The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

What'd it Mean?

What'd it Mean?

"Sirius."

It was two in the morning. Sirius was Sirius again, hanging half off Remus's bed. James was kneeling on the floor, his glasses smashed onto his face, staring into Sirius's face as he shook his shoulder as he balanced on the very edge of Rey's mattress. Sirius groaned.

"Sirius wake up, this is important."

"Whhhaaaaaattttt Potter? Bloody helllll."

"Evans called me James."

"What?" Sirius's eyes were only just barely opened as he peered beneath his eyelashes blearily at James's messy hair, which was currently all sticking up in one direction, like he was standing in a great wind and it all had done to the right in a great sweeping arch.

"She called me James," James said, "What do you reckon that means?"

"I reckon it means she knows your name," Sirius groaned and he pushed James's face away with his palm, "Go the fuck to sleep."

James swatted Sirius's palm off his face. "No, listen. In the hallway after you and Rey went to Dumbledore's office and Professors Prewett left, Lil and I were all alone and we were standin' there and she like apologized for being a prat to me and then she said my name. Like just my name. She as like --" and he used a high voice to imitate Evans's voice, "James, and I says, whatand she - she paused. Sirius, I think there was a pause. Bloody hell, there might've been a pause. Do you think there was a pause? What's it mean if she said my name...and then paused? Is that something? Do you reckon that means wsomething? What's it mean, Sirius?"

Sirius moaned, "It means I'm never going to sleep."

"Sirius," James hissed, "This is very important."

"So is sleeping."

"Sirius."

"James."

"See - yes, just like that. That's exactly what she said. What'd it mean for you just now to call me my name?"

"That I'm going to bloody murder you if I can just find my wand," Sirius said, grappling about.

James discreetly grabbed the wand off the nightstand and put it on the floor, safely out of Sirius's crank reach. "Sirius... I'm serious."

"No, I am."

"Even half asleep and cranky? You dog."

"You dope." He put special emphasis on the doe sounding part.

James chuckled, "That was a good one."

"I've been saving it for awhile now," Sirius confessed.

"Well it's brilliant. I'll pretend I haven't heard it yet should you choose to deliver it a second time in the Great Hall sometime before Moony and Wormtail so you can get optimal laughage from such a brilliant joke.""

"Thank you."

"But, for real, Sirius. Do you reckon Evans using my name means something? Or do you think she just... let it slip? I literally don't recall the last time she called me anything but Potter. Reckon it was early on in first year, but I dunno." James looked at Sirius hopefully.

Sirius asked, "If I say it means something, will you leave me alone?"

"Probably not," James admitted.

"And if I say it means nothing?"

"Sirius, I'm probably not going to leave you alone no matter what you say."