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[alwaysimpure]

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[alwaysimpure]

"This is boring," Sirius announced. Then he ducked his head down, because he caught the look the librarian just sent his way. And, yes, he had only just sat down, after talking his way into Remus' library trip, to accompany his friend so he wouldn't have to be all alone.

This was worse than having to be all alone. Somehow it had never occurred to him that when Remus mentioned he'd go study in the library, he actually meant that he'd study. In the library.

He dropped his voice, elbowing Remus so he couldn't ignore him. "I'm bored."

[selenophobia]

"Then why did you come?" Remus whispered, annoyed because he knew this would happen. It was like taking a toddler out, they always thought everything sounded fun but the reality really wasn't. They always ended up whining about something, just like Sirius. And yes, of course it was boring. They were in a library. "I'm studying, did you think it'd be a party?"

The librarian shushed them and Remus smiled apologetically and ducked his head, trying to focus on his work because he had to catch up.

His 'illness' set him behind and it wasn't like he could copy his friends homework. They hadn't done it. He needed nerdier friends.

[alwaysimpure]

"I guarantee you'll never need any of this stuff in your life." It was easy, of course, for Sirius to talk like that. Just as with many other things, studying came easily to him. He had excellent grades without trying hard and he didn't care much either, aside from how his parents hated that he was doing well. Admittedly, sometimes a nice bonus.

Not nice enough to waste any more time doing this stuff than necessary. "We could go outside. Come on, it will be fun." Because clearly what Remus needed was fun. "You need fresh air. I'm worried for you, Moony!"

[selenophobia]

"I need to learn it, even if it's pointless." He had to do well because he had little else going for him lately so maybe good grades would be a thing he could show his parents instead of how much weight he'd lost or how tired he was. If he could at least achieve 'above mediocre' then he'd be thrilled. A solid 'acceptable' grade and he'd brag. He would brag so much, he'd pin it to the fridge!

"You aren't worried about me, you're just bored." Rolling his eyes, he flipped the page and ran his pencil under a sentence he knew he had to memorise. "If you were worried, you'd help me study."

[prongking]

"Do you think I have an arrogant smile?"

James smiles several times at Sirius, just trying different smiles before looking at Sirius for his honest opinion. "Lily always says it's cocky or arrogant but it's just my face. I can't do anything about my face. Well, I could but I don't think you can improve perfection so I don't want to risk it."

Seemed like an awful idea, honestly. "She also said I walk with a swagger... am I swaggery? Do I swag? Swag like a stag."

[alwaysimpure]

"I don't think you do. You are arrogant." Sirius had been busying himself with lying on his bed and tossing a ball up in the air to catch it again and he was planning on continuing that pleasant state of not doing anything important. However, as a dutiful friend, he moved up a little, enough to be able to hang his head over the edge, his hair almost brushing the ground, and allowing him to look at James, upside down.

"Was she complaining or complimenting? I thought swagger would be good. You do swagger. You always walk like you have a broom between your legs."

Sirius yawned and rolled around, looking at James the right way up. "Gross exaggeration, if you ask me. I've seen it."

[prongking]

"Excuse you, it's not all about size... but mine is bigger than average. We checked, remember." They did once have a measuring contest... they were teenage boys, it was funny and they had a ruler. What else were they to do? He leaned back on his bed and puffed out an annoyed exhale. "It's not arrogance though. Like, you know, if you're good at everything then that's just fact. I ain't bragging, just stating facts."

So he didn't think it was arrogance. Maybe pride? He was a proud swiggity-swaggery stag with a plenty big dick.

"I dunno if it's good or bad to swagger but she said it with that tone. You know the one. The tone." It was a never good tone. "It wasn't said with love, I can say that much."

[alwaysimpure]

"It's time," Sirius whispered to Remus, as if Remus would know what this was about. Sirius looked around, then nodded. And he got up, walked around the table - which was very unnecessary, Remus was sitting right next to him and the table was round, but now he had ensured that several people were looking at them - and then he approached Remus from the other side, holding a hand out to him. "Shall we?!"

His eyes were looking straight at Remus, his smile was debonair, his robes were well tailored and he was ready for their big moment. A moment Remus knew nothing about.

[selenophobia]

"It's time for what?" Remus was looking everywhere but Sirius cause he assumed it was like time for something around them to happen. Like maybe they were getting cake. A long shot but it'd be nice to get cake and he was feeling peckish so... that was his expectation. He did not expect Sirius to suddenly hold out his hand and look at him like that.

Alarm and shock would be two words to describe his current feelings. "Uh..." What was happening. "Shall we what?"

[alwaysimpure]

"Take my hand, you pillock!" Sirius didn't feel like waiting any longer for their great moment. He was getting sick of watching everyone badly slow-dance. He was going to show them some real dancing. Or some dragging a reluctant Remus around, anyway. Either way, he expected that it would go brilliantly.

It was Sirius' general assumption in life that everything would go brilliantly.

[alwaysimpure]

"So..." Sirius crawled behind the curtains that this kid had drawn all around his bed, not seeing them as the obvious 'stay out' sign that they were. He heard James talking to Peter, but he was on the second part of the mission. Befriending this kid.

Trouble was that he had no idea how to go about it. He didn't even know his name, because during the sorting he had been too distracted by the impending doom unfolding in front of him, given he had been one of the first to be sorted, sitting down at the Gryffindor table to be welcomed by icy looks all around.

Things had thawed once James was there. And now he had to break the ice here too. "I'm Sirius."

Wait. "I mean, I'm pretty funny actually. But I'm called Sirius."

[selenophobia]

"Uh. Hi."

It had been a long time since Remus had really spoken to a kid his age, if he was honest. He remembered a play date he had at four and then the odd encounter when he went out shopping but for the most part, Hogwarts was a real culture shock. So. Many. People.

It was both thrilling and terrifying in equal measure. He smiled shyly at the cheery boy and nodded his head. Sirius? At least he seemed nice.

"I'm Remus Lupin. Nice to meet you."

[alwaysimpure]

"I'm Sirius Black, with full name." Sirius waited for just a moment to see if there was any reaction, but there wasn't. He had caught on quickly. That had to mean that Remus was mudblood or halfblood, only made sense. "Do you like chocolate? James and I bought waaaay too much on the train, so now we can share."

James and I. That was already kind of becoming his favourite way to think of himself, as part of that duo. He reached behind himself and then held out a chocolate bar that proudly had the lettering 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS' on it, complete with a tiny train that was moving along, puffing out smoke. He unwrapped the bar hastily and then handed a piece to Remus. "I never had friends over at home. This is gonna be like a slumber party every night."

[liquidsky]

One of the good things - and there were few - about Gilderoy Lockhart was that he didn't care at all whether Barty was actually paying attention to him or not when they sat together. He would go on about nothing much - so, himself - either way and Barty had time to think, to watch others, while passing as someone having a normal conversation. It worked well enough, although he knew he'd still get fed up after a while.

His eyes finally focused on Gilderoy again after a minute and he paid actual attention to his words, raising his eyebrows. What even.

[gloryseeker]

"... I mean, Barty, my old boy, you have no idea how easy it is to be you. Understated. Out of the public eye. So many people adore me, I just have no time to myself." Gilderoy, deluded as he was, paused to wink at a group of girls walking by. They did not smile back. They were still pissy over what he'd done to the canteen. It wasn't that Gilderoy wasn't popular with girls - he was handsome, charming and flirty.

But the more they knew him, the more opinions changed. "So as I was saying, my social calendar is booked for months but I'm very willing to make time for you. To do as we wish. Two young boys and all, up to mischief." Hopefully not murderous mischief. He had heard rumours about Slytherins lately but he assumed it was all rumours.

[liquidsky]

"Two young boys up to mischief." Barty repeated the words, wondering whether it was worth making a sex joke. But, honestly, he was of the opinion that Lockhart was too busy being in love with himself to even have realised what sexuality was yet. Not wanting to waste his material or, indeed, his time, Barty just shrugged, turning his focus back to the book he was reading. "Don't put yourself out. I'll survive without your company."

Also, if he was any judge, Gilderoy would come by again soon. He always circled through the same few people and sometimes new ones, when the old ones had truly tired of him.

[alwaysimpure]

Being sent to his room was really nothing new to Sirius. Really, honestly, it was so rare that he wasn't sent to his room that, more than once, his parents had just sent him out of habit, simply assuming that something had to be wrong about him being outside.

However, he certainly did all he could to live up to that legacy and today had certainly been no exception. But even so, things weren't completed yet. He was already in his room due to what he'd done this morning, since he was had to come to the gala this evening no matter what. He was the Black heir, he had to be there, he had to behave and his parents would make very, very sure that he would. He had even promised that he would behave appropriately, secretly thinking that appropriate was really a flexible word. Be that as it may, so far he had no plans for the gala.

That didn't mean that he hadn't still done things before the gala started. It had started simple, as most pranks, with him observing one day that Regulus had taken to using some kind of product in his hair to make it look better. Good sign, puberty had finally hit. The second phase of the plan was figuring out when he did it and then he had to find the best spell to make things glitter when they were near body heat long enough that there was.

Long story short, Regulus' hair should be glistening by now. Sirius, already banished to his room for something unrelated, was expecting Regulus' discovery of this fact and the subsequent tantrum, just lying on his bed and tossing a ball. Just not the same without James there.

[lionstar]

It was so baffling to him some days that Sirius was, in fact, the older brother. Cause he damn well never acted like it. How could that buffoon be the heir? Why did he get such a luxury when he had all the maturity of a toddler?

Staring into the mirror, it took a while to even process that yes, his hair was shimmering. Literally sparkling in certain lighting. It wasn't the shampoo or his conditioner so what was it? After a long while of searching, he found the culprit. He checked his gel several times, sniffed, rubbed it on his hands and then realised, far too late, that it had indeed been tampered with. Fuck!

What was he going to do now? He washed his hair twice and the stupid stuff wasn't coming out - he still sparkled. Fainter now but the sparkle was there.

Anger welled up as he burst out of his room, in full tantrum mode, banging on Sirius' door. "What did you do?! I know it was you. Can't you go a day without annoying someone?"

[alwaysimpure]

"A whole day?" Sirius paused, considering it. Then he threw the ball at the floor, from where it bounced to hit the wall, then flew right back at him. He caught it and shrugged. "Depends on how long I get to sleep in."

Unlikely, he'd wager. "What's up, Reg? Come in, door's open."

Had to be open, mother insisted.

[liquidsky]

Most of today, Barty had spent trying not to think about some things. He had focused on his studies and tried to push past whatever negativity still clung to him after Christmas. Concern for his mother, resentment for his father. But today there was a deciding vote, one that could secure his father's position or oust him, depending on how it went.

He had been trying not to think about it. Had done his best to resist temptation to check. But now, as he arrived in the common room and found it almost empty, he sat down opposite Severus Snape and eyed the newspaper he was reading. He couldn't help but wonder. So, finally, he cleared his throat. "Severus? May I borrow the paper, when you're done with it?"

[bewitchminds]

"Suppose so." He didn't fancy giving it over so he had already decided to read vastly slower than he wanted to. He never gave anything up easy, being accommodating was not really something he did. He flicked over to the next page, trying to find something to peek his interest - lately, he tried to stay on top of the news. One never knew when the Dark Lord would get a mention.

Noticing that Barty was simply sitting across from him waiting, he lowered the paper and tried not to sneer. "That urgent, is it?"

[liquidsky]

"No." People's desire to feel superior would never cease to amaze him. In school it was basically everything. Being a year or two older. Having better grades - or sometimes having worse grades. The family and blood status, of course. At least Severus had some solid reasons to feel better, he had to admit. And, in this case, it was his right to hang on to the newspaper, he couldn't deny that.

He sighed, shrugged, leaned back. "Any interesting news?"

[selenophobia]

After the full moon, Remus always got exhausted. The sheer toll of it tended to be a lot for him, he couldn't keep up with Sirius and James - too much energy required and he wasn't able to pull it off. It was easier to be with Peter around this time, he was a lot less intense, a lot less active and he could doze off against him and not be disturbed.

Which is what he'd done during lunch that day while waiting for Sirius and James to come, just nodded off against Peter quite content.

When he woke up, he was drooling on Peter's shoulder and swiftly pulled his head away. Whoops. "Er, sorry. Did I do it again?"

[rattigrew]

"Yup," Peter said, evidently in a good mood. For good reason, he was chewing happily and pointed at Remus' plate, "Ate your taters."

He loved himself some taters. Looking at his friend and not even noticing the drool on his robes, Peter frowned anyway. "You doing all right there, Moony?"

There was concern now. "I could get us more taters."

Seemed like the obvious solution here.

[selenophobia]

"I think I can live without them. Everything is making me feel sick lately." Hence why he left them exposed. When he was actually hungry, he didn't let Peter around his food at all. God forbid! He'd bloody eat everything if he could. He kept all his chocolate locked away under his bed and charmed to hell.

"I'm all right, didn't sleep much."

He always took a few days to get back into things and it was the new year, that always threw him a little. New pattern and all. Frowning, he looked about. "Where are Pads and Prongs?"