Author's notes: Another part of the Smitten series…just for you guys!

And now, Sakai Michiba presents:

The Potions Essay

Part of the Smitten series


Sirius Black despised Potions. He despised having it on Mondays and Thursdays. He despised having to stare at Snivellus's huge nose from across a cauldron. He hated mixing things. It is not to say, however, that Sirius Black was not brilliant at Potions. He could stir and add his way to the top if he wanted to, but he did not.

Sirius Black was not good at writing essays. Before him lay twenty inches of parchment, black, ominously glaring at him there in the Gryffindor common room. James was being giggly and touchy feely with a third year over on one of the couches, and Sirius looked up at him, half wishing that James would die and half wishing that he was having a snog himself. Strike that, he fully wished he were having a snog.

Remus Lupin was sitting at another table in the common room, blowing gently on the glistening ink on his freshly-finished Potions essay. At the sound of James's giggling, he groaned and looked up to him and the pretty blonde clutched to his chest. "James. Buddy. Go somewhere else, please." His voice sounded stupid even to him, and he blushed as Sirius flashed him a pretty grin.

The giggling stopped and James peeked over the top of the couch. "Shove it, Moony. You're just jealous 'cause you don't have this pretty thing wrapped around you," he said in a half-growl, eliciting a delighted laugh from the third year he was attached to. "Or maybe you're just jealous because you never have a pretty thing wrapped around you."

That was too far. Remus stared at him for a few moments before he stood up, slamming his chair under the desk and snatching the essay from the table so fast that the ink ran. "Sod off," he hissed, and he ran upstairs to the dormitory, banging the door shut so loudly that Sirius winced.

James and his snogging partner laughed together heartily for a few moments before Sirius, who was seeing red, stalked over and decked James right in his laughing face. "You fuck," he snarled, and he stomped back over to his things, gathering them. "How could you even say something like that? You know how Remus is about things…things like that!"

In his righteous anger, he hurried upstairs and paused before he opened the door to their room, going inside and locking the door behind him because he heard James running after him seeking retribution for his loss of face. Sealing the door, Sirius turned to the room and saw that Remus was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Oy," he called gruffly, and he moved over to him, kneeling on the ground and resting his chin on the mattress by Remus's elbow.

"What do you want?" Remus asked, his voice sounding quite gruff as though he were choking back tears. He would not look at Sirius, terribly embarrassed that he had lost control of himself. When he felt Sirius's hand on his stomach, he gave a little jump and stared at him in bewilderment.

"Help me on my Potions essay?" Sirius asked quietly, his fingertips barely brushing the stretch of naked skin between the hem of Remus's shirt and the top of his trousers. The resulting blush on his friend's face made him giggle.

Remus gave a little nod and sat up, wanting that hand as far away from his stomach as possible, but the moment he was upright, Sirius seized him around the waist and hugged him. "Sorry James is such an ass. I punched him in the nose for you…" Sirius giggled a little, suddenly shy of his retaliation.

"Th-thanks," Remus said softly, and he rested his hand on the top of Sirius's head. The hair was silky beneath his palm, and he caressed it for a moment before he pushed the other away. "Stop being a pouf. Get your essay," he grumbled, and as Sirius went to his knapsack to retrieve the paper, Remus found that it was difficult to cool down from that warm embrace.


Notes: Cuteness abound! Review? – Sakai Michiba