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Tweak says, "y tho"

Sirius Black is your god (messrpadfoot) wrote in anon_rpg,
@ 2012-06-13 00:41:00

Entry tags:

!06/1981, !complete, !thread, c: james potter, c: peter pettigrew, c: remus lupin, c: sirius black, p: charlie, p: gracie, p: jackie

Who: James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black
What: Their Hogwarts mission, after this.
Where: All over Hogwarts
When: 13 June, 1981
Status: Complete/closed
Rating: TBD

As soon as he came within sight of Hogwarts, the achingly familiar sight of the castle brought a smile to Sirius Black's face. He'd occasionally thought about visiting his alma mater in the past, but hadn't really found a good excuse to, nor even the time to come up this far north. Lately, however, some things had changed, and not all for the better.

Sirius desperately needed this mission to keep himself preoccupied. His mind had been far too full of the things that had happened in the last week, least of all being the sudden reappearance of Regulus. He still hadn't had a proper exchange of words with his brother — perhaps even former brother, if this kept up — though he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to come face to face with him in a less crowded environment. He wouldn't admit to anyone else that he was scared of how he might react. That the guilt of pulling away from Reg had been eating away at him since he thought his brother had died. This situation with Remus wasn't making things any easier on him, either, especially since he'd have to spend much of this assignment in his company.

Sirius steeled his jaw in consideration. He'd have to make a concerted effort to be near the other man as little as possible. With any luck, he'd turn Remus off of him completely and maybe they could even salvage what might be left of their friendship. If not... Sirius didn't let himself think too hard about the other, far less pleasant, potential consequence. Instead, he shook off his gloomy train of thought, adjusted his proper wizarding robes [which felt foreign since he'd begun wearing Muggle clothing exclusively], and continued on his way towards the castle, to the designated meeting spot before the large gate, in the hopes that he might see James before either of the others.

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soeffingjames
2012-06-13 09:25 am UTC (link)

With a crack James apparated right next to Sirius, completely by accident. As the Marauders had almost spent more time out of Hogwarts than in it as students, the memory of the outskirts of the castle hadn't been forgotten. "Whoaaa," he murmured under his voice, and then, realising who was next to him he grinned, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. "Ha! Is there no end to my bloody genius?", he laughed, giving Sirius a quick shove.

The night was still, only disturbed by a few owl hoots and crickets. James looked up at the castle and sighed wistfully, remembering some of the great times they had had here. Hogwarts meant so much to James, he owed his education, his friends, and even his wife to it. Walking on with Sirius, he could see they were approaching the main gates where they were supposed to meet. Obviously, they couldn't just waltz right in, and so James made a mental note of which passageway would be best for them to use.

"Up for this, tonight?", James asked with a glint in his eye, turning again to Sirius.

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messr_moony
2012-06-13 11:06 am UTC (link)

Remus had already arrived. He'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes, but had arrived early on purpose so that he could observe and scan the area properly in silence and without interruption. He'd been trying to formulate a way for this to go as quickly and smoothly as possible, but unfortunately they still didn't know exactly what they were looking for or what to do with it if and when they found it. He was trying to take things one step at a time, though. First, they had to get into the castle. Given the time of year, Remus wasn't terribly worried about students seeing them. The invisibility cloak would be nice, but he wasn't sure they could fit four shuffling adult blokes beneath it. They weren't exactly eleven anymore, though a part of him wished they were.

Hogwarts had a very special place in Remus' heart. He missed living within those castle walls more than anything. Life had been so much easier back then, even though he hadn't realized it at the time. Living there had been the greatest and most meaningful time of his life. He owed Hogwarts and Dumbledore his life. Being back made him miss his almost-carefree days as a student, helping his friends out of the ridiculous schemes they'd trapped themselves in, or just simply curling up in an alcove with a book, surrounded by all the magical wonders lurking within the castle. It made his dingy little one-room flat feel like a cave.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of two others arriving. James and Sirius. Awkward. He felt terribly out of place with Sirius at the moment. It didn't help that the Full Moon was less than a week away. He was edgy, terribly tense, and impatient. Sirius had always been a daft git in some respects, but Remus never thought he'd be on the receiving end of his carelessness. It hurt, cut deep into his heart, but what could he do about it? He couldn't put expectations on Sirius; that wouldn't be fair, to try to make him into something he wasn't. But it still hurt more than anything in the world, and made him feel like such a fool. How could he have thought he'd be different than the others Sirius had been with? Now wasn't the time to lament about something he never had. They had a mission to fulfill and he had to keep his wits about him.

Steeling himself, he stepped out of his hiding place to greet the others. He didn't say anything, just shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded to them. Hopefully Pete would be there soon; Remus would feel better in his presence, just as he did when they were children.

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soeffingjames
2012-06-13 12:01 pm UTC (link)

Spotting Remus up ahead, James called over to him and jogged on ahead of Sirius to give him a light slap on the back. It had not been so long since their last encounter, so a deathly tight squeeze didn't seem necessary. Beaming at him, James noticed a brief exchange of eye contacts between the other two lads, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at the apparent tension briefly. Assuming it was something to with this double date they may or may not have gone on, James decided to ignore it. It wasn't unusual for Sirius and Remus to have 'lovers tiffs', as he called them. They had always fought like a married couple from time to time, although more-so it seemed, lately.

Stepping back from Remus, James folded his arms and looked up at the moon. "How are you feeling tonight, Moony?", James asked, noting Remus's paler than usual features. "Are you feeling up to it?", he asked, his tone somewhat concerned.

"

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messrpadfoot
2012-06-13 12:25 pm UTC (link)

The loud crack of Apparition might normally have at least annoyed Sirius if he'd been more focused on the task at hand. When James showed up, he slapped a grin on his face and felt more energised than he had all day, though. Trust the man who was like his brother to manage the impossible.

"Never been more up for anything," he replied, jostling James's shoulder as he walked beside him. As soon as they'd approached the meeting point, Sirius felt the grin melt from his face. It was replaced with a slightly less enthusiastic version of a smile when he realised that Remus wouldn't comment on their latest 'misunderstanding'. The twist in his gut seemed to get worse all of a sudden when James greeted Remus, so in a brash move, he darted up beside James and slung his arm around his shoulder.

"Ol' Moony's good to go, right?" he said casually, sparing Remus a quick glance. "We've got some marauding to do, just like old times. No time for faffing about. I say we agree on the best way to get in and go. Pete can just sneak in whenever he gets here." Not that he was particularly close with the last Marauder to begin with. He was perfectly content to steal James off for the evening and relive some of their schooldays, if he had his way. They still had their old Map to filch back, after all.

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petergrew
2012-06-15 01:15 am UTC (link)

Peter was running late, as usual; his clothes were refusing to dry and after a very lengthy argument with his drying board he prepared for his task at hand: going back to Hogwarts with the other Messrs. He had been stressed about it all day and wanted to badly to talk to Remus about it that it was eating him up inside. He wasn't sure about how he felt going back; Hogwarts didn't hold as many great memories for him as they did his other friends and as he focused on where he would land, Peter let out an exaggerated sigh and popped...

... Right next to Remus, landing casually on his side. With a groan and an added internal whimper, Peter scrambled off the ground and threw his arm around his friend, a gentle but pleading smile on his face. "Sorry gentlemen, had a rather feisty appliance that refused to give me skivvies." After a moment and a pat on back to Moony, Peter took a step to the side and nodded at Sirius and James, the serious look returning to his face.

"Sorry. Are we going in, then? I'd like to avoid that crazy old woman in our tower - if she sees us, it's all over. Not a shitting thing done with that one around," he noted, starting to think more about what he had walked away from those years before. Maybe that's why he felt bad, depressed almost but he held it inside, mindlessly itching his elbow. "Right then. Who's got the brains here?"

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messr_moony
2012-06-15 03:39 pm UTC (link)

Remus really had hoped that the time of night and focus on their mission would steer any notice of his pallor complexion would be deflected to the real task at hand. Unfortunately James' spectacles were unrelenting in their aiding to his observation, which caused Remus to shift uncomfortably. Physically he was fine. A little tired, but when wasn't he?

Before he could even open his mouth to answer, Sirius did it for him. Such an occurrence wasn't abnormal, but that night it irritated him more than it usually would have in any normal circumstance. Remus didn't know if that was because of the moon's position or because of the recent happenings between himself and Sirius. Maybe it was both. Either way, he frowned a little and looked back toward the castle. "I feel fine. And no, we're waiting for Pete. We're supposed to do this together."

As if on cue, Peter appeared right next to him, which both surprised and comforted him. At least he'd have someone he could stand with at this point. "Hey, Pete. Yes, we're going in now," he said, and actually did smile -- the first he'd cracked in days. "We really only have to worry about any teachers still in the castle and Filch. I wish Dumbledore had just let us Floo into his office, or lifted the Apparition restriction so we could pop in there. But, it is what it is. We managed to sneak around for seven years, reckon we're not that rusty." He thought on it a moment more. "I also had the idea that Pete could go ahead of us as Wormtail, make sure the coast is clear around turns, then we follow. Dogs and stags aren't quite so inconspicuous." He looked at James and Sirius. "Or if you two want to have a cuddle under the cloak, you can tell us when it's clear."

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messrpadfoot
2012-06-15 06:45 pm UTC (link)

Sirius tried to ignore the familiar twinge in his gut, instead looking up past the castle's gates in reminiscence. The memories were starting to creep up on him; luckily they were mostly good from his perspective, so he'd have something to take his mind off of other things. When Peter showed up with his excuses, he felt just a little of the weight lift.

Giving Peter a nod and a grin that felt a little forced, he thought about Remus's plan for a minute before loosening his hold on James, but keeping his arm lightly around his best friend. "Sneaking around is definitely our specialty. And I'm never one to turn down cuddles." He smirked in that smug way of his before finally releasing James. "Why don't we do a bit of both? Wormy can go ahead and scope things out, and Prongs 'n I can check things out in a different direction. Wormy can meet us up by the kitchen entrance and if everything's clear," he looked over at Peter with a tilt of his head, "you can come fetch Moony. We've still got to nick back our Map to do this right, so I reckon us two could head to Filch's office and search for it. That'll give Moony an edge if we can get it back."

What he left unspoken was his assumption that he'd break off from the group with James, as was usually what ended up happening. He might have been taking for granted how much James would be willing to go with him this time, though it wasn't even a concern in his mind.

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petergrew
2012-06-16 06:15 am UTC (link)

Peter took it in by watching Sirius and Remus talk to each other, the two deciding navigational plans and rendezvous points. He would never say no, but it was always so convenient for him to slip in and out of places. For a moment, Peter let himself be proud about his distinct advantage and he nodded with affirmation to his friends, readying himself for the change.

"I'll go, but I don't want to leave Moony here," he explained calmly, giving Remus a nod of his head. It was silly to leave him out here, especially when the other two were going to run off and galavant through the castle. Even though he wanted to object and find a way to keep his friend by his side, Peter sighed and then held his hands up, looking at Sirius.

"Let's just both walk down there, I'll go in, scope and then come right back out. It saves us waiting time." Without further looks, Peter shifted into his form and then blinked up at them passively, trying to get used to being down in the grass once again. The earth felt good: he was ready to go.

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soeffingjames
2012-06-17 09:00 pm UTC (link)

To say that James was pleased to see his old school friends in such familiar surroundings again was an understatement. It was a rare occurrence to get them all in the same room lately, let alone back to the place that had brought them all together in the first place.

Hanging back slightly, James briefly tried to read between the lines of the unexpected tension between Sirius and Remus before Pete apparated in, which brought him back to earth. "Here he is!," James exclaimed, pulling Pete in for a brief noogie, something the guy had gotten from him for years. "Bloody good to see you mate,", he said, flashing a big grin.

It was then swiftly on to the task at hand, despite the great feeling James had at having everyone together again, he knew they were there for a reason, and even more importantly - on Dumbledore's request. Listening to the ideas being thrown around on how best to get in, James shook his head.

"Lads, lads," he interrupted, shaking his head. "Time and speed are of the essence tonight, so simplicity is going to be best," he smiled, knowing as his idea was a little controversial. "We need to cover as much ground as possible, and between us we know just about every nook and cranny this castle has, therefore-", he continued, "Pete, you will go with Remus as Wormtail to scout any areas we can't physically get to starting with the Hufflepuff and Slytherin houses, then onto the lower half of the castle. Sirius and I will cover the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers and the upper half"

He paused, briefly gauging the reaction of his friends. James genuinely had felt it best to separate the group to cover more ground, but he was more concerned that any inner group tension may affect their performance as a team tonight. Continuing on, James pulled out two tweed jackets and a monocle from a bag he had charmed to hold an assortment of goods for tonight. "Sirius and I tonight will be making a début as two of Hogwarts newest, and might I say devilishly handsome Professors", he exclaimed, and couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Remus, sorry chum but you already dress like one...", he added, chuckling again slightly and giving his friend a quick squeeze by way of an apology.

Slinging on his jacket and monocle, James posed briefly. "How do I look?," he asked, trying to keep a straight face.

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messr_moony
2012-06-24 10:09 pm UTC (link)

He looked ridiculous, and Remus wasn't amused. In any other situation, he would've retorted back with a witty comeback and made some sort of remark about how James and Sirius dressed, but instead he was just quiet. They weren't taking this whole ordeal seriously enough. Didn't they understand that Dumbledore had entrusted them with this highly important matter? He'd given them this assignment because he knew they knew the castle better than anyone else in the Order, but not because they were pranksters who could pull off a good trick without anyone seeing them. This wasn't a prank, it was a mission, and James was playing dress-up?

Remus touched the bridge of his nose to suppress the incoming headache that was looming over him and threatening to latch onto his nerves. He didn't want to think about the potential consequences, but he wasn't too worried about it. They were breaking into Hogwarts; Dumbledore was the highest ranked official in the school, and he was the one sending them there. If they got caught, it wouldn't be Azkaban or anything like that. It'd just be embarrassing. He just sighed and shook his head, then moved away from James and leaned down to scoop up Wormtail. He placed the rat on his shoulder so they could cover ground faster until Pete would have to lead the way and make sure it was safe for Remus to follow. "How will we signal you if we find something, Professors?" He asked, looking between James and Sirius expectantly. He was usually the one with the answers, but since they were running this show, he wanted to hear what they had in mind.

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messrpadfoot
2012-06-26 06:27 pm UTC (link)

Sirius was more than glad to go along with James. When his best mate pulled out the necessary items for the evening, his grin was unmatched.

"Right-o my good chap!" he said with an exaggerated, nasally accent. He busied himself with his own get-up and then gave James a once-over. "You look stupendous my fair colleague," he quipped towards James, raising a brow sceptically, "but clearly I look more convincing."

Remus's obviously unhappy air was working to bring him down from his amused high, though, and he really needed to just get away to forget about everything that had been happening. The mission itself was simply a side note for him, Sirius being naturally more concerned with making himself feel better. If things hadn't been so rocky lately, he might've given more of a toss. The Order did actually matter to him, as did its mission, but he couldn't get past the frustrations of late. It showed in the way that he tried just a little too hard to be jovial.

With a slap to Remus's free shoulder, he looked between him and James, and then squinted at Peter. "Well, James's brilliant plan aside, what if we use the mirrors?" He fished in his pockets and pulled out his half, holding it out for Remus to take at his leisure. "So we do our thing, you do yours, and we'll all convene whenever the hell we think we're done, yeah?"

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