Vibrant | Harry Potter [Marauders Era]

The Weight

"She's quite a vibrant person, isn't she?" Sirius Black barked a laughter, his grey eyes watched as her color splashed sneakers made a soft sound against the brown tiled floor. They used to be white, but now were every color of the rainbow, in pastel. On the contrary, her striped socks reached her knees and were so vibrantly colored it was almost painful to watch.

"You say that every year," huffed Lily Evans at him, throwing her red hair over her shoulder, nose scrunched up in anger as Led took her seat at the edge of the table they sat by. "Haven't you got new jokes, Black?"

He leaned into her face, way too close. "Well, Evans, I've been working on new tricks, so I'm lacking on the jokes."

Centimeters seperating their noses, James Potter shoved his best friend back. "Buzz off, Padfoot, you know damn well Led's the nicest person in the school."

"And that Potter's in love with her," Remus Lupin added with a smirk, before he was almost hit with a banana. "Hey!" he frowned. "I'm a Prefect now, Prongs, careful with the violence."

Peter tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace.

He glanced at the blonde girl who was now smiling at the ceiling that reflected the sky outside.

"Evans, don't listen to him! You are my one and only!" James cried out, reaching out to touch his never-ending crush's hand.

"Please drop dead already."

::

"Look at him, he's walking like he's looking for a chance to talk to me," a blonde giggled to her brunette best friend. They were leaning against a tree bark, watching Sirius Black who walked around the School's Grounds seemingly aimlessly.

"Then jump at him, Lizzie. Black's not gonna be trying to get you forever. You gotta be firece and get him!"

And just as Liz stood up, about to pounce, Sirius Black crouched down, plucked a flower with a wide smile, and walked off.

"What was that?"

"An excuse to take off," she huffed, sitting back down. "Tell you what, Brie. Boys are stupid. I wanna be a lesbian."

"Don't we all?"

Sirius walked over right to the side of the lake, where Led Henry sat. She was drawing in her notebook, looking at the sky every once in a while.

He stopped in his tracks, watching the girl. Five years after they've met, and he could basically count the words they exchanged.

Most were "sorry," and "excuse me" with a few "could you pass me-?", but he remembered their third year, when he sat on his own after an argument with James over his own family which he loathed.

That was her spot, she explained when he told her to buzz off. And the silence that followed was broken by a nice chatter about the sky and the color of them.

"Hey," he greeted, sitting next to her. She blinked her wide, brown eyes and looked at him with surprise.

"Black, hey," she replied.

"Got you some daisies," he grinned, offering her the white daisies. In the midst of them stood a snapdragon.

"Thanks," she grinned, reaching out to grab the make-shift bouquet, but he held up a hand, signaling for her to stop.

"Hold on," and just then the daisies started changing their colors, shining brilliantly in every color of the rainbow, and a wide smile found its way to Led's face.

"That's amazing, Sirius!" she grinned, and he smiled at the fact that she finally called him by his name.

"I know I am," he said easily as he sat down. She watched the flowers like it was all that mattered, at the fading blue and the vibrant pink and-- "Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me next week?"

"I don't think I'll be going, I don't have money," Led stated, still watching the daisies. She raised her eyes to him, smiling. "Besides, I hardly think I'll fit into your group."

"Well, I reckon you wouldn't, but... Ya know, I meant just us." Led seemed surprised as she watched him, and he quickly grinned his charming, dazzling smile- the one he used for flirting. "They opened a new art shop, it's small, but it's got some great stuff-- I heard Dumbledore say it so it's gotta be true."

"I reckon it would be nice," Led nodded, "but still-- I haven't got the money."

"I have.  And I need your favor-- I need you to draw each of my friends this year. I'll buy you the supplies, and pay you a bit more for the drawing. Just come with me and get whatever you need."

Led watched the boy in front of her, before sighing. "Okay," she said in a small voice. "I'll do it."

"Great! Meet me at the Great Hall, Saturday, eight in the morning."

He bolted off, and Led was left utterly and completely confused.

As the boy sat down in the common room, Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "Why are you smiling like that, Padfoot?"

"This smile always means trouble," Peter pointed out.

"Nothing, I just convinced someone to go to Hogsmeade with me."

"Well, that isn't new," James stated, not raising his eyes from the book he was reading. "Why are you so happy about it?"

"No reason," he shrugged, still smiling. "Oh, guys, you're gonna need to model for a painting though."

"Nude?" James seemed hopeful as he raised his eyes at last.

"What the hell--" Remus started, but Peter was frowning.

"You're taking Led Henry?"

"Nevermind them!" James called out, standing up and sitting next to Sirius swiftly. "Is it nude? I'm all in, I think it will be bri--"

"JAMES!" the three called out, all chucking pillows at him. The boy stared at them in annoyance, before standing up and shamelessly walking to Lily Evans.

"Evans, I'll have you know I am being bullied."

"Good," she replied without looking at him.

The look in James' eyes as he sat back down was haunted. Remus and Sirius quickly tried making him remember his ambitious goal of marrying Lily Evans and how it was a simple setback, but Peter could not bring himself to be cheerful.

Without his friends noticing, he walked off to their dorm room, where he buried himself under the covers within moments.

He knew that Sirius was his friend, but all of a sudden, he was so mad at him he could not even look at his empty bed, knowing his smug self would enter it soon enough.

Even though he shut his eyes, he was awake when his friends entered almost an hour later, and he was awake when they joked about the Quidditch match coming up, and he was awake when James wondered when Peter went up. He was awake when Sirius said he has no idea, and was awake when Remus said he left when James was mourning Lily's heartless treatment.

He was awake when they went right back to joking, not caring why he left.

Peter knew they were his friends, but it hardly felt like that at that moment.