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Fencing


Care of Magical Creatures was one of the only classes that all of them had together - which was why James had insisted that they all continue it - even though it wasn’t required by his or Sirius’s chosen career paths. “Peter’s only got a few classes with us this year,” he pointed out over the summer, when they’d sat about the table in the Lupin’s kitchen, filling out their schedule forms that McGonagall had sent to them by owl post, “I feel bad for him.”

“That’s what he gets for being an idiot,” Sirius had yawned widely.

“You were almost right along with him, Sirius,” Remus said warningly, sticking up for Peter as much as he dared. “Don’t be an arsehole about it.”

Sirius had been grumpy for the rest of the time they’d worked together on the schedules - especially once they’d got to Transfiguration and Sirius hadn’t been able to add it in. He’d made a big deal of bragging about his extra free time and how he was going to spend it sneaking through the tunnels to Honeydukes.

Now that he was back in the Transfiguration courses, however, Sirius was much more keen to being nice to Peter Pettigrew. He threw his arm about Peter’s shoulders as the walked across the grounds from the castle to the Care of Magical Creatures paddocks, where Professor Kettleburn was standing with the already gathering students, calmly feeding a hippogriff he had on a rope. Remus hung back as James led the way to a spot in the corner by the great barn, on the opposite side of the hill from Lily Evans, who was sitting to the other side with Marlene McKinnon and Emmaline Vance, already hard at work drawing the creature.

Remus nudged Sirius, “Hey, I’m gonna sit a little closer so I can get some detailed drawings done.”

“Teacher’s pet,” Sirius accused, but he smirked and let his arm fall off of Peter’s shoulders and smacked a big wet kiss on Remus’s face. “I can’t wait to see your drawings. You know I love them.” He smiled.

Remus smiled back, “Yeah whatever. Don’t break your skull open climbing on that bleedin’ fence.”

Sirius pretended at innocence. “Me? Climb on the fence?”

“Yes, you,” Remus said. “I know you were already plotting it. I can see it in your eyes when you’re up to no good. Which is always.”

Sirius smirked, “Actually, I hadn’t thought of it ‘til you mentioned it. But now… Well.” He winked and turned, dashing off and instantly leaping up on the fence so he was straddling it like he’d done to the Lupin porch rail all summer long. James was leaning against it and Peter sat on the grass beside James’s legs, trying to organize his pencils as Sirius grinned and waved back at Remus.

Remus rolled his eyes, then headed across the hill, carefully picking his way through the students that were sitting and standing in clusters all over. Avoiding stepping on anybody’s fingers was terribly important. He made his way down to where Lily Evans was sitting and lowered himself onto the grass behind her. She didn’t notice.

“...incredible deals you can get at that thrift shop, I really appreciate you telling me about it, Lily,” Marlene was saying, “I replaced half my wardrobe this summer. Bought loads of things really cheap and either fixed them up so they were cool or used them as scraps to make other things.”

Lily answered, “You’re so talented with your sewing charms. I wish I was as good as you are with them! I made that one skirt once with Ali, but really it wasn’t much to look at.”

“Sometimes less is more with skirts!” Emmaline said with a sly smirk.

“I’m sure all the boys appreciated that!” Marlene giggled.

“Not all of them,” Remus said, seeing a perfect opportunity to announce himself in a friendly way.

Lily jumped as Remus leaned over her shoulder to insert himself to their conversation.

“Remus Lupin, you scared the life out of me!” Lily said, pushing his shoulder, “Where did you come from? Why arent’ you over there with the other gits? What is Sirius doing to that fence post?”

Remus looked, flushed, and said, “He’s an idiot.”

Marlene looked over her shoulder at Sirius - who was miming doing very dirty things to that poor fence post - and said, “Oh mother of Merlin!”

Emmaline said, “And to think you spent a whole year heartbroken over that.”

“Dodged a bullet,” Marlene joked, smirking sadly, then she turned back and looked at Remus. “Does he drive you mad?”

“So very mad,” Remus said, rolling his eyes at Sirius, who caught Remus looking with the girls and grinned and wiggled his eyebrows as James shoved Sirius. They could clearly see James’s lips say the words knock it off, you bugger as he shoved him. Sirius mimed falling off the fence and lay on the ground as though he’d been injured, but Remus could see him peeking to see that Remus was looking, clearly hoping Rey would go over and check on him or panic or something. “Can’t stand him at times, but I love him, even when he’s a complete dork.”

Emmaline smiled, “Aren’t all boys complete dorks?” She was looking in the general direction of Harry Warbeck, who sat with Alabaster Jackson against the fence, holding up feed that Professor Kettleburn had given them to give the Hippogriff.

Remus nudged Lily, “You’d know. Fancying the biggest dork of them all, aren’t you?”

Lily’s face turned red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Prongs.”

“Potter?” Marlene asked, looking at Remus with a laugh to her lips. She raised an eyebrow at Lily.

“Gods no,” Lily answered, “I’d never fancy that toerag.” But she couldn’t say it with quite as much disdain as she might’ve the year before at this time. She carefully switched her tan pencil for a copper one to add detail to the hippogriff’s wings that she was drawing on her sketch pad. “Never,” she added for good measure because even she could hear the weakness in her tone.

Emmaline snickered.

Remus said, “Merlin knows he fancies you.”

“Does he ever! Merlin’s beard!” Marlene said in exasperation.

“Fancies you more than I fancy chocolate,” said Remus, hugging his knees as he leaned against Lily’s shoulder. “Which is a good deal.” Having thought of chocolate, he now wanted some, and he reached into his book bag and pulled some out, breaking it into four bits and offering some to the girls, who eagerly took the pieces he held out.

“You’re a god, Remus Lupin, bringing us chocolate!” murmured Emmaline, biting into the smooth chocolate eagerly.

Remus laughed.

“Rey’s always got chocolate,” Lily commented, smiling and reaching up to ruffle his hair, “One of the reasons I keep him around.”

“Well, as long as I serve a purpose,” Remus said with a laugh and a smile as he munched his chocolate bar. “It’s good to know I’m needed.”

“You’re always needed, love,” Lily said, and she kissed his cheek.

“Better not let Sirius see,” Remus laughed, “He might duel you for me. Already talking of dueling you for James, you know.”

“He can have James,” Lily commented, biting into the chocolate. “I certainly don’t want him.”

Marlene McKinnon raised her eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

Remus smirked at her and looked down, breaking his bit of the chocolate into even smaller pieces. “I’ll be sure to pass the message along.”

James was climbing on the fence now too and he and Sirius had set to having a sort of sword fight with their wands, each clenching their knees about the fence rungs, teetering as they beat at each other and Peter laughed and jumped as one or the other nearly flipped off the fence before regaining their balance.

“POTTER! BLACK!” Kettleburn’s voice rang over the grounds and at the shout, James toppled to the ground and Sirius snickered as James’s glasses fell off his face and onto the grass and James had to scrapple about for them. “What are you doing?!”

“We’re fencing, sir!” Sirius called.

“Well -- ENOUGH OF THAT -- get your bottoms off that fence or you’ll get detention.”

“ONLY OUR BOTTOMS, PROFESSOR?” Sirius asked, and, being a smart ass, he stood up on the rung.

“He’s gonna fall,” murmured Marlene.

“He’s gonna break his neck,” muttered Emmaline.

“I told him not to crack his skull open so as long as he doesn’t do that,” sighed Remus.

“He’s gonna get a detention,” predicted Lily.

And sure enough, “We’ll see you Saturday morning, then, Mr. Black, and we can see how much you like that fence when you’ve spent a weekend painting it!” Kettleburn snapped. James laughed heartily as Sirius jumped down and smirked and James scrambled his way through the runs.

“Well damn,” hooted James. “That’s off - fence- ive.”

“Good one, James,” Sirius grinned.

“Mr. Potter,” said Kettleburn. “You can keep your mate some company.”

Lily shook her head as several other students giggled loudly around the hill. She looked at Remus, “Well, I s’pose it wouldn’t be a proper return to Hogwarts without at least one of those two in detention the first Saturday of the term, would it?”