Leather and Smoke

Sirius Orion Black Gryffindor || 16 || Beater "We could be heroes, just for one day"

[mrpxdfoot]

Library ↫ September 17 ↬ Evening

[andromeda-ofthestars]

Later in the evening, when less people were around, was the best way to talk to Sirius. Not she made a schedule of when to talk to him or not, nor did she outright ignore him when she passed him in the corridors, but it was often easier if she pretended to put a little distance between them. Otherwise people started asking questions and she wouldn’t put it past her parents and uncle and aunt to find out - to put it simply, she got in trouble enough as it was.

When she saw Sirius in the library on his own, her first reaction was surprise, before realising this was a good chance to chat with him. Quietly sitting down next to him, she patted him on the arm. “That’s not true. I bet you don’t hate me. And can I say, I’m shocked to find you in the library. You’re not even chained to the seat.”

[mrpxdfoot]

He was surprised to see Andromeda sitting next to him, even more so when she started talking. As of late, it seemed that Sirius Black wasn't very popular amongst family and friends so it was nice to have his cousin talking to him, although a part of him warned him that it could end in disaster.

"Technically, I said everything which means, inanimate objects. Like this book." He scrunched up his nose, looking at the large volume a if its existence offended him. "Well, I usually ask Remus for help with this kind of thing but..." But since we're in a weird place, asking for help would be weird and I'm tired of weird. "...I thought I'd give it a go. I regret the decision.What brings you here, Andie?"

[mrpxdfoot]

Library ↫ September 17 ↬ Evening

Sirius was drained. Honestly, he felt like crawling under the bed and not coming out for a couple of days but that was not how life worked and he had to keep on going with his normal life, doing normal things. A terribly long paper for history of magic was one of those normal things and he was tired of looking through books.

"This is so fucking stupid." He grumbled, closing the book he had in front of him when, after hours of reading, the sentences stopped making sense. "I hate everything."

[foreverxblackeyed]

Stairwell | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

In hindsight, he wasn’t sure what kind of answer he was looking for. The words crashed around inside his skull. He knew they should be enough; he wanted them to be enough, he really did. Perhaps when they were young, before everything became complicated with intentions and nuances, love would have been enough. Regulus was hardly an adult, far from it; his youth was partially what made these types of eternal life lessons so difficult. And so instead of returning the sentiment, instead of absolving his brother’s betrayal with a quick and desperate outburst, he held it in, pressing his lips together and nodding.

Besides, it was his damn pride. He wore his pride like a suit of armor. That, and his silence, were the only things protecting him now.

Slowly, he removed the jacket and pushed himself up to his feet. He allowed his stare to connect with his brother’s for only a few seconds, and with all his concentration, he tried to rob his expression of bitterness, of hope, of despair — of any emotion.

"You shouldn’ta left."

And then he turned on his heels and stepped through the protective magical shell (giving a Ravenclaw student who was passing in the hallway quite a fright as he seemed to appear out of thin air). He dashed down another flight of stairs and off towards the Slytherin Common Room. When the door shut behind him, he threw his back against it, and he could feel the weight of the world falling down upon him.

At least, now, he was alone.

[mrpxdfoot]

He wasn't sure why he expected those simple words to be enough, he wasn't sure why he hoped that with that things would be okay again. Maybe it was his need for the words of that son to be true: Love is all you need. But it as bullshit. Love didn't fix anything, love wasn't enough.

He loved his mother, he turned her back on him. Same with his father. He loved Remus and it hadn't been enough to make things better. He loved Regulus and yet he was giving him that terribly cold stare that remind him too much of Walburga before hitting him for saying something out of turn that he, unconsciously, lifted his arm to protect himself from the possible blow. But it didn't came. Instead, Regulus walked away, making him wish that he had gotten punched in the stomach instead.

He sighed deeply, picking his jacket from the floor, making the spell vanish, eyes on the floor as he walked away. He could've chased his brother but he was drained. Sirius was so done with people being angry at him, so done with feeling like everything he did was wrong. But there wasn't much he could do, except keep going.

[foreverxblackeyed]

Stairwell | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

It took several more minutes for Regulus to return to what he viewed as an almost-normal state. Slowly, almost painfully so, he noticed his heartbeat calming, his skin ceasing to shiver; he felt color returning to his face. His brother’s guidance was helpful. He breathed only when Sirius told him to, fighting as hard as he could against his instincts to hyperventilate.

Feeling his balance recovering, he raised a quivering hand and placed it on the back of Sirius’s, guiding the boy’s palm against his cheek and softly nuzzling into it. A physical reminder that Sirius was still there; that he hadn’t left. 

"Yeah. I… I think so."

When he opened his eyes next, the world had stopped shaking. Occasionally, a student would pass them by in the hallway, oblivious to the protective spell and the two boys contained within them. His senses returning to him, he sat up on his knees, straight-spined and proper, gently brushing away his brother’s hand. He gripped the collar of Sirius’s jacket, still wrapped around his shoulders, and hugged it tightly around him, as if trying to conceal himself further.

"Why are you helping me?" he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. His stare was fixated on the patterns of the floor. Once again, he refused eye contact, lest he show weakness.

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius felt a wave of relieve hit him once his brother's breathing went back to normal. He had been dealing with this kinds of attacks for a while now and he had gotten better at reacting to them but they were still nerve wrecking situations.

He sighed softly, pulling his hand away from his brother's face, frowning lightly at the question. The first answer that came to his mind was: because you are my brother. But it didn't seem right. Not only because Regulus would probably think of him as a hypocrite since the rest of his family wasn't very dear to him. The only exceptions were Regulus, Andromeda and, surprisingly enough, Narcissa. Those three Black's were still family to him, even if he wasn't sure if he was family to them. "Because I love you, Reg." He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and for him, it was. Simple as that. 

[foreverxblackeyed]

Stairwell | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

Regulus did as he was told. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The periphery of his vision was blurred, but in the center of it all, there was Sirius, smiling down at him, as he always did. How did he manage to remain so calm? His own eyes were bloodshot and the skin beneath them had become puffy and dark. He stared into them, jealous and fearful and appreciative all at once.

It was strange how Regulus could feel safe in the hands of someone who caused him so much turmoil. It was as if, for a moment, everything had gone back to normal; like this protective magical shell in the hallway had not only separated them from the prying eyes of passers-by but from reality itself. Sirius’s skin was warm; comforting. He could feel his brother’s pulse against his cheek. The steady rhythm was reminding him how to be a person again.

But still, he was shivering, because calming down was never an easy feat. Shutting his eyes once more, he listened to the sound of Sirius’s repeated phrases, trying his hardest to breathe normally. In. Out. Not too hard this time. In. Out. He drew in fragile streams of air through his nose. His insides felt cold. He was acutely aware of how clammy his skin was, now that he was making physical contact with someone. “I-I’m sorry. Sirius. M’sorry… I hate… that this happens… I hate it…” He alternated apologies with breaths. Both seemed equally important.

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius watched his brother carefully, pushing away his worry and the fear that this attacks always ave him. He had to stay calm for Regulus so all the negative feelings were buried deep down so no one could see them.

He remembered the first time he watched Regulus had one of his attacks, he was clueless as of what to do, scared of what might happen but more scared of telling his parents, certain that they'd make it worse. He had done the only thing that he could think about: he hugged his brother, he promised that things would be okay, tried to sound sure and calm even when he was terrified. Since then he had improved, learned how to act when his brother as like this, he learned how to help him, taught himself to control his emotions.

"Don't be. There's nothing to be sorry for." He assured after shaking his head a little, offering a reassuring smile. "I know you hate it but you don't have to be sorry. Just focus on breathing,okay? In...And out." He breathed at the same rhythm as his brother. Slowly, he took his jacket off and placed it around the younger boys shoulders, then placed his hand on the boy's face again. "Feeling better, Reg?"

[foreverxblackeyed]

Stairwell | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

Regulus was halfway down the stairs when he thought he heard Sirius’s voice floating behind him. He couldn’t be sure. It sounded wrong: distant, wafting, as if trying to bubble through tons of waves and water; not like normal voice drifting through normal air. Regulus felt very much like he, too, was underwater. His vision, heavily blurred, was closing in around him. His fluttering heart battled his spine as he tried to push against all that supposed water and just stand upright.

On the stairs, he gripped the railing and turned, and there was Sirius, following behind him. He knew that look of concern. He had seen it on his big brother’s face countless times before, all those other moments when he was struggling to stay afloat. He was vaguely aware of other students passing him by as they ascended the stairs to class; vaguely aware of how they were trying, unsuccessfully, not to look at him. He glared at Sirius, but with a desperate, pleading slant to his eyes, and on the deepest breath he could muster, he spoke:

"Not. Here."

And with that, he took off running down the stairs. He would not make it to his room; he just needed to make it away, away from all the people and the light. He turned the corner, unaware of whether Sirius was following, and flung himself onto the floor on his hands and knees. His hair covered his face. He drew in short, sharp wheezes that echoed throughout the hallway.

[mrpxdfoot]

He knew what was happening. He knew all too well. He had seen his brother go through this before, he had been one to calm him down and make things better. How much had things changed in such a little period of time. Just a summer and he was the cause of one of this attacks. But he couldn't focus on that, he could just keep on running behind his brother. His self hatred could wait until he was on his own.  

Sirius turned the corner and found Regulus, struggling to breath. He was quick to take his want out, throw and spell that would give them some privacy before he placed himself in front of his brother, cupping his face with both hands carefully, as if he was dealing with glass and if he wasn't gentle Regulus could break.

"Hey..." He said, his voice soft despite his racing heartbeat and the burning sensation in his lungs after running so much. He had to stay calm for his brother. "Reg? Look at me, yes?" He brushed his thumbs along the younger boy's cheeks, his silver eyes focused on his brother's. Desperate, scared. He offered a reassuring smile. "Listen to my voice. Focus on my voice, Reg. It's going to be okay. I'm here for you. Right here, right now. I'll take care of you, little bro." He promised. "Just focus on my voice, breathe. I got you."

[mrpxdfoot]

Courtyard ✶ September 12【Evening】

[rj-moonylupin-deactivated201510]

It was amazing how Sirius had the power to leave him speechless with even the tiniest of actions. Just at his touch and his lips on his cheek, Remus was breathless and his eyes were glazing over, his brain practically shutting down. He wanted to push him over and snog him senseless right then and there for anyone to see. Obviously he wouldn’t since they had already done such a thing and he was in his right mind this time, but still the temptation was very strong especially with talk of skinny dipping even if he had seen Sirius naked a million times over the years. Things were different now, right?

"Uhm… Yeah, other people. Right," he mumbled, trying to shake increasingly inappropriate thoughts out of his head. He swallowed thickly to try and make himself sound like he wasn’t completely dehydrated and gave a quick nod. "I’ll, uh, talk to Mary and Marlene, convince them to join in. It’ll be… uhm.. It’s gonna be really great. It’s the perfect idea.” Remus did the best he could to show his appreciation for the idea without showing how he really felt, but it was so difficult with Sirius that he couldn’t stop himself from brushing his scarred knuckles along his knee as his eyes flashed the bright gold of the wolf’s for a moment, even if he was still trying to do as he said he would in the lake.

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius smiled brightly. This was what he had been needing for so long. His summer had been such a mes and his life in general seemed to be chaotic a of late and just knowing that maybe, just maybe there would be a moment to relax and pretend everything was perfectly fine and normal was something he had been craving for a long time. Remus had always been one to make him feel better, no matter what and even now, without knowing, he was making him feel like things would eventually be just fine.

"Oh, I'm sure Marls will be delighted to join in! And if she is in, she'll convince Mary." He smiled and turned to look at Remus just in time to see his eyes glowing bright gold, making his heart skip a beat. He swallowed thickly and his eyes went to the other's lips. Don't. You can't. You'll fuck it all up. And for once he listened to reason, he didn't kiss Remus, instead he looked down, just hooking his pinky finger to Remus', hoping that the little contact was okay. "I promise I'll make sure everyone has fun and um...Stuff."

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

"Fine." His voice was equally as quiet as his brother’s, struggling as well for any hint of normality. "O-okay." He nodded, just a little bit, a small measure of reluctant acceptance. So this is what life is like now. This is how it’s going to be.

There was no use trying to hold it back now: he could feel it coming. The panic was drawing over him like a dark, inevitable wave. His forehead pounded. He could hear the blood throbbing behind his ears. His skin felt both clammy and cold all at once. He wasn’t sure if the color in his face had come on in full force or drained completely. He barely had time to notice the irony: that Sirius, who had once possessed the sole capability of calming these attacks, had this time instigated it. All he knew was that if he didn’t get out of there, at that moment, and make it to somewhere safe, he would faint.

"I hafta go," he said at once, pushing himself up to his feet and wobbling a little as he did so. "I… M’sorry. I… I hafta go." And he ran off through the doors and into the castle, clutching at his ribcage as he dashed towards the stairs. I just hafta make it to my room. I just hafta make it to my room. Just hold it in til then.

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius stayed silent. He was so done with the year and it had just begun. He wanted to go back to the Potter's, he wanted to not think about anything at all, he wanted to sleep through the day without anything bothering him, he wanted to forget about the mess his life was at the moment, even if it was just for a little while. But he couldn't do that, vacation were over and he had to deal with his screwed up life weather he wanted or not.

He sighed softly, there was nothing else to do or say and the silence was making him feel uneasy. He turned hie head to look at his brother, say goodbye but the other boy had gotten up fast and he was leaving before Sirius had a chance to say anything.

The older brother felt a mixture of hurt and worry as he watched his brother running away. Regulus wasn't good with confrontation, Sirius knew that but running away like that just didn't seem...Right. He quickly got up and run towards the younger boy, certain that something was wrong. "Reg!" He called as he started to catch up. "Wait, Reg!"

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

He winced at hearing his mother’s name. It sounded so biting, so hateful, a sharp reminder of far Sirius was from the family. It was selfish, too, Regulus thought, how after all the times he himself had rationalized himself into forgiving his parents, his brother refused to push himself to do the same. Even though the woman was cold, even when she was quick to harm, Mom was the only name that made sense: Mom, who put a roof over their heads and food in their bellies; Mom, who constantly pushed them to try harder, to be the best wizards and the best men they were capable of.

His shoulder collided with Sirius’s as they sat. His entire left side felt as if it had turned to stone.

"No," he responded, meekly, curtly. He stared through slitted eyes at anything else. A girl across the courtyard was panicking after an ill-formed transfiguration had caused the ends of her hair to singe. He stared at that.

"I-I don’t… think a-anything about you. I —"

His lips parted, ready for the words to come out, but none did. He had a million things to say, he knew that, but they were all rushing forward at once, trapping themselves in his vocal tract which was tiny by comparison, and nothing could break loose. Besides, he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes again. They pounded behind his face like a waterfall. He bit down hard on his lower lip and forced them back inside. He would not allow Sirius to see that.

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius froze, his heart sinking into his stomach like a heavy rock. He should't have come to talk to Regulus, he should've left when he had the chance but he was naive enough to believe that maybe, just maybe things could go well between himself and his brother. After so many years, Sirius still had that damn defect when it came to his family. He always hoped. Hoped that his mother wouldn't hit him,  hoped that his father wouldn't yell at him, hoped that her mother would be nicer to his little brother. It was in vein and every time he was left down it just hurt way too much. Still, he had hoped his brother would at least give him the benefit of the doubt. He was wrong and that bloody hurt.

He swallowed thickly, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat as he waited for Regulus to say what he had already heard from his mother, from his father. You're a disgrace, you're a disappointment. You're not a real Black. I hate you. But nothing came. Just a tense silence, heavy and awkward.

"You don't?" He whispered, clearing his throat to try to make his voice sound like usual instead of shaky. At least his mother had taught him that. How not to show emotions, how not to be, in her words: weak. He smiled. "That's good, Regulus. Don't spare me a though. It'll be better for you if you don't even mention my name again."

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

His heart sank as Sirius started to leave. This was the first time they had seen each other in weeks — aside from awkwardly passing each other in the hallway, his big brother always distracted by his friends who seemed incapable of leaving his side — and he was blowing it.

Regulus took a breath, a deep breath, fully intending that words would accompany the exhale. So much had been left unsaid. He still did not know, exactly, why Sirius had left. He tried to remember the precise words his mother had used. Something about “choosing to side with the traitors” and it being his “own damn fault”, and she had let the M word slip quite a few times. Her explanation had felt stuffy and inconclusive. She had sat him down on their hard, thin couch with the dark paisley fabric and spoke, sternly, about how we must judge people by the company they keep. And Regulus had to agree. It made sense, at the time.

Still, there was no use laying all the blame on Sirius. They had barely spoken since that night that he returned home with blood on his face and a sickening pale to his cheeks. Some things just cannot be unseen, he decided. He gripped the top of his left sleeve in his palm, an extra precaution not to reveal his bare arm.

"Mom’s mad at you, y’know."

He braced himself for Sirius’s response. His thumb was starting to throb from the constant biting.

[mrpxdfoot]

When he felt Regulus hand on his sleeve, stopping him from leaving, he felt  rather surprised. Pleasantly so but surprised nevertheless. At his brother's words, he had to bit his lower lip not to let out a bitter laugh, knowing too well that his brother wouldn't like that and he wouldn't ruin the chance he was being given to actually have a conversation with the younger Black.  

So he sighed softly, turned his head to look at the other. "Moth--- " He stopped himself as the painful reminder of his face being burnt out of the family tree and his mother all but disowning him came to his mind. "Walburga is constantly mad at me." He said instead, sitting down next to his brother again. He then wondered what story had Walburga told Regulus about the whole thing. Probably one here he ended up as the villain. Sirius was sure their mother had told Reg that he had run away without caring. Part of him was grateful for that since the real story was painful and he didn't want anyone to know it. Hell, he hadn't even told James about the whole thing.

He bit his lower lip for a moment, his silver gaze on the sky above them. There were clouds in the sky, it would probably rain. Lately days were always like this one...Grey. "Are you mad at me too?" He finally asked, his eyes still on the clouds.

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

The very thought made Regulus’s nose wrinkle up, a look of mixed surprise and skepticism. “Iwouldlookhorriblewithouteyebrows,” he mumbled. He decided not to tell Sirius about his failed Colloportus spell the other night that, instead of locking the doorknob as he had intended, turned it limp like putty, and Slughorn had to come rescue him from his bedroom.

He folded up the magazine and shoved it inside his robes. After that came came the saddening realization that he had no idea what to do with his hands. He wrung them together, squeezing his fingers until his knuckles turned red. His knees were pulled up to his chest, arms hugging them in tighter. This was the smallest he could make himself.

"Do you, um…"

I’m not gonna look at him. I’m not gonna look at him. He repeated these words inside his head. He looked instead at his feet; his toes were curled tightly inside his shoes.

"Did… you want something?"

[mrpxdfoot]

C'mon. Look at me. Just a little glance. I'm content with just a quick look, please. C'mon, Reg don't ignore me. But having hopes was completely useless, Regulus didn't look at him. Sirius felt a knot in his throat and he looked away, pulling his knees to his chest. He was such a terrible human being. First he hurt Remus, then his brother,  he had even slammed a door in Peter's nose. He was screwing up so bad and it seemed that he made things worst when trying to make them better.

"You could always draw different kinds of brows. Different expressions with a marker or s'thing." He tried to joke but his tone was quiet, almost as if he didn't ant Regulus to hear him.

He bit his lower lip when the other asked a question and then shrugged, gaze on the other students in the courtyard. "Nothin'. Just thought I'd say hello..." He said with a soft sigh. "Wanted to...I dunno." What was he even thinking? Trying to make conversation with his brother was useless. Regulus didn't even want to see him. "I'll leave you alone." He said, getting up.

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

[foreverxblackeyed]

The sudden, unexpected movement before him made Regulus’s entire body seize up. It was as if his heart had forgotten how to pump correctly: it skipped once, then beat twice to make up for it. The undulating rhythm made him feel lightheaded. He stared, wide-eyed and cold, at his brother’s face before quickly averting his gaze to the ground, recognizing the awkwardness of prolonged eye contact.

"Hi." His voice caught in his throat. It came out withered and devoid of melody.

Well that was dumb, Regulus thought. Instantly he wished he had said something more jarring, more passive-aggressive. “You’re finally talking to me.” Yeah. That would have been good. But it would have to do. He tapped the magazine, returning it to its non-transparent state, and continued pretending to read.

[mrpxdfoot]

Okay, fine. He deserved the coldness of the greeting, he deserved being ignored but that didn't mean it hurt less. First Remus, now Regulus. Peter is Merlin knows where and James is ignoring me for quidditch. Bloody fantastic. He sighed softly and sat down next to his brother in silence, unsure of hat else to do or what to say.

The silence settled between them, it was tense and it felt awkward, the kind of silence that made Sirius want to rip his hair off and he loved his hair. He squeezed his brain, trying to figure out what to say as he looked at the other people in the courtyard. A couple of kids were practising spells, setting things on fire more often than not. "Merlin..." He said with a light chuckle as he turned his head to look at his younger brother. "I hope you have more practice than those twats, I don't want you to end up eyebrow-less for making something explode."  And yes, that was the lamest thing he could say to try and start a conversation but he hoped it would be enough for Regulus to stop ignoring him.

[foreverxblackeyed]

Courtyard | September 16 | Morning

It was a crisp morning. The sun’s rays were seeping through the vines outlining the courtyard as it crept towards noon. Regulus sat scrunched up on the ground, his knees pulled up to his chest, his back against the wall of the castle, nose-deep in the latest issue of Which Broomstick?.

The article comparing the Cleansweep Five to the Comet 2000 was not as compelling as he had hoped. It failed to hold his attention against the clenching anxiety that grew in his stomach. He tapped his wand against the pages of the magazine and it turned transparent.

Through it, he watched the groups of friends milling about in the courtyard, gossiping and practicing their transfiguration (which sometimes didn’t end up in a ball of flames). His jaw clenched, his lips sealed into a small frown. How long had it been since he had spoken to another human? Seven, eight hours? This solitude was starting to get embarrassing.

[mrpxdfoot]

Walking through the castle on his own was making Sirius feel terribly bored. James was too busy trying to figure out how to make the quidditch try outs happen sooner, Peter was nowhere to be found and he was keeping his promise of not going near Remus unless the other boy asked him to do so.

In his boredom, the dark haired boy decided to go outside, breathe some fresh air and distract himself by the lake or talking to some of the other friends he had besides the marauders. His feet lead him to the courtyard and his gaze ended up in his brother. He was sitting all by himself and it made Sirius froze. How long had it been since he talked to him? Did he received the letters he wrote during summer or did her mother burned them before they could reach him? Part of him told him that the second one was more plausible since he never got an answer. He also wondered  what his mother had told Regulus about his departure. She probably made him look like the bad guy.

After a moment debating what he should do, Sirius decided to walk closer to his brother. He wasn't sure what he was going to do or say. He wasn't even sure if Regulus would even want to see him. But before he could regret his decision, he was right in front of his little brother. Sirius bit his lower lip for a moment before crouching down so he was at eye level with the other boy. What was he supposed to say now? "Um...Hey."

[mrpxdfoot]

Courtyard ✶ September 12【Evening】

[rj-moonylupin-deactivated201510]

Remus immediately arched an eyebrow in suspicion, unable to believe any idea Lily would come up with to distract James would be all that bad. All she really needed to do was stand in front of him and smile and that would probably keep him floating on cloud nine for weeks. But when he actually heard the idea both eyebrows shot up in shock. “No way, you’re lying to me,” he mumbled with a shake of his head as he turned his body to fully face him, bony knee brushing against his leg as he tucked it up under himself. “Evans as in Lily Evans? Proposing skinny dipping? Did you two switch brains or something?”

After a low chuckle he managed to give the idea some thought and couldn’t help a grin from spreading across his face, his smile slightly more crooked than he already had been with the new scars crossing his face. “I honestly cannot find a valid argument against all of these things, especially if Lils is into it. What more can a bloke ask for? I mean, you know I’m a sucker for every single one of those things,” he commented, a slight blush tinting his pale cheeks at just the thought of their own encounter in the lake and what could happen with a little more intoxication and less clothes on their side.

[mrpxdfoot]

He looked at Remus, wanting to see how he would react at his idea. A smile spread across his lips and he shook his head. "I'm not lying to you. Lily Ophelia Evans as the one that came up with the idea." And it was true, Lily had the idea. She hadn't exactly agreed to do it but those were just minor details. Sirius would find a way to convince the red head to loosen up a little and enjoy some good fun with alcohol and little clothing. "Nope, my brain is still with me. The same good ol' Sirius here." He added, tapping his temple with a finger, grinning as he did so.

He then awaited to see if Remus would agree to his crazy idea, grinning brightly. "Exactly! Is all a brilliant plan!" He chuckled and for a moment it seemed that things were just back to how they were before, as if they had never grow apart. He ruffled Remus' hair and without thinking, as most of the things Sirius did, he kissed the boy's cheek. "It'll be fun, I promise. You'll have to help me gather some people, me and James will get drinks and some food. We can even sneak to Honeydukes for a treat or two! I'm sure Peter will be happy to help. It'll be nice distraction for everyone, don't you think, love?" He asked, all excitement and little thinking.

[mrpxdfoot]

Courtyard ✶ September 12【Evening】

[mrpxdfoot]

rj-moonylupin:

Remus arched an eyebrow and turned to look at him properly. “What is this I hear? Sirius Black turning down pranks and being thoughtful of authority’s well being?” He reached out to touch his forehead with a fake look of concern on his face. “Are you ill? You must be ‘cause this is simply unheard of!” Without thinking he moved to tuck a strand of dark hair that was in his face behind his ear and then immediately he pulled his hand back to rest in his lap. Could you be any more of a girl, Lupin?! he thought with an inner groan. Picking at his already painfully short nails in his lap, he tried to make it seem like he wasn’t internally screaming at himself and was perfectly fine and normal.

"Do I really wanna know what you’re thinking of distracting him with?" He asked with an audible groan this time. “‘Cause it already sounds suspicious, and I’m guessing will still cause at least me, probably Lily and your cousin stress.” To be honest, he was sure they all probably welcomed the distraction of the boys throwing a party or drinking or whatever devious plan Sirius was hatching. At least they wouldn’t be worrying about what evil was clearly lurking just outside the walls of the castle.

Sirius rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed although there was a hint of smile in his lips. "Yeah, I know. It's a miracle, the asshole being nice." He chuckled, unconsciously leaning into Remus' touch, sighing happily. But then the touch was gone and he couldn't help the soft whine that escaped his lips. He immediately cleared his throat and looked somewhere else instead of at his friend.

"What? Oh...Evans gave me an idea." He started, a mischievous grin appearing in his lips. "It might cause you all a little bit of stress...If I manage to convince you....How does skinny dipping in the lake sound, hmm?" He chuckled wiggling his eyebrows. "We can have a few drinks, a smoke or two, maybe even roast marshmallows and then...Boom! Into the water. What do you say?"

[mrpxdfoot]

Courtyard ✶ September 12【Evening】

[rj-moonylupin-deactivated201510]

Remus nodded slowly, wanting to roll his eyes at himself for being so stupid to even think anything could be wrong between himself and Peter. Things had just been so strange and stressful so early in the year he just simply wasn’t thinking straight. It was never a good thing when his thoughts were this jumbled this soon. “Yeah, you’re right. Dunno what I was even thinking,” he mumbled under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck once again. Immediately he began to feel terrible, the shift so quick he didn’t even realize it, for worrying about their friendship at all but mostly for the way he treated Peter. Thankfully Sirius still knew how to distract the darker thoughts from creeping in before he even knew they were coming in himself.

With a light chuckle he turned to look at Sirius and dramatically roll his eyes. “He was already a whiny, annoying drama queen, I don’t even want to imagine what he’ll turn into now.” While he knew it really wasn’t a subject matter to joke about, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let out a little steam since he could hardly talk about what was really going on. Usually his best friends would be the first people to know information that wasn’t supposed to be shared, but this was entirely different. He had no idea how to approach any of this and as much as he felt they had a right to know this was completely new territory. “I nominate you to keep him distracted with pranks while I keep Lily on the other side of the castle ‘til this all blows over so he doesn’t tempt her more with wanting to murder him.”

[mrpxdfoot]

Sirius was glad to see Remus laughing. He knew that the other boy had the tendency of creating storms in glasses of water and while little fights like the one he had with Peter were completely normal and totally valid, Remus would probably feel terribly guilty about the whole thing when there was really no need. Peter was the most understanding of them all and Sirius was sure that their friend knew Remus hadn't been rude on purpose.  

"Oi! Why me?" He turned to look at Remus, chuckling softly. "Oh no, we ill keep it the pranks down. The other day I saw Andee and she looked like she could use a break." Usually, Sirius didn't care much about such things but from what he could gather from rumours and the Head Girl doing her best to avoid the subject, he was almost certain than just a fight. He wouldn've asked Remus about it but since they hardly a each other, he didn't have the chance. "But I suppose I can distract him with something else."

[infamouslilyflower]

Great Hall ✶ September 14th【Breakfast】

[infamouslilyflower]

"Brilliant, I’ve gone and put ideas in your head. You can just forget about that right now. There’s no way I’d get in that lake without any clothes on, not for a thousand galleons." A small giggle escaped her lips in spit of herself. and she shook her head. "Sure, the Great Battle of the Gryffindors; of course that would make me ‘the girl who broke up Sirius Black and James Potter’ and I’m not sure I could live with that. I think I’d rather not be some romantic heroine."

[mrpxdfoot]

"Come on, Evans! You need to go skinny dipping at least once before you die and hat better way to do it than with your friends and alcohol in your system?" He said, poking her cheek. "Yeah, I don't see you as a romantic heroine either....You're more of the badass type, really. But since we're not in a romantic novel and two best friends aren't fighting for your love...You should totally give James a chance."