" boomed a very convincing illusion of a frowning Professor McGonagall, glaring down her nose over her glasses and her arms crossed. "*What* do you think you are *doing*?"
Shocked, Sirius fell off the bench completely, an equally startled Remus jumping to his feet.
"Oh! Uh, Professor! I - uh, we were... I mean..."
'Moony: always ready with a witty comment and with the loquacious vocabulary to match...except when confronted by a professor...'
Getting to his feet, Sirius smirked. "Well, Professor, you see, when two people love each other very much, they - "
The image wavered and dispersed, replaced by a laughing Lily and James.
The other two stared, gob-smacked, at their fellow Marauders.
"What? James!"
"Lily!" Remus echoed.
"Remus?" Lily smiled shrewdly.
"Sirius," James stated.
"Lily..." growled Sirius.
"Remus?" questioned James.
"James."
"Sirius?" Lily winked. (*1)
"Ok, Ok, hold on!" James held up his hands, grinning happily. "Siri, Remmie, please tell me the truth here."
The taller boy being scrutinized bit his lip almost shyly, glancing sideways at his...whatever Remus now was. Almost hesitantly, Sirius simply took Remus' hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Since when?" James asked, his voice neutral.
Looking over at Lily, I noticed that she was just barely suppressing her laughter; glancing to James, I couldn't really tell what he was thinking.
"Early June," responded Remus quietly. "That first full moon."
"Dammit!" James unexpectedly fumed, throwing up his hands. "Bloody hell, guys!"
Two faces fell in identical fashions, two bodies instinctively moving closer.
'James, you dolt!' I screamed silently. 'You absolutely sod! You heartless bastard! You're worse than Malfoy, worse than any of those pricks!'
I ranted so vigorously that I almost missed James' next comment made to Lily.
"Alright, Lils. As soon as we're back in Hogwarts, you'll get your twenty quid." Then, he turned to his confused friends and grimaced. "Couldn't you of held out 'til a week ago? Then I would've won!"
It was Sirius who found his tongue first. "What the bleedin' hell are you talking about?"
Lily finally allowed her grin to sweep fully over her face. "Bets!" she brightly exclaimed, running over to hug the boys. "On when you two would finally realize that you should be together!"
It was two very stunned, very puzzled wizards whom she embraced.
"I *knew* I could count on you, Sirius, to not procrastinate!" Lily cried.
"Actually," Remus absently interjected, "it was I who made the first move."
"Moony, you prat!" James affectionately shouted, striding toward them. "Had t'let your hormones get the best of you! Ugh..." He shook his head in mock disappointment before breaking into a wide smile. "I'm thrilled for you two. Really."
"It's about bloody time!" Lily shouted at them. "Merlin, *I* knew! Even *James* figured it out! What took you so long?"
"Wings, don't tell me you're upset that they got together quick enough for me to lose twenty pounds to you of all people!"
"And thank you for that. Congratulations for *finally* getting it through your heads that you belong together!" She suddenly glared at them, eyes half-lidded. "You *do* know that you belong together, right?"
As a response, Remus embraced Sirius tightly, and he actually *growled*, "Il est le mien!" (**2)
Laughing, Sirius replied, "Oui. Yes." A pause. "And that's all the French I can say!"
'My, my, but Moony's a bit territorial when it comes to his Padfoot there. Perhaps the wolf in him?'
Laughing, James said, "Well, I'm happy for you two. Now, *I* can be the ones complaining that you two are, and I quote, 'too sodding sappy'!"
"I'm happy for you also," a quiet voice said from behind them.
"Wormtail!" Lily cried, embracing the blond boy. Pulling back, she eyed him carefully. "Are you Ok?"
"Yeah, Lily. Yeah, I'm better than I was. I'm Ok."
Funny. He didn't look fine. It wasn't that he looked unhealthy or even looked physically different than last I saw him. Yet a single look into his eyes, and I saw the loss of innocence, the indifference, the silent superiority. And I shivered, the boy's eyes reflecting a similar chilled aloofness as.Malfoy? Odd. Have to be seeing things.
"Don't worry about me at all," Peter was saying as he gently brushed off Lily's reassuring arms. "I spent the summer with some people my age who understand my situation. They have helped me come up with a solution, and I can get on with my life."
"Oh," James murmured. "Well, that's good. We're all very sorry, Pete..."
"It's alright, James. Really."
How could such a previously nervous boy suddenly gain this confidence after such a hardship? There was more to Peter now than anybody - even myself - could see.
They all began talking about trivial matters from over the summer, including the story behind Sirius and Remus' new relationship, as they boarded the train to procure their seats before any of the other students streaming in could.
Only I saw Peter hesitate, his eyes drawn behind him...
To rest on a group of Slytherins headed by Lucius Malfoy.
I shivered at the implications.
The whistle blew, the train leaving the platform.
***
The whistle blew, the train approaching the platform.
A sudden *boom* and smoke wavered out the windows of one of the train cars. A moment later, another small explosion in the back replicated the first.
As I suspected, two Marauders ran out a door from the front, another from the back, to hide behind a column. And not a moment too soon. A group of hacking and gagging Slytherins poured out of the train from either end.
'Mm. Dungbombs. An old favorite.'
The trio tittered quietly, desperately trying not to expose themselves.
But where were Peter and Lily?
'Ah...'
Lily casually strolled by Snape, idly sniffing the air and seemed ready for a remark when her eyes widened. "Why, Severus! You don't..."
"No," he stated. "I was quite fortunate not be in the car with the other Slytherins at the time of the...accident."
"Ah, yes, of course. Quite fortunate."
"Do have a pleasant summer, Lily," Snape intoned emotionlessly.
"You as well, Severus."
Lily turned to behind a column with the other boys, grinning. "Well, we got all of them except Severus."
"What a pity," mourned Sirius.
James glared at his friend. "Oh, like Snape hasn't suffered enough this year."
Everybody was silent, only Remus looking at Sirius. He carefully wove his hand through Sirius', smiling slightly. He leaned over, whispering almost silently to his partner, "It's alright, Siri. We've all forgiven you." (***3)
The awkward moment passed when Peter walked toward them.
"You rat!" James fondly scolded. "We've not seen you since breakfast. You missed all the fun!"
"Yeah, I heard." He wrinkled his nose. "Well, rather, smelt. Siri's idea?"
"Who else's?" Remus asked rhetorically.
"Well, sorry to've missed it. I just wanted to say good-bye. I've got to go now."
Everybody said their good-byes, and Peter left them.
Of course, I could see that he did not leave my platform, only walked over to an isolated, shadowed corner behind another column and waited.
The other four ultimately dispersed after a little more together. Remus and Sirius left, the taller boy's arm draped over his boyfriend's shoulders, Remus holding Siri around his waist. They were speaking of another summer together and more full moons to romp around under. Lily and James spoke quietly behind them, affirming their plans to stay with James' family over the last two months of summer.
"Of course, my parents will miss me, but, for Petunia, it'll just mean that much less time to worry about my 'quirky' friends dropping by. Or the owls. By Gandalf's beard, she hates the owls!"
The four Marauders left, happily oblivious to the plans forming behind them.
Others had begun to crowd behind the column, some eyeing the Gryffindor with distaste and distrust, giving him ample space. Peter just stood there until another group approached. It was the five, Snape trailing farther behind, as if trying to distance himself from his companions.
Without speaking, Malfoy nodded at Peter, as if giving his approval of the boy. Then, he looked around at the rest of the group and nodded once more. They all linked hands, and Malfoy took out a small envelope. With Narcissa's hand upon his arm, he overturned the envelope, allowing the item inside to fall into the palm of his hand.
And they all disappeared.
It was a portkey.
And everyone that disappeared I knew to be, at least, somehow involved with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Peter was going to be a Death Eater.
The train whistle remained silent.
(*1) Yes, I DID just finish watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Why do you ask?
(**2) Translation: "He's mine!"
(***3) Yup, this is my glossing over of the Were-Remus/Sirius/James/Snape event. I just couldn't figure out how to go through it without weighing down the story or slowing the plot. Oh, well.
Author's note: In case any of my readers care, I'm in the midst of writing (well, thinking of writing it at least!) the story of exactly what happened that one night with a full moon over the summer and how Sirius and Remus got together. So, be on the lookout for a story with the summary including the words "Companion to Platform 9 ¾".
Feedback makes me write faster. Strange writer deal that every single writer suffers from. (Shrugs) scarby13@hotmail.com, or that precious little button down there. (Points vigorously)
~Clamat, sed ubi asinus est?~
'Hm... They're here early once more.' I sighed (in my head of course). 'What a shock!'
Sirius and Remus strolled in, heads bent together and hand-in-hand, and my unbeating heart leapt.
'Finally!' I breathed. 'Finally, they realize! Took them bloody long enough.'
They sat on the isolated bench they were at the beginning of their fourth year, identical to their former positions with Sirius' head upon Remus' lap and Remus gently stroking his friend's long hair. Neither spoke, their actions yielding far more than mere words could ever murmur.
Slowly, Sirius lifted a hand up to clasp the other boy's hand, ceasing the relaxing action, and brought the palm to his lips, his eyes never leaving his friend's.
"Siri..." he breathed.
"Hm...?"
Remus ran his free hand along Sirius' cheek, leaning down slightly. Grinning, Sirius propped himself up on his elbows. With a moment's pause, he tilted his chin up and caressed his lips with Remus'.
It was as if I had only seen a half-finished painting before. Finally, the final nuances were included, the paint had dried, and my wary expectations became astonished at the final frame of life captured on the canvas. Such vibrant life had never been expressed through something so ordinary before.
A simple kiss and I was deliriously poetic. Pathetic.
As they sat there, hopelessly lost in each other, another couple quietly entered and spotted their friends. Lily leaned over to whisper to James, who nodded enthusiastically.
Silently, Lily crept up behind the column in back of the boys' bench. So wrapped up in each other, neither heard her mutter an incantation. The air behind the bench shimmered before solidifying.
"Boys!" boomed a very convincing illusion of a frowning Professor McGonagall, glaring down her nose over her glasses and her arms crossed. "*What* do you think you are *doing*?"
Shocked, Sirius fell off the bench completely, an equally startled Remus jumping to his feet.
"Oh! Uh, Professor! I - uh, we were... I mean..."
'Moony: always ready with a witty comment and with the loquacious vocabulary to match...except when confronted by a professor...'
Getting to his feet, Sirius smirked. "Well, Professor, you see, when two people love each other very much, they - "
The image wavered and dispersed, replaced by a laughing Lily and James.
The other two stared, gob-smacked, at their fellow Marauders.
"What? James!"
"Lily!" Remus echoed.
"Remus?" Lily smiled shrewdly.
"Sirius," James stated.
"Lily..." growled Sirius.
"Remus?" questioned James.
"James."
"Sirius?" Lily winked. (*1)
"Ok, Ok, hold on!" James held up his hands, grinning happily. "Siri, Remmie, please tell me the truth here."
The taller boy being scrutinized bit his lip almost shyly, glancing sideways at his...whatever Remus now was. Almost hesitantly, Sirius simply took Remus' hand, intertwining their fingers.
"Since when?" James asked, his voice neutral.
Looking over at Lily, I noticed that she was just barely suppressing her laughter; glancing to James, I couldn't really tell what he was thinking.
"Early June," responded Remus quietly. "That first full moon."
"Dammit!" James unexpectedly fumed, throwing up his hands. "Bloody hell, guys!"
Two faces fell in identical fashions, two bodies instinctively moving closer.
'James, you dolt!' I screamed silently. 'You absolutely sod! You heartless bastard! You're worse than Malfoy, worse than any of those pricks!'
I ranted so vigorously that I almost missed James' next comment made to Lily.
"Alright, Lils. As soon as we're back in Hogwarts, you'll get your twenty quid." Then, he turned to his confused friends and grimaced. "Couldn't you of held out 'til a week ago? Then I would've won!"
It was Sirius who found his tongue first. "What the bleedin' hell are you talking about?"
Lily finally allowed her grin to sweep fully over her face. "Bets!" she brightly exclaimed, running over to hug the boys. "On when you two would finally realize that you should be together!"
It was two very stunned, very puzzled wizards whom she embraced.
"I *knew* I could count on you, Sirius, to not procrastinate!" Lily cried.
"Actually," Remus absently interjected, "it was I who made the first move."
"Moony, you prat!" James affectionately shouted, striding toward them. "Had t'let your hormones get the best of you! Ugh..." He shook his head in mock disappointment before breaking into a wide smile. "I'm thrilled for you two. Really."
"It's about bloody time!" Lily shouted at them. "Merlin, *I* knew! Even *James* figured it out! What took you so long?"
"Wings, don't tell me you're upset that they got together quick enough for me to lose twenty pounds to you of all people!"
"And thank you for that. Congratulations for *finally* getting it through your heads that you belong together!" She suddenly glared at them, eyes half-lidded. "You *do* know that you belong together, right?"
As a response, Remus embraced Sirius tightly, and he actually *growled*, "Il est le mien!" (**2)
Laughing, Sirius replied, "Oui. Yes." A pause. "And that's all the French I can say!"
'My, my, but Moony's a bit territorial when it comes to his Padfoot there. Perhaps the wolf in him?'
Laughing, James said, "Well, I'm happy for you two. Now, *I* can be the ones complaining that you two are, and I quote, 'too sodding sappy'!"
"I'm happy for you also," a quiet voice said from behind them.
"Wormtail!" Lily cried, embracing the blond boy. Pulling back, she eyed him carefully. "Are you Ok?"
"Yeah, Lily. Yeah, I'm better than I was. I'm Ok."
Funny. He didn't look fine. It wasn't that he looked unhealthy or even looked physically different than last I saw him. Yet a single look into his eyes, and I saw the loss of innocence, the indifference, the silent superiority. And I shivered, the boy's eyes reflecting a similar chilled aloofness as.Malfoy? Odd. Have to be seeing things.
"Don't worry about me at all," Peter was saying as he gently brushed off Lily's reassuring arms. "I spent the summer with some people my age who understand my situation. They have helped me come up with a solution, and I can get on with my life."
"Oh," James murmured. "Well, that's good. We're all very sorry, Pete..."
"It's alright, James. Really."
How could such a previously nervous boy suddenly gain this confidence after such a hardship? There was more to Peter now than anybody - even myself - could see.
They all began talking about trivial matters from over the summer, including the story behind Sirius and Remus' new relationship, as they boarded the train to procure their seats before any of the other students streaming in could.
Only I saw Peter hesitate, his eyes drawn behind him...
To rest on a group of Slytherins headed by Lucius Malfoy.
I shivered at the implications.
The whistle blew, the train leaving the platform.
***
The whistle blew, the train approaching the platform.
A sudden *boom* and smoke wavered out the windows of one of the train cars. A moment later, another small explosion in the back replicated the first.
As I suspected, two Marauders ran out a door from the front, another from the back, to hide behind a column. And not a moment too soon. A group of hacking and gagging Slytherins poured out of the train from either end.
'Mm. Dungbombs. An old favorite.'
The trio tittered quietly, desperately trying not to expose themselves.
But where were Peter and Lily?
'Ah...'
Lily casually strolled by Snape, idly sniffing the air and seemed ready for a remark when her eyes widened. "Why, Severus! You don't..."
"No," he stated. "I was quite fortunate not be in the car with the other Slytherins at the time of the...accident."
"Ah, yes, of course. Quite fortunate."
"Do have a pleasant summer, Lily," Snape intoned emotionlessly.
"You as well, Severus."
Lily turned to behind a column with the other boys, grinning. "Well, we got all of them except Severus."
"What a pity," mourned Sirius.
James glared at his friend. "Oh, like Snape hasn't suffered enough this year."
Everybody was silent, only Remus looking at Sirius. He carefully wove his hand through Sirius', smiling slightly. He leaned over, whispering almost silently to his partner, "It's alright, Siri. We've all forgiven you." (***3)
The awkward moment passed when Peter walked toward them.
"You rat!" James fondly scolded. "We've not seen you since breakfast. You missed all the fun!"
"Yeah, I heard." He wrinkled his nose. "Well, rather, smelt. Siri's idea?"
"Who else's?" Remus asked rhetorically.
"Well, sorry to've missed it. I just wanted to say good-bye. I've got to go now."
Everybody said their good-byes, and Peter left them.
Of course, I could see that he did not leave my platform, only walked over to an isolated, shadowed corner behind another column and waited.
The other four ultimately dispersed after a little more together. Remus and Sirius left, the taller boy's arm draped over his boyfriend's shoulders, Remus holding Siri around his waist. They were speaking of another summer together and more full moons to romp around under. Lily and James spoke quietly behind them, affirming their plans to stay with James' family over the last two months of summer.
"Of course, my parents will miss me, but, for Petunia, it'll just mean that much less time to worry about my 'quirky' friends dropping by. Or the owls. By Gandalf's beard, she hates the owls!"
The four Marauders left, happily oblivious to the plans forming behind them.
Others had begun to crowd behind the column, some eyeing the Gryffindor with distaste and distrust, giving him ample space. Peter just stood there until another group approached. It was the five, Snape trailing farther behind, as if trying to distance himself from his companions.
Without speaking, Malfoy nodded at Peter, as if giving his approval of the boy. Then, he looked around at the rest of the group and nodded once more. They all linked hands, and Malfoy took out a small envelope. With Narcissa's hand upon his arm, he overturned the envelope, allowing the item inside to fall into the palm of his hand.
And they all disappeared.
It was a portkey.
And everyone that disappeared I knew to be, at least, somehow involved with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Peter was going to be a Death Eater.
The train whistle remained silent.
(*1) Yes, I DID just finish watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show! Why do you ask?
(**2) Translation: "He's mine!"
(***3) Yup, this is my glossing over of the Were-Remus/Sirius/James/Snape event. I just couldn't figure out how to go through it without weighing down the story or slowing the plot. Oh, well.
Author's note: In case any of my readers care, I'm in the midst of writing (well, thinking of writing it at least!) the story of exactly what happened that one night with a full moon over the summer and how Sirius and Remus got together. So, be on the lookout for a story with the summary including the words "Companion to Platform 9 ¾".
Feedback makes me write faster. Strange writer deal that every single writer suffers from. (Shrugs) scarby13@hotmail.com, or that precious little button down there. (Points vigorously)
~Clamat, sed ubi asinus est?~