The Marauders: Year Three | #Wattys2016

Where's Sirius?

Where's Sirius?

The Astronomy Tower door closed behind Peter, James, and Lily and Professor Zosma looked 'round at them. "An unusually small class this evening," she commented. It was the first time that any of the professors had noticed Remus missing, Lily thought, and when she turned around to mention that fact to Sirius, she found he wasn't there, either, and realized why Zosma had noticed. Nearly half her class was gone.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily hissed to James as the three of them each set up their own telescopes.

James was screwing on the viewfinder and checking its settings, twisting the knob. "He had something he had to do tonight," he replied vaguely.

Lily's eyebrows knit together. She wanted the whole truth, so she said in a stern tone, "Potter."

James looked up, imitated the expression she was giving him, and her tone, "Evans."

"Where's Sirius?" Lily repeated.

James fiddled with the telescope a few moments. "Right ascension... six, forty-five, zero-eight point nine one seven twenty-eight... declination negative sixteen..."

Lily reached over and pushed the telescope, sending it spinning out of place. James looked up, "What! You asked where Sirius was..."

"Not the star, you bloody idiot."

James grinned, "You need to be more specific, Love, we are in Astronomy right now, after all."

"Potter," Lily said again, even sterner, "You know perfectly well --" She paused as Professor Zosma came by to check on how their telescopes were doing on the set up.

Professor Zosma looked Lily's over, "Very good Miss. Evans, you did that very quickly!" She looked at James, who was scrambling to get his back into the correct position after Lily had thrown it off kilter. Professor Zosma sighed, "You'll get it, Mr. Potter, just keep working at it."

"I had it," he said, "But then something knocked it off it's track..." He narrowed his eyes at Lily.

Zosma wandered off to help Peter, who was still doing abysmally awful at trying to find the ascension and declination points that Professor Zosma had assigned them. The moment she'd gone, Lily turned back to James. "C'mon, out with it. Where's Sirius?"

James looked up from his telescope, which he'd gotten lined up once again and, to be safe, had locked into place so Lily couldn't knock it off again. He considered her a moment. "He's... checking up on..." James glanced back at Zosma, who was a little too close to have a completely open conversation. "Moony," James finished.

Lily's eyes widened. "He's what?"

"You heard me," James said. He started looking through the telescope as though he had an idea what he was looking at, trying to act natural so Zosma wouldn't have a reason to come back over.

Lily had her hand on her hip, "Oh yes, he's just gone to check up on the bloody werewolf!" she said, "That's a right grand idea! Not mad at all!"

"Love, will you please refrain from using the W-word?" James asked, looking up from his scope.

Lily stared at him in disbelief, "How are you so calm about this?"

"Sirius knows what he's doing, alright? Just relax, we have it under control."

She looked aghast - so much so that James couldn't help but snicker at her. Lily shook her head, "How in Merlin's name does one have it under control when it comes to -- to mooniness?" she demanded, shooting a check toward Zosma and Peter.