Searching for Desire
By Vertically Challenged Poncho
Chapter IV: Moony and Padfoot
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. Harry Potter and all other characters belong to Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling.
Author's Notes: Hullo readers! I would like to thank SilverDragon14 to whom I am very grateful. You reviewed my story precisely how I had hoped people would see it. Wary about the OC, but learn to love her; recognize that the story is as canon as it can possibly be; and, of course, confused about what happened to Lord Voldemort. Well, in the following chapter, I think that many of the answers will be set up and fully answered in the chapter after this one. Nothing that will take away suspense before its too built, just simple background information that needs to be told. Also, thank you to Sark's Heart, who has already reviewed twice! Thank you. That being said, enjoy the show!
"JAMES POTTER GET BACK TO THE HOUSE THIS INSTANT!" the irrepressible shout of Lily Potter caused James to miss an incoming quaffle from Ron and nearly fall off his broom in fright…nearly; he wasn't one of Hogwart's best chasers ever for nothing.
"Sheesh, I've never seen a guy so terrified of his wife before." Ron mumbled to Harry, who chuckled.
"Hey I heard that!" James said, "And I'm not terrified, she just startled me is all."
"JAMES!" Lily's magnified voice again rustled the tree branches and sent crows flying.
"Come one guys, we'd better get back to the house before Lils explodes."
"Alright." Ron and Harry reluctantly landed on the soft ground and exited the miniature Quidditch stadium with Harry's father.
They had been playing Quidditch nearly all day, ever since Ron had arrived early that morning. Harry's Dad let Ron fly on his own Comet 260 and used Ron's Shooting Star. Even with the ancient broomstick, James was able to block almost every quaffle that came his way by Harry and Ron. In the beginning, he had been letting most of the quaffles into the goals, but Ron and Harry complained about him letting them win so after that he put all his effort into the game. James zoomed back and forth between the golden hoops, stretching out every limb as far as it would go to keep the balls from soaring threw the goals.
However, Harry and Ron had both been trained for years by James as well as by Ron's older brother Charlie. This meant that they were both very talented Quidditch players. James was very proud of Harry's abilities, but he had to admit that he was a bit disappointed that Harry was more interested in Seeking than Chasing.
Lily's shouts had surrounded the three their whole walk home and were still blaring loudly when they entered the back living room.
"Lily dear!" James yelled when they entered. "We're home now! You can stop screaming!"
Lily appeared at the door to the kitchen and –after performing a quietus spell-, said
"Remus and Sirius will be here any minute. Go clean up and when you get down, Harry and Ron I want you to set the table and James you'll need to clean the living room. There are dungbomb remains all over the floor."
Harry and Ron immediately went up the stairs to clean off the mud and dirt they had gotten covered in while playing Quidditch. James, however, didn't go as easily.
"Those weren't my dungbombs!" he exclaimed, "Harry set them off!"
"Did not!" Harry shouted from the stairs.
"It doesn't matter James, you're cleaning them up." With that Lily turned on her heel, back to the kitchen.
Muttering under his breath, James began pointing his wand at all of the dungbomb remnants and made them disappear (along with a few scorch marks). When he had finished, he began to head up the stairs to get cleaned up. However, the fireplace started to roar with flames causing James to turn back around.
A wizard with shoulder-length, dark hair and a jovial grin stepped out of the fireplace,
"Prongs! How are you?"
"Padfoot! Great to see you!" James strode over to the fireplace and embraced his friend.
"Where's Moony?" James asked.
"He'll be along in half a second." Almost as soon as Sirius had spoken, the flames began to roar once more and out walked another wizard with light brown hair and very pale skin.
"Hullo, Prongs." The wizard said when he had brushed the soot off his shabby robes.
"How're you doing Moony?"
"Not too bad, Snape's been sending me that new Wolfsbane potion each month, so my transformations aren't nearly as bad." There was an evident twitch that passed across both James and Sirius' faces at the mention of Snape.
"Remus!" Lily had entered from the kitchen.
"Lily! How are you?" Remus strolled over to her and gave her a hug.
"I'm doing great." She said. "James, why don't you go upstairs and tell Harry and Ron that Remus and Sirius have arrived." James nodded and strode to the stairs.
"Oh and James." Lily added, "Take a shower while you're at it, you smell like a troll's underarm."
Sirius and Remus chuckled as James left the room.
"Ron, eh?" Sirius said to Lily, "Is he that one that thought I was the Grim?"
"Yes." Lily said with a slight laugh. "Poor kid."
"MOONY! PADFOOT!" Harry and Ron had appeared at the foot of the stairs. Harry ran towards his dad's friends. Sirius scooped Harry up in a hug and set him back down again.
Harry hardly got to see his Godfather except during the summer months as both he and Remus worked at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, once school started, Harry would get to see them everyday. Harry didn't know why Sirius wasn't an auror like his dad. He knew that Sirius and James had both gone to auror training together and been partners for a few years. Something happened to Sirius, though, that made him so mad at the ministry he quit his job and joined the one thing the ministry hated and admired the most, Albus Dumbledore.
"Would you like some tea?" Lily asked the two wizards, "Dinner's not quite ready and we need to give James some time to get rid of his stench."
"Tea would be lovely." Remus said.
"Harry, Ron, why don't you set the table while I get the tea?" Harry and Ron nodded their heads and went to get the silverware.
"So, Ron you're one of the Weasleys, right?" Sirius asked the red head as he placed forks on the left side of every plate that Harry put out.
"Yes." He answered softly.
"Well, don't look so ashamed I love your family!" Sirius said. "Fred and George are great! They always share their experiments with me. Of course, I may enjoy them more if they didn't always experiment with them during my class, but they're brilliant all the same."
Ron grunted in response.
"Are you looking forward to Hogwarts Ron?" Remus changed the subject. He had been sensing that Ron was always spoken to as a portal to complimenting his older brothers.
"Yeah." Ron shrugged.
"Yeah?" Harry repeated in disbelief at Ron's lack of enthusiasm, "Ron, it's going to be the best seven years of our lives!"
"Ron," Remus said, discerning what was going on, "Don't let your brothers bring you down. You won't be cast in their shadows at Hogwarts. There are so many students there that it will take no time for you to make your own name for yourself and make friends. After all, you already have one great friend." He gestured towards Harry who put on a mock pompous air and bowed grandly.
"At the same time, your brothers will come in handy. You'll know some of the older students through your brothers and knowing older students always makes you look cool. It'll be great. I can guarantee that no one will put you down for having so many older brothers."
"And if they do, send 'em my way and I'll jinx 'em." Sirius said with a grin.
Ron smiled. He supposed his older brothers could come in handy. And already knowing two of the professors certainly wouldn't do him any harm either. However, Ron wasn't too sure of how beneficial being best friends with Harry Potter would be. If he wasn't put in his brother's shadows, Ron was certain he would be put in Harry's. How in the world could he compare to a kid who killed the darkest wizard of their age when he was baby? Not to mention the fact that Harry was a descendent of Godric Gryffindor. Those combined were enough to make witches and wizards goggle at Harry wherever he went. It would be no different at Hogwarts.
"I'm back and smelling fine!" James announced as he swung open the dining room door and entered.
"Hold on, let's see if you pass the ultimate test." Sirius promptly transformed into his animagus form of a great black dog and sniffed his friend's leg using his heightened sense of smell.
Ron's ears became inflamed with scarlet at seeing the dog he had once mistaken for the Grim.
Sirius morphed back into wizard form.
"Congratulations Mr. Prongs you have passed the test with flying colors. Although, I don't think Lily appreciates you using her perfume."
"What?" James exclaimed, "I did not use her perfume!"
"I'm just telling you what I smelt." Sirius said innocently.
Remus leaned across the table and sniffed James.
"Well, you definitely smell like a woman." James glared at Remus.
"I did not use Lily's perfume! And besides Padfoot, how would you know what my wife smells like?" James tried to pin the attention on Sirius.
"What d'you mean? Her name's Lily, she smells like a Lily!" Sirius said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
While the Marauders continued to bicker, Ron and Harry high-fived beneath the table. Harry's dad would never know that they replaced his cologne with Harry's mum's perfume.