Vivicendium ➝ Sirius Black/OC

Cui fortuna ipsa cedit

Chapter Eleven | Cui fortuna ipsa cedit

[To whom fortune herself yields]

All four Marauders are eager for breakfast the next morning. Peter has spent all night dreaming of pancakes soaked through with hot butter and sugary maple syrup. Remus is anxious to eat as quickly as possible so as to head down to the library before classes start, in hopes of getting ahead on some homework before the full moon in a few days. James is excited to see his lady-love and attempt to engage her in conversation over a plate of poached eggs. Sirius can't wait to witness for himself what sort of reaction he'll receive when Vivian Blair gets his latest love poem.

Oh, it's truly a work of art. James had claimed that it had practically made him fall in love on the spot, and he had broken out into a Celestina Warbeck song –

(Your every wish is my command

My fragile heart is in your hand

And now, at last, I understand

The magic about you - !)

And while the lyrics had been a bit cringeworthy, James has been humming it under his breath all morning, evidently having gotten it stuck in his head, and Sirius does have to admit that it's a tad bit catchy. Of course, it hadn't been quite as catchy when James had tried using it to jokingly serenade Sirius while they were getting dressed. Just the mere memory of the waggling eyebrows and ridiculous kissy faces James had made while Sirius had been pulling on his shirt makes him want to shove him into the bathroom and lock the door again.

In any case, when they all enter the Great Hall, they're probably the only students in the school who are so bright-eyed and merry. Alas, their eagerness to start the day does not last very long, because 1) they are not serving pancakes at all this morning, and so Peter's maple syrup dreams are utterly crushed in favor of healthier alternatives, 2) Lily has chosen a seat that is surrounded on all sides by her fellow females, and doesn't even give James a second glance when he attempts to get her attention, and 3) Vivian Blair isn't even here. Remus is the only Marauder who remains bright-eyed as he sits down and quickly loads his plate with eggs and bacon, still intent on continuing with his library plans regardless of his friends' suddenly downtrodden moods.

"What is this? Where is she?" Sirius hisses, scanning the Slytherin table in case he just hadn't seen her the first time. Sure enough, there is no sign of wavy chocolate curls or arrogant eyes anyway. Well – there are in fact plenty of arrogant eyes, just not the ones he's looking for.

James doesn't even hear him. He's too busy pouting into his coffee and shooting pitiful glances towards Lily, as if hoping that she'll put him out of his misery and at least look at him. (She doesn't.)

"She had better not ruin my morning," Sirius mutters angrily, reaching for some bacon and shoving a few pieces onto his plate. He tears off a bite and chews aggressively, still glowering at the Slytherins as if it's their fault that Vivian's having a late start today.

Remus rolls his eyes. "It's still early, Sirius. I'm sure she's on her way as we speak."

Beside them, Peter asks, "Why are you looking for Blair, Padfoot?"

Sirius sighs impatiently and reminds him, "Because, Wormtail, she's in for a nice little surprise this morning."

"Weren't you around when we helped Paddy here compose his next masterpiece?" James demands, his attention finally drawn away from Lily and back to the situation at hand. And – speaking of hands, Sirius wallops his over the back of James's head in retribution for calling him 'Paddy', a nickname that they all know he loathes because it makes him sound like a leprechaun.