Carve Me Open / r.l. + s.b. /

Resolve

"You know," Sirius drawled, indifference dripping from his words, "scowling like that causes early wrinkling."

"I don't care," James growled, throwing a fork down and sighing.

Sirius shrugged, "I would. Being eleven and passing for fifty is not the goal, Potter. If I looked half as bad as you do, I'd be lathering up in creams and potions."

That earned a small chuckle from Peter, who'd done such an excellent job of remaining silent on the other side of the table that Sirius and James had forgotten he was there for a moment. Lily and Jemimah stalked past the three boys, the Hufflepuff not giving any one of them a second glance while Lily was quick to throw a nasty glare over her shoulder. That was mainly aimed at James.

Sirius snickered, "Look at you, already such a lady's man."

"Would you cut it out," James scoffed.

Sirius sighed heavily, dropping his cutlery and facing James with a determined look. He knew it wouldn't be easy convincing James to at least leave Remus alone. Not that James was eager to have many interactions with Lupin anyways. It wasn't in that regard that Sirius made this request; it was pointless to taunt and tease someone like Remus when he didn't even care. In fact, Sirius was sure that Remus was off floating in his own little world with images of Judy and Evans dancing between sugar quills. He didn't mind the three of them, nor should they him. They got on well enough on their own, and he seemed fine in his own realms. It was beyond him how this worked out, but Sirius was never one to question stupid people.

"I don't understand why you hate him so much," Sirius asked innocently, picking his fork back up and continuing to eat his tuna salad. "S'not like he's done anything bad to you. Maybe looked at you a little funny, but that's only 'cause you've got to get past your ugly face to see the real James."

James, finding the situation a bit more amusing now, punched Sirius in the shoulder lightly. He didn't let it on, but he pondered Sirius's words for a moment, resting his head on his fist in deep thought. "I just don't get him."

Sirius scoffed, "Me neither. But, according to you, that's not our concern, and we don't need to get him. We need to be worrying about this prank if it's going to work. Worrying about Lupin isn't going to get it done."

James hunkered closer to Sirius as if he was about to relay top-secret information.

"Right," he whispered, laying out a parchment of materials. "So long as you keep kissing Slughorn's arse –" Sirius thwacked him across the head – "we'll be able to get the ingredients. Now, there's the matter of sneaking it into their cups. How will we manage that, eh?"

Peter picked his teeth for a moment, "We could sneak it into the morning pumpkin juice, you know, in the kitchens." James and Sirius nodded for a moment, looking at each other with impish grins. "It's just the matter of how we can sneak past all the elves. They're right obsessive over their food."

"No matter, I have the perfect solution for that," James waved off Peter's anxieties quickly with a lazy roll of eyes. "I've found a secret passage way near the common room entrance. It won't take us to the kitchen, but it'll get us close enough."

"But we only want it to affect the Hufflepuffs, right," James clarified, scribbling lines and letters messily on parchment. His glasses hung dangerously low on his nose, and Sirius fought the urge to adjust them.

"Exactly," Sirius affirmed. Peter's face screwed up.

"Why do we only want it to be them," he asked confusedly.

Sirius was too caught up in his schemes and faltered for a moment, struggling to hold back the color rising to his ears. He hadn't quite thought of the excuse he'd give when they finally asked him his motives. Truth be told, he'd just wanted to wipe that bright, little smile off of Julia's face.