First off, I'd like to apologize for the few months of wait. I've been going through some tough shit in real life and college alike, and that happens to be my priority rather than this fic. Secondly, I lost my plot sheet and this is kind of winging it, so… yes. It might / probably will suck. Sorry guys! Not to mention that I've never written scenes like this before, so I might have gotten some facts wrong and whatnot. The last names for the other players Zeller, Coote, Towler, Ackerly, ect. were taken from minor HP characters I made the assumption that their parents were in the same houses as they are, and they are not my original names or... whatever.
I would also like to add that I was horribly tempted to name this chapter 'In Which Lily Has Amusing Socks'. ... Yes, I am done. XD
It didn't take much longer until he was slipping out of his shoes and collapsing into his four-poster, and he was out like a light, ignorant to the overly-fond look that Padfoot gave him before the curtains shut.
It was considerably late in the morning when Remus awoke – and that was quite irregular for his usual sleeping habits. After all, he would normally be awake with his bed made and in the shower long before any of the other Marauders blinked open their sleep-fogged eyes. James, Sirius and Peter had long since gone down for breakfast, opting to let Moony sleep a little.
However, Remus wasn't quite prepared to open his unbearably heavy eyelids, choosing instead to lie there peacefully for a moment and allowing his thoughts to drift from one subject to another. The essay that he'd finished yesterday still needed to be looked over and expanded on, he needed to feed that fifth year's cat while she was in the hospital wing and… he knew he was forgetting something or another…
Sitting up, he wearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hands and allowed himself an uncharacteristic yawn before cracking his knuckles lazily and bringing his bare feet to the cold wooden floor.
"C'mon, Lupin, got things to do today – can't laze around in bed…" he chided himself, stretching his arms up to the ceiling and falling to his knees to sift through the trunk at the foot of his bed. Sighing softly, he began to dig through the neatly folded clothes inside, looking for something suitable to wear…
"I should say not, Moony!"
Remus jolted up, topaz eyes widening a little as a hand came down to clap him jovially on the shoulder. A startled yelp left the brunette as the lid of his trunk, in reaction to the sudden movement, crashed down on his wrists with no warning.
"Dammit!"
The hand was off of his shoulder in seconds as the werewolf shoved the heavy wood off his hands, snatching them back and rubbing his wrists. A disapproving frown grew at the slight red marks that had just started to show on his skin before the werewolf gave a dry laugh.
"Well, good morning to you too, Sirius."
Sirius, who was in the process of glaring violently at Remus' trunk, had leant over to grab one of the werewolf's hands, inspecting his wrists for a moment. He kindly pretended not to notice the flush that had spread across his friend's cheeks before letting go and straightening up a little.
"You slept in, so I brought you some toast and hot chocolate – you have to eat it quickly though if you're going to come to the match…"
Lupin, still a little dazed, blinked slightly, looking up at Sirius only to absently mutter the word 'match' to himself several times as he reopened his trunk to dig around for clothes again.
"The Quidditch match! You said that you'd come and cheer for me and James, remember?" The Animagus had visibly deflated, his features falling into a disappointed frown that Remus completely missed as he pulled a plain white shirt that looked far too big for him and a spare pair of dark trousers out from the confines of his trunk.
"Oh? Ah, right. Yes, I remember, just let me get dressed and you can go on ahead, okay?"
"Are you su—"
All thought processes in Sirius' mind ground to a screeching halt as his companion began to undo his nightshirt, slender fingers fumbling with the little plastic buttons, his chin pressed against his chest.
Wrenching his eyes away from the newly exposed pale skin and the faded, jagged scars that wove their way intricately across his friend's body, Sirius swallowed heavily and turned around to stare at the door with a newfound intensity, looking, but not really seeing.
"Go on ahead; I'll cheer for you, okay?"
Padfoot nodded, turning to cast an appreciative smile and nod at Remus before realizing that the lycanthrope was slowly beginning to shrug off his pyjama pants...
Sirius was out of the room faster than a Knarl on fire, his hurried footsteps echoing out through the halls, completely missing the knowing smirk that spread across Remus' lips as he continued to change out of his pyjamas.
The sun was getting high and the shadows beneath the trees were rapidly disappearing as countless students made their ways out to the Quidditch Pitch, joking and talking excitedly amongst themselves. Some were wearing their house's colors, others were carrying banners and flags to show support for their respective sides. Blue, gold, silver and red seemed to be the presiding colors of the day and despite the alarming amounts of 'house pride', the tensions weren't nearly as high as they could have been. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had always been on good terms with one another and this wasn't taken nearly as seriously as a match against Slytherin would have been.
Better yet, the weather seemed to favor their upcoming match. With summer fast approaching, the weather had gotten significantly warmer and the rains less frequent. However, this gradual change was definitely appreciated, even if it was at the cost of the normally rich green sheen of the trees and grass.
Remus, having changed into his usual clothes (sans tie, for once), had easily melted into the throng of late arrivals, thin fingers moving to brush the light brown hair out of his eyes as he followed the crowd. The players had already launched their brooms skywards to warm up and Sirius, to his knowledge, was not in his eyesight yet... Not that he had been looking already; of course...
An arm latched onto his shoulder, jerking the werewolf from his reveries as a certain Miss Evans appeared from out of the blue to stride beside him. Sometimes, Remus decided, it was hard to even believe that she had landed the Head Girl position- that utterly mischievous grin that she occasionally had across her thin lips was such a polar opposite from what teachers had come to expect from the girl on a daily basis after all.
Lily, being Head Girl, had reluctantly taken the recent advice of one of her more enthusiastic professors to participate more in her House activities. To her vexation, one of the suggestions put forward happened to be dressing up for any sort of Gryffindor oriented occasion and even though she had protested, her appearance showed exactly who had won that battle. A red and gold shawl happened to be draped across her shoulders and more likely than not, doing absolutely nothing but making the daytime heat more miserable. She had worn her uniform tie along with a festive-looking pair of socks that chanted out things such as "Perseverance is the key to victory!" every few moments in a chirpy voice. Four rather smeared streaks of red and gold paint – two on each cheek, were the final touches on an obviously unwilling Lily Evans. Remus, of course, was kind enough not to comment on her 'decorations'.
The lycanthrope wasn't surprised when they launched into the familiar pleasantries that came with speaking to a casual friend – how are you, what did you think of that essay, how do you think Ravenclaw's new seeker will fare against Gryffindor's, have you found out how to brew that potion for Slughorn's assignment...
"Have you told him yet?"
"Excuse me?" Remus had already seated himself on one of the familiar wooden benches, already rolling his perfectly white sleeves up to his upper arms – he had to keep himself in check and resist pulling them completely up to his shoulders for fear of exposing an old scar...
"You know, Remus..." She settled down next to the Marauder with all the grace of a swan upon its nest, ignoring James' obnoxious catcalls about 'her' choice of clothing from high above and dropping her voice to a low whisper, "Sirius." Her shawl had settled around her waist, one end trailing on the dusty floorboards, the other resting in her lap for well-kept fingernails to toy with idly as she awaited the other's response.
Remus, who had momentarily forgotten about his previous chat with Lily, felt the back of his neck go slightly pink, topaz eyes moving to the worn floor beneath their feet bashfully.
"Never say die, strong Gryffindors!"
"No, then. Well, you have to sort this out – you're just tormenting yourself by drawing all this out! There's no reason to do that." There was a short pause before Evans allowed herself an irate sigh. "It's not as if anything is holding you back." Her green eyes had flitted upwards to rest upon James' constant flipping and spiralling figure as it darted through the cobalt sky.
"I beg to differ. I think you'd find that there is."
"Oh?" Lily's eyes were trained on Potter's form as he flawlessly dodged a quaffle that had been chucked in his general direction, laughing and shouting something to one of his teammates.
The werewolf rolled his eyes slightly, leaning over to drape one arm around his friend's shoulders in a friendly show of affection. "And you happen to be staring at him as we speak."
Evans jolted slightly in her seat as she caught herself, her face going an indignant red that quite matched her house colors. "I wasn't staring, I was mentally criticising his form. And I know why you aren't telling him. You're scared."
"Cowardice is unheard of in the Lion's house! Pluck and vigour are what draw us to inevitable success!"
Remus paused, a thin eyebrow arching upwards. "If you're trying to intimidate me into telling him, it won't work."
"Oh, you'll tell him. You can't last like this forever."
The Quidditch players had landed smoothly on the pitch, straddling their brooms, staring expectantly at the referee as he released the balls... Three, two, one and the quaffle was thrown into the air and both Lily and Remus rose to their feet, watching as the blurs of red and blue streaked off into the sky after their respective targets.
"Potter gains the first catch of the game in this lively match against Ravenclaw- passes it off to Towler without any trouble at all – ohh, the quaffle has been intercepted by Ackerly of the Ravenclaw side! I have a good feeling about this game..."
Remus had fallen silent again, his eyes raking through the almost completely clear sky for that familiar, dark-haired Marauder that he knew so well, a smile lighting up his face as soon as he came into view, bat in hand. Sirius had recently been recruited as a Beater by the Captain of the Gryffindor team and although he was more adept at passing and catching the quaffle with James, he had accepted the position in a heartbeat. After all, why wouldn't he willingly take on a position that would put him in the spotlight before his hundreds of adoring fans?
"Ackerly has passed to Zeller who has started the quick ascent of the pitch towards Gryffindor's goal posts—Ah, did you see that? Towler has snagged the ball back into Gryffindor possession in a fantastic play, chucking it over to Coote without even giving the Ravenclaw chasers a second glance! Potter is standing by to receive..."
However, Remus' eyes were not on the main action but on the Animagus that was soaring through the sky with effortless technique that only came with years of practicing. Swinging the bat over his shoulder with practiced ease, Sirius leaned forward into his broom and pressed himself down to the wooden handle as he flashed across the field in a maroon streak. The bat was lifted only to pummel an errant bludger away from one of the more distracted Gryffindor Chasers who rewarded him with a grateful smile before zooming off to catch up with the rest of the game. Sirius, in turn, laughed none-too-modestly and performed a quick combination of a backflip and a flaunting sort of barrel roll, coaxing a cheer from the Gryffindor stands as he waved over in Evan's and Lupin's direction.
"And there's Black, probably showing off for some lucky girl or another. He's this year's newest addition to the Gryffindor team and a damn good Beater, if I do say so myself."
The fond little smile that had found its way onto his lips disappeared at the magically enhanced commentary and the elated feeling that he had gotten from Sirius' stunt had quickly disappeared. Fingernails dug their way into the wooden bench as he cast his topaz eyes away from the action almost dejectedly, a trembling, dejected half-smile (in case Evans cared to tear her eyes away from the action in the sky) pushing insistently against his lips.
"Gryffindors always keep a brave and strong attitude despite any challenges that are laid before them! Even in the face of defeat, a true Gryffindor never wavers!
Remus' frown only intensified as he cast his glance upwards once more (albeit reluctant), scoffing softly at the multiple loops and daring swerves that Black was performing whenever he successfully slammed a bludger in a Ravenclaw's general direction. Pure euphoria was evident across his face whenever it actually struck someone and that, predictably, only prompted further stunts and enthusiastic whooping from Padfoot.
"...And Ravenclaw scores! That's a twenty to forty score, in favor of our lads in blue. Looks like Gryffindor is going to have to step up their game... the seekers are still soaring overhead, looking for the slightest glimpse of the Snitch, although no luck has been had by either side. Black and Sloper are both doing a lovely job warding off bludgers but the Chasers need to..."
Sixty to ninety, eighty to one hundred... The game dragged on with only a few momentary sightings of the Snitch before it disappeared back into the clouds or higher up into the sky where even the most observant eyes wouldn't be able to point it out.
It had been about two hours since the beginning of the match and even Sirius had tired of doing his constant loops and twirls in celebration of merely hitting a bludger away from their slowly tiring Chasers. His eyes were strained, his arms were weakening and the sun beat down mercilessly upon his back, sweat constantly beading off of his brow. The score had finally evened out into a tie at two hundred and it seemed as if neither team had enough energy to pull themselves out of it. James had fumbled the Quaffle repeatedly by now and had needed to plummet downwards in an attempt to keep it in Gryffindor possession. The sun was simply sapping the energy out of everyone and in turn, forcing the game to go on for longer than average.
Remus' hair was damp with sweat, as was Lily's, and they had both fallen into that sort of drained, exhausted silence that was both peaceful and awkward at the same time. Even her socks had lost most of their pep considering how the rallying squeaks had died down to mere mumbles and murmurs of "A Gryffindor's spirit never dampens!" long ago.
"And, as we enter our second hour, not much has progressed on the field apart from constant fumbling of the balls and a previous Blatching offence on the Ravenclaw Keeper's account... One time out has been called, but there is end in sight... Wait- was that the Gryffindor Seeker? Yes, yes, that's Peakes, and she's seen something! She's barrelling into an almost perfect nose dive, good gods, look at that girl go..! Belby is right behind her, she must've seen it too... It's now a neck-and-neck race for the finish between Ravenclaw's seeker and Gryffindor's!"
The crowds in both the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw stands had risen to their feet, hoarse shouts of encouragement and cries of enthusiasm rippling and roaring through them as they jostled each other for better spots, for a better view. Lily and Remus had moved up to stand on their benches by now and a soft gust of wind ruffled their hair and swept Lily's shawl into the air. She was streaking downwards with both Sirius and Sloper covering her back for incoming bludgers, one arm outstretched as Belby's broom jostled her own rather roughly... One swift turn and the veering of Peakes' broom was corrected and her fingers finally clasped onto the little winged ball, the feathers rumpling in her vice-like grip.
"In an astonishing play, Peakes comes out victorious, winning the two hour game and earning an additional one hundred and fifty points for Gryffindor, therefore putting the score at two hundred and thirty to one hundred! What a fantastic game and a victory that has only brought the Gryffindors one step closer to the Quidditch Cup..."
The crowd roared and Remus couldn't help directing his gaze over to Padfoot and Prongs who were both celebrating like madmen with wild loops, swerves and rolls in an odd sort of victory dance. He could see them shouting to each other but he couldn't hear their words over the din of celebrating Gryffindors and an overly excited announcer. All he was focusing on were those lips of Sirius'...
A hearty clap on his shoulder brought the lycanthrope back down to earth, amber eyes flickering back to look warmly upon an amusingly eager Lily Evans, a smile reaching his thin lips before he glanced back over at Sirius for a moment before rising to his feet. The dark-haired teen hadn't yet finished his 'victory lap' which happened to consist of his hanging precariously off of his broomstick by one arm, so Remus didn't pay him much mind at all... until a shrill scream pierced his ears.
Sirius Black was falling.
Topaz eyes had gone wide with alarm as Remus plunged forward, shoving his way through several second-years in an effort to get a better view of what was happening up front. Things weren't happening in slow motion for him like he had always figured that they would in like situations, but instead, everything was moving horribly fast.
James had been hanging idly in the air at the time, eyes wide enough to rival the diameter of a Quaffle before he forced his broom into a nosedive, fighting the speed of gravity itself and quickly swerving in Sirius' direction which forced him to barrel straight into a rapidly descending Padfoot. However, James' broom didn't really make for a comfortable or smooth 'landing pad' of sorts and despite Potter's floundering to grab onto the back of Sirius' quidditch robes, he slid right off of the left side of the broom – making a rather rough landing on the ground twelve feet below them.
Remus gasped. Lily face-palmed.
The mediwizard didn't waste any time in striding quickly across the field to Sirius' side and Lupin was already tearing down the stairway to emerge on the field, shoving anyone who was unfortunate enough to get in his way aside. By the time that he had run over to where Padfoot had fallen, the entire Gryffindor team and several other spectators had gathered around him, speaking in strangely cheerful tones.
"Well, think of it this way, mate," James had stooped down on one knee by Sirius' side, who was looking rather pale and probably in a significant amount of pain, "you'll have more girls trying to take care of you than you'll be able to count! But you really shouldn't show off so blatantly, you stupid prat."
Sirius groaned a little in reply, hissing as a few healing charms began to sew him back together and trying to throw the best scornful look that he could muster over at Prongs (who very maturely stuck his tongue out in return).
The werewolf had pushed his way up to the front, nearly knocking over a remotely concerned Mr. Sloper before he fell to his knees beside Sirius, moving so that his face would be in Black's direct line of vision.
"Padfoot – are you alright? What on earth were you trying to do, you fool?"
Lily had finally arrived after having deduced that Sirius wasn't gravely injured (nobody was sobbing and the atmosphere was still rather light hearted) and convincing herself that great haste wasn't quite necessary. So, after congratulating Peakes on her catch and several other team members on their playing, Lily, her shawl and her constantly squeaking socks, moved to stand next to James, looking down on Sirius with a sceptical eye.
James, of course, felt obliged to offer an excuse in Sirius' stead, rolling his eyes a bit in exasperation. "He was showing off like an utter idiot, of course."
Lily scoffed rather loudly and James looked up, an eyebrow raised questioningly as she mimed picking up a muggle telephone (a reference that only Remus and a few other players understood), speaking into it with a mocking voice, "Oh, kettle? What?! You're black? Since WHEN?"
James' smile wavered for a moment before he managed to think up a suitable retort: "No, he's Black, I'm Potter. Dear god, Evans, you could at least remember my name after my constant advances towards you!"
Remus had managed to block out most of the good natured banter, concentrating instead on speaking quietly to Sirius and asking the mediwizard a few questions about the other's state. It apparently wasn't serious, but someone would need to keep a close eye on him to make sure that he didn't overexert himself in the next few days... The werewolf nodded softly, trying to ignore how Sirius was silently (shamefully?) avoiding meeting Remus' eyes. Peter had only just joined the group, merrily asking how Sirius was doing and then going on to explain just who he had spent the past several hours with.
"Be sure to report to the hospital wing if you feel any worse than you do right now... the potion that I gave Mr. Lupin should work well in relieving most of the pain. Don't take part in anything strenuous over the next few days either..."
The mediwizard rose and pocketed his wand, brushing his robes off before giving the remaining group (most of the other Gryffindors had migrated inside for the post-victory celebration) a professional nod. And without missing a beat, he was walking in a quick gait towards the castle, leaving the few lingering students to their own devices. James and Remus had moved almost immediately to pull Sirius to his feet (James kindly ignored how Remus fondly picked a few strands of grass out of the other Marauder's hair), two pairs of strong arms supporting a still-dazed Sirius Black.
It took a surprising amount of teamwork to keep him from dragging along on the ground or to keep from jostling him and for a while, they were both silent. The sun was no longer beating down upon the Marauders or Miss Evans and the evening warmth was doggedly pursuing them as they exited the stadium, both holding tight to one of Black's arms. Not many words were exchanged between the werewolf and the Animagus (Peter was busy explaining to Lily how he had managed to grab a seat next to Sara Cress and was still in his own perfect little world), and apart from an occasional unintelligible murmur or mumble from Sirius, things were almost awkwardly quiet. Sometimes Lupin would ask a small question to which James would quietly reply, but the silence between them was too thick to shatter at the moment.
Yes, Sirius' broom, as Remus was informed rather shortly, had already been whisked back to the appropriate shed and was none the worse for wear. No, James was not planning on a kitchen raid this evening, of course there would be an after party and yes, it had been a very good game apart from the obvious.
They had arrived at the great oaken doors by now and although it took a decent amount of balance to both hold Sirius and tug them open enough so that they could pass through comfortably. The cool of the Entrance Hall was greatly welcomed by both wizards and witches alike and James had no qualms in taking a shortcut to the common room with Lily in their presence.
"James?" The werewolf had helped push open the stone passage with his spare shoulder, ignoring how Potter's mood had worsened. The grunt that he got from said wizard was his supposed cue to go on, so he continued. "...who was Sirius showing off for?"
The bespectacled head boy's expression darkened as they moved into the dimly lit hallway, heaving his best friend in behind him with ample help from the lycanthrope.
"Take a wild guess, Remus."
WOW. That took AGES. I am so sorry for the wait and the sub-par ... ness... of this chapter. It's horrible, it's random, it's out of character... and yet I feel strangely attached to it. I love Lily's socks and commentating was a surprising amount of fun. XD Well, anywho. Next time shan't take NEARLY as long and I'll be sure to have it updated around my 120th review.
On another note! The new Harry Potter book is coming out on Friday, so I hope you all enjoy your reading immensely. The end of an era is close at hand, so be sure not to let anyone spoil it for you ahead of time and, for all of you who are having their childhood close this weekend with the upcoming release, I understand. As an avid fan for nearly 10 years now, I feel your pain. Either way, next chapter around the 120th review and keep your chins up!
I'd also like to mention that, in my eyes, Tonks isn't straight. She seems too... not-straight to be straight. Even if, in the movie, she was FANTASTIC and rather fetching. XD.