Sirius was walking quietly behind Lily and Remus. He gripped their wands tighter, knowing that it was the only reason that they were even considering talking to him. Sirius's eyes dared to look at Remus, immediately turning away when the wolf's eyes met his. It was frightening to Sirius to see his that his closest friend had changed so much.
Remus was more serious and it seemed like his playful side has disappear. His confidence rose enormously, and maybe it was due to the fact that Remus had managed to control the beast inside of him. Sirius smiled faintly, remembering the time when they were sixteen, Remus fought to keep his wolf side buried in his mind. Every week, near the full moon, you could see how hard Remus fought to keep in control in all situations.
James agreed with this idea completely, but I knew that it was a bad idea. Probably 'cause his mother told him and James always listened to his mother. Of course I didn't have the nerve to tell him…
Suddenly Sirius looked around, Lily and Remus was gone.
They couldn't have left, I still have their wands!
Sirius walked one step forward, when suddenly a hand grabbed him, and pulled him back. Sirius landed on his ass and growled.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you!?!"
A cold voice answered him, "There's nothing wrong with us, Black, so keep your mouth shut and don't get lost again."
Sirius turned around to see Remus glaring at him.
They stood there for a moment until Sirius asked "Where's Lily?"
Remus shrugged his shoulders, "None of your business. Now get up."
Then Remus started walking deeper into the forest. Sirius sat there for a moment, then sprang up, catch up with Remus.
James sat at the table, spacing out while his mother was talking loudly to his father. James never understood how his mother managed to drag on every piece of news, from how the other kingdoms were becoming hostile to how many spoons that the house-elves were losing track off. James kept glancing at the door, silently waiting for Sirius to show up. Suddenly he heard his name being called.
"James, where is Lord Black?" his mother asked.
James glanced hesitantly at the door, "At an old friend' place. I thought he'll be here by now."
King Harold looked at his son strangely, "Maybe you should join them, is this old friend a friend of yours?"
James shrugged his shoulders; he knew very well that his friendship with Remus would abruptly end if the kid in the forest belonged to Remus. James could never forgive Remus if such a thing occurred. So going off and finding the two of them would be a waste of time, James trusted Sirius with all his heart and he knew that Sirius would find out the truth.
King Harold saw his son's struggle, something his son was not very well in hiding; even from the King himself whose legilimency was worse than a peasant's. It was a shamed that the practiced of occumencly could never fully be understood by a Potter. The King cleared his throat, knowing that his wife and son would obediently raise their heads.
"You know, son, Sirius is only staying for a few more days, and the next time he will return is during Christmas. Spend as much time as you can with him now."
James nodded and got up. Queen Victoria wanted to protest but change her mind when she saw that the king wouldn't have it any other way. James muttered thank you and left the dining hall.
When he left, Queen Victoria glared at her husband.
"What are you thinking? Let Black become friends with someone else!"
King Harold narrowed his eyes at the Queen, "Lower your tone, Victoria."
Queen Victoria lowered her head in mock shame, her eyes calculating her next move. The King sighed, knowing that his wife would not let up until she had her say. He let the moments pass by to preserve his patience.
"My dear Queen, you know that their friendship is the only alliance between the Slytherin Kingdom and the Gryffindor Kingdom, since you won't let him marry anyone from the Slytherin Kingdom."
Queen Victoria raised her head and scoffed, "The Slytherin has gotten very weak if they accepted the friendship between my son and their Lord. To tell you the truth, they have been insecure since King Riddle's daughter was kidnapped years ago. The King has become very short-tempered, and the Queen lays in her sorrows. As if it was our fault that they did not have a sense of security, I never allowed James out of my sight."
King Harold said nothing of her rant and Queen Victoria decided it was safe to continue.
"I say we force James to end his friendship with Black. Then we send an army to invade their kingdom, if we take it over, the Gryffindor Kingdom will be invincible."
King Harold stood up angrily and glared at the unsurprising Queen.
"I am a king of peace. And I demand that you keep your devious plans to yourself, or you will be banned from this kingdom."
Queen Victoria sipped her wine, gradually letting it seep down her throat. She knew that her husband was a man of purity and righteousness, something she did not pride herself on. Her anger was gradually fading, and she smirked at her beloved King.
"You cannot banish your Queen, my majesty. Now sit, and enjoy your meal."
King Harold vehemently spoke, "How can I enjoy my meal, when I have a viper ready to strike at me."
King Harold walked away from the grand dining table and spoke without turning around.
"And do not think about forcing my son to do anything or you will be executed. You have already tricked one of the Potter men. I do not want it to become two."
King Harold left without an answer. Queen Victoria started fiddling with her spoon, smirking
"Oh, my foolish king, you would execute me right now if you knew what I did to our son's love."
Sirius kept walking in uncomfortable silence behind Remus. He looked around for Lily hoping that she can break the thick tension in the air. How ironic that he and Remus were tense like this, seeing since they were boys, they were the most comfortable with each other. Sirius started fidgeting as he walked, and his eyes glanced everywhere. Suddenly he walked into Remus and fell to the ground for the second time of the day. Remus rolled his eyes and helped Sirius up. Sirius mumbled a sorry and turned away.
Remus smiled slightly "Still impatient, I see."
Sirius scowled "I'm not impatient. In fact, I am the most patient Lord there is."
Remus chuckled, "Still the same Padfoot to me."
Sirius smiled sadly at Remus. He remembered when he and James were chasing the three of them in the forest, and Harry knew Remus's nickname. Sirius wondered how much Remus told young Harry about the old days, when all were calm and life actually made sense.
Remus glared at Sirius and wanted to ask him what was wrong. Strange as it sounded, Remus could not find the words to comfort his old friend. He pondered sadly of what had become between the two of them, they never had a problem before when speaking with each other, and yet now they were too afraid to take a glance at each other.
Sirius spoke quietly, "Harry knew your nickname and I have a hunch he knows mine as well. What did you tell Harry of us?"
Remus sighed "I told him about Padfoot, Prongs, and Moony…the Pranksters of the Gryffindor Kingdom…the Marauders."
Sirius frowned, "Yes, the rise and fall of the Marauders. Is that what you tell him when he goes to sleep?"
Remus frowned and rolled his eyes at the mutt while walking away. Sirius glared and started to yell.
"Remus, I just want to know what happen."
Remus ignored Sirius and kept on walking. Sirius became angry, grabbed Remus's shoulders, and turned him around. Remus shrugged Sirius's hands off his shoulders and turned back around.
"Look, Padfoot, we are not leading you into a trap. Lily and I will tell you, we would never lie to you. We never back down from a promise."
Sirius scoffed, "No, you don't, you merely run away from them."
Remus turned around angrily, "No, you do not get to say that. We had to run away, we had to escape!"
Remus turned back around and started walking away. Sirius regretted what he had said and tried to catch up to Remus. Sirius stumbled and fell. Remus stopped and helped Sirius up.
"You know this is the third time you fell." Remus said as he held out his arm.
Sirius grabbed Remus's arm, "Moony, I want to know why you and Lily left. James would never have to know. I can sneak you into the Slytherin Kingdom, and you can even tell me when we're there…"
Suddenly Lily appeared and she smiled brightly at Remus.
Lily said, "You can stop leading the mutt in a circle. Harry agreed to stay with Bane and the others."
Remus nodded and turned to Sirius's confused face, "Can I have my wand…Padfoot?"
Sirius looked at Remus and then looked at Lily, confounded. "You mean to tell me that you led me into a circle…"
Lily chuckled and Remus sheepishly looked down. Sirius sighed, knowing that the pair of them will never apologize for their prank, and he held out their wands. Lily grabbed her in a flash, while Sirius waited for Remus to grab his wand. Remus reached to get back what was his, when Sirius whispered quietly to him.
"I'm glad to see that there is still a bit of Marauder in you, Moony."
Lily, hearing this, rolled her eyes at the term. The Marauders were a pain when she was little, yet she smiled when Remus laughed. She knew Remus loved her dearly, but she could never quite replace the friendship that he had with the Prince and the Lord.
James walked in the forest slowly but surely. He needed to find Sirius; he had a bad feeling that Sirius was going to do something stupid. He stopped and sighed as he sat down on the muddy ground. He suddenly frowned and glared at the ground.
Sirius would never betray me like that. He is my best friend and he will convince Lily and Remus to come back home.
James looked around and chuckled to himself.
I haven't been in this forest for eleven years, and I think I know where I am going.
James sat for what seem like hours till he jumped up. James smiled like a madman, took out his wand, and whispered. "Point me."
The wand pointed to his left, Sirius never felt the need to use an anti-tracking spell on his wand. James ran in the direction his wand pointed. Suddenly the wand pointed straight, and James heard voices in that direction. He was surprised at the fact that he found them so fast, but was not bother by it. James walked slightly toward some bushes and hid behind them.
James saw how Remus and Sirius were laughing, and his eyes wandered to the beautiful maiden that stole his heart and never felt the need to return it. Lily, staring fondly at the two men, was as gorgeous as ever. Her red hair shone, even when the sun had finally set, and her green eyes glowed with love. The fact that she had an near eleven year old son did not alleviate from her beauty, but merely made her even more precious to the Prince, especially considering the fact that the boy could be his.
No, not could be, James. The boy is mine, mine and Lily's.
James watched silently when Lily smiled, "So should I start, boys, or are you guys going to stare into each other all night.
Remus fidgeted uncomfortably while Sirius roared with laughter. James could not help but smile as well, seeing as the three were so happy together. Remus scowled and started to speak, but Sirius spoke first.
"No need to be jealous, Lily flower, we can happily share Remus together."
Remus's scowl grew, as Lily delicately tried to hide a chuckle. Sirius always knew how to make the werewolf uncomfortable, but Lily also had a few tricks up her sleeve. Lily smiled mysteriously as she walked up to the two. She grabbed Remus's hand and sensuously spoke to Sirius.
"Now, my Lord, what makes you think that I will share my beloved Remus with you. After all, as you pointed out, I am a very envious lover."
Sirius's eyes widen and he looked back and forth at Lily and Remus. Lily, her eyes filled with mirth, smirked, reminding Sirius very much of his cousin Bella. Remus, of course, glared angrily at Lily. Sirius raised his eyebrow and smirked at the maiden of the forest.
"Very well, Lily."
Lily smiled at her victory, grabbing Remus's hand, but Sirius managed to grab Remus's free hand. Lily frowned and raised her eyebrow at the Lord.
"But first, Ms. Evens, you must prove it."
"Prove what, Lord Black."
Sirius pulled Remus closer to him, ignoring his cries of protest, but Lily would not let go. His eyes were filled with excitement, watching Lily losing was always a treat.
"Prove to me that Remus belongs to you."
Remus, growing tired of their games, tried to shake his hands off. His werewolf strength was not at its best, yet he could manage. Unfortunately, both Lily and Sirius had his wrists at a death grip. Remus groaned, knowing that Lily and Sirius would never back down from a challenge. He turned toward Sirius, giving him a glare.
"I'm not a prize to be won, Sirius."
Sirius smiled brightly at the werewolf, "Of course not, Moony."
He then turn his smile to Lily, who was watching Sirius warily, and spoke quietly but loud enough that even James could hear.
"I already won you."
Remus groaned while Lily's eyes narrowed. James watched in disbelief as his best friend goaded his beloved Lily into making her claim on the werewolf. James tried to calm himself down; he knew that Lily only loved him. Lily, of course, never backed down from a challenge, especially one coming from Sirius Black himself. He was always a pain to be around, only having a few good points with her. Lily knew that Sirius was only playing with her; he would never actually believe that she and Remus had an intimate relationship.
Yet that was the fun of it for her. Lily would get a thrill to show Sirius how close she can actually be with her best friend. Sirius was always protective of the werewolf, so protective that one would think that Remus was Sirius's lover. Lily never really knew the truth, and never had the strength to bring the question up with Remus, as the subject of James and Sirius were too painful to talk about. It was wrong to play with Sirius like that, but it was something Lily had to do. Just like Sirius could not help but try everything in his power to make Lily lose, they were both Slytherin tendencies that neither could deny.
So Lily, using all her cunning, spoke softly to her lord. "Is that a challenge, my lord?"
Sirius smirked, "There is no challenge."
Lily smiled, Sirius was sure in his confidence that Lily and Remus were just best friends, that he forgot that Moony and Lily had mastered a particular gift, the gift of acting. Something that had to be refined over the years, especially living in such a kingdom as the Gryffindor kingdom, Lily was a muggle-born, who were looked down as inferior, and Remus was a werewolf, who was not even acknowledge as a true citizen.
Sirius watched Lily as she bit her lip, a tell-tale sign that she was nervous, and that she will not live up to his challenge. The confident lord knew that Lily had, and will always have, feeling for James, and he saw no problem into bating Lily to a challenge he knew she will lose.
Remus looked back and forth to his two dearest friends. Lily, his best friend, and to Sirius, his oldest companion, the two were so different and yet so alike. Proving to that point was the fact that the two would not back down from something that was utterly pointless. Remus sighed; glad to know that whatever happened will just stay between the three of them.
James was not a patient person, and he never had been. He remember Remus telling him that he was spoiled by both his parents, always getting what he wanted, and never truly understood the word, wait. Lily proved Remus's point when she first turned down James's proposal. James was in love with the fiery red head, but she did not see him as anything other than the spoil, pamper, and arrogant prince of the Gryffindor Kingdom. It took ages for James to be rid of Lily's image for him, but it was well worth it at the end, when his beloved maiden said yes. So, as James watched Lily contemplating, he was absolutely frightened that Lily fell for the intelligent werewolf. Remus knew the hardships that Lily went through over the years; in fact, he had worse, while the prince sat on his throne as people threw themselves at his feet. James, the image of the young boy with raven black hair and glittering emerald eyes, mocking him, was telling him that he will never belong to James. What if the young boy was not his, but Remus's?
James watched helplessly as Sirius laughed, his best friend's cheerful chuckle did not comfort James at all. Lily, furious at how things were turning out, snapped at the young Lord, she was not liking how things were turning out.
"What are you laughing at, Black?"
Sirius laughed harder at the fuming maiden. Remus tried to shake his arm out of Sirius's grip. It was useless, so he turned toward Lily.
"Let it go, Lily, you know how immature Sirius can get."
Lily's pride, unfortunately, could not let it go, especially in front of Sirius. So, with all her might, grabbed Remus and kissed him deeply.