Barking Mad (Sirius/OC)

The trail we blaze

Guess who got a new laptop? (Hint: IT'S MEEEEE) Thank you for being patient, doves. ♥

Chapter 51

Audacity whose résumés

Show that we are just the team

To live where others merely dream

Building up a head of steam

On the trail we blaze.

~The Trail We Blaze - The Road To El Dorado OST

I had actually been nervous to get back to Hogwarts. I knew the news that Sirius and I were together would spread like wildfire, and I wasn't sure if I was truly ready for everything that came with the gossip. Nor was I sure if I was prepared for this year in general.

Having friends did come with some advantages though. I didn't have to share a compartment with strangers, and one of the lads helped me get my luggage on the rack. It wasn't long before Lily joined us. She gave a heavy sigh when she saw that the only available spot was next to James. When I offered to switch though, she told me she wouldn't want to be a bother and sat down anyway with a loud huff.

I raised an eyebrow at her, but she merely shrugged in response. As if she herself wasn't exactly clear on what her behaviour meant.

What did that Muggle book say that she had me read?

Curiouser and curiouser!

"You wanna join in, love?" Sirius asked me. They'd been playing a loud game of Exploding Snap.

I stared at the trunk they used as a temporary table and shook my head. "I don't really know the Bavarian version," I said with a frown.

"It's really not that hard," James offered. "You deal the cards in a circle, like so." He started dealing the cards at a rapid pace. He showed me a card that was already part of the circle. "Doubles go in the centre."

"You still have to tap the doubles, right?"

Sirius, who had been whispering something to Peter, looked up and gave me a confirmative nod.

"Yup," James said as well, "or the cards will explode."

"Such a brutal game," Lily said.

"I thought you loved Exploding Snap?" I asked confusedly.

Lily's eyes twinkled as she gave me a big fat wink. "Oh, I do. Sev-" she stopped and gave the Marauders an unsure look. She sighed deeply, and I turned to study the Marauders whose attention she'd immediately caught.

"You played Exploding Snap with Snivellus?" Sirius asked.

I bit my lip and shot him a warning look, which he ignored.

"Well, Black," Lily said icily, "isn't that what you're doing right now? Playing a game with your friends?"

Sirius opened his mouth to say something absolutely maddening, I was sure, but James interrupted him.

"She's right, Padfoot," he said, shrugging. "What does it matter if they played Exploding Snap together?"

Sirius gave his friend a funny look, but didn't say another word on the matter. I grabbed his hand and gave it a little squeeze. I was no fan of Snape either, I thought he was extremely creepy and obsessive when it came to Lily, but it was time the boys grew out of their bullying ways. They would graduate soon after all! It was time for us all to mature.