It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Three

     "Let it hurt. Let it bleed. Let it heal. Let it go." - Nikita Gill

     It was a loud explosion of red sparks that awoke Lily, Marlene, and Charlotte- along with their other bunkmates- on a Friday night following their first week of school. Several yelps sounded throughout the room, wands were grasped, and curses were sounded.

     "What the actual fuck?" Charlie demanded, now on her feet. Her hair was a mess of chocolate strands, and her eyes were squinted against the fading light of the sparks.

     "Who did that?" Marlene sounded. Her blue eyes were hazed over with remnants of sleep, as she pushed her blonde curls away from her face.

     "You think we can just go back to sleep?" A fellow roommate of their's, Mary, asked leaning against the post of her bed already looking as if she was half-asleep.

     Charlie nodded. "Sure, but I wanna know who is responsible."

     A look of dawning realization made its way across Lily's face. "This has Sirius Black and James Potter written all over it."

     "Damn them," Marlene spit.

     Charlie, Marlene, and Lily marched down the stairs to enter the common room as the rest of the girls climbed back in their beds, too tired to care. The three girls entered the room to see four boys waiting for them. James Potter was suppressing a grin as he stood in his grey sweatpants and black t-shirt, holding a silvery cloak; Sirius Black was doubled over in laughter; Peter Pettigrew stood with a small smirk tugging the at the corners of his lips, a cigarette held loosely between his fingers; Remus Lupin had his lips pursed in an effort to keep the laughs from escaping his throat, using a piece of spare parchment to cover his face.

     "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Lily exclaimed with an accusing point of her finger.

     Marlene crossed her arms. "Someone better have a damned good reason as to why the hell I am awake right now."

     Sirius took a step forward and pinched her cheek. Lily and Charlie raised their eyebrows at his bravery; Marlene looked as if she might bite off his hand. "Don't you worry, Marlie."

     A fire lit in Marlene's eyes. "Do not call me Marlie."

     "Touchy," Sirius said with grin. She jerked away from his hand, giving him an icy glare.

     "We're including you in a Marauders tradition," James offered with a smile.

     Remus made a face. "We've done this once in the past. I don't know if you can call that a tradition, Prongs."

     "Bite me, Moony." Giggles sounded from the boys at James' words.

     "Can I go back to bed?" Charlie demanded with a roll of her eyes, too tired to care about the boys laughing at their own inside joke.

     James arched an eyebrow at her. "Charlie, that doesn't sound like someone who is trying."

     "What does that mean?" Marlene demanded. 

     Charlotte pursed her lips at his words. "Fine," she said agitatedly. "Can I at least go get a jumper? I'm cold."

     The boys eyed Charlie's fitted t-shirt and cotton shorts with her legs running down into a pair of wool socks. "Thought you lot may say that," Sirius said.

     "So, we brought these," Peter stepped forward with an armful of sweaters.

     "They thought you'd try to escape," Remus explained seeing the girls' confused looks.