The Order of Mischief I

1.23

"Watch out!" Peter shouted as Anya shot past him on her broom, heading straight towards the goal post that stood several feet off the ground. The Zion flew right through the ring before slowing down on the other side and awkwardly laughing, glad to have survived the jarring moment. But those that were around could tell that Anya was feeling awkward and anxious about the situation.

"She needs to be more careful, before she gives you a heart attack," Remus said in a calm tone, not looking up from his crinkled book. Phoebe glanced over at him and mumbled an unnecessary apology as she settled back into her seat, after having jumped up, worryingly, at the possibility of her friend getting hurt. She could not focus on her book, and she did not feel guilty for it, especially since Remus had informed her earlier about how he could not pay attention to that specific book either when he was reading it.

"Why are we even awake at five in the morning to do nothing? Who thought this was a good idea?" Phoebe groaned, wrapping her blanket tighter around herself. The sun had barely broken through the later winter horizon and they were the only six at the pitch: James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Phoebe and Anya.

Remus did not look away from his book, "Because your brilliant best friend told James about her inability to play Quidditch, and he's turned it into his personal mission to teach it to her. All so that he could later say he taught a Zion how to play a game for magical beings."

Phoebe poked him, "And we are here because?"

He finally looked up at her and smiled, welcoming the way she leaned closer to him, "For moral support, Phoebe. And maybe to be help rush these idiots to the infirmary should things get too ugly and out of hand... and judging by how they're playing, they will need us to drag their corpses around."

They were sat side by side, their legs stretched over the seats in front of them. Each of them radiated warmth that made them feel safe, the werewolf more so than the witch. They were surrounded in comfortable silence, with the regular shouts of their best friends simply being used as background sound that they would occasionally pay attention to. This was their weak attempt of babysitting the four clowns on the pitch, and barely any energy of theirs was spent on the others, until one of them was screaming for too long.

The sun rose higher, painting the sky in hues of pink and orange, while clouds floated above. The night was turning to day, and Phoebe and Remus were now scribbling away in the margins of their books, using coloured highlighters and pens that they borrowed from James Potter. The heir to an ancient lineage had some of the fanciest collection of stationary that Remus Lupin had ever seen, and thanks to his best friend's kindness and recklessness, the wolf cub made sure to take advantage of the equipment. And despite the books in their hands belonging to their friends, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, in particular, the pair had no problem with imprinting their handwriting into the pages, making sure each letter was written as neatly as they could make it. Of course, they had asked their friends first before they engaged in the habit and once permitted to do so, they happily began making notes, frequently adding on to the other's annotations. Their friends allowed them to do as they pleased with the books, but the duo refused to abuse their liberties and, thus, treated the objects as sacred scriptures.

An hour had passed when their stomachs rumbled once more, they had ran out of snacks and sweets that they had stored from the night before. Phoebe decided that their friends felt it too, seeing as to how they led Anya towards one of the empty changing rooms. It was Remus who heard their feet touching the ground, and pulled the young girl out of her fictional world. They quickly packed their belongings into their bags before making sure to neatly gather James' pens in his pencil case. Remus held the small, black packaging and ran down the stairs towards the pitch and into the separate doors for the player's changing rooms. Phoebe diligently followed behind him, struggling slightly when trying to catch up to him. Her bag, that was heavy with her homework, book and her blanket, made it difficult for her to keep up with him. She could not help but be surprised when she noticed how swiftly Remus moved with possessions almost as heavy, or perhaps more, considering how he loved to read anything and everything.