"You IDIOT!"
"Stupid git!"
"Moron!"
"How-Wh-Why-Whaa-?"
Sirius gaped incredulously as he held his both hands up as if to say "what the hell was that?" A couple seconds later he shut his mouth and put a hand to his head and moaned, "I can't BELIEVE that just happened."
No one else said a word.
"Whyyy?" he continued, almost wailing and shaking his hands dramatically. His dark eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he waited for an answer. He didn't get one.
"Are you ill?"
...
A couple seconds later. "What were you THINKING?"
...
"It was your CHANCE."
...
"Your CHANCE," he repeated weakly.
...
"Why?" he tried again.
...
"Are you okay?"
...
"James?"
...
"Prongs?"
...
"You- "
"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus said, cutting him off.
Silence.
-
"Er. It's time for breakfast... James?" Remus started slowly, rubbing his neck nervously as he flicked his eyes around the bleak dormitory.
James continued to stare blankly at the top of the canopy as he lay in bed. His arms were crossed behind his head and he was leaning against his pillow, staring resolutely upwards.
"You should eat," Sirius contributed sincerely.
"Food," Peter nodded. Remus gave him an exasperated glance.
James blinked.
Ah movement, Remus thought eagerly. "Coming?"
James didn't stir.
"I'll take that as a no?"
...
"Yes?"
...
"No?"
...
"Alright then," Remus concluded. He paused hesitantly. Sirius looked like he was about to say something and Remus cast around in his mind for something to prevent Sirius from opening his mouth.
"I guess we should go... I'm sort of hungry. Aren't you, Padfoot?" he said quickly. Peter nodded his head vigorously and Sirius shot them both dirty looks before he conceded grumpily.
"Fine. See you later, Prongs. Meaning, I WILL see you LATER," Sirius said forcefully at James, who was still staring into space. He stood up and headed for the door, pausing briefly in front of the mirror to fix his hair on his way out. He turned his head back into the room one more time and said, "Bye, James." He waited hopefully for a couple seconds before Remus pushed him out impatiently. As Remus shut the door to the dormitory, he leaned in to look at his entranced friend one more time and then said quietly, "Bye, James," before the grainy surface of the wood blocked his view.
He turned around to find Sirius glaring at him.
"I wanted to know he was thinking," Sirius said stubbornly.
"Look, Sirius, so did I. Believe me. But he obviously wants to be alone. So let's let him," Remus stated as they descended the staircase. His bones clattered as he moved and he pulled his cloak tighter around him to seal off any avenues that the cold, invasive air might be seeping into.
Sirius sighed loudly. He was silent for a few moments as they entered the common room, which was now empty and still; the air hung heavily over them but the fire had been lit and it was crackling loudly in its own space, the noise filling up the silent room. Remus supposed that house elves liked to work without anyone seeing them; Lily and Alice had probably gone upstairs sometime before. Remus shook his head sadly.
"But it's just so hard to see him like that, you know?" Sirius said suddenly, his voice cracking in the frosty air. "I mean, he's liked her for so long. I never knew how much..." He slumped his shoulders downwards and looked at Remus; his face was grim and he was biting the inside of his cheek.
"We should've said something. I was almost going to," he continued quietly. "But it was HIS choice, right?" He looked at Remus for an answer, the flames from the fire reflecting brightly in his eyes.
"Yeah. It was. There's nothing we can really do. I suppose it's for the better. If you look at it in that way," Remus assured Sirius and himself, as well. It was true; their secret was safe. "But, Merlin. I feel terrible," he confessed.
"You're not the only one," Sirius said bitterly as he opened the portrait hole and stepped through. On the other side, the fat lady blushed brightly at the sight of him and then giggly coyly. Sirius barely even gave her a glance and continued walking.The hallway was dark and musty, like the rain outside had seeped through the walls of the castle and invaded the warm, comfortable interior. The dim lanterns lining the edge of the hallway were flickering slightly as a chilly draft floated by. The cold was attacking, biting, nipping any exposed areas of skin on their bodies. Remus found his nose to be a victim of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I WISH there was something we could do," Sirius said thoughtfully, his hands in the pockets of his cloak. They walked along silently for the next few moments, their shoes scraping along the gritty, stone floor. There was a third set of steps behind them and only then did Sirius realize that Peter was still there. They trudged along unhappily letting the heavy air press against them.
"Well, we could try to help him," offered Remus weakly.
"How? He's acting like he's dead. It would almost be funny if I didn't feel so bad," Sirius commented, flipping his head upwards to get the hair out of his eyes.
"We can try to get her to like him..." Peter said, shrugging his shoulders and squeezing through to walk between them.
Sirius shot Remus an annoyed glance before he said, "I thought about that. But really, have you SEEN her? She hates him."
"Technically, she doesn't," Remus corrected.
Sirius nodded. "True. But how DOES she feel then?"
"Have we ever asked her?" Remus said, raising an eyebrow.
"No... But.. Do you think she'd listen to us?" Sirius said, looking doubtfully at Remus. They turned a corner and headed down another flight of stairs, towards the scent of breakfast wafting from the Great Hall.
"Not sure. She's nice enough to me, usually," Remus said, frowning. "No one really ever asked how she felt about the whole thing."
"But how could she NOT like James?" Sirius asked feebly, shaking his head. "He's popular, smart, brilliant at Quidditch, and good-looking."
"From what I've heard from the girls," Sirius added quickly, shooting Peter a disgusted look that made the latter stop giggling quickly.
"Well..." Remus searched for an answer. "That's just it. She's Lily Evans. She's different, I guess."
"Weird, you mean?"
"No. Different in a good way, I suppose."
"Like Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" inquired Peter, smiling.
Remus laughed. "Sort of... She's certainly unpredictable."
Sirius looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, a little grin playing at his lips. "Lily Evans. A Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean. She would most likely be kiwi. Sometimes those are good, but sometimes they're not."
"Well, I always saw her as more of a ham sandwich," Remus admitted with mock seriousness, trying mightily to refrain from bursting out into wild laughter.
"No. Definitely a pickle," Peter said as it if were the most obvious thing in the world. He nodded his head seriously. "Sometimes the pickle-flavored ones are sour and sometimes they're sweet. But either way they're still good."
Sirius looked at Peter in awe. "You know, Wormtail, I think you're right on that."
"But that's only if you like pickles," Remus argued halfheartedly.
"What does it matter to you?" Sirius asked indignantly. "It doesn't matter if you like the pickle or not. " He then grinned impishly, showing off his full set of white teeth.
"James likes the pickle and THAT'S what counts."
"Stupid git!"
"Moron!"
"How-Wh-Why-Whaa-?"
Sirius gaped incredulously as he held his both hands up as if to say "what the hell was that?" A couple seconds later he shut his mouth and put a hand to his head and moaned, "I can't BELIEVE that just happened."
No one else said a word.
"Whyyy?" he continued, almost wailing and shaking his hands dramatically. His dark eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he waited for an answer. He didn't get one.
"Are you ill?"
...
A couple seconds later. "What were you THINKING?"
...
"It was your CHANCE."
...
"Your CHANCE," he repeated weakly.
...
"Why?" he tried again.
...
"Are you okay?"
...
"James?"
...
"Prongs?"
...
"You- "
"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus said, cutting him off.
Silence.
-
"Er. It's time for breakfast... James?" Remus started slowly, rubbing his neck nervously as he flicked his eyes around the bleak dormitory.
James continued to stare blankly at the top of the canopy as he lay in bed. His arms were crossed behind his head and he was leaning against his pillow, staring resolutely upwards.
"You should eat," Sirius contributed sincerely.
"Food," Peter nodded. Remus gave him an exasperated glance.
James blinked.
Ah movement, Remus thought eagerly. "Coming?"
James didn't stir.
"I'll take that as a no?"
...
"Yes?"
...
"No?"
...
"Alright then," Remus concluded. He paused hesitantly. Sirius looked like he was about to say something and Remus cast around in his mind for something to prevent Sirius from opening his mouth.
"I guess we should go... I'm sort of hungry. Aren't you, Padfoot?" he said quickly. Peter nodded his head vigorously and Sirius shot them both dirty looks before he conceded grumpily.
"Fine. See you later, Prongs. Meaning, I WILL see you LATER," Sirius said forcefully at James, who was still staring into space. He stood up and headed for the door, pausing briefly in front of the mirror to fix his hair on his way out. He turned his head back into the room one more time and said, "Bye, James." He waited hopefully for a couple seconds before Remus pushed him out impatiently. As Remus shut the door to the dormitory, he leaned in to look at his entranced friend one more time and then said quietly, "Bye, James," before the grainy surface of the wood blocked his view.
He turned around to find Sirius glaring at him.
"I wanted to know he was thinking," Sirius said stubbornly.
"Look, Sirius, so did I. Believe me. But he obviously wants to be alone. So let's let him," Remus stated as they descended the staircase. His bones clattered as he moved and he pulled his cloak tighter around him to seal off any avenues that the cold, invasive air might be seeping into.
Sirius sighed loudly. He was silent for a few moments as they entered the common room, which was now empty and still; the air hung heavily over them but the fire had been lit and it was crackling loudly in its own space, the noise filling up the silent room. Remus supposed that house elves liked to work without anyone seeing them; Lily and Alice had probably gone upstairs sometime before. Remus shook his head sadly.
"But it's just so hard to see him like that, you know?" Sirius said suddenly, his voice cracking in the frosty air. "I mean, he's liked her for so long. I never knew how much..." He slumped his shoulders downwards and looked at Remus; his face was grim and he was biting the inside of his cheek.
"We should've said something. I was almost going to," he continued quietly. "But it was HIS choice, right?" He looked at Remus for an answer, the flames from the fire reflecting brightly in his eyes.
"Yeah. It was. There's nothing we can really do. I suppose it's for the better. If you look at it in that way," Remus assured Sirius and himself, as well. It was true; their secret was safe. "But, Merlin. I feel terrible," he confessed.
"You're not the only one," Sirius said bitterly as he opened the portrait hole and stepped through. On the other side, the fat lady blushed brightly at the sight of him and then giggly coyly. Sirius barely even gave her a glance and continued walking.The hallway was dark and musty, like the rain outside had seeped through the walls of the castle and invaded the warm, comfortable interior. The dim lanterns lining the edge of the hallway were flickering slightly as a chilly draft floated by. The cold was attacking, biting, nipping any exposed areas of skin on their bodies. Remus found his nose to be a victim of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I WISH there was something we could do," Sirius said thoughtfully, his hands in the pockets of his cloak. They walked along silently for the next few moments, their shoes scraping along the gritty, stone floor. There was a third set of steps behind them and only then did Sirius realize that Peter was still there. They trudged along unhappily letting the heavy air press against them.
"Well, we could try to help him," offered Remus weakly.
"How? He's acting like he's dead. It would almost be funny if I didn't feel so bad," Sirius commented, flipping his head upwards to get the hair out of his eyes.
"We can try to get her to like him..." Peter said, shrugging his shoulders and squeezing through to walk between them.
Sirius shot Remus an annoyed glance before he said, "I thought about that. But really, have you SEEN her? She hates him."
"Technically, she doesn't," Remus corrected.
Sirius nodded. "True. But how DOES she feel then?"
"Have we ever asked her?" Remus said, raising an eyebrow.
"No... But.. Do you think she'd listen to us?" Sirius said, looking doubtfully at Remus. They turned a corner and headed down another flight of stairs, towards the scent of breakfast wafting from the Great Hall.
"Not sure. She's nice enough to me, usually," Remus said, frowning. "No one really ever asked how she felt about the whole thing."
"But how could she NOT like James?" Sirius asked feebly, shaking his head. "He's popular, smart, brilliant at Quidditch, and good-looking."
"From what I've heard from the girls," Sirius added quickly, shooting Peter a disgusted look that made the latter stop giggling quickly.
"Well..." Remus searched for an answer. "That's just it. She's Lily Evans. She's different, I guess."
"Weird, you mean?"
"No. Different in a good way, I suppose."
"Like Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" inquired Peter, smiling.
Remus laughed. "Sort of... She's certainly unpredictable."
Sirius looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, a little grin playing at his lips. "Lily Evans. A Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean. She would most likely be kiwi. Sometimes those are good, but sometimes they're not."
"Well, I always saw her as more of a ham sandwich," Remus admitted with mock seriousness, trying mightily to refrain from bursting out into wild laughter.
"No. Definitely a pickle," Peter said as it if were the most obvious thing in the world. He nodded his head seriously. "Sometimes the pickle-flavored ones are sour and sometimes they're sweet. But either way they're still good."
Sirius looked at Peter in awe. "You know, Wormtail, I think you're right on that."
"But that's only if you like pickles," Remus argued halfheartedly.
"What does it matter to you?" Sirius asked indignantly. "It doesn't matter if you like the pickle or not. " He then grinned impishly, showing off his full set of white teeth.
"James likes the pickle and THAT'S what counts."