Chapter 1 - A Bit Too Cautious

Comments: Had a lovely amount of feedback for the prologue, so I’m really happy! Now, saying “I have my mid-term exams this week, so I haven’t been able to work on this because I’ve been studying,” would be the lie of the freaking century, considering that I am working on this, despite that I’m in terrible need to studying. Oh well.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter © JK Rowling.

Summary: Ever since that one conversation at lunch, James has been “on the look out”…

….

When Sirius had bought James a camera last Christmas, he expected the Gryffindor seeker to use it as a blackmailing tool for some poor victims who have experienced its radiating, and thoroughly annoying, flash, or just for a couple of amusing or even touching memories. He had not expected it to be used against him, however.

Sirius twitched, annoyed, as yet another bright flash blinded his sight for but a brief moment, causing his eyes to only see green and pink surroundings. He shook his head quickly, brushing away the dizziness. “…Remus.”

Hearing no response, the animagus took a quick glance towards his left, only to find a dazed Remus looking off into… well, nothing actually.

“Remus.” Sirius shook his companion lightly, hoping he’d snap out of whatever he was in.

“Sirius… I think we‘re being watched.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, exasperated. “No, really? I wonder how you figured that out.”

Remus half-heartedly glared at the other Gryffindor, rubbing his half-lidded, sleep-deprived eyes, trying desperately to catch up with his year in their assignments. The last full moon was only a few days ago, and the injuries this time were brutal considering Prongs wasn’t there that night. The other three of the Marauders didn’t confront him about his absence, to which James was worried but a little relieved about.

“Hey, where‘s the map?” Sirius whispered almost inaudibly to one of his three partners in crime and mischief.

“I think I kept it in my bag… Why? Do you need it for something?” Remus raised an elegant brow along with his query, curious to know if his companion had a new prank to pull off or something of the sort, while he searched thoroughly for the Marauders’ Map in his book bag.

“Yeah… I want to find out who‘s been taking pictures of us with it…”

Suddenly, the sounds of a couple of books falling to the ground and the softly muttered curses that followed them was heard behind the bookshelf to the left of them.

Sirius clicked his tongue, murmuring “Bingo,” under his breath whilst he made a move to search behind the bookshelf.

Remus paused in his search for their map, blinking tiredly as he watched Sirius slowly creep around the corner of the shelf. “Guess we don‘t need the map after all…”

As Sirius reached 5 steps away from the bookshelf, he promptly made his steps a bit too audible, peeking around the corner to what he thought was the source of the noise from before.

He blinked, bewildered, as he found only a pile of books on the floor, taking out his wand, he quietly murmured “Wingardium Leviosa,” levitating the fallen books back onto the shelf. Giving another perplexed look at the unoccupied space behind the bookshelf, he silently made his way back to his and Remus’ library table.

“Found no one… Do you suppose some Slytherin is plotting something against us?”

“Why do you always have to assume the worst?”

“Because they always do.”

“Oh? So care to explain what a Slytherin would do with a couple of pictures of us in the library?”

“…Okay. So maybe not plotting, but stalking is a for sure.”

“And why would anyone want to stalk us?”

“…you‘re joking, right? We‘re A plus stalking material!”

As Sirius and Remus shared a quiet chuckle together, a quick shuffle and rustle would’ve been heard if Sirius had stayed behind the bookshelf for just a few moments longer, before a soft swish sound was made, revealing a distraught looking James on the floor. His hair was messier than usual, robes rumpled as if he just woke up from sleeping in with them still on, glasses crooked with it hanging by a single ear, and last but not least, an oversized-camera hanging down heavily from his neck. He ran his hand through his unruly strands of what he called was hair, heaving a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank Merlin…!”

“Remus, did you hear that? I could‘ve sworn--”

James gasped inaudibly, immediately clamping a hand over his mouth while inwardly kicking himself for his outburst.

“Sirius, this isn‘t the first time you‘ve been hearing things, you know. So stop being delusional and let’s help each other study for the OWLs.”

James faintly heard a familiar “whatever” snort from Sirius. “Are you crazy? It‘s still only the beginning of 5th year!”

“And more than enough time to be studying. Now chop-chop. I want to see some page turning with those hands and the staring of the words and the moving of your eyes and your mind actually working in that head of yours, okay? I just need to go fetch a book real fast.”

James’ eyes widened as he heard Remus’ footsteps coming towards him. He pulled on his invisibility cloak by the corner, but unfortunately, found it to be stuck in his robes… for some odd, unknown reason.

How in the bloody hell did it get stuck in my robes without a bloody zipper or any-bloody-thing like that? James thought furiously as he tugged more, but found it hopeless by the passing seconds and footsteps.

“Prongs?” Remus’ quiet whisper startled the other 5th Year with a yelp and a jump followed by another yelp as his head hit the bottom of a small shelf.

“Um, what are you doing?” Remus asked with amusement in his tone as he leaned against the wall casually, taking in the sight of one of his best friends looking as if he had just experienced the best shag in his life. “You… weren‘t… doing anything inappropriate behind here, now were you?” he asked suspiciously with a playful, accusing tone.

James cocked his head, not knowing what Remus was talking about.

The ash brown haired-boy rolled his eyes slightly, before he gestured towards James’ current position and appearance.

Once it clicked into the Potter’s mind as to what his friend had meant, he presented Remus with a weird look.

“I‘m starting to suspect Sirius of corrupting you.”

“Oh, he‘s been corrupting me in more ways than one.” Remus gave James a small, knowing smile before he picked a random book off the shelf, heading back to his table.

James blinked at where Remus was standing just moments ago before he scrunched up his face and hit himself upside the head.

“He doesn‘t mean anything by that… It was just… a joke, like… before…” James took a deep breath, shuddering slightly, “but Merlin, I‘m starting to get the most disturbing ideas…! …And mental images…”

James paused for a second before he quickly fell to his back, flipping open a book that had fallen from one of his many self-inflicted painful situations from before, and promptly placed it over his face. “Oh, bloody hell! The images!”

“Remus! You should‘ve heard that one! Maybe I--”

“Sirius. I don‘t think I‘m seeing any reading here.”

….

James held up several pictures of Sirius and Remus from the weeks before, holding it up close to his face with a strong look of concentration. “Mm…”

“James, I need your--” Peter paused in mid-sentence as he walked into the room, blinking at the sight of piles upon piles of pictures on the floor around James’ bed and on the bed itself. “Err… just… what are you doing?”

“Hmf?” James turned towards Peter with three photos sticking out of his mouth. He quickly parted his lips, releasing the pictures onto his bed with a sheepish grin. “Just… looking at pictures.”

Peter raised a brow at this, walking towards the bed and picking up a random photo. “Of only Sirius and Remus? Didn‘t know you swung that way, James,” he joked with a playful tone in his voice, making a move to clear a couple of pictures on the bed to sit.

The Gryffindor seeker stuck his tongue out childishly, quickly taking back the photo that was still in Peter’s hand. “It‘s not like that! I just think…” he turned his head with an uncertain look on his face, “that they‘re… well, you know.” He turned his head to face his friend again, making wild gestures with his hands to indicate that they were somehow involved the way his hands kept on clashing and twisting together.

Peter gave a confused look towards the owner of the bed he was sitting on, shaking his head slowly. “I don‘t get what you‘re saying.”

James dropped his hands while they were in mid-air, slumping his back with an exasperated look on his face. “You know. That they‘re together.”

Peter’s face took on a dull look as he rolled his eyes. “Well, obviously. Looking at all of these pictures of them both, it‘s kind of obvious that they are.”

“No no no no no,” James shook his head furiously, “I mean like together as in they‘re… well…” he brought up a hand, twisting his index and middle fingers together, “like this.”

Peter blinked before his eyes widened slightly. “You t-t-think t-that…” he stuttered before he suddenly broke into mirthful laughs.

James huffed, crossing his arms against his chest. “And what‘s so funny about that? Hmm?”

Peter broke down his laughs into quiet chuckles. “I just don‘t see how you think that they’re involved in that sort of way.”

James quickly shoved several pictures of the other two Marauders in his companion’s face. “Can you not see it? It‘s so obvious, Peter!”

Peter attempted to swat them away, and failing rather miserably at it, while James persistently tried shoving them up into the shorter boy’s face. “Look, look! See, in this one their hands are close enough to even be holding each other’s. Oh! And, and, in this picture they‘re having breakfast together, but across from each other. You know, that one day we accidentally drank one of Professor Wilindard‘s potions? Yeah, yeah, that one. And don‘t you think it‘s sort of suspicious that they‘re sitting across from each other, when they usually sit beside each other? Mmhmm! Very suspicious to me…”

Peter finally succeeded in taking the photos from James’ hands with a small “yay!”, placing them behind his back with a warning look towards the taller Gryffindor.

“…James, isn‘t it more suspicious when they sit next to each other than across? I mean, they‘d be a lot more closer beside the other.”

James blinked slowly at this, clearing taking his time as he registered the words that had came from Peter’s mouth before he remembered the whole “hands under the table probably doing something inappropriate and rather overrated of NC-15 activities” with a twitch to his eye. He quickly checked the time. “Five more minutes ‘til supper!” he whispered to himself in a rush as he ran out of the room.

Peter cocked his head at the now unoccupied bed of James, before he noticed said owner poking his head through a crack between the door and the doorframe, presenting the dirty blonde-haired boy with a dull, expectant look plastered onto his face. “Well? What’re you waiting for? You‘re coming too, if you didn‘t realize that before.”

Peter sighed as he gave a sympathetic look at an essay he had needed help on earlier (if only he had sensible people around him…), before running out of their room after his friend.

….

Remus and Sirius blinked, dumbfounded, as James ate his meal a bit too casually, while Peter just sighed for the 5th time that evening. “So… why did you want us to sit like this again? To experience something new or something like that?”

“Exactly,” James said with a smile, wiping his dirty mouth with a napkin, “We‘ve sat the other way for 5 years straight, so I thought it‘d be best to try something new.”

Peter snorted and muttered something incoherent, but Remus, who now sat next to him, faintly made out the mumbling. “…liar… that paranoid… can‘t believe… them two… ha, together… crazy…”

“…Something new,” Sirius repeated dully with a wary gaze. “By switching seats.”

“Yep.”

“…And why would it be best to try something new?”

James paused in mid-reach for a turkey leg, glancing at his best friend. “Well, why are you making a big deal about it? It isn‘t as if this is a problem… or is it?” He said with a really noticeable suspicious tone and look. “I mean, is it really that much worse to sit next to me, rather than sitting next to Moony?”

Peter rolled his eyes with a small groan of dismay, eating his own turkey leg with a somewhat self-pitiful gaze at his plate.

Sirius blinked wildly a couple of times before a defiant expression dominated any other on his light face. “W-what? I was just…” Sirius paused, obviously trying to think of an explanation, and failing sadly, before he huffed frustratingly. “It‘s fine, James. It‘s fine.”

James raised his brows, letting the topic slide as he glanced at Remus for any sign of reaction, but seeing the other boy’s slightly worried gaze towards Sirius, he quickly glanced at Sirius, who, briefly, had an apologetic look on his face before he noticed James’ own gaze as he straightened up and coughed rather awkwardly.

Ha! I just knew something was up! James thought gleefully. Now to rub it in Peter’s face.

James began kicking Peter’s foot under the table until he caught the boy’s attention, and then exaggerated his eyebrows to the right and left towards Sirius and Remus with an expectant look.

Peter creased his brows together in confusion, mouthing a “what?”

James once again exaggerated the height of his brows towards the other two eating Marauders, and when Peter didn’t comprehend what James had meant, he, like before, twisted his index and middle fingers tightly together.

Peter rolled his eyes and glanced between Sirius and Remus before presenting his friend with a dull look and a slow shake of his head.

James’ face was filled with frustration as he looked between Sirius and Remus once again, but unfortunately found nothing going on between them.

He began twitching an eye, a habit he’s been developing since he first thought of the strange and unfamiliar interactions between his two close friends.

But now James has been noticing even more.

And noticing a bit too often.

And one day, he just knows that he’ll notice just a bit more than those meaningful looks, the soft brushes against the other, and seemingly accidental falls and catches.

And one day, he’ll know the truth that only those two know and keep as a secret.

But today’s not that “one day.”

So he’ll just wait and watch until one of them, or even both, slip up. So, until that day, he’ll always be just a little bit too cautious.

….

Comments: Merlin, I need a freaking beta-reader so desperately. Anyone care to be? See, I’ve noticed that I’ve been repeating a lot of stuff in here. Like the blinking, and the phrase formats of “he did blah blah blah blah blah before he blah blah blah blah blah,” and just a lot of repetitions! And it’s just frustrating me, because I usually do so well in avoiding that writing flaw I used to have. I guess I’m getting rusty? But anyways, yeah… I hate this chapter so much. Wasn’t funny in any way, writing was done horribly and I think I have some amateur grammar mistakes. I’m just so upset with myself about this. I like the fact that I finally wrote something long (I usually stick with short one-shots in fanfictions), but considering everything, else… just ugh. I don’t even know if I wanna post this or not, but tomorrow’s Monday, and I’m trying to make it a practice to update this every Monday by writing bits and bit of it daily during the week, ya know? It’s something I hope I can actually accomplish and finish through completely and smoothly…

Here’s the new sitting chart during meal times:

Remus Peter
James Sirius

Question from last chapter; went very well! Thanks to the many people who answered! Turns out that they find out about Remus’ secret in 2nd year and successfully become animagi in their 5th year, so… lucky me! XD That I had placed the setting in their 5th year, I mean…

If you have any amusing situations and ideas, please tell me about it! I’m not a genius, and I do get writer’s block… very often, actually. So, yeah…

Oh, and for a note, Professor Wilindard is totally made up. I just like the name, but I guess in a way I sort of “own” Professor Wilindard? …maybe? Anyways, he’ll be a very minor character, and is their potions professor, hence the segment of the sentence “…we accidentally drank one of Professor Wilindard‘s potions?” :D

PS. I tried replying to the reviews I got… (when I only had 5), but then I got, well… more (which is really flattering), so I decided to, well… start another poll about me replying or not… But then again, didn’t recently add a new regulation on not replying to their reviewers within their stories? ‘Cause I was forwarded a petition via e-mail about the situation a long time ago, so I’m just wondering if it worked or not (the petition, that is).

aa) reply
bb) don’t reply

Poll for first chapter is still going on, results so far are shown below:

8 a) Lily
0 (I‘m terribly happy with the results of this!) b) Peter (hopefully no one will choose this?)
0 c) Lucius
0 d) Severus
0 e) Other male (please specify)
1 f) Other female (please specify)
6 g) No one and only have this focused on SiriusxRemus

A lot of the votes were for both A and G, which is why there are more votes counted here than the amount of reviews I received.

Please review. I’m not a psychic. I needa know some thoughts rather than my own. A bit of CC, too? Be gentle though, please..

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P. S. Passed my mid-terms with A’s. :D Surprised as I am?

(edit 10/25/05)

My internet has been gone for a week! I finished this last Monday too! So sorry about not getting this up an alternative way, though. Well, while internet-less, I started on Chapter 2 (and I was supposed to have it up yesterday) and it’s almost finished. Voting is still going on ‘til chapter 3 is posted (next Monday, Halloween day).