Marauders planned triumphant return to school after Christmas holidays. But in view of the events that took place, everyone was not up to laughing.
Peter and Remus, having learned about James's grief the last, silently froze, not knowing what to say. Even Emily Parker, usually unperturbed and sensible, stared in horror at Potter, unable to find a word of comfort.
Lily Evans followed James everywhere, whispering softly in his ear. Severus couldn't just ignore this, but he couldn't do anything either. He understood how wrong it would be for him to impede this communication and was losing Lily a little more every day, almost having reconciled to this.
The first smile on James's face showed on the second week after returning to school. Lily once again was saying something to him, sitting at the back desk in Transfiguration class. McGonagall, contrary to her own rules, ignored both of them, even when Lily switched to a frankly loud whisper.
From time to time, Marauders looked back at James, checking his condition and when he suddenly smiled - timidly, uncertainly, as if recalling how it was done - they exhaled with relief and smiled back. Even McGonagall lifted the corners of her lips approvingly, and whispers that swept through the class confirmed how much all Gryffindors were worried about Potter.
Things gradually got better. Staying alone, James once again became gloomy, self-contained, thinking about something for a long time and frowning tensely. But at the sight of his friends he revived a little, trying not to upset them with his sour look.
At the end of the second week, at one of the breakfasts, a huge snow-white owl landed on the Gryffindor table.
"Polar", as Peter Pettigrew unmistakably determined.
"And the biggest owl in the world," Remus added.
The owl opened its huge wings, forcing several students to recoil, and with a very gentle hoot jumped to James. He looked in surprise at wise eyes of the guest and finally noticed an envelope tied with a golden ribbon to owl's paw. In the corner was a glistening abbreviation "AB".
With a strange foreboding, James ripped open the envelope and read it. His face acquired an increasingly surprised expression.
"I know what you had to come through, James Potter. However, the whole school knows... And it would be cruel not to show respect for you. Our little war is just a stupid prank designed to dispel the boredom of days. But now you'd like some peace.
I genuinely admire how you're holding on, James. You're a strong person, and I'm grateful to fate that I have such a worthy opponent. But now - why don't we call a small truce with you? A white flag would be banal, but an owl... I hope you liked it?"
James stooped reading, looking up at the bird. It stared down at him. Half a meter tall and one-and-a-half-meter wingspan, it seemed like a huge snow sculpture.
"In other words, it's a gift, James. He prefers to respond to Prince. Of course, you can take a chance and give him a different name, but I'm afraid he won't obey."
Now James looked at Prince with slight apprehension. The bird continued to gaze at him with a bored expression as if considering him, James, his new pet and not vice versa.
"And to not mislead your friends: I call a truce with you – there's no need to fight with the enemy, if he's not yet capable of a real game. But your friends shouldn't wait for mercy. It seems that I paid too little attention to Remus and Peter... Perhaps I should remedy this unfortunate omission.
Good luck, James Fleamont Potter.
Raise the shields, Sirius, Remus and Peter. The battle is just beginning.
Yours and only yours, AB."
"Hmm," James drawled hesitantly. "Prince, then?"
Friends and other students looked at each other in confusion.
"Well, err, if school Owlery is good enough for you..."
Prince looked at James, expressing his entire degree of contempt for this idea. Waving his wings, he flew into the air and departed through the window.
"Hey!" Potter stood up. "You're still coming back, right? You're my gift, actually! Don't forget about it!"
"What was that, Jim? What is written there?"
"So beautiful," Lily said dreamily. "Who is it from?"
James just waved his hand and gave the letter to be torn by friends.
"Battle is just beginning?" Sirius protested. "Well, hold on, AB, you wrote us off too early!"
Gryffindors laughed and James smiled; a spark of joy, forgotten by everyone, flashed in his eyes again.
✨✨✨
Gryffindor Tower, boys' dorm, noon
Sirius Black watched thoughtfully as white smoke streamed and twisted under the ceiling, flickering faintly in the sunlight. Remus would've killed him already for the fact that Black unceremoniously threw his legs in heavy boots on the bedside table.
Laying on the floor with his hands behind his head, the guy smoked, not caring at all that the ashes from the cigarette was falling directly onto his snow-white shirt. Memories choked him, not allowing him to breathe freely and eating his soul from the inside.
The news about James's parents knocked the ground from under Sirius's feet. He experienced not less pain than his friend, but unlike Potter, he had no right to mourn. After all, he was the one who should return the ability to smile to James and not discourage him even more. He was joking, saying some ridiculous senseless things, telling idiotic just invented stories, put James on a broom, forcing him to fly at least several minutes a day, and felt that with every second he was losing the ability to rejoice and laugh himself.
Regulus... Regulus was the last thread connecting Black to his real family and this thread exploded with a deafening crash. Overnight, he lost both of his families: the one with which he was bound by blood, and the one which hospitably opened the doors of their own house in front of him.
What does he have left now? James coming to life only in the presence of Lily; Remus running after Parker; and quiet, reasonable, all-knowing Peter. Yes, Peter. He probably was the only one who saw what was really going on with Black, but didn't know how to approach his proud friend.
Black closed his eyes for a second: the smoke hit his eyes, releasing the tears that he had been diligently keeping until recently.
Gryffindor common room was unusually quiet, everyone was at the Christmas Ball, applauding to Marauders and Eliza. Dumbledore was dancing with Madam Pomfrey, Lily whispered something to James, not forgetting, however, about Severus. And no one cared about Black. After the last dance with Narcissa, he slipped into the wide-open doors of the Great Hall to finally be in peace.
Malfoy's diary was (no matter how trite it is) under his pillow and Sirius opened it again. Magic cipher was solved, albeit partially, but he still had to understand the meaning of some records. Among usual caustic remarks about his house mates and students of other houses, something really valuable slipped sometimes. And now Sirius's eyes suddenly caught on one of the lines.
"Black viper has truly justified his new name. The spell was so exquisitely and expertly done that even I couldn't detect its trace until they pointed it out to me. Now we don't need to expose ourselves, we'll learn everything first-hand."
Sirius almost heard a characteristic Malfoy's chuckle at the end of the sentence.
Black viper... How didn't he understand immediately? There was only one male viper in Slytherin worthy to be called black - Regulus Black.
Regulus was involved in all this. His younger brother, the one who so contagiously laughed in childhood, when Sirius jumped around, storytelling. The one who considered him, Black, his idol and a role model. The one who shared with him all the feelings, doubts and thoughts, and in difficult times gave advice and supported Sirius.
Now this kind boy took a new name and changed the color of his soul to match his own last name. He invented an incredible dark spell, establishing his position in the circle of Dark Lord.
Black ran down the stairs, right into Slytherin dungeons. His brother wasn't at the ball - obviously, Regulus decided to spend this evening in the Slytherin common room.
Sirius didn't care how he was going to go through the portrait. He stumbled upon his brother, literally crashing into him as the latter climbed the stairs.
"How could you?!" Sirius hissed, not allowing Regulus to recover. "Sell yourself to this dark scum? Follow the example of lying bastard like Lucius?!"
Regulus was taken aback for a second, but then anger flashed through his eyes.
"Woke up finally!" he almost shouted. "Two years ago, you said that I'm not your brother, didn't you? And now you come here, shake this notebook... Where did you get Lucius's diary?"
"Doesn't matter!" Sirius wasn't even surprised that Regulus knew about the diary. "We're talking about you! You, then, black viper?! What a great name! Do you feel important?!"
"Mother approved my choice!" Regulus shouted. "She explained the situation, told me what would happen to purebloods in centuries, if not take action! Are you envy? That family didn't reject me like you then-"
"And what do you do?" Sirius interrupted him. "Kill, torture? What?"
That evening their relations finally broke down. Black couldn't resist and hit his brother with all his might. Regulus didn't expect this and almost rolled down the stairs. Miraculously, he stayed on his feet.
Sirius waited - waited for Regulus to punch back, but he only smiled arrogantly, ignoring the blood flowing down his chin, and proudly walked forward, leaving his older brother to look after him in surprise.
"Who are you and what have you done to my brother?" Sirius said hollowly, releasing another club of smoke.
After that unexpected fight, Black didn't know where to run. He went straight to the Great Hall, to Dumbledore, but students were already leaving with the professors. Dumbledore wasn't among them.
Then, Sirius rushed to headmaster's office, hoping to wait for him there, and was very surprised when, in an hour, instead of Dumbledore, he saw at the end of the corridor two very unexpected faces - Lily and Severus. They were clearly worried about something serious, since they risked steal James's invisibility cloak.
After another half an hour of silent and awkward waiting, headmaster himself finally showed up. A smile slipped from his face when he saw three ruffled students. Frowning, he flung open the door to his office, offering the trio to go inside.
The conversation wasn't pleasant. Lily talked in a broken voice about some headquarters in Hogsmeade. Black, seeing nothing and not hearing anything, talked about his brother and waved Malfoy's diary. Severus agreed to both of them, not quite realizing what they were talking about at all from the amount of drunk alcohol.
But did Black know then that Regulus was the one who created the Tracking Spell telling the Lord about Order's plans? That his brother could be guilty of what happened to James's parents? Did Regulus know this himself?
So many questions and no answers. Sirius blew out another stream of smoke and regained his feet. Missing the third period in a row wasn't worth it, otherwise it would be impossible to dodge Remus's boring questions.
✨ ✨ ✨
Dumbledore's office, same time
"Yes, Headmaster, I know that I was late from Christmas holidays," Beata smiled innocently. "But it was only a week and a half! I lost track of time, don't you know how it happens?"
"Miss Sprinkles, I'd like to know," Dumbledore ignored her question, "does this have anything to do with your mother's arrival at Hogwarts?"
"Including," Beata shook her head vaguely.
"In that case, you know what your mother told me, Miss Sprinkles?"
"No idea, Headmaster," Beata looked really surprised.
"She told me to not let you out of school, keep you away from Mr. Malfoy, even forbid you to visit Hogsmeade," Dumbledore paused, waiting for Sprinkles' reaction. It followed immediately.
"Are you kidding me?!" she roared. "Have you decided to imprison me? This is a school, not Azkaban!"
"I told Serena," Dumbledore said very gently, "that I'm not going to take such cruel measures without special need."
"So?" Beata calmed down a little.
"So, it turned out that you spent most of your holidays in the Forest of Dean, right after you quarreled with younger Malfoy. We both know, Beata, what that means."
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Sprinkles said.
"You understand perfectly," Dumbledore nodded. "Therefore, I'll attach a guide to you, someone who cares about your safety clearly more than you do."
Beata looked around in confusion and stared at Emily Parker. Ravenclaw was very gloomy, sleepy and angry. There was a feeling that Emily reconciled to her fate only after headmaster's hour-long persuasion and the offer of power over the world in exchange for accompanying Beata.
"You're definitely kidding," Beata said, slowly boiling and angrily turning to Dumbledore.
"This isn't a negotiation," headmaster said coldly. And then he smiled, "Marmalade?"
✨ ✨ ✨
It was the thirty-fourth minute of Beata's verbal abuse of Parker. The Ravenclaw, unperturbed and speechless, counted seconds until the moment she would melt Sprinkles' brain, silencing her forever. Beata seemed to not feel the threat looming over her:
"Parker, don't you wanna go and snog Remus?"
"How about you go to Slughorn and ask for a poison for Malfoy?"
"I can tell you about secret sexual technique to charm cutie Lucy?"
"How about you just turn around and go the other way?"
"Do you wanna fly? I'll throw you out of that window easily!"
"Well, maybe we really should go to Malfoy? Believe me, he knows how to satisfy a girl! That, by the way, won't hurt you."
Beata did as best she could. She tried to send Emily to Remus, she pushed onto weak spots relating to her story with Malfoy, she said that if Emily missed classes she wouldn't pass N.E.W.T.s. But Parker was silent and indifferent, like gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office.
After another "I order you - go and smash yourself into that wall!" Emily only shrugged and imperceptibly waved her wand. The floor under Beata covered with a thin glacier, and the Slytherin, desperately squeaking, slipped on her stomach all along the hallway, successfully smashing into that very wall. Peeves, looking at this from the ceiling, laughed loudly and showed Parker a thumb up.
"One more word in the same vein," Parker said, "and I'll tie you to a chair and lock in one room with Black."
"Nooooo!" Beata continued her concert, not particularly trying to rise from the floor. "Not with this insensitive stump! He didn't even laugh when I told him about broken bike. And there was a very funny crack!"
Emily closed her eyes for a moment, remembering one gray-haired wizard, and at that same moment Dumbledore looked at the cabinet with surprise - strangely rocking and rattling, it began to fall to the floor.
"What happened between the two of you?" Emily's voice was full of curiosity.
"Hmmmm," Sprinkles looked at her with an appraising look.
"Come on," Parker said with a snort. "You'll explode if you don't tell me."
"Well," said the Slytherin, "it was a pretty exciting night..."
✨ ✨ ✨
Somewhere in the night sky, the end of November
"Sprinkles, stop breaking my ribs!"
"But I'm afraid of falling!" Beata screamed back, clinging to Sirius even more tightly.
"And don't shout in my ear!"
"Don't you like my voice?!"
From a distance it seemed as if a huge overgrown black bug with two heads got out for a night walk and, unexpectedly for itself, took off, but miscalculated its own strength.
Theoretically, it was supposed to be the most romantic night in Beata's life, but Sprinkles didn't know what romance was, and Black had more nights like that than truancy of the History of Magic.
"Black, is it me, or we're losing altitude?" Beata's cheerfully said as if they weren't falling swiftly, rushing to the ground, but performed a funny acrobatic stunt.
Sirius straightened the bike, looking with caution at the level indicator of levitation powder in the engine. It had to be enough for the way back... theoretically. It should've been enough, if another stupid idea didn't come to Beata's head.
"Sirius!" she announced happily, forcing almost deafened guy to twitch once again. "I know that violet fly agarics are growing in that forest. Severus once complained that he needed them for potion, but he couldn't get them anywhere, they are very rare."
If these fly agarics were so inaccessible, they wouldn't grow in the forest next to Hogwarts. Why didn't this bright thought come to Sirius at that moment, he had no idea. But he couldn't expect such a cunning trick from Beata either.
As soon as they landed near the lake, Sirius jumped off the motorcycle with pleasure, dropping his shoes with socks and walking barefoot on the wet grass. Beata behind him strangely puffed and muttered something under her breath. Black felt so inspired by this mysterious night that he didn't pay the slightest attention to Beata's incomprehensible attempts.
"Do you know that I was named after the star?" not turning around, he said. "We have tradition in our family. I used to think it was rather stupid, but now, looking at this sky, I begin to understand that this makes sense."
Sirius breathed deeply, closing his eyes and spreading his hands to the sides as if opening to the night. The answer was a furious, intermittent roar of a motorcycle and victorious squeal of the Slytherin.
Turning sharply, Black looked at his black beast, or rather, followed with his eyes after bike jumping on the bumps. Sirius tried to shout something angry, but only gasped for air, very comically bulging his eyes and froze with outstretched hands.
"SPRINKLES!"
The answer was only ominous laughter.
Black, seeing nothing around because of rage, ran after his flying friend. He intended to overtake Beata and throw her down, so that she couldn't dare to encroach upon him and his precious bike.
"I'll get you, Sprinkles!" angry Black continued. "And I'll cook you in boiling water! You hear me?!"
"I really look good at it, right?" Beata replied, either not hearing Sirius's shrieks or, as always, ignoring him.
Sirius was in utter despair, gradually realizing that he couldn't catch up with Beata. At that moment, someone in the sky at last heard his prayers, although that "someone" obviously had bad sense of humor. Levitation powder in the engine ran out.
After making a few more dying sounds, the iron horse began to land, from time to time trying to restore altitude, but immediately falling down. Sprinkles was screaming or swearing. Black was gloating and sobbing at the same time. Seeing Beata's fall was incredibly exciting, but terrible crash that accompanied the collapse of his beloved bike didn't give Sirius an opportunity to enjoy what was happening with the Slytherin.
"Siriuuuuus!" wailing sounded from the distant bushes. "Heeeelp! Oh, I found fly agaric!"
It was unbearable. Black literally clutched his head, and then decided that he could return here later, confidently walked away.
Sprinkles, obviously, wasn't going to make life easier for him even now: groaning, puffing and cursing, she crawled out of the bushes and, pulling leaves and broken branches out of her hair, followed Black. He thought that she deliberately was trying to destroy this night, although there was already nothing to destroy here.
Beata's subsequent phrase was the last straw in the cup of his boundless (as Sirius sincerely believed) patience.
"When you fix it, will you teach me how to fly?" she asked, smiling cheerfully. And after a second with a cry "Aaaaah! Parker, save me!" rushed away from Sirius, whose eyes were blazing with devilish fire.
"How about to get up?" Emily asked skeptically, looking at Beata's dreamy face. "Since you're going to stupidly stare at the ceiling and remain silent, you can do it somewhere else."
"Why?" Sprinkles woke from the memories. "I'm fine here. Flat floor is useful for the back!"
"Whatever you say," Emily shrugged. "I don't care where and on whom practice transfiguration."
"Whoa-whoa-whoa!" Sprinkles immediately jumped up. "No hands, please! And by the way, I wanna eat something."
Emily sighed wearily and followed the cheerful Slytherin to the Great Hall. The rumble of voices, whispers and strange giggles intensified as they approached the massive doors.
"Emily!" Remus appeared unexpectedly, like jack-in-the-box. Blocking girl's way and not paying attention to Beata slipping inside, he began chattering how happy he was to see her.
"Remus," Parker interrupted. "We've known each other for at least four years, and you haven't learned to lie properly. Amazing mediocrity! What's going on?"
"Nothing special," Lupin wilted at once. "But you better not get in..."
But Emily, beckoned by Beata's ominous laughter, has already entered. Students and even some professors were holding strange sheets.
"Wooow! This is genius!" Sprinkles howled, examining the paper.
Parker shook her head and literally snatched it from the hands of her laughing friend.
"As I said before, I didn't give much time to our quiet and inconspicuous friends - Remus and Peter. But this time I decided to focus on one of them. So, can I have your attention, please?
Dossier on Remus Lupin:
Name: Remus Lupin, nicknamed Yawntastic.
Eye color: no freaking clue, who cares?
Height: not a little peanut, but not a tall man.
Constitution: thin and frail, like a little twig, swaying in the wind.
Facial expression: for the most part, dull and bleak.
Characteristics: over-tedious, outrageously decent; sometimes, by sheer chance, gives bearable ideas and hopes.
Biography: fell in an unequal battle, unable to resist dubious charms of Emily Parker.
Dossier on Emily Parker:
Name: Amelie Parker, nicknamed Twig.
Eye color: impersonal-pale.
Height: lofty.
Constitution: sad creature, wrapped in dimensionless black robes. Looks like an old mole.
Facial expression: draws all the love and joy out of this world with a glance. In a word, future dementor.
Characteristics: evil roach, cold fish, favorite of Beata Sprinkles, member of the Club of Mournful Bookish Nerdlings, the second participant after Lupin.
Biography: while there is at least a shred of happiness in her path that she can suck out - is immortal.
Story of Yawntastic and Mole
One cold, impenetrable night, James Potter and his friends sought entertainments for their attractive asses (and don't ask how I know they are attractive!) and decided, as a joke, to bring two well-known personalities together: Yawntastic and Mole.
As desperately as the stars was trying to turn away, the planets - descend from their orbits, Emily Parker and Remus Lupin found each other, despite all the obstacles.
They say that fragile Ravenclaw had smashed all the chairs in that ill-fated classroom, while poor Remus was humbly hiding in the corner. He still hoped that this storm would bypass him. But Emily Parker wouldn't be herself if unexpectedly didn't decide to give these relationships a chance! Poor Lupin was forced to kiss and since then he hasn't been able to resist.
And now, we all are waiting for the culmination of this obviously exciting and incredible relationship. Therefore, I, called AB by birth, declare that the season is officially open!
Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen!
When will Emily Parker and Remus Lupin learn all the sweetness of forbidden passions?
When cold mind of the Ravenclaw will be flooded with sweet words of modest and shy Gryffindor "playboy"?
When young and callow Remus Lupin will heed the advice of his advanced friend and taste this sinful vessel (read, female body)?
And the most important question is - who will be on top?!
Let's all together help our common friends and support them in this difficult venture.
P.S. I take everything from knuts to galleons. You can write down your name along with the decision on the message board at the entrance to the Great Hall and drop coins in the nearby standing chest.
All the money will go for erotic lingerie for Emily Parker and underwear with Winnie the Pooh for Remus Lupin!"
"That's why I asked you not to read," Remus sighed sadly, fearing to approach frenzied Emily.
"Odd feeling, isn't it?" Beata lowered her voice, "You seem to have formed this group yourself, but they make fun of you. What an irony!"
And already louder added, "I don't know who this Winnie the Pooh is, but I'm betting that this great event will happen in the coming month and Emily will be on top. Well, Remus, of course, bottom - under the bed."
The ensuing burst of laughter literally deafened Emily.
"Mistake," she said thoughtfully and a dangerous smile crept over her lips. "These puppies made a huge mistake deciding to play with me."
Remus closed his eyes, not risking to look at Marauders. They didn't even try to restrain themselves and portray at least fake sympathy.
"Traitors," Lupin thought grimly.
Peter smeared tears over his face, rereading AB's message again and again, Sirius could barely suppress his laughter, biting his fist, and even James giggled, poking a line with his finger and showing it to Lily.
Emily glanced at Severus, but the Slytherin only smirked, not at all embarrassed by Parker's withering gaze.
"Well, Remus," Emily sighed. "We have to beat them all."
"How?" Lupin frowned, smelling a rat.
"Isn't it obvious? That night should be fantastic! And don't you dare put on your Winnie the Pooh underwear," Emily said sternly and quietly went to the sheet that hung at the entrance, writing in the appropriate boxes "next week" and "Emily on top". After that, she dusted her robe off, fixed her hair and, accompanied by astonished and even admiring glances, left the hall.
Remus, cautiously approaching the list with bets, read Parker's entry, then turned pale and scratched his head with a shaking hand.
"Scary, Moony?" said Black into his ear. "Want some advice?"
"Better hide me," Lupin said dully. "Where she doesn't reach me."
"Azkaban?"
"Nope, it's unreliable," Peter shook his head. "It's better to whack him right away."
"Don't whack me!" Remus screamed hysterically and flew out of the hall.
✨ ✨ ✨
Slytherin dorms, prefect's room, evening
"Indescribable audacity!" Malfoy mumbled, pacing the room. "Am I really like an idiot?"
Lucius was genuinely puzzled. When Parker and Beata allegedly quarreled, he posed himself as a hopeless idiot, pretending to believe in all this senseless farce. When Sprinkles entered his bedroom, pushing him in the shower, and doused him with hot water, he tolerated it. He knew that she needed an opportunity to get a diary.
Malfoy had his own calculation. He didn't doubt Beata's intellectual abilities and knew that she would unravel the magic cipher. To this end, Lucius deliberately modified some notes and even added something, in his opinion, giving nobility to the ideas that the Dark Lord pursued.
The chance that Sprinkles, after reading, would change her mind and take Malfoy's side and support the Lord, was small, but as they say, diamond cuts diamond. But when panting Regulus with a bloodied face ran to him at the end of the Christmas Ball and announced that he had seen his diary in the hands of Sirius Black...
First and already rooted in his brain thought was to immediately crush Beata Sprinkles, regardless of the consequences. Second - why the heck he, bloody idiot, decided that strange, illogical Slytherin wouldn't give his diary to someone other than Parker? And now he was forced to deal with it.
Not only did Dumbledore find the Tracking Spell in his office and destroy it; not only did Beata make him, Malfoy, the laughingstock of the Christmas Ball, so now he still didn't know what to do with Narcissa!
At first, he thought he had to take revenge on her, was even going to use Beata's help, create, so to speak, an ideal tandem of nemesis. But now Lucius was no longer sure who and how he was going to avenge. First Narcissa, teaming up with Beata, and then Beata, teaming up with Narcissa, and then Parker, teaming up with Narcissa and Beata?
Ugh! What nonsense!
But he had to take Narcissa back, put Beata in her place, and threw Parker out of school after destroying her life and finding out a counter-spell. What nasty little girl had done to him in an attempt to avenge that childish prank had serious consequences. And let Malfoy hoped that the Dark Lord would help him with this "little" problem, it'd be foolish to exclude reserve options.
With a deep sigh, Lucius nodded to himself. Narcissa is too suitable candidate to lose. Too advantageous from the point of view of establishing kinship with Blacks and quite attractive physically.
So, he needed to act and don't give the girl even a chance to go back on track and break off the engagement.
"Emeralds or diamonds?" Lucius muttered, staring at the portrait of his great-grandfather. "Or both?"
But Lucius had no idea that Narcissa would become for him not only a successful trophy, but also a truly desirable woman.