fatal love

chapter 80

May began on a Saturday, and with their OWLs just around the corner, it was time for the final Quidditch match of the year. Maybe Sirius should have expected them to win, but it still came as a surprise. But Gryffindor trounced Slytherin, and the team was handed the Quidditch Cup, which Morvaina shook proudly.

Their exams started next week, but that didn't stop Gryffindor throwing the biggest party any of them had ever seen.

Sirius bounded over to Remus excitedly, fighting his way through the throngs of drunk teenagers. "Did you see me play, Moony?" he asked eagerly. "Did you see when I hit Avery?"

Remus grinned at him. "Yeah, Pads, I did."

"And Regulus' face when we caught the Snitch! The little twerp looked so pissed off!"

"He wasn't the Black brother I was watching, actually," Remus chuckled.

Sirius beamed up at him. "You were watching me?"

"Mhm," Remus nodded slyly. "The whole time."

"Good. You should watch me all the time, I don't want you looking at anyone else."

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about that." Remus was still grinning at him, and Sirius couldn't remember feeling this happy in a very long time.

"I only look at you."

"Good," Remus mimicked.

They were quiet for a moment, and just stood there, smiling at each other dopily. If they weren't in the Common Room, surrounded by tons of people, Sirius would have kissed him right then and there. He could wait, though.

On Sunday, they finally finished the map. They christened it the Marauders' Map, put a specialised locking charm on it, and watched in satisfaction as they could follow every single person's movements around the castle. It was their proudest creation yet.

Their OWLs started on Monday, and throughout the week, all of the Fifth Years were walking around the school like zombies, with huge bags under their eyes. No one had the mental capacity to think of anything beyond their next exam, and mealtimes became quiet as they all suffered together. No one was in any mood to chat, but there was at least some sense of solidarity as the days dragged by.

Two weeks into May, and they had the full moon under their belt, along with about half of their papers. They had just finished the Defence Against the Dark Arts examination, and the four Marauders left the Great Hall, feeling exhausted and cranky, but accomplished nonetheless. Sirius was sure he had done well - all of his studying with Remus had paid off, it seemed.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.

"Loved it," Remus replied briskly. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Think I did," said Remus seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: he's sitting on my chair. Two: he's wearing my clothes. Three: his name's Remus Lupin."

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes and the tufted tail," Pete said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else-"

"Merlin, Wormtail," James laughed. "You run around with a werewolf once a month-"

"Keep your voice down," implored Remus, rolling his eyes.

The four of them headed down to the Great Lake.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," Sirius grinned. "I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least."

"Me too," said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.