Amour

Quinze

"Black's hiding something, and if you want to win this, you have to find out. Exploit his weaknesses, Alexei." Severus drawled from behind the greenhouse he was hiding in. 

Alexei was looking over at him manically, ghost of a grin swallowing his impossibly white teeth, "And I should trust you why? I thought I am being just a foreigner to you, Severus?"

"We are all one with the Dark Lord. Your blood is pure, as is mine. We are no different." 

"Well..." Alexei scoffed, sizing Severus up. 

"Besides" Severus snapped, "Eternal glory would be very...convenient, don't you think? All those people grovelling at your feet, the power that would come with your words. Everyone would hear you, and you will be speaking for the Dark Lord." 

Alexei's eyes were growing cloudier by the second, deep in thought and consideration. Of course he was in with the Dark Lord, wizards are a rare breed. A special breed that shan't be tainted by wishful muggle's, whose lives are so dreadfully ordinary they can't help but intrude. 

It isn't a lie to say he was rather disappointed when he first met Sirius. The Blacks have a respected reputation amongst purebloods that he obviously failed to retain. His great great grandfather, Canopus Black, had come up with the theory that muggles were switching their children with wizards' for an in with the magical world. 

And Alexei agreed. 

"Yes" He finally responded, Severus looking rather irritated by his long silence. Although, Severus always looked mildly irritated. 

"I will see you here after the next task" Severus looked as if he might be sick, "ten PM" 

Alexei nodded and left the greenhouse, the sharp smell of weed fading away, a skip in his step that was not there before. 

"Watch out little Black" He sung. 

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"Sirius?" Lily called, skipping up the steps to the boys dormitory. Nobody answered, she assumed they were just deep in their own little bubble. As always. 

She pushed open the unlocked door, "Idiots" She grumbled. 

"Lupin is that you?" Someone--probably James--called from the bathroom. The door was slightly open and Lily could see the steam by the ground. She was about to call out and say it was her, when something caught her eye. 

There was a piece of paper discarded on one of the beds, she didn't know whose, with a giant heart scribbled on the back. She knew it was a breach of privacy, but it wasn't like she was going to tell anyone about it...Who would it hurt? 

She picked it up, wincing at the messy handwriting. It was a poem, a rhyming poem. 

About her. 

"Oh my God" She gasped as her eyes raked over the words. 

Your eyes are green 

And I would know

Because I've seen 

Them everyday. 

"Oh my God" 

I know you like cats 

As much as Marlene likes a bludger

Maybe we should get one

And name it Rodger.

"That doesn't even rhyme for christ sake" She laughed. 

"Are you using the lords name in vai-GAHH!" James yelled, leaving the bathroom, only in a towel.  

"AHH!" Lily screamed in response. 

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?" 

"I-" Holy shit that towels low... "I WAS LOOKING FOR SIRIUS" She cried and spun around, covering her eyes, "SORRY" 

"HE LEFT AGES AGO!" 

"OKAY!" She ran to the door, "SORRY AGAIN" She shouted as it closed. 

James stood in the middle of the room a while longer, staring at the spot she had been standing. 

And at the poem on the ground.  

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"Okay, I think everyone's here!" Dumbledore smiled around his Dirigible plum taffy, "Now, as for the task. Tomorrow, at eight am sharp, you will be sent on a sort of scavenger hunt." 

Sirius narrowed his eyes, this seemed to easy...

"This, as you know, will take place within a muggle city. Specifically the town of Elgin in Moray. You will be sent to navigate your way around the muggle surroundings in search of three--anonymous until tomorrow--objects. Each of these objects must be returned to the castle by twelve pm the following day. Now, Miss Evans, I and the task board have taken into consideration your apparent advantage over the others and have come to the conclusion that you will be assigned a pureblood wizard to accompany you through out the day." 

Lily's head snapped up in horror. 

"Do not fret, due to the language barrier, both Alexei and Sirius will be accompanied by an English speaking half blood or muggle student from their temporary houses."

Everyone looked at each other in shock...they would have help?

"Now now, this student will be under a binding curse not to help you in any way other than translation or, in Miss Evans' case, shared wonder." 

"Can I pick who comes with me, Headmaster?" Lily asked, hopeful tone in her voice. 

"I'm afraid not, Miss Evans, we will have all willing participants put their name in  a hat and a name shall be drawn on the day." 

Lily's shoulder slumped down again. 

"Pouvons-nous y aller maintenant?" Sirius asked, jumping on the spot slightly. "Can we go now?" 

Dumbledore laughed, "Yes you may, I understand somebody is waiting for you." 

"Merci!" He called, running down the twisting steps. He jumped off the bottom one and immediately started into a run towards the library. 

It was warm in there, yellowing lights illuminating towers upon towers of books. The smell of dust and parchment effectively creating a relaxing aura in the room. Sirius looked over the tables until he found the one he was searching for. Remus was sat with his hand in his hair, the other flicking through the pages of an old looking book. 

"tu veux venir à Elgin avec moi?" Sirius grinned as he jumped to sit on the table besides Remus' book. "Want to come to Elgin with me?" 

Remus held his finger up, silencing Sirius like a trained dog. It took him a minute but he finally spoke.

"Sorry, finishing the page. What the fuck is an Elgin?" 

"La ville où je vais pour la prochaine tâche. Un anglophone peut se porter volontaire pour venir avec moi pour les traductions!" "The town I am going to for the next task. An English speaker can volunteer to come with me for translations!"

"Sure" Remus replied, not missing a beat. 

What? was I  going to say no to  a fucking day trip away from school, on our own? Wait- We are going to be on our own!? What will we talk about...Oh it's going to be so awkward. Maybe I can back ou- 

Oh but he looks so happy, like a small child on drugs or something.

You've got this Remus! 

"Great!" Sirius grinned, hopping off the table, no doubt to go find James to ask the same thing. 

This was going to be one hell of an experience.