Hello all! Hope you had a lovely weekend, wherever you're at, and I am glad everyone vibed with the date? You know I made it super low key mostly because I figured... y'know they're sixteen. I know we like writing being sixteen as very intense but it's also very awkward.

Anywayyy! LOW-KEY chapter this time, just some harmless fluff, a bit of a breather, as they say.


Numerology and Grammatica by L Wakefield and M Carneiro

He'd noticed her pacing around the common room. He stopped himself twice from going to her, but now he really wished he had, because Remus came from behind and clapped him on the back. They were on the dormitory stairwell, so at the very least they weren't visible.

"What?" glared Sirius.

"You're doing her no good sitting here," Remus pointed out in his most reasonable voice.

"You could say that again," said Sirius, ruffling his hair.

"So. Why are you here?" asked Remus.

Sirius glanced at her. She was turning her heel, looking troubled, but he wasn't supposed to be seeing her. "She's not exactly an open book."

Remus looked like he really was suppressing a smile. Sirius glared again. "I am not a closed book," he defended.

"I didn't say you were," Remus offered mildly.

"Good."

"She's not a closed book, you know," said Remus.

"What?" asked Sirius.

"She's not," Remus shook his head. "She's just not used to people asking about her life. Just because she doesn't volunteer information doesn't mean she's cagey about it."

Sirius opened his mouth, and closed it again. Fuck, Remus was right. June was reserved, not cagey. You never knew where to poke with her, because you didn't always find out much about her through happenstance and friendship.

That was the dilemma. He wished he'd picked someone a little easier to like as much as he had June Williams. He didn't want to scare her away, so he was cautious – and then he never knew when to actually move into her bubble of comfort even a little.

"Alright," he said.

He headed to her slowly. Approaching June sometimes really felt like he was walking towards a spooked animal. She was clearly preoccupied with something, but as soon as she was aware he was heading towards her, she smiled. "Hi," she said, looking oddly restless. She was pacing around the sofa near the fireplace, so the glow of the fire was casting her hair in the prettiest light.

Without prompting, she kissed him on the cheek, which left him a little floored. The Gods of irony were probably having a good laugh.

"What's up, Williams?"

"Nothing," she said, too quickly. "I was going to meet Sarah to study Ancient Runes, and then you came –"

"Not that," he said, cutting in. "What's up? You seem a little bothered."

She hesitated, and that's when he realised she was trying to conceal a letter. "You don't have to tell me anything," he said. "I understand if it's private –"

"No, no," said June. "You just – you just surprised me, that's all. Wait – let's sit."

He was glad she held his fingers of her own accord. When they sat on the sofa, she automatically folded her legs under her, automatically putting her close. He breathed her in, and tried to focus more on the situation at hand. She fished the letter from her pocket, and pressed it into his palm. His eyes swooped down to the letter, but before he could comprehend anything that was written,

"Padfoot!"

James – and Lily – were on their way to the sofa. Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend's bad timing. "You're interrupting, Prongs, go away –"

"I just came to ask if you had a moment," said James, wounded. He hopped over the armchair and flopped on the carpet. "Lily says she wants to study, of all things –"

Evans rolled her eyes and sat primly on the armchair. James leaned back against it, and his hair tickled her knees. She blushed bright red, which had June smiling. Sirius bit back his own smile.

"I have to find Sarah, as well," said June.

"Oh, is Sarah going to be there?" said Lily, perking up. "Can I join you? Only she's got a better handle on some of the Arthimancy stuff."

"Sure," said June, running her hands through her hair.

"James, where did I put my Numerology and Grammatica?" Lily asked instantly.

"Dormy," he said.

"I'm going to get it, I'll join you guys in a mo'," said Lily, instantly jumping off. James' eyes followed her, and June stifled a giggle.

"Shut up, Williams," said James, very pink.

"You shut up, Prongs," said Sirius. "I have to read this."

He heard June making small talk with James over him, but he really was least concerned about that. His eyes raked the letter quickly:

Dear June,

I know you usually don't come home for the holidays, but Margaret's engagement is taking place during the Easter Holidays, and Uncle Robert wants you there. If you promise not to do anything unnatural, I promise not to bring it up too much.

Love,

Mum

Oh. So that's what it was.

"Do you have to go?" he asked her.

June was cut off mid-sentence from her conversation with James. "She's one of my few cousins I like," she said with a grimace. "I think I have to."

"James, what are you doing here?"

Remus had turned up, Peter in tow. It seemed he had correctly interpreted James' presence in the common room as a nuisance and had arrived for Sirius' aid. Sirius looked at him gratefully.

"Padfoot would just tell me if he wanted me to shove off," reasoned James.

Peter crossed his legs and sat opposite James. Remus sat down in the armchair close to Peter. "I'm actually here more for June's benefit than Padfoot's," he said. "She wouldn't be able to tell you to shove off."

He winked at June, who nodded appreciatively. Sirius had noticed that they had been on the same page more frequently these days. There seemed to be something of an understanding between them, something he wasn't really privy to. Remus was in her corner more often than any of his other friends, even though James had far more incentive to back June up. Everyone knew Lily had a huge soft spot for Williams.

"You lot are very rude," sniffed James, leaning back again. Remus scoffed.

"Oi, June," came a loud voice from somewhere else in the common room. "Freegood was waiting outside for you, so we dragged her with us."

Now McKinnon and Macdonald were making their way here as well, with the addition of Freegood. Fantastic. How he was supposed to have a word in private was a wonder.

"Oh," said June, sitting up straight. "I'm really sorry, Sarah! Lily said she'd be coming any second now, she wanted your help in Arthimancy."

"Not a problem," said Freegood, settling on the carpet like James and Sirius, her back against the fireplace. "We can wait."

And even while no one gave them an invitation, McKinnon and Macdonald also found space to sit. Marlene was near Freegood, while Macdonald had taken to the sofa that June and Sirius were occupying.

"None of you were invited," grumbled Sirius.

"Come off it," said Freegood. "You get her all the time! If you had any sense you would share equally, but I have to barter my time shamefully."

"Maybe she doesn't like you as much as she does me," sneered Sirius, leaning forward, egging Freegood on.

"Oh, that's enough!" said June, harrowed, despite the fact that it was all clearly a good joke at her expense. He'd also noticed that Freegood had become very good at her back-and-forths with him, and it all seemed to be aimed at riling June up more than him. He approved of the strategy.

"I'm here!" said Evans, rushing downstairs from the dormitories. She half sprinted across the common room. "Let's go!"

Remus waved at Evans perfunctorily. June instantly stood up, as did Freegood. Sirius grasped June's forearm, and she leaned a little closer to him. "When you go. Will you write to me?"

"Sure," she said, confused. "Why…?"

"Because I like you," he said. "And because I am dating you. And because I can take you out of your house for a day. It'll be fun. I can even take you to Andromeda's. She's my cousin who I have liked a lot."

She looked… touched. "Really?" she asked.

"Of course."

"That's enough of that for today, Padfoot," complained Peter.

Sirius let her forearm go. She was looking pink, but pleased. And oddly moved – in a way that really surprised him. Was she really expecting so little from him?

"If you're done, Williams," said Freegood, bored. She slipped her satchel on, while June fetched her backpack from the side of the sofa. Evans was still waiting behind the armchair headrest.

"Oi, Williams, wait," said Peter unexpectedly. "I had a bone to pick with you. How did you leave Padfoot's Advanced Transfiguration back in the dormitory? We know you weren't in your dormy all day, because Evans told us."

"Why do you care?" asked McKinnon, frowning.

"Excuse me for not wanting people in our dormitory when they haven't been invited," said Peter. "Especially if we don't even find out they were there."

He had a point, but Sirius' imagination had gone to a place where June was in his dormitory, and it took a lot to bring him back to earth from there.

"It's sadly a very simple explanation," June was saying. "Sarah dropped it off."

Sarah winked at Peter.

"Just how did Freegood know where to go?" James demanded, leaning forward, his knees folded in front of him.

"I was thinking about that as well," admitted Remus.

"I've been here before, you know," drawled Freegood, adjusting the strap of her satchel.

"When?" asked Evans with a frown. "I don't remember you ever coming to Gryffindor Tower…"

Freegood opened her mouth to respond, before she could, however, Macdonald interjected: "She came here to meet me."

Everyone's gaze swivelled.

"What?" asked James.

"I might as well tell you, since she's our friend now and everything." said Macdonald, hurrying through her news, pink in the face.

"Oh, you don't have to," interjected Freegood, alarmed –

"No, I've been meaning to tell them," said Macdonald, even more mysteriously. "Sarah and I fooled around a lot when we were thirteen."

The common room murmured with the voices of others, forgotten homework and laughter. Everyone watched Macdonald for a minute and a half. Peter opened his mouth, thought better of whatever he wanted to say, and shut it again. Macdonald was steadily going from pink to red.

And then:

"That was you?" June turned to Sarah.

"You knew?" said Lily, instantly jumping on June.

"Of course I did!" June said defensively. "I thought you both knew too – Mary had someone coming in third year on and off every few days. I didn't know who they were, but there were signs everywhere -"

"You're reading in another language again, love," said Sirius, with a grin that went ear to ear.

"Oh," said June, her shoulders slumping. "Well, I can't believe none of you knew."

He was bemused, but trust June to already know and not say anything. Honestly, he wasn't very surprised, but he was watching McKinnon more for her reaction. She was the one who had a crush the size of a mountain on the girl who just admitted to liking more than men.

"You were snogging Freegood all this time?" asked Marlene, true to form. She was still sitting on the floor, and the light of the fireplace was against her. Everyone except Mary could clearly imagine exactly what the expression on her face was saying.

"Not anymore," said Mary.

"I am offended at the tone," said Sarah, with a Cheshire cat like smile. "I thought I was very good at getting you off, MacDonald."

"You were – not that – erm – we weren't dating!" she added.

"That does smoothen this out," said Remus mildly. Mary shot him a dark look.

"It's not a big deal," she said. "We were thirteen."

"Between her and Dawn Forester, you must have had tonnes of practice," said June, with a ridiculous hint of admiration. For heaven's sake, Williams, I'll give you all the practice you need, thought Sirius irately.

"You kissed Dawn Forester?" said Peter. "Really? Really?"

"Calm down Pettigrew, she's not very good at it," said Sarah. "And I may as well come clean. I may or may not have been snogging Wendy Mockeridge in fourth year."

"Motherfucker," swore Marlene. Evans didn't even reprimand her. "If anyone else was snogging Sarah Freegood, you'd best declare yourselves now," she announced.

"You're really hogging all the girls, Freegood," said Peter, looking like he was earnestly despairing.

"Merlin," murmured James, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes ineffectually.

"We should – we should go," said Evans distantly. She glanced at McKinnon, who was staring at the coffee table, as if struck by lightning. He wasn't surprised that Evans knew, but he was surprised when she glanced at him, half worried. He nodded reassuringly, essentially telling her he would keep an eye on her. McKinnon had told him why she had broken up with him, of course, but she hadn't said she'd told Evans that she'd told him.

In any case, that was besides the point. Macdonald seemed to be revelling in having done her bit, unaware of the landslide that she may or may not have caused in McKinnon's heart. Evans and the rest left, and he smiled at June, causing her to blush instantly in the most fetching shade of red.

The next thing he had to do was get Macdonald away from McKinnon. It was a good thing James was here. They could handle this.


I am VERY excited for some of the next few chapters honestly! bUT y'all going to have to catch up to begin with.

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