When She Spoke (Marauders Era)

Chapter Ten

Lark could stay out in the cold all day. She did enjoy the tingly feeling it left on her skin and the shade of pink it turned her nose and ears, yet tonight was a different case. Skating was an entirely new concept to her. It was like walking on a treadmill, a very slippery treadmill at that. Correction: It was like walking on a treadmill with smooth metal blades and spikes at the end rather than toes.

"Haven't you ever been skating before?", Sirius laughed, pulling Lark onto the ice by her wrist with Andromeda, Narcissa, Bellatrix, Lily, James, Remus, and Peter all in toe. Lark gave a frightened nod, trying to her best to pull away meanwhile not falling over, which was quite difficult seeing as she had never even laid her eyes on skates before.

"Don't you have a broom closet and damsel in distress to go to?", Andromeda crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as she stepped onto the ice, not even trying not to fall, which left Lark with a gaping mouth, still not seeing how anybody could possibly skate. Lily, on the other hand, was already skating backwards, trying to look tough as she agreed with Andromeda.

"I'm a better person than that, 'Dromeda!", Sirius scoffed. "I am ashamed that my own cousin would think-"

"It's Andromeda," she mumbled under her breath;.

"-that people just wait in broom closets for me! I'm more decent than that! I keep a schedule!", Sirius finished, grinning proudly.

"It's funny that you think that's a good thing," Remus laughed, also stepping onto the ice.

"What do you know?", Sirius huffed, dragging Lark even farther onto the ice, much to her discontent. What if it cracked?

"You haven't even kissed a girl!"

"Sure I have," Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm not a complete amatuer!"

"Yeah? Who's the lucky girl then?"

"Er," Remus bit his lip, looking down so that sandy blonde hair fell over his eyes and muttered a name that only he could hear.

Uninvolved in the conversation, Lark was tugging on Sirius's arm as hard as she could, trying to get him to carry her off the ice before she fell on her arse. Right then, she wasn't so much 'skating' as 'stumbling over herself in a very coordinated way'.

Yet no matter how hard she pulled, Sirius would only pull her back to his side effortlessly, not even seeming to pay attention to the struggling girl at his side, who he had now dragged halfway across the Black Lake.

"Well, come out with it then," James smiled, punching Remus in the arm jokingly.

"I don't really feel comfortable-", Remus started.

"Eh!", Sirius protested, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation, shoving Lark to the ground without even noticing, to which she pouted and crossed her arms, sitting on the ice as she waited for somebody to finally notice her. "Look who's calling the kettle black!"

"I AM NOT-", Remus raised his voice, and only stopped when all three boys glared at him. "Oh, okay. Yeah, I guess."

Everybody but the other three Marauders looked at him quizzically, not understanding what he meant.

"And..", James pressed. "Who was it?"

"Jane Greengrass," he mumbled.

All of the other teenagers gave loud, short laughs, leaving Lark confused.

"Jane Greengrass, the girl in the year above it who is basically the female version of Sirius?", James laughed. "That Jane Greengrass?"

"Yeah. That Jane Greengrass. She said she thought I was 'cute'."