Author’s Note: Okay you guys, I get the point, you all hate Hector. But you know what’s absolutely brilliant? In the beginning I agreed with you all. But now every time someone tells me how much they loathe, despise, and abhor Hector, I grow fonder of him (btw as_the_7thmonth_dies, his eyes {and to clarify, only his eyes} belong to an old crush of mine, and they are very nice!). I am actually quite pleased with and proud of him. Now before you hurl a torrent of abuse at me for this statement, let me explain: Hector is, by far, the character who is most obedient to me. By which I mean he does exactly what I want him to. I am extremely proud of this. So you may all hate him “ in fact, I encourage you to “ but I will always find him one of my favorite characters. Peace out. ~ Trinsy
Snow was still swirling around the castle, sending icy drafts down certain corridors. These chills were nothing, however, to the morose coldness with which the Marauders, Lily, and Jocelyn now regarded each other.
Valentine’s day had come and gone, and as it had been a rather grim holiday, even for James and Lily, all six were quite glad it was past.
The Marauders’ illegal sprees into Hogsmeade were now things of the past. James wanted to spend his weekends with Lily, and Sirius was always in London. In fact, the only weekend Sirius had not spent in London had been when there was a full moon, and he had stayed behind purely out of loyalty to Remus.
Jocelyn hadn’t spoken to Sirius since the last day of the holidays, but she rarely spoke to any of them now. When both James and Remus had attempted to express concern for her, she had deflected them coldly.
“What Sirius does with his time and money is his business,” she told them, though she was unable to keep a note of bitterness out of her voice. “I honestly couldn’t care less.”
“We don’t care what you think about Sirius,” said James in frustration.
“We just want to make sure you’re all right,” Remus explained gently.
“I’m fine,” Jocelyn insisted. “Now I’ve got to go to the library. I’ll see you both at dinner.”
They had not seen her until lessons the next morning, and since then she had become even more distant than before.
“I don’t know what you expected,” snapped Lily, when they told her about their encounter. “Jocelyn’s about as talkative nowadays as flobberworm. Pass me that rune dictionary, would you, Remus?”
Remus handed it to her, looking grim.
“Padfoot is really crossing the line,” he muttered to James as they readied for bed that night. Sirius had left for London that afternoon, as it was Friday; Peter was already asleep.
“I know, mate,” James sighed, looking just as grim as his friend. “But I’ve been trying to talk to him for weeks, and it’s just no use. The only way to get him to stop hunting Bellatrix is to kill him.”
“And yet, somehow, I don’t think that would make Jocelyn go back to normal,” noted Remus, the corners of his lips twitching in spite of himself.
“Probably not,” agreed James, who was obviously not amused. “If I wasn’t so afraid of “” he broke off, looking awkward.
“Of reliving October,” Remus finished shrewdly.
James nodded. He didn’t think he could bear not being able to talk to Sirius again.
“No, I don’t want to either, Prongs,” Remus sighed. “Not that this is much better,” he added bitterly.
James sat heavily on his bed and buried his face in his hands. When he finally lifted his head again, he looked, if possible, grimmer than before, but also oddly determined.
“We haven’t tried reasoning with her yet,” he said slowly.
Remus frowned.
“Sorry?”
“I said we haven’t tried reasoning with Jocelyn,” James repeated.
“What d’you call what we just did last night?” Remus demanded.
“Oh, that!” said James scornfully. “That wasn’t reasoning, that was “ that was prying!”
Remus actually laughed.
“Prying?” he snorted.
“Shut up and hear me out!” snapped James. “I’m talking about reasoning, trying to “”
“Trying to get her to stop hanging around with Freemonte,” finished Remus, becoming sober again. “Yeah, good luck with that, Prongs!”
But James was so determined to try the next time he got an opportunity that nothing Remus said could dissuade him. However, an opportunity did not present itself for several weeks, and James had nearly forgotten his resolution about a month later, as he, Lily, Remus, Peter, and, miraculously, Sirius and Jocelyn, all sat together in the common room, working on homework.
“Er “ Hogsmeade is this weekend.” Lily hesitantly broke the silence.
Remus’s head jerked up. He looked wary.
“How “ how nice,” commented James, trying to keep his voice light, so as not to betray how uncomfortable Lily’s statement made him. He wondered why she had brought it up.
“I suppose you two will go together,” said Remus, trying not to sound awkward, and failing miserably.
“Suppose so,” agreed James, still feeling uncomfortable.
“Lovely. It’s settled then,” smiled Lily.
James breathed a silent sigh of relief.
But Lily had spoken too soon. Remus was looking between Sirius and Jocelyn, who had both been staring determinedly at their homework throughout the entire conversation.
“I suppose the rest of us will go together, then,” he said slowly, giving Sirius a piercing look.
There was a very pregnant pause while everyone looked at Sirius, and Sirius avoided all of their eyes.
“I’m going up to London this weekend,” he said finally, speaking to his Potions essay instead of to them.
“And I can’t come with you either, Remus,” said Jocelyn immediately, and very brightly. “I’m going with Hector.”
Sirius’s hand clenched, but he said nothing. Lily grimaced, and Remus looked pained, but they also held their tongues. Everyone began to go back to their homework.
“I wish you wouldn’t go with Freemonte,” said James, very abruptly.
Everyone jumped. Jocelyn looked around at James, frowning.
“What’s it to you?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing.
“Well “ er,” said James awkwardly, waving under her gaze. “Well “ if you want to know the truth, I’m sick of Hector,” he said, very quickly.
“Sick of him?” Jocelyn repeated, sounding surprised.
Lily could have told James not say what he did next.
“Yes,” he said, more confidently. “You’re always hanging around him. It’s like you don’t even care about your old mates anymore.”
“What business is it of yours who I hang around?” Jocelyn demanded loudly.
Lily looked at James, silently willing him to let it go, but James wasn’t looking at her. He was staring incredulously at Jocelyn.
“I’m one of your best mates!” he pointed out. “And I think “!”
“I don’t care!” Jocelyn shouted, slamming shut her copy of Advanced Potion Making. “I don’t care!” she repeated, standing up and advancing toward him. She looked almost wild.
A flicker of fear appeared in James’s eyes as she advanced on him, but he did not move or look away from her.
“I don’t care what you think!” Jocelyn bellowed, and now she definitely looked animalistic. “I don’t give a damn what you think! Or Lily, or Remus, or Peter!” she added, looking around at each of them as she said their names.
For a moment she looked at all of them, her eyes blazing, and they stared back, silent and fearful. Then,
“You forgot Sirius,” Peter reminded her.
Jocelyn turned to Peter, who cowered, but the emotion in her eyes was not anger, but rather something he could not read. She looked at him for a long moment, and then her eyes moved to Sirius, who looked up at her. For the first time since the last day of the holidays, their eyes locked.
“No,” she whispered, staring into his eyes, “I didn’t.”
Sirius simply stared at her. Finally she nodded very slowly and, without a word, turned on her heel and disappeared up the staircase of the girls’ dormitory. Everyone stared after her, everyone except Remus, who had been staring fixedly at Sirius throughout the entire scene. As Sirius’s eyes returned to his homework, Remus distinctly saw a tear slip down his cheek and drop silently onto the parchment.