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88missmarauder88 · 6 years ago

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Sirius x Reader / Remus x Reader -- Part III

I feel like this part is wicked long, but I’m way too into this now, I can’t stop myself lol

Tag List: @ideas-nocturnas , @evyiione , @a-hopeless-and-imaginative-girl , @intense-sneezing , @ghostlyrose2 , @peasantview , @la-fille-en-aiguilles , @toasterking , @too-involved , @onthebroadway

"All right, Prongsy; out with it."

"Keep your voice down, you pillock!"

"You've hardly said a word all day. You didn't even attempt to help me set Reg's tie on fire when he popped off about United. And Evans walked past you three times between classes, and you didn't do that daft shit with your hair once."

"As touched as I am by your concern, under the cloak on the way to the kitchens isn't really the best time for a chat, on account of how Filch isn’t deaf."

"Untwist your knickers. I checked the map before we left, he's out in the greenhouses, probably having a kip. So what's going on? Somebody book the pitch for the day you wanted tryouts? Is it because it was sticky toffee instead of treacle for pudding last night? Did you find out Evans is secretly betrothed to Amycus Carrow? Alecto?"

"Fuck's own sake! Would you shut it and tickle the pear already?"

"No amount of sexy talk is going to distract me from this."

James yanked the invisibility cloak off, shoving it into the waistband of his pyjama bottoms and shaking his head in frustration.

"You truly are the most obnoxious knobhead breathing. What any girl at this school sees in you is beyond me."

Sirius struck a regal pose and gestured up and down his body, then dodged as James aimed a foot at his shin.

"Well? You asked. A pretty face, a pile of money, and a seat at the Noble and Most Ancient Table at every banquet and ball from now until death do us part."

He reached out and wiggled a finger over the pear in the fruit bowl portrait, his smirk replaced by a sudden scowl.

"In other words, they don't see a goddamn thing in me. Just the candy coating."

James remained standing in the corridor after Sirius had yanked open the secret door to the kitchens and stalked inside. The past eight hours had been little more than a blur. He vaguely recalled stumbling up to the tower with significant help from Sirius and Peter. He also seemed to remember being deposited in an armchair near the windows after Remus announced that, as the Marauder with the strongest sense of smell, he was hereby granting himself the power of banishment over anyone who posed "a spewing threat". James didn't know how long he'd slept before he was woken by the sound of voices, but he wished like hell he'd stayed asleep.

He hadn't meant to spy on you and Lily. He'd wanted to stand up and announce himself as soon as he sussed out who was talking -- and, particularly, what they were talking about -- but he was afraid the two of you wouldn't believe him if he said he'd just woken. He'd thought about trying to crawl up to his dorm but knew that would look even worse if he was caught. As a last resort, he'd put a pillow over his head, but it was just too quiet in the room; he could still hear every word.

Admittedly, he'd taken the pillow down when you'd started talking about Sirius. Not to purposefully eavesdrop, but because he'd never heard you sound that way before. There was awe in your voice, excitement, and he knew it was subconscious. He knew it was honest. So now, here he was. For all intents and purposes, his "sister" was in love with his best friend. And James didn't know whether he should sit idly by and watch things play out or try to subtly do what he could to make sure everyone came out happy on the other side.

Why did you have to go and fall for Sirius? You weren't shallow or hung up on money and status like the girls Pads was talking about just a moment ago. But then... that was just it, wasn't it? You knew Sirius as well as James did. You knew the Sirius behind the aloof playboy mask he wore for everyone else. The wounded and lost yet still caring and kind boy who'd take the fall for his friends without a second thought, who was the first to step between them and anything that might cause them harm. From that perspective, not only could James see why, he frankly couldn't think of a better thing that could've happened to Sirius. He deserved someone who understood him and would take care of him, and James knew you could be that person.

But Sirius was complicated. Overly, even at the best of times. And James was worried about how he'd react if he knew. First off, there was the small matter of not knowing whether Sirius had similar feelings. He undoubtedly loved you as a friend, and he always seemed to be at ease with you. You were a perfect sparring partner when it came to both his smart mouth and his talent, and he flirted with you regularly... although, that wasn't much of a reliable indicator when it came to Sirius. He flirted with McGonagall and the Grey Lady just as often.

Secondly, Sirius was incredibly unpredictable. His parents had never done a good job of anything, save turning him into the most self-loathing person James knew. He never thought he "deserved" to be happy, settling instead for "entertained from a distance". And he didn't do well with emotions or letting people get too close, always afraid his family would find a way to take anything -- or anyone -- they knew was important to him away. So while part of James was telling him he should probably just stay out of the whole thing, another part insisted it couldn't hurt to feel everyone out. After all, what would become of the five of you if you confessed your feelings to Sirius and he didn't share them? And if Sirius didn't want this -- or couldn't handle it -- it sounded as if Remus might. You and Remus could be good for each other as well, James thought, and if Moony really was in love with you, he deserved the chance to let you know in his own way.

James jumped as Sirius kicked open the kitchen door.

"That's it! I know what's wrong with you, Prongs, my lad."

"Enlighten me."

"You've developed a crippling fear of house-elves. But fret not, I bravely stormed the kitchens with absolutely no help from you."

Sirius dropped onto a nearby bench, setting a sack full of food down beside him.

"What're you doing?" James asked. "We can't sit around here in the open, we need to get back."

"Not until you tell me what's going on. And look," he added, digging in the sack. "If you fess up like a good boy, there's a treacle tart of your very own in it for you!"

James slowly sat down on the bench, trying desperately to think of something, anything, he could use as an excuse for his mood. Then it dawned on him. All the rest aside, there was one portion of the early morning's events that would have had him on cloud nine all day if not for the awkwardness of everything else.

"Owing to the fact I was dumped in the common room like a sack of potatoes this morning, I accidentally overheard Y/N and Evans chatting. Evans told her she found me less 'disgusting and intolerable' these days."

"Ace!" Sirius yelped cheerfully, reaching over to violently ruffle James's mop of black hair. "Have to make sure this is properly mussed for when you ask her out at breakfast!"

"Keep... your bloody... voice down!" James hissed through his teeth, whacking Sirius's hand away from his head.

"Why so gloomy, then? I'd've thought you'd be bouncing off the walls over that."

James snatched the treacle tart out of Sirius's hand and took a large bite.

"Well, she followed it up with the fact that hating me less still means the majority of her hates me."

"Semantics. Y/N called that one; you're growing on her."

"Y/N did call that one. She's usually right about these things, isn't she. Good at reading people, I mean."

"She's got all our numbers, that's for sure." Sirius grinned to himself; James took note and continued to watch his face as Sirius munched absently on a sausage roll.

"Now we just need to get the numbers of these blokes who're always sniffing about. I saw Morgan chatting her up again in the courtyard yesterday."

Sirius shoved the last of the roll into his mouth and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at the floor.

"One would've thought a few Stinging Snowballs -- patent pending, Sirius Black, 1975 -- would've gotten the message across."

"Guess we'll have to start getting even more creative. Y'know, since it'll be worse this year."

Sirius looked up at James. "Worse?"

"Oh, sure. We're fifth years now. Before, we really only had to worry about the blokes in our year. Now, we're all fair game for fourth and up. Four years' worth of hormones stampeding around the castle like a rogue erumpent."

"Sons of bitches..."

James quickly took another bite of tart to stop himself grinning.

"Yeah, we'll have to keep our eyes open now. She's a real corker, and everybody's starting to notice it."

“I know she's a corker," Sirius pouted, crossing and recrossing his ankles anxiously. "Have since we were kids. So I guess Duane bloody Morgan's not all that swift on the uptake for a Ravenclaw, is he? She can't... she wouldn't really... she's not serious about these gits, she just went out with them to be polite. She's got to learn to say no to people is all. People who don't really care about her, I mean. The candy coating people."

This time, James didn't respond. Sirius was staring at the ground again, this time with something like sadness in his eyes, and James reckoned he'd learnt enough for one night. He stood and began unfolding the cloak.

"We'd never let her get hurt. Now, come on. Moony and Worm'll think we got nabbed."

James and Sirius made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, where the Marauders stayed awake for another hour or so, eating and playing Exploding Snap. Sirius didn't say much, and his appetite seemed to have disappeared. Eventually, the lamps were put out, and the room was soon filled with the sounds of deep breathing and occasional snores from Peter's bed. Only Sirius was awake to hear them. His thoughts racing along paths they'd never travelled before, he lay staring up at his canopy until first light came creeping through the space at the top of his curtains.

"Mr Black! If I have to remind you one more time that firewhisky does not, in fact, contain medicinal properties, I'm banning the lot of you."

Sirius reluctantly placed the flask in her waiting hand with a sigh. "I'd just hoped you of all people would be open to advancements in the field, Poppy, that's all."

Madam Pomfrey glared at him before making her way to another bed. "You're a doll for trying," you said to Sirius, propping yourself up on your elbows and watching as Pomfrey set about liberally applying lotion to the boy lying five beds down.

"Strange, don't you think, how Morgan managed to mistake poison ivy for betony leaves when he was trying to make that paste for his dog bite? Professor Sprout doesn't generally keep poison ivy in the greenhouses at all, much less where the betony usually is."

"We mustn't be too hard on her," Remus said, fixing his eyes on something suddenly interesting beyond the window behind your bed. "It could happen to the best of us."

"Strange, too, that he had a dog bite in the first place. I don't know that I've ever seen a dog on school grounds."

"You never know what sort of mad beasties are lurking about in the forest," Sirius said, lazily toying with a string on the hem of his Thin Lizzy shirt. Peter snorted, and James elbowed the boy in the ribs. "Gesundheit," he muttered as Peter doubled over.

You shook your head and dropped back onto your pillows with a smile. Taking a bludger to the head didn't typically fall under the category of a blessing, but in your case, it'd been close. In the fortnight since you'd confided in Lily, you'd tried your best to just put the entire mess out of your mind. But with Lily constantly asking if you'd talked to the boys yet and you working overtime to appear extra nonchalant whenever they were around, it was an impossible task. That fact was punctuated rather violently at tryouts: Your attention split between trying not to get caught staring at Sirius and worrying over what Remus and Lily were talking about in the stands, you'd had none left for the bludger one of the new beater candidates had missed.

You were out cold the rest of that night and all of yesterday. You woke this morning to the boys all chattering at once in their relief, pressing flowers and sweets -- and an immediately confiscated flask of firewhisky -- into your hands as Madam Pomfrey did her best to shoo them away. The ensuing few hours had felt blissfully ordinary. If it took blunt trauma to knock some sense into you, so be it. You glanced up at the sound of Remus and James arguing over the last of your Chocolate Frogs to see Sirius looking down at you with clear concern.

"Promise you're all right?"

"If you think I took it hard, you should see the bludger."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, but the wrinkle of worry remained between his brows.

"I should've been paying attention. I should've blocked it."

"Sirius, we weren't even in the same drill. I'm the one who wasn't paying attention. But I'm fine. Promise. She said I can go tonight after a few more potions."

You reached over to pat his arm reassuringly. Sirius looked at your hand for a moment before slowly placing his on top of it. You froze. Afraid to look up, you stared instead at his hand, willing your own not to tremble despite the fact every nerve in your body was. Your mouth had gone bone dry, and you licked your lips, trying to think of something to say. James and Remus were no longer bickering, and you could feel their eyes on the two of you. Panicked, you were about to pull your hand back when Sirius's squeezed down around it, moving it from his arm to the edge of your bed. He held it there while he reached into his robes. A moment later, you felt the cool metal of a flask sliding beneath your palm.

Sirius cleared his throat slightly before removing his hand from yours. But he didn't just lift it away; he slid it lightly down and off the edge of the bed, tracing the length of your hand with his fingertips as he went. You looked up. His eyes could have burnt a hole through you. And maybe they were; maybe that would explain the heat spreading like Fiendfyre through your entire body. Better that than acknowledge the fact that you knew you were blushing furiously, that all of them could see it, and that there wasn't a bloody thing you could do about it.

Mercifully, Sirius looked down, and you quickly tried to fill the silence.

"How many of those do you have in there?"

Sirius grinned and opened his robe just enough for you to catch a glint of silver.

"He cast Geminio on it," Peter snickered, and Remus heaved a sigh.

"I'm going to be the first prefect in Hogwarts history to be stripped of his badge within a month, aren't I."

Before anyone could answer, Madam Pomfrey's shrill voice cut through.

"Mr Black!"

"HOW DID YOU EVEN SEE THAT?!"

The matron came marching up the aisle, and Sirius quickly pulled the flask out of his pocket, holding it towards you.

"Cheers!" he said with a smile that thoroughly melted you; a genuine, sweet smile, the sort you remembered from when you were all kids and nothing was complicated. You returned it as you tapped your flask against his, and you both managed to get a couple of healthy swigs down before the flasks went flying out of your hands and into Pomfrey's. As soon as she touched them, two more flasks sprang into being, clattering to the floor.

"Out!!" she ordered, but the Marauders were already halfway to the door. "See you tonight!" James called over his shoulder as they disappeared into the corridor.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to exert a positive influence over your friends?" Madam Pomfrey asked, casting an exasperated look at you as she plunked a creamy purple potion down onto your side table.

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but how terribly dull would that be?"

The corners of her mouth ghosted upwards for a split second before she side-eyed you and returned to Morgan.

"I assume our resident juvenile delinquents weren't leaving willingly," Lily's voice came from the doorway, and you turned as the girl approached your bed, a bag of Chocolate Cauldrons in her hand.

"Bless you," you said dramatically. She handed you the bag with a shrug. "Personally, I don't think these should be sold to anyone who isn't of age, but you've had a traumatic experience. A needless, easily preventable traumatic experience. How are you feeling?"

"Not up to arguing with you over the barbarity of Quidditch."

"Fair dinkum."

"And if you like, in future, you can get me toffees. To be honest, they're my favourites, but nobody knows that because nobody around here ever figures anyone wants anything ordinary. They remind me of my gran, though, and I love them."

"Noted. And that's sweet. Now, let's talk about the boys."

You groaned loudly. "Why don't you just use Crucio? At least it's quicker."

Lily stood and began plumping your pillows, her voice softening.

"I'm not trying to torture you. But don't think I don't know why you got hurt. You're not the seeker because of your awful reflexes. You've been miserable, and you're not going to be un-miserable until something changes. And I think you should know that neither Sirius nor Remus left your side the entire time. When Remus wasn't sitting here reading you Oscar Wilde, Sirius was trying to play you Led Zeppelin songs on his harmonica until Madam Pomfrey made him stop it."

You chuckled at the thought, but amusement was quickly replaced by the turmoil you were becoming so accustomed to when you thought of Remus reading one of your favourite authors. The tightness in your chest flooded back, the constant worry tying your stomach into knots.

"See?" Lily asked. "You can't even be happy for two seconds. So what went on after you woke up?"

You took a deep breath.

"Well... everything was basically normal for the most part, aside from the fact Morgan's over there because Sirius bit him in dog form and then they replaced one of the betony plants with poison ivy so he'd accidentally make a remedy out of it. They all think I don't know they're Animagi now so they can keep Remus company during his transformations, and that's because Remus told them not to involve me because he was too afraid that I'd get hurt, but I was incredibly offended by that, as you can imagine, so I did it over the summer. Became an Animagus, I mean. I really lucked out with the sky being clear the same night I finished with the leaf and it being really stormy for days after that. But they don't know that I've done it. Yet."

You paused for fear that if Lily's jaw dropped any further, it'd dislocate. "I was obviously going to tell you, Lily, there just hadn't been a good time yet."

"Yeah, and now was great," Lily sputtered. "I don't suppose the four of you are registered? Of course you're not, it's the four of you. And Remus is a prefect... I'm a prefect!" she shrieked, as if just remembering the fact. "How can you be sure it'll even work? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Do you care at all what will happen to all of you if you're caught?"

Lily buried her face in her hands, breathing heavily, and you remained quiet, allowing her to process. After a few moments, you reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Lily had been your walking, talking conscience for four years now, for all the good it did her, and while she usually managed to overcome her shock fairly quickly, you worried you might have finally found her breaking point. Finally, she exhaled loudly and gave you a weary look.

"What's Potter?"

You grinned. "A stag."

She contemplated a moment before raising her eyebrows and nodding in apparent approval.

"All right. We'll come back to that another time. So what happened that wasn't ‘basically normal’? As if any of that was normal..."

You chewed your bottom lip a moment before continuing. "Sirius had my hand because he was slipping a flask into it -- don't give me that look -- and when he took his hand away, he did it... really... tenderly? And then he was staring at me, and I know I was blushing. They all had to have seen. Remus had to have seen. Then, right before Madam Pomfrey chased them out, he smiled at me, and he looked so happy, Lily. Actually happy... and I can't let myself believe that it had anything to do with me, but Merlin, I wish it had something to do with me."

Lily hopped up onto the edge of your bed and pulled you into a hug. "Only your love story would be heavily sprinkled with illegal activity and alcohol. So you know you and Sirius have to talk, right? Because if it does have something to do with you, then you two need to figure yourselves out for your sakes and for Remus's."

"How am I supposed to do this, Lily? I know them both so well, they both know me so well... somebody is going to get hurt before this is over. How do you come back from that?"

Lily's eyes were suddenly faraway and sad, and her shoulders slumped. "I don't know how you come back from that," she whispered.

"Lily? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she murmured, straightening. "It's just a good question. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a good answer, though, so you have to just remember that people get over being temporarily hurt, but regret over things you should've done and didn't -- that doesn't go away. And love is worth taking all the risks in the world for. Now. Drink your potions, eat your Cauldrons, and I'll see you back in the room tonight."

"Think Y/N's out yet?" Peter asked.

"What does no one understand about not talking in the bloody corridors?!" James seethed. "This is a Cloak of In-vis-i-bil-i-ty. Not a Cloak of Soundproof...ness. When you talk, people CAN HEAR YOU!"

"Shhhh! Honestly, Prongs, would you stop that yelling? People could hear you."

"Fuck off, Padfoot. Dissendium."

The hump on the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor sprung open, and, one by one, the Marauders hopped inside, sliding down into the tunnel below. The amount of stooping it took to navigate the space now that they were taller limited conversation to the occasional "Hurry up" and "That was my heel, you clod", and once they'd reached Honeydukes' cellar, they collapsed onto boxes to rest a bit before collecting sweets for what they'd elected to dub your "Welcome Back to Consciousness" party.

"I still can't believe she got clobbered like that," James said. "She's quick as a cat, that one."

"She wasn't looking," Peter said, digging around in an adjacent box of humbugs. "She was staring off at something when the bludger came back at her."

James rubbed the back of his neck. That explained it, then. He'd seen you staring at Sirius more than once during the drills.

"I thought I was going to be sick when she didn't wake up right away," he said. "I know she can take care of herself and all, but seeing her lying there in that bed just made me feel sort of..."

"Useless," said Remus.

"Helpless," Sirius said at the same time.

Remus was bouncing his leg up and down in agitation. Moony hadn't been this antsy in ages, and James was becoming increasingly distressed about knowing the reason why. He still believed Remus deserved a chance to talk to you about his feelings, but he'd also seen the way you and Sirius had looked at each other that afternoon in the hospital wing. You would never hurt Remus intentionally, but what if it was inevitable at this point?

"I need to say something," Remus remarked suddenly, and James tensed. He hadn't expected this.

"Say it later, yeah?" he suggested, abruptly standing. "We should get the sweets and get back."

"No, Prongs, I need to say it now. I need... advice, I guess? I don't know exactly... I feel like sort of an idiot, but--"

"Did you guys hear that?" James tried desperately. "I think there might be somebody upstairs, we really should get--"

"I think I'm in love with Y/N," Remus blurted.

Silence came down like a lead weight, and James quickly shot a glance at Sirius. He looked stricken, and James's heart sank. He'd still been in the process of trying to gauge Sirius's feelings, but everything that had happened in hospital the last two days combined with the panic in his eyes right now spoke volumes. James couldn't let his best mate suffer. Not when he knew the truth.

"I don't really know if I am or not, though... maybe I'm just being stupid, maybe it's hormones... fuck, why did I even say that, please forget I said that, I'm probably just imagining it, it's definitely not worth ruining a friendship over," Remus was stammering, clearly mortified.

"Moony... yeah, to be totally honest with you, mate, I really don't think--" James began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Nah, Moony, you can't think like that," he said, his voice quiet and unreadable. "If you think you love her, you should tell her. It's worth it. She's worth it."

James watched, stunned, as Sirius stared at the floor for a moment before standing and giving Remus's shoulder a pat. Without another word, he walked over to a shelf at the back of the cellar and grabbed a large bag of toffees before dropping back into the tunnel.

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