Just Breathe

s i x

With October, along came the Halloween season. As James's orchestra concert and the holiday itself approached, James was practicing nonstop and the five friends were stressing on what to dress up as. Yes, they were nineteen years old and yes, they were going trick or treating. 

The Tuesday before Halloween, Lily, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all found seats in the school's concert hall, awaiting their mates' concert. Lily and Peter were discussing some last minute Halloween costume ideas when the lights dimmed and Lily clapped excitedly, spinning around in her seat, straining to see the stage.

When the stage lights turned on and the curtains parted, all the musicians were in their seats. They spotted James in the front row of cellos, first or second chair, they couldn't tell.

They opened with the funeral march, and with the whole orchestra playing, it was absolutely mesmerizing. The song lasted about a full four minutes, and Lily was crying by the time it was over. As the orchestra took their bows, James found Lily in the audience and winked.

Then they played their demented version of 'Spooky, Scary Skeletons'. It gave all four friends chills, especially when the cellos had a solo, playing low and melodic harmonies while James played the melody over top of them. 

After the concert, they were really in the mood for some Halloween scares. They all gathered around in the living room of the boys' apartment, and since they didn't have a fire (or rather they couldn't have a fire, because the smoke would bother Remus) they turned the TV on to a fireplace loop and told scary stories late into the night.

Later that week, on Halloween, they were all in their respective apartments getting ready for the night. Sirius was preparing his costume, walking around his apartment in the clothes he was wearing under it, when there was a knock on the door. 

Sirius went to answer it and when he opened the door, he made a shriek of surprise. Remus stood there, grinning manically. He was dressed in a simple yellow raincoat with the left arm rolled up and covered in fake blood. In his right hand he held a paper boat, S.S. Georgie sharpied onto the side.

He took his hood down, his light brown curls standing on end. "Are you slowpokes ready to go yet?"

"Uh..." Sirius muttered, silently stepping in front of Remus's line of site so he wouldn't see his costume laying on the floor. 

"Pete! James! Hurry up!"

James came stumbling out of his room, dressed in a red and white striped sweater and blue jeans, a red and white striped beanie on his head. He straightened his glasses and pulled on his shoes. 

"Where's Waldo? Really?" Remus asked, giggling. 

"Oh, go play with clowns in a sewer, Georgie." James shot back. 

Then Peter came out, dressed as a vampire. He had a velvety suit and cape, vampire teeth complete with fake blood dripping down his face, and pale makeup and slicked back hair. Lily barged in the apartment next, dressed as a Ghostbuster with her tan uniform and cardboard box painted to look like the Ghostbusting machine, complete with the hose they cut off an old vacuum cleaner. Her hair was in a thick, messy french braid and she looked like she was ready to kick ass.

"Sirius, where is your costume?" She asked.

Sirius put his head in his hands. "Now I feel like it's stupid," he said.

James chuckled. "We told you it was stupid when you bought it. But did you listen to us? No! Put it on and lets go."

Sirius sighed and walked over to the lump of plastic on the ground and put it on. Then James helped him hook up an air pump and they watched in silence as Sirius's costume inflated slowly. And then, standing in front of them, was a giant inflatable dinosaur. 

Remus couldn't contain his giggles. 

"Don't laugh," Sirius begged. 

That caused all of them to lose it. 

Sirius groaned/screamed angrily and flopped his stubby t-rex arms around.

"Alright, let's go trick or treating," Lily suggested, and Remus grabbed one of Sirius's t-rex arms with his available and they headed down the elevator and out into the city. They figured their best bet would be the suburbs so that's where they started. 

As they walked around, no one was quite sure when it happened, but James and Lily were holding hands as they walked. Or at least when James wasn't running off to hide behind a tree or something, playing his own game of Where's Waldo. 

Remus kept skipping ahead to find all the sewer drains and yell greetings to Pennywise. Every time he did so, Sirius would feel panic bloom in his chest. He would wobble over in his t-rex inflatable costume and tell Remus to 'please be careful' and 'don't get to close, you never know who's down there'. Remus would just giggle in response and say weird phrases like, 'you'll float too', or 'we all float down here'.

After many houses, they were loaded with candy. "Let's head over to that coffee shop by Godric's Hallow," Lily suggested, so they started making their way back. Remus was exhausted by all the walking, but he didn't say anything. He was having so much fun with all of his friends, even his dinosaur boyfriend.

"I should be a dinosaur everyday," Sirius said sarcastically, "I truly love this costume."

"You lied and I died!" Remus said, laughing hysterically, stumbling along, walking backwards.

"Dude, please stop that, it's creepy!" James exclaimed. 

Before they entered the coffee shop, Sirius deflated his dinosaur costume, stepping out of it and folding it as tightly as he could. He was quite glad to be rid of it. 

As they stood in line, it was Peter who noticed Remus was breathing heavier than usual. 

"Alright, Remus?" He asked, voice muffled by the fangs.

Remus focused on taking deep breaths. He nodded, though he did adjust the settings on his oxygen, turning up the controls so he would get more air through his nasal cannula. 

It was almost two in the morning, but on some Halloween special, the coffee shop was still open. The decorations were fitting, cobwebs and spiders in the corners, ghosts hanging from the ceiling and the coffee creamer bar was labeled with weird names, like zombie eyes, brains, and other scary things. 

The five of them ordered their coffee and took seats at a high table off to the side. They exchanged candy and ate a few pieces, sipping their coffee and making each other laugh. When they got back to the Marauders' apartment, they all crashed on various furniture, Remus and Sirius snuggling on the couch, James and Lily in the chair, and Peter on the floor, and tried to watch a scary movie.

They were all asleep before it was over, all gathered together on that Halloween night.