Disclaimer:I don't own the Harry Potter characters. I never will! Everyone belongs to J.K. Rowling, except for Peter's girlfriend Grace. I'm pleased to say I own her.
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Glitter, Spice, and Everything Nice
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Chapter 5 - The Hogsmeade Chapter
October arrived to Hogwarts, bringing the first hints of bitter cold to the school. But hardly any of the students noticed, as they were eagerly awaiting the first Hogsmeade trip of the season. Of course, the upcoming trip could not dampen the fervor over the start of the Quidditch season. James and Sirius, Chaser and Beater of the Gryffindor team, respectively, were kept hard at work practising. While they were out on the pitch, Remus and Peter were generally to be found in the library, studying for their N.E.W.T.s. Peter needed all the help he could get, and Remus went over topics with him again and again with an almost otherworldly patience until Peter understood.
Gryffindor flattened Ravenclaw in the first match of the season, 470 to 20; Professor McGonagall, rather than praising them, assigned her seventh-years truckloads of homework in preparation for the exams; Peter and James were filled with a kind of restless, jumpy energy at the prospect of spending an entire day with the girls they so admired, much to the amusement of Sirius and Remus.
Halloween dawned bright but chilly. All four Marauders dressed with exceptional care before going down to breakfast. Peter wolfed down everything in sight, his apparently boundless appetite unaffected by nervousness. James only picked at his kippers, but he appeared more excited than anything. When they had finished eating, he leapt to his feet and fairly dashed into the entrance hall, where Lily was waiting for him, wearing a long red coat over a pair of bright pink bellbottom jeans. She greeted him warmly enough. Sirius resisted the urge to rub his eyes in disbelief and instead contented himself with slipping his hand into Remus'.
"Hello." It was Grace, dressed in a pretty green skirt and a white blouse, a cream-coloured sweater draped over her shoulders in an almost annoying, preppy way; she appeared pale and a tad clammy as she joined Peter.
"Hi," the others chorused. For a few moments they stood around awkwardly, shuffling their feet. Remus took it upon himself to break the uncomfortable silence (and avoid Sirius saying something about Lily and James, or perhaps Grace's Ethel Mertz sweater) and spoke up. "Shall we go?"
Automatically the others headed past Argus Filch and out the door; not a word was said until the small group reached Hogsmeade. It was hard for Sirius to keep from giggling. It was a bit exasperating how people who had wanted to go out with each other for ages (or at least, what seemed like ages, Sirius amended) could suddenly be struck dumb at the sight of each other. Ridiculous. He tugged on Remus' arm and said brightly, "Well, then. Remmie and I have matters to attend to, so we'll just be going now. Have fun!"
He dragged the young werewolf away, muttering, "If we don't leave them they'll never get started."
The others watched the two boys disappear into the crowds, then looked at each other again. Finally, James cleared his throat. "Well... Pete, Grace... see you later."
"Okay," they responded in unison, and James and Lily turned to go.
Again, awkward silence reigned as James and Lily wandered past the shops, skillfully avoiding each others' eyes. Lily could feel her face and ears burning, and stared at her feet to try and keep James from noticing. She had wanted to come here, more than anything, after what James had done for her. But why couldn't she bring herself to talk? He was a nice enough sort, now that he seemed to have stopped picking on people. His inflated ego had deflated quite a bit, as well. She had to thank him for sticking up for her. She had to. And there was a rumour going 'round school that she had accepted James' invitation only because of his improved, glittery look - which certainly wasn't true. Lily wanted to be sure James knew that.
"James - thank you," she blurted out, coming to a dead stop outside Scrivenshaft's.
He stopped as well and stared at her. She was blushing so red she almost matched her hair, or perhaps her cherry-red coat. "For last year, I mean, that thing with Bellatrix -"
"Oh." He smiled weakly. "That. Well, you know, I couldn't stand to let Bella be rude to anyone else - you know how she goes out of her way to bring misery to Muggle-borns... It was nothing, really..."
"Thank you, all the same," Lily replied shyly. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't stepped in. She was just so... so mean... I couldn't have handled her all alone."
James smiled brilliantly. He was very handsome when he smiled, Lily realised. She smiled back; he smiled wider; soon, they were laughing like they'd been friends for years. It felt as though a barrier between them had been broken down. They fell into conversation, discussing the latest Quidditch match. They moved on from the match to flying; soon Lily was confessing to James her first terrifying ride on a broomstick. Talking to him was just as easy as talking with Grace and Karen; in fact, Lily was amazed on how easy it was.
"Want to stop into the Three Broomsticks for a drink?" James asked, pausing outside the door of the pub.
"Sure." Lily followed him, and was impressed when he stepped aside to hold the door open for her. The pub was crowded as always, almost every table surrounded by Hogwarts students chattering together and enjoying their day. Lily squeezed between two large groups of Hufflepuffs and a cluster of hags to find a table. A few moments later James joined her, clutching two foaming mugs of butterbeer.
"Thanks," Lily said, sipping at the mug he handed to her. James seated himself across from her, sipping his own drink. His hazel eyes studied her over the rim of the mug. Lily pretended not to notice, but she was secretly pleased. He wasn't a bad sort, really. If he could stand up to Bellatrix Black and live... "Er - is Sirius' cousin always that mean, or -"
James raised a hand to cut her off. "The thing you have to understand, Lily," he said quietly, "is that Sirius' family is the proudest pure-blood family around. They can't stand anyone who shows the tendencies of or a liking towards Muggles and Muggle-borns. Sirius is the exception. I shouldn't tell you anything else - it's his story to tell if he chooses. Okay?"
Lily was struck with a sudden understanding. She recalled an instance in first year, when Sirius had returned to school after the Christmas holidays looking battered and bruised. When asked, he merely shrugged it off as a 'Quidditch accident', and refused to say anything more about it. Until now she had forgotten about it, and she regretted letting the issue go so easily. "Okay," she murmured quietly. "But - where - he doesn't go back to that house, does he? -"
"No, he's been staying with my family for the holidays," James said. "It's the only thing we can really do for him. No one has the courage to stand up to Sirius' father, so..." he looked away, a troubled took on his face, but then he forced himself to smile again. "He's okay," he said softly. "Look, Lily, let's not talk about it anymore. It's a sensitive issue even between me and Sirius."
"Okay," Lily said softly. There was a short silence, and then James began talking about Gryffindor's status at Quidditch. He felt certain that Gryffindor would win the Quidditch Cup this year. Soon, Lily was drawn entirely into his chatter, and forgot about Sirius' problems as she and James talked and laughed.
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Peter and Grace had gone for a walk around the village after parting from their friends. At one point, they had peeked inside the Three Broomsticks and were happy to see James and Lily in a corner, talking. Though they had visited nearly every shop, however, they had not run into Sirius and Remus anywhere.
"They're probably off... shagging, or something," Peter said vaguely when Grace pointed this out. His attention was elsewhere; he was staring into the widow of Honeydukes', where an enormous village constructed entirely out of fudge had been erected. Grace shifted from one foot to the other with a little sigh. Peter had been gazing into the window of the sweet shop for a quarter of an hour; she was getting tired and bored.
"Peter?"
"Hmm?"
"D'you mind if we... I dunno, go in for a coffee or something?" Grace asked, glancing down the street, where the wooden sign for Madame Puddifoot's tea shop swayed and creaked in the wind. She was getting a bit chilly, as well, and the thought of a warm coffee was very inviting.
"What? Oh..." Peter pulled himself away from the window rather reluctantly. "Okay, I suppose."
Grace led the way to the tiny shop. She had never been in here before with a date; once she, Lily, and Karen had stopped in for some quick tea, just to see what the place was like. It was cozier than she remembered, brightly decorated in pinks and creamy whites. Peter appeared wary when they entered; he perched himself gingerly on the edge of one of the spindly chairs with a sigh. Obviously he did not find the decor as charming as she did.
"What shall it be, dears?" Madame Puddifoot asked, approaching their table with a notepad and quill held at the ready.
"Two coffees, please," Grace said, smiling. Peter appeared not to have heard; he was staring out the window. Grace felt an uncharacteristic twinge of annoyance. If he was going to be so standoffish, why had he even asked her out at all?
"Peter? Are you okay?" she asked gently.
He jumped a little in his seat and offered a smile. "Er, yeah. Sorry."
"You've been a little out of it. What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing," he assured her, as Madame Puddifoot returned with their coffees. "I'm fine, please don't worry."
"All right..." Grace watched him closely as he stirred sugar into his mug. He sounded very much like he was lying. But why? What would cause him to lie?...
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Sirius and Remus, in the meantime, were not in Hogsmeade at all. They were sitting on a steep hill overlooking the village, holding hands and just sitting in companionable silence. Remus was pleasantly aware of Sirius' free hand stroking his thigh, slowly and lovingly. It was a nice feeling.
The sun shone down on where the two boys were sitting, bathing them in warmth. Remus tilted his head to one side, exposing the whole of his slender, pale neck. Sirius' breath caught in his throat as he watched Remus' tawny bangs tumble into his eyes, though his momentary lapse of attention did not stop his hand from running the length of Remus' thigh, seductively. Before he could stop himself, Sirius leaned over to kiss Remus' neck. "I love you," he whispered against the creamy skin, pulling Remus closer, so that his boyfriend was seated in his lap. He continued to plant light kisses along Remus' neck, pushing down the collar of the werewolf's jumper to expose his shoulder.
Sirius fully expected Remus to pull away at any second, as his touches and kisses got a little more bold - Remus wasn't one to give in easily like that. No, Remus loathed himself, and clearly wanted to keep anyone from getting close to him because of his lycanthropy. He had done the same thing when James, Sirius, and Peter had discovered his "furry little problem", to use James' phrase. But he wasn't making a sound of protest or even trying to move as Sirius' fingers made their way higher up his leg, or as he placed a soft kiss behind Remus' ear.
Finally Sirius had to speak up. It was either say something or end up making quite a mess of himself in front of his boyfriend (or rather, he reflected, on his boyfriend, as Remus was still sitting in his lap). "Oi. Remmie." He reached up and gently squeezed Remus' nose between his knuckles. "You'd better start trying to escape, or I might want to go all the way."
"Mm?" Remus opened his hazel eyes and stretched in a lazy, half-conscious way, like someone who had just been awakened. "I'm sorry, Siri. I started to fall asleep for a few moments there. I heard 'I love you', but nothing after that."
He looked puzzled as Sirius burst into hearty laughter. He watched, mystified, as Sirius chuckled, leaning his forehead against Remus' shoulder.
"Only you, Remmie," Sirius said finally, calming down and smiling at his boyfriend. "Only you could sit here half-dressed, on the lap of your oh-so-hard boyfriend, and fall asleep."
Remus blushed deeply as he realised simultaneously that his jumper was slipping down his shoulder and that sitting in Sirius' lap had become very uncomfortable indeed. He straightened his clothes as Sirius stretched and sprawled out on the grass. It occurred to him that perhaps Sirius was disappointed in him. Maybe Sirius had expected him to play along, to act sleepy and innocent while allowing Sirius to do whatever he wanted. His flush deepened.
"You got quiet. What's wrong?" Sirius was looking at him.
"Nothing."
"Liar, liar, pants on fire," Sirius chanted softly, reaching for his wand.
"You wouldn't!"
"No, I wouldn't," the raven-haired boy agreed. "But won't you tell me what's bothering you? I can tell you're hiding something. Was it what I said?"
"Just a little." Remus admitted.
Sirius swore under his breath. "I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment and all. Carried away."
"It's okay." Remus reached out and squeezed Sirius' hand, instantly making him feel better about his transgression. "It's nearly time to get back. Shall we find the others and see how their days went?"
Sirius agreed, and the pair stood and stretched, brushing stray leaves off their clothes, before joining hands and heading back towards Hogsmeade. Remus glanced at Sirius as they emerged onto the road beside Honeydukes'. The angle of the light made Sirius look strange for a second, his cheeks too pale and his eyes darker than normal. As if he was wearing makeup... suddenly, Remus wondered if Sirius was wearing girl's knickers again today.
What a thought... but a strangely compelling one. He looked away from Sirius as they meandered down the high street. 'If it weren't for my problem', he thought bitterly to himself, 'I'd let Sirius do anything he wanted. I want him to make love to me. But he doesn't deserve the baggage that comes with being a werewolf's mate. He's too good for that.'
"Jim! Lily!" Sirius' voice cut through Remus' thoughts. Sure enough, their friends were emerging from the Three Broomsticks, hand-in-hand. Remus hurried to keep up with Sirius' long strides as they went to join the others, and pushed his depressing train of thought to the very back of his mind. There was no way he was going to upset everybody with his own worries after they had so obviously had an exceptionally good day; nor was he willing to dwell on his thoughts and ruin the cheerfulness of his date with Sirius. There were better things to think about.
To Be Continued.
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(A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was so looking forward to "Half-Blood Prince" that I totally couldn't focus on my own stories! But now that I've finished the book, I can write again. Expect even more Sirius/Remus slash than ever, because one certain event at the end of HBP pissed me off and made me want to write more Sirius/Remus than I ever had! (I'm topping records here!) Also, expect HBP spoilers, not only here, but in my other stories as well. However, there is one development that will not show up in my stories, and also (mostly in the Snippets, but other places too) the person who died in HBP will NOT be dead. Those who have finished the book will know what I'm talking about.
That said, it's good to be back!)
