Oct. 1: Bonfire Hearts: 7th Year Gryffindors

[James Potter]

▶︎ People like us, we don't

Need that much just someone that starts

Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts

[same time as: on your side]

"You said you needed help - "

"With cleaning, James - "

"We've got this, Mary, we'll take care of this table, don't you worry about a thing, we've got it..."

Maybe it hadn't been the wisest choice to "take care of" the last of the punch and snacks with his mates as the party faded out, with how heavy his stomach felt and how much his head spun if he moved too quickly. But you wouldn't find James complaining about even one part of this day. His team had absolutely clobbered Hufflepuff in one of the shortest matches he'd ever been part of, proving already in this first match of the season that they were the team to beat. As if their swift success and stellar game-play weren't enough, their House had prepared for their victory party, ensuring that by the time he and the others arrived, it was in full swing. James expected nothing less, of course - he hadn't doubted that Mary would be keen as ever to organize these events, and gather the troops to make it so - just as he'd expected nothing less of his team. Having Mick and Rufus and the rest with him in the air, their newer recruits showing their worth, it was like nothing else to share these victories together...

The party itself had been full of welcome surprises - Remus chatting up Rufus's sister, for one - including Lily actually...staying for the party. He had to laugh, thinking of where they'd found each other after the first match last year, when he'd been intimidated by the target on his team and unable to get a straight answer out of her for why she was avoiding the party. As she'd continued to avoid them, and his questions, James assumed that that would, unfortunately, be that. He was rarely a fan of being proven wrong, especially by Evans, but couldn't have been happier for it tonight. She'd even taken him up on dancing, despite the combination of drink and nerves causing more blunders than he wanted to remember, and laughed with him at every one...

He'd gotten a bit of a reality check from his mate at the start of term, and was trying, truly, to just get to know the witch. To become better workmates and friends, to not argue as much - about the unimportant things, at least. To not let himself get lost to distraction and doodles of her name, as he had in years past. But with a night like this, when even as they were surrounded by friends and his emotions got the better of him with unasked for speeches to the House and his voice was fried and he desperately needed a shower, Lily still chose to spend time with him? James was flying high.

He traded his uniform for a towel, tossing the red-and-black garments in the laundry and tying the towel tightly around his hips, and smiled to himself at the chatter in the room surrounded him. It seemed like Rufus had had a night of his own, or otherwise hadn't noticed Charlotte's attention towards their roommate - or so James assumed, seeing as the five of them weren't at odds. He and the lads would have to make time soon to find out what that was all about, but for now, he wasn't about to disrupt their peaceful co-existence. Peter had to know what was going on, Daisy and Charlotte were joined at the hip when the couple wasn't together...

"Catching a shower, lads, don't let the place burn down," he said with a grin, but was shortly laughing as a glass was shoved his way, Sirius having "rescued" a half-empty bottle from the party stock. Well - he'd delayed it this long, and there was nothing going on in the morning, he wasn't tired yet - no harm in waiting a little longer...

[Remus Lupin]

“You really should have specified the cleaning part - I mean you’ve met James right?”

This had been a Quidditch victory party for the books and by far the best one he had ever attended. And he’d been at every single one, supporting his friends. But this year things were different for them all. Maybe it was just because it was their final year at school, but the atmosphere wasn’t the same, and that wasn’t a bad thing. James and Lily were getting along better since he and James had talked about the beginning of the year, and seeing them dancing together was rather endearing. Remus couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to the two of them than anyone knew, but there would be time for questioning that later. Now they were ambling up the stairs to their dorm, a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in one of his hands and someone’s almost empty beer bottle in the other.

The door to their dorm swung open and he followed his friends in, downing the last of the beer and leaving the bottle at the door. He did feel a tad guilty for not staying to help clean, and if Mary had been more insistent he knew he would still be down there with them. But he wanted to talk details because his night had taken an unsuspecting turn. It was not the first time that Daisy had tried to direct his attention toward her best friend, the girl that was strictly off limits seeing as he shared a dorm with her older brother. And it wasn’t that Remus wasn’t interested in talking to her, Charlotte was pretty and he knew she was smart. But tonight fate had apparently had plans for the two of them, and they’d ended up in a long conversation without Daisy or Rufus around. He knew there would be questions, and after having drinks as the night stretched on he had questions of his own. Like, why did he care what Rufus thought? Remus was a good guy, and he didn’t know where his feelings were at the moment but he did want to get a chance to talk to Charlotte again.

He also had a few other things on his mind, like how Dorcas had seemed off at the party, looking for someone that wasn’t there. Mick had snuck off and come back downtrodden, which surely meant something had happened wherever she had gone off to. There would be catching up to do with the girls on his own time, his friendships with them just as important as the friendships he had with the boys in his room. He dropped down onto the trunk at the end of his bed, unscrewing the cap off the whiskey and taking a swig before he passed it over to Peter. James was off to shower, until Sirius stopped him with a glass, and Remus smirked as he leaned back against one of the posts of his bed. “So dancing with Lily, anything we should know about that? And no - I don’t want to talk about you know what,” he said, as Rufus left them to go and shower. The conversation about Charlotte would have to wait until the four of them were alone.

[Peter Pettigrew]

“I’ll help you clean, like really clean.” Not just pal around drinking while you do all the work. That was the unspoken words that Peter kept to himself. Mary knew the reality of his mates helping ‘clean up’, he was sure after all these years together. But she declined the offer and Pete found himself being drawn from the common room and up to the dorms with the others. Thinking of the wondrous victory party they had all just attended. They seemed to get better and better and now in their last year, they were the best they had ever been. And this one, this victory bash? Well, Mary had really outdone herself! He and Daisy had danced and laughed, he had gotten to watch all of his friends doing the same with some unexpected partners to boot. The perfect end to this night would be to unwind and reflect with his mates. That was exactly what they were preparing to do, so therefore, this was a perfect night.

He smiled at that thought as he snagged the Firewhiskey bottle Remus abandoned at the door of their dorm and flopped onto his bed, toeing his trainers off and kicking them under his bed to the land of forgotten things. Daisy’s chap stick that slipped behind the headboard ages ago for instance. He smiled at that thought as well, acknowledging that, yes, he was drunk, probably very drunk. Definitely, inebriated and his thoughts were very random, like how James always seemed to find a way to be shirtless. He shook his head, waving Sirius off and turning to Remus as he spoke up.

“I feel like we should talk about ‘you know what’.” He sent their resident werewolf his own wolfish grin. As if he was getting out of it that easily! Daisy was as delicate as possible when it came to personal matters between friends and he had learned over the years it was best to not push his advantage. Daisy being cross with him was the worst thing imaginable. Besides, he had been with his own striking redhead all night was dying to know what they had been going on about. “But I will also accept beginning with you and Lily. Do tell Head Boy, do tell.” Not that they didn’t all know. They had all known for a long time now that James couldn’t shake Lily no matter how hard he tried. And Lily, she was a different story, but Peter always suspected that she didn’t hate James, only how much she liked him. Recently, things had begun to change between the two and the boys had always been privy to that. This, however, was on another level, tonight, they were…together. At least, that's how it looked.

[James Potter]

James was still laughing as Ruff headed to the shower, and he leaned back against the door to their dormitory with a beaming grin, Firewhisky sloshing in his glass. He and the lads would get the full story out of Remus, he was dead certain, but perhaps for tonight they'd have to content themselves with simply seeing their mate so happy. Perhaps. He shot a grin Peter's way as he confirmed that they would be discussing all new developments, and raised the glass to him at the seconding of Remus's request. Truly, James knew what he felt but didn't know what he could say without sounding like a complete fool - they'd never even come close to snogging, unless one counted heated banter - which he absolutely did - and the girl unquestionably held his heart. Maybe in the morning, when his head was clearer, he could explain it better. But they kept saying her name, and so she was there, as she'd been just minutes before. The flash of her grin as she met his eyes - uninhibited, excited, just a little nervous from time to time - so like his own. Her hair flew and she came in close to him as others pressed in, and she was still using that intoxicating mix of botanicals in the prefect's bath. She joked and laughed - kindly, joyous, in unsaid understanding - as he fumbled, forgiving his nerves and then some and giving him the freedom to do the same...

It was a night he hoped to live again and again, and for the first time in a good long while, James felt that that hope may not be unfounded.

"Lily never comes to these, and tonight, she did." He beamed and took a drink, head falling back to rest against the door. They'd been preoccupied in these first few weeks, to say the least, with learning to manage their duties, from keeping their friendships and maintaining their marks and juggling new responsibilities as Heads. And while they'd been figuring out how to work together in complement, there had been many a late night laugh shared in the prefect's lounge. But for her to not just show up, but to wholeheartedly attend an evening where neither of them had to be "on," where they could just enjoy each other's company and being where they were, surrounded by friends letting their hair down? Sunny days spent at the lake after exams were the closest he could compare to, and tonight had been a far cry from seeing who could play keep-away from the grindylows the longest. Tonight, Lily chose to celebrate, to not just spend time but dance with him, and he couldn't help but feel that these changes - however minute they may seem from the outside in - were telling of something much more.

"I'm just - I'm so glad she did. We haven't had fun like that in ages, and never here, like that. We've just said goodnight, and I can't wait to see her again. I've no idea what to do or say next, but I know that much." He'd dated before, he knew it shouldn't be so hard to ask her to the next Hogsmeade weekend, or the upcoming masquerade, or dinner - they could sneak to the Broomsticks or the elves could help him set something up in a forgotten part of the castle, or they could steal away to the Room of Requirement, if he could only ask - but he couldn't get it wrong with Lily. Again. Nevertheless, James turned the glass in his hands, letting out a happy huff of an exhale as he looked 'round the room. "Well - no, that's not all. I've no doubt she's getting grilled by the girls as we speak," he said with a knowing chuckle, hoping his friends in the other spiraling turret were feeling generous with their support. "She was having a good time, though. She wouldn't have stayed if she didn't want to, right? She looked happy to you too?"

[Remus Lupin]

Remus smirked at his friends, aware they weren’t going to let this go, but glad that they at least were willing to talk about something else first. He didn’t know what he wanted to tell them about the party, because he wasn’t sure there was really that much to tell. Yes, he’d spent a good portion of the night talking with Charlotte, but was that really that strange? Yes, yes it is. Rufus had made it clear years ago that he didn’t want any of them dating his younger sister, and it had been easy to agree because they hadn’t known her then. But Remus felt that since Daisy and Peter started dating, Charlotte had been around them sometimes. Yet he’d never really spoken to her until tonight, and he was still trying to process the things he was feeling.

Thankfully the conversation was about James and Lily, and Remus leaned back against the posts of his bed as he grinned at James, who looked like he’d won the lottery. “Not just any party, but a party celebrating you and your immense skills,” he teased. Remus was happy for James, especially given the fact that the two of them danced together. For a while. And it had seemed more than just friendly. He would have to question Lily about it all later, for James was right, the girls were probably talking about this night in their dorm as well. “James, she had fun. She wouldn’t have stayed if she wasn’t having fun.” Reaching across to Peter’s bed, hand extended for the bottle of firewhiskey, He took a long drink of it, ignoring the burn, and looked back to James, who was so incredibly giddy. “So you two, think you’re better friends now? Or something more?” Remus didn't know if Lily felt that way about James, but he did know that even if James had tried to smother his feelings for the redhead, it wasn't an easy task. Especially with them working so closely together this year.

[Sirius Black]

As far as parties went, this one had been aces. Mary had outdone herself, as usual, with the planning. The lads all seemed to get on like wildfire with their respective partners for the evening, no matter how spontaneous and surprising said partners turned out to be. And Sirius had found himself rounding out the festivities in a cloak cupboard with a pretty Ravenclaw girl. By the time he emerged from their infinitesimal spot of privacy, the party had died down with only a few stragglers left to help their slurring dormmates to bed or rid the space of evidence before irritated house elves reported them to their head of house for having alcohol in the tower. Not one to fret over repercussions from authority figures, but always there to lend a hand if needed, Sirius snatched up the remaining bottles of liquor from the refreshments table. “I’ll take care of these for you, doll,” he grinned at Mary, planting a kiss on the top off her head before taking the steps up to the boys' 7th year dormitory two at a time.

“Look what I rescued from going to the bin,” he announced as he pushed passed James in the doorway and shoved one of the bottles into his hands. “Told our fair Mary we’d dispose of these for her. Don’t make me a liar, Prongs.” He gave James a look that insinuated there was no escaping before they heard all the dirty details of what he and Evans had gotten up to after Sirius and the Ravenclaw disappeared. A second bottle found safe harbor on the table between Remus’ and Peter’s beds next to the ones they’d found for themselves, and the remaining two Sirius set on his own bedside table.

Sirius sat on the edge of his bed and removed his shoes as James prattled on about Evans, pondering aloud whether the bird had enjoyed herself tonight and what he should do next. “Prongs, it’s easy, mate.” He interjected, pulling his t-shirt off over his head as he spoke and tossing it on the floor next to a pile he’d worry about later. “You just walk up to Evans and say “I dig you. Wanna snog?” and then you kiss her, man.” It had usually worked for Sirius that way, but when it didn’t, he would just shrug and respond with a simple “whatever” and go on about his day. His friends really spent too much mental energy on these girls, which in truth was pretty impressive considering they still managed to get good marks in most their classes, complete their duties as Head Boy and prefect respectively, and participate in their various extracurricular activities. Brain power to spare, this lot had. He and Peter were the odds ones out with more free time than either James or Remus, and James especially seemed to be scheduling himself fairly thin this year. Hopefully a nudge to action would help his best mate stop spending so much time on the build up and just get on with things, giving him more time to spend on enjoying their last year of school together, the kings of Hogwarts.