ATTENTION PLEASSE! This chapter includes the topic of drug use, not much just a few mentions of smoking weed BUT I think I should put the disclaimer.
27th March 1976
"Dorcas." Beth moaned with irritation. She was angry with everything since her lovely brother caught her smoking pot. "Could you please shut the fuck up?"
"Oh, come on, Potter." Black-skinned girl smiled. "We all know that you love gossiping..."
"I have an exam in the morning..." She put a pillow over her head.
"Since when do you care about grades?" Lily raised her eyebrow.
"Since, Slughorn is really close to not letting me pass this year."
"So anyway, Sirius..." Dorcas continued her story about how great Black was in bed.
"For fuck's sake." The brunette stood up. "I'm gonna kill you one day."
"No, you won't." Her roommate laughed. "You're a pacifist, remember?"
"Fuck you." She showed her middle finger and walked through the door.
She could get to her friend Cynthia's room but she wasn't in the mood for wandering around the school. Without having any other choice she entered her brother's room wishing for sudden forgiveness. She shook James's arm and whispered. "Jamie. Can I sleep here tonight?"
Potter opened his eyes and look at his sister. He was still incredibly angry at her. "No." He answered harshly and gone back to sleep.
She looked with hope at Remus, but once she noticed that bit was snoring she knew there was no power to wake him up. She often wondered if that was the reason they call him Moony.
"Come on..." Beth moaned.
"Piss off, Elizabeth," James answered and covered his head with a pillow.
"Dorcas can not shut up for three hours now." She explained. "I have an exam tomorrow morning. I need some sleep..."
"No. You're not sleeping here." He replied with anger.
"But James..." She groaned loudly.
"For Fuck's sake, Potter." Sirius stopped them. He was way to a hangover to listen to those too. "Just let her sleep here."
"I'm letting a junkie into my bed." The boy smirked.
"I'm not a..." His sister said with extreme irritation.
"Shut up." Black covered his face with hands and sighed. "You can sleep with me."
"What?"
"You heard me." He mumbled and moved aside to make more space for a girl, she immediately used the invitation. "Just, be quiet. Your fucking screams does not help my hangover.
"Okay." She whispered and kissed his cheek softly. "Thank you."
"Shut up..." He said quietly. He had no idea with but just the scent of her suddenly cured him of a terrible headache. He could smell the sweet, vanilla perfumes under cigarette's smoke and something he could describe only as of the sun.
God.
How on earth could she even smell like the sun in the middle of the march in Scottland?
He looked at her face. She looked quite pretty in sleep. For once she wasn't annoying everyone.
Sirius could not think more about that since sound if her calm breathing turned out to be a perfect lullaby.
***
28th March 1976
Sirius Black waked up in the situation that should be especially uncomfortable. Why it was not uncomfortable? His best friend's sister was lying next to him still sleeping. She using his chest as a pillow should be weird. His arm wrapped around her tiny body should be even weirder. He smiled after realised that she the slight blush on her cheeks and quietly whispered. "Lizzy... Wake-up." Wrinkled her nose slightly making him laugh softly. "Lizzy. You gonna be late for your big exams." He murmured straight into her ear. She lazy opened her eyes and looked at him trying to process where she was.
"Holy fuck." She said after understanding what exam he was talking about.
"Good morning." He answered ironically and grabbed cigarettes from the bedside table.
"Moring." She replied lazily stretching and she inhaled some smoke into her lungs and let it out after moment with a moan. Merlin. Black found that sound surprisingly pleasing. "Thanks. Just what I needed."
"Sure." He took the cigarette back.
Beth sat down on his bed and grabbed her clothes from the floor.
"So, today's big party..." Sirius said, trying not to look at her. She was sitting just a few inches from her. She was putting tights on. He could not stop staring at her long legs. "Who is taking you?"
"Remus." He gulped as she lifted herself up to pull up the material to cover her... lower back?
For Merlin's sakes, Black. It's Potter's sister! Stop thinking about her fucking butt.
"You and Lupin?" He mumbled trying to pretend he asked from curiosity, not jealousy.
"Nah. We are going as friends." A girl stood up and to Black's disappointment, she put on the short school skirt. She remembered how furious her mother sounded in the howler after she found out about her dear daughter short skirt. "He is convinced that no girl would go out with him. I know a lot of girls that would..."
"With Remus?" He chuckled.
"'Yes! With Remus. He is handsome, you know..." She started to put her shoes on. Sirius smiled, knowing that white gogo boots weren't the part of the school uniform. "I know one girl, in particular, that would love to go out with him."
"Who?" He asked before putting his cigarette down.
"You know, Cynthia Chapman? From Hufflepuff." Sirius nodded. Cynthia was a very pretty girl. She has one of those faces that you just had to look at to know that she was a kind person. He even thought about asking her out but something about her innocent made her untouchable for him. That was not a case with Beth. Playfulness in her eyes and careless smile could be mistaken for childishness but Sirius was smart enough to know that there was nothing innocent about Elizabeth Potter. "She has a massive crush on him. Just don't tell him."
"I won't." He promised and tried to look away as she took off her Beatles shirt.
"Good. Cyn would kill me... It's enough that I have to make James not hate me again." She laughed.
"And how are you gonna achieve that? He's really pissed at you this time." She stood up and walked over to his chair that was used for keeping all his clothes clearly looking for something. He couldn't resist but looked at the yellow material strap on her back. Yellow looked great on her tanned skin, she was so skinny that he could almost see her spine.
"'I'm gonna convince Lily to go with James." She announced.
"No way." He almost choked on air.
She suddenly turned around making Sirius look at something much more interesting than her back.
"Wanna bet?" She said playfully and raised her eyebrows.
"Loser buys the winner a beer." He smiled knowing that he had already won that bet.
"Deal, Black." She answered. "Can I borrow it?"
"Sure..." He nodded after looking at his white shirt she was holding.
"Thanks." She put it on and tied it up just above her skirt and left buttons on top undone. "I spilt something on myself yesterday."
"You look good in it." He couldn't help saying that.
"I look good in everything, honey." She smiled and grabbed her bag. "Thanks again for letting my sleep here." She kissed his cheek. Oh, Merlin... She thought. Why on earth would I do that?
"Bad luck with your exam." He mumbled. "I hope you not gonna pass it."
"Good luck with losing the bet, sucker." She smiled and stormed out of the bedroom. It's Black. Get your shit together. She needed to find Lily. How the fuck would she convince her to go out with James. Was she crazy to think of that fucking idea?
She needed to win the bet.
Fucking Gryffindor pride.
***
"Lily!" Beth finally found the redhead.
"Elizabeth Potter." She said with a mix of relief and outrage. "Where the hell did you go last night?" Evans could be was a bit harsh thanks to what some people thought of her a mean person. But sometimes she acted like worried mom. Maybe because her own mom never was worried about her.
"I stayed at my brother's." She explained. "Listen you need to help me."
"I am not borrowing you any money. You never give them back." Taller one rolled her eyes, knowing that Potter will convince to borrow her money anyway. The only talent that she had, aside from annoying people, was convincing them to her rights. That's why Beth would surely argue about anything.
"It's not about money..." She rubbed her neck a bit nervously. "It's Jaime's birthday today."
"I know. He is trying to convince me to go to his party for a month now."
"He really wants you to come to his party..." Brunette bit her lip.
"You not trying to convince me to go aren't you?" She raised her eyebrow in disappointment.
"I'm gonna do your homework for a month."
"You suck in making homework, Beth." She recalled. "Didn't you write an essay about how stupid the teacher was? And why do you care if I come, anyway?"
"James is super pissed at me." She replied desperately. "It could be a birthday 'don't tell mom I do drug kinda' gift."
"Oh come on Beth." She whined and planned to walk away.
"You know that you and Dorcas won't get any more weed if you gonna leave me now." Elizabeth told to her. Since she started going for all political actions against war she met a lot of hippies. "Mom won't let me go for any more pacifist protests." She looked at her beggingly.
"I hate you." Lily moaned.
"Evans." She looked at her with a pleading look.
"Fine." She replied finally. "But you owe me a big one, okay?"
"Huge one." She kissed her roommate's cheek. "Enormous."
"When does it start?" Redhead asked angrily.
"Eleven. Just be there and talk to him for a while or something." She instructed her. "And mention that I convinced you to come okay?"
"Sure, sure..." She answered and started walking away. How the fuck am I gonna explain to Severus that I'm going to Potter's fucking birthday party?
"I love you!" Beth yelled after her but he had not answered. After a few minutes, she was outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room. "Pure-blood" She murmured the password. It was ironic, wasn't it? The mudblood saying that. She really wanted to get to Severus's room unnoticed, but of course, it was too much to wish for.
"You lost, Evans?" She heard a familiar voice and turned around.
"No, but thanks for your care, Regulus." She smiled fakely at the boy. He looked similar to his older brother but somehow sadder. And opposition to Sirius he never used to smile, his eyes were colder, less... alive. His face seemed softer, he was still handsome but in a more boyish way. Weird. He was way more mature and distanced than Sirius but he still looked like a child. Very sad, lonely child.
"Greet my dear brother from me, would you?" He asked. His voice was aloof but still somehow polite.
"Why can't you do it yourself?" Lily asked and walked away not waiting for an answer.
"I wish I could." He whispered more to himself than her.
Redhead knocked on her best friend's door and said. "Severus? It's me. May I came in?"
"Sure!" He answered loudly so she entered. "I'm in the bathroom, I will be right out!" He added.
"Okay!" She smiled and sat on the bed. She didn't mean to look through his stuff. The book was just sitting there. She touched the black leather cover and suddenly froze.
Secrets of the Darkest Art by Owle Bullock.
"Holy fuck." She whispered and looked at the bathroom door in terror. How could he be interested in Dark Magic? She would trust him with her life.
She loudly swallowed and shut her eyes trying to not ask that question to herself.
Will he... Will he join him? Did he already join him?
"Severus!" She tried to sound calm. "I'm... I have to go! See you tomorrow, okay?" Lily stormed out of the room not waiting for an answer and passed Regulus.
"What happen Even?" He asked sarcastically. "Snape broke up with you or something?"
"Shut up, Black." She replied and got outside. She stopped and took a deep breath. She had to get her shit together, after all, she had a party to attend.
No matter how scared and confused she was. She could not let that into her head. She was Gryffindor head girl and Gryffindor girls are brave and walk with pride.
Beth is kinda persuasive, especially if she needs to save her own ass.
Question: Do you enjoy going for that 1970s hippies and bohemian atmosphere vibe? I wanted to explore it a bit more, but I'm not sure how comfortable are you guys with drug use and that kinda stuff.