Game, Set, Match

As soon as I woke up the next morning, I pulled on some jogging bottoms and the first t-shirt I could find and headed straight for Lily's room.

It was Friday and the start of the November half term. The rest of the girls were still sleeping off the effects of the laced punch from Sirius's birthday party the night before.

I was far too het up to sleep, I wanted to talk about what had happened last night. Surely it couldn't be real.

Remus, a werewolf?

If the school was to hold a vote of least likely to be a bloodthirsty mythical creature in their spare time, I was pretty sure Remus would rank somewhere at the top.

I waited at the bottom of the staircase for Lily to emerge. Luckily for me she was an early riser. Unfortunately, it seemed, so was Remus.

When he plodded down the boys stairs he looked like death warmed up.

As soon as he saw me his expression turned apprehensive, and he walked slowly towards me as though he was worried I would bolt away from him like a frightened rabbit.

"James and Sirius have filled me in about last night," he said, stopping when he was still several feet away.

I crossed the distance between us and stood in front of him, but it was obvious he was finding it hard to look me in my face.

I knew then that he viewed himself in the same vein as Snape had; a monster.

"I suppose you and Lily think me despicable now?" he asked as if he already knew the answer.

"Actually, I wasn't that keen on you before last night," I replied without thinking. "Finding out about everything else about you... there are worse things around right now."

His brow furrowed.

"Like what?" he asked, impatience lacing his usually calm voice.

I paused, his question catching me off-guard.

"Like Death Eaters. Like the unforgiveable curses," I listed. "Or the 'dark wizard' the papers keep going on about."

I looked around us before continuing more quietly, "You locking yourself away in the Shack every month doesn't really compare."

Remus blinked back at me.

"Hang on a minute, you 'weren't keen on me' before last night?" he asked. "What's that supposed to mean? I've done nothing but be civil to you."

I gave him a grim smile. "You hate me."

He frowned.

"No I don't," he said, before pausing uneasily for a second. "I mean, yes, there are elements of the ridiculous about you. But I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone."

"I'm ridiculous? This coming from someone who brushes bat dung off his trousers with his bare hands."

Remus's nose scrunched. "Still remember that, eh?"

"Like yesterday."

He looked defeated. "Sirius hasn't exactly made my life easy when it comes to you," he confessed. "Convinced himself I'm in love with you when-"

"When what?" I asked. "He doesn't-"

Remus's eyes widened. "Oh lord, no," he assured. "But it's as if he enjoys arguing with you. I love him like a brother, but Sirius Black can be something of a stubborn prat."

I breathed a quiet laugh. Stubborn prat didn't even begin to cover the emotional maelstrom that was Black.

"Now, I believe we made something of a truce at the beginning of the school year," he reminded me. "It's just... I don't really think we've stuck by it, do you?"

"Not really, no," I conceded.

Holding his hand out for me to take, a ghost of a smile drew across his lips.

"It's bat pellet free this time I can assure you."

Our hands met and his face slowly became pensive, looking uncomfortable as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how.

"You won't... You won't tell anyone about what you know... Will you, Cheryl?" he asked eventually.

"I won't tell anyone," I replied firmly.

"Not even your friends?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not even my friends," I confirmed.

He gave me a grateful smile just as a galloping Lily came racing down the stairs.

"Oh. Hi." She addressed Remus awkwardly, coming to stand next to me. They instantly spoke over one another in a confused babble.

"You know it's fine I-" Lily started.

"I'll understand if you-" Remus cut her off.

"It doesn't matter to me-" she insisted.

"I know I'm a monster-" Remus asserted.

Finally Lily grabbed both of his hands in hers, forcing him to listen.

"You're a good person, Remus. You have a kind heart. Nothing could ever possibly change my opinion of that."

Remus smiled weakly, his eyes bulging like a squeezed hamster when she threw herself around his neck.

.o.

When the three of us sat down to breakfast together, Remus looked tiredly around at the food before pinching his thumb and forefinger to the top of his nose and scrunching his red-rimmed eyes closed.

"I'm absolutely knackered," he said, looking more ready for sleep than food.

"Here, try to eat something," Lily pressed, loading his plate with random breakfast items.

Remus already looked like his stomach was turning over and when she put a massive sausage of white pudding on his plate it looked like a hard lump of sick had formed in his throat.

"Please. Stop," he wheezed.

Lily let her hands fall into her lap quickly.

"Sorry," she muttered guiltily, eyeing up the overstuffed pale coil that still sat incriminatingly on his plate.

"You know, I'm not even sure what that is," she admitted quietly.

"A boy in my class once said it was congealed cow's sperm," I remembered, pouring milk over my cereal.

I sensed Remus swallow a retch in the background, and when I looked at him his eyes were watering.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" he breathed.

A familiar black mop of hair took a seat opposite Lily and I, and I realised with a start that both James and Sirius had joined us while I was busy looking at Remus's white sausage.

"Where's Pete?" he asked them instantly, looking concerned, "Is he okay?"

I had forgotten Peter had been left all alone down there with him all the way through his transformation.

"He's fine," James assured him with a pat on the back. "He's just sleeping it off. Turns out all that running around as a rat can catch up with you when you're human again... you'd think he'd be in better shape really," he added thoughtfully.

After the rest of us had left McGonagall's office the previous night it had been really late, with Sirius's party goers long since dispersing.

Overall it hadn't been the best birthday for someone to have, but then I supposed he really should've thought of that before goading Snape in the first place.

"Get much sleep?" Sirius asked casually now, glancing up in my direction.

I eyed him warily, wondering if he was actually talking to me out of everyone.

He snorted quietly. "Yes. You. Cheryl. Did you get much sleep?"

"No," I replied truthfully.

"Don't suppose you were expecting any of that last night," he agreed. "Though it will teach you and Evans for getting involved in things that have nothing to do with you," he said, gesturing vaguely at me and Lily with the end of his spoon before taking another mouthful of food.

"Yes," I said sarcastically, "for some reason seeing Snape running at full pelt across the grounds in the dark did attract our attention just a bit."

He gave a humourless laugh at the image my description had conjured.

"Snivellus," he sneered, like the mere memory of him was replusive to linger on. "Hope Dumbledore gave him a bollocking."

"Do you randomly choose people to bully or do you have some kind of system?" I asked.

Until now, I couldn't think of much that Snape had done to truly deserve the kind of treatment he got from James and Sirius.

Just like me. We didn't deserve it. None of the Marauders victims did.

"Please don't tell me you see Snivelly as a kindred spirit?" he scoffed.

I stood by what I had said, refusing to back down.

"Do yourself a favour," he shook his head, "Even you're better than that greasy slimeball."

"Even me?"

He rolled his eyes like I was being purposefully obstructive.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Remus still trying his best not to make eye contact with the food Lily had piled in front of him. He looked genuinely ill, probably only staying at breakfast for his friends.

Reaching across, I lifted his plate away from him, squashing it underneath the bowl I had finished with to hide it from his view.

"Thanks," he muttered weakly, unable to even turn his head to look at me.

I tried not to notice Black openly watching me help his friend. Let him have even more ammunition to say I fancied Remus. It wasn't like he could get any worse for it.

Instead I focused my attention on Lily.

Every time James spoke she seemed to be using it as an excuse to look at him - her gaze wandering over his face like she was truly seeing him for the first time.

But instead of looking at him with distaste like she usually did, it was as if her eyes had been opened to all of his attractive traits, and I had caught a small smile playing across her lips on more than one occasion.

James had saved Snape without any thought of his own safety. And Lily had seen everything.

He glanced at her now without warning, and I saw her start a little before a wide smile grew on both of their faces, sharing a moment without even speaking.

His tanned face tinged with pink the way it always did when Lily paid him any attention, and when hers did exactly the same, I knew.

It wouldn't be long before they got together.

.o.

"Cheryl, Lily!" Marlene called to us loudly, beckoning us over to her and Sally as we stepped into the common room. They were finally out of bed then.

Remus walked along behind us, eager to escape the stench of food in the hall. We'd left the other boys behind to finish eating.

"Hey Remus," Sally greeted him with a warm smile, completely unaware as to what had gone on.

I looked at my blonde haired friend giving goo goo eyes to the exhausted, impossibly unsure of himself Remus, and it finally dawned on me that Lily wasn't the only one to have become entranced by a Marauder.

I had a feeling Remus probably liked her back too, if he would ever allow himself to admit it.

It occurred to me that this was why he had never been known to have a girlfriend. He didn't think he was worthy of being loved.

"Excited for the big game tomorrow?" she asked him with a broad smile.

"Yeah," Remus replied unconvincingly. I was willing to bet he'd forgotten all about it.

"It's going to be rad," Marlene cut in. "By the way you two both still owe James money for your ticket," she looked at me and Lily.

I nodded. Well, at least Lily could be certain she would never have to repay that tab.

.oOo.

A few days passed and the day of the Quidditch match finally arrived.

James had taken it upon himself to rally the rest of us to the port key he had organised with the staff of The Three Broomsticks, and he kept glancing back at Lily, clearly eager to show off his leadership skills in front of her.

There had been a lot of stolen glances between the two of them since the day on the grounds, but still they didn't seem to want to admit anything out loud.

"Let's go people! Move it along!" he called.

The boys, Marlene and Sally were all bedecked in colourful scarves in support of their respective teams.

Despite being draped in an orange and green scarf for the Irish National team, it was obvious Sirius's heart wasn't in it, and I had a feeling James had probably coerced him into wearing it.

For once I found myself in agreement with Black. As the start of half term it was ideal timing for a group outing, it was just a shame it had to be to a boring Quidditch match.

Since I'd made the stupid move of only agreeing to come if the almost terminally absent Lily did, I'd then found I had no choice when Sally had actually managed to convince her. Damn them.

Sally had also invited another girl I didn't really know all that well from her Muggle Studies class, Katie Cassidy, but who was already somehow 'best friends forever' with Marlene.

They seemed to be doing nothing but laughing loudly and flirting with the boys whenever they got the chance, and it had started to grate on me immensely.

"Katie!" Marlene exclaimed now at the top of her voice. "You really shouldn't say things like that about Peter, you know he's shy!"

Katie and Marlene had flanked the small boy who blushed intensely and tried not to look at either of them.

Black grinned. "Ignore them Pete, you're too good for either of them and they know it!"

Raucous laughter ensued and I couldn't help but feel sorry for Pettigrew.

"We're here," James called back, pointing towards the approaching sign to the pub.

We all trooped in noisily, and James and Sirius went over to the bar to sort out what was going on.

"Hello boys," the pretty young barmaid came out of the door at the back and walked over to them with a flirtatious grin.

"Rosy," James greeted with a slightly awkward smile, peeking back at Lily who was pretending not to be watching.

'Rosy' looked extremely put out by James's lack of enthusiasm at seeing her, and she turned to Sirius instead.

"What's up his nose?" she asked in her West Country accent. "You're not usually so bashful around me!"

She laughed at James, walking around to him, but he immediately backed away from her like she had some kind of disease.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "It's like that now is it? I'll remember that the next time you come in here with your sweet words." She laughed again.

Sirius seemed like he was holding back a smirk.

We all knew exactly why James was being bashful; it had red hair, a fast temper and was stood directly behind him.

James looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

I looked at Lily, but she was trying not to let anything show on her face.

"I've still got some sweet words for you," Sirius offered with a lascivious grin.

Rosy cackled out a dirty laugh in reply. "Oh I bet you have!"

"For Merlin's sake, can we get a move on?" Marlene called loudly, "I'd like to be at the match some time Christmas!"

Rosy huffed slightly, but extricated herself from Sirius to go and fetch the Port Key nonetheless.

Sirius watched her leave like the cat that got the cream. When he caught my eye he shot me a wink.

Giving him an unimpressed look, I looked tiredly away.

He could flirt with the entire women's Quidditch team and I still would not give him the satisfaction of thinking I was bothered.

.o.

After travelling to the humongous stadium and somehow navigating our large group through the teeming crowds, we were finally able to take our designated seats in the stalls .

It was a massive turnout. The opposition to the Irish team, the Skydandies, or whatever they were called, must have been pretty popular.

I looked down at the pristine pitch over the heads of thousands of other witches and wizards. A majority of them were dressed in the Skydandies red and white.

"Wow," I muttered.

Sally beamed from her seat next to me. "Brilliant isn't it? I can't wait for it to start, Quidditch is amazing!" She practically squeaked the words.

She turned to address James, reaching out for his arm over mine and Lily's lap. "Forget what I've said about you in the past James, all is forgiven. You are officially fantastic for getting us these tickets!"

James chuckled. "Anything for Lils," he nudged Lily boisterously with his elbow making her ricochet into the side of me.

"I'm only here under duress, Potter," she replied, though her voice didn't have quite the same force as it usually did. It was as if she was just going through the motions.

"And on that ungrateful note, I'm going to get food," Black said. "Anyone want anything?"

"Me!" Katie called out instantly, "I'm dying for a hot chocolate. I'll come with you," she offered, already off her seat.

"No, no," Sirius assured, pushing her shoulder back down gently but firmly. "My treat. Anyone else want anything? Though you'll all have to empty your pockets first. I'm not that generous."

"I'll have a trotter sandwich please, mate," James said, handing Sirius a fist full of coins.

Lily pulled a disgusted face.

"It's just another name for a pork sandwich," Sally assured her. Wizards just liked to think themselves unique to Muggles when it came to naming modern dishes.

Peter and Marlene both requested a pumpkin juice and a box of sugarcorn.

"Got it, " Sirius said, pocketing the money and running down the stairs at top speed, disappearing into a large doorway at the bottom left.

"Having fun yet?" I asked Lily with a sly smile, noticing James edging his knee towards her until they touched.

"Oh bundles of it," she replied dryly, but I noticed that she still hadn't moved her leg.

From James's other side, Remus scanned the pitch, waiting for any activity to begin. I wondered if the predator in him meant his eyesight was any more finely tuned than the rest of us.

"I bet the Skydanders get the first shot in," James said confidently. "Any money."

"That doesn't really mean much to you seeing as you're loaded," Sally said.

"Fine, fine," James conceded. "If they get the first goal I suppose I'll deign to snog Lily here." He feigned a put upon voice and grinned down at Lily to share the joke with him.

Peter looked confused. "You mean if they don't get the first goal?" he corrected.

"Nope," James replied with a smirk.

"Ugh," Lily made a disgusted noise, but it almost seemed as if she was slightly pleased by the prospect, trying not to smile. "Please Cheryl, let's get spectacularly tipsy again and erase this day from our memories."

I laughed at her attempt to seem indignant.

"Rebellious Lily, I like it," James said appreciatively, and her mouth twisted with another repressed smile.

"TEN MINUTES UNTIL THE SNITCH IS RELEASED!" The booming voice emanated from the opposite side of the stalls.

"I need the toilet," I realised, as if my bladder was spurred on by the countdown. "Back in a minute," I told Lily.

Getting up from my seat quickly, I scooched along the row, glad that Sirius wasn't there to have my backside thrust in his face. He'd been gone a long time now. The food stalls must have been ridiculously busy.

When I descended the stairs and spotted the queue for the ladies toilet I stopped in my tracks. It was easily half a mile long, stretching all the way back into the corridor. Did nobody go before they set out?

The doorway to the men's next door was a veritable scene of peace and serenity in comparison, with just the odd man exiting looking slightly smugly over at the women still waiting on the other side.

I glanced around frantically, I was going to miss the start of the match waiting in this.

The underneath of the bleachers caught my eye, beckoning me over with the tempting shadows to crouch in, but I shook the idea from my head as soon as it started. No way. Knowing my luck Black would catch me at it. I would just have to hold it in until half-time then bite the bullet of the queue.

"Morland!"

A familiar voice called over to me, and I turned to find Black making his way over from the sugarcorn stall.

"Give me a hand?" he asked, nodding to the abundance of food in his arms.

The corner of my mouth drew upwards as I contemplated walking off and leaving him to navigate the masses of people on his own.

Black's eyebrows knitted together, an uncertain smile growing on his face.

"Getting a sense of humour in your old age?" he raised a dark eyebrow at me.

Reluctantly, I extricated the drink containers from his hand, his fingers brushing mine momentarily before I pulled away.

Not wanting to miss the start now we were there, we attempted to squeeze our way back through the masses of people to our seats.

I had nearly made it back without a spillage when I was buffeted by a older man's oversized gut. Rebounding off it like a trampoline, I bumped into Sirius's side, the drinks in my hands wobbling precariously.

Sirius looked to the protruding culprit, shooting me a look of amusement.

"What were you doing down here anyway?" he asked once I'd steadied myself. "Did you miss me?" The corners of his mouth were curled upwards.

"Obviously," I replied.

I gestured back to the obscene queue still waiting outside the ladies toilet in explanation.

Sirius shook his head. "What do you all do in there?"

He looked at me as if I was personally responsible for the problem and needed to answer for my crimes against public facilities.

"I get out as fast as I can," I replied, affronted. "You have no idea how lucky you are. I've been stuck behind a whole netball team changing their clothes in the cubicles before."

He grimaced in disgust. "That can't be hygienic," he said, though I doubted he knew what netball actually was.

"You could just transform into your dog and do your business anywhere," I realised.

He didn't meet my eyes, but the corners of his mouth remaining upwards.

"You've actually done that, haven't you?" I demanded.

He smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

.o.

"Oh my life what a match!" Sally was almost uncontrollable after the game had ended. She looked like she wanted to cry actual tears of joy.

England had lost, obviously, but apparently they'd 'played really well'.

I'd had no idea what was going on throughout most of it. I'd zoned out after the first ten minutes, retreating into the much more interesting world of my head.

Sirius must've noticed and had leaned backwards across Katie and Sally to prod me hard in the back, scoffing when I almost jumped out of my skin.

The funniest part was that Katie had thought he was putting his arm around her and had snuggled into him.

Sirius's face had been a picture. He'd had to keep his arm around the back of her chair for the next half an hour because she'd taken up the space it had come from.

We finally reached the place that we'd left our Port Key, which was disguised as an old can of baked beans, and managed to get back to The Three Broomsticks in one piece.

Rosemerta didn't try to flirt with James again. I think she'd taken the not so subtle hint to back off. Sirius still gave her an admiring courtesy glance though, so she wasn't too upset.

During our trek back to the castle everyone except me, Lily and Sirius were all still talking animatedly about how the keeper for the Skydanders had performed a perfect backwards roll while saving a goal. I couldn't help but think that maybe if the Skydanders hadn't been so focused on showing off their moves they might've actually won.

We were just heading into the great hall for dinner when I spotted an all too familiar face hanging around outside. Ant Javerhops was chatting to a couple of his friends.

He caught my eye and let it linger for a second before looking away. His friends glanced over at me after he said something to them.

I avoided their gazes, not wanting to even try to work out what he had said to them about me.

He'd referred to me as 'mate' the last time we'd spoken, so clearly he was well over whatever crush he thought he had on my 'expressive pupils'.

It still made me want to cringe and fold in on myself like origami to think about it even now.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your boyfriend?" Sirius's voice was close by. I darted around to find him bent down by the side of my head, his eyes fixed on Ant.

I let out an impatient breath. "You know he's not my boyfriend."

He straightened up.

"Why not just tell him to get lost then?" he drawled, like it was easiest thing in the world to not give a toss about anyone else's feelings.

I remembered how protective he'd been of Remus when Snape had called him a monster and realised that he did care about others. He just didn't give his loyalty out easily, and neither Ant nor I were lucky enough to be one of his chosen few.

"Cheryl!"

I had been distracted enough that I hadn't seen Ant's gaze now focused solely on me, hid friends now gone.

He moved his head in a way that beckoned me over.

"Ooooh!" the loudmouth Katie catcalled next to me, looking appreciatively over at the beefy rugby player calling my name. I glowered to myself wishing she would just get lost already.

"Want me to come?" Lily offered, already looking annoyed with Ant on my behalf.

"No, just go on ahead," I told her.

Hopefully if she went into the hall, the rest of our group would follow and not get to watch me having to talk to him.

Lily nodded. Linking her hand in James's arm, she led him away.

Potter looked like all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once, but he tried to play it cool as he let her guide him into the hall, like they often linked arms and walked around together.

Seeing them leave, the others all soon followed just as I'd hoped.

Taking a moment to mentally prepare myself, I racked my brain for what Ant could possibly have to say to me now. We were fine just awkwardly co-existing. Why did he have to spoil it? Why couldn't he just leave it well enough alone?

"Hi," he said as I approached, looking amused for some reason like he knew something I didn't. "Shall we go for a walk?"

I stared up at him, wondering what could've possessed him to think I would want any part of that.

"No thanks," I said, not bothering to hide my disinterest. "What did you want?"

His blue eyes continued to dance despite everything.

"Mary told me that you've never had a boyfriend," he said, finally coming to the point. "I get now why you've been so shy around me. We can take it as slow as you like. It doesn't bother me that you're inexperienced."

My heart stalled inside my body.

I wanted to deny it and show him up by saying I'd had plenty of experience, but the lie wouldn't seem to come out.

He looked down at me like I was a child that needed to be looked after, moving towards me to comfort me or something stupid, but he stopped mid-step, his eyes flicking up above my head.

When the knowing smugness in them hardened, I immediately felt an all too familiar pressure at either side of my waist.

Placing my hands there on reflex, I felt them land on large fingers and knuckle joints.

"You coming, Cheryl?" Sirius asked, his hands still resting on my body.

My pulse strummed at the sound of my name on his lips. I tried not to let Ant see how shocked I was by the contact.

I didn't know if Sirius was doing it to save me or to make things worse. But Ant already looked like he didn't believe it. His patronising smirk was back.

Had he somehow heard our previous kiss in the pub was fake?

"So do you want to come to the pub with me tomorrow?" he asked, somehow ignoring the fact that another boy was still attached to me.

I felt a rush of frustration that even after all of that, he still refused to take the hint.

"See you later," I told him firmly, turning away to walk off into the hall.

Sirius followed my movements, slinging an arm around my shoulder as we went, making me feel both protected and on edge all at the same time.

"So is that a no?" Ant called after us with a laugh. "I don't bite you know. You don't have to be scared."

Anger boiled inside of me, urging me to throw something hard and heavy at him.

Just who did he think he was to imagine the reason I wasn't interested in him was because I was too scared?

Without a second's thought I threw my hands out to Sirius, pulling myself towards him. I would prove to Anthony that I wasn't scared. I just didn't want him.

My face had got within inches of his lips when my mind went suddenly blank.

My initial splurge of adrenalin spluttered away as I looked at him. I had tugged him close enough that I could see every detail. Even in this close proximity he was frustratingly perfect.

The last time he had been this close was his pretend kiss in The Three Broomsticks. But something seemed different about it this time. Sirius wasn't laughing.

We stood there for a second, my eyes glued to him while he studied me, waiting for me to make my move.

I could sense Ant watching in utter confusion.

I had to do something. Anything. I couldn't just keep holding onto him like this. Why was he letting me? Too shocked to move?

His mouth lay just in front of my eye-line, smooth and inviting, but I just couldn't bring myself to meet it.

I was never going to kiss a boy, I realised.

Anthony was right. I was too scared. It was ridiculous. I was ridiculous.

A line formed between Sirius's brows.

Before I knew what was happening, he started to move. But not away from me as I'd originally thought.

He was taking control, closing the space between us.