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

Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Nine - He Almost Has It

Author's note: Okay so I've been on a writing spree lately and for a while, 4TTE is going to be updated every Sunday and Wednesday. Whoo! Also part of me wants to apologize for how long book four is going to be... almost 50k into it and only a little ways into August... but at the same time... this is my fantasy story, the one I'm writing to get lost in the Marauders' world. And y'all knew it would be a long haul so... it's just... gonna be getting a lot longer! (but I promise it isn't just filler, there's actual stuff that happens LOL)

-x-

"Right. Who is going to pick first?"

It was Sunday evening. The day had stretched on for what felt like an eternity to Remus. He had fallen asleep at James's practice, slept through lunch, went to detention in the early afternoon to clean up the Gryffindor lockers, helped Charlemagne in the late afternoon, then slept through supper. He had barely eaten anything, and his stomach churned a little as James poured a box of the beans into a bowl.

"I'll go first," Sirius said, bending forward to examine the beans. "Let's do... these brown ones."

"Are they all either one flavor or a different one?" Pete asked as he took one of them from Sirius's hand.

"I think these should either be beans or toasted almonds," James said, taking another. Remus took a third and sniffed at it, trying to figure out what it might be. "Or gravy? Maybe?"

"Isn't toast one of them?" Sirius asked, holding his up to the light.

"Could be. All right. Let's go."

Remus popped his in his mouth, not really caring one way or another. He didn't mind beans. What he got wasn't beans though and wasn't toasted almonds, but something fishy. He made a face and spat it out. "Do we have the boxes?" he asked as the others chewed.

"Almonds," Peter said cheerfully.

"Beans," James said as he dug in his desk for the boxes.

"Beans," Sirius said as well.

Remus peered at the back of the boxes until he found one that matched theirs. "Bouillabaisse."

"Délicieux," Sirius laughed. Delicious.

"What's that?" Pete asked, taking the box.

"Soupe de poisson," Sirius explained.

Peter's jaw dropped. "POISON?!"

"Fish soup," Remus translated as he poked the half-eaten bean. "From France."

"I thought you liked fish," James said as he chose four new beans.

"I don't mind fish, but this tasted very odd. I didn't like it."

James had picked out four pinkish ones and they each tried one. Peter once again got a delicious flavor with strawberry, while the other three got salmon. Peter then chose some green ones and Remus said if any of them ended up being fish again he was going to riot. Luckily he and Peter got green apple while the other two got overcooked cabbage. Remus's turn to pick and he squinted at the beans, finally choosing orange ones that turned out to be either curry or pumpkin. Most of them ended up being one or another flavor like licorice or black pepper, rotten egg or buttery popcorn, chocolate or mud. Some had three flavors like pineapple, lemon, or mustard. Since they had mixed several boxes together, it was really just an anything-goes sort of thing.

At one point they had deep red ones. James and Sirius got raspberry while Peter finally got a not-so-nice flavor that he couldn't recognize. The moment Remus chewed down, he knew the flavor. "Blood," he said instantly.