The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

The Muggle Hero

The Muggle Hero

Sirius, James and Peter were still up when Remus finally went up to the dormitory, still feeling miserable. He was so absorbed in his troubles with Lily and the kissing that he barely noticed when Sirius quickly kicked a book off his bed and into the dark corner where he couldn't see it. "How was snogging with your girlfriend?" Sirius teased before he'd got a good look at Remus's face. He stopped immediately, though, when Remus turned his eyes upon him.

"Horrid," Remus answered. "Good night." He turned to his bed.

"Horrid? C'mon, mate," said James, "Surely she can't be that awful at snogging?" Remus opened his trunk and withdrew his pyjamas without responding. "Wait. Is she?" James asked, eyes widening, "Is she really that awful?" He sounded almost excited at the prospect of Lily Evans being awful at something.

Remus sighed, "No. She is not the problem. It's me. I am. I'm horrible!"

"Surely you can't be that horrible," Peter said, "You're Remus. You're good at everything you've ever tried to do."

"Well, seems I've found my weakness, then," Remus answered sharply. "I tried kissing her and I ended up cutting her lip. She laughed at me."

Sirius pulled a face. "She laughed?"

Remus nodded, "She laughed. While we were kissing. Interrupted it with all these giggles. She said she was sorry, but I mean there's only so much a man's pride can take."

Sirius cringed, "Oi, that is pretty horrid, mate. I'm sorry." Remus groaned, putting his head in his hands in the agony of being apologized to. "But - but this was your first one, yeah?" Sirius ammended quickly. "Maybe it's like anything else, maybe you need practice."

"Practice?" Remus spat the word, "How the ruddy hell do you reckon I'm to practice kissing?"

"Dunno," Sirius answered off handedly, "Kiss Peter."

"Gross, no," Peter argued, scrambling off to his own bed, as though he were afraid Remus was about to attack him.

The other three smirked at Peter's reaction and Sirius said, "Just give it another go with Lily, once your bloody pride is healed. And her lip, by the sounds of it."

"Oh Merlin." Remus hid his face in his palms again. "I can't believe I've given a girl a bloody lip trying to kiss them. It's got to be the worst first kiss in the history of all time." His voice was muffled by his pyjamas, which he was still holding.

James shrugged, laying down across his bed, "I've heard all first kisses are awful."

Peter squeaked, "Well Sirius has snogged before. So what was your first kiss like then, Sirius?"

James sat up and looked over at Sirius, an amused expression on his face. "Yes, Snogging King, how was your first kiss?" he asked, his voice almost daring Sirius to answer.

Sirius paused, "Well I reckon there's been so many, I'm having a bit of trouble recalling my very first one!" he answered, grinning.

"Right. Okay." James nodded and flopped back down onto the bed, "As I expected."

Remus laughed. "Well, good job you lot, you've at least made me feel an inkling better."

"Charlus, wake up."

Dora's voice was urgent and broke through Charlus's dreams as sharp as a knife. His eyes split open and, disoriented, he knew something was wrong. Even blurry without his glasses, the room looked wrong. His wife's panic-stricken face was wrong. He struggled to sit up, the room flickering orange and gold. "What - what's happening?" Flames, he realized. There was a fire. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table, shoving them onto his face.