DROWN • Sirius Black

Quidditch and A Suspicious Witch

Esme did not bother waking Andromeda this morning, and instead left her personalized hangover potion on her dormant friend's bedside table.

She ate her breakfast alone at the great hall until Regulus eventually arrived.

"Where's Andy?" He inquired wordlessly grabbing Esme's cup of coffee and stealing a sip.

"About to nurse an epic hangover," Esme said, piling food unto Regulus's plate.

"Where were you last night?" Regulus asked stabbing an egg with his fork.

"Sleuthing."

Regulus gasped in hurt. "You abandoned me at that boorish party to babysit my cousin and sleuthed...without me?!"

"In my defense, the sleuthing wouldn't have been successful with you involved."

"Aaah," Regulus sighed, "I see it required a woman's touch," he rolled his eyes in reproach.

"You can say that," Esme evaded, not wanting to reveal her involvement with his brother since it was still a touchy subject.

She instead examined the remainder of the Marauders who sat at their designated seats on the Gryffindor table. This was a novel habit that had formed over the past few weeks.

The Marauders with the exception of Sirius, who was no doubt where Esme had last left him, were all anxiously analyzing the hall, perplexed by his absence.

Remus was the calmest member of the gang, with one hand on a book and the other hand clearing his plate. James, on the other hand, could not look worse, his fingers were incessantly tapping the table in anticipation, while Peter inhaled waves of food to alleviate his anxiety.

"Lupin looks well today," Esme observed, "better than usual."

Regulus spared a glance at the group and nodded indifferently, "I guess."

"Why is it that he gets sick so often?"

"Well he's a naturally ill boy, that's always been common knowledge. The infirmary wing can practically be considered his second home."

"But what disease is he particularly ailed with? I never see him cough or sneeze, he just becomes weak and occasionally bares a new scar or two."

"I've never considered that before," Regulus sent a curious glance over to the group once more.

"And chocolate surely won't help a cold," Esme shook her head her stare unwavering.

Regulus in turn looked at his best friend nodding his head in a sudden understanding, "you really won't let go of this will you?"

Esme sighed. "Reg, I've tried Legilimency on all four of them and it won't work."

Regulus scoffed to this, "Not even on Pettigrew?"

"Not even on Pettigrew," Esme confirmed with defeat. "Either they're all wickedly talented or something else is about."

"It could always be a protection charm," Regulus shrugged, biting into his French toast.

"To protect what? What could possibly be so valuable?"

"I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time till you find out."

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It seemed to Esme that the Marauders had been tactfully avoiding her all week, whether it was in class, the library, or even the halls . To Esme it was a refreshing round of hide-and-seek because Esme adored games.