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The sound of feet scuffling and barely stifled laughter echoed throughout the empty corridor of Hogwarts. It was too dark for any of them to see, so Sirius was to cast a Lumos to light their path. He was the only one they trusted to hold their magic, even when their echoing laughter distracted them. While no one could see them, anyone stumbling into the corridor at this hour would most definitely hear them.
Fortunately, the map—although still in its rudimentary phase—provided enough information to relay to them that no one was even remotely near the four Gryffindors. They could move through the halls with significantly more ease. Even with the gaps in the map, it still gave them the names of anyone near them as a helpful warning. The map only really showed them when someone was very close to their position, though they were working on expanding it to show where anyone would be on the map.
One might assume they would grow tired of their own antics, but their newest creation had only served in reigniting their interest, desperate to test out the current limits of the map.
That is how the four Gryffindors found themselves out past curfew, trekking toward the Great Hall, preparing for a prank.
Every time Remus sped up the slightest bit, he would drag the invisibility cloak with him, exposing the feet of the others. Peter would hiss in a panic, afraid they would get caught, but Sirius just laughed louder with their tallest friend. Then Sirius would point out—much to James’ annoyance—Moony can’t help that he had a growth spurt. James swore he would be the taller one in a few years’ time. They just had to wait and see.
They reined in their joking just long enough to make it into the Great Hall without further disturbance, and once they shut the doors, they all felt like they no longer had anything to worry about. James lifted the invisibility cloak, allowing the boys to get their first fresh breath of air since leaving the Gryffindor common room. Though they were in the clear, they still had to work quickly, setting up the spheres that were a similar size to Dungbombs. Rather than letting out a putrid smell, these spheres would explode in a flurry of staining colours, something entirely of their own creation.
It was James and Sirius’ idea to create the small spheres, with them wanting something different from the usual stink bomb they believed to be too juvenile for their taste now. Remus and Peter worked together on keeping them contained until lunch the next day, when they would go off, trying a combination of spells until one stuck. The evidence of the spheres was on their hands. Each of the boys had a brownish stain from holding the various coloured spheres. They created some of each house colour, placing the corresponding colour under the house’s table, and if everything proceeded as planned, everyone in the Great Hall would have their house colour covering them.
“James!” Peter whispered as loudly as he could from his spot at the Ravenclaw table. He was planting the blue spheres, four of them, under the table. James was doing his part of planting the green ones under Slytherin.
Having completed their task, Remus and Sirius sat on the same side of the bench at the Gryffindor table. James and Peter’s bickering distracted them so much that they didn't notice the other two taking a break. If anyone was going to get them caught, it would be their terrible excuse for whispering.
Sirius leaned his head on Remus’ shoulder, using the excuse of looking over at the map to justify it. Not that he ever needed an excuse to lay his head on Remus, the taller boy being just as happy by the private touch. If he burrowed his head against the taller boy’s neck, well, that was no one else’s business but Sirius’ own. Sirius kept fiddling with the foldable camera Remus’ mother had gifted him the previous year. Remus said it was an instant film camera, and when Sirius manoeuvred it open, he would see the word Polaroid written across the bottom.
“If you keep messing with that, you’re going to break it,” Remus whispered, but he didn’t mind that much, understanding that Sirius found comfort in the constant movement of his hand. Sometimes when they were alone, Sirius would fidget with Remus’ fingers. Neither of them acknowledged it, but it always brought a smile to both their faces.
They had been so quiet next to each other that the sound of Remus’ voice nearly shocked Sirius off the bench. He didn’t understand at first what Remus had been talking about, but looking back at the other, he saw Remus eyeing the camera in Sirius’ hand.
Sirius couldn’t help the smile that came over his face. The camera contraption is one of Sirius’ favourite things Remus had shown him from the muggle world. Lily was the first one to show him her camera, but Sirius felt so much closer when he had Remus’ own camera in his hand. “I’m always careful, Moony.”
Remus smiled back in response, trying to suppress the laughter that wanted to come out. It was a lie. They both knew it. Sirius was never really careful when he was at Hogwarts, when he finally had the chance to be carefree.
The taller Gryffindor looked back down at the map in his hand, gently running his fingers along the inked parchment. “Shite,” Remus muttered, a crease forming between his brows that Sirius wanted to smooth out with a press of his thumb.
Sirius had to tear his head away from Remus before he reached out, tempted as he was. Looking down at the map, he saw footsteps turning into the corridor that led to the Great Hall. “Shite,” Sirius echoed back in a mutter, now feeling frantic. On the map closest to them was Sirius’ brother, Regulus, and several paces behind was Professor Slughorn. Remus and Sirius looked at each other, using this as their cue to leg it out of the Great Hall.
They bolted over to James and Peter, who were still bickering quietly, doing their best to get their attention without making any noise. Sirius took the map from Remus, waving it frantically in front of the others, finally getting their attention. James and Peter’s eyes widened comically, and if the situation were less dire, Sirius would have taken the time to laugh at them. Maybe even take a picture, but they had to get out of there before Slughorn caught them.
Scrambling out of the Great Hall, the four of them took off in the opposite direction of Regulus and Slughorn. They didn’t bother getting under the invisibility cloak, just taking off and getting farther from the Gryffindor Tower in doing so.
Remus was clutching the map, looking down periodically and steering them through empty corridors as fast as he could. He kept looking back, smiling at Sirius every time he caught Sirius already smiling at him. Sirius held the camera—currently unfolded—in his hand, desperately wanting to immortalise one of those breathless smiles Remus was giving him. He looked more carefree than he ever had before.
Finally, they had made it back to the common room, stumbling through the portrait in a breathless fit of giggles. Peter and James had thrown themselves onto the sofa nearest the fireplace, while Remus leaned against it for support, clutching his side.
Sirius came up to Remus, wrapping an arm around him and gently leaning his head against his shoulder. “You okay?” he whispered, looking into Remus’ eyes.
Remus looked back at Sirius, nothing but fondness displayed in his features. “Never been better.”
It was one of those nights where Sirius had snuck his way to lie next to Remus, knowing the adrenaline would prevent him from going to sleep. Sirius, however, was bone-tired, but he wanted to check in on one of his closest friends. He often felt the need to check in on all his friends, but with Remus it somehow felt different. The way Sirius slowly reached for Remus’ hand, not wanting to startle him. Letting his thumb slowly caress the back of his hand to offer any form of comfort he could. Not fully understanding why it felt so necessary to feel his presence, but never wanting to stop.
No, Sirius didn’t fully understand what it all meant yet. He had an idea, but he never liked to acknowledge it, and as long as they could keep each other close, that was all he wanted.
The following day, the four boys settled into the Great Hall for lunch in eager anticipation. James was practically bouncing up and down in his seat. Peter couldn’t suppress his laughter, even if his life depended on it, causing James to burst out in laughter as well. They were gaining more attention than they intended, but none of the boys seemed to mind very much.
But Sirius and Remus?
The two kept looking at each other, bashful smiles on their faces, as if they didn’t do this every day. As if they didn’t always sit next to each other, or give each other small touches that were for no one else but the two of them.
Sirius kept nudging Remus’ leg with his own, wondering if the other boy would get annoyed, but every time Remus gently nudged him back. A poorly hidden smile that made Sirius’ heart nearly burst.
“If you two keep playing footsie like this, it's going to make me sick,” Peter muttered quietly.
James punched his shoulder, causing the shorter of the two to grunt. “Let them be,” James whispered.
“Something had to be said! I’m tired of my foot getting caught in the crossfire.” Peter complained, but his tone was of false annoyance. He was teasing his friends, of course. Sirius, though, thought little of it, giving his friend a cheeky smile.
“If you wanted to play footsie with me, all you had to do was ask, Petey,” Sirius said with a smirk, moving his legs to kick at Peter.
“Ow!” Peter yelped.
Remus laughed at the two, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. “Don’t punish Peter for wanting to be included,” he said through his laughter.
“I hate you both,” Peter mumbled.
“Don’t cover up that smile, Moony.” Without second-guessing himself, Sirius reached out to take Remus’ hand in his own, uncovering Sirius’ favourite of his features.
There were moments when Sirius almost feared he didn’t know how to interact with Remus anymore. Not since realising his own feelings for his best mate. But then there were times like this, where holding Remus’ hand just felt right, and Sirius could let himself forget about anything that could complicate their friendship. By the look Remus was giving him, Sirius thought Remus might even think the same thing.
The sound of Peter gagging and James cooing at them brought Sirius back to the present. He let go of his hand and went back to his lunch, trying valiantly to ignore his other friends.
“I have more music I want to show you,” Remus said casually.
Sirius gasped in excitement. “Oh! On that red music box?”
Remus chuckled to himself. “Yes, Sirius, the eight-track player.”
Sirius hadn’t been able to go into Muggle London on his own, nor was he allowed to have anything Muggle in his home. So Remus had taken to showing him some music he liked after Sirius first heard him play Queen.
“Maybe after,” Sirius started excitedly before being interrupted by James.
“Sorry mates, but we should probably,” he gestured vaguely toward the door, letting the others catch onto his meaning.
James and Peter got up first, leaving as unassumingly as they could, but doing a terrible job of it if their cackles were any indication. Remus was to set the colour bombs off, giving Sirius and Remus less than a minute to get out of there before the coloured powder would douse them as well. They hadn’t tested how long the colour would stain, and neither of them wanted to be the one who would have to find out.
“I see your brother isn’t at the Slytherin table?” Remus asked casually.
Sirius shrugged, “figured I could give him a warning.”
Remus subtly took his wand out, keeping it under the table as he cast the spell under his breath. Right as they rose from the bench, someone called out to Sirius.
“Oi, Black!” it was Marlene McKinnon, one of their fellow Gryffindors, looking at them with suspicion. “Why’d the other one leave you? I thought you two came in a set.”
“Er—” Sirius blanked. He could feel Remus tugging on his arm, but Sirius just stared at the blonde girl.
“That’s what we’re off to find out, Marlene,” Remus said quickly, getting Sirius to move at last.
“I don’t like that look,” Sirius heard Marlene say as they walked out of the Great Hall together. She seemed suspicious, but she didn’t move. Instead, Marlene turned to her friends, going on a tangent that she was clearly already in the middle of.
Remus tried to walk faster, but it was too late. Right as they made it to the large entrance, they could hear the tick of the coloured spheres. Sirius turned back in time to see the powder puff up from under the table, coating the students from head to toe in dust of their house colours. Neither Remus nor Sirius was far enough from the spheres to avoid being caught up in the explosion. Yellow and blue powder drifted down, landing in both their hair and the tops of their cheeks before Sirius gathered his bearings and leapt out of the Great Hall.
They looked back at their success, both laughing and hearing the echoes of their friends’ laughter as well. Hidden behind a pillar were James and Peter, with Remus’ camera in hand. Remus and Sirius were just on the other side of the entrance, safe from any other powder landing on top of them.
Sirius looked over at Remus, hair covered in blue powder and giggling. “Blue suits you. Maybe you should keep it.”
“Absolutely not,” Remus replied, reaching over to pat the top of Sirius’ hair. “Although I reckon yellow is your colour.”
“Of course, anything is my colour,” Sirius replied.
They heard the click of the camera, a flash temporarily shocking their vision. Looking back at James and Peter, Sirius saw James looking at them smugly, camera in hand and a picture already developing.
