After or Before?
"Are you leaving right after or before the feast?" Lily asked Remus as they walked to History.
Valentine and Annabel looked up when they heard the conversation; they had previously been discussing a topic they read about in their transfiguration books. Valentine tugged on her hair, waiting for an answer, but it wasn't likely to come as the rest of the boys caught up. The four sighed, but one sounded grateful making the girls frown and have sad eyes.
"What's the rush?" Sirius asked as he came up beside Valentine, James glued to his other side.
"Just wanted to talk about work that we know you guys won't be interested in," Annabel replied in fake earnest, receiving smiles and shrugs in return.
"Why do you guys obsess about work?" James asked in a groan. "We hardly ever get to talk with you four because you're always so busy. Even Clayton and Matti have joined you four in the study group you somehow formed in a mere week into term."
"Sorry, I didn't think anything else was important except passing this year and the next six," Lily replied in a silent warning. "In fact, it's been good to study all these things and what are you on about?—us not hanging out with you? Remus, Valentine, and Matti have been right beside you in every prank that's been pulled this year and Annabel and I have been helping you with your History work!"
"But still, that's not the same!" Sirius exclaimed. "We want to hang out and relax as a group!" Valentine raised her eyebrows at that.
"Are you even listening to yourselves?" Lily asked fiercely. "We do hang out and re—"
Valentine interrupted and raised her hand calmly and said, "We'll plan a get together, is that fine with everyone?"
Everyone in the small group was silently thinking about this without a clue of what to do. Valentine had been a great peace maker lately between Sirius, James, and Lily. Those three had been at each other's throats for weeks and it was breaking point as far as the eye could see. It was about a minute before everyone agreed.
"Now when will that be?" Sirius asked with impatience, but gave a friendly smile to Valentine who clicked her tongue and ruefully grinned in reply.
"I think we should all stay for Christmas," she said with a sweet smile. "It would be better than going home, don't you agree guys?"
"Yes, better than home," Sirius growled, but he winced at Valentine's hard eyes and sad smile.
"I'm going to miss Regulus, though," she said sadly. "I'll have to send him something for Christmas."
"It'll be fine, Siren," Sirius reassured as she sniffed and then smiled abruptly.
"You can go back for the Holidays, guys," Remus sighed. "We don't want anyone to miss their family or at least I don't."
"No, no, it'll be fine," Lily stated sternly. "We'll manage."
"Let's get to class, shall we?" James sighed with a weak smile; he knew that they were all getting a bit restless.
Peter sat a far distance with the rest of the boys as the girls separated from them and all sat down with sighs. Remus mouthed the words to them: Before. They grew sadder as they watched what they now nicknamed their Little Brother as he drooped down into his seat and went into a sullen doze. He knew that they all hated it when he leaved and worried to no end, everyone knew that.
"Are the girls all right, Remy?" Sirius asked with worry. "They all seem so depressed today and Valentine is hardly ever depressed."
"They've been acting like someone destroyed their favorite book," James added with a weary grin.
"They're making all of us depressed as well," Peter muttered and the other two nodded in agreement.
The supposedly dozing Remus quietly answered, "They're just having a bad day, maybe that prank later tonight will cheer everyone up." And with that, he fell asleep.
The class was a double and by the end of it, people were slumping in their chairs except for those few who actually paid attention, but they too were almost totally out of it. The bell rang and the girls quickly packed up and left to go up to the tower and put their things away. The boys quickly followed behind them.
It had been a month and a couple of weeks since Halloween and their last prank. It was a spectacular prank which earned those of them three months of detention as they got everybody at once and laughed as everyone looked horrified, except the Headmaster of course, at what happened to them. Things had been getting quieter since then, but none of the boys knew why, except Matti and Remus. The girls were in on it too.
Break was almost nigh and the group of pranksters had everything ready to initiate, but it didn't seem to give them the spirit since today was just going down hill with depression. The girls all went up their own staircase and were putting their things away and the boys did the same. Remus looked nervous about something, but none of them asked for fear of him snapping at them like he had when they messed with any of the girls.
"Something's going on and I want to know what it is," Sirius whispered in James's ear and the other ebon haired boy nodded with a determined expression.
"We should interrogate the girls," James replied. "They know almost everything it would seem."
"Yeah, we'll do that tonight," Peter whispered back, looking apprehensive about going and messing with the girls.
They went back downstairs after seeing that Remus had left them and found him sitting on the floor in front of the couch with the girls surrounding him. Valentine had her head lying on his lap while Lily curled up beside him and Annabel curled up behind him on the couch and was running a hand through his hair. Felix, Valentine's black cat, was curled up in Lily's lap and purring loudly. It seemed they were comforting each other without any words.
Sirius disappeared for a moment and came back with a camera and went to the side and took a picture of the group and they all smiled slightly as he grinned wickedly. James laughed and Peter looked nervous while chuckling. The Annabel who had stopped petting Remus, started again and smiled serenely.
"I'm going to get a copy of that, I'll have you know," Valentine sighed and purred as she lay her head back down on Remus' lap.
There was a sound like someone clearing their throat and they all turned to see their Head of House standing there watching with disapproval at the display. Remus went to move, but all the girls went to hug him and kiss his cheek and embarrass him further. The old woman McGonagall looked sternly at the girl's actions and said nothing.
"Mr. Lupin, you are to come with me," she stated and turned to leave with him following her and looking over his shoulder with a sorrowful expression.
"See you guys later," he said and left through the portrait hole.
Sirius turned and asked, "What the hell is going on with him and you three?"
Valentine looked stubbornly up as Annabel quickly replied, "That's our business and if you can't do the math, then that is your problem to deal with. We're not spilling."
"Can we not do the roundabout, please?" James snarled. "I want to know what's going on with one of my best friends!"
"If you think of yourself as a best friend, start acting like one, all of you!" Lily hissed. "Don't go asking around if you can't find out yourself and if he doesn't want to tell you then it is his choice and not yours. All three of you guys are so annoying. You consider yourself really good best friends, but you don't act like it!"
"How are we to know what's going on?" Sirius barked.
"Sirius," Valentine growled warningly and he took the hint and backed off.
"I'm sorry, but I want to know what's going on with him," Sirius sighed darkly while rubbing his eyes. "He tells us his grandmother's sick or that he's got to visit his mother, but I've get this feeling he's lying to us and even though he feels bad about doing it, he won't tell us or let us near enough to help."
"He doesn't think you'll like what he'll tell," Annabel replied. "Clearly, you've noticed that, right?"
"Of course we've noticed!" James snapped. "It's ridiculous that he thinks we'll leave him or something."
"And that's where you're wrong, James," Valentine sighed while covering up a raging Lily's mouth. "It's nonetheless ridiculous to you, but really, it's the most crucial detail in this equation as Clayton would put it."
Before either Sirius or James spoke, Annabel interrupted, "Look at the details before you go off on this, you might be better off on handling it."
"Okay, we get it," Sirius sighed. "Valentine, marry me?"
"Not now, Sirius," she answered while moving closer to the fire and lied down on the carpet in front of it, "maybe later."
"I'll hold you to that," he chuckled as he went to sit next to her.
"You do that," she replied with a lazy grin and looked into the fire and started dozing.
"Maybe you three should go to bed," James suggested, "all of you look terribly tired."
"I'm thinking that's an excellent idea, but I can't move so it's hopeless," Valentine murmured in a purring voice as her cat Felix left Lily to jump on his master's back and settle into a ball on her lower back. "Damn cat."
They all snorted and sat there in solitude for once since they arrived at Hogwarts. The remaining two boys sat down to play chess while Annabel uncurled and went upstairs to sleep. Lily crawled over to Valentine and Sirius and proceeded to push Sirius into a lying down position and promptly snuggled up next to him as Valentine moved and did the same on the other side of Sirius who was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"We shall not ever speak of this, ever," Lily mumbled as she went to sleep.
"Completely agreed," Valentine snorted softly and fell asleep as well.
All the while Sirius smiled and suddenly asked, "Please take a picture of this, you guys!" And they did.
