FIC: Caught Red-Handed - Part One
This was originally posted to SBRL_GloveSmack
Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Caught Red-Handed
Part One
“What do you mean you love her?” James and Sirius demanded simultaneously. Peter shifted back slightly in the library chair, ready to bolt if either of the black-haired teenagers were to suddenly lunge at the teenager foolish enough to declare his affection for the lovely Miss Evans. An ominous rumble of thunder seemed well timed to emphasize the danger.
The foolish teenager, however, did not seem fazed by either the storm outside or by the potential one inside. He merely dropped his bookbag on the library table and took the nearest empty seat.
“She managed to get me out of probable detention, embarrassed Snape, and earned ten points for Gryffindor in one fell swoop. You should have been there; she was brilliant!”
“What did she-” James began to ask, but he was overridden by Sirius’s more insistent question.
“Are you going to ask her out then?”
Remus looked up from searching through his bookbag just as a flash of lightning cast the features of all four boys into sharp relief. James looked angry, Sirius looked worried, and Peter looked nervous.
“No, whatever gave you that idea?”
“You did just say, and I quote, ‘I love Lily Evans,’ didn’t you, Moony?” Sirius asked.
Remus laughed. “I also love chocolate and my favourite blue sweater, but I’m not planning on dating them either.”
“Maybe you should,” Sirius said. “The way your eyes rolled back in your head when you ate chocolate mousse tonight, I thought you were going to come right then and there.”
“Yes, well, it was chocolate mousse.” Remus licked his upper lip. “But that’s more of a meaningless sensual encounter rather than a meaningful relationship.”
* * * * *
Despite Remus’s protests to the contrary, James had been unable to shake his worry that Remus was interested in Lily. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in a girl as smart and pretty as Lily? And worrying him even more was the possibility that Lily might be interested in Remus. A year and a half of being Prefects together had given them ample opportunity to get to know each other, and James knew a friendship had begun. Lily considered Remus a friend; she considered James a troll. Remus definitely had the advantage in courting Miss Evans.
The more James had thought about it, the more he’d begun to wonder if Remus and Lily were secretly seeing each other. Since declaring, “I love Lily Evans” last week, Remus had been disappearing a lot lately-and taking the map with him. And two mornings ago, James had seen love bites on Remus’s neck and shoulder while he was getting dressed.
James had considered confronting Remus with his suspicions-and decided against it. He’d rather confront Remus with proof. Last evening, he’d brewed a Tangere Manifest Potion and then painted it onto Remus’s hands while he slept. The potion remained invisible for twenty-four hours and then glowed red: in the bottle, on Remus’s hands, and everywhere Remus had touched all day. Since James had finished brewing it at ten-thirty last night, it was due to turn red any moment.
Remus was nowhere to be found- “Typical,” James thought-but at least Lily was in the common room. From across the room, he watched her carefully, bracing himself to see the tell-tale red marks that would indicate Remus had touched her.
“And where is Padfoot?” James wondered as he looked around the common room for his other missing friend. Although he’d embarked on this extracurricular project alone, he did want Sirius with him to see the results. He could count on Sirius to be appropriately angry on James’s behalf if Lily were covered with handprints.
Red marks began to appear on the common room table, with most of them concentrated around where Remus had done his homework earlier in the evening. James looked up at Lily. Her back was to him, but a clear red handprint was on her shoulder. James frowned and slammed his textbook closed. He walked to the other side of the room. Partial and full handprints were scattered here and there: on the arm of a chair, on the fireplace mantel, on the paper airplanes that Remus and Sirius had been flying in formation earlier in the evening, on James’s own sleeve. People were starting to notice and point out the marks. One of Lily’s friends was calling her attention to the mark on her shoulder, but James could see now that it was the only red mark on Lily. An innocent touch.
“I probably owe Remus an apology,” James thought. “Or I could just blame Snape.”
As if on cue, he saw Remus making his way through the common room toward the boys’ staircase. Remus had his head bowed as if trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Red marks were scattered all over him: spots down the button placket of his shirt, smears on his jeans, a clear handprint on his cheek as if he’d been recently slapped-or merely rested his chin on a potion-painted hand. His hands were hidden. Remus had pulled his cuffs down over his hands, and then tucked his hands under folded arms for good measure. He escaped up the stairs largely unnoticed as his housemates were too busy discovering the other red marks all over the room.
A sudden wolf whistle and a shout of, “Look at Black!” indicated that Sirius’s arrival would not go as unremarked.
Another boy called out, “Who was she, Sirius? Friendly sort, wasn’t she?”
James turned to see Sirius making his way through the Common room toward the dormitory stairs. Red marks were everywhere: streaks of red in his hair, finger marks on his cheeks and throat, palm prints on his shirt and crotch, full handprints on his hips and arse. Sirius nodded, smiling in an embarrassed way, as he pushed through the crowd around him.
“I wanted proof-but I didn’t want proof of this,” James thought in shock. “On the other hand, I guess I really don’t have to worry about Remus with Lily, do I?” He smiled and sought out the redhead.
“Hello, Evans. Care to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?”
“It’s not a Hogsmeade weekend, Potter.”
“Never stopped me before.”
She rolled her eyes and headed for the girls’ staircase.
James shrugged and headed for the boys’ staircase. It was time to torture Sirius and Remus by noticing that the handprints on Sirius were a bit large to be a girl’s hands.
-November 2004
On to Caught Red-Handed - Part Two
Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Caught Red-Handed
Part One
“What do you mean you love her?” James and Sirius demanded simultaneously. Peter shifted back slightly in the library chair, ready to bolt if either of the black-haired teenagers were to suddenly lunge at the teenager foolish enough to declare his affection for the lovely Miss Evans. An ominous rumble of thunder seemed well timed to emphasize the danger.
The foolish teenager, however, did not seem fazed by either the storm outside or by the potential one inside. He merely dropped his bookbag on the library table and took the nearest empty seat.
“She managed to get me out of probable detention, embarrassed Snape, and earned ten points for Gryffindor in one fell swoop. You should have been there; she was brilliant!”
“What did she-” James began to ask, but he was overridden by Sirius’s more insistent question.
“Are you going to ask her out then?”
Remus looked up from searching through his bookbag just as a flash of lightning cast the features of all four boys into sharp relief. James looked angry, Sirius looked worried, and Peter looked nervous.
“No, whatever gave you that idea?”
“You did just say, and I quote, ‘I love Lily Evans,’ didn’t you, Moony?” Sirius asked.
Remus laughed. “I also love chocolate and my favourite blue sweater, but I’m not planning on dating them either.”
“Maybe you should,” Sirius said. “The way your eyes rolled back in your head when you ate chocolate mousse tonight, I thought you were going to come right then and there.”
“Yes, well, it was chocolate mousse.” Remus licked his upper lip. “But that’s more of a meaningless sensual encounter rather than a meaningful relationship.”
* * * * *
Despite Remus’s protests to the contrary, James had been unable to shake his worry that Remus was interested in Lily. After all, who wouldn’t be interested in a girl as smart and pretty as Lily? And worrying him even more was the possibility that Lily might be interested in Remus. A year and a half of being Prefects together had given them ample opportunity to get to know each other, and James knew a friendship had begun. Lily considered Remus a friend; she considered James a troll. Remus definitely had the advantage in courting Miss Evans.
The more James had thought about it, the more he’d begun to wonder if Remus and Lily were secretly seeing each other. Since declaring, “I love Lily Evans” last week, Remus had been disappearing a lot lately-and taking the map with him. And two mornings ago, James had seen love bites on Remus’s neck and shoulder while he was getting dressed.
James had considered confronting Remus with his suspicions-and decided against it. He’d rather confront Remus with proof. Last evening, he’d brewed a Tangere Manifest Potion and then painted it onto Remus’s hands while he slept. The potion remained invisible for twenty-four hours and then glowed red: in the bottle, on Remus’s hands, and everywhere Remus had touched all day. Since James had finished brewing it at ten-thirty last night, it was due to turn red any moment.
Remus was nowhere to be found- “Typical,” James thought-but at least Lily was in the common room. From across the room, he watched her carefully, bracing himself to see the tell-tale red marks that would indicate Remus had touched her.
“And where is Padfoot?” James wondered as he looked around the common room for his other missing friend. Although he’d embarked on this extracurricular project alone, he did want Sirius with him to see the results. He could count on Sirius to be appropriately angry on James’s behalf if Lily were covered with handprints.
Red marks began to appear on the common room table, with most of them concentrated around where Remus had done his homework earlier in the evening. James looked up at Lily. Her back was to him, but a clear red handprint was on her shoulder. James frowned and slammed his textbook closed. He walked to the other side of the room. Partial and full handprints were scattered here and there: on the arm of a chair, on the fireplace mantel, on the paper airplanes that Remus and Sirius had been flying in formation earlier in the evening, on James’s own sleeve. People were starting to notice and point out the marks. One of Lily’s friends was calling her attention to the mark on her shoulder, but James could see now that it was the only red mark on Lily. An innocent touch.
“I probably owe Remus an apology,” James thought. “Or I could just blame Snape.”
As if on cue, he saw Remus making his way through the common room toward the boys’ staircase. Remus had his head bowed as if trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Red marks were scattered all over him: spots down the button placket of his shirt, smears on his jeans, a clear handprint on his cheek as if he’d been recently slapped-or merely rested his chin on a potion-painted hand. His hands were hidden. Remus had pulled his cuffs down over his hands, and then tucked his hands under folded arms for good measure. He escaped up the stairs largely unnoticed as his housemates were too busy discovering the other red marks all over the room.
A sudden wolf whistle and a shout of, “Look at Black!” indicated that Sirius’s arrival would not go as unremarked.
Another boy called out, “Who was she, Sirius? Friendly sort, wasn’t she?”
James turned to see Sirius making his way through the Common room toward the dormitory stairs. Red marks were everywhere: streaks of red in his hair, finger marks on his cheeks and throat, palm prints on his shirt and crotch, full handprints on his hips and arse. Sirius nodded, smiling in an embarrassed way, as he pushed through the crowd around him.
“I wanted proof-but I didn’t want proof of this,” James thought in shock. “On the other hand, I guess I really don’t have to worry about Remus with Lily, do I?” He smiled and sought out the redhead.
“Hello, Evans. Care to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?”
“It’s not a Hogsmeade weekend, Potter.”
“Never stopped me before.”
She rolled her eyes and headed for the girls’ staircase.
James shrugged and headed for the boys’ staircase. It was time to torture Sirius and Remus by noticing that the handprints on Sirius were a bit large to be a girl’s hands.
-November 2004
On to Caught Red-Handed - Part Two