Shut Up, Padfoot!

90

I couldn't sleep last night.

Neither could James. The sun was beginning to rise when I realized James hadn't slept a wink. He tossed and turned until he finally abandoned his place next to Lily. He noticed me curled up in front of the fireplace. We sat together; watching the flames even after daylight shined through the windows.

Surprisingly, we all resided in the living room. Maybe it was the large distance we had between us for so long that we couldn't sleep separately. It reminded me of our third year when Wormtail recited a scary story to us. We wouldn't dare leave the common room in fear of the demons that might await us in our rooms. So we slept until students came downstairs.

Today officially began when a fresh pot of tea was served.

Sirius reserved the spot next to me. His eye bags were deep but the heat from his cup hydrated the sleepiness away. The others huddled in the small living room of Pandora's home.

"There's some fresh clothes in the room on the right. Take some and hurry before the hot water runs out," she murmured to Peter.

The Freewill Manor bustled with light. If we had any passerbys, they would notice the significant change from the moody atmosphere to the one now. However, brighter, much messier. Cheap clothes were thrown over furniture along with a haphazardly limp Marauder.

"What do they say in those books you read, Lils? 'What's our next move'?" James declared.

"How about 'What do we not know? What the hell happened? Are we safe?'" she countered sarcastically.

Dora retreated to the love seat and curled up in a corner with her curt reply, "You're safe here."

I nod in agreement. We've been here for the past couple years and there's no danger. But with recent events, we can't guarantee 100% safety. She's being rather odd though. She's being snippy. Her past with my friends aren't as pleasant. She's not within her comfort zone.

"Guys, Tom knows I'm alive. With the attack last night, he'll definitely know. Severus seemed like–"

"Severus? He was there?" Lily interrupted.

Shooting a quick glance at her, I took in her expression. A heavy frown encased the lower half of her face, accompanied with scrunched brows. Familiarity and nostalgia was apparent there. I swallowed and tore my gaze away.

"Snivellus and his two goons: Malfoy and my stupid cousin, Bellatrix. I still have no idea how they knew where we were," Padfoot added.

"Somebody ought to have tipped them off. Or they might've followed us," Remus inquired.

James inhaled sharply and let out a loud, 'well'. Pandora jumped at his high volume, her tea slightly sloshing onto the saucer. I blinked and tried to stop myself from looking at all of their faces. I'm scared I'll see fear or regret in reuniting with me.

He continued, "On our end, we didn't find anything at your house, Padfoot. Your parents and Regulus were all out. Bit of a startle when Moony came to warn us to come back."

"Especially, when he apparated out of there without us and no explanation. Just a simple 'Go here! Urgent!' sure was informing," Lily scowled.

I laughed when I made eye contact with a sheepish Remus. He diverted his look and pursed his lips dramatically to take a sip from his tea. Taking this chance to stare at his form, I saw a large scar running down his cheek. To my surprise, a new tattoo on his neck welcomed me.

I squinted my eyes and searched for one on Sirius. We promised we would only get group tattoos! My lids lowered to the base of his throat. A minimalist flame engraved his fair skin. The corner of my mouth tilted upward and I, smugly but smoothly, tucked my hair behind my ear.

His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. I was ripped from my thoughts and a bit startled. His thumb pushed into the crevice of my pulse point. The touch sent electricity flying and my heart skipped a few beats. I'm sure he felt it as well. He won't care though, just assured with the fact he knows I'm breathing.

"What happened with Bellerose?" Wormtail questioned.

He reentered the room with one of Xenophilius' sweatshirts on. A towel laid atop his shoulders and he pat the hair on his nape dry. The boy sat on the edge of the couch where Remus put his hand on his back.

Pandora cleared her throat and peered out into the kitchen across from her. Sirius uncomfortably shifted, squeezing my wrist a little.

"He was dead when I found him. The Dark Mark was in the air," Sirius stated.

I grew alerted, just now realizing that he saw his dead body too. Flipping my hand around, I released the hold he hand on me and replaced it with my palm. Automatically, he interlaced our fingers.

"It was Regulus," Pandora blurt.

Our heads turned to her. She curled in on herself more subconsciously. The pads of his fingertips pressed deeply into the back of my hand when he registered her words.

"It wasn't. He's not one of them," he argued.

"We saw him in the lift. It has to be him," she logically retort.

His shoulders rolled backward and his jaw clenched. The grasp on my hand felt deadly and I grimaced in slight pain. He assumed a passive aggressive stance and the hairs on his arms stood on end.

"And I'm telling you he didn't do it," he darkly responded.

"He's in Slytherin and he's young. Realistically, they would make him into a deatheater. And say if he didn't do it, then why was he there? He had to have been in on it," she calmly explained.

"Padfoot, I saw the Dark Mark on his arm," I muttered.

He redirected his stare at me. His posture slacked and I daren't meet his gaze. My eyes flickered between the carpet strands and Lily's hand that fiddled nervously with it.

"You did?" he helplessly asked.

"Yeah," I confirmed quietly.

Regulus Black is no longer redeemable.

-Lana