Marauders - Always - Part One

Cold Ostrich

Lily only smiled.

"What are you here for, besides mocking me?" he asked.

Lily said, "I was coming to ask Moony and Wormtail to dinner, so we could tell them the good news. But I assume they aren't at home?"

"Nope," Sirius said, popping the P. "Remus is gone to art school and Peter's... wherever Peter goes when he's not here."

"Well, when they get back can you tell them they're invited for dinner? And you, too, of course."

"Yeah, I'll tell them."

"Good boy." She looked at the pack of cigarettes in her hand, then over at Sirius. "This really does mean a lot to me, honey," she said. "I know it's not easy to quit something like this. It really shows how much you love our Harry already. You're going to be a good Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius folded himself up to look at her. "Does James know it's a Harry yet?"

Lily shook her head. 

"Gods." Sirius flopped back down, shaking his head. He rolled off the couch and uprighted himself, then sat back down next to Lily, laying his head against the cushion. They sat like that for a few minutes before Sirius finally murmured, "I still feel like a kid and here you and James are having one of your own."

Lily smiled, "I know," she said, laying her head next to his on the cushion so they were touching.

Sirius smiled up at the ceiling.

Lily ran her hand absently over her stomach.

"I would give up cigarettes a thousand times over for Harry. You know that, yeah?" Sirius asked.

"I know," Lily answered.

"I'd give up my life a thousand times over for Harry, too," he added.

"I know," Lily said and she nestled the side of her head against the side of his.

Remus had arrived to his art class expecting things to be at least partially back to normal this week - or perhaps at least hoping they would be - but it was to his dismay that Spencer Stewart hadn't come to class at all this week and it was he, Remus, who was alone at the table that Spencer and Lula usually shared with him. Worse yet, the class had apparently not finished their figure drawing the week before and, as a result - and likely the reason Spencer had not come - Lula was again modeling for the class.

Remus stared at the desk top, busying himself sharpening pencils far longer than he needed to, straightening his paper and biting his lip until he had no choice but to look up and begin his drawing.

Lula sat at the front of the class on a chaise lounge that had been brought in. She was back-to the class, one leg stretched long. She was looking over her shoulder at an angle, and though she was turned so Remus couldn't see them, he could tell from the way she sat that she had her arms crisscrossed over her chest, covering herself - but only barely. Remus bit his lips as he stared at the curve of Lola's bum, at the way her hips tapered into the small of her back. Her spine was a texture that ran up the center of the milky skin, and her hair hung loose around her shoulders, falling down her back... A small mole peeked its way between the strands.

His palms were sweaty.

His mouth was dry.

And a hundred thousand feelings were rushing through him.

A hundred thousand thoughts intruding along with them.

She looked so soft and delicate compared to Sirius's more manly shape. He was more sinew and angled in the places where she was soft and rounded - a completely different texture and tone of skin... The curve of her shoulder as it sloped down into her neck was gracefully curved, and the slope of her throat as it rose up to her chin was so smooth... Without even meaning to, Remus found himself day dreaming as he drew... Day dreaming of kissing her neck and of touching her hair, of running his thumb across those dewy pink lips...