Thou And I Are Too Wise To Woo Peaceably - So Others Must Do It For Us
Written for:
A Drabble a day keeps the doctor away challenge by Bamberrr.x
Inspiration-by-Shakespeare challenge by Gamma Orionis – Much Ado About Nothing-someone setting someone else up.
This turned out to be significantly longer than I expected.
Characters: The Marauders
"So got that, Pete? We'll write Mary a note, saying that if she goes to the muggle section of the library on Thursday evening, she can find her true love sitting among the poets of yore, entrenched in the wisdom of centuries past!" Sirius poked Peter in the shoulder.
"Yes, Padfoot" Peter muttered. Sirius was going through a dramatic phase, and Peter was beginning to tire of the incessant declarations that followed him everywhere.
"Besides, Padfoot, how do you know that Mary really likes Moony? And what do you know about muggle literature, anyway?"
"Hey, I read!" Sirius looked offended. "I've been looking at those books Moony likes – Shakeseer and Byron and whatnot. And I told you, I heard Mary telling Marlene and Lily that she thinks he's adorable. Mary likes to read too – it'll be perfect!" Sirius grinned.
"Anyway" he continued "are you in, or not? If you aren't, I'll wait until Prongs gets out of the hospital wing."
"I'm in, I'm in!" Peter squeaked. The bludger that had put James in the hospital wing with a fractured foot had been an ill wind that did Peter some good – he had been promoted to chief prankster alongside Sirius for three days. He didn't want to lose that position now.
The plan worked perfectly.
The note was written – devoid of Sirius' embellishments – and slipped into Mary's bag the next morning. Sirius and Peter watched her eyes light up as she discovered it at lunch.
On Thursday evening at the library, Remus was buried in Much Ado About Nothing. Sirius had recently taken to accompanying him, reading some of the soliloquies and sonnets aloud with many flourishes. Today he was missing. Remus didn't really mind; he enjoyed the peace.
Two heads poked furtively out from behind a bookshelf several feet away.
"She's coming!" Peter squeaked loudly, and was promptly squashed by Sirius. They watched as Mary MacDonald walked hesitantly to Remus' table. He smiled, his brown eyes warm, and gestured to the seat next to him.
Mary's eyes widened as she saw the title on Remus' book. "That's my favourite play!" she blurted out, and then flushed as Remus looked up. They struck up a conversation after that; halting at first, but growing more comfortable as they delved deeper into the plot.
"Hello!" exclaimed a cheerful voice behind Peter. Sirius and Peter spun around to find James regarding them curiously. His left foot was still bandaged, but he looked fine otherwise. "What's going on?"
"We're trying to get Moony and Mary together" Peter explained. "He likes her, and they both like reading so Padfoot says it's going to work. Look – they're talking now, I bet he'll ask-"
"They're talking about Spadeseer – that playwright. That's not exactly asking her out!" James cut Peter off mid-flow.
Remus and Mary continued to debate on the finer points of Beatrice's and Benedick's courting, blissfully unaware of the trio watching them.
"Of course he'll ask her out. Just needs a little bit of time. And it's Shakeseer, James, not Spadeseer" Sirius said, in the voice of one All-Knowing. "I've read these things, you know. He didn't only write plays". Sirius' eyes had a fervent expression. "He wrote these beautiful poems called sonnets, all about love and the summer you know, and that is why he is also known as The Barf."