Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

chapter 65

I rush up to said tree and pounce on Remus. "Ouch! Your elbow is digging into my spleen!"

"Sorry," I slide off him and wriggle into the grass to get comfortable before quirking my eyebrows excitedly.

"Oh no." James says uneasily. "She's got her scary face on."

"Boys, I have just heard the spiciest of spicy gossips."

"What is it?!" Peter asks, scooting closer to me.

"Penny Bell is with child."

"No way! Oh my goodness, poor Penny. What is she? Sixteen? Merlin, what are her parents going to say? I wonder if the professors know yet!" Remus exclaims all in one breath. James and Sirius convulse with laughter at him which makes Remus' ears and cheeks turn red.

"How did you find out?" Peter asks me with bright eyes. What can be said? The boy lives for a good scandal.

"Alice told me. Not sure how she found out but apparently everyone knows." I tell him. I lay my head down into Sirius' lap and look up at him from there. "Hi, Sirius." I hum.

"Hello, kitten."

"Kitten, huh? That's a new one." I laugh. "I like it though." He starts running his fingers through my hair and I flutter my eyes shut as he continues soothingly.

"Keeks!" I don't want to open my eyes or interrupt the calm state Sirius' scalp massage has put me in. "Keeeeks! Kee –"

"Oh Merlin, what James?" My eyelids fly open and I glare at him.

"I just felt left out." He mutters sheepishly.

"Remus, be a darling and run your fingers through James' hair to shut him up." I mumble before shutting my eyes once more.

The tranquility of the outdoors lasts a few extra seconds before Peter screams, "Come back!" I groan and get up and off Sirius' lap just in time to catch a glimpse of Peter rushing off in the direction of his toad who is quickly hopping down a mound of grass.

"Not it." Remus states.

"Not it!" James and Sirius call together.

"Fine." I sigh. "I'll go collect Pete." I push myself up to my feet and race off in the direction Peter and Lord Pickle went.

I find him sitting cross-legged a little ways away with his pet in his lap. "You found him good!" I smile, sitting down beside him.

"He gets jumpy when he's hungry." The blonde boy informs me.

"He and I have that in common then."

Peter laughs. "Me too."

I glance up and release a breath. In front of us is the Whomping Willow, or known to others as the Killer Tree. Instinctively, I get up and stalk towards the raging tree. Peter eagerly trails after me. He stops walking as I get closer and calls out my name cautiously. "I never understood why this tree is always so angry." I voice thoughtfully.

"Cute, but take a few steps away from it please." He says in a warning tone.

"Maybe all it needs is a hug. You know what they say." I say still staring up at the moving branches.

"No...what do they say?"

"Er, something about hugging a tree being healing or something." I begin walking closer towards it again but then come toppling over as my collar is pulled from the back. Laying back on the dirt I look up at Peter who is looking down at me worriedly. "Oi, trying to murder me, Petey?"

"Sorry, but what the hell do you think you're doing?!" He screams.

"I was going to hug the –" I point to the tree but am cut off.

"Don't be a fool, Keeks! Are you mental? It'll break you to pieces and there are people here who actually care what happens to you. You can't just go around hugging killer trees!"

"You care about me." I coo, standing up to boop him on the nose. "And it was an honest thought, I don't see why I'm mental for wanting to make this irate plant happy."

He laughs incredulously. "Look I'm hungry, could we just go?"

I have to go on my tiptoes to throw an arm over his shoulders. "Yes yes, let's get you to a nice steak pie."

"Is that what we're having for dinner?"

I wink at him with a shrug. "It will be once I tell Dumbledore I want it."

*

"So Dukey, what's on the schedule for the rest of the day?" I ask while shovelling steak pie into my mouth.

He wipes his mouth with the corner of his fabric napkin and ruffles up his white-blonde hair. "Let's see...oh yeah, nothing! I have no life. Tell me, Chiara, what's it like to have a life?"

I shrug my shoulders just as two ginger figures take the seats in front of me and Duke at the Hufflepuff table. "It passes the days." Upon noticing the two newcomers, I grin brightly at them. "Fabby and Giddy! To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Fabian tips an invisible hat at me. "M'lady." His turquoise eyes then flick over to Duke and he raises his eyebrows in surprise as he takes him in. "And who is this?"

"This is Duke Jones. Duke, Fabian and Gideon Prewett." I point to each boy as I introduce them.

Gideon eyes Fabian and smirks before turning to me. "Well Hollie, I have a proposition for you."

"Intrigue." I raise an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"Go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend."

I stop smiling and look down to my fidgeting fingers. "Oh. Uh, Gid I-I don't..."

He rushes to explain, "It isn't a date. It's a business thing. See, I want you to talk me and Fabian up to Zonko but I also want him to see what we're worth. Working at the Three Broomsticks is good and all but it isn't exactly our style. Bring me and Fabs there with you on Saturday and we'll give you all the Butterbeer you can drink."

"Oh okay! Yes, done!"

"Splendid!" He smiles so wide his freckled nose crinkles up in delight. I tune back into the conversation happening to my left and have to bite my lip to keep from giggling.

"If I could rearrange the alphabet I'd put 'u' and 'i' together." Fabian says smoothly, leaning over the table to be closer to my lanky friend. Duke is blushing like a madman but still can't take his own brown eyes off the redheaded twin.

Gideon starts slow-clapping. "Well done, brother. Seriously, lively effort."

Fabian smirks and leans back. "I thought it was pretty good."

"Oh sure. Duke, what did you think?" Gideon asks my poor excitable friend.

"I-It was good." He says turning even redder.

Fabian grins triumphantly. "Well, we best be going." He and his twin throw their legs over the bench. "I hope to see you soon." He sends one last wink over his shoulder at Duke before slipping away with Gideon by his side.

Duke squeals the moment they're out of sight and I begin laughing uncontrollably. "Merlin, I've fallen." He sighs dreamily.

"Duke!" I laugh some more. "You've only just met the boy."

"So? He's hot! And he's the first boy to ever flirt with me even if it was just a joke. Godric, I'm pathetic. A cute boy could hold the door for me and I'd think about it for the next lifetime."

I shove his shoulder playfully. "If it makes any difference, I don't think he was just joking."