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Take It Back


Regulus was waiting by the steps leading up into the castle. He’d made himself a deal: if he saw Maryrose first, he’d go to her and pretend the other thing had never even crossed his mind, but if he saw Sirius first…

He was bundled up in his black wool coat, his Slytherin scarf twisted ‘round his neck, gloves on his hands. He’d been watching for the thestral drawn carriages carrying the students across the grounds for sometime now - nearly an hour now, and the sun was going down and the sky was turning purple and the lights were coming on, glowing behind him. Far off down the hill, over the walls of the castle grounds, past the trees, he could just see the glow of the village and the billowing smoke from the train, carried off by the cold breeze. He patted his hands together.

Finally, the thestrals started coming up the hill, pulling the carriages behind them, their bony wings flexing gracefully as they came to stops before the stairs to unload their students before turning back to collect more. Regulus stood to the side, watching them unload, seeing faces light up with excitement at the journey’s end and the prospect of the warm feast that awaited them inside the Great Hall.

He wasn’t sure who he was rooting for to step from the carriages first more.

He breathed out a stream of hot air that hung in a cloud before his face.

It was through that cloud that he saw Sirius Black.

Sirius was jumping down from one of the carriages, his ridiculously long Gryffindor scarf catching on the handle of the carriage and he cursed and turned back to free himself, waving and threatening Peter Pettigrew and James Potter for laughing at him. Remus Lupin was undoing the catch for him and shaking his head in amusement before climbing carefully out of the carriage, Sirius offering up his hand to help him down… The cluster of boys started toward the stairs to the castle and Regulus felt sick to his stomach as he prepared himself for what he’d promised himself he’d do and he took a deep breath…

“Think the elves will have made the roast tonight?” Sirius was asking, “Because blimey I could do for some roast right about now… I’m starving! Hungry as Peter!”

Peter looked up, “One of these times you’ll say that and I’ll actually be full and --”

“No you won’t! Your stomach’s a black hole.”

James jumped at Peter’s back playfully, “He’s right, Pete. The neverending gullet. That’s what you’ve got.”

Peter said, “I’m a growing boy, I’m allowed to be hungry!”

“Eat all you want, Peter,” Remus said, “If that’s what makes you happy, then eat all you want. Don’t let Sirius’s hounding on it upset you.”

“WAS THAT A DOG PUN? DID YOU JUST MAKE A DOG PUN?”

Remus laughed as Sirius caught Remus up with his arm, “You know dog puns turn me on, Moony.”

Suddenly their path into the castle was blocked.

“Sirius.”

Sirius’s arm fell away from Regulus as a stream of other students came up behind the Marauders and went into the castle ‘round them, glaring at the foursome for taking up the center of the path. Sirius stared at his brother - at the longish black hair and the dark grey eyes and green and silver scarf. It was like looking into a mirror that reflected an alternate world. Sort of. Sirius said roughly, “Get out of here, Reg, before I hex you.”

Regulus ignored this. “I need to talk to you.”

“Bully for you. Move.” Sirius pushed by and the other three Marauders followed, headed for the Great Hall.

Regulus was terribly persistent, and he rushed after them, scrambling to get ahead of them, blocking off Sirius, who had grabbed Remus’s hand in his own, and stopping him going into the Great Hall. “Please,” Regulus said lowly, “It’s really important.”

“Yeah? Got some great quip about how gay I am or how wonderful you are and how much the bleedin’ Dark Lord loves you or whatever?” Sirius asked. “I don’t give a damn about anything you’ve got to say, you little bastard. Go back to your dorm and call your filthy house elf and tell him how wonderful you are. You can command him to listen even if he doesn’t want to.” Sirius made to go past Regulus again.

Regulus reached up and put his palms splayed against Sirius’s chest to stop him.

Sirius’s eyes went to Regulus’s hands, then back up to his face.

Regulus flushed and dropped his hands from his brother’s chest. “Sirius, I know something -- something important. Something you should know.”

Remus looked around Sirius’s shoulder, “What is it, Regulus?”

Sirius looked at Remus, “Whose side are you on?”

“He said it’s important,” Remus pointed out.

“Are we ever going to get into the feast?” Peter asked longingly.

James looked over all three of their shoulders, “Yeah, c’mon, what’s with the hold up?”

Remus looked back, “It’s important, Regulus says.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “Regulus is a self-righteous prick, he thinks everything he has to say is important. He thinks his toenail clippings are important. Plated in gold, aren’t they, ickle little Reggiekins?” he asked in a demeaning tone.

Regulus’s face turned red with anger. “Shut up.”

Sirius smirked.

Regulus balled his fists. “You’re mean. You’re meaner than all the damn Slytherins combined. I should’ve just waited for Maryrose. I knew this was a stupid idea, I knew I shouldn’t have bothered talking to you, you’re nothing but a horrible bastard, it’s no wonder mother disowned you. You’re a gay werewolf buggering git.” He pushed past, intending to go back to the door to wait for Maryrose, but Sirius caught his elbow and pulled him back.

“Take that back.”

Regulus stared up at Sirius, his eyes cold. “No.”

“TAKE IT BACK!”

Remus sighed, “Just let him go, Sirius.”

Regulus and Sirius’s eyes were boring into each other. Sirius’s grip on Regulus’s arm was so tight that he was leaving bruises, surely. Regulus wrenched away roughly, staring up at Sirius defiantly, his teeth grit. Sirius stared right back. Neither of them tore their eyes away from one another until Regulus had got some odd steps away and there was a great rush of students that flooded between them and by the time they’d passed by, Regulus was gone.

“Little blighter,” muttered Sirius, and he turned to the Great Hall. “Should’ve hexed him when I had a chance when we were younger, before I went and grew a soul.”

Remus had his hands on Sirius’s shoulders, guiding him along to make sure he didn’t go after Regulus again. “Yes, well, you didn’t and now, having a soul and all, you can’t. You’ve done enough bullying for one day, you musn’t be going after little kids.”

“He isn’t a little kid - thirteen he is.” Sirius said, “That’s not little anymore.” He paused. “Actually, he’s fourteen, isn’t he? His birthday’s just passed. Christmas. I always forget it’s the same day as Christmas.”

Peter threw himself into his place on the bench opposite of where Remus was settling Sirius in and James sat beside him, his eyes on the door, watching for Lily Evans.

Sirius breathed deep, “Anyone else think they smell pork roast?” His eyes gleamed brightly.

“I don’t care what it is I smell, I want it,” moaned Peter.

Lily came in the Great Hall with Jasper Odair who gave her a half-hug before turning toward the Hufflepuff table as she made her way over toward Gryffindor table. Normally, she would’ve sat next to Peter or Remus, at least that had been the pattern for the past term, but instead she looked right at the four Marauders and made a point of sitting on the other side of Frank and Alice from them.

Ali looked at Lily, “What is that?” she asked, pointing to the badge on her chest.

Lily had forgotten it was there. “Oh bloody hell.” She reached for it, “Sirius Black’s a ninny, that’s what it is.” But she found that he’d somehow made it so the bleeding thing wouldn’t unhinge and she looked over at him with glaring eyes. “Did you put a permanent sticking charm on this bloody thing?”

“Well you don’t want to go loosing it, do you?” Sirius asked, “It is a very exclusive badge, you know.”

James glanced down the row at Lily. “What badge?”

“The badge for our new club.”

His club,” Lily corrected.

“What club?” James looked back at Sirius.

“What do all those letters mean?” Ali asked, confused.

“What letters?” James asked, craning his neck to try and see the badge again.

“People At Hogwarts With Fucking Awesome Hair Who Would Never Date James Potter,” Sirius said.

Frank choked on his own breath.

James looked at Sirius, “What the bleeding hell kind of a club is that to start?”

Sirius’s eyes glinted with mischief. “A great club. Ruddy brilliant club. Inn’it, Evans?”

“Will you please take this badge off me?” Lily requested.

“Once a member, a member for life, deer Lily,” Sirius replied. He looked at James and winked. “Wouldn’t want Prongsie to go thinking you’d changed your mind and want to date him, do you?”

“Thanks for that,” James said.

Lily said, “Sirius. I don’t want this stupid badge on my chest.”

Remus was staring at Sirius with squinting, suspicious eyes.

Peter asked, “Do you think the food will come up soon? I’m ravenous.”

Sirius turned to him, “Me, too, Wormy.”

“So... who all is in this club of yours?” Ali asked. “You’re going to be pressed to find many people who wouldn’t date James Potter.”

“Just the two of us, so far. Me and Evans.” Sirius answered, “Its a very exclusive club.”

Remus shook his head.

“Actually,” Sirius turned to Remus suddenly, “I’m an idiot. My darling, Moony, you’re in the club, too of course.” He reached in his pocket and produced another of the badges.

“I really don’t want to be in your --” Remus started but Sirius had stuck the badge to him already. “-- club,” Remus finished. He stared at it. “Bloody hell you had to make it neon coloured, didn’t you?”

“It had to be as loud as I am,” Sirius explained.

Frank choked on air again. He looked over at Sirius, “I would never date James Potter, am I in this club, too?” He was smirking.

“Sorry Frank,” Sirius replied. “You only meet one of the requirements to be in P.A.H.W.F.A.H.W.W.N.D.J.P.”

Frank’s hand went to his hair. “I love your hair,” Ali whispered as Frank grappled at it in confusion.

Sirius smirked.

“But what is the purpose of this club?” James demanded, “I don’t understand.”

“That is top secret, Prongs,” Sirius answered, grinning. “Top secret, need to know basis. Members only.”

James stared at him.

Suddenly at the front of the room was Dumbledore and he was clapping his palms together to get all of their attentions and he smiled ‘round at the Great Hall. “Welcome back, students, welcome back! I’m very pleased to see you’ve all made it in one piece all the way from London, and that those who stayed behind here at the school for the holiday remained in one piece as well.” He shuffled a few bits of parchment on the gold phoenix shaped podium.

“Bloody hell he has notes,” whispered Sirius, “He’s going to talk forever, isn’t he?”

Dumbledore smiled about, “There’s a few small matters to attend to…”

“Of course there are,” Sirius groaned.

“Matters of grat importance…”

“Like the roast going cold before you shut up, old man?”

“Perhaps you ought to shut up?” Lily suggested.

Sirius grinned at her.

“It seems,” Dumbledore said, “That a new decree has been passed by the Minister for Magic concerning the Dementors of Azkaban…”

Sirius turned back to looking at Dumbledore, “Come off it, you old fool, what’s Azkaban not having human guards anymore got to do with us at Hogwarts? Bleedin’ hell. How is this news worth delaying our dinner for?” He had his chin in his palm, looking rather glumly at the empty space before him where his dinner ought to be.

Dumbledore went on, “The Minister seems to have come to the conclusion that the dementors alone are enough to protect the wizarding world against advances made by the man that we know as Voldemort…”

A gasp and a murmur went up through everyone in the Great Hall.

“... and he has decided that all places of great security concern will be guarded by dementors from this time forward.”

James’s eyebrows folded in concern.

“This would include places such as Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic itself, and, of course, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

Sirius sat up. Frank looked at James, whose eyes were wide with surprise, and Remus felt Sirius take hold of his hand under the table and squeeze his fingers. A rumbled of shock and fear went through the room, people murmuring nervously...

“We will, of course, be keeping our usual protective charms in place as well, but I wanted to warn any and all who may think of venturing outside of the school grounds -- take caution. The dementors are swift and generally unkind to wrongdoers and trespassers.”

The four Marauders exchanged glances.