The Next Great Adventure (A Marauders Fan Fic)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Why did you have to ask her out?" James asked Sirius as they lay on their respective beds. "I wasn't expecting to have to talk to Lily again quite yet."

"Well you can't really avoid her anymore," Sirius cackled. "And I asked Cassie out because I like her and because I, unlike you, am not an idiot who antagonised the object of his desires for five years so I can do it without worrying about being hexed into oblivion; not that that hasn't happened before with Jones but on a slightly smaller scale. Also she makes me very happy and I want to be with her and you don't own me so there."

"It looks," Remus interjected calmly, his voice betraying just a hint of his amusement, "like you're going to have to explain your moronic plan to Lily and let her hex you sometime in the near future. You were going to break anyway so... might as well get it over with."

Two bags of Galleons flew towards Sirius' bed; one of them missed his head by mere inches and the other he caught without looking up, his excellent reflexes honed by years of catching various objects that had been chucked at him. "Thanks guys. Butterbeer's on me next time we go to Hogsmeade... maybe."

"I suppose that that's the payment for the 'How long can James actually not talk to or about Lily' bet?" he said. Remus gave a tiny nod and Peter said, "Yep. Explains why that git acted now. One more week and it would have been mine."

Sirius cackled again and kicked his feet in the air, celebrating the success of his diabolical plan. "Oh don't look like that Prongsie," he said without even looking at James, "it's not the first bet we've made about you... or any of us for that matter. I promise I'll buy you something nice in Hogsmeade." He chuckled again and contorted himself into a strange position as he tried to pat himself on the back.

The Easter holidays had finished and the few younger students who had gone home had returned to find one of the Marauders taken. This, of course, had resulted in a lot of catcalling, some congratulations and some nasty conversations with snide girls who thought they were above Cassie. It had also sparked another round of speculation as to whether Cassie and Sirius' new relationship would lead to another Marauder getting a girlfriend: the most important question was obviously whether Lily Evans and James Potter would end up together now that their best friends were going out.

"I don't understand why they can't leave well enough alone," Sirius complained as he sank into one of the armchairs. "It's not like it's any of their business what I do with my life anyway. Merlin you should hear some of them though!" His voice went scarily high as he did an uncanny and scathing impression of some of the girls who hung around him. "'Hey Sirius what do you see in her?' 'Hey Sirius, would you fancy me if I hexed you like she used to?' 'Hey Sirius this!' 'Hey Sirius that!' It's enough to drive a man crazy."

"Bet you wish you weren't such a gorgeous specimen now, don't you?" Remus teased as Peter and James dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Oh no, I'd never wish the hardship of not seeing my good looks on the rest of the world," Sirius replied, "I just wish girls would respect my privacy. And my complete lack of interest in them." Remus pretended to throw up and Cassie appeared out of nowhere saying, "You need your ego taken down a few notches Sirius."

"You clearly don't appreciate how lucky you are to have me," he pouted, "perhaps I should say yes to one of the girls that keep stalking me."

"And live a life without me? I don't think so. What was it that you told me a couple of days ago...? I'm the only one that matters."

Sirius flushed, looking flustered for the first time in his life, and pulled Cassie down into his lap. "Don't embarrass me in front of them Cass," he whimpered as she rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on the head muttering, "Bad Sirius," as she did so.