All the Young Dudes ( Sirius' Perspective )

Seventh Year : The Mastermind

Neither Remus nor Christopher questioned where Sirius had appeared from, which was a relief. The younger boy still seemed a bit shaken up from the confrontation, and Sirius encouraged him to come and sit with them at the Three Broomsticks, feeling an awful swell of guilt when he thought about the horrible things Reggie had said to him…

Fortunately, the rest of their friends had already congregated in the cosy pub, and they pulled a few more chairs up to the packed table. Remus recounted what had happened outside, and by the end of the story both Lily and James were scowling, fiercely.

“I can’t believe he’s still allowed to be a prefect,” Lily shook her head, gripping her butterbeer a bit more tightly, “He’s been worse than ever this year – and don’t get me started on the Crouch kid, he gives me the creeps.” As if to emphasise this point, she shuddered, and James quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Next to Remus, Christopher shrugged, looking a bit overwhelmed with the attention he was receiving.

“It’s fine, I can handle those two idiots.”

They hadn’t actually specified what sorts of insults the Slytherins had hurled, at Christopher’s request. Sirius frowned as he studied the nervous boy’s face, wondering again if he heard…that sort of thing often, from Regulus.

“Ought to teach them a lesson,” he muttered darkly, flagging down Rosmerta to order another round of butterbeers. Remus mumbled something under his breath, which Sirius couldn’t quite catch.

“What sort of thing were you thinking, Pads?” James asked eagerly, leaning across the table.

“I’d need to think very hard.” Sirius sat up a bit straighter, making a show of stroking his chin as though he were deep in thought.

“We haven’t done a prank in ages,” Peter chirped, looking just as excited as James, “Not since…er…”

“The Bubotuber-puffballs.” Remus said dryly, taking a sip of his drink. Sirius blinked, remembering how that prank had ended—he picked up his own mug of butterbeer quickly, gulping it in an effort to hide the blush that crept over his cheeks.

“It’s best if you just cover your ears, Christopher,” Lily advised, with a sarcastic smile, “There’s no stopping them once they’re in planning mode.”

Remus stuck his tongue out at her, that familiar mischievous twinkle in his eye—which was very decidedly not helping with Sirius’s flushed face.

He turned away from Remus, looking back over to James. The other boy raised his eyebrows—Full-scale Marauder prank?

Sirius grinned. Full-scale Marauder prank.

James smiled back, eyebrows still meaningfully raised. It’ll have to be something big.

Sirius waggled his own eyebrows. EXTREMELY big. Mind-blowingly big. Enormously—

“You wouldn’t hurt anyone…would you?” Christopher asked, fiddling nervously with the handle on his mug.

“What are you looking at us for?!” Sirius asked, nodding towards Remus, “Moony’s the dangerous one.”