The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Borrowed Without Permission

Borrowed Without Permission

Sirius Black was dressed head-to-toe in black. He'd smeared dirt under his eyes across the tops of his cheekbones. James sighed, standing beside him in his regular clothes as Sirius crouched and crawled his way up the stoop to the door. He drew his pocket knife from his pocket and slipped it into the keyhole on the door.

"This is a terrible idea," James whispered.

"We need transportation," Sirius whispered back, fiddling with the knife.

"There's the knight bus."

"Shhh." Sirius turned the knife just so and there was the click of the locks and he grinned and pulled the knife out, folding the attachment back in. The knife slipped into his pocket once more and he put his fist 'round he knob. "The knight bus won't do," he said lowly, "The knight bus is too loud and far too noticeable. If someone were to follow us going to get Moons, they could follow the knight bus a lot easier than they'll do if it's just you and I on the motorbike." He carefully turned the knob, holding his fingers tight 'round it to keep it from creaking.

Ace Dante's house was dark.

"But this is stealing," James hissed.

"It's borrowing," Sirius breathed. "We'll return it and he'll never know it was gone." He slid through the door, just inside. Ace Dante's leather jacket was hanging on a hook there. Sirius reached for the jacket - cringing as the leather squeaked with movement - and felt for the pockets until he found the keys to the motorbike... It seemed too easy. "Got'em. See, look - it's like he planned this. See how easy they were to find?" Sirius backed out of the house, closing the door gently and took out his wand, aiming it at the handle, "Colloportus," he announced and he locks clicked together once more.

James's palms were sweating as the two boys ran across the yard to the cranberry red motorbike. Sirius tilted it up carefully, clutching the handlebars and kicked the stand up. "Help me roll it out to the street," he whispered, "We can't start it 'til we get away from the house a bit, he'll hear it and wake up and then we'll be caught stealing his bike."

"Borrowing," James reminded him.

"Yeah - borrowing," Sirius nodded.

"Why is it that I'm always helping you borrow motorbikes?" James asked as he and Sirius pushed it down the driveway, onto the street, and away from Ace Dante's house. The moonlight was bright - if anyone looked out, they'd see them there, all painted silver in the moon -- red handed.

Sirius scoffed, "Always?" he asked," James, this is only the second time we've sto -- borrowed -- a motorbike."

"Only!" James scoffed right back, "Stealing a motorbike is far from an only, mate."

"Borrowing," Sirius repeated.

"Yes, borrowing without permission," James said.

They were 'round the bend in the road and Sirius reckoned that was far enough away that the engine starting wouldn't rouse the whole neighborhood, so he drew out his wand and held it in his teeth as he climbed aboard the motorbike. "What're you planning to do with that?" James asked warily as Sirius shuffled himself about, getting comfortable on the leather seat. Instinctively, James also grappled at his pockets to be sure he'd remembered his wand when they'd left. Amazingly enough, he had. He felt sort of proud of himself. He was getting better at remembering it.

"How else do you reckon we'll make it fly?" Sirius asked, shoving the wand over his ear so it was tangled up in a mess of his perfect mane, "It hasn't been modified, so we'll need to levitate it in order to fly."