Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter eighty-one

December 10th - Great Hall

It was a lively dinner between the Gryffindors and the Slytherin, who were chatting happily about what they'd be doing during the Christmas Break.

There was no argument about where Nephera would be staying, for Euphemia had threatened to tie her to chair if she even thought of going off on her own again. Of course, the girl had no objection to that, for she loved the Potter duo, but she still needed to find an apartment since her last one had been compromised.

Lily would be coming to stay with them for the second week of break, to escape Petunia's whining more than anything else. Nephera had offered to pay her sister a visit, but Lily had paled and insisted that it wasn't necessary, not wanting her sister to end up poisoned or hexed.

Peter added more mashed potatoes to his plate, "I was thinking-"

"That's a first," joked Sirius, but Nephera slapped his chest playfully, causing him to shut up

The mousy boy rolled his eyes and continued speaking, "Why don't we throw a party, on the last day before the break?" he suggested, "Merlin knows everyone needs it, not to mention it'll be the first party thrown by Nephera and the marauders together,"

"That's certainly a plan," said the werewolf, "But in the meantime, it's been a while since we've gone out drinking, just us, isn't it?"

Lily groaned, "Godric, Remus! It's our NEWT year, I thought you of all people would want to study!"

Nephera chuckled, pouring more water for herself and Marlene, "Relax, Lily, exams are months away, and Moony's right, we could use a good time. Tonight?" she suggested

"It's Thursday-" started the redhead, but was silenced by James placing a hand over her mouth

Ignoring his girlfriend's protests, the curly-haired boy beamed at the Slytherin, "I'm up for it," he shrugged, "Merlin knows that if I spend another minute in the library, I'll off myself,"

And so it was decided, and the group of seix, including the marauders, the Slytherin, and Marlene met at the one-eyed witch passage that night. Alice and Lily had decided to stay back, not wanting to get drunk on a weekday.

It was decided that they'd apparate from Honeydukes to the muggle town they'd visited last year for Tony's birthday since it was too dangerous for Nephera to be out in the wizarding world. The danger to the Slytherin wasn't the only reason why the group chose to go to the muggle town instead of Hogsmeade.

Being around muggles meant that they wouldn't need to hear about the war, or worry about Death Eaters for the night. The muggle pub served as a small bubble, a safe haven away from death, and loss, and grief.

Sirius and James were at the bar, ordering the alcohol, while the others sat in a booth in the corner of the room, "Am I the only one that thinks that drinking without Lily and Alice's supervision is a bad idea?" asked Peter

"Not in the slightest," replied Marlene, "But it'll certainly make for a fun story to tell if we survive the night,"

The Slytherin snorted, "Where's Dorcas?" she asked. She had noticed that the two girls were having issues in their relationship, although she didn't know the reason behind it

The blonde dropped her head, shaking it slightly, "I don't know..." she sighed, "She's angry because I said I wouldn't visit her and her family during Christmas, but is it really a bad thing that I want to stay with my folks? Ensure they're safe?"

"Of course not, Marls," asserted the werewolf, "I think she's more stressed about you being away from her, she wants to keep you safe as much as you want to keep her safe,"