Houses Competition

House: Hufflepuff

Year: 7

Category: Drabble

Prompt: 8. [Prompt] Sing campfire songs around a campfire.

Word Count: 947

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - Swimming lessons - Front Crawl - Breaststroke - Write about something popular and/or something common. (I consider going to scouts popular/common)

Warnings and notes:

This is a muggle AU

Sirius, Remus and James didn't grow up together. It's implied that James and Remus know each other through scouts, but wasn't relevant to the events to mention this.

Remus calls Charlus 'Charlus' instead of 'Mr. Potter' because from what I've seen (I've assisted with Scout Groups) the leaders aren't called by their surname. From my own experience, they're called by their first names.

The songs picked to sing are from the official Scouts website so they do exist.

I've always written Charlus and Dorea as James' parents, long before canon decided that they were called something else. I'm continuing with what I've always done.

Scouts

"Your dad rushed off in a hurry," Remus commented, holding a stick towards the fire and watching as the marshmallow cooked. "Do you think he's coming back?"

James shrugged, leaning back against a large log. "He's in charge, so I expect he'll be back soon. He said something about the neighbours calling. Maybe someone was trying to break into our house or something?"

"At least Kingsley didn't bring his guitar this time," Remus said, referring to another scout leader.

"He did," James muttered glumly. "He's probably just waiting for Dad to return."

Remus withdrew his marshmallow, blowing on it before taking a bite. He brought a finger up to wipe the melted centre which threatened to drip down his chin, and popped it into his mouth.

"That's your fifth one."

"Thanks for keeping count for me." Remus rolled his eyes.

James shifted, trying to get comfortable. "Peter cancelled. Have you spoken to him?"

Remus moved to the edge of the log before dropping down next to James. "Yeah, he was a little vague. His mum's probably being overprotective again and not letting him come."

"He's fifteen and there's adults here," James pointed out. "The property is owned by the Scouts Association. It's completely safe."

"You know how mums can be," Remus pointed out. "You've seen mine get worried."

"But she let you come here. Poor Pete. Maybe he'll get to come next time we have a retreat?"

Before Remus could answer, someone approached.

"Boys, there you are," Charlus said, smiling widely. "I know it's short notice, but I hope you don't mind sharing your tent tonight."

"It's no problem at all, Charlus," Remus said. "The third space was for Peter."

"Who are we sharing with?" James checked.

Charlus moved aside. "This is Sirius. He ended up on our doorstep and…well, long story short, he's going to be staying for a while. Your mother is out of town, so that means Sirius gets to stay here instead."

They both looked at Sirius and Remus' eyes widened slightly. Sirius had similar features to Dorea, with his high cheekbones and dark curls, but he was gorgeous and Remus couldn't help but stare.

"Sirius Black." Sirius held out his hand to James.

"Yeah, we met when we were younger," James said, shaking the hand. Sirius' eyes moved to Remus. "And you?" He let go of James' hand, turning to Remus.

"Remus Lupin," Remus said quickly, scrambling to his feet and shaking hands.

Remus was very aware of Sirius' hand lingering in his, and tried not to think about how soft Sirius' skin felt.

"Mother kicked me out and I remember your mum was always kind…plus your house was closest according to Mother's address book. I was just hoping for somewhere to crash for the night but your dad said I can stay. I just need somewhere to go until I'm sixteen."

Charlus shook his head firmly. "I called Dorea to let her know you were here. You'll be staying longer."

Sirius glanced between James and Remus, taking in the uniforms. "Are you scouts?"

"Venture Scouts," Remus explained, wanting Sirius' attention back. "It's a step up from scouts."

"Adorable," Sirius commented, watching Remus. "I love a man in uniform."

"Sirius, let's put your bag in your tent," Charlus suggested quickly.

"Uncle C, is Remus single?" Sirius asked as Charlus put a hand on Sirius' back, leading him away. "He's cute. Can I be a Scout too? It doesn't matter that I like guys, right?"

"The association prides itself on acceptance," Charlus reassured him. "Perhaps have a talk with Remus once you get to know him."

"He has beautiful eyes, that's all I need to know."

"Well, looks like you have a date to the campfire tonight," James commented.

...oOo...

"Is this seat taken?" Sirius asked, squeezing into the small space between James and Remus without waiting for an answer. Remus was in the middle of drinking some water out of his canteen, so merely glanced at Sirius as he did so. "So, Charlus said I can join the group. He said it makes things easier because he can keep an eye on me or something… Are you single?"

Remus hadn't been expecting the question so suddenly and the water went down the wrong pipe, causing Remus to splutter. Water dribbled down his chin and he used the back of his sleeve to wipe his face.

"He's single," James helpfully offered. "And to answer your next question—yes, Remus will hold your hand for the campfire tonight."

Sirius grinned. "Perfect. So… what are Venture Scouts? What do we do? Who do we help?" He seemed genuinely excited about the group and Remus smiled as he twisted the lid back onto his water canteen.

"Oh crap, Kingsley has the guitar out," James hissed.

"Gather around," Kingsley said, his deep voice booming through the clearing. The Scouts that weren't already around the campfire dutifully moved to sit down. Sticks and marshmallows were passed around as everyone waited for Kingsley to continue.

"Where do we start?" Kingsley asked. "With My Hand on Myself, perhaps?"

Sirius snickered. "I know all about my hand on myself," he muttered, causing James to snicker at his side. Remus sighed as the pair high-fived.

"I know, we'll start with 'She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain', " Kingsley decided as Charlus sat down next to him.

"She'll…. Be coming 'round the mountain as she comes," Charlus began.

James and Remus reluctantly participated, and Sirius grinned before joining in.

Remus was sure that Sirius was singing the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody instead. He knew things would be a lot more exciting with Sirius around, and he couldn't help but smile at him.

Sirius smiled back.