hey yall! So tbh, I lowkey didnt love the ch before this but i couldnt figure out what i wanted to change about it, so i wanted to make sure to get this one out super quickly in case yall didnt love it either, so here it is! I really like this one i had so much fun writing it and i hope you guys like reading it too! Please let me know what you think! I absolutely adore hearing what you guys have to say, and thank you so much to everyone that has favorited/followed/comented! I appreciate it so much! Enjoy!
(also i know that sirius doesnt play quidditch in cannon but given everything we know about young sirius that never really made sense to me, so he plays in this story :) )
A loud thumping rang through the Gryffindor tower.
Hermione blearily opened her eyes at the noise.
"Ughhh. Why does he always do this?!" A frustrated Marlene shouted, "For Merlin's sake, Potter, let us sleep in! How is he so loud? He's in the damned common room!"
Hermione opened her curtain to see Marlene angrily getting out of bed. The other girls certainly didn't look happy, although they were at least slightly amused at Marlene's annoyance.
Marlene quickly got herself together before shoving open their dormitory door to meet the rest of the Quidditch team before their first game of the season. The other girls took their time getting ready and then went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. By the time they arrived the entire Quidditch team was already in uniform sitting a little way down the table.
"Ooo, Lily, check out James," Alice teased after the girls had taken a seat not too far from the team, "I always forget how fit he is."
Hermione turned her head to glance at James and she had to admit he was fit. Not that she could ever look at Harry's father that way, but it was true. Hermione looked back at Lily to see her staring at James, a pretty blush rising up in her cheeks. Hermione smirked down into her plate as she started to fill it with food.
"What's wrong, Lils?" Dorcas asked, "You look stressed."
Hermione glanced back up to see Lily's eyebrows creased and a small frown resting on her face.
After shoving some food around on her plate Lily shyly said, "Do you think James is going to ask me to the Halloween Ball? I mean, I know we all thought he would, but the ball is in a week and he hasn't asked me yet. And you guys were all asked weeks ago…" She moved some more food around before looking up to James again and saying, "It's not that I particularly care if he asked me, I don't. It's just that, well, I've turned down all the other guys who asked, thinking that he would. And I would feel really dumb if he ended up asking someone else."
Lily was clearly worried when she looked back at the girls, Hermione and Dorcas exchanged a glance before Dorcas said, "Honestly, Lils, I thought he would've asked you by now too."
"Do you think he's just not into me anymore?" Lily asked, Hermione had never seen her like this before. She was usually so confident and collected.
"No. No, I still think he has feelings for you." Alice said securly, "He definitely didn't ask anyone else. Maybe he's just waiting for the right time."
Lily bit the edge of her lip and Dorcas said, "Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it too much, there's still a week left. He hasn't given up on you before and I don't think he would start now."
Lily nodded but still looked nervous.
"Hey, who's that they've got playing seeker?" Dorcas asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
"Oh, that's Gould," Lily responded, welcoming the change. "He's a fifth year, hopefully he's good."
Hermione let her eyes wander back down to the team, James was sitting across from Marlene, who was sitting next to Sirius. Not for the first time since she's been here, Hermione was amazed at how attractive Sirius really was.
She let her eyes roam down over his arms, muscles pressing nicely against his Quidditch jersey, rippling as he went to bring another forkful to his mouth. Bringing her eyes back up to his face, she watched his strong jawline tighten as he chewed and swallowed his eggs.
Feeling a heat rising to her cheeks, Hermione focused back on her own food, missing the smirks sent her way by Dorcas and Lily.
The team left to warm up and the girls finished their breakfast before heading down to the pitch where they were soon met by Remus and Peter.
The game was unbelievable.
Honestly, they knew right from the start it was a sure win. They went up against Hufflepuff, and while they were good, Hufflepuff was nowhere near the level of the Gryffindor team.
As soon as the game started Gryffindor scored and they just kept going from there.
Hermione forgot how much she loved the energy of the games, the massive lead with which Gryffindor won just fed into the excitement even more
Hermione, Lily, Dorcas, and Alice were covered head to toe in red and gold and spent the entirety of the game screaming and cheering. By the time Gould caught the snitch it was 80 - 10 for Gryffindor. The energy in the stands was absolutely electric and almost as soon as the snitch was caught and the players touched down to the ground, the pitch was being flooded with students.
As the girls ran onto the pitch Hermione's eyes fell onto James and without thinking she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek like she had done so many times with Harry. A brief flash of surprise danced across his face and Hermione remembered where she was. She quickly turned to Sirius and pressed her lips to his cheek in an attempt to make it seem more casual.
Hermione felt Sirius snake his arm around her waist as he barked out a laugh. Looking up at him his silver eyes shone with excitement. God, she loved Quidditch.
He cheered, his hand still wrapped around her, and Hermione looked around, taking in as much of the scene as she could. It was like she was watching the world in slow motion, taking in everyone's expression, seeing them truly, genuinely happy when she saw Lily sprinting towards James. Grabbing Sirius' arm Hermione pointed in their direction.
James' face lit up brighter than she had ever seen it as Lily practically tackled him into a hug. And then Lily grabbed his face and kissed him full on the mouth.
Sirius moved his arm from around her and threw his fists up in the air. Hermione could've sworn the already loud crowd got twice as rowdy and Remus, Sirius, and Peter swarmed around James, clapping him on the shoulder and cheering. James didn't seem to notice though, he had his arms wrapped around Lily and was saying something to her as she nodded. Hermione saw him lean down to kiss her again before the pair was whisked away into the crowd.
Hermione couldn't believe it. She felt tears of joy swell into her eyes. She just watched Harry's parents get together. That was it. And she was here for it.
Hermione heard about the parties the marauders threw in their day, but being there and witnessing it first hand was a completely different thing.
Hermione expected it to be similar to the parties Fred and George would throw, but the energy was completely different. Fred and George threw parties that were filled with Weasley products, pranks, Filibuster Fireworks going off above their heads, sparks flying everywhere, 90s rap pumping. With the marauders, it was a bit different, the music was blaring with a mix of disco and rock, the lights were charmed to flash red and gold, and Hermione could almost swear the punch was spiked much more heavily.
Hermione was standing by the bar working on her second glass of punch when a tipsy Lily came waltzing up to her with Marlene and Alice in tow.
"Hermione Hermione Hermione," Lily said, grabbing her arm.
"Hey Lils," Hermione said with a laugh, "You look like you're doing rather well."
"You were right! James does still like me! He kissed me back and then asked me to the dance with him! Hermione, I'm so happy." Lily said, her emerald eyes sparkling with joy. Once again Hermione couldn't believe that this was the beginning of it all and she was here to see it.
Hermione smiled back at Lily, genuinely happy for her, when Marlene said, "So, Hermione," nodding towards her drink, "What number is that?"
"It's my second," Hermione replied.
"That's not nearly good enough!" Marlene said, laughing, "Come on, we're doing a shot of firewhiskey."
Marlene poured them two shots as Alice and Lily watched sipping their punch. The two girls clinked glasses before downing the drink, Hermione felt the familiar yet foreign burning sensation slide down her throat.
Remus and Sirius joined them at the bar.
"Enjoying yourselves, ladies?" Sirius asked smoothly, his hand grazing the small of Marlene's back as he walked around her.
Before anyone could answer James bustled over, looking like he was about to bounce off the walls.
"Hermione, did you just do a shot of firewhiskey?" Remus asked.
"Hey hey! Let's do another one!" James said, already pouring out seven shots. He pulled Lily into his side as he raised his glass.
"To Jamsieboy!" Sirius said.
"To Quidditch!" From James
"To love!" said Remus.
"To smuggling liquor!" Marlene finally said.
They all clinked glasses and drank.
Now, Hermione certainly wasn't a lightweight, she had years of keeping up with Harry and Ron, and then Fred and George, but after a year on the run and the summer spent dry you could say she was a bit out of practice.
So, after her first two punches and then the two shots with Marlene and the boys, and then two more glasses of punch, her head was definitely buzzing.
Hermione leaned against a wall and looked around the room. It was probably after midnight at this point and most of the younger kids had already gone to bed. Alice had let Frank in and was snogging him off in a corner, Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas were sitting by the fire giggling away about who knows what, Peter was chatting with a group of sixth years, James was goofing off with some fifth year players, and Remus was sitting in an armchair laughing at their antics. Sirius was leaning lazily on the bar, a devilish smirk resting on his face.
Hermione noticed she was running low, she quickly downed the rest of her drink and strolled over to join Sirius at the bar.
He lazily eyed her up and down, and at her raised eyebrow he just smirked and offered her another drink.
"So, what would you like, m'lady? Another punch? Or I have some butterbeer if you're looking to slow things down, or we can do a shot if you want to speed them up instead." He said with a wink.
"Hmm," Hermione pondered, "I'll have whatever you're having."
She focused her sight on him. She was drunk. But she was okay. If she really looked at him the rest of the room seemed to spin around them. Hermione swore she could feel every beat of her heart, yet still, she noticed every movement he made.
"A shot it is then," he said, pouring them two shots of firewhiskey.
Sirius stared intently at her as he raised his glass, clinking it against hers.
The more you drink the easier shots get, and that's what makes them dangerous. Hermione barely felt this one going down.
Hermione had seen her Sirius drink plenty of times, so even though he often hid it well, Hermione was an excellent identifier of the tell-tale signs of a drunk Sirius. And right now, Sirius was just as drunk as she was.
Because of that it didn't surprise her at all when he rested his hand on her lower back and lent in closer to say, "You know, I'm surprised you can hold your liquor so well."
She was, however, surprised when she felt an involuntary shiver run through her body at the feel of his breath against her ear. Choosing to ignore the slight upturn of his lip, Hermione said, "What can I say, I've had years of practice."
"Oh, have you now?" Sirius asked with a teasing skepticism as he leaned in even closer to her.
Against every desire to stay in that position with him, Hermione pulled away and turned back to the bar. She poured two glasses of punch and placed the second one in his hand as he leaned against the bar with him.
"I have," Hermione said, smiling up at him, "My friends from back home always loved a good party."
She watched him raise his cup to his mouth as his eyes focused on something behind her. He gave a half smile and said, "You know, Remus is really excited to go to the ball with you."
Hermione didn't even notice the smile that graced her face at the idea. She was content.
"I'm really excited to go with him too. I know we're going to have a lot of fun." Hermione glanced over her shoulder, happy to see that Remus had joined James and the fifth years. When she turned back Sirius was watching his friends with a smile. "I hear you're going with Marlene," Hermione continued, "That's going to be fun."
Sirius threw his head back as he let out a loud laugh.
"Yeah, I'm excited," Sirius said, his eyes shifting over Hermione's shoulder, presumably to Marlene, "She's a lot of fun."
"She really is," Hermione said as she looked into his silver eyes, still focused on something behind her. Hermione was never one to pry, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, "So, are you two together?"
Sirius, once again, threw his head back laughing. "No, no. I mean, we were together for a little while, a few years ago, but that's all good and gone. We're just close friends now."
Hermione couldn't explain it, but she felt like a weight she didn't even know was there had suddenly been lifted.
"Don't tell Marlene or anyone this," Sirius said, pulling his eyes back to meet Hermione's, "But I was going to ask someone else, but she had another date before I got the chance."
Hermione felt her stomach drop and the weight returned. She didn't know what to say, but she managed to give him a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry. That stinks."
"It's okay," Sirius said, grinning down at her, "What can you do, ya know."
His silver eyes stared into hers as he brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face and behind her ear. Looking up at him Hermione felt her heart flutter and Sirius rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Oi! Padfoot! Come 'ere!" Hermione heard Remus shout from across the room. Sirius pulled his eyes away from hers to look at his drunk friend.
"Sorry love," he said chuckling, "Gotta go, someone's gotta make sure dear Remmikins doesn't die."
Sirius wandered off to join his friends. Hermione grabbed her still full cup of punch and made her way over to the girls dancing disco by the fire.
No one knew when, but eventually all the seventh years fell asleep in various locations around the common room. And when the first few Gryffindor's awoke the next morning they awoke to quite a sight. James and Sirius were cuddled up together on an armchair, Marlene was lying face down on the floor next to the fire with Dorcas nearby. Hermione laid down on the sofa with her legs thrown over Remus' lap, Remus was sitting straight up with his head thrown back at an awkward angle. Lily was sitting in an armchair with her arms crossed on top of a table supporting her head, while Peter was curled into a ball in the armchair next to her.
The first two to wake were James and Sirius, and they awoke to the flash and pop of a wizarding camera.
Alice stood at the foot of the girls' staircase with a small camera in her hand, the film came slowly out of the top and Alice waved it around for a few seconds as it developed. Sirius and James looked at her confused before looking around to figure out where they were.
"Wow Padfoot," James said, his voice groggy from the morning, "Sleeping together? I'm happy we finally took our relationship to the next level."
Sirius rubbed his eyes, taking longer to adjust.
"Aww, this is so cute," Alice said, walking over to show them the picture.
"Our love will be memorialized forever," Sirius said looking at the moving picture.
"What happened after I left?" Alice asked, "I'm guessing you lot were up for a while?"
"I think that was one of the best parties we've ever had." James said, a cheeky smile spread across his face, "And not just because Lily is finally into me, although that certainly does help."
"Remus is going to hurt when he wakes up, that can't be good for his neck." Alice said, looking around the room. She nodded towards Hermione's legs thrown across him, his hand on her thigh, "What happened there, did I miss anything good?"
Alice waggled her eyebrows and Sirius went quiet. He knew Remus got a bit flirty when he was drunk, did something happen that he missed?
"Oi, Moony," James shouted, kicking his friend's foot.
Remus' head shot up and his eyes flung open to see them staring at him. He looked around trying to figure out what was going on before looking down at himself. Remus swiftly removed his hand from Hermione's leg and his face filled with shock and his cheeks turned red.
"You alright there, Moons?" James couldn't stop himself from laughing, "You look a little confused."
"How did this happen?" Remus stammered out.
"We were about to ask you the same thing," Sirius said, finally smiling at the situation.
"We were just talking," Remus said, "And then we fell asleep."
"Well, what were you talking about?" Alice prodded.
"I honestly don't remember…" Remus looked confused again.
"Ugh, shut up, please," Marlene groaned from her spot on the floor causing the group to laugh.
"Well anyways," Alice continued, "I got a ton of good pics from yesterday, both from the match and the party. In fact, I got a really great one of you, Remus."
"Oh god," He groaned.
"Yep, I got one of Dorcas kissing you smack on the lips."
"Oh Merlin, I completely forgot about that," He stumbled out, turning a deep shade of red, "She caught me completely off guard."
"Oh, don't worry, Remus," Alice said, "It was just a peck, honestly I'd be surprised if she even remembered it."
Remus felt Hermione start to shift on his lap. She stretched and muttered something quietly in her sleep. Suddenly she froze. Her eyes jolted open and she looked startled.
"Oh, Remus I'm so sorry," She said looking down and pulling her legs off him, blushing a pink that matched his, "I didn't mean to smother you."
"Don't worry, you didn't smother me," Remus said, trying to act casual.
"For the love of Merlin, please stop talking." Marlene groaned again and Dorcas chuckled next to her.
Lily shifted on the table, nothing could be seen of her except a mountain of rumpled red hair.
"We should wake up Lily and Pete before everyone comes down from the dorms." Alice said.
There was some murmur of agreement and soon the group dispersed into the dorms, showers, and the kitchens, trying to find a way to recover from the night before.