The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

I'll Fly His Pelt Like a Flag

"Jes up this a'way, Garm, not more 'n a few steps," Frek guided Garm Tyr down the corridor to the Defense classroom, intent on getting to Garm's quarters. Garm leaned on Frek and his cane, feeling the pain of every step all the way up in his hips. They turned the corner at last and found, standing outside the door of the classroom, Sirius Black. "Wott're you doin' up here?" Frek demanded of Sirius, suspiciously. 

Sirius held up the confetti popper he'd just detached from over Garm Tyr's office door. "Undoing a trick I'd done earlier," he confessed.

Frek opened his mouth to snap at Sirius, but Garm held up his hand, "So you're the one," he said quietly, his voice unsteady, "Who is responsible for all of the confetti on everyone down there."

Sirius nodded, "Yeah. But I reckon you've been through enough, sir, and I didn't fancy adding on to it."

Garm chuckled quietly, and winced when a pain went up from his ribs at the motion of the laughter. He kept his eyes shut longer than he really needed, then slowly opened them to study Sirius for a long moment. "What're you supposed to be dressed up as, then?" Sirius's pointed ears, attached by a plastic headband that went over his skull, reminded Garm of the ones that must spring forth from his own head once a month these days...

Sirius replied, "A dog, sir. A dog named Snuffles."

Garm nodded slowly. "Ah, I see." He nodded to Frek, who rushed around Sirius and unlocked the DADA door. "Well... thank you for disarming the confetti," he murmured, "I'm not one for glitter and sparkles, myself..." And Garm began his slow shuffle toward the office.

Sirius nodded, holding onto the confetti canon and keeping his eyes down so he didn't stare at the way Garm walked past him slowly and agonizingly. Then Sirius turned around. "What happened to you?" he asked. "You look like something bit you pretty deep."

Frek was bracing Garm again as he came to a stop to look back at Sirius. "You know bloody well what happened to me," Garm murmured, "Don't act like you don't."

Sirius hesitated. Then, "Was it Greyback?"

Frek's eyes were wide, he stared between Garm and Sirius, a panicked expression on his face.

Garm's fingers went to the fang on the necklace. Sirius caught the motion. "Did you kill him?" he breathed.

Garm shook his head, "Not yet," he murmured, "But I will. And I'll fly his pelt like a flag from the spires of Fallengunder." With that, he shuffled through the door and into the office. Frek stood there a moment, his eyes connecting with Sirius's meaningfully, then ducking in after Garm quickly.

Sirius's mouth had gone quite dry. He stood a moment, holding the confetti canon, and then suddenly broke into a dashing run, his ears falling off and tumbling to the floor behind him as he raced from the Defense corridor up the moving staircases. "Quaffle!" He yelled to the Fat Lady, and he scrambled through the portrait hole as she complained she'd need to set a new password, as he'd gone announcing their current one to the world. Sirius fell on the steps going up to the dormitory, tripping an nearly knocking over a first year. He broke the confetti canon and it busted a whole load of confetti into the air, a great shower of teal that puffed around him.

There was shouting behind him as he went on up the stairs, and, expecting  it was about the mess of glitter and confetti that he'd just made, Sirius ignored it, too focused on his destination upstairs to even really listen to what was being said, nor whom was saying it... And so it was that, covered in teal glitter that stuck to the sweat of his brow and panting loudly, Sirius practically fell through the door of the Marauder's dormitory...

And right onto James Potter's bed...

...which was occupied

....by James Potter and Lily Evans.