Reactance | James Potter

Chapter 16

"IS IT JUST me or do the sausages have a funny taste to them this morning?"

Mary, scrunched at the nose with dislike, looked up from the half-eaten sausage stuck on the prongs of her fork. Olivia glanced over curiously while adding extra jam to her pastry.

"It's likely your tastebuds," teased Alice from behind her cup of steaming tea with a coy smile. "You've got so much Marauder on your tongue that all flavours are subdued by insolence."

As Mary flushed pink and popped the sausage off into a napkin, Marlene groaned, "Please don't talk about tonguing Marauders while I'm eating my breakfast." She slapped the top slice of bread down on her sloppy egg and ham sandwich before picking it up and bringing it to her mouth. Her eyes alight with anticipation, she licked her lips in prep for a big bite.

"Don't you start spewing that horrible temper of your hangover all over us," Alice told Marlene pointedly, making her hesitate in her bite to roll her eyes. "Some of us don't feel the need to fall into a stupor each time we drink and are having a fair morning."

"Yeah, Marls," repeated Olivia sarcastically. "Some of us are having a great morning." She wiggled her brows at her friends suggestively. "Lily never came back to the dorm last night."

Dorcas' eyes widened in surprise and Marlene snorted. Propping her elbow up onto the table, she lowered her uneaten sandwich onto her plate and said, the conversation now having peaked her interest, "Yeah. And now she's skipping out on her morning cuppa? Jon must have quite the stamina!"

Alice gaped in horror, "You don't suggest —!"

"All night long, Fortescue," sang Marlene through a whistle. "Shagging like rabid dogs! Probably got no more than an hour's sleep between every dozen rounds."

Alice groaned and waved her hand for silence, her face sullen with disgust. Marlene covered her tongue with her teeth in amusement, chuckling sinisterly as she rolled her shoulders and readied herself — again — for the first bite of her sandwich. Olivia watched from across the table, stirring her porridge to get out the clumps of butter.

But again Marlene was interrupted as someone climbed over the bench to her right, squeezing in beside her. She shut her mouth and lowered her sandwich again, full of surprise, as she watched Peter get comfy between her and Mary.

"You remembered!" cheered Mary with glee as Peter swooped low to press a chaste kiss to her cheek. Both of them flushed pink, he straightened up and nodded, beginning to pile sausages onto his plate with perfect comfort as though he sat with them everyday and it wasn't the slightest bit unusual. "I thought you were too drunk!"

Marlene gestured at Peter with her sandwich, frowning as she glanced around at her girlfriends. Miffed with suspicion, she asked, "What's this? Why's he sittin' here?"

Olivia shrugged while Alice muttered a quiet, "I dunno". Marlene sighed deeply and scooted across the bench, further away from Peter, as Mary leaned over her plate. In her hasty excitement, she nearly tipped her goblet of pumpkin juice as she said through her grin, "I invited him to join us! Last night!"

Olivia forced a closed lip smile when Mary looked at her. She had no problem with Peter being there, of course, but one Marauder never went anywhere alone —

"Mornin' ladies."

Sirius climbed over the bench on Marlene's other side, sandwiching her between him and Peter. She tilted her chin up to the ceiling as she growled, throwing her breakfast down onto her plate angrily while chanting, "No! Nononono!"

Sirius met Olivia's eye across the table in a glance before he turned his charming smile on fuming Marlene. He was ever the handsome rich boy today, Olivia noticed, with his delicately-styled hair parted down the middle and his face clean-shaven. His expensive cologne wafted over like he was spraying it right at her.