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Don’t You Think He’s Cute?


“Merlin’s blasted buttock!” Sirius groaned loudly.

It was nine o’clock in the morning, the sunlight was coming through the boarded up window cracks and all four boys lay sprawled across the floor in various angles. It had been a long night - the storm had spooked the werewolf and it had taken a fair amount of fighting to get him calmed down yet again as a result of it. Sirius’s arm bore several scratches on his left bicep and James legs were scratched. Remus was asleep still, peacefully, unscratched.

“Bloody wolf,” murmured Sirius, sitting up and rubbing his arm. “Gods. I feel hungover, that’s how ruddy busted up I feel right at the moment. Don’t you?” he looked over at James.

James nodded.

“Fuck.” Sirius lay back down.

It was with quite a lot more of this sort of groaning, moaning, and complaining that Sirius finally peeled himself from the floor of the Shack and went to change his clothes, tugging on his safety-pinned-ripped-knee jeans and his hot pink If Lost, Please Return to Remus Lupin t-shirt. He sat on the couch and tied his boots onto his feet while Peter and James changed and when they were ready, they woke Remus up and helped him through the process of changing - since his muscles were sore and even the simple act of switching out his shirt was quite arduous and painful. “Thanks for helping me, guys,” he said as James slid a fresh shirt over Remus’s head as he popped through the neck hole.

“Don’t thank me ‘til you’ve noticed that I’ve put you in unmatching socks,” Sirius joked.

“What?” Remus tried to look and they all laughed at the mild panic in his voice.

Sirius smirked, “Bloody hell, Remus, they’re just socks. And I’m joking, they match. I would never dream of doing such horrible things to you.”

Remus laughed. “Don’t make fun. It gives me actual anxiety to imagine them being mismated, thank you very much.”

It was a little after ten by the time they’d completed getting ready and the first of the Hogwarts students should’ve been just arriving to the village so Sirius popped into being Snuffles again and they let him out the front door and waited for him to be sure the coast was clear before they snuck out of the Shack and he transformed back on the other side of the fence.

James really did end up tugging Remus onto his back and hoisting him along as Remus’s knees were bothering him, and the boys were quite the sight as Sirius walked backwards before James as Remus’s long legs dangled from James’s hips and Peter scurried along beside them. They were among the first to the Three Broomsticks for breakfast and James ordered heaping piles of bacon and toast for them to share and they sat making plans for the day.

“Sometime around noon I s’pose we should plan on meeting up with Evans,” James said, “Since Sirius went and promised her and all…”

Sirius said, “It’s alright, Prongs, you and the lads can go on doing whatever we’re doing at that time and I’ll come and meet Evans myself instead.”

James looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“If you don’t want to be around her, you shouldn’t have to be,” Sirius explained.

“Well that’s a whole other song than you were singing yesterday when you asked her,” James said. “What happened to it isn’t all about you Prongs?”

“I’ve realized what an arsehole I was being is what,” Sirius replied. “You’re right about not being a second thought and if that’s how she’s treating you then you’re doing the right thing trying to get over her and personally I’m enraged by her need to treat you like dragon dung and intend to have a word with her about it over a few bottles of butterbeer.”

James looked like he was unsure if that was such a grand idea and was about to say so when Sirius continued on --

“Now as for our plans today, I have something else I would like to do and it’s up to you lot if you wish to assist me or not.”

“What is it?” Remus looked at Sirius warily.

“I want to try to find out more about Mia Black. I recognized several of the shop owners from Hogsmeade in the year books, including Mr. Honeyduke, and I intend to stop by their shops and ask them what they know about her and if she’s still alive,” Sirius replied.

Peter said, “I’ll go with you to Mr. Honeydukes!”

“Yes Peter, I figured you’d go at least to that one before you got distracted by one of the food carts or something,” Sirius drawled, a smirking grin playing upon his face.

Peter flushed.

“I don’t know if you nosing about after Mia Black is such a good idea,” Remus said, “You heard McGonagall the other day. She said it’s a dangerous thing for you to be looking into…”

“She’s mad if she thinks that wasn’t more of a challenge than anything else. She might as well have said go on Sirius, I dare you!” he said, rolling his eyes. “Minnie’s a nutter.”

“Well what if it is a bad idea?” Peter asked.

“What could possibly be dangerous about finding a family member that’s rebelled against everything my family stands for? I mean, I could see going after one that’s aligned with the Noble House of Black and their beliefs, but not one that’s rebelled against them,” Sirius said. “One that’s not been blasted off the tree would probably murder me dead on sight but c’mon. A rebel like myself. Urquart seems quite taken with her and he’s an ex-auror!”

“What if it isn’t you it’s dangerous for?” wondered James.

“Well who bloody else would it be dangerous for?” laughed Sirius.

“Mia Black,” James posed.

Sirius said, “Well anyone who gave me any information would know anything they told me already, obviously. How is that dangerous for her?”

“I guess,” James answered.

So when they’d finished eating, James hoisted Remus up once more and they set off through the village, laughing and talking loudly, goofing about, Sirius rehashing what little he knew about the mysterious Mia Black. They arrived to Honeydukes to a mostly empty shop and Peter set to filling his shopping basket while James, carry Remus, and Sirius went to the counter so Sirius could inquire Mr. Honeyduke about Mia Black.

“Sure I knew her,” Mr. Honeyduke said. He was busy restocking the Bertie Bott’s display when they found him. “Everyone knew Mia Black.”

“Fantastic. Have you got any photographs of her?” Sirius asked, “Or know where she’s at so that I might write her an owl?”

“I haven’t seen her since we were at Hogwarts together,” Mr. Honeyduke replied, “I’m afraid I wouldn’t know how to get in touch with her anymore. You might ask the post office. See Leonoffer there, he’s an old Hufflepuff, was a prefect back in the day, but he might know where to find Mia. Heh. Mia Black. She was always into trouble.” He smirked and turned back to the display.

Sirius took Honeyduke’s advice and went to visit Leonoffer at the owl post office and learned that he, too, hadn’t thought of Mia Black since school and didn’t know where to contact her at. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t be allowed to tell you, of course,” he added, “Against the post rules.”

“Well blast,” muttered Sirius.

They tried talking to Mr. Zonko as well with similar results.

“I feel like I’ll never find her.”

“You could still give writing my dad a go,” James recommended, “You haven’t tried that. I mean, if Minnie knew her then him and my mum probably did, too. They all went to school together, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, true,” Sirius said. “I’ll write him tonight when we get back.” He glanced at his watch, “Alright you lot, I need to go meet up with Evans, then I s’pose. Stay out of trouble, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Look at that, giving us conflicting advice,” muttered Remus with a smirk.

Sirius gave Remus the finger, but he was smirking even as he did it.

“Not very nice Padfoot,” Remus said shaking his head, “That wasn’t very nice.”

“Earned, though, I reckon,” Sirius replied, winking. “Love you Moonykins.” And he raced off towards the Three Broomsticks to meet up with Lily Evans.

James sighed and adjusted Remus’s weight on his back and followed as Peter bragged about a delicious pretzel cart just around the corner that had the best warm pretzels they’d ever eaten in all their lives.




Lily agonized over what to wear to Hogsmeade that day, wanting to impress James Potter. She had dressed, changed her mind on her wardrobe, and redressed at least ten times. She sighed and stared into her mirror. "This is as good as it's going to get," she murmured. She'd been too worried about the lads to sleep and had spent half the night in her window watching the storm blow over the grounds, listening to the hail hit the window. Only October and already hail! She hoped that the pumpkins Hagrid had been so carefully cultivating were alright… But what was certainly not alright was her complexion, for there were sacks under her eyes and her colour was a bit peaky.

She hoped James wouldn’t bolt off at the sight of her.

Outside the air was crisp, so she tugged on her Gryffindor jumper and checked that the first and second years were all set and didn't need anything before she left for Hogsmeade. She walked along the path from the castle to the village with Marlene, who was meeting Harry Warbeck at the Three Broomsticks as well.

"So what's the deal with you and James Potter?" Marlene asked as they walked along, "Do you like him?"

Lily shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know, Marlene, it's complicated."

"Complicated? Complicated how?"

Lily flushed, "It just is Marlene."

"Because you spent six years saying what a toerag he is?" Marlene guessed with a smirk, "And now you're worried about what everyone is going to think with you liking the toerag after all this time?"

Lily flushed. "No. I mean - I don’t know - maybe a little; but honestly if that was all I was worried about I wouldn't hesitate… There’s more to it than that.”

"Well I think that you shouldn't be embarrassed to admit to liking him, and you should get on with it already!" Marlene advised, "James Potter's changed a good deal in the last year. Since last holiday."

Lily nodded. "I know."

"So he isn't as immature as he used to be," Marlene said. "And he's sort of a hero - saving the Minister’s grand-daughter and then the Minister himself, they say… loads of brave things... and really cute. Don't you think he's cute?"

Lily didn't think cute was quite a strong enough word. “Yes,” she admitted. “Very.” It was the first time she’d let herself think it - let alone say it.

"Those eyes are just - gods alive, have you seen them???" said Marlene dreamily. "And seriously, Lil, the way he looks at you sometimes... I'd hex my own liver out of my bloody just to have a boy look at me like that!"

Lily bit her lips as . "He doesn't… Does he?” She felt this funny flip to her belly.

"He does!" Marlene said knowingly, "You're a nutter for having waited this long to fall for him, really! He's been after you since third year! I think the whole school's just been waiting for it. He’s so handsome I don’t have any idea how you’ve resisted."

Lily paused. "It's not that I don't think he is handsome. I do. Very handsome. That damned smirk... with the tooth... when that lip of his... oh Merlin, Marlene. I can't put words to the murder it does to my heart. He's just so..." Lily shook her head. "And he’s not just handsome, either. You know my favorite part of him? The way he makes me feel safe. I have been face to face with Voldemort, and, because I was with James Potter, I just... I knew I was safe because he would protect me."

This is not good, she thought, Not good!! She felt her stomach turn with worry as she followed Marlene through the crowded streets. How was she supposed to protect James from herself - from the jinx that was her - if she couldn’t even stop the words coming out like that all of a sudden? She’d done so well keeping it down, keeping quiet about it - ever since holiday, when she’d found him in the hall with flowers for her mum in December...

They were by the Three Broomsticks now and she felt like her lungs were empty and she couldn't remember how to fill them up again. "Marlene?"

"Yes?"

"Do you believe in - in bad omens?"

"Sure I do, Professor Clearwater taught that in Divination last term, didn't she?" Marlene asked. "Why?"

"Do you reckon that a - a person could be a one?" Lily asked, "Like a jinx?"

Marlene contemplated. "I dunno. Maybe. Why?"

Lily opened her mouth to tell Marlene her fear when Marlene's eyes lit up and Harry Warbeck came walking over with Alabastar Jackson and a Slytherin girl named Fiona Talisman. "I've got to go Lily. But we'll talk later, yeah? I want to hear how your - er - non-date date went!" She winked, then hurried away to greet Harry.

Lily stared after her, her chest still feeling quite empty with nervousness.

Suddenly a hand slid 'round her shoulders. "Hullo Evans." It was Sirius Black and he wore a great smirking grin that danced across his lips.

Lily looked about. It was only Sirius, there were no other Marauders. "Where is --"

"James?" Sirius guessed. "Ah Evans. I was hoping you'd ask!" He turned her shoulders, heading away from the pub, off toward a little path that led away from the village. "Come along, love."

"Where are we going?" She asked. She was nervous. Not because she thought she was in danger - he was Sirius Black, after all, and as much as he liked to think he was some big tough rebel the fact was he was also a black shaggy dog named Snuffles on the inside - but she could feel the tension radiating off him and she worried there was something the matter.

Sirius smiled, "To have a little talk, you and I."