All in the Family

Chapter 147: Felix Felicis

The door would not open this time. Frank was the first to check, as he'd landed face first against it. He turned with a weary sigh, but was pleased to see whatever the three had been arguing about seemed to have mellowed out remarkably fast. Potter still looked peeved, but he went back over to Sirius and Remus quickly and the three were instantly smiling for the others' company again. He'd been of no bother in Mrs. Cole's office, just leaning against the door and watching rather than interacting with a distasteful look on none of them. It wasn't until Potter snickered and gestured up in here that Frank did too and took in the rest of the place.

They were in an unused classroom, chairs on tables and the desk plain, but there were birds circling above them all, at least a dozen.

"If one of them shits on me, I'll hex the lot," he promised. "If I never see another bird again when we get out of this it'll be too soon."

"That's a shame," Lily told him as she watched with wonderment.

Frank let go of his annoyance at once, it wasn't hard for how clearly delighted she felt, and none of them had defecated yet. "Would you like me to teach you the spell to conjure them? Little advanced Transfiguration practice never hurts."

Lily beamed and agreed at once, eagerly following Frank's movement.

Sirius got his opportunity fast enough when Prongs explained why Regulus was slightly red in the face and slowest to get to his feet. He wasn't really intoxicated, Sirius could tell that much, especially as their most recent turn around seemed to have worn off the majority of the alcohol. He was just buzzed and more giggly than usual while Peter bit his lip and watched.

"Not just going to stand for that are you Moony?" He waved his hand in the two's vicinity. "Prefect and all, surely you should go keep an eye on the situation!"

Remus rolled his eyes but guessed Sirius was still encouraging him to talk to Peter more than anything, going over regardless and engaging over the book as the three of them broke off every couple of sentences to launch more ideas about what all these memories could mean.

"You can't tell me it didn't bother you, the spell he used," Sirius said quietly, watching Prongs carefully. It wasn't a dark spell, the severing charm was used to cut through anything thicker than wood, but that was his point. If Peter had used the same spell on Moony instead of what Prongs did, Remus would have been hurt even worse, it might not have been so easily fixed in time...

James didn't answer right away, and Sirius nodded in some relief James had been downplaying how much it did bother him then. Prongs still spoke in a neutral voice though, "it's still the principle of the matter Sirius, I'm not angry."

"Nor am I," he was quick to promise, finally getting James to look at him in relief. "I'm just saying, I'm done pretending he doesn't bother me. I won't stop him from joining the Order, but I won't volunteer to go on missions with him. I won't avoid him, but I'm not going to keep trying to force anything either." It was not lost on him he still hadn't been able to help either of them in the moment, he didn't know what anyone else would have done, and that was still hitting him more relentlessly than anything. He didn't trust Peter's help, but he'd had no choice to let Evans fix up his brother while he kept Moony from getting a glimpse of anyone while he was freaking out like that. The last thing Remus had needed was to possibly start attacking himself or anyone else in further distress as he kept a vice like grip Sirius had been happy to take.

There was no easy answer he could have gone back to do again, and it was making him sick.

James nodded slowly and whispered, "that's fair." He reached over and thumped him on the chest, but Sirius could still tell he was sorry for his choice even as he tried to relax. It had worked out, this time...

"Same with Regulus," he added after a moment just to get a rise out of him, making James smile now.

"Good, he's a bad influence," he smirked.

"Thought that was me?" Sirius pouted. "Are you insinuating I'm a good influence?"

"The best," James assured. Both boys stopped their teasing abruptly when Quidditch practice was a fail, and what Harry walked in on next.

Sirius wolf whistled while James fell to the floor laughing again. They were all so exhausted, there wasn't a straight face left in the room as hilarity ensued for Harry's expense of jealousy erupting as he found Ginny snogging Dean.

"Doesn't really surprise me I guess," Lily straightened herself long enough to say in between giggles. "Harry's mentioned her once a year at least for some reason or other, it was bound to happen."

"Are you mad?" James wheezed. "This came out of bloody nowhere! He called her Ron's little sister a few chapters ago, now he's daydreaming about killing Dean he's so jealous! This is insanity!"

They started bickering then, still fighting off smiles a bit as they debated, and the others watched in a sort of gob-smacked silence for several moments before Regulus pleaded, "can't we change the subject? I've heard more than enough of this from Ron and Hermione all year."

"Aww, I didn't even think you'd notice," Sirius teased. "Have you even kissed anyone yet?"

Regulus went just the slightest bit red in embarrassment which could definitely just be delayed laughter, but held his brother's gaze, not breaking an inch to show the answer was no. He was starting to think he'd never want to with as much drama would apparently come with it all.

Peter mercifully decided to keep reading though, even amongst the still smattering of indulgent happiness that came from Harry's sudden concern about being in love with his friend's sister. Sirius caught Remus' eye from across the room and gave him a little wink, who grinned back remorselessly to his ever growing amusement. At least Remus never freaked out about this kind of shit.

Ron's following attitude wasn't as funny to hear about, and he wished he could just tell that idiot to go snog someone already if that was really his problem, but Harry's solution didn't feel better!

"Oh, Harry, no!" James groaned with the first honest flares of disappointment his son's apparent solution to help Ron was to give him his luck potion the day of the game!

"That's cheating that is, Hermione getting him onto the team is bad enough. What's the point of playing Quidditch if you won't rough it," Sirius scowled, trying hard not to say the words too venomously about Harry, but he really didn't appreciate what he was hearing.

The others were fascinated to see a line those two finally wouldn't cross, Lily was watching in open avidness now and Potter didn't even notice he had his sole attention on the book. Him and Black grimaced for every lucky break that occurred, and it was the least spirited game they'd ever participated in. Not one cheer for a goal saved!

Only Regulus seemed to notice or care for the fact Malfoy hadn't attended this game because he was out sick apparently, and his ever growing off screen problem was even more interesting than Quidditch for once.

They were all admittedly distracted by the after math of the game though, Harry's little trick. His two parents laughed hardest of all, and neither even seemed to notice they were so impressed with their kid. It was like a perfect melding of the two, a prank and a little underhanded moral boost by using a potion to solve a problem that Lily gladly would have done.

When Peter kept going though and they all heard how Ron celebrated with Lavender, the birds became a sudden worry Hermione's spell was going to lash out at them. Lily even threw up a shield charm, just in case they mistaked her red hair. Thankfully they did not, but nobody was smiling anymore when they did attack Ron in the book and Hermione ran off sobbing.