Egotistic // Marauders Era

Sirius

Rachel glared at him and folded her arms. "That's disgusting," she told him bluntly, her mind reeling with thoughts. "I swear if that's what you're doing with Olly, you'd better take a step back right now because I won't let you get away with it."

Sirius held up his hands and shook his head, pursing his lips. "I swear, that's not it," he assured Rachel. "For once, I want it to last."

"Good," Rachel nodded, her eyes traveling to the same person she was talking about. "So, James aside, you're tucking away your man-slut ways to get the girl of your dreams?"

"Hey!" James protested in an angry whisper. "I'll just have you know that once Lily Evans falls madly in love with me I'll set aside my man-slut ways as well!"

Rachel rolled her eyes and gave James a pointed look. "Try taking your 'one-girl-every-week' quota you seem to have the need to fill, throwing it out the window, then actually talk to her and get to know her. Then maybe she'll fancy you."

James opened his mouth to protest but before the words made themselves out of his mouth Sirius had begun speaking. "But yeah, Rachel. I'm not that guy anymore."

The group had finally gotten to the stairs that lead up to the astronomy tower, so Olly and Crystal both stopped and turned around. "Alrighty," Olly said, rocking back on her heels. "So I don't think all of us should go up there, for safety reasons and stuff. So... we're going to have to agree on two people to stay down here and guard the stairs."

"If Olly's going, I'm going," Sirius protested, but Olly shook her head.

"Sorry, but I'm letting somebody else pick so it's fair," she told him.

Nobody said anything. They all wanted to go up to the tower and hopefully find Tia. But none of them wanted to guard the stairs. However, they knew somebody would have to.

"I'll do it," Crystal sighed as she raised her hand. "I can stay down here, I guess. And I can pick the other person."

Rachel nodded, glancing at Olly. "Great. Uh, go ahead, then."

Crystal pursed her lips and smiled, holding up her hand and pointing at a random person. "Eenie meenie miny moe, catch a-"

James scoffed. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing?"

Crystal flushed and she gave James a hard look. "I was trying to decide who would do guard duty with me."

James rolled his eyes. "Well that's certainly one way to do it, but can we try to act older than a first year? Preferably a sixth year?"

"Fine," Crystal said, still glaring at James. "Then all of you, get in a circle around me." The four of them did as they were told, gathering around Crystal as she closed her eyes and stuck her hand out, spinning in a circle. She spoke as she spun. "Whoever my hand lands on, you're going to be the guard." She continued to spin for about six seconds, before slowing down and coming to a stop. The person it landed on gaped at her.

"No," Sirius refused. "Nope. I'm not doing it."

Rachel sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Sirius, it's not a choice. You have to-"

"I'm not leaving Olly alone!" he argued, gesturing to the girl who was cleaning the dirt off of her glasses with the edge of her shirt. She looked up at this comment and raised an eyebrow, sliding her thick-framed glasses back up her nose.

"I can take care of myself, Sirius," she reminded him. "Plus Rachel and James are going with me. Don't you trust them?"

Sirius scoffed. "The only person I trust to look after you is myself."