Chapter Two: Corruption

I get up obscenely early the next morning and start to make my way down the stairs to the kitchen. Hopefully, if I'm quick, I can pour myself a glass of water and run back up to my bedroom before anyone has the chance to spy me in my slippers and dressing gown with extraordinarily messy hair.

'Merlin, Nottingham! Do you want to give me a heart attack?' James Potter shouts agitatedly

Oh, Bugger.

'Sorry Potter- I didn't think anyone would be up,'

It really is obscenely early, what type of moron is up at three o'clock in the morning? Hmm. Don't answer that.

'I'm always up this time on weekends- to practice Quidditch. I just got back not ten minutes ago,'

Christ, what dedication.

'Well you're devoted,'

'Got to be to be this good,' he says yawning. He stretches his arms toward the ceiling. I think he's trying to display his superbly fit muscles- I can live with this.

'Want any breakfast Nottingham?' James asks

Really not hungry, who is at this time?

'It's half past three in the morning, Potter.'

'So what? I can whip up some wicked eggs and bacon. I'll wake up Sirius and we can eat all together,'

At three o'clock in the morning?

'James, I-'

'No! Wait! Tell you what- you go and wake up Sirius, I'll get Remus and Peter to apparate over and then I'll start cooking!'

'Are you sure they won't mind?' I am tremendously perplexed by this point.

'What? No way! We always do it in the summer,' he tells me.

'At three in the morning?' I ask, sceptically

'Yes,' I'm informed simply. These boys are clearly insane.

'Er... Alright then. Um... I just have one little question,'

It's really bothering me. Really, really bothering me. In case you haven't already heard (which I find highly unlikely) Sirius Black is, scientifically speaking, a hunk of spunk. He is the most gorgeous person to ever walk the earth, a Greek god, an Apollo- all of that. Ninety-seven percent of women, including myself, would sell their possessions, families and souls for a tryst with Black- and Potter was asking me to go into his bedroom. I doubt very much that that I would make it out alive.

'Shoot, Nottingham,' he leans back in his chair.

'Does Sirius- will he- does he...?'

And then, to my utter amazement, James cuts me off.

'Oh Merlin, Nottingham! I believe I can read your mind! No, Sirius doesn't sleep naked- not when we're sharing a room! Oh Merlin, I thought you were safe!'

'Safe from what?' I ask. I can feel myself turning an unpleasant eggplant colour.

'That old Black magic, of course!' he chokes out, he is actually clutching his stomach from all the laughter.

'Oh, do shut the hell up Potter, and I'm not enraptured by his 'magic' I just happen to think he's incredibly fit,' It's moments like these when my brutal honesty has me wondering why on earth I'm not in Hufflepuff.

He can't stop laughing, the smarmy git, so I march up the stairs, nose in the air, to the bedroom he is sharing with Sirius Black- just to prove that I can.

I fling the door open and spy Sirius sleeping on the bed closest to the giant window.

That's another thing about this place- lots of windows- they're everywhere (obviously the Potter's aren't worried about Peeping Toms)

'Sirius' I whisper.

The boy shows no sign of waking, he is sprawled over the large bed in orange pyjamas (thank God and, also, orange??).

I edge closer to the sleeping figure and whisper his name again, quite loudly. Then I shake him gently. Then a bit more vigorously. Then a lot more vigorously. I huff- fed up already! That's probably the reason I'm not in Hufflepuff- I'm way too impatient.

'Wake UP, Sirius!' And still he sleeps!

'Merlin, Black, You wouldn't wake up if the Hogwarts bleeding Express drove through, would you?' I told you- I have absolutely no patience.

At this, the sleeper lets out a groan and rolls over.

'Come ON, Sirius,' I plead- feeling quite desperate now I change my tone to saccharine sweet, 'James is making breakfast and Remus and Peter are coming over,'

He makes a whining noise in the back of his throat; I roll my eyes and flop down on the bed next to him. We lay there together for some minutes; me, staring at him, willing him mentally, to get up and him, snoring his head off. In one unexpected burst of frustration I clench my fists, squeeze my eyes shut and then resort to poking him lightly on the arm.

He wakes up.

'Nottingham! Is that you?' He splutters and pulls himself upright- I do the same 'I don't recognise you in that thing!'

'What? What are you insinuating? It's three thirty in the morning- I'm well within my rights to wear a dressing gown!'

'There's nothing wrong with your dressing gown! Did I say there was? And Merlin, what are you doing here?' he asks me striding across the bedroom

'Oh! Yes, that- James is making breakfast; Remus and Peter are coming over too. Apparently this is normal,' I say, seriously.

'Of course it's normal, Nottingham. You'll understand the extent of the normality properly once we're done corrupting you,' he grins as he puts on his own dressing gown and makes his way out the door, and we walk down the stairs together into the kitchen.

Really- the smarminess of those two! To think I would become corrupted- by them! I'm an incredibly independent woman of 1977! But, on the other hand, I can't say I'm surprised that they think they might have a chance, usually everything they touch turns to ruin- well not ruin exactly but the unsuspecting will eventually cater to the every whim of a Marauder. Thinking about it, the only person I can name who hasn't been spoiled on the inside is Jeremy Coote- the other boy in the Marauders' dormitory. This is probably only because he has managed to maintain close friendships with the other Gryffindor boys in our year, who are all assigned to live in the second dorm. Maybe the trick is having other people to help keep your wits about you... Oh crap. I'm all alone here, aren't I?

'Did you manage to awaken the beast, Nottingham? Good for you!' James asks without waiting for a reply once he spots us in the kitchen.

If I ever had any doubts about James's cooking ability- they are all now completely extinguished. He has laid out the, rather large, table for five places and in the middle of it are piles of food that would make the Hogwarts house elves proud- scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, stacks of toast and jars of jam.

'James, that looks amazing!' I exclaim

'Glad you think so, Miss Nottingham' James, says pompously offering me a chair at the head of the table 'I would be honoured to share this meal with you,' I sit down and give him a weird look. Sirius sits down next to me and gives him a weird look.

There is silence.

James studies us both for a few seconds and we continue to stare at him weirdly.

'You two are mean. It would have been fine if Moony had done it!' he sighs and flops down next to Sirius.

'What would have been fine if Moony did it?' A voice asks from the corridor

'Pete!' James leaps off his chair and ushers Peter to the table

'Morning Wormtail!' greets Sirius 'Have a sausage, go on,'

Peter spears one of the sausages with a fork and sits down on my other side.

'Good morning Peter,' I say politely

'Hi Elizabeth, it's nice to see you,' he says friendlily 'Prongs told me you're his summer guest'

I smile in return and reach for a piece of toast and start to spread strawberry jam on it. Sirius is digging into the feast with appropriate vigour and James has sandwiched a sausage and a few hundred slices of bacon between two slices of buttered bread. Disgusting, actually.

'Where's Moony?' James asks, or tries to ask as his mouth is full to bursting with heart-attack-on-toast; it comes out sounding more like 'Hare's boony?' but we all understand him anyway.

'He'll be here soon,' Sirius assures him 'He's probably trying to make himself look presentable; after all, we have a lady in our presence.'

'Good thinking, Padfoot.' Peter nods

'Evidently you didn't bother to extend the same courtesy, eh Wormtail?' Sirius asks him playfully. Peter is wearing blue and white striped pyjamas and fuzzy yellow slippers, his hair is very messy and there is something that looks like a coffee stain on his sleeve. Not that I mind. I'm not exactly the picture of perfection in my daisy pyjamas, my favourite yellow, ratty dressing gown and ridiculously knotty hair.

'You didn't either,' Peter argues

'Got a point there Wormtail,' James says solemnly

'Morning all!' Remus says, smiling, as he appears in the kitchen. It seems that everyone can apparate except me. Curse summer birthdays! But anyway Remus is standing there, clean and fresh in a blue t-shirt and ironed jeans

'There you are Rem!' James cries

'Don't you look spiffing!' teases Sirius

Remus rolls his eyes and turns to me,

'Good Morning Elizabeth, I'm glad to see you,'

'Hi,' I say, shyly. My stomach is doing a strange gurgly thing that usually happens when Remus Lupin is around. It's that gentleman vibe, I think, that the others don't have that makes him so appealing. Oh, don't get me wrong- I'm completely besotted by all of them- even Peter Pettigrew, who's strangely cute. Remus takes the last seat in between James and Peter and spoons some eggs onto his plate.

They- the boys- don't seem to be too comfortable, maybe it's because I'm a girl and letting off don't-dare-try-to-corrupt-me vibes but the silence (apart from the very loud chewing, of course) is really starting to grate my nerves.

'So!' I say brightly, in a pathetic attempt to make conversation 'Who do you think will get the Heads this year?'

'Oh Evans for sure!' Sirius says

'Definitely' agrees Peter

'Lily's got the best chance, certainly,' Remus nods 'What do you think, Elizabeth?'

'Lily should get it- she'd be excellent,'

'Head Boy though, that's another story...' James says darkly

'Merlin pity the sod that gets chosen this year- Prongs'll make their life hell,' Sirius says sincerely

'It's true,' James says 'I've already talked to that Ravenclaw prefect Mercury Mauzy- he'd better not lay a finger on her.'

'Has it occurred to you James, that Lily doesn't find your possessiveness endearing in the least?' I ask him. Well, someone has to!

'Sometimes I think about it...' he trails off

I shake my head- maybe I'll be the one doing the corrupting this summer. Merlin knows they need it.