Disclaimer! I do not own any characters or ideas expressed in this fic. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, in all her rich and powerful glory.
"What are you doing?" James stopped in mid-step to give his friend a look of curiosity, scrutiny, and amusement. A few paces behind him, Sirius stood with his knees slightly bent, his head tilted back, and his arms out. He grinned, but kept his long-lashed, reddish-brown eyes on his wand.
"I," Said Sirius, "am balancing my wand, fourteen inches, willow, dragon's heartstring, the whole lot, on my nose."
James chuckled and shook his head. "You aren't normal."
"Nobody's ever accused me of that, so I doubt it." The wand wobbled dangerously, and Sirius jerked suddenly to the right, following it's flow of balance. The movement itself, of course, left him standing in the middle of the hall on one foot.
James let out a booming laugh, causing Sirius to jump and the wand to clatter to the stone floor. Sirius sighed and frowned at him before bending down to pick up his wand, the waning, creamy orange sunlight making his hair shine golden. "Man, now I have to start all over. Sheesh, do you know how long it took me to get it to stay like that?" He asked, pocketing his wand and stepping up to James.
His friend clapped him on the back, still grinning. "It's mid-April, and we're first-years.... I'd say you have plenty of time to prefect that particular trick."
Sirius rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yah, yah. What ever you say...."
"LET GO OF ME!"
"If you don't shut-up, they'll only hurt you more."
Sirius and James exchanged glances and quickened their pace to a run, their good cheer melting away. The first boy's screams sounded awfully familiar...
"What do you want? I haven't done anything to you."
"I want to know where the hell you've been going every month."
"I've told you! I was ill!"
"Not good enough. If you were ill, then you would have been in the infirmary, and you weren't."
They reached to courtyard just as a very large seventh-year Slytherin was forcing the head of a familiar fellow Griffindor under the water in the school fountain. His shirt had been ripped from his back, and several large welts and bruises were beginning to form. Two other seventh-years stood on either side of them, looking bulky and menacing. James caught Sirius's eye and found that the expression his friend wore was just as appalled as he felt.
"HEY!" Boomed Sirius, rage saturating his voice. The Slytherin jumped and pulled the boy out of the water by his hair, and, again, shock stopped the two friends dead.
Lupin. The boy was Remus Lupin, their roommate. He coughed and blinked water from his eyes, but other than that, he did nothing.
"Move on, there's nothing to see here." Said a bored and slightly irritated voice from somewhere behind Lupin and the troll of a student. James looked up and, seated cross-legged in the lap of a large marble statue, Severus Snape glared back at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Snape rolled his eyes, giving the young Potter a look of pure disgust and shaking his shoulder-length black hair from his face. "If you must know, I'm beating information out of Lupin, here. See, he's been disappearing for about a week every month thus far, and I want to know where he's been going."
At this, Lupin struggled and coughed again. "How many times must I tell you? I WAS ILL!"
Snape looked down at him through half-closed eyes and snickered. "Olaf, dunk him."
Lupin's screams turned into pathetic gurgles as Olaf forced his head back underwater. James and Sirius both ran from their places under the archway, wands out, just as the two Slytherins on either side of Olaf began to rush them.
Four things happened at once:
Sirius Petrified the Slytherin that was supposed to be rushing him, James tried to do the same thing, but missed, and the Slytherin the was supposed to be rushing him picked him up over his head, Sirius hit Snape with a Levitation Charm, rising him a good six feet from his perch, and Olaf finally pulled Lupin from the water.
"Let Lupin go, or I'll brake Snape's neck."
"Put Snape down or I'll brake your little friend's back."
Sirius hesitated, and while he was doing that, James landed a very good kick to the side of the Slytherin's face. He dropped him, cupping his cheek in his hand's and screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. James had to flip in mid-air to avoid landing on his head, and wound up landing on his behind instead. Within seconds, he had his wand out and pointed at the older boy's head.
"Let Lupin go."
Snape snickered. "Or what? Black will drop me? He hasn't got the guts."
"Wanna bet?" Asked Sirius before letting Snape fall and catching him just before his crooked nose could scrape the ground. Snape screamed.
"ALRIGHT! Alright!" He said, and swallowed. "Olaf, let him go! Let him go!"
The seventh-year shrugged and released Lupin, acting as though it didn't really matter to him either way. And it probably didn't.
Lupin tried to run, but slipped half-way to James and Sirius, skinning his elbow and tearing the knee of his slacks. He gulped for air, wheezing and trying not to cry. James stood, and Sirius abandoned Snape, leaving him to fall six feet to his behind.
James helped Lupin up and Sirius gave him his cloak; the smaller boy smiled gratefully at them. Before they left, Sirius turned to glare at the four Slytherins, Snape in particular.
"You assholes. The lot of you know he's ill, and that's why you pick on him, beating the shit out of him in the Muggle fashion. Which surprises me, because , well, aren't all Slytherins supposed to hate Muggles?"
Snape looked at him and laughed, the sound high and uneven. "Don't be stupid! Even a complete ignoramus like you has to see that there is something going on here that we don't know about!"
James snorted. "And that's Lupin's business."
Sirius nodded. "Exactly. If he wants to tell us what's up, then he will. In the mean time, if we ever catch you picking on him again, we'll kill you. That's a promise."
He turned away and the three of them began to walk back to the Griffindor dormitories, but not without one last pause. "And by the way, " Said James, turning around to look at Snape. "It's really weak of you to pick friends that are older and stronger than you. But, I suppose it's alright. They're all seventh-years, and next year they won't be here. It'll be just you and us.... Snivilus."
Sirius laughed, and even Lupin smiled feebly. "C'mon, Lupin. Let's get you back to the common room and cleaned up." He said as they turned a corner some minutes later
James nodded. "Yah, you look like hell right now."
Lupin snorted softly and looked down, pulling Sirius's cloak more securely around him. "I figured as much. Thank you, by the way, both of you. I don't know what could have happed had you not come along when you did."
Sirius clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, mate. They won't be bothering you anymore."
Lupin raised his eyebrows at him. "How can you be so sure?"
James laughed and adjusted his glasses. "From this point on, we will never leave your side."
"Say what?"
"That's right! From now on, Lupin, you have two very permanent, sometimes horribly irritating, shadows." Said Sirius, his jovial mood returning. "Even when your ill, we'll be there!"
"Think of it as perpetual entertainment."
When Lupin realized that there was no dissuading them, he smiled and shook his head. "In that case, call me Remus. I'm getting sick of hearing my surname over and over."
Sirius and James both grinned and said their names in turn. The three boys nodded to each other in the colorless dusk and continued walking. Well, until:
Sirius stopped suddenly. After a few steps, the other two realized this and stopped as well, turning to frown at him. James blinked.
"Er, now what?"
Sirius frowned. "Ok, I've seen Muggle boys in my neighborhood do this, so don't think I'm weird."
James and Remus exchanged glances, and James shook his head. "I always think your weird, and I like you well enough. So, go on. I'm sure Remus won't mind."
Remus frowned at him, but didn't say anything, and Sirius shrugged before spitting in his hand and extending it to them. "Ok, now you guys do the same thing, and we shake hands. It's some sort of bonding thing. I guess it's a sort of pact-sealer."
James stared down at his friend's hand. "Uh-huh. And the pact would be...?"
"That from this point on, we never leave each other's sides, and if one of us is in trouble, the other two have to come and help him out. And nothing can ever get in the way of our friendship. Not fame, nor glory, nor riches or women."
James nodded, and Remus looked a little skeptical. "You're being oddly deep, do you know that?"
"Yes, I do. Do you guys agree or not?"
"Right-on. It's gross, but I'm in." Said James before spitting in his hand and grabbing Sirius's. They both turned to Remus.
"Well?"
Remus rolled his eyes, spit in his palm, and placed his hand over theirs. "Are we allowed to wash our hands after this?"
"Yes."
"Good."
They shook hands, a strange feeling of fulfillment settling in them, and, contented, they meandered back to the common room, nicking food from the kitchens along the way.
"What are you doing?" James stopped in mid-step to give his friend a look of curiosity, scrutiny, and amusement. A few paces behind him, Sirius stood with his knees slightly bent, his head tilted back, and his arms out. He grinned, but kept his long-lashed, reddish-brown eyes on his wand.
"I," Said Sirius, "am balancing my wand, fourteen inches, willow, dragon's heartstring, the whole lot, on my nose."
James chuckled and shook his head. "You aren't normal."
"Nobody's ever accused me of that, so I doubt it." The wand wobbled dangerously, and Sirius jerked suddenly to the right, following it's flow of balance. The movement itself, of course, left him standing in the middle of the hall on one foot.
James let out a booming laugh, causing Sirius to jump and the wand to clatter to the stone floor. Sirius sighed and frowned at him before bending down to pick up his wand, the waning, creamy orange sunlight making his hair shine golden. "Man, now I have to start all over. Sheesh, do you know how long it took me to get it to stay like that?" He asked, pocketing his wand and stepping up to James.
His friend clapped him on the back, still grinning. "It's mid-April, and we're first-years.... I'd say you have plenty of time to prefect that particular trick."
Sirius rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yah, yah. What ever you say...."
"LET GO OF ME!"
"If you don't shut-up, they'll only hurt you more."
Sirius and James exchanged glances and quickened their pace to a run, their good cheer melting away. The first boy's screams sounded awfully familiar...
"What do you want? I haven't done anything to you."
"I want to know where the hell you've been going every month."
"I've told you! I was ill!"
"Not good enough. If you were ill, then you would have been in the infirmary, and you weren't."
They reached to courtyard just as a very large seventh-year Slytherin was forcing the head of a familiar fellow Griffindor under the water in the school fountain. His shirt had been ripped from his back, and several large welts and bruises were beginning to form. Two other seventh-years stood on either side of them, looking bulky and menacing. James caught Sirius's eye and found that the expression his friend wore was just as appalled as he felt.
"HEY!" Boomed Sirius, rage saturating his voice. The Slytherin jumped and pulled the boy out of the water by his hair, and, again, shock stopped the two friends dead.
Lupin. The boy was Remus Lupin, their roommate. He coughed and blinked water from his eyes, but other than that, he did nothing.
"Move on, there's nothing to see here." Said a bored and slightly irritated voice from somewhere behind Lupin and the troll of a student. James looked up and, seated cross-legged in the lap of a large marble statue, Severus Snape glared back at him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Snape rolled his eyes, giving the young Potter a look of pure disgust and shaking his shoulder-length black hair from his face. "If you must know, I'm beating information out of Lupin, here. See, he's been disappearing for about a week every month thus far, and I want to know where he's been going."
At this, Lupin struggled and coughed again. "How many times must I tell you? I WAS ILL!"
Snape looked down at him through half-closed eyes and snickered. "Olaf, dunk him."
Lupin's screams turned into pathetic gurgles as Olaf forced his head back underwater. James and Sirius both ran from their places under the archway, wands out, just as the two Slytherins on either side of Olaf began to rush them.
Four things happened at once:
Sirius Petrified the Slytherin that was supposed to be rushing him, James tried to do the same thing, but missed, and the Slytherin the was supposed to be rushing him picked him up over his head, Sirius hit Snape with a Levitation Charm, rising him a good six feet from his perch, and Olaf finally pulled Lupin from the water.
"Let Lupin go, or I'll brake Snape's neck."
"Put Snape down or I'll brake your little friend's back."
Sirius hesitated, and while he was doing that, James landed a very good kick to the side of the Slytherin's face. He dropped him, cupping his cheek in his hand's and screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. James had to flip in mid-air to avoid landing on his head, and wound up landing on his behind instead. Within seconds, he had his wand out and pointed at the older boy's head.
"Let Lupin go."
Snape snickered. "Or what? Black will drop me? He hasn't got the guts."
"Wanna bet?" Asked Sirius before letting Snape fall and catching him just before his crooked nose could scrape the ground. Snape screamed.
"ALRIGHT! Alright!" He said, and swallowed. "Olaf, let him go! Let him go!"
The seventh-year shrugged and released Lupin, acting as though it didn't really matter to him either way. And it probably didn't.
Lupin tried to run, but slipped half-way to James and Sirius, skinning his elbow and tearing the knee of his slacks. He gulped for air, wheezing and trying not to cry. James stood, and Sirius abandoned Snape, leaving him to fall six feet to his behind.
James helped Lupin up and Sirius gave him his cloak; the smaller boy smiled gratefully at them. Before they left, Sirius turned to glare at the four Slytherins, Snape in particular.
"You assholes. The lot of you know he's ill, and that's why you pick on him, beating the shit out of him in the Muggle fashion. Which surprises me, because , well, aren't all Slytherins supposed to hate Muggles?"
Snape looked at him and laughed, the sound high and uneven. "Don't be stupid! Even a complete ignoramus like you has to see that there is something going on here that we don't know about!"
James snorted. "And that's Lupin's business."
Sirius nodded. "Exactly. If he wants to tell us what's up, then he will. In the mean time, if we ever catch you picking on him again, we'll kill you. That's a promise."
He turned away and the three of them began to walk back to the Griffindor dormitories, but not without one last pause. "And by the way, " Said James, turning around to look at Snape. "It's really weak of you to pick friends that are older and stronger than you. But, I suppose it's alright. They're all seventh-years, and next year they won't be here. It'll be just you and us.... Snivilus."
Sirius laughed, and even Lupin smiled feebly. "C'mon, Lupin. Let's get you back to the common room and cleaned up." He said as they turned a corner some minutes later
James nodded. "Yah, you look like hell right now."
Lupin snorted softly and looked down, pulling Sirius's cloak more securely around him. "I figured as much. Thank you, by the way, both of you. I don't know what could have happed had you not come along when you did."
Sirius clapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it, mate. They won't be bothering you anymore."
Lupin raised his eyebrows at him. "How can you be so sure?"
James laughed and adjusted his glasses. "From this point on, we will never leave your side."
"Say what?"
"That's right! From now on, Lupin, you have two very permanent, sometimes horribly irritating, shadows." Said Sirius, his jovial mood returning. "Even when your ill, we'll be there!"
"Think of it as perpetual entertainment."
When Lupin realized that there was no dissuading them, he smiled and shook his head. "In that case, call me Remus. I'm getting sick of hearing my surname over and over."
Sirius and James both grinned and said their names in turn. The three boys nodded to each other in the colorless dusk and continued walking. Well, until:
Sirius stopped suddenly. After a few steps, the other two realized this and stopped as well, turning to frown at him. James blinked.
"Er, now what?"
Sirius frowned. "Ok, I've seen Muggle boys in my neighborhood do this, so don't think I'm weird."
James and Remus exchanged glances, and James shook his head. "I always think your weird, and I like you well enough. So, go on. I'm sure Remus won't mind."
Remus frowned at him, but didn't say anything, and Sirius shrugged before spitting in his hand and extending it to them. "Ok, now you guys do the same thing, and we shake hands. It's some sort of bonding thing. I guess it's a sort of pact-sealer."
James stared down at his friend's hand. "Uh-huh. And the pact would be...?"
"That from this point on, we never leave each other's sides, and if one of us is in trouble, the other two have to come and help him out. And nothing can ever get in the way of our friendship. Not fame, nor glory, nor riches or women."
James nodded, and Remus looked a little skeptical. "You're being oddly deep, do you know that?"
"Yes, I do. Do you guys agree or not?"
"Right-on. It's gross, but I'm in." Said James before spitting in his hand and grabbing Sirius's. They both turned to Remus.
"Well?"
Remus rolled his eyes, spit in his palm, and placed his hand over theirs. "Are we allowed to wash our hands after this?"
"Yes."
"Good."
They shook hands, a strange feeling of fulfillment settling in them, and, contented, they meandered back to the common room, nicking food from the kitchens along the way.