𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 - 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

26 - 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙛:𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪

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"Oi, Aquila! Please, don't ignore me," James called out.

Aquila humphed, but stopped in her tracks. The group of five had been released from the Hospital Wing that morning itself after being given a dose of replenishing potion. The twins had rushed away with Avery and Mulciber while the Marauders had been checking up on Remus. The remaining three had felt guilty and when stepped out to apologise for their actions, they'd found the Wing empty.

Now, in the evening of the day of Christmas Eve Eve, James had finally managed to corner his new friend, who he was feeling terribly guilty about lying to. Which he really shouldn't, considering she would've done the same without batting an eye.

"Are you still mad about it?" James asked, huffing as he had run down the corridor to talk to her before she disappeared. Again.

Aquila pursed her lips together, but said nothing. Surely it wasn't that terrible, was it?

"Please, I'm sorry, please at least answer the question," James pleaded.

"Do you really think we wouldn't have done it?" Aquila finally blurted out. James frowned in confusion, so she amended. "If you would've told us the reason beforehand, do you really think we would have refused?"

James opened his mouth to respond, and closed it again. Really, why hadn't they told the twins before?

"I don't know. We just didn't...think of it?" James said sheepishly.

Aquila twisted her lips to the side. "Well, maybe if you had thought of it, we would have completed your map. Have fun pranking only the North and West Wings of Hogwarts, Potter." And with a swish of her hair, Aquila once again disappeared, leaving James with a hollow feeling in his chest at being addressed by his last name. Again.

- - -

Aquila felt power thrumming through her as she chanted the spell in her head. Two people down from her she could feel Regulus do the same. They'd communicated before and agreed that channeling each other would not be required for tracking one room only. Perhaps when they created the actual map they might need to, but it was mutually decided that it was unneeded for now.

But even for a simple room, the spell wasn't supposed to take this much time. She could feel the quill on the parchment, drawing over the light sketch Remus and Peter had already done, and she felt a slight rush of magic as their names appeared on the parchment. The practice was complete.

She opened her eyes, and saw the Marauders eyeing each other and the twins warily. Aquila turned to see Regulus' eyes still closed and he was still muttering under his breath. Feeling her senses must've been off, she mimicked her brother and closed her eyes as well.

A few more ticks of seconds passed. A minute. Two. Now, Aquila was sure that the room had to be done. Because if it was going to take so much time in one room, then the entirety of Hogwarts? Sweet Merlin, no.

Now, she opened her eyes again only to witness Remus looking frighteningly pale, and the parchment between them no longer showed the room. Well, it didn't show just the room. It was spread out to reveal the entire West Wing, ranging from the room they were currently standing in to the long hallway to the end of the Wing where there was a jutting balcony and showed two pairs of footsteps with Fabian Prewett and Maisie Gudgeon written in Sirius' fine print.

Not stopping her chanting, she looked as the map further opened and extended to the North Wing, and revealed Filch and his cat roaming those corridors, extending to the North Tower.

Remus looked as if he was held up entirely by Peter and James at this point, with his face looking gaunt in the dungeon lights. If James was worried, his face didn't show it. His face was just taut, perhaps with the effort of doing the spell.

Wait, the spell!

Aquila stopped chanting for a moment and fished for the connection between her and Regulus.

Reg. Regulus snapped his attention to her, still chanting. He raised an eyebrow at her. The map for this room is long complete.

Regulus looked at the map, and a grim look settled on his features. This isn't only about this room. When Aquila looked confused, he shot her a sharp look. Forgot when the full moon is?

Of course. Aquila's blood chilled. Full moon. Christmas Eve. Of. fucking. course.

The Marauders were trying to trick the twins into making the whole map tonight.

Abruptly, Aquila pulled her hands from both Sirius and James, watching Regulus do the same as the connection broke and the quill dropped back onto the unfinished map. Only the beginning of the East Wing corridor had begun to get animated, leaving the South and most of the East Wing motionless.

Remus immediately collapsed as James dropped his hand from his in surprise and Peter did the same. Immediately apologising, Peter settled him against the wall as James and Sirius rounded on Aquila and Regulus respectively.

"Why did you stop the spell?" Sirius demanded while James had the decency to look somewhat guilty.

"When were you going to tell us that this is not a practice session?" Regulus said coldly.

Sirius stiffened. He shifted his face into a cool expression. "Thought you rather liked tricks, brother. And clever schemes."

Aquila clenched her jaw. She didn't want to make a comment about Remus' condition and the full moon, but Sirius being cocky was not helping matters. Certainly not with him pushing Regulus' buttons like that.

"You wanted a map, Sirius? Fine. There you have it. I'd recommend using it to take Lupin to the Hospital Wing," Regulus said in the same frigid tone, barely glancing at Aquila or the rest of the Marauders as he grabbed Aquila's wrist and led her towards the exit.

But, of course, Regulus' dramatic entrance was decidedly foiled as the both of them turned to each other, only to feel their magic apparently still flowing and draining them, leaving Aquila to let out a little scream as they collapsed on the ground.

Again. 

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watch me make up a bullshit process for the homonculous

honestly, jkr wrote seven books, couldnt have written a spell process?

why the hell is it so HARD resisting the urge to publish? 

anyway, hope you all liked, bec i did

regulus being all cold gives me ~butterflies~

love,

༻hy༺