Disclaimer: It's not owned by me and I'm not making any money, please don't sue me.
Char is the most amazing beta ever, and so patient with me too! Kudos to her.
Okay, everyone, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get chappie numero six up and running, but school started six weeks ago and let me tell you, it's been hell! So yeah, I'm sorry. I'll try to do better this time.
To reviewers, lovely as ever:
Lilastar- thanks for reviewing…sorry I didn't continue soon, will try harder for you!
The Demonic Duo- glad you like it!
Give the World for Mr. Black- amazing? Thank you.
Rena Lupin- lol, I dunno, its not necessarily my theory about the Snuffles name, but I figured, hey, why not, it fits? Thanks for reviewing.
Rose- "It's so seldom I find a story that's actually well-written and interesting that this is wonderful." You made me cry when I read this! Thank you so much! I will keep on writing this, and hopefully, will update soon!
Tinki-chan- sweet agony? Honey, you have no idea what I've got planned…*insert evil cackle here*
freakyfairy- more laughs coming, I hope. But hey, you never know with me…
Fuzzytuss- thank you kindly, Fuzzy. And I am excited that you want to beta ADKOG.
Daine Yuy- glad you liked. Yoda rocks my world!
Flame Rhiannon- hey, I missed your review! Ah, well, this one more than makes up for it! Your
reviews always make me laugh and I feel like I'm talking right too you…and, like me, you flit
from topic to topic so erratically! It's the best! I'll try to keep my ego smaller than Asia, but I
can't make any promises! J
icemint- thank you!
Elendor- well, honey, I must say, I do know how cute Sirius and Remus are, and I can only hope that I'll update faster next time- also, I believe I already said thanks, but again, thank you for the heads up on the for real thing. Damn my Americanisms! Forgive me, all European readers in general! Love you, El! *kiss kiss*
Yami Pain- thanks for your review! It was very sweet and not 'brown-nosing' at all! I will try and get in gear with this thing, but w/school in session and everything- I'm running myself ragged! I'm sick too! But yeah, will try to post more!
Senya Starseeker- hola! I'm glad you understand where I was coming from in the last chapter, and every story needs a little fluff! This chapter is also another 'plot builder' kinda, so yeah, more padding around the action, you know? Anyways, enjoy!
And now, the long awaited (bad Crys! must post more!) -
Chapter 6: Timing Is Everything
Refresher from the previous chapter:
"Yuck, I don't want to relive it. Remus, you explain it to Snuffles here, I'm off to bed." I have something else we need to talk about Remus. In private. Uh, how about we meet in the Shack, tomorrow morning, around nine?
"Snuffles?" Sirius demanded as she climbed down into the window.
Remus shot her a curious look, but nodded. "Will do, Lils." Tell him, and meet you. "Night."
"Snuffles?"
Thanks Remmie. "Goodnight Remus, Sirius. Thanks for everything today."
"No problem. Sleep well, Lily."
"Yeah, and goodnight," Sirius echoed. After she disappeared, he looked at Remus. "Snuffles?"
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"She knows about me, Padfoot."
"Oh! So you decided to tell her after all? Congrats buddy. I'm assuming she took it well, as you two were still out here when I showed up."
"Actually, she's known since first year, before we even became friends. She didn't even really know me and she still didn't judge me."
"But Snuffles?"
"Oh, she knows about the Animagi thing too."
"Bloody Know-it-all. Just can't keep anything from that one, eh? Smart cookie."
"No kidding."
"Shit. Well, before you explain to me, which you will, everything that happened tonight, there's something we need to talk about."
Remus sucked in a light breath. "Oh?" he inquired calmly.
Sirius nodded. "Look, you and I both know that the whole 'let's-not-be-friends-with-Prongs' plan was doomed from the start and-"
"May I point out that I had nothing to do with this plan?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, the point is, I was talking to James after you left, and I just couldn't lie to him, so I promised that we'd take him to go see Dumbledore tomorrow morning."
"Padfoot! How could you?"
"It had to be done," the other boy shrugged.
"Yes, it did," Remus admitted. "But without consulting Lily? After all he's done to her? She's going to be pissed at you, pal, utterly livid."
"All he's done to her…okay, Moony, you'd better start explaining."
After Remus finished the story about the wandless magic episode, Sirius sat silently, thinking. "I think it's getting worse, Padfoot." Remus sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Yeah, I know. Lily's important, Moony."
"That's obvious, Padfoot. Of course she's important, she's an Heir! Being sought by the Dark Arts."
"Moony, that's not what I meant. She's important to me, real important. I'd protect her with my life. Understand?"
"Yeah," Remus said dejectedly. "I get it. She's important to me, too. Do you know how many friends I have who know about me and don't care? Four. That's it. And you know what? Sometimes I think it's three." And even just two.
"Moony?" Sirius asked. "What are you talking about? There's Prongs, Lily, Peter, and me. That's four-" Is he saying what I think he's saying? How can Remus not trust me?
"How about you think about that while I go check on your love, okay Sirius?"
"My love?" Sirius exploded.
"Goodnight." As Remus wiggled expertly out of the nook, something stirred the pit of Sirius's stomach, tightening it into knots. I'm only worried for his safety, he reminded himself as he watched the werewolf descend with appreciation. Remus peeked his elegant head into the girls' window, and then, after a few whispered words to someone who Sirius assumed was Lily, he disappeared around a corner, heading to the boy's dormitories.
"Uh, okay." Sirius said to himself in the dark. "I have no clue what just happened, but I think something's wrong. Did I do something?" Sitting there thinking, it finally hit him. "How come I didn't see it before?! Moony's in love with Veronica! Wonder why he didn't tell me? Well, I did break up with her before I came up here, so……… so, the way's clear now. Moony's good at consoling people. He should have no trouble cozying up to Ronnie. Maybe that's why he's been so ticked with me lately. Uh, so if they get together, Remus won't be upset anymore, and he won't continue to distance himself from us." Me. "That's a solid plan, Sirius. I have to find Moony!" But if he was so sure, then why did this plan make him feel so awful?
When he finally made his way to their dormitory it was to find Remus's curtains already closed. Oh well. At least we can have him all to ourselves for one more day before he gets so besotted with Ronnie he forgets us Marauders.
Heading to his own four-poster, Sirius stripped and climbed into bed, ready to settle down for the night. Beneath his body, the black haired boy felt the smooth crinkle of what seemed like parchment scratching at his shoulder. He groped for it, trying to get the irritating offender out of his bed and, finally snatching it up, he was about to toss it away, but the familiar markings on the paper stopped him. Heartbeat speeding up, Sirius strained to decipher the faint penmanship.
Curving his hand into the moonlight, he read the terse note with a sigh. Dumbledore's office, 7am. Meet L. in C.R. Bring Prongs. Sirius groaned, heart hurting from the sting of the icy tone roiling off the small slip of parchment. I really need to talk to Remus
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"Up, up, up," a chirpy voice demanded.
James groaned as his best friend yanked back the bed sheets revealing the sunlight streaming through the window. "Padfoot," he whined like a four year old. "I was sleeping. It's Saturday! A day to sleep in. Not wake up at-" he check his clock and groaned again. "-six thirty. Wait! That's not even real sunlight!" he yelped.
"Ho, Moony, end the spell, it's blinding our poor Jamsie!" Remus muttered something and the bright sunlight infiltrating the room went out leaving the dorm completely black. "Although, a little light would be good," Sirius amended.
"Lumos," Remus rasped, filling the room with the small glow from his wand.
Sirius was busy tugging on James's hands. "Get up, time to see Dumbledore. Come on, we have the shower heated up already. Move, move, move!"
"Why couldn't we go at ten?"
"Because. Now hurry up, we have to meet someone."
"Who else are you making get up at this ungodly hour?" James demanded, crawling out from his warm bed and stretching.
"You'll see. You have seven minutes to be scrubbed and dressed."
"Aye, aye, Captain," James grunted sarcastically.
"You forgot to salute!" Sirius called after him as he stepped into the steamy bathroom. Remus, who had been watching the exchange from his seat at the window, stretched back, closing his eyes, pretending to sleep. Meanwhile, he was thinking, I should be happy for Padfoot, I should be happy for Padfoot, I should be happy-
"Hey Moony, I've got something to tell you."
Sighing resignedly, Remus peeked up at his stormy-eyed friend through one eyelid. "What is it, Padfoot?
"I wanted you to know, I broke up with Ronnie last night. The, er, road's paved now."
"Great!" Remus exclaimed in a falsely cheerful voice. "Um, is that it?" he wondered, silently debating on when Sirius was going to make his move on Lily.
"Well, I was thinking you could comfort her, you know? You're really good at that kind of stuff." What is wrong with him?! He expects me to comfort his ex-girlfriend? I can't even comfort myself!
"I'll look into it. Are we done here? I need to get dressed."
"Yeah," Sirius smiled, "that's pretty much it."
"Good. If you'll excuse me," Remus said politely, barely keeping his emotions in check as he disappeared behind his curtains to dress, and regain his bearings. Despite the fact that his friends knew about the curse, he never dressed in front of them, ashamed of the scars littering his lithe frame.
"Okay then," Sirius mumbled, slightly confused. Shouldn't Moony be happier than that? Shouldn't I? Shaking it off, he laid down on his own bed to wait for James, glancing every now and then at Remus's closed curtains.
Seven minutes later a very awake Sirius and Remus, and a not so awake James headed down to the empty common room, barren of all noise except for the crackling of the fire. "Where is this person?" James wondered. Before either of his friends could respond, a short, slim figure dressed in gray sweats with her red hair pulled back in a messy bun bounded down from the girls' dormitories.
"I'm here," she said. "Sorry I'm late, oh favorite BGs of mine, but I slept through my alarm clock. Have you been waiting long? Morning Potter, still asleep I see?"
"BGs?" Sirius murmured, confused.
"Her?" James demanded. "I thought I told you, Remus, she's not on our side. She's been using dark magic, I swear it. A Death Eater to the core." He looked from his two friends to the girl standing a few feet away from him and was surprised to see pain in her shocking green eyes before she dropped the shutters and opened them again to green chips of ice.
"Don't speak of what you do not understand," she hissed then looked through him as though he was nothing but thin air. I probably am to her. "Remmie, Siri, if this is necessary, then I suggest we go, before Potter or I decide to throw a funeral for the other."
Remmie? Siri? Since when are these guys close enough for nicknames?
Sirius spoke up. "It is Lils, even if you don't trust him, we do, and we just can't lie to him."
"Oh, I can see how this whole ordeal will be incredibly difficult for you! How stupid of me! What about Joni, Sirius? Do you know how much I want to tell her about what I'm going through, do you? Do you know how embarrassing it will be for me, when everyone believes I'm in confinement, the first student ever to be punished thus? All you have to do is go along with the foreign exchange student thing! God, you're right, how insensitive of me to think it would be reasonable to have you two keep a secret from a worm like Potter, while I have ten million other problems."
"Lily, we'll see what we can do, okay? But if we're going to be spending lots of time with you-"
"You don't have to if it's such a burden," she growled.
"We want to spend time with you," Remus continued trying to calm her while steering her out of the portrait hole, Sirius and James in tow. "At least, when you're not on the rampage. Listen, we'll be escorting you to classes, meals, events, etc, so it will look sort of odd if James isn't walking with us in the hallways."
Lily thought about this for a moment, and grudgingly admitted, even if only to herself, that this was sensible. Sadly. "What about Peter?" she questioned suspiciously.
"Peter doesn't need to be convinced that you're not a Death Eater, now does he? He doesn't really know you, but I doubt he'd mind you, either. Whatever we do, he'll go along. James won't; it'll draw attention. Spies might piece it together."
"Spies?" Lily froze. "You think he has spies here?"
"We can only guess, Lily," Remus said soothingly. "Come on, we're running even later now."
"What is going on?" James demanded.
"You'll see, James, you'll see. Dumbledore will explain it all."
"Someone better. I am totally confused." Confinement? Escorts? BGs? Spies? Merlin, I'm confused. This better be good.
Oh trust me, the familiar mind voice growled. It'll be good. Really good. Fan-fucking-tastic, actually. When you understand, when you know, you'll be sorry for what you did to me. I'll never forgive you for what you said, not ever. But I'm going, because Sirius and Remus are important to me, and you're important to them. And because, when you know, when this is all over, you'll have to apologize to me, and I'll tell you to go to hell. Those will be the last words I ever speak to you.
"Uh oh," James muttered to himself.
They made their way down the dark hallway, James trailing behind Remus, Lily, and Sirius. Sirius broke the binding silence. "BGs?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows in question.
"Bodyguards," she grinned, linking an arm through one of Sirius's and the other through one of Remus's.
"Oh. Brill!" Sirius exclaimed loudly before being subdued by Remus- but not for long. "Help, help! I'm being repressed!"
"Much thanks Ream! And yes, I know I'm brill. It comes with the territory."
"Bodyguards?" James demanded. "What do you need bodyguards for Evans?"
"I'm a very important and sought after person, Potter, don't mess with me or I'll sick my dogs on you- Snuffles, Wolverine."
"Wolverine?" Remus yelped. "Hey, Snuffles was bad enough, but Wolverine? An X-man?!"
"You've heard of him?" Sirius asked his friend, more than slightly amused.
"Yeah, so?" Remus demanded defensively.
"Is it too obvious?" Lily interrupted, fending off the argument.
"No," Sirius grinned. "I personally love it."
Remus donned a lopsided grin. "I do too."
"She knows?" James gasped. This was too much.
"Then what were you griping about?" Lily jibed playfully, everyone ignoring James.
"Oh I just wanted to complain. It's not half as obvious as Moony, that's for sure."
"Hey, I came up with that," Sirius whined, pretending to look hurt.
"I know. And that's the only reason I tolerate it. Ah, here we are. What's the password again, Padfoot?" Remus mused, staring at the statue.
"Lemon Drops." The statue swung open and they began the climb to Dumbledore's office in silence. All hell broke loose, though, when Sirius tripped and, due to their intertwined arms, kindly brought Lily and Remus toppling down on top of him.
James couldn't conceal his laughter. "It's a Veggie Sandwich, Lily flower and all."
"Can it, Potter," Lily growled in response, bright red, struggling to free herself from the two teenage boys. She soon succeeded and leapt clear of the pile, Sirius jumping up after her.
"Can't say I didn't enjoy that," Sirius said smugly, grinning.
"Well I can say it for the both of us," Remus moaned, rubbing both his elbow and his butt. "My ass hurts like no tomorrow."
"Aww, and what a cute ass it is, Wolverine, such a shame it got hurt," Lily joked, winking roguishly, making James's stomach churn. Whether from jealousy of the three's apparent closeness, or Lily's admiration for Remus's ass, or even just the effects of Lily's wink, he wasn't sure. All he knew was he didn't like it.
They managed to travel the rest of the way to the Headmaster's office without mishap, and silence pervaded as Sirius delivered three heavy knocks to the thick oaken wood. "Come in."
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Dun dun dun! Not a cliffie, but sorta kinda just a bit…I know, I know, it's not a real one, but come on guys, let me live my fant-ta-ta-sy!
Some Holy Grail humor in there, and a mix of X-men and all.
Hopefully it won't take me as long to update as it did this time.
Gracias, and remember, reviews are savored like As in AP classes,
Crys