Genetics • Sirius Black

Chapter Six: Is This Seat Taken?

"What's that?" Freya Grey asked as she sat down next to Regulus Black's blanket-covered legs on the sofa. The Slytherin common room was almost empty with a few people still cheering on about the Quidditch game a few hours ago.

Regulus put the paper in his behind his sketchbook rather hastily. "Letter from home." He shifted slightly in his seat before, furrowing his raising brows with attention to Freya. "How was the game?"

"Good." Freya accepted the shift in conversation smoothly. "Hufflepuff has a new beater."

"Alice Fortescue." Regs remembered.

"She beat Gryffindor quite well."

"Couldn't tell." Regulus glanced at the cheering group of Slytherins sipping a prohibited beverage sporting borrowed yellow and black scarves. Then Freya lifted his thin legs up and wiggled behind them, taking a good chunk of his blanket with her. His feet propped on her lap. "Rude." A groan interrupted his playful glare and his attention shifted to the greasy-haired boy face down on the couch beside them. "What's happened to him?"

"Gryffindors are a little more intense," Freya stated, and Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Vocally at least."

"My ears are still ringing." Sev groaned.

"Surprised you haven't gone deaf." The curly-haired girl was shocked to find out he had managed the whole game in the front row, only to find out the poor fellow did try to leave several times, however, the masses kept him pinned. She looked back at Regs with a soft smile. "You would have liked it or at the very least been able to turn your nose up at Potter's seeker techniques."

Severus groaned again and the corner of Reg's mouth turned up slightly. "A pleasing offer, but I'll stick to my sketching, thank you very much."

Freya hit his foot, then watched her other friend, who was faced down on the cushions. "Sev, do try moving in a position that won't make you suffocate."

After a moment of unresponsiveness, Regs titled his head. "Perhaps it's too late."

Severus rolled on his side just to glare at Regs before turning his nose back down into the sleek black leather.

***

Had any rule-abiding Prefect entered the Marauders room, they would have surely died on the spot. Thankfully, Remus Lupin had low expectations and Hogwart's student mortality rate remained the same.

Cups of booze and clothes(James and Sirius had decided to wear each item in each other's wardrobe despite them having the same uniform) were scattered all around the room along with James's dignity.

Remus scratched his temple wondering how exactly James had contorted himself in that position and at what point Sirius had lost all his clothes except his left sock.

The hazel-eyed boy didn't drink nearly as anyone else in the room, mainly because he didn't like the taste of fire whiskey or liquor. Carefully, Remus got up from his position on the floor, making sure to check everywhere he put his foot since Peter had a tendency to turn into a rat when he was drunk.

Gently, he shook James' shoulder. "Prongs... Prongs, Prongs." A murmur came out of the Gryffindor seekers' mouth. Remus let out a small sigh. "Suppose, no library today, huh?"

He glanced around the room then spotted Peter resting in rat form on the desk with half a chip next to him. Perhaps cheering James and Sirius up with liquor wasn't the best idea.

With love and light disgust, Remus moved James's head at an angle that made sure he wouldn't choke on his vomit and did the same to Sirius(in addition to placing a blanket over his bare bottom). He moved Peter to his bed.

As soon as Peter made contact with the sheets he swivels and turned back into a nude Peter. Urgency in his voice, Peter quickly said, "Hufflepuff cheated."

A series of groans came from Sirius and James, and then followed James vomiting over the side of the bed.

Remus turned his eyes skyward and begged for some roommates that actually wore clothes.

"ALRIGHT." He clapped his hands, earning more groans, but he kept his tone slightly above average through their whines. "Water's are in the nightstand, clothes are... everywhere apparently, and I will be in the library while you sober up." More noises detesting his voice came, and he ignored them. "I wish you all very well."

"Mooney," Sirius complained, putting a pillow over his ears.

"Talk to me when you have trousers, Padfoot." With that Remus closed the room door harder than he needed to, and James' groans could be heard through the oak. Then he slightly opened the door, "Don't forget to clean up the vomit before it dries." Quickly he closed the door and heard the pelt of pillows hitting the door behind him.

***

The library was fairly empty since most students were curing their post-Quidditch night hangovers. Most professors turned a blind eye to this, mainly because it meant students would be relatively tame the few days after nursing their headaches and bruised egos.

Freya took this time to sit in the library with the peace of mind that she wouldn't turn down the aisle and walk into someone going to second base or being fingered.

With a thick book beside her, she flipped through pages and thought the characters were extremely stupid.

Lily, the girl who offhandedly recommended the romantic tragedy, was off hanging out with Marlene, Sev was practicing potions in private, and Regs never woke up before noon if he didn't need to. Thus, resulting in her isolated reading island.

Remus noticed her as soon as he walked in and saw her nose scrunch gently at something she was reading. Then he went to find the fiction section and grabbed three romance historical type books. He only did this when he was alone since Sirius would constantly ask when the characters would start shagging then Remus would have to explain they the climax of their sexual encounters was usually a kiss, to which Sirius would give a flirty comment.

Books in hand, he went to the first empty table and hesitated. His gaze flicked to the dark-haired girl he had spoken to yesterday.

Freya thought the protagonist of her book was weak-minded and hoped she died. Was there no ambition in her body or brain cell in her head? And her love interest, a foolish arrogant-

"Is this seat taken?" Remus Lupin asked, referring to the seat across from her.

Her eyes instantly slipped out of their dream stance and into the outside world. "No."

"Mind if I?"

"Not at all." She replied politely, then glanced for the rest of his friends. None were there, it was just him. Redirecting her gaze to her pages again, she attempted to focus again, only to find that Remus was making that surprisingly difficult. He wasn't doing anything, simply sitting, but that made Freya slightly curious and anxious. So much so, it took her thirty minutes to actually relax enough to continue reading, by then, she had flipped enough pages to make it seem like she wasn't thinking that she missed out on the introduction of a whole new character.