The first day went as first days typically do. Much running around, loss of books, and last minute activity was abound in the common room that morning. Somehow though, everyone managed to make it down for breakfast. As the marauders sat down to eat, they discussed their similar, but yet slightly varied schedules. Sirius, multitasking, managed to talk, flirt, eat, and look for the girls from last night. Looking across the various heads as he sat down to eat, he momentarily gave up.
"So what's up first, Prongs?" He said grabbing the croissant James had just picked up out of his hand.
James glared at Sirius and picked up another croissant and buttered it. "Potions, to Transfig, lunch, and then double charms."
"Ah the life of an Auror, huh?"
"For now anyways," James laughed. The boys took a variety of subjects, unsure of what to do after graduation. But a variety of topics lead to a variety of jobs.
They ate and discussed until the time came for them to get to class. Seeing a group of girls, some he had spoken with and others yet unknown to him, Sirius hopped up.
"Surely you are in a need of an escort? Never know what lurks inside these castles walls… Snivellus, perhaps?" he leaked charm, slowing them down as he talked.
Most of the girls giggled. One rolled her eyes and walked through the gap between the girls adoring at Sirius. "Cheesy pick-up lines?"
Sirius looked up from the girls he was flashy his pearly whites to, and watched the deserter walk on ahead. Shrugging, he turned back to his audience as he walked them to class.
The day wore on with most people getting to class all right. After dinner the marauders took a stroll outside to enjoy the fading daylight. Many other students were outside in the courtyard having the same idea. James sat down under a tree, while Sirius stood leaning against it. Remus sat leaning back, watching the rest of the students. Peter sat cross-legged, also people watching.
"Slowly, Lily is falling under my spell." James chuckled. "Pun intended."
"About as slow as a snail race," Remus snickered. Sirius grinned down at him.
"You'll get her," Peter said encouragingly.
"Was there ever any doubt in you mind?" James said confidently. Sirius eyeballed him. "She's the little social butterfly isn't she?"
Sirius and Remus looked over to see her talking with a group of girls. She was gesturing to around to the various groups out in the yard, apparently describing the cliques. The boys watched while one of the new girls pointed them out. They sniggered. Lily's seemed at a loss for words, but than said something apparently funny as they all laughed.
Sirius, taking this as his cue, rounded up his pack and walked over to them. "Well, Miss Lily, you wouldn't be slandering our good names would you?"
"It isn't slander if I tell the truth," Lily smiled sweetly. She gave a quick glance to James, whose smile grew at meeting her eyes.
"The truth comes in many forms," Remus said matter-of-factly. He looked around giving a small polite nod to the assortment of girls. "Ladies."
"This here is our resident gentleman, Remus." Lily said giving him a small pat on the back. "The quiet one there," She pointed slightly behind Sirius and James, "is Peter. The cocky one is Sirius. And the one with the hair issues is James."
Taking the prompt, James ruffled his hair out of order. Sirius eyed Lily, looking mock-hurt at being called cocky. Smiling, he turned to the rest of the girls. Nice lot, he thought to himself, Definitely worth some time. The boys looked politely to Lily again, waiting for her to continue her introductions. She sighed.
"Isobel, Julia, Ava, and Raquel." Lily said simply and quickly, pointing to each of the respectively. "Now, thank you for stopping by, but we have business to discuss."
"Oh, but Lils, we don't know where each of cherie came from." Sirius said innocently, a smile on his lips and in his eyes. "We do have to keep up the wizarding communication standards and international relations- all that jazz."
"Of course," Lily said with a hard smile, grinding her teeth. "Isobel and Ava, here, are from Rumsfield, Julia lived in Tadfield, originally, right?" she turned to Julia to find her nodding. "She has been at Beauxbatons though. And Raquel, here, was tutored. And that about wraps it up."
She tried to push Sirius and James away. But the 'gentlemen' turned around and shook hands with each girl individually, each adding a kiss on their hand at the end. James as well, trying to goad Lily some more.
"Now, they wouldn't be surname-less?" Peter questioned.
"Oh, but we are." One of the girls, Isobel, taunted them. She rolled her eyes teasingly, "like you would remember all our last names anyway."
"Well, they wouldn't have to ask if they had paid attention last night at the sorting, eh?" Isobel's friend, Ava, asked with her head cocked to the side, a challenging smile on her lips. Sirius smiled, "touché."
"This crowd certainly wouldn't remember all your names, full names," Lily tossed a glare at them, "in the morning." She eyed her watch. "Ah, the life of last year. I, personally, need to get started on my homework. Want to have a good jump ahead on the N.E.W.T.s."
She gave each girl a look with one eyebrow raised and walked in to the castle. The two girls previously talking followed her in with a polite wave to the boys. A wave that said, 'sorry, but books are just so much more interesting compared to you'. The other two girls stayed silently blushing. James watched Lily saunter away from them; he grinned. Looking back at the two other girls as soon as she was out of sight, one smiled up at them while the other asking what they did for fun. The marauders amused themselves talking for a while until the time came to head up to the common room.
The two girls ran over to talk to their other friends after saying goodnight to their escorts. The marauders sat down at a table and discussed what prank seemed suitable for the coming days. With their heads close together, the other members of Gryffindor knew to give the table a wide berth. Unfortunately, new arrivals didn't know this.
Isobel, the saucy auburn from earlier walked passed them heading toward the bookshelf. Her friend Ava was walking behind her, half reading her book, half watching where she was going. Isobel gave the boys a smile and walked on past. Sirius turned to check her out from the behind. Ava saw this and stopped.
"Rude much?" She glowered.
"What?" Sirius answered unaware, looking back, thinking had James said something to him. The other marauders, concealing their smirks, looked at him, waiting see what he would say. Finding himself looking at another girl from the previous night and earlier that evening, he turned on a charismatic smile. "Hello."
"Raised in a barn?" Ava said now putting her hands on her hips, shifting her weight. She raised an eyebrow at him when he didn't answer. He stared back with an empty look of incomprehension. She looked behind Sirius, to his side sat Remus. "Resident Gentleman, get your friend a books of manners." She started to walk off.
"One of those," Sirius muttered to his friends. They laughed. Ava heard this, stopped and turned around. James and Peter who were facing her, Remus and Sirius' backs to her, stopped laughing. Sirius noticed, "Come on, that was funny!"
"Of course," She said in that 'it all makes sense now' voice. "Any woman who shows any sort of independence or resilience to smiles must be a lesbian." The room quieted down, all focused on what was going on.
Sirius face turned the slightest shade of red but it wasn't noticeable. He turned around to find Ava with that same look from before: head to the side with same patronizing smile, eyebrow cocked. She seemed to waiting for him to stick his foot in his mouth. But this was sliver-tongued Sirius, who could induce pearls from their oysters.
"Hmm," he purred. "'One of those' could stand for any number of things." He stood up and walked over to her. He raised the level of charm, giving her the third to best smile. He walked around her like a predator on its prey, stalking.
"And which, pray tell, was it?" she tried to come off sounding bored, but instead just encouraged him.
"One of those," Sirius drawled, making something off the top of his head, "vibrant feline femmes that maneuvers her unwary pack away from predators."
"I'm sure you are," Ava hummed at him, referring to him as a predator.
"One of those" he started again, taking a new angle, "strong, free spirit types. I should know, we can tell our own." His head tipped to the side slightly making him look, if possible, even more handsome.
She gave him an incredulous smile, her eyes sparkling. With a small laugh she turned around and went to find Isobel at the shelves. Sirius strolled back to his marauders and sat down, grinning. The rest of the common room went back to what ever they were originally doing, no show to divert them.
"Looks like you've got a spitfire on your hands there, Padfoot," James cracked up.
"I don't think she was too impressed with you, mate." Remus clapped him on the back, laughing. Peter just chortled harder.
"No matter," Sirius said still a small smile on his lips, "She wasn't unimpressed with me, that's for sure."
"Casanova over here," James jerking his thumb at him, gasped through his now quiet snickers.
:: Well guys, I could really use some feedback here. I know where my story is going, but a little input is always good. Every time I write, I can see Sirius looking so cute. Head tilts, grins, shining eyes. Purr…But oh yeah, review, and let me know if this is going well.