A/N: Okay before we start, I just want to give a shout out to everyone in Japan who was affected by the earthquake and tsunami...my heart goes out to you guys, yeah? I hope that rescue and relief will be there and take care of things as soon as they can...
Thanks to lalala, CLAREsaysHI, GDNIGHT, and Mariana Lestrange for the reviews! It was good feedback, and really helped motivate me to continue writing ;) Oh yeah, and thanks to the people who fav-ed and story alert-ed this too! Much love! ;)
Now, on to the fic!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, any of its characters, plot, etc...Nuff said.
Of Apple Trees and Honey Bees
Chapter 5
"They say dreams are a reflection of your subconscious desires, Remus dear," Lily said, while stifling her girly giggles with her thick Potions textbook. O.W.L. exercise sheets were strewn all over the table, smudged with answers, corrections, and aggravated doodles.
The two Gryffindor prefects had met in the school library, where the other Marauders would definitely not be eavesdropping. Remus had just confided in Lily of his rather explicit dream, in search for some solace, or at least a logical interpretation.
However, Remus was definitely not used to seeing this girly side of Lily.
Fierce and fearsome, yes. Girly, no.
He involuntarily wondered how James would react to seeing this side of her.
The mental image of a nosebleeding James Potter rocketing in ecstasy to the moon, painted itself in his mind.
Yup, probably that.
"So... You're trying to imply that... I subconsciously desire a threesome?" Remus retorted, raising a sandy-blonde eyebrow. "Really, Miss Evans?"
The giggles ensued at a higher octave, and the fiery red head turned a brighter shade of scarlet.
"Maybe?"
The werewolf sighed and dramatically banged his head against the wooden library desk, to much dismay of the librarian.
For once, Lily wasn't being the reliable, understanding one here.
All is doomed.
"Hey Padfoot!"
"Yeah Prongs?"
James was relaxing on his own bed, having changed to a casual muggle shirt and jeans, while Sirius had just woken up in the wee hours of the Sunday afternoon.
The duo were alone in their dormitory. Moony their was gone, Merlin knows where. Peter was taking his very own sweet time bathing. The chubby boy's shower-singing echoed and reverberated into the otherwise silent room.
"Do you fancy anyone?" James asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Someone sounded a bit happy last night."
A groggy Sirius shifted his position on his four-poster bed to face his bespectacled friend. Damn his sleep-talking. He hugged his thick Gryffindor-motifed blanklet, as though the action would provide him the elusive solace of sleep. It was a Sunday afternoon after all, a bloke deserved his beauty sleep.
Despite his sleep-ridden hair, the Black heir managed to elegantly raise an eyebrow at his friend's query.
"Why would my love life interest you now, Prongsie?" Sirius drawled, expertly hiding the blush that would have otherwise erupted on his porcelain features. "I thought you were never the type snog and tell? With Evans, and all."
"Although I don't think Jamsie-boy's made any progress yet, huh?"
James froze, not expecting Sirius to be so alert when he just woke up. Never mind, it's just the beginning.
Sirius, of all his years of friendship with James, knew that Potter boy was up to something, with his tell-tale scheming tone and devilish smile. Up to something no good.
It was a silent Tuesday morning, and Peter Pettigrew was seen wandering alone in the castle grounds, nearing the Forbidden Forest area.
He still had a good hour or so before breakfast in the Great Hall began, so he took his time in his musings.
After all, he had to pay tribute to some of his rat-friends in the forest today.
Peter had made a silent alliance with some of the woodland creatures in the Hogwarts forest to aid him to achieve his Animagus form. He knew he wasn't the brightest in their foursome, but he didn't want to be left out of the Marauders' new monthly midnight adventures as well.
He had known that his Animagus was to be a rat, (what other creature would be so dark, be so incessantly ravenous, and have an insanely long tail?) but he had trouble achieving the full form of it at a single incantation.
Studying and communicating with the local Hogwarts rats had helped him to focus, surprisingly, and his daily tribute of toasted bread had always ensured their company. Remus had been cooperative in helping him pilfer toast from the kitchens or the Great Hall, and recently, Sirius too. James, however, seemed to be spirited away to Lily-land: the place of undying rainbows and wonky hearts.
Peter took out a piece of toast from his cloak-pocket, and crushed it into bits with his hand, cluttering it around the grass that surrounded him. He waited.
Suddenly, he heard a deathly noise, and instinctively turned to look.
He froze at the sight that greeted him.
His mind screamed, "Run!" but his feet remained frozen to the muddy ground that lay beneath him.
A hooded figure clad in black lay upon a dead centaur, doing what seemed morosely like drinking its decapitated body's blood. Droplets of the scarlet liquid splattered across the muddy ground and dead leaves.
At the sound of Peter's scared whimpering, the figure abruptly stopped, and raised its bloody head to survey its surroundings.
Its slimy, salamander-like tongue licked its lips, a maniacal grin graced its bloodied mouth.
Slowly, it made its way towards the scared boy; not walking, but levitating. Its ebony cloak was ghastly, Peter could see smoke-like fumes emitting its tips. The creature's alabaster-white skin was illumined by the dull morning sun, almost absorbing all the sunlight in the area. It was a foreboding and haunting sight to behold.
"Boy, don't you know it's dangerous to wander in the woods?" the figure hissed, its voice snake-like. "Big bad wolves could be lurking."
"I-I know a w-wolf, s-sir," Peter stammered, "b-but he's n-neither bad nor b-big."
Whatever summoned the courage in Peter to be cocky with this dark creature – Well, definitely surprised it, and undoubtedly even surprised Peter himself.
The boy must have been spending too much time with James and Sirius, and their cocky ways.
A/N: Okay, I know this is kind of like a rip-off from the unicorn thing is from HP1, but hey, the blood-sucking thing for Elixer of Life must have started somewhere, right? Sorry I don't have HP1 with me right now, so I can't exactly double-check if its canon.. ^_^
And I apologize for the slightly shorter chapter, it's really been a busy week for me...I'll make it up to you guys as soon as I can! ;)
Anyways, please review! Tell me what you liked, or didn't like! Thanks guys for reading till this far!
Something to look forward to, in Of Apple Trees and Honey Bees, Chapter 6
Sirius was taken aback by the dreary sight that beheld him in the Hospital Wing.
His mousy friend Peter was in slings. Although his body was wrapped up, it was obvious that the smaller boy had cuts and bruises littered throughout his whole body. Potions of assorted colours (all of which looked absolutely icky), were beside him on the bedside table.
The dog Animagus gripped the werewolf's shoulder. The atmosphere was tense.
"You know Peter," Remus started, "usually I'm the one who's worse for wear." The sandy-blonde haired boy sat beside the bed-ridden one, patting his head.
"What happened, mate?"