The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The Circle Game

"Moony," Sirius drawled, hurrying to Remus's side, and Lily recoiled at the smell of the firewhiskey on his breath, looking at James and Peter with sharply questioning eyes. "My Moony."

Remus, too, reacted to the smell of the alcohol, his nose crumpling as he roused in agitation, "Wh -what's that smell?" he demanded, offended.

"How much of that rubbish have you had?" Lily demanded.

"Barely a drop," Sirius answered breezily.

"A full bottle," James corrected.

"Such a stickler for the facts," Sirius slurred at him, wagging his finger in James's direction.

James raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, mate, it's called not lying."

Sirius made a gesture of shushing him, one finger pressed to his lips, and he looked back at Remus, "Don't worry, Moon-Moon, I'm here."

Lily blocked Sirius, protective of Remus and a darkly fierce expression on her pretty face. "Maybe it's better if you go and sober up first," she injected.

Sirius laughed, "What do you think, that there's a spell to sober up or something?"

Lily glowered at him. "I'm not letting you by him. You're ripe to say something idiotic and hurt him, or else throw up all over him or some thing." She waved a palm, "Not to mention if you are as offending to my nose hole as you are, then I can't imagine what kind of reek you must be to his."

"Oh come off it, Evans," Sirius made to step 'round her, "I don't think I need permission to see my sick fiance."

She raised her wand. "Well I think you do."

Sirius scoffed, "What're you going to do? Hex me?"

"Yes."

They stared at one another.

"Go take a shower, Sirius," Lily said sternly. "You may come back when you don't smell like a whorehouse bar." She pointed with her free hand and snapped her fingers for him to go.

Sirius glowered.

James reached out for Sirius's arm, "C'mon mate, she has a point, you are pretty rank."

Sirius rounded on James, "Don't touch me."

"I'll ruddy touch you if I want to," James snapped back, "You know, you're acting like a real prat lately and it's got to stop."

"You're not my parents!" Sirius said, "Stop talking to me like that."

"No bloody kidding I'm not your parents!" James declared, "But last I checked that was a plus in my favor, seeing as your parents are horrible people bent on killing everyone!" He took hold of Sirius's elbow, his grip firm as if he was holding onto a snitch. "We'll be right back."

"Get your fucking hands off me."

James wrenched Sirius out the door, down the stairs, through the portrait hole, and on down the corridor. Sirius flailed and tugged, trying to get away, but James, being athletic and well built from years of quidditch, was much stronger than Sirius, and able to keep him held fast and moving forward, until they'd reached the prefect's bathroom and James  got them inside. Kicking on the faucet, he waited until there was just enough water that the fall wouldn't hurt and he pushed Sirius unceremoniously into the pool of warm water.

Sirius came up spluttering, blowing water out of his nose and mouth, his hair bedraggled and hanging in thick black ropes 'round his face. "Could've drowned me, I --" he was choking on water.

James stood, staring down at him, while Sirius enacted all of the dramatics he could muster. Finally, when Sirius's cacophony died down, James asked, "Is this really how you want to end our time at Hogwarts, mate? With all of us at each other's throats and you acting like you're back in third year, running about with those kids like you're one of them? Treating us, your real friends, like rubbish, and losing Remus for good with your attitude?"

Sirius floated heavily in the water.

"Or do you think that's rather stupid and you ought to smarten up and perhaps apologize to some of us for being such a git and let us in on whatever it is that's bothering you so that we can help or at least be there for you?"

Sirius didn't answer.

"I know you're not getting into the universities you wanted, Lily told us you applied, and I think it's rubbish they're not accepting you. You'd know how angry I am with the programs if you were paying any attention, and how much I want to help you. You'd know I'd written home and asked Dad if he knew anyone at the Ministry or any of the Unis that might could talk some sense into the admissions. You'd know that he says he does and he's reaching out to 'em for you. You'd know that Professor McGonagall wrote you a proper recommendation letter and that dad's bringing it Monday to St. Mungo's."

Sirius looked up at James.

"You'd know Dumbledore is outraged and that he was in the prophet yesterday talking about unfair admissions processes and petitioning the Ministry to begin a blind acceptance policy, where the choice is made without the name of the student attached to the application so they can't look at anything except the work that's been put in."

Sirius looked down at the water.

"And," James said, his voice winding down, "You'd know that your precious Moony needs you a whole lot bloody more than you realize and that you're letting a bunch of petty rubbish get in the way of that... because honestly, how long are any of us going to be in the universities anyway, with a war on the brink of starting? I reckon before long that the Order of the Phoenix will be more important than anything any of use will aspire to at any of the universities. If it wasn't for the fact that auror training will actually help a good deal in fighting You Know Who, I wouldn't even bother going to uni anyway."

Sirius's voice was thick, "But you have the choice to go. If you wanted to."

James answered, "I s'pose. But I think what we're going to be doing with the Order will end up being way more important anyway."

Sirius thought a moment, then, "Yeah."

"Sticking together is way more important than uni, mate," James said, "You are way more important."