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Bygones


“I’M FUCKING HOMEEEEEE!” Sirius threw himself over the footboard of Remus Lupin’s bed in the boy’s dormitory, after having slapped his palm against the etching on the door and flinging his bookbag onto the top of his trunk at the foot of his own bed. He rolled about over Remus’s sheets and kicked his legs about in excitement as James and Peter came in the room behind him.

“Moony’s going to kill yooouuu for that!” sang Peter, shaking his head as Sirius popped into his fluffy black dog form and rolled about on the bed like a wild creature, snuffling and rooting his nose about under the duvet, his tail wagging wildly.

James snickered, “Five seconds alone and Padfoot’s got his bed torn up and covered with dog hair.”

James slung his bookbag onto the desk and dug out a handful of chocolate bars and knelt down by the bookshelf to fill the empty Incredibly Sexy Beasts Who Never Read, Or, Why Sirius Black Will Never Find My Chocolate book with the first round of provisions for Remus’s chocolate bar addiction. He slid the filled volume back into place as Sirius started digging at the mattress and spinning, his tail disappearing under the duvet, too, so all he was was a great maroon lump.

When Remus arrived, several minutes later, it was to let out a cry of dismay. “Sirius Orion Black! Bloody hell, what have you done to our bed!”

Snuffles was still leaping about on it and he shook himself free of the duvet to run across the room and knock Remus over with a loud thump and lap his face. “Stop it! Stop it with the tongue, you barking fool! STOP LICKING ME!”

James threw a pillow at the dog, “C’mon guys, seriously, if anyone can hear you right now, they must think we’re quite a kinky bunch up here.”

Sirius transformed and raised himself so he was sitting on Remus’s stomach as Remus heaved, trying to catch his breath, laying on the carpet, his hair all a flutter - Sirius’s own hair a rather mess as well. He grinned, “What? Because I’m licking Remus? Are you jealous? You know the agreement, my ickle harem. Tuesdays and Bank Holidays.”

James rolled his eyes.

Remus struggled out from under Sirius, knocking him aside, and got up and waved his wand at the bed, straightening the sheets and ridding them of the dog hair. “What’re you doing?!” Sirius complained, “I worked super hard making that comfortable little nest you’ve just undone.”

“You’re an absolute idiot,” Remus replied, shaking his head, but smiling.

Sirius grinned.




Downstairs, several floors below, in her office, Minerva McGonagall was putting the new first year student records where they belonged by the houses that they’d been sorting into, and reading over the records of her house’s new students, getting to know them and memorizing their names, when there came a knock upon her door.

“Come in,” she called, glancing at the clock on the mantel, wondering who would be up and about at this hour.

The door opened and Elphinstone Urquart poked his head through the frame. “Minerva. I… hoped I might steal but a moment of your time.”

McGonagall stared at Elphinstone for sometime, then carefully stowed the records she had out away in a drawer so privacy sake, and sat up a bit straighter in her seat, her jaw stiffening slightly. “Is it a matter of the school?” she asked.

He slid his hands into his trouser pockets, “Well, no. Not exactly, I suppose. It’s just that I wanted to thank you for recommending me to Albus for this position. It… means a great deal to me that you displayed such confidence in me, despite… bygones,” he paused then changed tack, “It just means a good deal, Minerva.”

She nodded curtly, “You’re very talented and will serve our students well. Thank you for accepting the position.” She cleared her throat, “Now, Mr. Urquart, if you will excuse me, I have several records still to cover here before I retire for the evening and a long day tomorrow… as have you; first day of teaching and you’ve got my sixth years first thing. I warn you now, Sirius Black will make you think twice about your decision to teach.”

Elphinstone Urquart hesitated. “Is this how we’re going to be, then, Minerva?”

McGonagall carefully kept her eyes trained upon the desk before her. “I’m afraid I do not know what you mean, Mr. Urquart.”

“You know why I accepted this position, Minerva.”

She looked up at him.

“And I think I know why you spoke so highly of me to Albus Dumbledore.”

She set her jaw. “You know nothing of the sort, Mr. Urquart, and I do not appreciate you coming here, into my office, and disrespecting me by bringing up buried days. I recommended you because you were always a very good mentor - I recall your work with Alastor and Charlus, and I thought you might like a shot at curating another prodigy of that sort -- James Potter’s benefit was my only intention for recommending you. But, as acting Headmistress, I have the power vested in me to sack you as quickly as you’ve been appointed. Now -- tell me. Are you willing to be professional, despite… bygones… or are you going to be packing your bags, Mr. Urquart?”

Elphinstone Urquart held up his hands, “I apologize, Minerva, of course.”

She pursed her lips.

“I’ll see myself out. I just wished to thank you. It does mean a great deal.”

“Very well. Good evening, Mr. Urquart.” She turned quickly back to her paperwork as the door closed behind him, but her hands shook ever so slightly.




Oliver Kent woke during the night and sat up. He could hear quiet crying… He lifted his wand from the nightstand and looked over to see Wally laying on Liam Harding’s empty bed. Ollie rolled over of bed and walked over, rubbing his eyes from sleep, and climbed up beside Wally, hugging him tight from the side. Wally’s eyes squeezed tightly shut and hot tears leaked from the aqueducts on either side. He clung onto Ollie’s arm.

It was only a moment later before Dexter climbed aboard, lay on the other side of Wally - though he didn’t hug him or anything... He’d been lying awake hearing the snuffling for sometime and had been too afraid to say much of anything. But since precedence had been made, first steps taken, he felt bravery well up and he’d come to comfort Wally, too.

“Thanks guys,” Wally whispered.

Oliver tilted his head up to kiss Wally’s cheek and Dexter patted Wally’s shoulder.

It took a few minutes more before Darcy came, but he came, too, pressing into the small space remaining behind Ollie’s turned back, balancing on the edge of the mattress, not wanting to be left out.




Lily lay awake in her room, staring at the waterglobe on her nightstand. The snow fell down in the globe, tiny white dots… and she watched the little stag and doe inside as they ate grass peacefully, taking gentle steps about…

Something was bothering her, but she couldn’t quite place what - like something was missing, like something had gone undone. She hugged her knees, trying desperately to figure out what it was.

It had been an impossibly long and emotionally charged day and it could’ve been any number of things she’d forgotten. So she ran over a mental list of what she’d done and what she’d meant to do that day. She’d finished packing - gotten her bags and gone to King’s Cross with her mum and Tuney. She’d remembered everything - they’d done a final check at the Station, so she knew that nothing had been left behind. She’d kissed her mum and even had that awkward hug with Petunia… Of course she’d meant to tell James Potter she’d missed him since she’d seen him last, but they hadn’t really gotten to spend the time together she’d hoped for because of everything that went on with finding out about Liam. She had remembered to thank James, though, for helping with the second years. She’d done her prefect duties - seeing that the students on the train were well behaved and clothed in their robes in time for the arrival to Hogsmeade. She’d helped usher them off the train - every last one - and she’d welcomed the Gryffindors to the house table. She’d seen the girls to their room and she’d even had time to unpack her trunk and organize her textbooks according to the schedule she’d found on her desk. She’d filled out her day calendar properly, too, and made up a quick study schedule based on the copy of the first years schedule she’d been provided as well. It seemed as though there was nothing she’d forgotten to do.

She should really have been able to relax!

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

But she couldn’t.

She sighed and rolled onto her stomach and looked up at the little corkboard covered with pictures - exactly as she’d left it in May and her eyes roved over the photos spellotaped and tacked up. Pictures of her and her family, of her and Remus and her and Sirius and even her and James Potter now. And there was one of Lily and Marlene and Emmaline Vance, and one of Lily and Jasper Odair (which made her sad and she’d stared at that one for a long moment) and one of Lily and Severus Snape and ---

Lily sat up.

Severus Snape. That’s what was missing. He hadn’t been at the Slytherin table. She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally ran her eyes over the Slytherin house table.

Actually, that table had been considerably emptier than usual.

She got up and wrapped herself in a dressing down, tying a knot in the belt and stuck her feet into slippers. She hurried out of the dormitory and down the steps to the common room. The fire had been put out hours ago, the common room cleaned by house elves, and she was glad that the founders had trusted girls so much more than they trusted boys - for she climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor boys’ dorms to the sixth years’ door and she stood before it, staring at the etching that read MARAUDERS across the door in thick, messy letters. She hesitated, then knocked.

Inside, Sirius Black moaned, “Fuck offffffff,” his voice muffled by a pillow. Remus, his face pressed into the back of Sirius’s hair, groaned and curled tighter about him. Peter pulled his pillow ‘round his head and James snorted in his sleep.

Outside, Lily knocked harder. “C’mon one of you gits has to hear me.” She jiggled the door handle a moment, then, when no response came still, she aimed her wand at it. “Alohamora,” she whispered and it clicked unlocked and she pushed her way into the room. “Lumos,” she said and the tip of her wand lit up. She looked around at the four boys in their various positions and then turned to James’s bed, reaching for his blanket covered shoulder. “Potter. Wake up.”

He groaned, “Sirius, go back to sleep.”

“I am asleep, you dick,” came a mutter from the other bed.

“Does your mouth always have to be so filthy?” asked Remus.

“You love my filthy mouth,” Sirius answered.

Lily hesitated. Seriously, this was the sort of conversation these boys had in their sleep? She rolled her eyes and jabbed James with her finger. “It’s me, Lily. Wake up.”

James blinked his eyes open and stared at her, squinting, his face looking funny and empty without his glasses and he murmured, “....Evans?”

Lily nodded and stood up, pressing her finger to her lips and beckoned James to follow her. He sat up as she tiptoed toward the door and he grabbed his glasses from the nightstand, jabbing them onto his face. He wasn’t seeing things - it really was her. He stood up, wearing only his undershorts and hastened to grab a shirt from the trunk at the foot of his bed, tugging it on over his head as he glanced at the other three, who were all asleep, despite all the muttering and murmuring they’d all done, and hurriedly pulled the door to the dormitory closed. They stood in the corridor just outside it in the dark as her wandtip glowed dimly.

“What in Merlin’s name are you doing, Evans?” James asked through a wide-mouthed yawn as he finished putting on the shirt.

“Have you seen Severus Snape?”

James stared at her a moment, his hand up in his messy hair, then, “Ferfuckssakes, Evans…I thought you were through with him… I thought -- you know what, no, just forget it. I didn’t do whatever it is that arsehole’s claiming I did and frankly I’m not surprised he already has you turned against me in less than six hours of being back -- of course he does! Just don’t drink anything he gives you, love, he’s quite the potioneer.” Angry, James started to turn to the door of the dormitory again, but he grabbed his hand before he could take hold of the handle on the door.

“No! Wait! Not like that. Potter, wait. No. I mean at all - have you seen him at all?” she grabbed onto James’s shoulder and spun him to face her. “Or any of the arsehole Slytherins for that matter? Severus, Mulciber, Avery, Dolohov…?”

James thought about it. Now that she’d mentioned it… he hadn’t.

He stared at her.

Lily’s voice was nervous. “The Slytherin table was basically empty, yeah? There were the new kids and - and a couple older students, but none of the usual suspects.”

James paused a long moment, then, “Well where could they have been? Late, you reckon?”

“Dunno, that’s what I was going to ask you.”

James blinked, his sleepy brain still catching up with himself.

“You don’t suppose something might’ve happened - something over summer? You don’t suppose they could’ve been killed?” Lily asked.

“We aren’t that bleeding lucky,” muttered James. Then, “I’m sorry, that was rude. I mean, they deserve rudeness, but -- well, nobody deserves to be wished death on them. Even the worst of us have good in us. Can’t always say what good, but --” he paused, then, “I don’t think Voldemort would have killed them all. I reckon that would’ve been heard tell of. Minnie would’ve announced it when she announced Liam Harding’s death… yeah?”

“But where are they then?”

“Dunno,” James answered.

Lily gnawed her lower lip nervously.

James asked, “I know you said you aren’t speaking to him after what happened last year and everything but… well Evans, as much as I hate him, he was a part of your life for a long time. I mean… are you alright?”

Lily wasn’t sure. She shrugged. Then, “You don’t reckon he quit school?”

“Dunno,” James replied.

Lily said, “I guess I’ll have to ask McGonagall what happened.”

James nodded.

She asked, “Could you do me a favor, though?”

“Anything. What is it, Evans?”

“Could you get the Map so we can check?”

“Yeah. Hang on.”

It took several minutes, but James managed to get the map out of Sirius’s messy trunk and they went downstairs and spread it open on the table. “I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” James had said, tapping his wand on the parchment and it had blossomed into view and they’d flipped through the folds and pages til they got to the Slytherin common room and started looking at the dots, inspecting them for the name Severus Snape - or any of the others that they’d noticed missing. They were all gone.

However James was quite relieved to see Regulus Black’s name there in the fourth year Slytherin dorms.

He looked up at Lily across the parchment, their faces glowing in her wandlight.

“Well,” James said, “On the bright side, I reckon this year’s going to be a right bit more peaceful than usual, ey?”