InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Are you my Mummy?"

Lily Potter (doed) wrote in the_recruitment,
@ 2012-02-13 19:28:00

Entry tags:

! 02/1977, ! complete, ! thread, char: james potter, char: lily evans, char: remus lupin, char: severus snape, char: sirius black

Who: Lily & the Marauders
What: The Confrontation
When: The morning after the dance
Where: Gryffindor Common Room
Rating: PG-13ish for minor shouts and fighting
Status: Incomplete

The night had started out wonderfully, a lot better than Lily had thought. James had been a complete gentleman the whole night and she found that she really enjoyed his company. He was a little too dotting on her, as it was hard to see her other friends or even Severus for that matter. She had been hoping to have a dance with her old mate, especially after everything that had happened, but she found herself lucky enough to just have a conversation with him. Still, she was able to slip out to use the loo after the younger students were escorted out, but when she came back, everything had fallen apart.

She had found Remus on the floor and heard what had happened with Sirius. It was hard to believe, but you only had to take one look at Remus' face to know he hadn't made any of it up. She had tried to cheer him up, but the wound was too deep. He had left her back at the dance and she knew she had to tell James. She had made the mistake of doing it in the Great Hall.

She had never seen James so upset or fired up. He had to be dragged out of the dance, everyone looking at him. Lily hurried after, only to find him sprinting down the hallway. That was when she finally lost the heels. She ran after him, trying to get him to stop. He must not have heard her, or wanted to, because it was ten minutes later when she was finally able to catch up with him. She had placed her hands on the side of his face to make him look at her and tell him that it was futile to look for Sirius and Malfoy; Remus was the one who needed him now. She had walked back with him to the common room and watched as he walked up to their dormitory. She could only hope things would be alright.

The next morning seemed normal enough. She had gotten up early to go for a run and come back to sit in front of the fire. She felt exhausted, but in the good way. She leaned her head back on the couch, closing her eyes and feeling the warmth of the fire on her body. The events from last night still swirled around in her head and she turned to look up at the staircase leading tot he boys dorms. How were they doing this morning?

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prongsed
2012-02-14 04:24 am UTC (link)

It had been an awful night in the long run, overshadowing the pleasant bits where he actually enjoyed himself in Lily's company. He'd had a great time for the first half of the dance, trying to teach Lily more classical moves until Sirius had cut in with his usual exuberance and taken Lily away for a bit. James didn't think he'd laughed that much, or enjoyed himself as much as he had that night. At least, not in a long time. Great times were always had in the Marauder group, but to have Lily be a part of it just made everything that much better.

Until Lily went off to the loo and returned after quite a long while. He'd been dubious about the expression on her face, and after recounting what she knew about Remus, James lost it. He had never felt so angry in his life. The Whomping Willow Incident was nothing compared to Sirius going off with Malfoy. It was inconceivable, and completely selfish, self-centred, and ridiculous. He'd just gone and hurt Remus for a second time with his actions and this time, James just couldn't stand it. Professor McGonagall had to sternly escort him out of the ball, and no matter how she tried to calm him down, he was having none of it. She looked genuinely reluctant to take the 20 points from Gryffindor, and even tried to get James to talk, but he just stormed off through the castle in a futile attempt to find Sirius and Malfoy. He was seeing red and there was no stopping him.

When Lily had finally caught up to him, something in him calmed at seeing her, feeling her touch, and he tried to listen to what she said. It sank in that he should be attending to Remus, who'd been hurt irrevocably, and right then, he'd felt like the biggest arse in Hogwarts. Without any further delay, he'd run up to Gryffindor Tower with Lily and made his apologies as he went searching for Remus. As he'd hoped, the poor sod was in their room, looking so sad and broken. James's heart ached for him, and after they'd had a talk, he was finally able to get to bed.

That next morning was not one he looked forward to. He went through his morning preparations in a blur, looking worse for wear and scruffier than usual. As he trudged down to the common room, he saw Lily's sweet and welcoming presence on the sofa, so tempting with her calm aura, that he sat down next to her and groaned unintelligibly, leaning his head against her shoulder.

"I think I'm skiving off of classes all day. Today just blows bollocks," he'd muttered, completely exhausted.

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_withoutacause
2012-02-14 04:49 am UTC (link)

Sirius hurt. It was the only thing that registered for a while. He was lying on something hard, and cold, and every bit of him ached like he'd been beaten. There was throbbing pain in his arse, and something deep inside of him felt broken. He groaned, trying to curl into himself, but the pain spiked and he sobbed.

He lay that way for what seemed like years, not daring to move, before he slowly opened his eyes. The light nearly blinded him and he snapped them closed again, whimpering in pain.

Fuck, what happened to me? If this is a hangover I must have drunk an entire moats worth of firewhiskey.

He struggled to sit, trying to figure out where the Hell he was, and dredge up something from the night before...

Blonde hair, white teeth, pain and terror, and something else, someone bending over him, someone with dark eyes...

Sirius shuddered, shaking his head to dispel the image. Nightmares. Had to be nightmares.

"Fuck," he rubbed a shaking hand across his face. "I have never been this drunk before." He used the wall the lever himself to his feet. He stood, hunched over with arms wrapped around his middle, just breathing for a few moments. Finally, with a half sob half sigh, he pushed himself off the wall and began staggering down the cooridor.

It didn't take him long to figure out that he was in the hallway outside the Room of Requirement.

"Shit, how did I get here..."

He kept one arm wrapped around his middle, trying to soothe the painful ache the seemed to be coming from his pelvis, and made his halting way back to Gryffindor Tower.

He had never been so happy to see the Fat Lady in his life, and he whispered the password with barely hidden relief. He just wanted to crawl into his bed and...

A large, feather bed. Being shoved back, someone kissing along his stomach, Remus' hazel eyes and then the feeling of being trapped...

He leaned heavilly against the wall and took several deep breaths before pushing his way into the common room. James and Lily were already there, and he gave them a tight, pained smile.

"Morning."

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doed
2012-02-14 04:56 am UTC (link)

Lily wasn't too surprised when James came in and sat next to her, his head immediately going to her shoulder. She didn't push him away like she would have before, instead snapping out of her reverie and putting an arm around him, rubbing his shoulder. "Last night went that badly?" she asked. She knew James would be gentle with Remus, he had gotten most of his anger out running through the hallways. Or so she had thought.

Her eyes snapped over as the portrait opened and she wished James had stayed up in the room just a little while longer. She wasn't really prepared for this confrontation and...wait, something was wrong. She looked at Sirius and frowned. She knew what a hang over looked like, but Sirius looked like he had been hit by a train. Her hand squeezed James shoulder, almost trying to hold him where he was. Whatever had happened to Sirius, she knew he couldn't take much if James went off on him.

"Sirius, dear Merlin, are you alright?" She would have gotten up to help him sit down if she wasn't trying to hold James back. Not that that would last for long. "What happened to you?"

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prongsed
2012-02-14 05:11 am UTC (link)

As soon as he saw him, and heard his voice, his eyes narrowed and he felt something within him break again, just as it had last night. After the talk with Remus, he couldn't handle seeing Sirius's face. The other boy's awful state didn't register in his mind as he strained against Lily. James had enough sense not to try to launch out and risk hurting her arm, but he started to shake with anger and gritted his teeth to try and clamp down the outpouring.

"Morning...? MORNING?" There it went. He pried Lily's arm off of his shoulder and slowly rose from the sofa, letting himself breathe before he went off. He really was trying to remain calm.

"I think we know what happened," he snapped at Lily, not intending to get so arsey with her but being unable to control his anger. "You had a marvellous bloody time, did you?" Throughout the entire cold speech, he'd inched closer to Sirius, fire in his eyes. And when he got close enough to toss a hex, he was undone.

"Too engrossed in that SODDING GIT to bother coming back earlier, WEREN'T YOU? LEAVING REMUS LIKE THAT?!" His voice rose to a shout as he felt his heart racing. The adrenaline was making him see double even with his glasses. If he could swing a punch, if he were closer, he'd nail Sirius to the floor with no remorse.

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	_withoutacause 2012-02-14 05:16 am UTC (link)
	Sirius watched, completely bewildered, as James began to scream at him. Git? Leaving Remus? What... "James," his voice was strangled and a little raw, like he'd been screaming. "I don't... What?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

prongsed
2012-02-14 05:29 am UTC (link)

"DON'T BLOODY 'JAMES' ME, YOU MASSIVE PRAT!" This was it. He was going to lose it completely and give in to the strong desire to hit Sirius. James freadily answered the urge, charging forward and grabbing Sirius by the front, pushing him into the wall and raising a fist to punch him. If this wasn't enough to undo their friendship, then he didn't know what else would be. He could only think about Remus and how sad and hurt he'd looked as he took a swing.

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doed
2012-02-14 05:34 am UTC (link)

Lily knew she wouldn't really be able to hold James back, but she sighed all the same as he pushed her away and walked towards Sirius. She stood up when she saw him get closer, worried that he might actually hit him. If he did that, she felt like that would knock Sirius out for good.

Her eyes grew wide as he yelled at Sirius and they turned to look at Sirius when he responded. He doesn't remember anything she thought. That was natural in a hang over, but she was almost certain he had more than just that.

As James began to yell louder she walked towards them and then it happened. Before she knew it, James had his friend pushed against the wall, his arm raised to hit him. "James, NO!" Lily rushed over, grabbing his arm with both of hers. "James, please, look at him! He's not well and he doesn't remember anything! Calm down, don't do this!" She could almost hang off of his arm without having it budge and she was close to doing just that. Instead, she kept her hand on his chest and moved around him so she was within his eyesight. She couldn't exactly step between the two, but she did the best she could. She hoped he wouldn't hit her, that his anger was blinded by that. It was a ruthless thing to do, but she knew Sirius wouldn't survive a hit James would throw his way.

"C'mon, sit down. Let Sirius at least explain himself. Remus would do the same for him, I'm sure of it."

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_withoutacause
2012-02-14 05:42 am UTC (link)

When James shoved him against the wall a blinding flash of pain tore through his body, emanating from his arse and spreading across his stomach and hips. His vision whited out, and the only thing that kept him from falling to the floor was the hand James still had gripped in his shirt.

When James let him go he slid down the wall, landing painfully and whimpering softly. He pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burrying his face in his knees and trying not to cry.

What the Bloody Hell did I do last night?

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thewolfen
2012-02-14 05:50 am UTC (link)

Remus had been trying to dress for classes when he heard what sounded like a violent scuffle coming from downstairs. He'd intended to go to classes that day, only because it was expected of him and it would hopefully prove to be a distraction from everything else going on. Filling his mind with information from text books seemed like a good way to push out all the other thoughts racing through his mind. However, when he recognized what he knew was James' voice shouting, he reacted instinctively.

He dropped his tie and ran out of the room, taking the steps a couple at a time to descend down into the common room. The sight nearly knocked the wind out of him, which was an unpleasantly familar feeling. He'd experienced something similar the night before But this... this was worse. His two best mates were fighting. Sirius was on the floor cowering, James was seething. And worse, Lily had thrown herself into the mix.

This was all his fault.

If he'd just stayed quiet about it, none of this would be happening. James and Sirius would be bounding down to breakfast, laughing while the former of the two tried to get Lily's attention. He'd ruined everything. Fighting back the prickling of tears threatening to spill, Remus sprang forward and grabbed James' other arm, then tried to pull him back. "James!" He said, his tone raised. "You can't do this. He's your best friend."

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prongsed
2012-02-14 06:06 am UTC (link)

The sudden shift back to reality occurred when he felt Lily's arms holding his fist back, which felt like it was overheating from the anger and disappointment and hurt, all bundled into a neat, raging parcel. But then her hand was on his chest and her face was in his sights and he couldn't help the sensation of calmness that overcame him. Merlin be damned, he couldn't resist Lily and he would never, ever hit her even if she came between them and used herself as a shield. The realisation of what he was about to do had him turning back to stare at Sirius and then let him go, not really caring as he slid down. Yet a small part of him pushed through the anger and he felt a pang of hurt at seeing his very best mate in such a sorry state. He started to let himself wonder what might have happened to Sirius for him to look so beat up and worn out.

James took a few steps back when Remus arrived, instinctively wanting to give them their space. No less feeling ashamed of himself for having let loose like that, either. He just looked at Lily with a pathetic expression before pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair, hoping to find some comfort after what had just almost happened.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, hoping that she wouldn't be too mad at him.

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doed
2012-02-14 06:17 am UTC (link)

Lily felt an instantaneous rush of relief when she heard Remus come down and help her pull James off of Sirius. She had felt him relax before and she saw realization come into his eyes. She had started to kneel down to check on Sirius, a hand brushing through his hair. "Sirius, are you alright?" she whispered. She looked up at Remus, a concerned look on her face. "I think he needs to lay down," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. She stood up and walked over to James, looking up at him. The anger and resentment that had been etched all over his face had receded and he just looked lost now.

She wrapped her arms around him, her hands rubbing his back. She was just relieved that he wasn't in such a stage of anger anymore. It was a little scary to see, but she knew it was in love of his other friend that he had been so forceful with Sirius. Still she wanted to know what had happened to their other friend on the floor.

"I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to," she said, pulling back to look at him. "I think there's more to Sirius' night then we can guess at. And he needs help." She moved out of his arms, but her arm still stayed on his back, wanting to help calm him even more. She looked over at Sirius on the floor, Remus standing in front of him. Remus will know what to do.

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thewolfen
2012-02-14 06:26 am UTC (link)

It wasn't supposed to be like this. He felt so incredibly guilty, so incredibly responsible for all of it. Sirius looked like hell, but it didn't surprise him. After what he'd witnessed between Sirius and Lucius Malfoy, it really came as no shock that Sirius would appear worse for wear. The thought made his stomach wrench, but it was what it was.

Sirius didn't owe him anything. He certainly didn't deserve to be punched.

He looked over at James and Lily, half embracing each other, then back down at Sirius. The shattered pieces of his heart hurt so much as he recalled what he'd seen the night before, but it hurt even more to see Sirius looking so broken and lost. He had to set his own pain aside. Sirius was more important.

"You need to get to bed, Padfoot," he said, resolving his tone and pushing back his sadness. He reached out and offered him his hand, praying his emotions wouldn't betray his facade of calm.

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	_withoutacause 2012-02-14 06:30 am UTC (link)
	Sirius looked up at Remus with haunted eyes, not taking the profered hand. "Remus," he whispered, "I don't, I don't remember. Not anything. I don't..." He closed his eyes and moaned, digging his fingers into his hair and closing his eyes. "Moony, what happened?" What did I do, was left unsaid, but hovered in the air between them. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)