/𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒\ [𝒔. 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌]

𝐭𝐰𝐨

𝟏,𝟒𝟓𝟐 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬

"Remus?" Marlene said sweetly from the backseat. "Are we there yet?"

"You ask me again, I'll leave you stranded on the side of the road," Remus said in a dry voice.

"Really, Marlene," said Sirius. "Shut the fuck up."

Marlene let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back against her side of the van. They'd been driving all day, rotating between their slim selection of CDs, and everyone's nerves were on edge. Artemis shifted for the tenth time that hour, trying to get comfortable. "But really, Moony, when are we going to be there?"

"Don't ask him, he's got horrible judge of time," said James, shifting the map in his hands and tracing his finger along the line symboling the road to the World Cup. "I'd say... another three hours."

Mutinous cries rang all throughout the van. "You're joking!" Peter cried.

"I don't care anymore," said Marlene. "Leave me at the side of the road, toss me out the window, just get me out of the goddamned van somehow."

"I vote for throwing you out the window," Lily said coolly.

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in his seat, resting his head against Artemis's shoulder. "If I die here, just know it was all in the name of quidditch."

"You don't even like quidditch that much," Artemis pointed out.

He groaned and pushed her head away teasingly. "Well, if I die, don't tell anyone that, Blake."

In the drivers' seat, Remus lit a cigarette and turned the music volume up full blast. The entire van shook with the sounds of some Bon Jovi song Artemis had never cared to learn the words to. James turned it back down. "The hell was that for?" he asked Remus.

"Drowning out the background noise," said Remus, lazily gesturing towards the sprawled out, whining group in the back. "Trust me, Prongs. It'll help."

James shrugged and turned the music back up, settling back in his seat and staring out the window at the blurred countryside around them.

~

When Remus parked the car, nobody moved. After almost thirteen hours cramped into the back of the beat up old van together, nobody would sure if they could move anymore. Sirius was passed out on Artemis's shoulder. How he fell asleep with the music blaring that loudly, she'd never know, but she shook his shoulder to wake him. "Hey," she said, her voice hoarse from shouting over the music every time she needed to speak. "We're here."

"Huh?" Sirius slowly picked his head up. "Oh thank god."

He unlatched the side door of the van and tumbled out onto the grass, staring up at the sky like he never thought he'd see it again. The initial stillness faded as everyone followed his lead, falling or jumping out of the van and stretching like they hadn't seen light in years. "You lot are so dramatic," said Remus, leaning against the hood and lighting a cigarette. "Someone get the tents from the back, I'll go check us in. Oh- and no magic. We've got to pretend to be muggles at least for now."