aquila ▶ marauders era {EDITING}

05.

"SO ARE YOU GONNA TELL HER? AQUILA, I mean," James asked as he sat across his werewolf friend at lunch. Sirius was at the Hufflepuff table, trying to score his latest fling of the week, so the boys could speak freely (but not too loudly, because good Godric, there were no bigger gossips than the people in Hogwarts).

"I don't know what you're talking about," Remus said, taking another spoonful of his shepherd's pie into his mouth as he flipped through the pages of their Charms textbook.

"Oh come on, Remus. The only people that don't know you like Aquila is probably Sirius and Professor Binns; one of whom, I might add, is dead."

Remus mentally rolled his eyes at James' overly exaggerated statement but stopped as it registered, "Wait, did you say only Sirius and Professor Binns?"

James rolled his eyes, "Yes, Moony. Was that all you got from what I said?"

Remus looked into the messy haired boy's eyes, "Does that mean... that Aquila knows I fancy her?"

James clapped, "Yes, acceptance. You admitted it! Peter owes me five sickles."

Remus would never get the chance to ask what Peter owed him five sickles for nor what the answer to his previous question was as the entire Hall's attention fell on the two students that had just burst in.

Aquila Black, her robes in her hand and her hair askew. Her face was as red as the hair on Evans' ginger head and she was heavily panting, like she had just run a marathon.

Peter Pettigrew, though his robes were on, was in the same state as Aquila. There were small beads of perspiration gathering on his forehead and he couldn't seem to get enough oxygen into his system.

"Damn Pettigrew, how'd you manage to score with Black? I didn't know she was that desperate for a shag." Mulciber, who was sat at the Slytherin table called out, causing the green and silver table to erupt with laughter. There were a few hushed whispers adding into the rambunctious laughter, accompanied by a few stares and glares from all over the Hall.

Needless to say, Remus was included in those glares. What could Peter possibly have that Remus didn't? What made Pettigrew so special?

There was a loud crack which silenced the entire Hall. Everyone's gaze flew from the entrance over to the Slytherin table where Regulus had just punched Mulciber in the nose. Regulus Arcturus Black, the Slytherin Prince who never intervened in anything, had just punched one of his own court in the face. With eyes burning with the rage of a firestorm, the younger Slytherin watched the elder one straight in the eye and with a strong voice, said, "Talk about my sister like that ever again, and it will be the last thing you ever say. Understand?"

Mulciber nodded, knowing that the Blacks' threats were anything but empty, before storming out of the hall to go the hospital wing. As he left, everyone's attention was back on the two that were still stood the Hall's entrance.

Aquila looked around and at the Hufflepuff table, she was met with the cold stare of Sirius. It hurt to see her older brother look at her that way, almost as much as it hurt when he was not the one to defend her, and she couldn't bear to be under his gaze any longer.

"Actually Peter, I think I'll just go up to the Hospital Wing. Create an alibi for where I was. Or at least, go change my robes. I'll see you later," the girl said and before Peter could answer, she was gone.

Alright, time to brave the storm.

The boy took a deep breath and walked over to the Gryffindor table, sitting down across from James and Remus.

"James, pass me the peas please."

The boy with glasses complied to Peter's request and handed him the bowl as Remus stared directly at Peter with narrowed eyes. If looks could kill, Peter Pettigrew would've been at the bottom of the Black Lake.

"Problem, Remus?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

Remus opened his mouth to answer him, no doubt with some snarky remark, but never got the chance to as Sirius beat him to it.

"Skipped Potions to go shag my sister? Is that it?" the gray-eyed boy spat as he dropped himself on the bench right next to Peter. Peter, who was completely thrown off by this statement, looked up and around at his friends' faces. The blue-eyed boy couldn't believe it. He looked at them in disbelief.

"You lot actually believe that Aquila and I went off to shag? Like, honestly?"

The lack of response from them answered him better than anything they could have said. Suddenly, the boy didn't have that much of an appetite anymore. He put back the bowl and stood up, deciding that he'd go get ready for his next lesson (Transfiguration) before he hexed someone. He was practically out the Hall when someone stopped him.

"So what were you two doing then?" Sirius called after him.

Peter spun around, anger visible in the boy's crystal eyes. He made his way back to the table and bent down, dropping his voice to a harsh whisper, "You wanna know what we were doing? We were down in the kitchens; she was crying about the fact that her older brother lied to her and left her in an abusive place. She was crying about all the torture she took because she still stood up for him, even though he betrayed her. She was crying about the three broken ribs and the possibly fractured arm she has. Most of all, she was crying because her dick of a brother hadn't tried to talk to her once since school started. That's what we were doing."

The boy stood up straight, watching how his friends' faces had become pale. Shaking his head, he spat, "And it makes me sick that you three would think that about her, because she would never think that about you."

Peter started to leave again but stopped, throwing one more look at Sirius, "Especially you. You absolutely sicken me."