The Marauders: Year Six #Wattys2017

Remus's Suspicions

Remus's Suspicions

James was on the stairs outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, his arms laying across the bannister, making his chest look even more broad than it actually was, and enjoying the attentions of Carly Shaw, Annalee McKinnon, and Emmaline Vance, who all stood about together on the stairs, talking with him, admiring him... James had been bragging for no less than ten minutes about his daily workout routine when Remus Lupin came up the stairs looking flushed with frustration.

"I need to talk to you," he said, stopping at the foot of the stairwell James stood in, looking up at him over the heads of the cluster of females sitting around James's feet.

Carly frowned, "Remus Lupin, you can't have all the good looking boys for yourself! You've already got Sirius Black, go shag him and leave us alone."

Remus stared at Carly for several seconds, then, as though she'd said nothing at all, he turned back to James, "It's important."

James ran his hand through his hair - a shiver went through the girls sitting around him as he did it - and he grinned. "Remus, you might've noticed, I'm kind of busy right now."

"Yes but what I have to tell you is a bit more important than you holding court with your fawning admirers," Remus said.

A smirk slowly crawled over James's lips. "My fawning admirers, 'ey, Remus?"

Remus stared at him imploringly.

James turned to the girls, "Well, ladies, it seems I must go with Remus."

"Don't go!" Carly said, jumping up to grab onto James's arm.

"Yeah James, don't go," Annalee pleaded.

"Go with me to the Yule Ball, James," begged Carly.

"I was going to ask him!" Annalee protested, "I told you I was going to ask him!"

"Yeah well I asked him first!" Carly replied.

Annalee fumed, "But I told you --"

James held up his palms, "Ladies, please. I can go with you both to the Yule Ball."

Remus rolled his eyes and let out a streaming sigh. "James. Seriously. Rather pressing matter."

James shrugged as the girls looked at one another in confusion then back to him, "How do you go with us both?"

"We'll work out the logistics later. For now, I've got to dash." He jumped down the stairs quickly to Remus's side, then turned back and blew a single kiss in their general direction.

The girls both sighed dreamily, then looked at one another with confusion again. "It was for me," Carly said.

"He was clearly looking at me," answered Annalee.

James followed Remus down the hall, leaving the arguing women on the stairwell behind. "Bloody hell," he said, "They're mad, the lot of them."

Remus shook his head, "It probably doesn't help when you go about encouraging them like that."

James shrugged. "Where are we going? Why don't we go back to the dorm?" James thumbed over his shoulder at the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Sirius might be in the dorm and I don't want to talk about this with him yet."

"Alright..." James hesitated, then, "Rey, if you're seeing another boy, I really don't think I ought to be the one you confess to, I mean, Sirius being my best mate and all, I just --"