Disclaimer: As my name is not J. K. Rowling and I'm massively in debt due to school loans (as well as overloaded by the classes I decided to take this semester), I think it's quite obvious I do not own Harry Potter.
Two
No one really likes to admit fault.
As a result, everyone seems to have their own way of apologizing for events ranging from accidently spilling milk on the Charms homework their friend had been spending weeks on (sometimes stories require the use of excessive hand gesturing) to accidently kissing (or more) a friends ex-boyfriend (girls have a code you know) to almost causing a friend to commit murder.
Mary MacDonald liked to cook. She would sneak into the kitchens and after pleading with the house elves to let her cook for herself, leave with a freshly baked something. The extravagance of the treat depended on the crime committed. When she snogged Jaheem Burger, even though she knew full well that Dorcas had her eye on him, she made a fluffy chocolate cake for her friend. When she broke Marlene's favorite record, a slice of dreamcake seemed appropriate, and boys knew (Mary loved to date) that when she came to their dorms with a basket of muffins, ranging from blueberry to banana walnut, she was breaking up with them.
Peter Pettigrew stuttered. He paused, "uhh"ed and "um"ed and "well"ed his way through his apologies until the person he was trying to say sorry to took pity on him and forgave him, saving him from the trouble of getting all the words out. It didn't matter the severity of it, he stuttered.
For Dorcas Meadowes, it depended on whether she offended a boy or a girl. She was very aware of how to sashay just right, and lower the tone of her voice to that husky one all blokes seemed to drool over. She knew how boys viewed her, and she'd be damned if she didn't use it to her advantage. Girls were more difficult (unless it was Honey Wagtberg since it was widely known blokes held no interest for her), but generally Dorcas didn't piss girls off, that she'd apologize to that is. In all the years she'd known them, there wasn't so much as an ink spill Dorcas needed to say sorry to the three girls who actually mattered.
Sirius Black brought alcohol. He was a believer in the philosophy that getting pissed together could correct anything. "I slept with you and forgot your name in morning? Don't worry, I'll get you so wasted tonight you won't remember mine tonight." The only person that differed from this alcohol induced forgiveness was James Potter. They had their own unique way of working things out.
Caradoc Dearborn made cards. He was a fantastic artist and would draw up a card that fit the situation perfectly. He'd created an "I'm sorry I hit a bludger toward you when you weren't looking" card for Dorcas and an "I really didn't mean to space out and drop the entire bag of ant legs into the cauldron and get us an F" card for Remus Lupin. Sometimes Emmeline even purposefully became mad at him so he'd make her a card.
Lily Evans had variations of the process. To Benjy Fenwick or Caridee Lacen or even Professor McGonagall, she'd smile sweetly and innocently and profess how awful she felt. To her friends who would see through the "But I'm so Innocent" act, she gave a real apology, giving faith and credit to their withstanding friendship. To those that didn't matter to her (at least she claimed) like James Potter or Severus Snape, she gave a half-hearted and often sarcastic "Gee I'm sorry," before rolling her eyes and walking away, occasionally displaying a rude hand gesture (mostly when James was around).
Emmeline Vance buttered them up. She flattered her mates, telling them how pretty or smart they were. She told them how amazing they were and how lucky she was to have a friend like them. She mentioned briefly how silly she was to have almost messed that up with, whatever it was at the moment, before quickly moving back to how perfect they were. Distraction was an amazing tool.
James Potter didn't say sorry to anyone apart from the Marauders. He apologized for letting Remus gash himself the night before, and for using the last of Peter's shampoo. His apology usually was enhanced by a clap on the back and a pronouncement of Marauders forever. Sirius was different. He was his brother and as such, they had developed a different way of apologizing.
Remus Lupin was the odd one. He didn't bake or flatter or seduce. He simply said "I'm sorry" and owned up to what he did.
"Lily!" Mary called, bouncing on her way over to the redhead. She was followed by an equally excited Marlene. The two sat on the arms of the chair their friend had settled in, sandwiching her between the two. "So we have the greatest idea."
Lily smiled, amused by the antics of two of her best friends. "When's the party?"
"Aw Lily you're spoiling our game." Mary whined poking Lily in the side.
"We thought we get the Marauders to throw a party for Caradoc." Marlene explained angling herself on the arm of the chair so that she could lean against the back.
"Caradoc?"
"Yes Lily don't you pay attention?" Mary teased, "That dishy blonde that you've been in Gryffindor with for 6 years now."
"I know who he is," Lily said, "But why are we throwing a party for him?" She looked up to Marlene for the answer.
Before Marlene could explain, Mary cut her off. "No hun, we're not throwing a party, the Marauders are. Once we find them."
"Mary be quiet, it's his birthday Monday."
"Poor boy. You two just want an excuse to get pissed." Lily sighed, shaking her head.
"Poor boy?" Mary exclaimed "I would love if the Marauders threw me a party! Everyone would talk about it for ages!"
"Who are they throwing a party for?" The three girls turned to see the dark haired girl gliding towards them.
"Dory! How come you didn't come to the lake with us?" Marlene asked "Where were you all day?"
She waved a hand to brush off the question, "I just had something to attend to."
"For Caradoc, Monday's his birthday." Lily answered at the same time Mary asked "Was he any good?"
"Lucky boy, no finals and a Marauder party." Dorcas answered, ignoring Mary's question.
"Was who any good?" Marlene asked Mary suspiciously.
"The bloke she was with!"
"You were with a guy all day?" Lily asked incredulously, "We do have a Transfiguration final tomorrow, if any of you care to remember."
"We don't." Mary responded before continuing to question Dorcas eagerly, "Was he good looking? Of course he was, it's you. Was it a Sixth year?"
Dorcas sighed, "Mary, I'm not in the mood right now."
"Wow, he must have been bloody awful."
"I second that." Marlene added, "You love to tell us about all the good stuff."
"He wasn't bloody awful. Don't we have some sort of rule about that Mary? No bad shags?" Dorcas said finally moving forward to sit on the coffee table in front of the red plush chair the other three were settled on. Putting on a sour face, Dorcas continued, "He was…he tried to cuddle me."
"Dory you're too cold." Mary laughed, "Cuddling afterwards is nice." Dorcas shot her a look that said plainly what she thought about cuddling. "You need a good snuggle. And these two" jerking her head to the left to indicate Lily and Marlene, "they need a good shag.
"I don't cuddle."
"Excuse me."
"Yeah, I'd say that's about right."
While Lily and Dorcas had protested, Marlene finally agreed with Mary. She did need a good shag from a great guy, once she discovered what she was looking for that is.
"Cari!" Emmeline barged into her dorm and collapsed on her friends blue bed. "He wants me to talk to her for him. How am I supposed to do that?"
"Don't." Emmeline rolled over onto her stomach to peer up at her friend. Caridee was calmly looking into a floating mirror and applying make-up.
"But I said I would."Emmeline said confused.
"Tell you him did and then don't." Emmeline opened her mouth to protest but before the words came out Cari cut her off. "Or you can tell her what a great guy he is and watch as they end up happily ever after and you're let on the sidelines."
"I don't want that, but Cari I promised him." Caridee sighed and waved a hand as the mirror floated out of the way, giving her a view of her friend.
"Emmeline. That's tosh. You want something, you take it. That's how the world works."
"James!" Sirius called walking briskly down the hallway. "Dammit Prongs!"
The boy in question whirled and faced his former brother. He moved a few paces forward, as did Sirius, putting them face to face with one another for the first time in a month. After a few minutes glaring at one another in silence, James Potter turned and began walking away in the previous direction. "Prongs!" Sirius yelled furiously.
What happened next took only a second but it was what Sirius had been waiting for, expecting really. He was on the floor. James was looming over him with a furious glare and a bloody set of knuckles on his left hand. James held out his right hand for Sirius to grasp. He pulled Sirius up and began walking with him to the hospital wing (Sirius's cheek was bleeding, and quite possibly broken).
"I am sorry you know."
James looked sideways at his worse for wear friend. "I know."
Reaching into his back pocket, Sirius pulled out a flask and passed it to James. "Nicked it last night." James took the flask and a large gulp.
Wincing from the burning sensation running down his throat James told him, "I'm still pissed at you."
"You wouldn't be James if you weren't."
"Edgar, how are you?" Lily asked politely. She was taking a break from studying by relaxing in the Prefect's common room. Edgar had walked in silently and sat down on the couch. It had been about ten minutes since he walked in and he hadn't moved, just looked straight ahead.
"Oh hey Lily, did you just get here?" Lily cocked her head slightly to the side and frowned.
"I was here when you came in. Are you all right?" Lily said full of concern
Edgar sighed. He knew he wasn't about to spill to Lily that he had been trying to get her best friend to form a relationship with him. That the girl wasn't interested in what he had to say, what he wanted to do, just a shag. "I'm fine. It's just been a rough few weeks. Exams and all."
Lily nodded understandingly, "I'm right there with you. Anything I could do to help? I'm heading back to the Gryffindor common room in a bit to do a little last minute cramming before going to sleep. Would you like to join me?"
"Thanks Lily," Edgar said smiling, "I appreciate it, but I think I'm gonna go back to Hufflepuff and relax. Why don't you ask Potter or Black? You know they're a dab at Transfiguration."
"They are probably being accosted by my friends right now."
"Are they?" Edgar said, trying to keep the eager curiousity out of his voice. Surely Dorcas wouldn't tire of him that quickly.
"They've got it in their heads to convince those four to throw a party Monday for Caradoc." Edgar relaxed, relieved for the reason. "I hope they do, I could use a good party after this exam."
"Remus!" Marlene sauntered over to her fellow Gryffindor. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Which was not really true. Remus was a predictable bloke. There was a big Transfiguration exam tomorrow, the last final in fact, and there was no place
Remus would be other than the library. Of course, Marlene decided she could have been talking about looking everywhere in the library, that was a viable statement.
"Have you now?" Remus smirked, "Not Black?"
Marlene frowned "Why the hell won't anyone forget that? It's not like I'm the only one."
"Everyone will forget it." And then with a laugh he added "When Lily sleeps with James."
"You know I was here to suggest an idea to you." Marlene said drifting off, "But if you're going to be annoying…"
"Okay, Marlene I'm listening. I won't take the mickey out of you until I've heard your idea." Remus mock saluted her.
Marlene plopped down on the squishy couch next to him. "We were thinking –"
"We being?"
"Mary, Lily, Dorcas and I, the usual, well we thought it'd be nice to have a little party—"
"You are aware there's an exam tomorrow" Remus interrupted, gesturing to the books he had spread out, much the same way Lily had earlier.
"Not tonight you dolt. Monday." Marlene paused a moment to see if it rung a bell. When Remus continued to stare at her, she continued "Your roommates seventeenth birthday?"
"I had forgotten about that. I've been caught up in other things." Remus said apologetically to her.
She shrugged, "What do you think?"
"We should warn Caradoc beforehand."
"Ben what's up." Caradoc said, taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table by his friend. He gave a cheerful nod to Honey Wagtberg and Chris Baird across the table.
"Just waiting for Mary to find her way to dinner." Benjy Fenwick answered. He slightly turned his head as if expecting her to flounce in at that moment.
"I saw her and Marlene sitting outside a little after lunch." Caradoc told him.
"Well as long as she's not baking." The two laughed, Mary's apologetic quirk was well-known.
"I don't think she'll be baking for you anytime soon."
"Dearborn." Chris interrupted in a deadpan tone causing Ben and Caradoc to look over at him. "Have you seen your roommates lately?"
"I saw Sirius and Peter around the same time I saw the girls." Caradoc said truthfully,
"Do you need help finding one of them?"
"Yes. It would seem as though the seventh year boys dorm has been turned pink."
Caradoc shrugged. "It may not have been them. They're not speaking to one another much these days." Chris glared and looked over Caradoc's shoulder, pointedly at the three people who just walked in, Sirius Black and James Potter with Mary MacDonald bobbing along between the two.
"Why are you down here?" James asked the girl. She was sitting in front of a fire, her head leaning forward, probably reading. Several books were settled around her. "Evans its 2 am. I can't sleep and I'm in a shit mood so can you drop the act." There was still no response from the girl so he walked closer. "Evans."
He moved around the front of the couch to see what she could be looking so intently at.
The inside of her eyelids. Lily Evans had fallen asleep in the common room.
He crouched down so he was even with her. He looked at the smoothness of her skin, the slight crook to her freckled nose and the long eyelashes, blackened with mascara. Here was an angel he thought.
He had needed peace from his newly full dorm. The tension was still remarkably high between Remus and Sirius. They were speaking again, tersely, but they were all speaking again. Planning a party with Sirius' nicked liquor for their fifth roommate's birthday as requested by a few girls.
He found his peace, watching her breathe, content in her dreams.
When Lily awoke she had a cramp in her neck, ink smudged on her cheek and her right foot had fallen asleep from being tucked under her. But also the sensation, she'd had a good dream.
The Note: Thanks for the reviews! Ordinarily things won't go up this quick, especially with the amount of time I've had to spend doing research, but please let me know what you think (and point out any typos you see? I can't seem to catch them all and they drive me nuts)!