Chapter Text
The morning of April 11th was cheerfully bright, with a clear blue sky and warm temperatures that promised a hot afternoon.
The walk over from the campus of King’s Ely boarding school to the campus of its current football rival Ely Collage had been an exciting one for its students.
Unfortunately this had created minor chaos as a swarm of 15- and 16-year-olds made their way across the city to the other school. At its lead was the school football team. Easily distinguishable from the other students by their sports kits.
The team was practically famous within the school and had one the previous year’s annual Cambridgeshire tournament. This could be put down mainly to the fact that they had an excellent team. The captain, James Potter, was one of the best strikers in the county after all.
Understandably the school was very confident they could win. After all, Ely Collage had been knocked out in the first round of the tournament last year.
Although this did not stop James from fretting anxiously about the match from where the team was gathered at the side of the pitch. The Collage team were yet to make an appearance.
Sirius rolled his eyes fondly as James directed warmups, with an authoritative tone. He knew that the harshness was his best friend’s way of worrying, as he cared very much for the sport. Too much in Sirius’ opinion, after all the last time James had lost a match, he had cried and that had been a friendly.
Despite his friend’s nervous energy Sirius was incredibly excited to see the campus of their rival school as he and his friends were planning to pull some gloriously amusing prank on its students. After all what was winning for if not to rub it into the losers faces?
He clapped James on the back, “We should go find seats before all the good ones are taken,” he said gesturing to himself and his two other friends.
James only nodded distractedly before tossing his lucky football to Peter “Can you hold this Pete,” Before turning back to the team.
Sirius grinned and called out as they began to make their way to the stands “Try and loosen up Prongs, the game is going to be easy,”
The three of them decided on seats in the middle of the stands, some of the best ones to watch the game from. They sat with Mary in the middle as she always insisted on it. Preferring not to be near strangers, as she didn’t like how uncomfortable it got.
Peter sat on her left, still clutching James’ ball in his lap as he watched James complete the warmup and start talking strategy.
Around them the seats were filling, King’s and Collage students filing into the stands, creating a loud exited atmosphere. To Sirius’ surprise, many of the Collage students seemed to believe they had a chance at winning.
What was even more confusing was that the four seats next to them, seemed to have some sort of claim by some Collage students. Not a single person from Collage sat there, and a group of King’s boys had already been turned away from them.
By the time that Collage’s team had finally emerged, Sirius’ interest had been piqued, and he leaned forwards to where a group of Collage girls were siting a row down.
He tapped one on the shoulder, and she turned around expectantly, if a little confused.
“Yes?”
“I am just curious, but why do you think you will win? Didn’t you guys go out in the first round of the last county tournament?” He asked, to the point because he didn’t like dancing around subjects. Especially when the game would start soon.
The girl bristled a little, and instead the girl next to her answered “We had to bow out in the tournament after our goalie broke his ankle on a rabbit hole next to the pitch. Our reserve was off with pneumonia at the time so we couldn’t play,”
Sirius was a little taken aback by this, he hadn’t considered that they might have left the competition because they couldn’t play.
“Oh, I see. Thanks.” She gave him a small smirk as he leant back again, to talk to his friends.
“Do you think they are good then?” Mary asked. While Peter looked a lot more nervous than he had five minutes ago.
In response Sirius studied the other team a little, they had their own school kits on, black with what could only be assumed were house colours down the sides as there were a few different ones. There captain was giving orders, looking remarkably calmer than James had. Four friends were hanging around at the side of the pitch, helping to set up the team’s water stand.
“I mean they look a bit uncoordinated with all those different colours, don’t they? Must get confusing on the pitch.” He answered finally, Mary nodded in agreement.
“But their captain looks a lot more composed than James. Either he is arrogant, or he is confident.” She shrugged. “We have the better team I bet though,”
Sirius nodded. Turning his attention to the four friends who seamed to be finished and wished the team good luck before making there way to the stands.
They eventually fought there way through to the four free seats next to the three of them. Putting faces to the names of who Sirius assumed were the popular kids. He wondered if they were similar to his own friends and fond of practical jokes. Gaining popularity through breaking rules and fun. Or if they were the sort to act cool, and conceited. He hoped it was not the latter; he detested those sorts of people.
Three of them were girls. One with flaming red hair and pretty, green eyes. Another with mousy brown hair and bright blue eyes, her skin was more tanned than the ginger one. There was also a dark-haired girl with chestnut eyes and pale skin.
The fourth was a boy, he led the group down the row, and as he grew closer Sirius realised that he was probably the most attractive boy he had ever seen.
He had wavy brown, blond hair that fell about his face framing it perfectly. His pale skin contrasted beautifully with his hazel eyes.
They were chatting quite excitedly. All dressed in the same-coloured ties of red. Same colour as the captain of the Collage team. The boy looked a little tired but was caught in conversation with the red head behind him.
Slowly they made their way down the row and sat in the seats next to them, placing the boy directly to the left of Sirius and giving him the ability to glance at him unobserved. The boy didn’t seem to be paying any special attention to him, instead focusing on the match as the teams began to play.
Within the first five minutes, it was clear that Collage really did have a good team. There captain got a hold of the ball, as he did the dark-haired girl and the mousy blond one started cheering loudly.
“GO FRANK!” and “WHOOW YOU CAN DO IT FRANK!”
Frank, who Sirius assumed was the captain with the ball, scored. Making them whoop loudly for their friend. The boy and red head joining in.
“Wish they would shut up, its only football,” Peter huffed, glancing across Mary and Sirius at the group.
Sirius scoffed “Felling the burn already, aren’t we?” he said with a little smirk.
Peter only rolled his eyes, and Sirius sat forwards a little.
“Don’t worry Pete we can sort it out, can’t we Mary?” He said, giving his friend a smile. She grinned back and they both began to call out loudly for James, cheering him on even louder than the girls.
This seemed to stop them for a moment, before they too got even louder, practically screaming as the match carried on bellow them. Peter groaned, but Mary and Sirius had always been a little competitive and in turn started shouting at the top of their lungs, sparking a war between them and the two girls. The boy only smiled at his friends fondly, as the red head joined in as well.
Both groups, minus Peter ended up calling louder than any of them had ever shouted, trying to outpace the other. After about ten minuets of this, during which Frank had scored another goal putting Collage at the advantage with two/nil, Peter grew too frustrated with them all.
He huffed indignantly and leaned over Mary, to whack Sirius on the arm. “Shut it, you only made it worse,”
He rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. Falling quiet alongside Mary. Once the girls from the other school realised they had not resumed their competition, they too became less loud. But still cheered excitedly when their team managed to score a third goal just before half time was called. This time by a boy with yellow sides to his uniform.
About after half time, where Sirius had gone down to try and boost the confidence of a put-out James. Sirius found himself rushing back to his seat as kick off started again. On the way he found himself approached by a Collage teacher. He was perhaps the shortest adult Sirius had ever seen but looked strict enough to be classed in the same category as Professor McGonagall, their deputy head and physics teacher.
“Excuse me young man, but am I right in thinking that the little war of shouting earlier was in some part your doing?” Sirius grinned guiltily at the teachers’ words
“It may have been”
“Hmmmm, well considering that this is a game it is of course not prohibited to show support for your fellow students, however I ask that you keep the noise a little more down in future,” he said, not unkindly but with an air of finality.
After witnessing Sirius’ nod and mumbled assent, the teacher went past him, down the stands, and Sirius continued up towards his seat. When he found it again, Mary was gone.
“She went to the bathroom,” Peter told him not looking up from the resumed game as Sirius shuffled past him.
He sat, realising as he did that the red head girl from earlier was missing too. He smiled a little and rifled through Mary’s bag for some water, the morning had grown a lot warmer than before.
When he sat back up, he noticed that the other boy was watching him, he felt a bit warm at that, then inwardly cursed. He barely knew the boy, had only known of his existence for less than an hour. But already he felt drawn to him. He took a drink to cool down a little.
“Something on my face?” He joked once he had sat back again. Internally wondering if that was too clichéd.
“Professor Flitwick told you off for the cheering didn’t he,” Sirius raised an eyebrow at that, bit on the nose. Not to mention scarily accurate.
“Yeah, something about toning it down a bit,” he answered with a smile, “Professor Flitwick?”
The boy shrugged. “Head teacher,” then went back to watching the game.
Suddenly wanting to keep the boy’s attention, he asked instead, “Where did your friend go?”
His hazel eyes flicked back to him curiously before his head turned as well. His brow knotted a little as if he was confused before seeming to realise, “Oh right, Lily took your friend to the bathroom, they are a bit hard to find if you don’t know the way and as Prefects one of us was obligated to do it,”
Sirius smirked “You’re friends with a Prefect,”
The boy only rolled his eyes, “I am also a Prefect,” then he looked over Sirius appraisingly, “I suppose you are the type to completely disregard the rules, are you?”
He nodded, “Sirius Black, at your service, notorious troublemaker of King’s Ely school,” He said, sticking out his hand towards the boy.
As hoped the boy took it, looking amused. “Remus Lupin,” Sirius smirked, it did suit him he decided.
Once they broke hands, Sirius paused a moment to consider, then decided that if he was going to crush on a someone then he needed to know more about him.
“So where do you live?” He asked suddenly, realising a second too late that that was probably a bit too brazen.
Remus looked at him for a moment, “Bit forthright don’t you think?”
Sirius shrugged, while internally pounding himself for potentially messing up his chances with him.
But then Remus answered while turning back to watch his goalkeeper miss a shot, giving King’s there first point of the game, “Cromwell Road,”
“Cromwell Road? The one connecting to St Mary’s Street?” Sirius asked, rejoicing at his luck of Remus living close to the school campus. Plus now he could potentially go out to see him much more easily.
Remus nodded then, turned back to him. “You board, right?”
“Yeah, my parents sent me here when I was 11,”
“Hmmm I can’t imagine living without my parents, must be strange,” Was all he said, looking slightly into the distance as if thinking of something else. But then focusing back on him when Sirius spoke again.
“It was at first, but honestly for me it is nicer being at school than at home,” Sirius replied, feeling a sense of pride that he had built a good family with his friends. School certainly was better than his parents’ house.
Remus only nodded again, watching him. When he saw that Sirius wasn’t upset, he asked.
“Where are you from then?” Sirius was caught off guard by that, usually people just made fun of his posh London accent.
“Oh…Islington in London,” He paused, “Usually people can tell by my accent, I still haven’t dropped some of it,” He added.
Remus smiled, “I’ve never met someone from London before now, so I really wouldn’t be able to tell. I don’t know most of the English accents actually,”
“Really?” Sirius asked, he knew of course that not everyone’s parents had educated their children to recognise accents to stay away from ‘unworthy’ people. But most could tell enough to know where someone was from.
“Yeah, well we moved here from Wales five years ago, and apart from trips back there to see family, I haven’t really left Cambridgeshire.” Remus answered, making Sirius notice for the first time the slight lilt to his voice. It was much more noticeable now that he had mentioned it, Sirius found it quite endearing.
Just then Remus looked up behind Sirius, who turned to see Mary making her way back, following the red head, Remus had called Lily.
Once Lily had reached Remus she stopped, crouching down to dig in her bag, and putting some things in her pockets before standing again.
She turned to Remus “We should go, lunch duty starts soon and Flitwick wants us there early, to help set up,”
Stood “Yeah alright,” before glancing down at his own bag, then calling down the row, “Hey Alice, can you look after our bags? Me and Lils are on lunch duty,”
The dark-haired girl looked up as Remus handed his and Lily’s bags to her.
“Yeah sure, just save the team a table yeah?” They both nodded, and left smiling, Remus lifting a hand in goodbye to Sirius as he passed.
Suddenly Sirius felt the urge to follow them. After all, he might not get another chance to talk to Remus. Just as he was about to get up, Mary groaned loudly startling him, while Collage scored there fourth goal of the match. Putting them 4/1, at which she dramatically slumped her head onto his shoulder.
“James is going to be distraught” She moaned, watching the rival team celebrate the goal.
“Yes, he is,” Sirius agreed, watching James’ figure running up the pitch in time with the ball.