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Slytherins and Gryffindors are all gathered in the Gryffindor common room. It’s past two in the morning, the party finished half an hour ago, a comfortable sound of whispers and giggles in the air.
Mary, Marlene, Lily, Dorcas and Sirius are sitting on the sofa. The girls are all shoulder to shoulder, with their drinks still in hand. Dorcas is laying her head on Marlene’s shoulder, a comfy spot, whereas Sirius runs his fingers through Remus’ hair absentmindedly.
On the floor, there’s Remus resting his head against Sirius’ legs. He’s talking to Pandora and Peter, who are right next to him. Next to the blonde girl, there’s Regulus, who is very close to James, but not close enough to raise any suspicions from his brother; they haven’t told anyone yet, least of all him. He’s also listening to the conversation Remus, Peter and Pandora are having, trying to ignore the light brush of James’ fingers against his.
In the armchair are both Barty and Evan. Barty has his arm around Evan’s shoulders while talking to Dorcas with a lazy smile, his movements a bit tipsy.
“I’m just saying, Care of Magical Creatures is so underrated.” Pandora says, and Remus hums in agreement.
“You say it because you haven’t taken Muggle Studies.” Peter retorts, lying back on his hands. “I thought sixth year was hard, but seventh…”
“Muggle Studies it’s not that hard!” The girl says.
“It’s not!” Lily agrees from the couch, lying his head on Mary’s shoulder.
“See?”
“But you all say it because you grew up in a muggle environment.” Peter points out. “How am I supposed to know how a tephon works?”
“Telephone.” Remus corrects, sipping from his drink. “And I’m with Pandora. Muggle Studies are so easy… You have no idea what it is to learn twenty different properties for each creature.”
“Exactly.” Pandora nods, with a smile. “Peter, I don’t wanna hear you complaining about how hard it is to-”
“Alright, alright.” Peter raises his hands in surrender. “I get it, I get it.” He sighs, standing up.
“Wait, where are you going?” Remus asks, as his friend approaches the staircase that leads to the boys' dorms. “Peter, don’t take it bad, we were just…”
“What?” He frowns, confused. “No, I’m not leaving because of you. I’m going to the loo, and maybe for some exploding bonbons to keep me awake since these two lunatics decided to stay awake until dawn.” He points to Mary and James with defiant eyes.
“Oi, we didn’t force you guys!” Mary says from her spot, fidgeting with an empty plastic cup in her hands. “You said it was a wonderful idea!”
“Exactly, McDonald!” James flashes her a grin that she mirrors.
“Yeah, yeah.” Peter mutters while leaving the room.
They all remain silent for a bit, hearing the fire crack in the chimney, watching the hypnotizing movements of the flames.
“Hey, what’s this?” Pandora says, grabbing an empty piece of parchment.
The Marauders all exchange a bit of an alarmed look when they see what Pandora is holding: The Marauders Map. Their map.
“Oh, maybe just a piece of parchment he forgot.” Sirius waves a hand dismissively. “Could you give it to me? I need it for an essay.”
They all frown in confusion when they hear those words. Sirius Black doing homework? Really?
“Actually, don’t listen to him, he’s drunk.” Remus says, completely oblivious to the sharp glance his boyfriend shoots him from the couch. “But I really need it for some Care of Magical Creatures homework. Could you give it to me?” He holds out a hand hopefully.
Alright, hearing Remus talk about studies isn’t that weird, but still, everyone in the room knows something is definitely off. Maybe it’s the tense atmosphere that it has begun since Pandora asked that question, and the weird glances the Marauders are exchanging between one another.
“Uhm, I think I’m gonna keep it…” The blonde girl says, going backwards while sitting on the floor. “I also have homework- Hey!” She exclaims when she sees the parchment fly out of her hands.
It’s James, who with his fast chaser reflexes, has skillfully approached Pandora from the back and quickly stole her the map.
“Too bad, Pandora… What are you-”
Regulus tries to grab the paper by grabbing James' wrist. But the boy with glasses gets rid of his grasp and stands up stretching his arm up, just out of reach for the black haired boy.
“Aw, you’re too short.” James coos, watching Regulus stand on his tiptoes.
The glance Regulus shoots him will haunt him forever in his nightmares.
“Here it is!” Evan gets the parchment easily, because he’s just merely centimetres shorter than James.
James turns around quickly, and it’s about to steal the map again when Barty all of a sudden screams:
“Don’t fucking touch it!” He wields his empty plastic cup as if it’s a wand, opening his eyes widely.
“Stay back, Crouch!” Sirius yells, now standing up and approaching him, carefully avoiding his brother, who tries to stop him by the arm.
At this point, Evan has four people in front of him, of which only two of them are their friends: Pandora and Regulus. Behind him, his boyfriend is still looking like a psychopath, still waving his plastic cup dangerously.
“God, you should see yourselves now!” Mary rolls her eyes, still sitting on the couch. “This is ridiculous.” She feels Lily nod against her shoulder in agreement.
“Yeah, whatever McDonald.” Sirius surges forward again trying to get back the map, but it’s stopped by Barty pushing him on the shoulder.
“Could you just, I don’t know, tell us what that piece of parchment is?” Dorcas points to his blond friend, who’s holding the object tightly against his chest with defiant eyes. “So we could end with this shit.”
The room falls completely silent, except from the light snores that fall out from Marlene’s parted lips.
The Marauders exchange several looks: ones are serious, another concerned, then thoughtfuls and… Finally, Remus shrugs his shoulders, James nods with his hands on his hips and Sirius lets out a huff of surrender, throwing back his head, because he wouldn’t be Sirius Black if he wasn’t dramatic.
“Okay, let’s do it.” He says, running his fingers through his dark, long hair.
“Tell us.” Pandora urges impatiently.
“Wait a second, Rosier.” The boy holds out a hand in her direction. “Before, we need some context.” He clears his throat. “It was first grade, and one day, we found out that…”
“Cut it out, Black.” Mary interrupts him from the couch.
“Just go to the important part.” Lily urges.
“Ehm, excuse me, but I’m trying to explain to all of you an amazing story-”
“Ok, this is actually ridiculous.” Remus stands up, and his eyes go across everyone’s. “Because we loved doing pranks but we didn’t want to get caught, we crafted a map in third year.” He points at what Evan’s still holding. “This map would show us every floor and alcove that exists in Hogwarts, and also, show us where everyone is in real time.”
“What?!” Pandora whips her head towards Evan so fast that her curls float around her face. “Really?!” She approaches her brother, who’s also in disbelief.
In fact, everyone looks shocked: Dorcas opens her dark eyes with silver shadow with surprise, Mary opens her mouth widely, Barty drops his ridiculous plastic cup… Well, everyone except Marlene, who’s still sleeping against her girlfriend’s shoulder.
And Regulus, who’s looking at James with a confused frown.
“So that’s how…?” The black haired boy murmurs, looking at the boy with glasses.
“Well, yes.” He chuckles while running a hand through his hair, walking closer. “I just had to do a quick check and then… It wasn’t really hard, though. You’re always on the Astronomy Tower.”
“That’s not true.” He whispers, feeling his cheeks heating up.
“Don’t worry, I like it there.” He shrugs with a smile. He takes a step closer, completely oblivious to everyone else. “I like it when you talk about the stars, and-”
“Oi!” Evan shouts, breaking the little romantic atmosphere that no one has noticed. “How does this work?”
“You’re all liars!” Barty points at the Marauders with an accusative finger.
“We’re not going to tell you how it works.” Sirius smirks from the couch.
“Oh, is that so?” Evan says defiantly.
“Nevermind, Rosie. We still know more about them than they know about us, even with this stupid map.” Barty mutters, waving a dismissive hand.
“Really, Crouch?” Sirius asks, sitting up. “We do know more about you than you do about us.”
“Exactly. Regulus is his little brother, so he knows loads about you.” James adds, walking next to his best friend.
“And Regulus also tells us things about Sirius and you lot.” Pandora retorts, walking forward.
“And I go to most of your classes.” Dorcas points at herself.
“Oh, pf, I never go to class, so.” Sirius huffs.
“Ok, but Remus and Peter mostly do, and I actually sit and chat with them, you know?”
James and Sirius gasp, whipping their heads towards Remus, who just shrugs.
“What? She’s nice, and she works very well.” Then, he turns around to the girl with a sly smile. “But sorry to tell you, Dorcas, but I don’t even tell you half of the things my friends do, so we do know more about you than you know about us.”
This time, it’s Dorcas who gasps.
“That’s not true. And I’ll tell you why…”
Soon, all the Slytherins and Pandora are discussing with The Marauders about who knows more about who, counting the reasons aloud. It doesn’t take long for the noise to become louder, and before they realise it, they’re all standing up and facing each other, as if they’re some kind of weird band who are about to fight. Marlene is somehow still sleeping on her girlfriend’s shoulder, not caring at all about the screaming.
“Guys, stop it.” Lily says, and no one listens to her. “Guys, guys… Alright! STOP!” She shouts, and this time, they pause their discussion for a brief moment.
“What’s wrong, Evans? Why are you screaming?” Sirius asks, annoyed that someone has interrupted the magnificent discussion.
“What’s wrong with me?” She points at herself in disbelief. “You won’t stop fighting over a ridiculous thing!”
“It’s not ridiculous!” Barty responds.
“Uh, yes it is, Crouch.” Mary points at all of them. “You’re all ridiculous. No one gives a fuck about who knows more about who.”
“And it’s not like you can check it, anyway.” Lily adds, clearly annoyed.
Silence falls all over the room, Marauders and Slytherins exchanging quick glances.
“But we can.” Pandora smiles, her face lightening up.
“Panda, what are you saying?” Regulus mutters, with a frown.
“Think about it. We can ask questions to each other about specific things: anecdotes, hobbies, fun facts… And whoever has more points, wins!” She finishes with enthusiasm, clapping her hands together.
“And what do we win?” Evan asks, crossing his arms.
“If we win, we get this map for a week, with instructions.” Barty says with a sly smile to the Marauders, waving the parchment in front of their eyes.
“Fine. But if we win, you’ll have to wear Gryffindor’s ties for a week.” Sirius retorts, with the same smile, while James pats his back with a smirk and Remus crosses his arms.
“Deal.”
“Deal.”
They shake hands quite aggressively, sealing the bet.
“Hey, guys!” Peter comes downstairs, with a pack of exploding bonbons in hand. “Are you alright? I think I heard some screaming, but I was searching for the-”
“We’re betting the map against the Slytherins, Peter.” James informs him, as if it’s nothing.
“Guys, what the fuck-”
“No time for questions, Peter.” Sirius says. “We have a game to prepare.”
- · · · · · ·
“So, I still don’t know how we got to this, but welcome to Who knows more about who?” Lily says, as if she’s a presenter.
“I still don’t know why we are doing this.” Marlene yawns, rubbing her eye.
“I told you they had a fight while you were sleeping.” Mary whispers. “Besides, this is going to be fun.” She giggles.
Lily proceeds to explain the rules: There are four different categories: Hogwarts history, Fun facts, Hobbies and, lastly, Fears and obsessions. There are eight different sets of cards, four for each team.
There are different rounds, in which each group has to choose two different categories. If they guess the answers, they have to grab one jellybean and put it on their basket.
“Ok, who begins?”
“Us.” Barty claims, who is still in a tipsy state. His team is sitting comfortably on the couch.
“Why, Crouch?” Sirius asks defiantly. He’s still a bit mad that he and his team are the ones sitting on the armchair where they don’t clearly fit.
“Because I said it first.”
“Well, it’s fair that we flip a coin, or something.” Remus argues, sitting on the floor.
“Actually, I don’t have a coin and I don’t give a fuck about this, so the Slytherins will start.” Mary declares, pointing at Barty.
“Hey!” Pandora raises her hands, offended.
“Sorry, and the Ravenclaw.”
The group celebrates, whereas The Marauders let out a collective groan.
“What’s your category?" Lily asks.
“Hogwarts history.” Dorcas says without a second thought.
Lily grabs a card from the left pile. Honestly, the ginger is a bit scared of what she's going to read, because the questions have been written by the members of the teams themselves. It doesn’t matter the fact that she’s spent seven years with The Marauders; when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
She reads the question and a wave of relief washes over her. Something normal. “Ok, which of The Marauders had been in more detentions in their first year?”
Regulus does know the answer. He remembers that, when he came back for Christmas for the first (and last time) at home, he was talking about his friends, but there was one who was very quiet but never did his homework, because he grew up in a muggle environment.
“Remus.” Regulus answers instantly.
“An approximate number.” Lily ads.
“Uhm… Thirty-six?” Pandora attempts.
“It’s thirty-eight, but I’ll buy it.” Lily shrugs, as the team celebrates and grabs a green jellybean.
“Thirty-eight?” Dorcas asks in disbelief. “Aren’t you the good one?”
“No, I’m the one that’s smart enough to not get caught.” Remus clarifies. That earns him a sharp look from Sirius, who has his head on his shoulder.
“Second category.”
“Fun facts.” Evan says.
“Alright, Pettigrew likes to combine food.” The ginger girl explains, looking at the blond Marauder. “Which is his favourite combination?” Lily asks.
The Slytherins exchange a weird look between them.
“What do you think it could be?” Evan asks in a whisper. “I saw him once eating cookies with strawberry jam.”
“That one isn’t bad, but I see him eating chocolate covered in honey in class.” Dorcas pipes up.
“That’s gross.” Barty pulls a face.
“But I remember that Sirius told me once that he ate a bowl full of cereal and banana, all mixed with mayonnaise.” Regulus whispers hurriedly.
“That’s disgusting!” Barty whispers-yells, as Evan pulls a face next to him.
“Guys, we need an answer.” Mary says from her spot.
“Erm…” Dorcas looks nervously at her friends. “I bet on chocolate with honey.”
“No!” Pandora yelps. “It must be the cookies with the strawberry jam.” She says, as if it’s obvious.
Lily remains quiet, reading the answer from the card. The look in her eyes tells the Slytherin that they’re completely wrong.
“The answer is the ‘Pettigrew sandwich.’” She turns to Peter. “Mind explaining that?”
Peter, who has a mischievous grin on his face (just as the rest of his friends), sighs wistfully. “This is my biggest combination, and I’ll let you know, it’s not as horrible as it may-”
“Just explain it.” Evan cuts in, sighing tiredly as Regulus rolls his eyes.
“Ok, Evan, calm down.” Peter takes a deep breath. “I take a toast, and put tomato sauce on it. Then, I put a fried egg, banana, pickles, orange jam, a bit of cheese and, lastly I put mayonnaise on another toast and close it all up: Pettigrew sandwich!”
All the Slytherins, Lily and Mary make a gagging noise, covering their mouths, whereas Marlene says: “Honestly, it’s not that bad. I ate one once before a Quidditch match, and it gave me lots of energy.”
“Hm, and I seem to remember that you threw up as soon as you landed.” James points out.
“But Marlene gets it! The sandwich is delicious!” Peter exclaims, exasperated.
“I hate that sandwich, I tried it once.” Remus mutters, running a hand through his face.
“Did you seriously eat that?!” Sirius asks, incredulously, snapping his head to look at him.
“Yeah, and?”
“You could’ve died!”
“Are you serious?”
“You know I’m always-”
“Alright, alright.” Lily cuts in, raising her hands. “It’s your turn now, guys.” She points at the Marauders.
“What’s your category?" Mary asks them.
“Fears and obsessions.” Sirius says after quickly discussing it with the rest of his group.
Mary grabs the card and reads it quickly. “Barty and Evan are obsessed with one magazine.” She looks up at them with her dark eyes. “Name the magazine.”
“Ok, it must be something like ‘Quidditch weekly’.” James suggests his friends.
“Um, some of us don’t like Quidditch, James.” Remus points out, raising his eyebrows. “That’s your favourite magazine.”
“Well, also Regulus’.” James retorts, then wishes he would’ve shut up.
“How do you know that?” Sirius asks, with a frown.
“Erm… I stole him one once.”
Sirius remains quiet, then a sly grin tugs his lips. “Great job, mate.” He congrats as he slaps him in the back, ignoring the suspicious relief that washes over James’ face.
“Guys, focus.” Remus interrupts them.
“I think it must be something related to jewellery.” Peter suggests.
“Jewellery?” They ask incredulously.
“Well, they wear lots of jewellery, don’t they?”
They all turn around to look at Barty, who’s laying his head on Evan’s shoulder. He has lots of earrings, two necklaces and at least five rings on each hand, everything silver. Evan also has rings and earrings, but also he has lots silvery bracelets running up his arms.
“I’m with Peter.” James nods. “But which magazine is about jewellery?”
“I don’t know.” Peter shrugs.
“Guys, I need an answer.” Mary urges.
“Does anyone here know a magazine about jewellery?!” Sirius whispers-shouts.
“Guys, say something.” Mary urges again, exasperated.
“Witchy jewellery!” Remus yelps, desperately.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” Sirius asks, not lowering his voice now.
“Taking a fucking shot!”
“With ‘Witchy jewellery?!” He asks incredulously.
“That’s correct.” Mary announces, setting the card aside.
“What an amazing shot, Moony!” Sirius says now, as the rest of the Marauders cheer.
“Wait, so you’re the ones who steal my magazine?” Dorcas asks them with a frown.
“Dunno what you’re talking about.” Barty waves a dismissive hand, as Evan looks away.
“I always blame Marlene!” She turns to her girlfriend. “I’m really sorry, Marls.” She blows her a kiss that Marlene catches and pulls into her chest.
“Alright, alright.” Mary looks at the Marauders again. “Next category.”
And that’s how they spend the next hour. They discover that Pandora’s favourite animal is the thestral, something oddly sinister for such a cheerful girl. Regulus’ biggest obsession is to keep his shoes perfectly aligned at the end of his bed, and Barty, on his third year, trapped Ms. Norris in a broom cupboard for an entire night after throwing a raw fish inside of it.
They also get to know that what Remus hates the most is when people fold over a page instead of using a bookmark (“That should be forbidden.” He mutters). Peter, last week, forgot to do an Herbology essay, but managed to convince the teacher that he hadn’t left any homework, so he didn’t get any detention, and James and Sirius have been stealing snitches since they entered the Quidditch team for fun, but James claims that it helps him sleep. (And Sirius, secretly, enjoys following a ball, but shh).
At the end, when they’ve almost run out of cards, they find out that, despite having had a bit of disadvantage at the beginning, the Slytherins and Pandora have caught up with the Marauders.
“Well, this is a tie.” Lily looks at both piles of cards, then at the baskets, which have the same amount of beans.
“Do a lighting round.” Marlene suggests. She’s sitting upright now, very awake. The gossip never fails to wake her up.
“Guys, we’ve all proved that we know a lot about each other.” Remus reasons. Honestly, it has been fun, but the map is still on the game. “Now we can all agree that-”
“Oh, look at that, Remus is scared.” Dorcas says with a sly smile from her spot, her dark eyes shining with defiance.
“He’s smart, but not that much.” Pandora comments nonchalantly, staring at her nails.
Barty, Evan and Regulus nod, muttering their agreements to both girls.
Remus opens his mouth, then closes it and clenches his jaw. He snaps his head towards Marlene, and says in a low but clear voice: “Do the lighting round.”
“Yes!” Marlene throws her arms up in excitement.
Five minutes later, they have an hour glass on the floor, and both teams are standing up, facing each other, the tensions too much to be sitting down right now. On the sofa, there’s Mary, Lily and Marlene.
“So, you have a minute to answer as many questions as possible.” Lily explains. “With mixed categories. I’ll read them, Mary will write down your points,” She points at the Slytherins and Pandora. “and Marlene yours.” She points at the Marauders.
“Oi, Marlene.” Sirius whispers while Lily mixes the cards for each group. “Write down an extra point, come on.” He winks at her.
“I’m lesbian, and you have a boyfriend.” She deadpans.
“But it’s not romantic, it’s in a platonic way!” He huffs, exasperated.
“Still.”
“Come on, I’ll give you a Pettigrew sandwich.” Peter offers now.
To everyone’s surprise, Marlene hesitates, but finally says: “Sorry, but Dorcas is on the other team, so…”
That earns an exasperated groan from the Marauders.
“Alright, who begins?” Lily asks, once she’s done.
“Us!” Barty claims.
“Ok.”
“Really, you’re not even going to flip a coin or something?” James asks incredulously.
“No, I want to be done with this as fast as I can.” Lily grabs the hour glass. “Ready… Go!” She flips it over and starts reading. “Which is the name of Sirius’ favourite cousin?”
“Andromeda!” Regulus answers.
“Correct. Remus once brought a book that all of his friends secretly read at night. Name it.”
There’s a light hesitation until Pandora yells: “Wuthering Heights!”
“Correct.” Lily repeats again, ignoring the incredulous way that Remus glances at his friends, who all of a sudden are very focused on his feet. “Name Peter’s favourite hobby.”
“Chess.” Evan answers automatically; he has played against him since his second year.
“Correct. There’s one Marauder that always wears mismatching socks. Name it.”
“James!” Dorcas yelps with a grin. Oh, she has always seen it in class, how he proudly shows his mismatched socks as his friends giggle at the back.
“Correct. Following the socks, Sirius and James have lucky socks for their Quidditch matches. Since when don't they wash them?”
“Their second year, it’s disgusting!” Dorcas exclaims again, pulling a face as she remembers the yellowish socks that he saw them wearing on their last match against each other.
“Correct.” Lily internally gags, ignoring how Sirius and James smile proudly at that statement. “How many rings does Sirius have?”
There’s a light hesitation again, but finally Barty, Evan and Regulus answer in unison: “Twenty-two!”
“Incorrect, he has twenty-three.” Lily informs them.
“Remus gave me another one on Christmas!” Sirius claims proudly.
“Ok, Peter has a ritual that claims it gives him luck on his DADA exams.” Lily reads aloud. “Name it.”
“Oh, gimme a moment…” Dorcas mutters, thinking a mile a minute.
“We don’t have a moment!” Barty protests.
“Shut up, Barty.” Pandora and Regulus say in unison.
“Erm… He does a russian dance in front of the classroom, as he draws a clover on his right wrist, and then he stands up and draws another one on his left ankle.” She saw him doing it once. It was quite impressive, to be honest.
“Correct. When did Sirius and Remus start dating?” Lily asks, as the sand starts to pile higher and higher at the bottom of the hour glass.
The team falls dead silent, completely shocked by the question. It’s not a secret that Remus and Sirius's journey has been quite… complex.
“Ok, these two kissed before they started dating.” Barty mutters, as they all nod. “Maybe in his fourth year?”
“No, you kissed me in fourth year.” Evan corrects. “But these two kissed on their… fifth?”
“Yes, but they didn’t start dating then, because I remember that at the end of year Remus barely spoke to him.” Dorcas explains quickly. “Regulus, don’t you know anything?”
“I remember that I caught them kissing once on a broom cupboard at the beginning of this year, and when I asked him, he said ‘Oh, it’s been a while.’”
“Sixth year, then!” Pandora decides, as his friends nod frantically.
“Guys, time’s almost-”
“Sixth year!” The blonde girl repeats again, this time loud enough Lily can hear.
The ginger girl twitches her lips, as the time runs up. “Sorry, it was summer before seventh year.”
“Specifically in July.” Sirius grins at Remus, who’s smiling at him fondly. Then, glares at the other team with a smirk. “Seems like you don’t know as much as you thought you did.”
“Listen, Sirius.” Regulus has a deadly stare in his clear blue eyes. “I cannot figure out in ten seconds what took you seven years to figure out because you’re more stupid than a drunk mooncalf.”
“Oi, listen here.” Sirius takes a step closer to his brother. “I’m not stupid-”
Soon enough, they start bickering at one another; nothing new, to be honest. Their friends are used to this kind of brotherhood: they snap, bicker and fight, but then, when it matters, they’re there for one another, for good and for bad. They all know that, in the deepest of their hearts, they care for one another, but their way of showing it is a bit… different from other siblings.
“Alright, that’s enough.” Remus says, as the rest of the Marauders pull Sirius back, just as the others are doing with Regulus. “Lily, could we please begin?”
“Yes, but first of all, while the Blacks were fighting, Mary and Marlene have told me that you guys need seven correct answers to win.”
“Pff, that’s easy.” James waves a hand.
“Alright, whatever.” She grabs the hourglass. “Are you guys ready?”
“Yes, we are.” Remus nods, squeezing one last time Sirius’ shoulder, who’s more calm now.
“Alright… Go! Which Rosier is older?”
“Evan!” Peter answers. He’s always bragging about it on their chess games: ‘You’re playing against the oldest sibling.’.
“Correct. How many people has Dorcas taught to do their eyeliners?”
Small pause before Sirius says: “Eight!”
“Correct. Pandora has a wide collection of these, minimum fifty.”
“Magical bookmarks!” Remus says. Oh, they’re so nice: they have drawings that move, tiny little people waving at you from the inside and the colours change depending on the light.
“Correct. Barty, however, has another enormous collection.”
“Muggle zippos!” Sirius answers again, remembering that one party in which he had shown him at least fifteen of them.
“Correct. Pandora makes clay mugs every summer. Who keeps all of those mugs, apart from Evan?”
“Regulus!” James yelps this time, his lips curling up at the memory of a Regulus dragging him to his rooma late summer night. He had thought they were going to take a step further into their relationship, but instead, Regulus had opened an enormous box and had shown James his mug collection.
“Correct.” Lily sets the card aside, the hourglass halfway full. “Which is Regulus’ hobby?”
The Marauders fall completely silent.
“Does anyone here know it?” Remus asks in a quick whisper.
“Relax, Moony, we have plenty of time.” Sirius reassures him. “Wormy, does he play chess with you?”
“Sometimes, but I don’t think it’s his hobby.” Peter frowns thoughtfully. “Maybe we should pass it.”
“No, no, we’re going to answer.” James cuts in. He’s not going to lose on this question.
“Exactly.” Sirius nods. “Let’s just think about it, we still have time.”
So, they fall silent for a moment, but Peter and Remus’ anxiety is increasingly growing with each passing second.
“Guys, let’s skip.” The blond guy suggests again.
“I’m with Peter.” Remus nods.
“No! I think I have it.” Sirius protests, his eyebrows knitting together.
“Come on, then. Say it!”
“Erm…”
“Come on, mate. You’re his brother.” James says this time, completely skipping the fact that he’s his boyfriend.
“Is that even important right now?!”
“Yes!” The three say in unison with exasperation.
“Oh, fuck off.” Sirius mutters, his mind thinking a mile a minute. Regulus likes… He likes… “Stargazing!” He blurts out finally, looking at Lily.
The ginger girl twitches his lips. “Incorrect, sorry guys.” She sets the card aside slowly.
“Wait, why aren’t you reading the next question?” James asks anxiously. “We’re running out of time!”
At this, Lily's emerald eyes look at the Marauders, frowning. “Guys, time’s up.” She points at the hourglass, which has the sand piled up at the bottom. “Sirius answered incorrectly at the last second.”
“Wait, does that mean…” Peter breathes out, disbelievingly, not able to finish the sentence.
The cheers that come from the Slytherins and Pandora are the answer. They erupt into laughter, stand up and do a group hug, jumping up and down as they chant: “WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! HEY!”
On the other side, the Marauders let out a collective frustrated groan, covering their faces or either sitting down on the floor pitifully, not able to look at the other team.
“Wait, so what was the answer?” Sirius asks finally, once the other group has stopped celebrating.
“Really, you don’t know?!” Regulus looks incredulous.
“Why are you so surprised?!”
“Because you’re my FUCKING BROTHER?!”
“Alright, alright.” Remus cuts in, before the argument escalates. “Why don’t you just tell us?”
Regulus hesitates for a moment. He could tell them, surprise them, and rub it in their noses because the answer was so easy. But then, he remembers that two of the people who have failed to answer are his brother and his boyfriend, and he’s still a bit mad about it.
“I won’t tell you.” He deadpans. Then, he turns to Lily, who’s already burning the cards that have been used in the game with her wand, along with Mary and Marlene. “Don’t tell them, Lily. Please.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I didn’t quite understand your handwriting, so I don’t really know what it was. And before you ask,” She glares at the Marauders, who have already opened their mouths to protest. “I know it wasn’t ‘Stargazing’ because it didn’t have a capital ‘S’ at the beginning of any word.”
“I had always thought his hobby would be something related with the stars, or something.” Barty comments thoughtfully. “He loves Astronomy.”
“I thought it would be something like reading about muggle painting, he has like two books about that.” Evan suggests as Dorcas nods along with him.
“Seriously guys, does anyone here know what I do in my free time?” Regulus asks incredulously, eyes scanning everyone in the room.
James is about to open his mouth and say: ‘Me.’ That joke would be hilarious, just like when his friends sarcastically call him ‘deer.’ But then, he remembers that Sirius is next to him, and because he wants to live above twenty-one, he shuts his mouth.
“Unbelievable.” Regulus shakes his head as he sits down back on the settee.
“Don’t be upset, Reg, we’ve just won the map!” Barty exclaims, as the group erupts into cheers again.
For the next half an hour, (it took fifteen minutes for the Marauders to reluctantly give them their map), they’re all amazed with the map. They point at the names, at the steps they leave behind. Marlene actually squeaks when she sees the moving staircases, claiming that it’s the most useful thing about it.
“Wow, it’s amazing.” Pandora murmurs with a soft smile, her eyes scanning the map until they land on Xenophilius' name.
“Hey, stop doing that.” Evan elbows her hard.
Pandora sends him a harsh look, but says nothing.
“Well, that’s all you need to know about how it works, really.” James sighs, running a hand through his hair. This week is going to be hard.
“Hey, we want it perfectly fine once you give it back.”
“Relax, Black.” Dorcas smirks. “Your treasure will be perfectly fine with us.”
A few moments pass until they tap a wand against the map and it perfectly folds itself. Pandora is the one who slides it into her pocket. All in all, her bedroom, full of girls who are always in the library or training for Quidditch, is the safest place.
“Hey, Peter, is it true that you can do a Russian dance?” The blonde girl asks now, still sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“Actually, I can.” He smiles a little bit.
“Could you please show me?”
That’s how Peter and Pandora end up in the middle of a circle, laughing as the girl tries to balance herself. Soon, James and Barty also try it, then Marlene. They all fall clumsily, as the others giggle until their faces are red.
Once they’re done with the dance and collapse again on the floor, Sirius asks Barty about the time he locked Ms. Norris in a cupboard. The boy explains the story keenly, making everybody laugh. Then, the conversation leads to the snitches that James and Sirius have stolen during their Quidditch years, and, with shock, they discover that Lily, Mary and Marlene have also stolen flying golden balls.
“I hadn’t seen magic in my life, so when I saw these flying, shiny little things, I immediately decided I wanted one.” Lily explains with a giggle. “I told Mary and Marls and after a flying lesson, we snuck into the Quidditch storehouse.”
“I still have mine.” Mary says proudly.
“I lost mine.” Marlene shrugs. “And kept stealing. At first I decided not to, but then I saw James and Sirius and said ‘Why not?’”
“You saw us?”
“Why the surprise, James? You two emerged from the storehouse giggling and looking at your hands like maniacs.” Marlene says, as the rest laugh uncontrollably.
“We didn’t do that.” Sirius says defensively.
“It sounds like you.” Remus whispers with a smile, pulling him close to his side. Sirius leans into the touch, head on his shoulder.
That’s how the rest of the night slips by: laughter, anecdotes where they discover more from each other, and more laughter, until they cannot breathe. In the end, the competition wasn’t such a horrible idea.
- · · · · · ·
Morning
Regulus opens his eyes as the first rays of sun fill through the Common Room. He’s sleeping on the floor, a soft cushion under his head. On his left, there are Barty and Evan, who are sleeping together in a mess of limbs, whereas Dorcas is politely sleeping with Marlene, both of them wrapped into one another’s arms.
His eyes keep looking at everyone; they're all asleep. Well, except for one single person.
“Good morning.” James whispers softly with a grin. He’s sitting on the settee, just above him. Glasses slightly askew, hair dishevelled. Regulus blushes despite himself.
“Good morning.” He whispers back, then yawns as he stands up.
“Good sleep?” James slides out of the sofa to lie next to him, facing him.
“Mhm.” He nods.
“You’re so pretty.” He murmurs with a smile.
“I’ve just woken up.”
“You’re so pretty when you’re sleepy.”
Regulus rolls his eyes, though a small smile tugs on his lips. He doesn’t know yet how James always manages to make him feel warm from head to toe with one single word.
“Are you going to use the map?” James asks, his skin practically glowing with the sun.
“Definitely.” He covers his mouth to cover the laughter when he sees James’ face. “Are you sad?”
“No, just…” He presses his lips into a thin line. “I can’t believe I don’t know your hobby.”
“Hmm, well.” Regulus smirks. “Too bad for you and your friends.”
“What is it?” He asks now, leaning closer to him. “Flying? Doing walks in the forest?”
“No, and no.”
“Maybe doing mugs with Pandora?”
“Merlin, no. I can’t do that stuff, as much as I love it.” Regulus grumbles.
“Aw, come on Reg, tell me.” James insists.
“No.”
“Come on.” He tickles his side playfully, which makes Regulus squirm.
“Ok, fine.” He sighs, freeing from James’ hand. “I like… to write. In a diary.” He feels himself blush when he says it.
James blinks a couple of times, surprised. “You have… a diary?”
“Yes.”
“Aw, Reg.” The boy with glasses murmurs. “That’s so sweet.”
“Don’t tease.”
“I’m not.” He shuffles closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “What do you write in there?”
“I’m not telling you.” Regulus deadpans.
“Hmm, ok.” There’s a sparkle in James’ eyes. “Do you write about me?” The blush in Regulus’ cheeks is the answer. “Do you really?” He gasps. “And do you put tiny little hearts around my name?” He asks playfully. Regulus’ cheeks turn a deeper shade of scarlet. “Regulus!” He whispers, unable to stop smiling.
“Yeah, ok, whatever.” Regulus grumbles, rolling his eyes. “What I’m going to write is how my friends and I won your map.”
James tuts. “Now I won’t be able to chase you.”
“Well maybe it’s time for me to seek you.” Regulus replies with a smirk.
Without thinking about it, James pulls Regulus closer until their lips meet. The younger boy, who has also stopped thinking because he’s still half asleep, wraps his arms around his neck, sighing into the kiss. James’ hands sneak up the hem of his jumper, touching the bare skin of the small of his back, and Regulus feels a shiver run all over his body. He suddenly feels the urge to be closer to James, so he hikes up his leg above his hip and –
“WHAT THE FUCK?!”
James and Regulus pull away at once, horrified. James readjusts his glasses and sits upright, just to see a wide-eyed Sirius in the armchair, a sleepy Remus rubbing his eyes beside him.
Sirius points at them in disbelief. “What – What were you –” He sputters, still processing what he has just seen.
“Sirius, what’s wrong?” Remus finally asks, as the rest of the people also begin to wake up.
“JAMES WAS KISSING REGULUS!”
“I wasn’t!” James retorts defensively, holding his hands up. “I was just… Well, he had something on his face and…” He runs a distressed hand through his hair as Regulus covers his face and groans with such a poor excuse.
“He had something on his face?!” Sirius repeats. “And you were what?! Trying to eat it?!”
“Wait wait wait.” Pandora cuts in. “You’ve seen James and Regulus kissing?” She asks quickly, blinking the sleep away from her eyes.
“Em, yes.”
“AHA!” She points at Barty. “You owe me five galleons!”
“Fuck.” Barty grumbles, still laying on the floor.
“You knew?” Sirius asks now incredulously.
“Had a bit of an idea, yeah.” The girl nods.
“Since when?”
“Merlin, Black, we dunno!” Barty groans from his spot. “Maybe since last year’s spring break?”
“Spring break?!” Sirius gets on his feet now as James physically rears back.
“Ok, calm down.” Remus tugs at his boyfriend’s wrist.
“No! And I’ll tell you why…”
Soon, there’s a heated argument in which Sirius is demanding James and Regulus explanations, Remus trying to calm down everyone and James using a sleepy Peter as a shield for him and Regulus.
On the other hand, there’s the rest of the group, who all pile up in the closest windowsill and observe in awe the dawn; the beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow that colour the sky, the soft breeze blowing between the trees’ leaves.
“This is so nice.” Mary murmurs, and Lily hums in agreement.
“This was a good idea.” Evan says as Barty leans against him. Everyone agrees with a smile, completely ignoring the fight that is happening at their backs; James squeals and there is incomprehensible French that Regulus and Sirius are suddenly yelling at each other.
“I bet on Regulus.” Barty comments, as the fight carries on. Everyone hums in agreement with him.
Then, they focus on the beautiful landscape that is extending in front of their eyes. This was the main idea after all; watching the dawn together before going back home for Christmas.