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

Chapter Seventy-Nine - Incendio Is A Fun Party Game

Author's note: CW reference to Professor Young's death, emetophobia, eating disgusting things

Sorry about missing an update last week; I wasn't feeling well.

-x-

Dear Remus 25/12/73

Happy Christmas!

Hope yours is happier than mine.

If I could Apparate I'd be there yesterday. Already sick of this. Sick of them. I'd rather be with you. I hope you're doing okay but knowing you you're probably just spending all your time in the library. Probably hiding somewhere so Farrow won't kick you out. James probably should have left his cloak for you. Buuuuut you probably wouldn't use it anyway. I hope you're at least getting some sleep.

If I can convince my parents I will try to come back before the holiday is over. Mother has a lot of parties planned so I don't know if I can. There is a big one on new years and the Black Heir needs to make an appearance. Thinking about that appearance including a shirt that says wanker and bollocks all over it.

Eleven more days.

I know we agreed to exchange prezzies when we get back but ive got a little something extra for you. Don't tell the others, ok?

Sirius

PS im becoming a poet. Ready?

Gryffindor gold and Gryffindor red

How I wish my family was dead

do you like it?

Included was a very good drawing of Sirius locked in a tower, arms folded across the windowsill as he looked up at the sky. Below was Remus on a horse carrying a sword. Remus snorted, rolling his eyes but secretly really loving the drawing. He pasted it up on the wall, planning on taking it down whenever the holidays were over. Then he remembered Longbottom coming in the night before, so he took it down and put it in his desk drawer instead.

He did spend the rest of the morning in the library. He was done with all his homework, so instead he began researching various things that caught his interest. It wasn't until he picked up a book about runes that he remembered something.

The dagger. The dagger that killed Professor Young, and the runes engraved on the handle. He blinked down at the book in front of him then got up, returning to the runes section to find more books. He had no idea what would help, or even how to find these runes. The easiest way would be to draw them and ask Professor Quirk or Codde, but if they were involved with dark magic, he didn't want to explain to them why he wanted to know.

He dumped the pile of books on the table and got out some parchment to draw the runes as best he could. His memory of them wasn't exactly the best, and he wondered if he could get Fawley to help—though that would probably be awful of him, forcing her to see Professor Young's skeleton; especially when they had known each other.

No, he needed to do this completely on his own, but when he finished drawing them he wasn't sure if he got them right or not. He tried desperately to remember, but all that came back was her spirit and then Peter screaming.

It'll have to do.

He spent the next two hours pouring through books until his stomach grumbled, reminding him he hadn't had any breakfast. Or supper the night before. Sighing, he tucked the parchment deep in his satchel and then chose four books to check out.

Remus went to the Great Hall, on the lookout for Snape but not seeing him. He wondered if anyone had told any of the teachers. Curiosity drove him over to the three fourth years who all smiled as he approached.