Hi guys! so this isn’t a parks and rec/orphan black crossover but we’ve finally put up the first chapter of our orphan black/harry potter (marauders era) crossover and we are SO excited about it. this has been 2 years in the making so we hope you enjoy it! part of the chapter is under the cut but the full chapter is up on our ao3. please tell us what you think!
Summary: James Potter’s life is falling apart: his Quidditch team can’t seem to win a match, he’s hopelessly in love, and his only friends are entangled in a clone conspiracy.
Chapter 1: The Gravity of the Task Which Lies Before Us
James had no memory of walking to the Great Hall.
He went through his motions mechanically, half-dazed and laden with sleep, buttering a slice of toast until it was soggy. He thought of the upcoming game with difficulty, for it was hard to see past his tiredness; their team had been preparing for months, and he hoped to bring them to victory in his first game as Captain. Yawning, James recalled the dream he’d had the previous night: the whole Slytherin team had upgraded their brooms and were using Paul Dierden’s head as a Quaffle. He hoped it was not some kind of horrific premonition, but then, Divination had never been his strong suit.
It was Sarah who drew him from these thoughts, cuffing him on the side of the head with the hand that was not waving a jam-covered roll around like it was a battle-axe.
“Oi!” she huffed, clearly put-out that James had not been hanging on to every word of her robust, pre-Quidditch speech, “Are you ready for the match?”
Odd dreams forgotten, James snatched the roll, tearing a chunk off with his teeth and grinning at her with a mouthful of food. She made a vague noise of protest, trying to reclaim her breakfast, and James held it out of her reach, saying, “When am I not ready, Manning?”
“Last year,” said Sarah in a strained voice as she leaned over him to grasp the roll, “when your Comet started tailing left and you said you would buy a new one-”
“Alright,” he said weakly, shoving the half-eaten roll back into her hand in an effort to quieten her.
“-and you nearly cost us the match to Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff, James!”
“Definitely one of his lower moments.” said a voice from behind them. James found himself shoved to the right as Sirius wedged himself in the small space between them, balancing a plate laden with food on his fingertips. A fried egg threatened to slide over the edge of the plate and onto James’s lap; he took the plate from Sirius before that could happen, allowing his best friend to settle on the bench.
“At least I’ve got the Nimbus now.” said James, claiming a slice of toast from Sirius’s plate.
“One match too late.” said Sarah solemnly with a dramatic, defeated hanging of her head. She righted herself at a sharp, accidental jab to her rib from Sirius’s elbow; she pushed him and James further down the bench and rubbed the sore spot. “Where’re Remus and Pete at?”
“They’ll be sleeping in until the match, the pillocks.” said Sirius, spearing a sausage on his fork and inspecting it carefully before laying it down and pushing the plate away.
James waved his slice of toast in Sirius’s face, saying, “Eat.” in a firm voice. Sirius made a whiny sort of noise, to which James said, “First match of the year. and I refuse to lose to Slytherin because you fell off your broom in a fit of famine.”
“Good morning!” greeted a pleasant, feminine voice far too chipper for an early Saturday. “How’re you all feeling?” Beth slid into the empty space opposite Sarah, a sullen-faced Lily right on her heels.
“We,” said Sirius, pointing to himself and Sarah, “are in excellent condition. It’s your brother we’re worried about.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially, leaning across the table to be closer to Beth but not at all concealing his voice from James: “It was totally his fault we lost last year.”
“It was not my fault!” protested James as Beth snickered behind her hand. “It was totally Davis’s, no one told him to go flying in front of the hoops-”
“What’s got her knickers in a knot?” interjected Sarah with a sweeping gesture at Lily, who propped her chin on her hands and glared at a spot on the table. Beth gave a noncommittal shrug, taking a long drink from her goblet.
“Mornings,” said Lily, words laced with contempt, “are not for being awake. I’ve spent my valuable sleeping time breathing owl dung-!” At this, James snorted audibly, and Lily’s tired scowl turned on him. He hastily stuffed a second slice of toast into his mouth, unaware of what exactly he was doing, and rose loudly from the table, sending his own empty goblet clattering to the wooden surface.
“C’mon,” he said around the toast, seizing Sirius and Sarah by their shoulders. “There are some plays I want to go over-”
The three left the Great Hall, Sarah buttering a second roll as she walked. James was all too aware of several eyes following them, mostly sneering Slytherins who would not soon forget their crushing defeat the previous year. He waved in their direction cheerfully.
"Shouldn't we round up the others?" asked Sirius. "For the plays?"
James waited until they were in the corridor to answer. "That would be helpful," he said slowly; it was easier to pretend like he had forgotten about the rest of the team than to admit that he had gotten flustered by Lily and needed a quick escape. "Sarah, go back and get the team. We'll meet you on the pitch."
"Got it, Captain." said Sarah, saluting him mockingly.
"No more rolls!" called James as Sarah spun on her heel and returned to the Hall.
I love this tumblr so much! The quotes are perfect for each character and I can pretend OB is a hilarious comedy instead of something that rips out my cophine heart.
thank you so much! i hope your cophine heart was slightly eased by the season finale, mine definitely was!!
