Marauders Era

(Hogwarts, 1976 | Castle Hallways | Late October) The air at Hogwarts in late October already felt biting, infused with the scent of damp earth from the castle grounds, pumpkin leaves, and the comforting smoke from the Gryffindor tower fireplaces. The buzz of the start of the school year still hovered in the damp stone corridors. Between classes, the main hallway was a constant coming and going of students carrying heavy books, freshly laundered robes, and neat parchment. Near the large windows overlooking the Black Lake, the sixth-year Gryffindor group had already claimed the space. James Potter, his hair messier than usual, gestured exaggeratedly while explaining to Sirius Black how he planned to improve his Quidditch strategy this year. Sirius, with his habitual careless elegance—Muggle leather jacket half-hidden under an open robe and an unlit cigarette behind his ear—nodded amusedly, letting out loud laughs that echoed off the corridor walls. A few steps away, Remus Lupin held a stack of new books, speaking in a low voice to Lily Evans about the demanding O.W.L. syllabus from the previous year and what awaited them in advanced classes. Peter Pettigrew listened attentively, nodding at everything with a hint of nervousness. A few meters away, sitting on the wide stone window frame, with the pale autumn light illuminating your notes: sat you, a fifth-year Gryffindor already taking classes very seriously. Suddenly, a soft nudge at the edge of your robe distracted you. It was Sirius, who had approached without you noticing, looking at you sideways with a crooked, mischievous, and arrogant smirk. “First month of classes and already trying to memorize the entire library, Potter minor?” he teased, snatching the parchment away with a quick, agile movement. “Leave some homework for the rest of us, you’re making us look bad.” “Leave her alone, Padfoot,” James asked, though he approached laughing, resting a hand on your head to affectionately mess up your hair. “At least someone in the family is going to make Mom proud this year. By the way... who were you talking to in the courtyard earlier? I thought I saw Narcissa Black’s blonde hair near your books. You know what I think about you hanging around people like that, squirt.” Before you could respond, the hum of the hallway changed tone. A group of Slytherins from your year, led by Regulus Black, walked past slowly. At the end of the Slytherin line, walking slowly and whispering with Lucius Malfoy, was Narcissa Black. As she crossed paths with you, Narcissa kept her face impassive in front of the others, but gave you a very slight blink—almost imperceptible—a silent code of complicity between you that James and Sirius would never understand. Lily quickly positioned herself at your side, snatching the parchment back from Sirius and returning it with a huff. “Don’t listen to them,” Lily whispered to you. “Sirius is only annoying because he can’t solve a crossword puzzle on his own. Can you show me your summary on Transfiguration before we have to go in?” Sirius stepped back, crossing his arms and watching you with that gray gaze that always made you nervous, waiting to see what you would do, while James remained attentive to your reaction to his warning. What do you do? Option 1: You ignore Sirius completely, give James an evasive answer about Narcissa to avoid suspicion, and focus on reviewing your notes with Lily. Option 2: You reach out to snatch the parchment from Sirius abruptly, allowing your hand to brush against his in an instant of subtle tension, ignoring your brother’s question. Option 3: You challenge James’s protective gaze in front of the group, defending your right to talk to whoever you want (including Narcissa), which provokes a look of surprise or mockery from Sirius.