The Marauders: Year Four

A Way to Explain

A Way to Explain

"Where have you been?" Lily demanded when the three Marauders showed back up in the Great Hall that evening at dinner. She was glowering right at James as she asked, as though it were his fault that all three of them had been missing. "And why are there leaves stuck up in your hair?" she quickly plucked bits of leaf and twig out of his messy hair.

Across the table, Remus and Peter both reached up to feel for leaves and twigs in their own hair.

James smiled, "Evans, I was off becoming a revolutionary. We had a rendezvous with a very important source and we had to go and find out everything he knew - a leak of information for the Resistance, you see. We're fixing on becoming members."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Why can't you ever just tell me the truth about things when you lot go off disappearing?"

"I do tell you the truth, Evans, it's not my fault that you don't believe it," James said with a shrug.

Lily sighed. "Remus...?"

"Sorry, Lily, he's right," Remus replied, shrugging.

"Yeah," Peter said, "We're rebels, the lot of us, you can't expect us to stay about the castle, twiddling our thumbs while there's adventure and battles to be had and won!"

"Next time, maybe you join us, and you can see yourself what a bunch of bloody heroes we are." He winked and his lip caught up on his tooth.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Well McGonagall is right angry with the lot of you. You missed a load of really important topics in all our classes! Seems if you were working for the Resistance that perhaps McGonagall would've known about it, yeah?"

"McGonagall is on a need-to-know basis," answered James, "As are you. And I'm sorry love, but with that attitude and eye-rolling you're doing, I don't think that you need to know anything more abot what we were doing. Good day." He turned back to his dinner, shovelling pot roast into his mouth with a smirking grin.

Lily crossed her arms. "And does Maryrose know you're calling me love?"

"I'm sure she'd find it quite funny. I can wave her over if you'd like to ask her?" James replied.

"It just doesn't seem appropriate for somebody with an attachment to be calling another girl Love."

"It's just a nickname," James replied, "Old habits die hard, sorry. I'll try to refrain myself in the future. Since you're so concerned for Maryrose."

Lily rolled her eyes and turned away.

Remus stared after her, and when she was out of ear shot, he said, "Blimey. That -- was sort of harsh."

James shrugged, "I'm just tired of hanging about waiting for Evans. She's not interested in me, she made that bleeding clear, and I can't go on worshipping her as I have for the past four years. I need to pull myself together. I have a wonderful girlfriend, who I fancy very much, and I can't be fawning over Evans..."

"Fawning," mumbled Peter. "He says he can't be fawning over Evans."

Remus snorted so hard that he started choking on a piece of carrot and Peter had to slam his fist into his back to help clear the airwaves as James chewed thoughtfully, not really reacting to the pun, but staring off into space, like he was thinking. "Bloody hell," whimpered Remus, struggling to regain his breath. "That was funny."

James suddenly turned to look at them, "What if You Know Who is trying to force another election, too?"

"I thought we decided that wasn't his style?" Remus asked.