FicWad

Chapter 8- The Morning


“Hermione.”
She moaned, nestling her head into the source of heat. “One moreminute,” she murmured.
“Hermione, we need to go. It’s half past 6. Everyone will be getting up soon.”
She sighed deeply and cracked open an eye. Sirius was peering down, lips raised in a small smile. Hermione pouted, tipping her head back against his chest to look up at him. In a childlike voice, she asked, “Do I have to?”
“Yes.”
Dropping her head forward, she groaned and after a second of enjoying the comfort, clambered to her feet. Sirius stood too, and offered her his hand, but Hermione didn’t take it. Instead, her eyes were captured by the scene framed by the railings. The sun was in the midst of rising; an impossibly large eye, the darkest hue of orange, blinking away the sleep of the night. The sky was a mishmash assortment of light and white and pale blue.
Her mouth parted, and she felt soft all over. When she had been on the hunt for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron, the solitude in the mornings had been sated by the sight of the sunrise, and she remembered being curled up with them both in the tent entrance, silence drinking their conversations dry, listening to the world with attentive ears.
“Hermione?”
Snapping out of it, she cleared her throat. “Yes, erm. Sorry.”
Sirius stood next to her, watching her carefully. Hermione held out her hand, and he took it, before leading her down the winding stairs, with only one backward glance at the sun, which seemed to cast a warm glow of light and life on everything its rays touched.
This time, the journey seemed shorter and every window they passed seemed brighter than the last. When they got back to the Common Room, they found a few people up, lounging across the sofas in front of the crackling fire. The two of them took no notice, heading straight to the boy’s dormitory.
The room was silent still; no one was awake yet. Hermione wordlessly collected her clothes from the previous night and made her way into the adjoining bathroom to change.
As soon as she was inside, she slid the bolt, thus locking it, and just stood there, staring at some random spot on the opposite wall. Her throat and eyes felt unbearably dry. Her mind was numb. Hermione cleared her throat, tearing her eyes away, and proceeded to get dressed with a sort of halted movement that seemed to ache in her joints.
She stopped for a minute when she was fully clothed, catching he appearance in the mirror. Was that really what she looked like? Her hair was matted and hung in thick, tangled strands around her face, which was pale and drawn and looked as tired as her soul felt.
Swallowing, Hermione reached for her wand, nonverbally casting a spell that had her hair washed and dried in a matter of seconds. Although she would never admit it, she was slightly grateful for Lavender and Pavarti’s nonsensical gossiping. Another spell had her face regain colour, and covered up the dark circles under her eyes.
There, she thought finally. At least she didn’t look like a zombie anymore.
She left the bathroom, Remus’ clothes bundled in her arms. But the early-morning fizzle of life stopped her in her tracks.
James was up and ready, hair sticking out in every direction. He was grinning, and was, at least in Hermione’s opinion, far too happy for this time of a morning. As his eyes locked on hers, his face lit up and he started blindly waltzing towards her.
“Good morning!” He beamed, swooping down and popping a kiss on her cheek, before he danced around her and into the bathroom. The shower started shortly after.
Hermione’s eyebrows were furrowed, her face frozen in a mingled expression of shock and disbelief. She let her eyes find the other boys.
Sirius, it seemed, had clambered back into bed, and now had his head shoved under his pillow. Remus was still sleeping soundly, and, judging from the loud snores erupting from the far side of the room, so was Peter.
She allowed herself to smile, moving over to the nearest windows. The slightly out-of-key whistles reached her ears suddenly, and the screeching sound of curtains being opened accompanied the light that flooded the room. Sirius groaned.
He shoved his head deeper under the pillow in a failed attempt to get a few more hours of sleep, but his friend had turned on the shower and was singing Celestina Warbeck.
“‘From the marshy bogs of Queerditch
Grew a sport so fine and fair
In which each witch and wizard
Would take flight through the air.
We sit and watch in wonder
At each game the players play
And dream our team will reign supreme
Thus we cannot help but say...’”
Hermione’s hand shot to cover her mouth. With wide eyes, she stifled a squealing laugh. Sirius’ muffled voice was barely audible but everyone, bar the object of his anger, heard it nevertheless; “Don’t… Don’t. James. Don’t you fucking dare, Potter…”
But it was futile.
“’BEAT BACK THOSE BLUDGERS, BOYS, AND CHUCK THAT QUAFFLE HERE
NO TEAM CAN EVER BEST THE BEST OF PUDDLEMERE!
YOU’LL CATCH THAT GOLDEN SNITCH WITH THE EASIEST OF EASE
GRAB YOUR BEATER’S BAT AND IN NO TIME
PROVE THE GAME IS YOURS TO SEIZE!’”
Remus erupted in laughter, doubling over so that his torso and head were leaning off the bed. He shoved his face into his mattress to try and stop himself, but couldn’t. Hermione’s hand fell from her mouth and the chorus of mirth echoed around the room. Sirius scowled. “Fucking ponce. For Christ’s Sake.”
His choice of swear sobered both Hermione and Remus up. They exchanged glances and the latter looked at his tired and grumpy friend with confusion. “Christ? That’s a Muggle swear, isn’t it?”
Sirius shrugged grudgingly. “Think so. Heard it at a Muggle park, near my Mother’s house.”
“Do you even know who Christ is?” Hermione asked curiously.
He pulled a face. “Yeah! Of course. Something like Jebus Christ! Didn’t really care much for what he had to say, but the guy had some fucking good hair!”
“Hair… Of course. Out of all the things that you could possibly remember about Jesus Christ-“
“Jebus,” Sirius corrected, with a pointed look. Remus sighed.
“Jebus…” Remus adjusted hesitantly, hardly finding the energy to argue with his friend this early in the morning.
Hermione said, “You do know that he supposedly could walk on water? And he was a magnificent healer.”
“Really?” Sirius asked, intrigued. Then his face curled into a small, irritable frown. “Bet he wouldn’t be able to heal James’ bloody body after I’m done with him.”
Speaking of James, the shower turned off and a loud racket was heart from the bathroom on the opposite side of the room, next to Peter’s bed, who was still sound asleep, snoring peacefully.
“Fucking lucky lump,” Sirius muttered, rolling over to hide his face again.
He didn’t hear the bathroom door opening, therefore as he was too busy mourning the time he could have spent sleeping. He didn’t hear the creak of the floorboards as a wet, towel-clothed boy crept closer and closer to his bed. But he did hear the scream of “SIRIUS!” as a practically naked James Potter jumped on him, ripping the covers open and shared his wetness.
Sirius screamed a high-pitch, girly scream that had Remus snorting all over again and roused Peter from his slumber. Hermione doubled over, clutching her stomach which hurt from laughing so much. Tears were actually pooling in her eyes.
“Wasgoinon?” The fourth roommate slurred.
He didn’t need an answer as his eyes landed on the two boys screaming and cuddling/wrestling on the bed.
“Oh.” He pulled a face. “You know, after four years of this, I should be used to it.”
Peter stared for a little longer, before climbing out of bed and going into the bathroom to get ready.
Remus got up too, running a hand through his hair and walking over to the chest of drawers to collect some uniform. His eyes met Hermione’s and rolled, head tipping towards the two boys. She bit her lip, but her smile conquered.
He threw a pair of folded up socks at the pair, still wrestling (James still had the upper-hand, holding Sirius in a choke hold, whilst trying to retain his dignity and keep his towel up).
“Stop it, you two. Platonically gay, I swear.”
“Hey!” Sirius protested. “We are not gay! We are manly men!”
“Yeah!” James agreed. “We’ve only snogged twice!”
Sirius nodded eagerly, as if this prove everything and Remus just sighed.
"Well, that's a relief!" He said sarcastically. "You had me worried there! I thought that I would have to be the one to inform both your fan clubs that their obsessive stalking was futile.”
“You wouldn’t!” Sirius gasped in horror.
Remus raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk to tilting his lips. “Wouldn’t I?”
Hermione schooled her face into one of seriousness. “He would. He’s evil, you know. But Remus, just imagine the heartbreak you’d cause!” She cried, clutching her chest.
“They’d get over it, I’m sure.” He replied dryly. “Maybe it would bring them to their senses and alert them of the more eligible men at this school.”
“Like yourself, I’m sure,” she laughed.
He spread his arms wide, grin playing his lips. “Well, if you insist.”
Sirius pulled a face. “Oh, stop flirting. It’s too early for tomfoolery!”
Remus’ eyebrows shot half way up his forehead. “Sirius Black?! Claiming it’s too early for tomfoolery! My, we must be sickening, Hermione, to put Sirius off romance for the day!”
Hermione just laughed loudly, swatting him.
“I never said the day,” Sirius protested. “Just a few minutes. I’ll be over it soon, I’m sure. You listening, Prongs? Remy and Herms are trying to put me off tomfoolery!”
“Herms?” Hermione questioned distastefully.
James didn’t reply.
“Prongs?”
He was silent, staring at the door longingly, oblivious to what was going on.
Sirius and Remus both instinctively looked at each other. Hermione was about to open her mouth to ask what was going on, when she noticed the glint in their eyes, and sealed her lips.
His shaggy-haired friend was prowling closer and closer to the lanky prefect, who had pulled out his wand. A particularly strange spell was on the very tip of Remus’ lips, when James said, “Maybe he’s right, Padfoot. Maybe you should settle down with one girl…”
Sirus and Remus both stopped and stared at their third friend, dumbfounded.
“Settle down? Settle down? Remus, are you hearing this? And he calls himself my brother! James, do you not know me at all?” Sirius cried, throwing an arm around Remus’ shoulder.
“Yes, it does seem a little unrealistic and highly un-Sirius.”
“We’ve already discussed this,” he whined, pouting a little. “I’m not selfish enough to deny the entire female population a piece of me by tying myself down to one girl.”
Hermione laughed loudly then, hardly finding the control to hold it back.
Remus scoffed lightly, shrugging the slumping Sirius off and walking back to his bed to get ready to school. James rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair.
“I know, I know… but… I don’t know mate, some girls are… they’re worth it.”
And even though he didn’t say it, he didn’t have to. Everyone in the room knew immediately what, or who, he was talking about. A famous redhead with emerald eyes and a countless galaxy of freckles. But only one knew just how worth it that one girl was.
Apart from Peter, who stood in the bathroom doorway, with a towel tied around his chest, like a woman would have. A turban-like towel circled his head.
He looked between his friends before pulling a face and saying, “I’m confused. What are we talking about?”
Remus sighed and said, “The love of Jame’s life.”
“The apple of his eye,” Sirius added with a flourish, flicking his hair.
Peter understood immediately and snorted, making his way over to his own bed.
“Hey Hermione,” he beamed and she felt her heart soften at his droopy features.
“Morning, Peter.”
“Anyway,” Sirius clapped his hands together. “Today is the day.”
He announced it like it was the start of something revolutionary, and maybe it was. Hermione wasn’t really sure.
“Two months, we have been planning this for. Two months of thinking and planning and waiting and brewing and more waiting and planning and waiting and now!” His finger jabbed into the air, and he jumped on the bed rather flawlessly (at least, until he stepped back and his foot caught in the blankets, but he recovered soon enough). “This is the day that we embrace our school and all of its quirks and we unite as houses because of our shared attributes! This is the day of change and of unity!”
Hermione squinted her eyes at him. Leaning into Remus, she asked uncertainly, “Is he being serious?”
He sucked the air through his teeth. “Well, Hermione. He happens to be Sirius pretty much all the time. Except for when he’s not. Which is never.”
She scowled at him, slapping his arm. “You know what I mean! Is this,” cue a gesture to the dramatic speech that was still ongoing, “a one-time thing- has he not gotten enough sleep?- or is he naturally this crazy?”
“Oh no. They like to psych themselves up,” Remus replied, pointing out Peter, who had his hand over his heart and chin held high, and James, who was wiping away tears.
Sirius continued, “This day is a glorious example of the most perfect prank the world has ever seen! We, my friends, will go down in Hogwarts history as the most marauding Marauders to ever walk the halls!”
James, Peter and Remus all cheered, with calls of “Here! Here!” and “Preach!” Hermione laughed again, joining in, leaning on Remus, who wrapped his arms around her and tried to lift her up. She screamed, before breaking down into more laughter and not for the first time, wondered how on earth she could find so much amusement in her predicament. But now, what was rare with this time, she didn’t feel guilty at basking in the safety of the 70’s, rather a tranquil sense of serenity, like she could maybe belong.