Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter Forty-Three

FUCK ME I just finished All the Young Dudes and now I never want to read another book again :)

The next Hogsmeade weekend had been posted as the day before Remus's birthday, and naturally it was all the boys were talking about, all the time. Silvanna was surprised when Remus came to find her in the library for the first time in months. "Got bored of your little project then?" she asked as he pulled A Spellman's Syllabary out his bag. He dropped it on the tabletop with a loud bang, his lips parting a little in shock. "Chill out, I don't actually know what you're up to." She shrugged, and went back to her own Runes translation. "It's none of my business."

He sat down carefully, eyeing her before turning to his own book, flicking to chapter three. "They won't shut up about Hogsmeade," he whispered, pulling his quill and ink from his bag. "Are - do you want to go?"

"Not really," said Silvanna with a shrug. "Oh." She looked up at him, frowning at the neutral expression on his face. "What? With you?"

"And the others," said Remus quickly. "Just, I know you don't really like it. But I want you to be there. They're talking about a party in the Three Broomsticks, but I'd rather do a picnic, weather permitting." He finished his rambling, a faint pink tint on his face. Silvanna could see what he was doing. He knew very well about her home life and financial situation. In fact, most people probably did - all it took was one look at her and her second-hand books.

Silvanna shrugged. "A picnic could be nice." She didn't want him to go out of his way just for her. It was his birthday, although the gesture was nice.

"Then we'll do a picnic," said Remus, nodding his head decisively.

"What if it rains?" asked Silvanna, playing the Devil's advocate, just to annoy him.

"Then we'll take umbrellas," he said, already whizzing through his translation that was taking Silvanna forever. "Or we'll get wet."

*****

They did get wet. Absolutely bloody sopping, as they sat on the crooked wooden fence around a field, hoods up but soaked to the skin anyway. They didn't dare open their bag of treats in case they were ruined by the awful weather. Silvanna did like the rain, but only when she was inside.

"Whose rubbish idea was this?" James called from further down the fence.

"Mine," Remus called back from next to Silvanna.

"Look," she hissed. "You just go to the Three Broomsticks, and enjoy your birthday-"

"Can't hear you!" said Remus loudly, a teasing grin on his face. Silvanna shoved into him, a little too hard it seemed because he lost his balance and tumbled back into a large puddle behind them.

"Remus!" cried Silvanna. What if he'd broken something, and it would be all her fault-. But he was scrambling to his feet now, a large grin plastered to his face and covered in mud. His hand whipped through the air, and Silvanna flinched out of habit. There was a large splattering sound as something cold, wet, and grainy hit her right on her neck. "You absolute fucker!" she cried, smiling as she ripped her cloak off and used it to wipe the mud off. She was soaked as it was anyway.

Still grinning, Silvanna launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around his knees and ploughing her shoulder into them so he fell into the mud once more. They tumbled into a fence post, laughing so much it hurt, and there was a loud cracking sound, followed by Sirius's surprised yelp. Silvanna let out a groan as he landed on top of her.

Sirius jumped up at once, looking horrified. His hood had fallen down and now his curling, black locks were plastered with rain to his face and neck. He too had been splattered with mud. "James!" he cried, sweeping over to his friend, who jumped down into the other side, holding his hands up. "Get it out my hair! I cannot stand it being in my hair!" He sounded terribly posh, and Silvanna only laughed harder, still sat on the muddy track.

"I'll help!" said Peter. He jumped down from the fence, and in his eagerness, slipped on a leaf and face planted into the mud. Silvanna and Remus howled with laughter, the rain still beating down on them, and Silvanna rushed forward, dragging the poor boy to his feet. Those parts of his face that weren't brown were pink with embarrassment.

Sirius looked at James. "Well, now you just look left out," he said calmly.

James narrowed his eyes, before setting off at a sprint across the field, his hood flying from its place. With surprising agility, Sirius swung himself over the fence. Peter ducked underneath it, and Remus, being so tall, just climbed over. Silvanna made up the back of the group, taking the longest to get over, but she was still a far sight faster than both Remus and Peter once she was safely in the squelching field.

It was exhilarating, running so freely through the mud. James would've outrun them if he hadn't been so sincere about not getting muddy, and Sirius soon caught up with him, tackling him to the ground with two great yells.

Seeing that there was no fun to be had in hunting James down, Remus resumed pelting Silvanna with mud. She retaliated, and soon Peter was joining in as well, until there was a huge mud fight between the five of them.

The rest of the day was spent sipping away at hot chocolate that had been smuggled from the kitchens, and kept warm in a thermos that Mrs Lupin had given to Remus. Being gentlemen, they gave Silvanna the first few sips, and then Remus because it was his birthday. They soon found shelter under a nearby tree that had a bit of a swamp underneath it, but they climbed up and sat in the branches, tucking into their picnic and aiming Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans into each other's mouths.

"Filch is going to kill us," remarked Remus from one of the lower branches.

"Not if he doesn't die at the sight of us," said Peter, making them all laugh. Silvanna already had her wand out and ready for when Remus started to choke on the bit of chocolate he'd been nibbling at.