The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Firewhiskey Talking to Itself

When the Potters had gone, the other guests left rather quickly, too, and soon there was nobody left besides Remus, Sirius, Frank, Alice, and Marlene. Even Emmaline had left, saying that she had to be up in the morning for Christmas with her family.

"You can come out now you little sodcake," Sirius called out to Regulus.

"Who are you calling a sodcake?" Regulus demanded as he took off the invisibility cloak.

Sirius laughed, "Well, you've answered to it, little brother." HIs eyes sparkled, "What an absolutely lovely thing you've done with your hair."

Regulus reached up and tried at taming his static-electricity filled hair, which floated above his head in a great cloud of black curls. "Hush up, yours would be like this, too, if you'd been under a bloody cloak for hours and hours!"

Sirius chuckled and caught Regulus 'round the shoulders and mussed up the hair even worse with his knuckles, making Regulus's arms flail about as he fought Sirius off.

When they'd finished up tidying, magicking away the dance floor and the chairs and the many, many lengths of table and such, the woods looked particularly empty, and Remus picked up the spent snowglobe, holding it in his hand.

"How did you do that, by the way?" Frank asked, "Gideon and Fabian were going positively mad trying to figure it out."

Remus smiled, "Good."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Sorry, Frank," Remus answered.

Frank sighed, "Oh well. It was worth a shot. It was really bleedin' good magic, though, truly. I heard Mad Eye and Underhill going on about it, too, and even Dumbledore said he was impressed."

"Dumbledore did?" Remus's chest puffed with pride.

Frank nodded. "You're really very good."

"Thanks," Remus tucked the globe into his pocket and took a deep breath, glancing at his watch. "Bloody hell it's after two. I'm completely knackered."

"So am I," Sirius yawned. "I'm going to fall right into bed and right onto you Moony and I'm not going to have the energy to do anything else but know that I'll owe you a right good snogging because of how incredibly wonderful I think you are for all this impressive magic you've gone and done today."

Remus said, "I expect my I.O.U. in writing so I can cash it in tomorrow when you're more awake."

Regulus, who had been camping on their bedroom floor that week, looked wary.

"Perhaps you lot should reinstate Rule Number One for your brother's sake," Peter said, recognizing the nervous expression on Regulus's face.

Remus chuckled as Sirius grinned evilly at his brother.

"Mind if I stay with you lot tonight?" Marlene asked, looking to Sirius and Remus. "It's just I don't fancy waking Em up after she made such a production of getting home to bed."

"Sure you can!" Sirius said, "We'll find some place to stick ya!"

"James and Lily left," Peter pointed out, "So their room is empty... perhaps one of us lodgers could stay in there? And that would free up space for Marlene..."