Four To The End (prev Shifting Lines) Book Three (Marauders Era)

Chapter Thirty - Headaches

Author's Note: Brief mention of a very ill pet, internalized homophobia

-x-

"Lagoona meloydies decorum sadist tee! Subsidory locomotor, something power... something... uhhh..."

Remus covered his face trying not to laugh too hard. James was dancing along the hall, trying for the millionth time to sing one of the songs from the film earlier. He hadn't gotten it right once. Sirius had been singing 'Portobello Road' but at least he remembered some of the lyrics, even if it was just 'Portobello road, Portobello road' followed by a lot of la-de-das, instead of trying to make up words to fill in the parts he didn't remember exactly. He did also remember the bit 'streets where the' but then more humming.

"Maybe Miss Fawley can replay the memory long enough for you to remember some of the real lyrics," Peter teased when James messed up again.

Instead of being offended, James spun around to face Peter and Remus. "Do Muggles really see us that way nowadays?"

"Did you pay any attention to Professor Lewis?" Remus asked and James shrugged. "What am I saying? Of course you didn't. Apparently nobody does, judging from the confusion earlier. As she said... that is one of many ways that Muggles see us."

"S'better than Wizard of Oz," Peter said. "That's all... umm... what's the word... you know when it's really good and really bad?"

"The extremes?" Remus suggested, thinking of the film instead of the book since he assumed that's what Peter was referring to. "Black and white?"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah. You know, with Glinda being all..." Peter put on a falsetto voice to the complete amusement of the two Purebloods. "OOOOOH I'm a GOOD witch!" Then he hunched over, his voice cackling madly. "And the other one all oooooh I'm a BAD witch!" He straightened up, making a face. "It's weird."

"I wonder how else they see us," James mused. "The different ways, I mean, nowadays. Cause that one in the Broomsticks story was weird to me. The whole... way they did that was... I dunno, I liked the story, it was fun, but also a weird way to see witches."

"I'd rather have them see us as dancing around with..." Sirius wrinkled his face up. "What was the word lewis used? Ant... you know, painted fish—drawn—"

"Animated," Remus supplied.

Sirius nodded. "Dancing around with animated fish than trying to burn us at the stake."

"I wonder what it was like being burnt at the stake," James said.

Peter elbowed him. "Probably a lot like when you were burnt up by the dragon painting."

James made a face. "Bugger off. Don't remind me of that. Ugh." He shuddered and rubbed at his arms. Then suddenly he began giggling, which turned into loud shrieks of laughter. He collapsed on the floor, clutching his sides as he laughed, kicking his legs wildly.

Sirius was standing over him, wand drawn. "Probably felt like that," he said, "since they made the flames tickle them instead of burn them."

"Except they wouldn't be flailing around like that," Remus snickered. "They had to act like they were being burnt."

"Yeah and they were all tied up," Peter added. "You're not makin' it very convincing. I don't think I'd believe you were being burned."

"SHUT! UP! STO-OO—OOOP!" James gasped out. "Bloody—blood—" Sirius flicked his wand and James lay still, panting for breath. "I—hate—you."

"You wanted to know," Sirius said, offering his hand to help James up.

"Still, films are fun," James said when he was on his feet. "That was brilliant. I hope we watch more films in class. Not the real stuff, the, um, dockementrees, but the story stuff. The made up stories. Maybe over the holidays I can convince my parents to see one! Dad would have so much fun, I think! Do there—is there a way to get tellyvises?"