Mischief Managed Y2 Part 2: The Truth of the Tournament

Chapter Eight: Desire of the Heart

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It took everything James had to prevent Sirius from going after Lily. The mental boy kept spouting some nonsense about not letting another bossy woman ruin things for him. The Black heir had stayed in a funk the rest of the night and when Potter woke up he found his gloomy mate in the same place he had left him. Black had been sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at Lupin's bed, absentmindedly petting Elvis more gently than it seemed possible for someone with so much hatred in their eyes to do.

James tried suggesting for his friend to take a sleeping draft or to talk to Professor Corbyn which didn't go well and Sirius' mood just grew worse and worse, both towards Lily, who had made it her personal mission to help Remus avoid the other Marauders, and James who kept defending her.

"James, for fuck sake, she's a bossy bint!" Sirius roared, chucking one of his pillows at the wall repeatedly until the seams split and feathers exploded everywhere. Well, the house-elves were used to bringing them new pillows...though that was usually because of pillow fights.....

"Sirius, come on you look like a madman...you haven't slept in three bloody nights and you glare at Lily as if she's the one who caused you to act like a complete arse to Remus. That's not her fault, mate, and you know it. I'd keep you away from Remus too with how you've been acting." James stated firmly, ready to duck if Sirius swung at him. It was really hard to tell how the wound-up boy would react to criticism. In James' experience, the results differed every single time he pointed out his ornery friend's bullshit.

"...dammit...you're right...ahhhhhh, AHHHHHHHGH! I'm so tired, James. I don't think I've had a full night's sleep since Christmas..."

"You look it," James said sincerely. This time he did have to duck, though the punch Sirius threw was more playful than anything.

"He's avoiding us, James...how am I ever going to talk to him...to...to apologize, if he keeps avoiding us..."

"You know Remus, mate. You just need to give him a few days, he always comes back. School starts tomorrow and he won't be able to avoid you then." Except Remus could and would. The swot had proven what a slippery person he could be when he wanted to. James was half convinced their talented friend had learned a very complicated illusionment charm simply to hide from them better. It was either that or he had his own invisibility cloak that he kept secret.

"You really think so?" Sirius muttered, dark-bagged eyes looking at him imploringly.

No.

"Yea...yeah sure." James attempted to assure Sirius, only he had hesitated too long.

"You're lying!" Sirius wailed, collapsing back onto his bed and screaming into another pillow.

"Just send him a howler then," Peter suggested, having had to have been bribed with several pounds of sweets to not let anything 'slip' about what the youngest Marauder thought he knew to Remus.

"That's bloody mental, Pettigrew," James pointed out.

Peter shrugged and popped a liquorice snap in his mouth. "I guess...but there are no rules saying Howlers have to be mean," the smaller boy explained simply. The Maurader had been too pacified by sugar to be anything but brutally honest the past day, to the detriment of three more pillows and James having to hold Sirius from tackling Peter at least twice.

"Shite...holy fucking dragon balls, you're a genius, Peter! That's bloody brilliant," Sirius shouted, leaping off his bed and scooping up Elvis who seemed bigger every time James looked at him. The unfortunate cat was swung around by Black who was more than a little insane right now, sheer lack of sleep and stress added to the general craziness that the boy usually exhibited.