･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. .**.☽ .*
"Hey, play that Carolina one again."
"Oh yeah! I love that one."
"Okay, okay," Sirius snorted, shaking his head at the boys, "hey, do you think it's obvious that literally all my songs are about Rutherford?"
"Well..." Remus trailed off, looking to James and Peter for help.
Peter swallowed the sweet that was in his mouth and said "yes."
"Pete!"
"Great," Sirius laughed, shaking his head at himself, "God that's embarrassing."
"Yeah, like...Carolina? It's basically Caroline," James said.
"Yeah but it's about an imaginary girl from Carolina, that's a place in America! Not a girl called Caroline."
"But it's obviously still about her," Remus said from where he was laying in bed, "go on, sing us a bit of it, we'll point out every Rutherford reference."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "fine, but seriously I don't think it's obvious."
He started strumming the guitar.
"She's got a book for every situation-"
"Well that's obvious," James laughed.
"Gets into parties without invitations-"
"Sure that's not a reference to the Gryffindor party a couple weeks back?" Remus asked.
"Shut up, Lupin," Sirius grumbled, before carrying on, "there's not a drink that I think could sink her, how would I tell her that she's all I think about-"
"Merlin, Padfoot," James threw a pillow at the boy, "you're in love with her, aren't you?"
"Am not-"
"He is, absolutely infatuated it's actually a bit weird," Remus said.
"Sure you can talk, Lupin."
Both Sirius and Remus' eyes went wide. Shit.
"What?" James asked, "Remus do you fancy someone?"
Remus shook his head as Sirius stammered for an explanation, "I just meant that he's, um, he...he fancies Madame Rosmerta!"
"What, the bird from the Three Broomsticks?"
"Yeah, definitely," Remus said, clearing his throat, "I mean...she's...um, you know..."
"Huge tits," Sirius contributed.
"Yes, thank you Sirius," Remus said, massaging his temples.
"If you shag her we could get free drinks," James suggested.
Remus hummed and nodded, averting his eyes, his face still burning. Even the thought of being with someone else other than Maeve made him actually feel a bit nauseous. No one, nothing could ever compare to her. He looked at the pack of cigarettes on his dresser and smiled softly to himself. He couldn't wait until the morning just so he could see her at breakfast.
"Hey, Sirius?" Peter began.
"Yeah?"
"Could you play us Sweet Creature again?"
"Sure, Pete."
He started playing the familiar guitar part, his fingers dancing between the strings in a way he didn't even have to think about anymore.
They had heard this song so much that all of them knew it, and it had become all of their favourite song. And...they were beginning to all sing along.
"But oh..." Sirius sang with the guitar.
The boys all threw their arms up and sang loudly as if they were at a Quidditch match, "Sweet Creature! Sweet Creature! Wherever I gooooo, you bring me home!"
Sirius laughed loudly at his friends singing his lyrics as he continued to strum the guitar.
Suddenly someone burst through the door, Lily Evans, "would you boys please keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep."
James grinned, "of course, Evans, sorry for the disturbance."
She looked taken aback by his genuine response, and nodded slowly before just saying, "thanks," and leaving the dorm, shutting the door behind her.
"We should probably sleep, lads," Remus said, pulling the blankets of his bed further over his shoulders, "it's the full moon tomorrow. We should get our rest while we can."
"Smart," Sirius said, tucking the guitar underneath his bed.
James pulled off his shirt before climbing into his bed himself and flicking his wand at the light to make it turn off.
"Night, boys," he said.
"Night."
"Good night."
"Sleep well, lads."
･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽
"Morning," Caroline said, sitting beside Sirius.
"Good morning," he smiled at her, his whole body language changing as he sat up straighter and turned more to her, "sleep well?"
She nodded, "after I finished my homework, which took a while."
"What homework was it? Did I have to do anything?" Sirius asked in panic.
She shook her head, laughing slightly, "it was Arithmancy, you don't take that."
"Oh thank God," he sighed in relief.
"Alright?" James asked, sitting down on the opposite bench with Remus.
"Morning, Caroline," Remus smiled at the girl, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Morning, Remus," she smiled back.
"Do the Arithmancy work?" He asked.
"Yeah, but Merlin did it take ages," she shook her head, making him laugh.
"I started it the evening we got it and it still took me all week."
"Same!" She exclaimed, making him laugh.
"Really? But you're so good at it, I thought it'd only take you a couple hours."
"Oh," she smiled at the compliment, "well thank you, but it didn't, I just wanted to get it perfect, you know?"
James looked over at Sirius and grinned widely to see the stony look on the boy's face as he looked at the pair bonding over bloody Arithmancy. Why couldn't he be smart like that? He couldn't talk about those kinds of things with her, he wasn't anywhere near as intelligent as her and he never would be.
"Hey," Archie sat down beside Caroline.
"Hey," she smiled, "where's Ty?"
"Talking to Sprout, I left him because I was hungry," he shrugged, before someone came up behind him and ruffled his hair, "hey! Ugh Janey why do you always have to do that."
"It's not my fault your hair is so fun to mess up," the girl giggled, sitting beside him, "morning all!"
"Morning," a few of them responded, making her smile happily.
Caroline turned back to Sirius, before looking down at his hand resting on the table, and looking back up at him, "I like your rings."
"You do?"
"Mm," she nodded, lifting up his hand casually to look at them, "what's this one?"
"Oh, its Queen, see that silhouette?" He pointed at the engraving on the thick band.
"Ohh! I see it now, that's Freddie Mercury!" She exclaimed, smiling up at him, his hand still in hers, "that's so cool."
He nodded, forgetting how to speak for a moment before saying, "yes, it...look, here."
He gently took his hand out of hers and slid the ring off of his finger.
"Try it on, see if it fits," he said to her, placing it in her palm.
"Really?"
"Yeah, go for it," he smiled softly.
She slid it onto her index finger as it was on his but it was too loose and almost fell off, making him chuckle. She took it off and slid it onto her thumb, which it fit perfectly. She smiled up at him, but got caught up in the unfamiliar look of affection in his eyes.
"Keep it," he said.
"Wha-Sirius I can't it's yo-"
"It looks better on you," he said.
"But-"
"I want you to have it."
She looked down and admired the ring on her hand, before looking up at him and asking in French, "is there a catch?"
He shook his head, "pas de prises."
"You're too kind," she said, still in French, "merci, Sirius."
"You're welcome."
James coughed from opposite Sirius, "*cough* whipped *cough*."
Caroline pretended not to hear as she looked down at her ring, but she did hear, and she felt her face get unusually hot. Sirius flipped his friend off, making the boy laugh and begin to say something to Remus.
"Ignore them," she murmured to Sirius once James and Remus weren't looking, shuffling a bit closer to him to nudge his arm comfortingly.
She saw Remus looking up again but not at her, past her ear at something behind her. She turned around to follow his gaze and saw it was at Maeve Iverson. Again. She had noticed him staring at her many times recently, and it was getting quite comical how badly he hid it. Were they dating or something? Dating in secret?
She looked back at Remus who realised she saw what he was doing and flushed pink. She shook her head and just winked at him as if to say she wouldn't say anything, before turning back to Sirius to talk some more.