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A Space Odyssey


“They’ll be alright, won’t they?” Tina asked nervously, her palm pressed to the wide windows of the observation room in Newt Scamander’s suitcase. Inside, Remus and Bradley were sitting on the floor. Bradley was playing a memory card game, flipping cards over and remembering where their matches were while Remus watched, his energy waning from the rise of the moon. His hands shook as he pulled his Gryffindor sweater tighter ‘round himself.

Beside Tina, Newt nodded, “Yes, they should be just - just fine.”

Tina tilted her head, “Even when they change? It’s just that he’s so tiny… our little pup…” she looked at Newt, her eyebrow gathered.

Newt nodded, “Yes, even then. The werewolf - rec-recognizes it’s own kind. Responds to it’s own kind.”

“They fight though, werewolves,” Tina said lowly, “They kill each other.”

“When they’re - they’re older and territorial,” Newt said. “Remus has no claim over this place and - and Bradley’s too young to be territorial just yet.”

Tina was hugging the little blue blanket they’d wrapped Bradley in the month before when he changed, little grey furs stuck all over the blanket. She looked at Newt. “You’re sure? He won’t be hurt?”

Newt nodded. “Abso-absolutely.” And suddenly there came the sound of the moon calves singing from their sanctuary behind them and Tina steeled herself as Newt looked over his shoulder to see the calves come hopping over their rocky habitat home. He bit his lower lip, then looked back to the observation room. “It’s - it’s time,” he said apologetically.

Tina nodded.

In the room, on the floor, the memory cards were scattered as they fell from Bradley’s palm… his back arching, great tufts of hair poking out from his skin as he bent forward, his little button nose elongating… Remus stared up at him, his own change taking over him, “Don’t be scared,” he said, “It’ll be over soo--”

But the last word was lost in a long howl as he lost himself to the wolf within himself. Bradley looked at him with wide eyes and an itty bitty howl burst out of him.

Tina’s hand clutched Newt’s as they watched.




“Lillith Barbara Evans!” Sirius called, “There will be absolutely no peeking. No peeking of any kind. You’re not peeking are you?”

It was an hour after the fireworks in the woods, and they’d run back through the trees to the Shack. They’d discussed it earlier that day and decided that spending the whole night in the woods would be stupid - especially now that Lily Evans was coming - for both the fear of the Dementors attacking them like last time and also because of the cold and the overcast look the sky had had all day. Sure enough, it had begun snowing a little bit by the time they arrived back to the Shack and Lily was shivery and cold. James had given her his extra jumper and she’d pulled it ‘round herself, despite having her own extra jumpers in her bag, because his was warm and smelled like him and, as much as she hated to admit it, the smell of James Potter was rather wonderful. Plus the jumper was worn in and soft and big enough that it hung past her thighs and over her hands.

Now the boys were leading her to what they were heralding as a huge surprise.

“It’s Lily. Not short for anything. And my middle name is Jane. And I’m not peeking!” Lily said, stumbling on the carpet in the upstairs hallway of the Shrieking Shack. “I don’t even know how I would peek with you covering my eyes like this!” Sirius snickered, his hands clapped over Lily’s eyes as he duck-walked behind her along the carpet, grinning like a buffoon.

“I dunno perhaps you have super vision like ol’ Mad Eye Moody.”

“Sirius, honestly,” she said. “That’s not a very nice thing to call him.”

Peter whispered, “It’s true, though.”

James smirked at Peter and winked, then turned the handle of the door to the bedroom.

“You boys better not be doing anything perverted,” she said in a sassy tone.

“I’m sorry, darling, but don’t be insane,” Sirius drawled.

James laughed and stepped out of the way as Sirius frog-marched Lily through the door, hopping behind her, his grin wide and winking at James as he passed by, followed by Peter.

They’d spent the mid-afternoon setting up their plan and getting everything ready. It had taken some time for them to do - and more genius planning from Sirius, not to mention a good deal of luck.

Sirius lined Lily up and turned her, “Alright. Right there. Yes. Perfect.” He said and he dusted her shoulders off and said, “Stay.”

“Being told to stay by a dog,” Lily murmured, “Things I never thought possible.”

“Ha!” Sirius guffawed and he pushed his way ‘round her, descending upon James and Peter. “Alright, Wormy, how the bleedin’ bowtruckle do you do this?”

Lily heard the crack of a plastic container.

“Here you put this in like this… did somebody plug it?”

“Plug it in?” Sirius asked.

“To eleckytricity?” James asked.

Peter said, “Well. That is how it works after all…”

Lily’s voice was nervous, “Are you boys playing with electricity?”

“No mummy, we’re not. We’re being very good boys.” Sirius said in a patented tone, then, “How do you plug it in?”

“Insert this into that socket there,” Peter answered.

“Insert!” Sirius giggled in a juvenile fashion.

“Gimme that, you bloody five year old,” James said and Sirius’s laughter only increased.

“Wormtail’s gone and said insert.”

Peter’s flush was so bright that it was audible in his voice, “Shut up, Padfoot!”

But Sirius was wheezing none the less and it was quite clear that he wasn’t about to stop anytime soon as he repeated the word over and over. “Insert!”

“You know, I could help with whatever it is you’re doing…” Lily said nervous they were about to burn the place down.

“We’ve got it, Evans, don’t worry your pretty ginger head,” James answered. “After all, I’m not a complete idiot when it comes to muggle stuff, like Sirius is here… We have eleckytricity at home after all… to run our muggle stuff…”

“Then why don’t you know what you’re doing?” Sirius jeered.

There was a crack and Sirius said “ow! Fuck you Prongs!” and several slapping-punching sounds and Peter said, “Oi, are we going to wrestle or are we going to get this stupid thing set up tonight? Here, look I’ve done it.”

“WAIT! I wanna press the button! Let me press the button!” Sirius’s boots thumped as he jumped and ran across the room.

“Are you lot ever going to let me open my eyes?” Lily asked.

And then two hands covered her face again and she felt a form loom ‘round her and she could smell James’s aftershave filling her nose all dark and delicious and his breath brushed her cheek as he leaned in close to his ears. “Very soon, Evans,” he said.

Lily squirmed, a funny rolling to her tummy as his chest pressed against her back. Her heart raced. Why did he have to smell so good? That aftershave… bleeding hell… like nutmeg and orange and a warm spiciness… She closed her eyes, her throat thick with nervousness as he held her there, hands over her eyes…

Suddenly there was a sound she recognized. Music… Music that was the starting credits of a film.

“Merlin’s beard, you didn’t.”

Sirius laughed, “Me thinks our surprise has been figured out.”

James’s palms fell away and he said, “Surprise, Evans.”

She gaped at the colorful screen, her jaw dropped. “HOW?”

“Muggle studies,” Sirius declared, grinning.

“What?”

“The tube and the tape both came from Muggle Studies - the Muggle Artifacts Museum,” James explained.

“We stole them,” Sirius announced, proud.

“Borrowed them,” Peter corrected nervously, glancing at Lily’s Prefect’s badge.

Her eyes were wide. “You lot -- you’re insane, you’re --”

And suddenly she heard a popping sound and she turned to see James was aiming his wand into a bowl - a stream of buttered popcorn coming out of his wand.

She felt tears burn her eyes. “You boys are insane.”

“We promised you a great night, Evans,” James said.

“The best,” Peter piped up.

“And I believe we’ve served it up,” Sirius finished. “I mean, as though you needed more than us bastards about you to make it grand, we’ve also gone and gotten you your very own personal cinema.” He waved his wand at the grainy picture on the old fashioned muggle telly.

James held out the bowl of popcorn as the screen blazed with the words 2001: A Space Odyssey. “I’ve never seen this one!” Lily said excitedly, taking the popcorn, “I’ve wanted to. Have you seen it?” she looked at James as he handed her over the bowl.

“Never,” he answered. A smile tweaked his lip up over his tooth.

“I picked it out!” Peter squeaked excitedly. “There are several in the museum! James said you like Doctor Who though and that’s about space and this is about space and I thought --”

Lily smiled, “Good job, Pete.”

“There was one about a deer, too,” James said, “But Peter begged.” He handed her a bottle of butterbeer over her shoulder, winking. “Maybe you and me come out here sometime together and watch the deer cinema ourselves…”

“In your dreams, Potter,” Lily said.

James smirked and looked at Sirius and winked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Then, with a flourish - “SO EVANS... Welcome to the Marauders Theater,” and there he went, bowing like a ringmaster, before running for the bed, where he threw himself upon it. “Now come to bed with us, darling, and we’ll make a night to remember.”

Lily laughed through her happy tears, “Sirius Black, I knew you’d make it perverted somehow.”

“I always do,” he grinned. “It’s not fun unless it’s perverted after all.”

James and Peter piled onto the bed as well and Peter very respectfully built a little pillow wall for Lily to separate her from the boys and Sirius waved his wand and accioed the blankets from the second bed over and Peter pulled out sandwiches he’d packed and there were chocolate frogs and licorice wands to pass about and the film flickered, bright light against the walls and Lily hugged James Potter’s sweater closer about herself, biting into the crunching popcorn. James flicked his wand and with a pop there was a straw in her butterbeer bottle and she smiled, “Thanks.”

“Absolutely, Evans,” he replied, smiling back.




Sirius fell asleep halfway through the film, flopped over James’s lap, his mouth open wide, a bit of drool falling over his lip and across his cheek, arms flung over his head and face. Sirius’s legs were over Lily’s lap, his knees hooked over her thighs, a half eaten licorice wand lay across his chest. Peter had slid to the floor with one of the blankets wrapped about himself, scootched closer and closer to the telly, and was staring up at it with wide, excited eyes, still eating popcorn from the bowl, which Lily had given him when she was full. James held his second bottle of butterbeer, resting on his knee, glancing over at Lily as she stared at the TV, too. She had tears in her eyes, getting emotional over the story.

“I’m afraid Dave. Dave, my mind is going, I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I’m a… fraid…” the computerized voice of the HAL 9000 was saying on the telly.

James’s throat ached as he stared at Lily.

“Good afternoon, gentleman. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992… My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me a sing a song. If you’d like to hear it, I can sing it for you.”

James looked down as Sirius shifted, then back over to Lily. There was a silent tear sliding over her cheek, glistening, reflecting the colors from the screen as the astronaut floated carefully through the computer room, his hands gliding over big buttons and flickering lights, disconnecting the computer…

“Yes, I’d like ot hear it, HAL. Sing it for me.”

“It’s called Daisy.”

James cleared his throat.

Lily glanced over.

From the screen, the HAL 9000 was singing. “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do… I’m half crazy, all for the love of you…”

“Wrong flower again, Evans,” he said quietly.

Lily blushed as she stared at him, her eyes wide, watery, and her heart pumping quite wildly.

“James,” she said thickly.

His eyes were searching hers.

“Evans?” he prompted.

“Watch the movie.”

“I am,” James answered as he turned to face the screen.

Lily stared at him a few moments as the voice of the computer slowed, the computer dying… She could see the lights blinking off in the reflection on James’s glasses.

Then she turned away, back to the film, too.

Sirius snorted and rolled over, blinking up at James blearily, and murmured, “The hippogriff needs socks, Prongs, his toes are chilly.”

James mumbled, “I’ll see to it he’s given socks, mate.”

“Okay… excellent,” and Sirius went back to sleep.