Chapter 5
And all our sins / Came back to haunt us in the end / To hang around / And tap us on the shoulder / And smile silent / It's all implied / You'll die trying to live this down / You might as well forget it
Still I'm convinced / Wondering what if is the worst thing there is
(( Mistakes We Knew We Were Making by Straylight Run ))
Previously:
"Well, we wouldn't mind," said Sirius smoothly, "but what do you say we do something a bit more fun?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Padfoot?"
"Pretty sure I am, Prongs."
"Miss Davidson, what do you say to a game of I Never?"
"I Never?" Ginny repeated, amused.
"Guys," said Remus quietly, "Do you really think we should be playing this with..."
"Well, there's another technicality for you, Moony! She's technically not even a professor until tomorrow morning. Not even our professor til Thursday afternoon."
"That's the stupidest reasoning I've ever heard, Padfoot."
"Really? I thought it was pretty intuitive," commented Ginny, eyes sparkling.
"Then we're all in?" asked James, staring pointedly at Remus, who sighed exasperatedly.
"All in," he said, though his friend had already started placing Undecievable Charms on the bottles.
"No passing, drinking falsely, or quitting before you run out of firewhiskey."
"Or..?" asked Ginny inquisitively.
James smiled sweetly. "Don't cheat and you won't have to find out!"
"One condition, then. What happens here, stays here."
"I like the way you think!"
"Right you are, Padfoot. It'll be just like Mexico!"
The other four stared at James for a while.
"You know," he tried to explain, "like 'What happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico!'"
"James..." said Remus slowly, as if wondering if his friend was aware of what he was about to say,"We're in England. Not Mexico."
"I know!" James replied, frustrated that no one understood him, "But that doesn't change the fact that what happens in Mexico, stays in Mexico!"
"...What happens in Mexico?" asked Peter curiously.
"I don't know! It stays there!"
Finally, Sirius started laughing.
"At least someone gets it."
"Nah, don't flatter yourself, mate. I was just laughing 'cause you made an ass out of yourself."
"Wow. Thanks, Sirius."
"Don't mention it. What are friends for, anyway?"
Ginny was smiling at the whole situation. It had been a long time since she could forget the world for a night and drown herself in something frivolous like this.
"Right," said James, "Let's just start."
"Something easy, Prongs."
James thought for a moment, then decided on, "I've haven't been drunk in the past year."
Each Marauder drank in turn, then turned to Ginny, waiting for her to take a sip as well. When she didn't, their eyes widened incredulously.
"How could you never have been drunk if you have this pile of firewhiskey in your kitchen?" queried Sirius bluntly.
Ginny laughed. "Let me explain. A couple of years ago, my friend was working on a hangover potion. Just a hint, here--you should probably never work on a hangover under the influence of a hangover. I tested it, and it worked.. a little too well. Alcohol hasn't had an affect on me since."
At seeing their faces, she added, "It's really not that bad. I can drink as much as I want and watch everyone else act like idiots. Great blackmail opportunity."
"Ah, but you'd never blackmail us, would you, milady?"
"Well, Black, I'm pretty sure it'd be illegal to blackmail students."
"You forget--we aren't your students until Thursday afternoon!"
"Then I'll just have to find a way to get something on you by then. Maybe find out a few of your secrets?"
James looked affronted. "I, for one, have never had any deep dark secrets!"
Remus, looking uncomfortable, was the first to drink. Ginny felt sorry for him, but quickly covered it up with a sip of her own.
"Maybe," said Sirius, "we'll have to find our yours instead."
"Go ahead and try," she said confidently.
"I would," he said sadly, "but it's your turn."
Interested, she went with, "I-" a pause and a pointed look- "have never done anything illegal." When all four of them drank (Sirius and James grinning like mad and exchanging high fives), she drank along with them.
"Well, I," said Sirius dramatically, "have never done anything Azkaban-worthy."
The Marauders looked undecided for a moment (probably wondering whether or not being illegal animagi qualifies, she thought), but eventually decided against drinking.
Ginny, however, did not.
"Well, aren't you just full of surprises?" said James, slightly tipsy, who was giving her a look that could've been described as akin to respect.
Remus went next.
"I've never been in a real duel before." Seeing James and Sirius about to drink, he added, "School duels don't count, you two." Once again, Ginny was the only one.
Looking down at her bottle, she stated, "One more sip, boys. Choose wisely."
Peter hadn't drank much and was still curious about the mystery that was their Defense Professor.. or would be this Thursday afternoon, anyway. "I've never killed a man," he said softly.
James and Sirius, who had been giggling like girls a few seconds before stopped and stared at him, then Ginny. After a moment, her bottle started to shake. Rolling her eyes, she downed another sip.
"What do you expect? I'm an auror and the Death Eaters haven't exactly invited me to tea yet. Voldemort might not have as much influence here, but he's in full swing back in.. Lancaster."
Peter sucked in a breath at the mention of You-Know-Who's name, but the other boys didn't notice. James looked as though he'd just realized Ginny's bottle was empty.
"Damn," he said, "Game over, I guess."
With that, he made to get up from the couch, but just ended up tripping over his foot and toppling down on Sirius.
"Aargh!" was Sirius's muffled cry, "Get off me, you sick, sick boy!"
James rolled over and both of them tried getting up together, leaning on each other for support. Unfortunately, Sirius leaned on James too much, who crumpled under his weight. Without anything to hold on to, he, too, fell back on the couch, defeated.
Ginny threw her head back and laughed for a long time. "You lot can't hold your liquor very well, can you?"
"S'not our fault," slurred James.
She quickly performed a sobering charm. Sirius looked like he had just waken up.
"Woah," he said, looking around, "Oh, good. I was beginning to get a bit worried when there were two of you, Remus."
"Two of Remus?" asked James, "That's not as bad as the three Peters I had."
Sirius winced. "Too right, my friend."
Peter looked confused for a second. Then, "Hey!"
"Come on," said Remus, "Let's head back before more 'stays here' than it should."
"You're too late," Ginny told him with a smile, "But just for good measure--keep that you found me here, as well."
This confused Remus slightly, but he nodded.
"Thanks again."
"It was our pleasure, fair lady!" said Sirius valiantly.
"The Marauders: Saving Damsels In Distress Near You," added James.
"With their accomplice, the Inflatable Head, of course," said Peter as they got up to leave.
James and Sirius gave him a look. "Don't ever say that again, Peter," said Sirius.
"What?" he asked, "You did!"
"Well, Wormtail, that is because I am handsome, charming and clever."
"So?"
"So, it sounds much better when a handsome, charming, clever person says it. When you say it, it sounds stupid."
They made their way to the door, Peter grumbling, when James looked back.
"You're not gonna go all weirdo, I'm-a-professor-and-I-love-rules-hear-me-roar on us on Thursday, are you?"
Ginny laughed again, taking note that this was the most she'd laughed in three years, and it felt good.
"No," she reassured them, "No, there's not a chance of that."
Thursday was two days away. Scratch that, Thursday was two years away.
Davidson must be a damn well amazing teacher, was what they concluded. They were already in awe of the new professor for many reasons, including her disregard for the rules and being an experienced auror, but it made them even more excited to have a class with her when they saw the reactions of students who'd already had one.
By far, she was their best teacher yet, and they hadn't even had any classes with her!
It was weird to think of her as a professor. After all, she hadn't been when they found her. The fact that she acted more like their friend than anything else that night didn't make the teacher image any less easy to swallow. Though from what the Gryffindor fourth and sixth years were saying, her being their professor was far from a bad thing.
Their curiousity about her had only been increased after they got a chance to talk. Why did her past seem so dark, and if it was, why was she still so carefree? How good was she going to be teaching them if she would drink with them? Who had she killed, and had they deserved it?
Yes, Thursday couldn't come faster for them.
And so when it did, they were the first ones outside her door.
Author's Note:
I'm not very fond of this chapter and it's somewhat short, but I hope you all appreciate it because I worked hard to get two chapters out in two days. Reviews would be a nice thank you. Especially if they contain constructive criticism. I know I said I'd hold out for 35 reviews, but what can I say? I'm terrible at waiting when I get back in the swing of things. Still, one review was pretty pathetic for what I thought was my best chapter.
Thank you to twinsofthesky, my sole reviewer. This chapter's dedicated to you.