The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

XXVII: December, 1993

Earlier that evening...

When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be... I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you. And when I go out... yeah, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you. When I get drunk, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you. And when I haver, hey, I know I'm gonna be the man who's haverin' to you... And I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more... Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door....

Sirius lay on the bed in the Shrieking Shack, a small fire contained in a trash bin lid glowing and putting off a very small bit of heat - not near enough, mind. He was lazily flicking through the pages of some old catalogs and magazines that he'd knicked from the bins outside the post office.

"Dadada-dah-da!" he sang as he flicked. He paused to read a headline, "Never waste your morning casting cleaning spells again! With the choresmaster 2000 you're sure to have ease of mind as your chores literally set themselves to work each morning! Program up to thirteen chores, each timed to allow for a perfectly cleared up home every day when you arrive back from the office!" Sirius laughed and tore the page out, crumpling it and tossing it lazily into the bin, where it promptly caught fire with a blaze of colour as the ink burned off the sheet.

"Fashionable Muggle Wares, available for galleons less than those other shops offer them for! Trousers, skirts, knickers and more! You'll be well dressed blending in with the nomaj in moments! Imported American clothing with STYLE!" Sirius looked at a photo of a wizard in a bright yellow raincoat, striped green pants, and a pair of bowling shoes. "Well they certainly nailed that one," he muttered, and turned the sheet over to see the back where an article described all the ways that suspenders were IN IN IN among the muggle fashions. "THEY ARE THE RAGE IN PARIS," he read.  "Yeah. Alright." He tore out the sheet and - POP! - into the fire it went.

The song changed over and Sirius sang along, just flicking pages for a few minutes. "I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and Wednesday, too... Thursday I don't care about you, it's Friiiiiday, I'm in love! Monday you can fall apart... Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart... Thursday doesn't even start... It's Friday, I'm in love... SATURDAY WAIT and Sunday always comes to late, but Friday never hesitate..." 

He cast the last of the page of the magazine he'd been on into the bin lid and the flames rose a bit higher than he'd expected, startling him so he knocked the stack of magazines and catalogs over with his knee. He laughed and raised his palms to the fire, gathering the heat of the higher flame a moment, then he looked down and at his knee was a Quidditch magazine called QUAFFLE TALK. 

"Finally somebody's subscribed to something worth giving a read," he muttered.

Sirius lowered his hands and picked up the catalog, studying the cover of it. "Merlin's left third nipple," he muttered, looking at the  photo on the front. An extremely well built, muscular blond wizard with a gorgeous jawbone and a pair of bright orange green quidditch robes sat astride a gorgeous broomstick that vibrated with the power it contained. The hot quidditch player grinned at Sirius, his teeth glinting. 

"International Quidditch League's star Chaser, Declan Lynch, shares with us all his secrets of intense broom handling," Sirius paused, looking at the photograph. "Bloody hell. I'd love to share some intense broom handling with you, Declan Lynch, any time." He grinned.

The next page was an advertisement for Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley. It featured the same gorgeous broomstick that Declan Lynch had been riding on the cover of the magazine. 

"Like what you saw on the cover?" Sirius read. He nodded, "Did I ever..." Grinning, he continued on, "Declan Lynch shops at Quality Quidditch Supplies to keep up with the latest models of broomsticks, dragon hide gloves, and more! Now you, too, can ride to win - on the all new FIREBOLT!" The ad went on to describe all the nuts and bolts of the broomstick, going on and on about the handle and the twig count, speed, and handling options. Sirius stared at the ad.