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cruelsummer-ficfest · 9 months

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Hey Kids—Reading is Fun!

Dear Readers,

Your mods (@femme--de--lettres and @greyeyedmonster-18) are beside themselves with how many of you have participated in Cruel Summer Fic Fest: The Eras Tour this year.

From full novel-length fics to poetry, from microfics to multi-chaptered works and everything in between, we've been blown away—enchanted, even—by this year's submissions. This fest started as a labor of love for both of us as avid Swifties and HP fic authors and we couldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams the way you've embraced it with open arms.

With that said, we're pleased to offer the below list of this year's love stories. Due to tumblr restrictions on tagging, we weren't able to tag all of the individual author tumblr accounts (something something look what you made us do something something) so we've tried to link to ao3 as much as possible, but if you like a fic—check out that author's ao3! We've tried to connect you as directly to the mainstream of what each author writes in that respect, so if you happen to find a new fave, you can show them more love on the rest of their works!

To make a long story short, the majority of these works can be found in the Cruel Summer Fic Fest: The Eras Tour collection on ao3—with a catalogue of over 100 works, there's something for everybody, and we hope you'll take a peek at this year's truly incredible works.

We've had the time of our life fighting dragons with you, but sometimes, you know in your soul when it's time to go.

Thanks for making this cruel summer another one for the books.

Until Next Time,

Your Mods (Grey and Andie)

Cruel Summer Fic Fest: The Eras Tour

(all fics are followed by the character, relationship, or pairing that each work focused on. for the purposes of our list, both "x" and "/" indicate some level of romantic relationship, while "&" entails a platonic or otherwise friendly one)

Era One (Debut/Midnights)

Stay Beautiful (Regulus x James)

Sweet Nothing (Ted Tonks x Andromeda Black)

Midnight Rain (Sirius x Remus)

A Perfectly Good Heart (Harry/Fred/George)

Bigger Than the Whole Sky (Lavender x Pansy)

Anti-Hero (Sirius x Remus)

Tim McGraw (James x Lily)

Invisible (Harry x Ginny)

Should've Said No (Ron x Hermione)

Dear Reader (Draco x Astoria, Part 1 of 6)

Glitch (Bellatrix Black x Voldemort)

The Outside (Ron x Hermione)

Bejeweled (Ron x Hermione)

Maroon (Ron x Hermione)

Teardrops on My Guitar (Ron x Hermione)

Mastermind (Ron x Hermione)

Era Two (1989/Evermore)

Wonderland (Snape x Trelawney)

Dorothea (Sirius x Remus)

New Romantics (Regulus x Lily)

You Are In Love (James x Lily)

Wildest Dreams (Sirius x James)

Long Story Short (Draco x Harry)

This Love (Pandora x Lily)

All You Had to Do Was Stay (Hermione x Pansy)

Shake It Off (Draco x Harry)

I Wish You Would (James x Lily)

Blank Space (Ron x Hermione)

I Know Places (Draco x Hermione)

Gold Rush (Ron x Hermione)

Welcome to New York (Sirius x Remus)

Style (Bellatrix x Voldemort)

Happiness (Narcissa Black x Emmeline Vance)

Tis the Damn Season (Harry x Bill Weasley)

It's Time to Go (Teddy x Victoire)

Cowboy Like Me (Astoria x Hermione)

Champagne Problems (Draco x Astoria, Part 2 of 6)

Era Three (Red/Lover)

The Moment I Knew (Ron x Hermione)

You Need to Calm Down (Draco x Harry)

Sad Beautiful Tragic (Draco x Astoria)

Nothing New (ft. Phoebe Bridgers) (Ron x Hermione)

All of the Girls You Loved Before (Sirius x Remus)

State of Grace (James x Lily)

Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince Draco x Astoria, Part 3 of 6)

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Harry x Tom Riddle)

The Last Time (ft. Gary Lightbody) (Ron x Hermione)

All Too Well (Ron x Hermione)

The Archer (Pandora Lovegood x Lily Evans)

Babe (Ron x Hermione)

Run (ft. Ed Sheeran) (Narcissa x Lily)

Cornelia Street (Percy Weasley x Oliver Wood)

Everything Has Changed (ft. Ed Sheeran) (Sirius x Remus)

The Very First Night (Ron x Hermione)

Girl at Home (Alecto Carrow x Narcissa Black)

Forever Winter (Draco x Astoria)

Afterglow (Ron x Hermione)

Holy Ground (Romione)

Stay Stay Stay (Blaise Zabini x Daphne Greengrass)

False God (Bellatrix x Voldemort)

Era Four (Fearless/Reputation)

Come in With the Rain (Ginny & Hermione)

Look What You Made Me Do (Ron x Hermione)

That's When (ft. Keith Urban) (James x Lily)

Fifteen (James x Lily)

Tell Me Why (Harry x Charlie Weasley)

The Best Day (Percy x Oliver Wood)

Call It What You Want (Ron x Hermione)

You Belong With Me (Ron x Hermione)

Untouchable (Narcissa x Lily)

Change (Ron x Hermione)

Superstar (Draco x Hermione)

Forever and Always (Piano Version) (Draco x Astoria)

King of My Heart (Ron x Hermione)

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things (James x Lily)

Fearless (Ron x Hermione)

The Way I Loved You (James x Lily)

Gorgeous (Ron x Hermione)

Bye Bye Baby (Ron x Hermione)

White Horse (James x Lily)

…Ready for It? (Blaise Zabini x Daphne Greengrass)

Don’t You (Ron x Hermione)

I Did Something Bad (Draco x Astoria, Part 4 of 6)

The Other Side of the Door (Sirius x Remus)

Era Five (Speak Now/Folklore)

Haunted (Bellatrix x Lily)

Enchanted (Ron x Hermione)

Innocent (Draco & Narcissa Malfoy)

Back to December (Ron x Hermione)

The 1 (Ron x Hermione)

Exile (ft Bon Iver) (Ron x Hermione)

Mad Woman (Draco x Harry)

Invisible String (Sirius x Remus)

Cardigan (Ron x Hermione)

Epiphany (Padma Patil x Theodore Nott)

Mirrorball (Draco x Harry)

Mine (Harry/Fred/George)

Mean (Ron x Hermione)

This Is Me Trying (Marcus Flint x Percy Weasley)

Timeless (Ron x Hermione)

My Tears Ricochet (Ron x Hermione)

Seven (Sirius x Remus)

I Can See You (Sirius x Remus)

Foolish One (Angelina Johnson x George Weasley)

#cruel summer fic fest #cruel summer fic fest 2023 #cruel summer fic fest: the eras tour #cruel summer fic fest 2023: the eras tour #harry potter fic fest #taylor swift fic fest #taylor swift x hp #harry potter fic masterlist #authors we're so proud of you #you went above and beyond #and we're just. grinning.#(also if we omitted your work in here—let us know! we tried to comb through everything but there's always the chance we missed something!)#microfics + mods' pieces will be included in a reblog because #if y'all would believe it #you gave us so many stories that tumblr decided to quit on our og post #so...more incoming #xoxo your mods

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umbraetmortis-rpg · 1 year

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Las "X" y las "¿?" son para que el usuario determine la edad y la fecha de su personaje.

Edad personajes Canon en enero de 1978:

Sirius Black: 18 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 3 de noviembre de 1959)

Lily Evans: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 30 de enero de 1960)

James Potter: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 27 de marzo de 1960)

Remus Lupin: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 10 de marzo de 1960)

Marlene Mckinnon: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes: (Posterior a enero) de 1960)

Andromeda Black: 24 años (Día ¿? Mes: (Posterior a enero) de 1953)

Mary Macdonald: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes: (Posterior a enero) de 1960)

Minerva Mcgonagall: 43 años (4 de octubre de 1935)

Petter Pettegrew: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? (mes entre enero y agosto) de 1960)

Severus Snape: 17 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 9 de enero de 1960)

Narcisa Malfoy: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? 1950)

Lucius Malfoy: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? 1951)

Rodolphus Lestrange: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? 1957)

Regulus Black: 16 años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes (Posterior a enero) ¿? 1961)

Amycus Carrow: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? 1951)

Alecto Carrow: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Bellatrix Lestrange: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? 1951)

Personajes Secundarios:

Arthur Weasley: 27 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 6 de febrero de 1950)

Molly Weasley: 29 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 30 de octubre de 1949)

Davey Gudgeon X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1960)

Evan Rosier: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1960)

Bertha Jorkins: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año (Entre 1953-1958))

Dolores Jane Umbridge: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: 26 de agosto, Año (antes de 1965))

Alastor Moody: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Bartemius Crouch Jr: 15 años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1962)

Alice Longbottom: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Frank Longbottom: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año (Década de los 50))

Rabastan Lestrange: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Benjy Fenwick: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Walburga Black: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1925)

Orión Black: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1929)

Xenophilius Lovegood: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Pandora Lovegood: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Travers: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Sybill Trelawney: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: 9 de Marzo, antes de 1963)

Aberforth Dumbledore: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: entre el 1 de septiembre de 1883 y 31 de agosto de 1884)

Caradoc Dearborn: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Dedalus Diggle: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Edgar Bones: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Elphias Doge: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1881)

Emmeline Vance: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Gideon Prewett: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Rubeus Hagrid: 48 años (Fecha de nacimiento: 6 de diciembre de 1928)

Mulciber: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Finales de la década de 1950 o principios de la década de 1960)

Walden Macnair: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Antonin Dolohov: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Fenrir Greyback: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1945)

Augustus Rookwood: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año ¿?)

Igor Karkarov: X años (Fecha de nacimiento: Día ¿? Mes ¿? Año 1950)

#edades

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diagonalleyhq · 28 days

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lily, alecto & astrid x

#diagonalleyfollow.

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irresistiibles · 2 years

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@mcrcki asked: # lily and marlene

what your muse’s name is in mine’s phone

marlene 👯

what your muse’s picture is in mine’s phone

(x)

my muse’s last text to your muse

lily → marlene 👯 : how lost was i in the parmesan that i didn’t even see you take that???? lily → marlene 👯 : course, come over whenever. you could just stay until you work out this whole alecto thing you know. had a spot in the house open up recently after all lily → marlene 👯 : you can be a step-mom for the cat

other notes:

lily makes the unfortunate mistake of always trying to reply to every single train of thought marlene sends to her so it’s not rare marlene will get back an absolute wall of text from lily after spamming her for a few hours with just whatever pops in her head. she knows marlene will probably ignore it too! but just in case. despite this lily is not much better she’sjust bad in different ways she’s way morelikely to send her random thoughts only onceor twice a day butin an absolute paragraph of text. there’s no need to break it up if marlene is just going to talk to her about it in person anyway!! but really she’s just good at not looking at her phone when she’s doing other things which is the only reason marlene doesn’t also get a pile of texts during the day.

#( interactions && lily )#( texts && lily )#( marlene && lily )#( memes && lily )#mcrcki

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hebla-18 · 3 years

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-Bartylus and Wolfstar exist-

Regulus: That's ridiculous.

Sirius: Yeah. We do not have a fixation for the same type of boy.

Lily: -incredulous- Oh, yeah?

Alecto: Why don't you take a good look at your boys?

-Taller than them, blond, eyes of a color between green and amber, they always have a smile to offer, they allow them to eat their food and wear their clothes even if they do not let the rest of the world do that, they pamper them and they are aware of why They prefer to keep them happy than angry, they always want to guide them for the good, both get good grades and are prefects of their houses...-

Sirius: Oh my Merlín...

Regulus: Yeah yeah, nice comparison... but clearly Barty is much cuter than Remus.

Sirius: What did you say, you little piece of shit?

-Insert an intense fight here-

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hogwartsbypictures · 4 years

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Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Taken by Amycus Carrow, September 1st 1997

***I hope you enjoyed the Snape Spam***

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flowerfuries · 3 years

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furyflower || lily evans x alecto carrow

#harry potter #marauders era #lily evans #alecto carrow #furyflower #sapphic #lesbian #hogwarts #enemies to lovers #lovers to enemies #rare ship #rarepair #wlw #nana komatsu #sophie skelton

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martelldoran · 4 years

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Title: we are too young to hurt this much

Rated: M

Ship/Characters: James x Lily, Lily & Petunia, Lucius Malfoy, Alecto Carrow, Caradoc Dearborn, Mr & Mrs Evans

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Death Eater Attack, Torture, Character Death, First War with Voldemort, Marauders Era, Bathing/Washing, Hair Washing, Implied Sexual Content

Summary:

Malfoy turned from her now to her sister. Petunia’s eyes were glazed, streaming unending tears, and her mouth slack. It was as if she had been transported back to girlhood. Gone were the hard lines of her face. Like curtains parting, Lily saw her sister as she once was: wide eyed, curious, and innocent; before Hogwarts, before magic.

“Now, what shall we do with you, my dear? Shall we show Lily darling what happens when people like her take what isn’t theirs?” His voice was soft and persuasive. He spoke as if to a close confidant. Withdrawing his wand from his robe sleeve, he turned it on Petunia. “What do you think, Miss Evans? Shall we have a quick show and tell?”

|| When Death Eaters attack her family, Lily must try to protect them at all costs. If only it was that easy. But at least James Potter is there to pick up the pieces.

Read on AO3

Thanks to @arimendoza for being my beta and generally being an incredible human. <3

#hogwartsonline #marauderseragang #harry potter #marauders #jily #jily fanfiction #usertessa #usergeets #usernessa #usermaven #uservincent #hp #my writing #angelblue007 #fics #fic rec

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sleepingdragon-rp · 4 years

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DRAGON POX HAS COME TO HOGWARTS ---

As of 10 am of the afternoon of Thursday, 2 April, Hogwarts has officially reported its first case of Dragon Pox in one hundred years. While the patient has been escorted to St. Mungo’s and treated with only the finest of care, the castle cannot ignore the threat of such a contagious disease. Hogwarts castle will be cleaned from tower to dungeon, from ceiling to floor, to eradicate any contagious germs that may have been left behind by the affected patient.

Unfortunately for students, that means that, in the meantime, they will be quarantined immediately. Everyone will be escorted by the staff into the nearest location in the castle that has seen no contact with the Dragon Pox patient in the past week. For the next 30 hours, students will have their food delivered to their quarantine site by the usual means, as well as accommodations for sleep when the time arrives.

If you believe yourself or one of your peers to be exhibiting any symptoms of Dragon Pox, contact a professor via the emergency only owl located in your quarantine location.

OOC Information ---

IC the quarantine lasts from approximately 10 am on Thursday, 2 April, to 4 pm on Friday, 3 April. OOC, you may make starters for this plot drop from now through Monday, 6 April, 11:59 pm PST.

If your character is missing, it is either because they are part-time, assumed to be off campus, or were simply overlooked. So if you would like one of those rules to be included, just shoot me a message, and we’ll find them a spot. Alternatively, if there is absolutely no way in freshly frozen purgatory that your character would be where they were placed, shoot me a message, and we’ll find a way to fix it.

Groups below the cut!

Group One: Hogwarts Library

The Restricted Section is, well, restricted still. Students have free reign of the library, but will be asked to sleep in the Muggle Studies section only.

Quarantined Students:

Alecto Carrow @c-alecto

Amycus Carrow @theworstcarrow

Asher Avery @asheravery

Daphne Davenport @daphnedavenport

Josslyn Janks @jankyjosslyn

Mary Macdonald @marymacdonaldhadafarm

Rodolphus Lestrange @doctorlestranges

Than Chadwick @thanthemans

Tiberius McLaggen @tiberiusmclaggen

Group Two: Kitchens

As the kitchens are responsible for feeding the rest of the castle during this delicate window of time, quarantined students have been given the back third of the kitchen to work with. Of course, they can still ask a House Elf for assistance should they be lacking in basic necessities.

Quarantined Students:

Andromeda Black @andromedaatnight

Bellatrix Lestrange @bellathicclestrange

Gilbert Selwyn @gilbert-selwyn

Iris Selwyn @irisselwyn

Jana McLaggen @janamclaggen

Marlene McKinnon @marlenethemenace

Regan Higgs-Weasley @reganweasley

Ted Tonks @tonkstedtalk

Group Three: Rouge Staircase

This particular staircase shut down as students were on their way elsewhere, leaving them stranded without the aid of other staircases around them. The staircase will move from time to time, although unhelpfully.

Quarantined Students:

Alice Shafiq @shafiqalice

Amathera Zabini @amatherazabini

Bastian Bott @bastianbott

Jennifer Burke @jenniferburke

Lily Evans @weewxtch

Mason Boot @masonboot

Molly Macmillan @mollymacmillan

Nola Fawley @nolafawley

Group Four: Hagrid’s Hut

This was deemed the safest location for students spread across the grounds at the time of quarantine. Tragically, Hagrid was inside the castle at the time of quarantine, leaving his hut locked (with an infantile Fang howling inside).

Quarantined Students:

Agatha Timms @aggietimms

Dorcas Meadowes @dorcasisntdeadyet

D.W. Widdow @deedoubleiddow

Fabian Prewett @fabiansacharmer

Gawain Robards @goldenrobards

Natalya Greengrass @natalyagreengrass

Percy Robards @percivalrobards

Vivian Travers @viviantraversing

Group Five: Arithmancy Corridor

While students were initially meant to have full access to the corridor at large, the remembrance that the affected patient had been there for a studying section earlier in the week caused them all to be shuffled into Professor Dearborn’s office.

Quarantined Students:

Caradoc Dearborn @dickdowndearborn

Cecily Beckett @cecilybeckett

Eyen Sosa @eyenscloset

Gideon Prewett @gideonprewonder

Pandora Lanchance @rohmantiq

Penny Tyler @pentyler

Rosalind Nott @rosalindnott

Sturgis Podmore @sturgispodmore

Wendy Lestrange @wendythestrange

Group Six: Owlery

Don’t worry, the birds don’t bite. At least not when they’re well fed. By people who are currently in quarantine elsewhere in the castle. Oh, dear...

Quarantined Students:

Amelia Bones @liabones

Bertha Jorkins @berthajorkinss

Bertie Higgs @bertiehiggz

Emma Vanity @youresovanity

Emmeline Vance @emmelionvance

Remus Lupin @x-remus

Sirius Black @messrsblacks

Tolkien Wilde @tolkienwildeboy

Group Seven: Hospital Wing

It was considered that these students might be better off moving to another location for quarantine, but as they’d already been exposed before the doors to the Hospital Wing were locked---well, it would just be irresponsible to let them leave, wouldn’t it?

Quarantined Students:

Cyrus Greengrass @greengrassisgreener

Davey Gudgeon @daveygudgeon

Edgar Bones @edgarboned

Frances Bletchley @francesbletchley

James Potter @jamespooper

Narcissa Black @narcissablack-x

Peter Pettigrew @pterpettigrew

Zoe Bell @rocketshipbell

Group Eight: Potions Corridor

Students in the potions corridor have access to that and only that: the corridor. All classrooms, offices, and storage closets have been locked.

Quaratined Students:

Adrian Vallancourt @adrianvallancourt

Barty Crouch Jr. @bartycrouchjunior

Benjy Fenwick @notbenjyfenwick

Bilius Weasley @biliusbby

Briar Pritchard @briarpritch

Hattie Hathaway @skyehathaway

Hestia Jones @hestiajonesx

Hollie Hopkirk @holliehopkirk

Lucius Malfoy @ccnqueror

Group Nine: Muggle Studies Corridor

More specifically, Professor Egg’s office and adjoining live-in suite.

Quarantined Stuents:

Aiden McLaggen @aidenmclaggen

Danny Geist @dannygeist

Dawn Withey @dawnwitheyy

Frank Longbottom @franklongbooty

Marceaux Travers @xtravers

Nicholas Mulciber @mulcibers

Prija Avery @prijaavery

Zelda Nettles @zeldanettles

#sleepingdevent #ty melissa & haley & nicole for the help

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88missmarauder88 · 5 years

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Sirius x Reader / Remus x Reader -- Part III

I feel like this part is wicked long, but I’m way too into this now, I can’t stop myself lol

Tag List: @ideas-nocturnas , @evyiione , @a-hopeless-and-imaginative-girl , @intense-sneezing , @ghostlyrose2 , @peasantview , @la-fille-en-aiguilles , @toasterking , @too-involved , @onthebroadway

"All right, Prongsy; out with it."

"Keep your voice down, you pillock!"

"You've hardly said a word all day. You didn't even attempt to help me set Reg's tie on fire when he popped off about United. And Evans walked past you three times between classes, and you didn't do that daft shit with your hair once."

"As touched as I am by your concern, under the cloak on the way to the kitchens isn't really the best time for a chat, on account of how Filch isn’t deaf."

"Untwist your knickers. I checked the map before we left, he's out in the greenhouses, probably having a kip. So what's going on? Somebody book the pitch for the day you wanted tryouts? Is it because it was sticky toffee instead of treacle for pudding last night? Did you find out Evans is secretly betrothed to Amycus Carrow? Alecto?"

"Fuck's own sake! Would you shut it and tickle the pear already?"

"No amount of sexy talk is going to distract me from this."

James yanked the invisibility cloak off, shoving it into the waistband of his pyjama bottoms and shaking his head in frustration.

"You truly are the most obnoxious knobhead breathing. What any girl at this school sees in you is beyond me."

Sirius struck a regal pose and gestured up and down his body, then dodged as James aimed a foot at his shin.

"Well? You asked. A pretty face, a pile of money, and a seat at the Noble and Most Ancient Table at every banquet and ball from now until death do us part."

He reached out and wiggled a finger over the pear in the fruit bowl portrait, his smirk replaced by a sudden scowl.

"In other words, they don't see a goddamn thing in me. Just the candy coating."

James remained standing in the corridor after Sirius had yanked open the secret door to the kitchens and stalked inside. The past eight hours had been little more than a blur. He vaguely recalled stumbling up to the tower with significant help from Sirius and Peter. He also seemed to remember being deposited in an armchair near the windows after Remus announced that, as the Marauder with the strongest sense of smell, he was hereby granting himself the power of banishment over anyone who posed "a spewing threat". James didn't know how long he'd slept before he was woken by the sound of voices, but he wished like hell he'd stayed asleep.

He hadn't meant to spy on you and Lily. He'd wanted to stand up and announce himself as soon as he sussed out who was talking -- and, particularly, what they were talking about -- but he was afraid the two of you wouldn't believe him if he said he'd just woken. He'd thought about trying to crawl up to his dorm but knew that would look even worse if he was caught. As a last resort, he'd put a pillow over his head, but it was just too quiet in the room; he could still hear every word.

Admittedly, he'd taken the pillow down when you'd started talking about Sirius. Not to purposefully eavesdrop, but because he'd never heard you sound that way before. There was awe in your voice, excitement, and he knew it was subconscious. He knew it was honest. So now, here he was. For all intents and purposes, his "sister" was in love with his best friend. And James didn't know whether he should sit idly by and watch things play out or try to subtly do what he could to make sure everyone came out happy on the other side.

Why did you have to go and fall for Sirius? You weren't shallow or hung up on money and status like the girls Pads was talking about just a moment ago. But then... that was just it, wasn't it? You knew Sirius as well as James did. You knew the Sirius behind the aloof playboy mask he wore for everyone else. The wounded and lost yet still caring and kind boy who'd take the fall for his friends without a second thought, who was the first to step between them and anything that might cause them harm. From that perspective, not only could James see why, he frankly couldn't think of a better thing that could've happened to Sirius. He deserved someone who understood him and would take care of him, and James knew you could be that person.

But Sirius was complicated. Overly, even at the best of times. And James was worried about how he'd react if he knew. First off, there was the small matter of not knowing whether Sirius had similar feelings. He undoubtedly loved you as a friend, and he always seemed to be at ease with you. You were a perfect sparring partner when it came to both his smart mouth and his talent, and he flirted with you regularly... although, that wasn't much of a reliable indicator when it came to Sirius. He flirted with McGonagall and the Grey Lady just as often.

Secondly, Sirius was incredibly unpredictable. His parents had never done a good job of anything, save turning him into the most self-loathing person James knew. He never thought he "deserved" to be happy, settling instead for "entertained from a distance". And he didn't do well with emotions or letting people get too close, always afraid his family would find a way to take anything -- or anyone -- they knew was important to him away. So while part of James was telling him he should probably just stay out of the whole thing, another part insisted it couldn't hurt to feel everyone out. After all, what would become of the five of you if you confessed your feelings to Sirius and he didn't share them? And if Sirius didn't want this -- or couldn't handle it -- it sounded as if Remus might. You and Remus could be good for each other as well, James thought, and if Moony really was in love with you, he deserved the chance to let you know in his own way.

James jumped as Sirius kicked open the kitchen door.

"That's it! I know what's wrong with you, Prongs, my lad."

"Enlighten me."

"You've developed a crippling fear of house-elves. But fret not, I bravely stormed the kitchens with absolutely no help from you."

Sirius dropped onto a nearby bench, setting a sack full of food down beside him.

"What're you doing?" James asked. "We can't sit around here in the open, we need to get back."

"Not until you tell me what's going on. And look," he added, digging in the sack. "If you fess up like a good boy, there's a treacle tart of your very own in it for you!"

James slowly sat down on the bench, trying desperately to think of something, anything, he could use as an excuse for his mood. Then it dawned on him. All the rest aside, there was one portion of the early morning's events that would have had him on cloud nine all day if not for the awkwardness of everything else.

"Owing to the fact I was dumped in the common room like a sack of potatoes this morning, I accidentally overheard Y/N and Evans chatting. Evans told her she found me less 'disgusting and intolerable' these days."

"Ace!" Sirius yelped cheerfully, reaching over to violently ruffle James's mop of black hair. "Have to make sure this is properly mussed for when you ask her out at breakfast!"

"Keep... your bloody... voice down!" James hissed through his teeth, whacking Sirius's hand away from his head.

"Why so gloomy, then? I'd've thought you'd be bouncing off the walls over that."

James snatched the treacle tart out of Sirius's hand and took a large bite.

"Well, she followed it up with the fact that hating me less still means the majority of her hates me."

"Semantics. Y/N called that one; you're growing on her."

"Y/N did call that one. She's usually right about these things, isn't she. Good at reading people, I mean."

"She's got all our numbers, that's for sure." Sirius grinned to himself; James took note and continued to watch his face as Sirius munched absently on a sausage roll.

"Now we just need to get the numbers of these blokes who're always sniffing about. I saw Morgan chatting her up again in the courtyard yesterday."

Sirius shoved the last of the roll into his mouth and folded his arms over his chest, glaring at the floor.

"One would've thought a few Stinging Snowballs -- patent pending, Sirius Black, 1975 -- would've gotten the message across."

"Guess we'll have to start getting even more creative. Y'know, since it'll be worse this year."

Sirius looked up at James. "Worse?"

"Oh, sure. We're fifth years now. Before, we really only had to worry about the blokes in our year. Now, we're all fair game for fourth and up. Four years' worth of hormones stampeding around the castle like a rogue erumpent."

"Sons of bitches..."

James quickly took another bite of tart to stop himself grinning.

"Yeah, we'll have to keep our eyes open now. She's a real corker, and everybody's starting to notice it."

“I know she's a corker," Sirius pouted, crossing and recrossing his ankles anxiously. "Have since we were kids. So I guess Duane bloody Morgan's not all that swift on the uptake for a Ravenclaw, is he? She can't... she wouldn't really... she's not serious about these gits, she just went out with them to be polite. She's got to learn to say no to people is all. People who don't really care about her, I mean. The candy coating people."

This time, James didn't respond. Sirius was staring at the ground again, this time with something like sadness in his eyes, and James reckoned he'd learnt enough for one night. He stood and began unfolding the cloak.

"We'd never let her get hurt. Now, come on. Moony and Worm'll think we got nabbed."

James and Sirius made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, where the Marauders stayed awake for another hour or so, eating and playing Exploding Snap. Sirius didn't say much, and his appetite seemed to have disappeared. Eventually, the lamps were put out, and the room was soon filled with the sounds of deep breathing and occasional snores from Peter's bed. Only Sirius was awake to hear them. His thoughts racing along paths they'd never travelled before, he lay staring up at his canopy until first light came creeping through the space at the top of his curtains.

"Mr Black! If I have to remind you one more time that firewhisky does not, in fact, contain medicinal properties, I'm banning the lot of you."

Sirius reluctantly placed the flask in her waiting hand with a sigh. "I'd just hoped you of all people would be open to advancements in the field, Poppy, that's all."

Madam Pomfrey glared at him before making her way to another bed. "You're a doll for trying," you said to Sirius, propping yourself up on your elbows and watching as Pomfrey set about liberally applying lotion to the boy lying five beds down.

"Strange, don't you think, how Morgan managed to mistake poison ivy for betony leaves when he was trying to make that paste for his dog bite? Professor Sprout doesn't generally keep poison ivy in the greenhouses at all, much less where the betony usually is."

"We mustn't be too hard on her," Remus said, fixing his eyes on something suddenly interesting beyond the window behind your bed. "It could happen to the best of us."

"Strange, too, that he had a dog bite in the first place. I don't know that I've ever seen a dog on school grounds."

"You never know what sort of mad beasties are lurking about in the forest," Sirius said, lazily toying with a string on the hem of his Thin Lizzy shirt. Peter snorted, and James elbowed the boy in the ribs. "Gesundheit," he muttered as Peter doubled over.

You shook your head and dropped back onto your pillows with a smile. Taking a bludger to the head didn't typically fall under the category of a blessing, but in your case, it'd been close. In the fortnight since you'd confided in Lily, you'd tried your best to just put the entire mess out of your mind. But with Lily constantly asking if you'd talked to the boys yet and you working overtime to appear extra nonchalant whenever they were around, it was an impossible task. That fact was punctuated rather violently at tryouts: Your attention split between trying not to get caught staring at Sirius and worrying over what Remus and Lily were talking about in the stands, you'd had none left for the bludger one of the new beater candidates had missed.

You were out cold the rest of that night and all of yesterday. You woke this morning to the boys all chattering at once in their relief, pressing flowers and sweets -- and an immediately confiscated flask of firewhisky -- into your hands as Madam Pomfrey did her best to shoo them away. The ensuing few hours had felt blissfully ordinary. If it took blunt trauma to knock some sense into you, so be it. You glanced up at the sound of Remus and James arguing over the last of your Chocolate Frogs to see Sirius looking down at you with clear concern.

"Promise you're all right?"

"If you think I took it hard, you should see the bludger."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards, but the wrinkle of worry remained between his brows.

"I should've been paying attention. I should've blocked it."

"Sirius, we weren't even in the same drill. I'm the one who wasn't paying attention. But I'm fine. Promise. She said I can go tonight after a few more potions."

You reached over to pat his arm reassuringly. Sirius looked at your hand for a moment before slowly placing his on top of it. You froze. Afraid to look up, you stared instead at his hand, willing your own not to tremble despite the fact every nerve in your body was. Your mouth had gone bone dry, and you licked your lips, trying to think of something to say. James and Remus were no longer bickering, and you could feel their eyes on the two of you. Panicked, you were about to pull your hand back when Sirius's squeezed down around it, moving it from his arm to the edge of your bed. He held it there while he reached into his robes. A moment later, you felt the cool metal of a flask sliding beneath your palm.

Sirius cleared his throat slightly before removing his hand from yours. But he didn't just lift it away; he slid it lightly down and off the edge of the bed, tracing the length of your hand with his fingertips as he went. You looked up. His eyes could have burnt a hole through you. And maybe they were; maybe that would explain the heat spreading like Fiendfyre through your entire body. Better that than acknowledge the fact that you knew you were blushing furiously, that all of them could see it, and that there wasn't a bloody thing you could do about it.

Mercifully, Sirius looked down, and you quickly tried to fill the silence.

"How many of those do you have in there?"

Sirius grinned and opened his robe just enough for you to catch a glint of silver.

"He cast Geminio on it," Peter snickered, and Remus heaved a sigh.

"I'm going to be the first prefect in Hogwarts history to be stripped of his badge within a month, aren't I."

Before anyone could answer, Madam Pomfrey's shrill voice cut through.

"Mr Black!"

"HOW DID YOU EVEN SEE THAT?!"

The matron came marching up the aisle, and Sirius quickly pulled the flask out of his pocket, holding it towards you.

"Cheers!" he said with a smile that thoroughly melted you; a genuine, sweet smile, the sort you remembered from when you were all kids and nothing was complicated. You returned it as you tapped your flask against his, and you both managed to get a couple of healthy swigs down before the flasks went flying out of your hands and into Pomfrey's. As soon as she touched them, two more flasks sprang into being, clattering to the floor.

"Out!!" she ordered, but the Marauders were already halfway to the door. "See you tonight!" James called over his shoulder as they disappeared into the corridor.

"Would it be too much to ask for you to exert a positive influence over your friends?" Madam Pomfrey asked, casting an exasperated look at you as she plunked a creamy purple potion down onto your side table.

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but how terribly dull would that be?"

The corners of her mouth ghosted upwards for a split second before she side-eyed you and returned to Morgan.

"I assume our resident juvenile delinquents weren't leaving willingly," Lily's voice came from the doorway, and you turned as the girl approached your bed, a bag of Chocolate Cauldrons in her hand.

"Bless you," you said dramatically. She handed you the bag with a shrug. "Personally, I don't think these should be sold to anyone who isn't of age, but you've had a traumatic experience. A needless, easily preventable traumatic experience. How are you feeling?"

"Not up to arguing with you over the barbarity of Quidditch."

"Fair dinkum."

"And if you like, in future, you can get me toffees. To be honest, they're my favourites, but nobody knows that because nobody around here ever figures anyone wants anything ordinary. They remind me of my gran, though, and I love them."

"Noted. And that's sweet. Now, let's talk about the boys."

You groaned loudly. "Why don't you just use Crucio? At least it's quicker."

Lily stood and began plumping your pillows, her voice softening.

"I'm not trying to torture you. But don't think I don't know why you got hurt. You're not the seeker because of your awful reflexes. You've been miserable, and you're not going to be un-miserable until something changes. And I think you should know that neither Sirius nor Remus left your side the entire time. When Remus wasn't sitting here reading you Oscar Wilde, Sirius was trying to play you Led Zeppelin songs on his harmonica until Madam Pomfrey made him stop it."

You chuckled at the thought, but amusement was quickly replaced by the turmoil you were becoming so accustomed to when you thought of Remus reading one of your favourite authors. The tightness in your chest flooded back, the constant worry tying your stomach into knots.

"See?" Lily asked. "You can't even be happy for two seconds. So what went on after you woke up?"

You took a deep breath.

"Well... everything was basically normal for the most part, aside from the fact Morgan's over there because Sirius bit him in dog form and then they replaced one of the betony plants with poison ivy so he'd accidentally make a remedy out of it. They all think I don't know they're Animagi now so they can keep Remus company during his transformations, and that's because Remus told them not to involve me because he was too afraid that I'd get hurt, but I was incredibly offended by that, as you can imagine, so I did it over the summer. Became an Animagus, I mean. I really lucked out with the sky being clear the same night I finished with the leaf and it being really stormy for days after that. But they don't know that I've done it. Yet."

You paused for fear that if Lily's jaw dropped any further, it'd dislocate. "I was obviously going to tell you, Lily, there just hadn't been a good time yet."

"Yeah, and now was great," Lily sputtered. "I don't suppose the four of you are registered? Of course you're not, it's the four of you. And Remus is a prefect... I'm a prefect!" she shrieked, as if just remembering the fact. "How can you be sure it'll even work? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Do you care at all what will happen to all of you if you're caught?"

Lily buried her face in her hands, breathing heavily, and you remained quiet, allowing her to process. After a few moments, you reached out and squeezed her shoulder. Lily had been your walking, talking conscience for four years now, for all the good it did her, and while she usually managed to overcome her shock fairly quickly, you worried you might have finally found her breaking point. Finally, she exhaled loudly and gave you a weary look.

"What's Potter?"

You grinned. "A stag."

She contemplated a moment before raising her eyebrows and nodding in apparent approval.

"All right. We'll come back to that another time. So what happened that wasn't ‘basically normal’? As if any of that was normal..."

You chewed your bottom lip a moment before continuing. "Sirius had my hand because he was slipping a flask into it -- don't give me that look -- and when he took his hand away, he did it... really... tenderly? And then he was staring at me, and I know I was blushing. They all had to have seen. Remus had to have seen. Then, right before Madam Pomfrey chased them out, he smiled at me, and he looked so happy, Lily. Actually happy... and I can't let myself believe that it had anything to do with me, but Merlin, I wish it had something to do with me."

Lily hopped up onto the edge of your bed and pulled you into a hug. "Only your love story would be heavily sprinkled with illegal activity and alcohol. So you know you and Sirius have to talk, right? Because if it does have something to do with you, then you two need to figure yourselves out for your sakes and for Remus's."

"How am I supposed to do this, Lily? I know them both so well, they both know me so well... somebody is going to get hurt before this is over. How do you come back from that?"

Lily's eyes were suddenly faraway and sad, and her shoulders slumped. "I don't know how you come back from that," she whispered.

"Lily? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she murmured, straightening. "It's just a good question. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a good answer, though, so you have to just remember that people get over being temporarily hurt, but regret over things you should've done and didn't -- that doesn't go away. And love is worth taking all the risks in the world for. Now. Drink your potions, eat your Cauldrons, and I'll see you back in the room tonight."

"Think Y/N's out yet?" Peter asked.

"What does no one understand about not talking in the bloody corridors?!" James seethed. "This is a Cloak of In-vis-i-bil-i-ty. Not a Cloak of Soundproof...ness. When you talk, people CAN HEAR YOU!"

"Shhhh! Honestly, Prongs, would you stop that yelling? People could hear you."

"Fuck off, Padfoot. Dissendium."

The hump on the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor sprung open, and, one by one, the Marauders hopped inside, sliding down into the tunnel below. The amount of stooping it took to navigate the space now that they were taller limited conversation to the occasional "Hurry up" and "That was my heel, you clod", and once they'd reached Honeydukes' cellar, they collapsed onto boxes to rest a bit before collecting sweets for what they'd elected to dub your "Welcome Back to Consciousness" party.

"I still can't believe she got clobbered like that," James said. "She's quick as a cat, that one."

"She wasn't looking," Peter said, digging around in an adjacent box of humbugs. "She was staring off at something when the bludger came back at her."

James rubbed the back of his neck. That explained it, then. He'd seen you staring at Sirius more than once during the drills.

"I thought I was going to be sick when she didn't wake up right away," he said. "I know she can take care of herself and all, but seeing her lying there in that bed just made me feel sort of..."

"Useless," said Remus.

"Helpless," Sirius said at the same time.

Remus was bouncing his leg up and down in agitation. Moony hadn't been this antsy in ages, and James was becoming increasingly distressed about knowing the reason why. He still believed Remus deserved a chance to talk to you about his feelings, but he'd also seen the way you and Sirius had looked at each other that afternoon in the hospital wing. You would never hurt Remus intentionally, but what if it was inevitable at this point?

"I need to say something," Remus remarked suddenly, and James tensed. He hadn't expected this.

"Say it later, yeah?" he suggested, abruptly standing. "We should get the sweets and get back."

"No, Prongs, I need to say it now. I need... advice, I guess? I don't know exactly... I feel like sort of an idiot, but--"

"Did you guys hear that?" James tried desperately. "I think there might be somebody upstairs, we really should get--"

"I think I'm in love with Y/N," Remus blurted.

Silence came down like a lead weight, and James quickly shot a glance at Sirius. He looked stricken, and James's heart sank. He'd still been in the process of trying to gauge Sirius's feelings, but everything that had happened in hospital the last two days combined with the panic in his eyes right now spoke volumes. James couldn't let his best mate suffer. Not when he knew the truth.

"I don't really know if I am or not, though... maybe I'm just being stupid, maybe it's hormones... fuck, why did I even say that, please forget I said that, I'm probably just imagining it, it's definitely not worth ruining a friendship over," Remus was stammering, clearly mortified.

"Moony... yeah, to be totally honest with you, mate, I really don't think--" James began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Nah, Moony, you can't think like that," he said, his voice quiet and unreadable. "If you think you love her, you should tell her. It's worth it. She's worth it."

James watched, stunned, as Sirius stared at the floor for a moment before standing and giving Remus's shoulder a pat. Without another word, he walked over to a shelf at the back of the cellar and grabbed a large bag of toffees before dropping back into the tunnel.

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