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Jinxes, Cursed Objects, and Other Stuff That Will Most Likely Kill You If You Have It Around


A dripping sound echoed in the dark.

A cold wind whistled through the windows, high, high above. The grey of a sheer grey mountain face filled the view. Flecks of snow blew through the window, twisting and dancing to the stone floor, which wasn’t even warm enough to melt the flakes as they fell.

James Potter lay in the middle of the cell, sprawled upon his stomach, his face pressed into the crook of his arm.

Lily pressed against the bars, stretching… reaching just as hard as she could… but she couldn’t reach him.

“James…” she called, but he didn’t react. He lay very still. “Please,” she begged. “Don’t let me be too late. Don’t let me be too late. James, please…”

Lily sat up in bed.

Across the common room, in the boys’ dorms, so did James Potter.

In his dream, he’d heard the tone of Lily’s voice somewhere far away, saying things he couldn’t quite hear or understand.

He stared at the ceiling, drenched in sweat, his heart racing.

It was Friday again.

Nearly a week had gone by since the fight in Horace Slughorn’s brunch and nothing had really been resolved. It had been a horribly confusing week - especially for James. Every class was a nightmare, it seemed. He still couldn’t look Lily Evans in the eye because of the incident in the Quidditch locker rooms, couldn’t talk to Sirius because of the fight at the brunch, couldn’t face any of the Gryffindor girls because every time he even looked McKenna, Meg, Annalee, or Carly’s way, they instantly started whispering together, like a horrible little club. Peter was the only one James could really talk to and even that was awkward because lately Sirius had been suddenly really kind to Peter and Peter was clearly hesitant to break whatever trance Sirius was under so he wasn’t quite as clingy and eager to please James as he might usually have been, so there were a lot of long, silent nights for James, hiding in the Marauders’ dormitory, his back to the other three as he read a textbook or just lay staring at the wall. Some nights, he was there by himself until the small hours of the morning.

This had been one of those nights and as James rolled over to glance at the clock he saw it was after two in the morning and still only Wormtail was in his bed - Sirius and Remus’s bed was empty.

James closed his eyes and begged his mind to shut off.




“She needs to tell him,” Remus was saying.

He and Sirius were in the alcove off the Trophy Room Passageway, where they’d taken to hiding out since the fight because being around James Potter was simply the most awkward thing in the entire world for Sirius at the moment. Every time they were in the same room, the air thickened to near choking levels.

“I’ve told her that,” Sirius said, “Several times over. She won’t listen.”

“Well that’s the only way to resolve all this. Somebody needs to tell him what’s going on. You hitting on her like you’ve done is only making him resent you.”

Sirius sighed, “I just don’t dare to tell him without her permission. I don’t. Last time I betrayed somebody I went half a year without you in my life properly and they’re both my best friends, Lily and James. I couldn’t bear to lose either of them. I’ve been going mad enough already this week with him angry at me. You know how many times I’ve tried to apologize?”

Remus said, “I mean, I haven’t seen you try at all. You lot haven’t spoken since the fight.”

“Remus, me and James don’t need to speak to talk, alright. We don’t need to say shit to understand each other. I’ve sent him apology vibes and he hasn’t picked up or reciprocated.” Sirius sighed again, even heavier than before, and he sank further into the couch cushions.

Remus rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted. They’d been up late discussing this every night since the fight. The same conversation over and over and over again without anything changing about the situation. “I’ve finished that book - the book on jinxes I got from the library… Sirius, Lily’s wrong. There’s not a single mention of any situation like she believes herself to be in. A person can be jinxed but they cannot themselves be a jinx. Not properly like she believes she is. It’s just not how the magic works. She needs to tell him she likes him before he really does get over her or before somebody ends up with a broken heart too shattered to repair. It isn’t fair to the girls like McKenna and Meg and - well I guess it isn’t fair to Carly, either, although I don’t particularly like her.”

“Nobody does,” Sirius murmured.

Remus’s eyes were closed as he leaned into the cushion. “Lily just needs to tell him, that’s the bottom line of it.”

Sirius nodded.




Morning of the Yule Ball dawned bright and sunshiney. Hagrid could be seen dragging evergreen trees across the grounds to the castle doors and the Great Hall was cleared out for decorating. Rumors went about that Dumbledore had booked a live band and Sirius started his own rumor that it was the Beatles and he wailed when he overheard Danae Weiss ask Gwen Nox if they were real insects or not. “HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BEATLES?!?” and then he spent the rest of the morning in the common room playing all the cartridges of the Beatles albums he had on his stereo, forcing them to gain musical knowledge.

Remus shook his head, his nose in yet another book, this one titled Jinxes, Cursed Objects, and Other Stuff That Will Most Likely Kill You If You Have It Around.

“JOHN LENNON CANNOT BE A MUGGLE, HE JUST CAN’T!” Sirius cried, “HE’S A BLEEDING GENIUS!”

“Your pureblood upbringing is showing, mate,” Remus murmured quietly without looking up from his book, “Muggles can be geniuses, too.”

“Yes but I swear to Merlin’s nuts, Rey, he casts spells with his music. Here listen. Listen ot this…” and he rolled over and changed out the cartridge and started playing Mother.

Remus wasn’t a huge fan.

Most of the upper year students were in their dorms getting ready for the ball that afternoon, and really all that were left downstairs were the pair of them and the first and second years, who were clustered about watching as Wally and Dexter faced off on a wizard chess match that was apparently some big deal the younger kids had all been anticipating for whatever reasons the little seagulls had.

Lily came downstairs in a dressing gown, her hair up already with loads of sparkly barrettes. She was fetching one of her books, in which she’d put a slip of paper with a spell Marlene had given her that would do just the right tone of lipgloss for her dress and she spotted Remus and Sirius by the fire and she went over and kicked Sirius’s boot. “Hey. What the hell, Black I’ve been getting ready for at least an hour now and here you are lazing about…”

“Hardly lazing about, Evans, I’m educating the little tarts on music!”

“Yes, they’re really paying you attention, too,” Lily said, glancing over at the homework table where they were all clustered.

Sirius said, “Subliminally.”

Remus looked up, “Lily. We need to talk.”

“What about?”

“James. This whole stupid jinx thing,” Remus said.

Lily looked around to be sure James wasn’t in the common room in a panic.

“He’s upstairs getting ready,” Remus answered her fear. “Which is why Sirius is still down here.”

“That’s not why,” Sirius said. It was, but he wasn’t about to admit to it. “I could go upstairs any time I bloody want to.”

Lily sighed and sat on the coffee table. “Remus it isn’t a stupid jinx thing,” she said. “It’s real and it’s --”

“It’s a coincidence, Lily. You aren’t a jinx.” He held up the book he was reading so she could see the title. “I’ve been researching and while a person can be jinxed they cannot be a jinx. I know you think that you’re a jinx to the people you love, but you aren’t.”

“Then why does everyone I care for die or get hurt or leave?”

Remus took a deep breath and he shuffled forward on the couch cushion, putting the book down beside himself and resting a palm on her knee, “Lily, it isn’t your fault, alright? We’re living in a time of literal war, and people die in wars. It happens. It’s horrid, it hurts like hell, but it happens. And it doesn’t mean you’re a jinx. It means Voldemort is --”

“A fucking arsehole,” Sirius supplied.

Remus’s voice was firm. “You have to tell James the truth about how you feel. You simply have to. Everything is so messed up right now and the only way to fix it is if you tell him the truth about what’s going on.” Remus paused. “If you don’t, I will.”

Lily’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling as she tried not to cry. “But what if something happens to him?”

“Nothing is going to happen to James,” Remus said.

Lily looked at him, “You can’t promise that.”

Remus sighed, “You’re right. I can’t. I can’t promise it. I can’t promise you that nothing will happen to me or to Sirius or to yourself or to anybody else, Lily, but what I can promise you is that if it does it won’t be your fault.”

Lily closed her eyes.

“Please tell him,” Remus implored her.

“I’ll think about it,” she said thickly.

“Do,” Remus encouraged.

Her eyes flickered to the Gryffindor stairwell. James was just coming down, and he was tugging the sleeve of his shirt, a bowtie ‘round his neck, a nice black waistcoat over his torso. His hair was still a mess, but it just wouldn’t be very James Pottery if it wasn’t, and Lily found herself near to tears for how nice he looked.

Her heart ached.

“Are you telling him now?” Sirius asked, looking at her.

“No,” Lily said quickly, “Certainly not.”

“Then I’ve got to go get ready,” Sirius announced and he got up, turning off the stereo and disappeared up the stairs.

“Told you he was only down here because James was up there,” murmured Remus, shaking his head.

Lily sighed. “I’ve got to go get ready, too,” she said, and she got up from the coffee table and rushed away to the girls dorms.

Remus shook his head and picked the book up as James sat down in the chair beside him, watching Lily run up the stairs to the girls dorms. He glanced at the book in Remus’s hand and his mouth formed the words as he read the title. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Remus, “Cheerful.”

Remus murmured, “Yeah, well… research, you know.”

“What class is that for?”

Remus said, “Just a personal thing.” He put it down on the table and looked at James. “So you’re going stag to this thing?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Peter doesn’t want to go alone and…” James shrugged. “I don’t plan to stay long. I’m sure it’ll be very boring just sitting about at the tables.”

“Yeah. Listen, you should make up with Sirius. He’s really sorry,” Remus tried.

James sighed, giving Remus an exasperated look.

“I’m just saying,” Remus murmured.

James shook his head.

At the homework table, there was suddenly a shout as Wally won the chess match and jumped up proudly, waving his hands over his head, dancing in triumph. James watched as he grabbed Ollie’s little face and planted a wide kiss upon his mouth and Dexter whined that Wally was a cheater and there was a good deal of debate going up among everyone ‘round the table.

“Remember when whether Sirius cheated at chess was the biggest thing we had to worry about?” James murmured.

Remus glanced over his shoulder. Wally was dancing on the bench with glee. He turned back to James, “He usually was.”

“I know,” James answered. “It was a lot simpler then, life was. Wasn’t it?”

Remus nodded.

James looked down at his hands. “I wish it still was.”

“You and I both,” Remus said.

James sighed. “I’m going up to the balcony for a smoke.” And he got up and left through the portrait hole.

Remus stared after him for several long moments before he got up, too, and went up to the dormitory room, leaving behind the still shouting first and second years.

In the dorm, there was a flurry of preparations being made. Sirius tying a tie about his neck, already changed into his nice black trousers and a black oxford. He had put his boots back on over the nice pants, though, and Remus waved his wand to clean them of the dust and scuffs that had collected from wear. “If you’re insisting on wearing those things, they should at least look nice,” Remus offered.

“Thanks, mate.”

Peter was tying a bowtie about his neck and his hair was flat to his head with sleekeazy, and he looked very nervous. “Do you reckon any girl will dance with me?” Peter questioned, anxious.

“I’m sure someone will, Pete,” Remus answered.

“I will if nobody else does,” Sirius offered.

“No… no that’s okay,” Peter said, imagining the rumors that would spread through the castle.

“I’m very good at dancing,” Sirius said.

“He is,” Remus confirmed, remembering their waltz in the boys toilet.

Sirius grinned, “I won’t be as handsy with you as I was with Moony, though, I promise.”

Remus and Peter both turned red.