Chapter Text
“We must have a huge end of year prank,” James was whispering enthusiastically. “It has to top everything we’ve done. Ever!” He flapped his arms widely and almost hit the boy behind him in the face.
“I don’t think we can do that,” Peter mumbled anxiously. “Don’t you remember third year? How can we beat that?”
Graduation was in a day’s time and James Fleamont Potter was absolutely convinced he had to prank the living shit out of the entire school. He had been making plans and scrapping them, writing obscure spells and potions and tricks before crumbling it up and tossing it through Professor Binns.
“We can’t prank the entire school,” Remus had whispered harshly, always the voice of reason. “We can only target a small group or just one person. We’re leaving Hogwarts, we don’t have the school rules to protect us from whatever they would decide to do to us.”
James slid down further in his seat and muttered something under his breathe, earning a sympathetic look from Lily.
Sirius had always thought he would die before Lily looked at James with something a little more than contempt.
He had been bothering her for literal years and never got tired of it.
James shot him a strange look, his lips quirking and his hand fiddling with something under the table. Sirius wondered what he was doing.
Deep in thought, Sirius bit the wrong end of his eagle quill and choked on the little bit of ink that spilt down his throat.
He spluttered loudly and stood up quickly, accidentally knocking the chair out from behind him.
He waved his hand in the air wildly. “Bathroom,” he coughed. “Thanks, Binns.”
He choked all the way to the nearest bathroom which just happened to be on a completely different floor.
He barged into an empty bathroom stall and sat on the lid of the toilet seat, trying to keep his coughing down. Whatever was in that quill was definitely not ink. He remembered James’ mischievous smile and he remembered his hands moving under the table— he had been pranked.
Sirius Black, king of pranking, had been pranked by the lowly James Potter. Wonderful.
Someone rapped their knuckles on the bathroom stall door and gently eased it open. Remus poked his head in and shot him a grin, his dimples showing.
“You look adorable.” Sirius said without thinking.
Remus took a few steps in and blinked. “You look dashing. Got something there.” He leaned forward and wiped a little bit of ‘ink’ from Sirius’ chin.
Sirius sighed. “I’m dying abnormally slowly. Whatever James put in the quill is killing me.”
Remus nodded slowly. “Do you want water?” He shook a tiny plastic water bottle that was floating behind him.
Sirius shook his head. “I’m dying, Rem. Nothing’s going to save me now.”
Remus nodded again and stepped forward, gently placing himself on Sirius’ lap. He leaned his head on the side of Sirius’ chest and sighed, making the edge of his robe billow a bit.
“I’m going to miss this place.” Remus mumbled, glancing around the dinky bathroom stall.
“Well, I’m not going to miss this bathroom stall,” Sirius joked. “But, yeah, I don’t think we’ll ever find a place quite like Hogwarts.”
Remus rubbed at one of his eyes and suddenly looked more tired than he ever had. “I don’t think I’ll ever find a place at all. Sirius, what am I going to do?”
“You’re going to stay with me.” Sirius said automatically.
“Are you sure?” Remus whispered.
“Of course,” He said before lowering the volume of his voice. “Remus, I love you.”
“I know. I love you too.”