A/N: Sorry for all these delays!! I haven’t even gotten to this yet because of homework, marching band events, boyfriend (didn’t see THAT coming) and knitting for said marching band events and/or boyfriend. So, very sorry and hope to update sooner next time. *.*
“Why are we doing this again?” Tonks groaned, heaving her bag a little farther up her shoulder.
“Because,” James said for the five thousandth time, “it’s Miriam’s birthday and Padfoot wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“But why do we have to come along too?”
“Because we got invited.”
“But why did we get invited?”
James shrugged. “You’re the bird here. Don’t ask me to fathom the workings of a girl’s mind.” She glared at him.
“Didn’t you just say that?”
“Didn’t you just ask?”
“You did just ask,” Peter said.
“I know I just asked,” Tonks said, adding a curse.
“You’ve been swearing a lot this summer,” observed Remus without turning around.
“I’m always swearing a lot. I think I must get it from my cousin’s side of the family.” Tonks stopped suddenly. “Hey, where is Sirius?”
“He’s, er, planning to come later,” Remus said.
“Why didn’t you tell us then?” Tonks said angrily.
“I don’t think he wanted you to interfere with his, hm...grand entrance.” She swore again and Remus sighed. “Stop it, would you?”
“Why?”
“Why are you being so bloody irritable today?” James asked. “And don’t just swear at me either. You already did that to Moony.” Tonks muttered something about “my mother says” and “Reigo”. Remus thought he also caught a rebellious, whispered curse. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now what’s Andie been shooting her mouth off about?”
“She says Reigo just likes me,” she said sulkily. “And then she went off into this long story about...oh, what was his name...”
“Paying attention, were we?” Remus said.
“Shut up. Paul somebody, I think.”
“It’s more common than you’d think”being mean to people you like, I mean,” Remus said.
“There’s always hope,” said James.
“What?”
“Lily,” he said with a little sigh.
“Oh...eurgh.”
“Am I to take it you don’t agree with Andie?” said Remus with a smile.
“Of course not! He’s so mean, and horrible, and- and- he’s a git!”
“Stop it, you’re scaring me,” James said.
“Why?”
“You sound like Evans now.”
“I do NOT!”
“Ever actually heard her?”
“I...no...but, I don’t! I just don’t.’
“You’re just afraid to ad-“
“Oh, look, we’re here,” Tonks said icily.
“Stop trying to change the subject!”
“We are here, Prongs,” Remus said.
“Oh...right.”
Once inside the gate, they were immediately set upon by Miriam.
“Where’s Siri?” she said worriedly after they were all in the garden.
“He’s, erm...” Remus began.
“Don’t tell me he isn’t coming!” Miriam said tearfully, lip atremble.
“He isn’t coming. I mean, he isn’t not coming. I mean, he-“
“I knew it!” she wailed. “He doesn’t love me anymore!”
“Sirius is just- well, he-“
“He’s breaking up with me, isn’t he, and he just doesn’t want to tell me! Is that right? Of course it is...” She trailed of into sobs, leaving Remus thoroughly confused and feeling quite out of control of the situation.
“I- oh, I can’t explain- Prongs, can’t you?”
James looked put- upon. “If you can’t do it, I can’t! ...Wormtail?”
“No!” Peter squeaked. All three boys looked at Tonks, who sighed and leaned against a neatly manicured bush.
“Look, Johnson. Your boyfriend is coming. He’s just planning to impress you with a grand entrance.” Miriam brightened up immediately and sniffed melodramatically.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Thanks, Dora. That’s really good to know.” She enveloped Tonks in a clearly well-intentioned but just as clearly unwanted hug, grinning; Tonks emerged gasping for air. Miriam led them through another gate into the pool area. Most of the guests who were already there were people they didn’t know, presumably Muggle friends. Unfortunately, they did recognize one person.
“You invited Reigo?” Tonks yelped.
“Oh, you’re friends with Dereck too?” said Miriam.
“Er- not really.”
“Oh, that’s alright- he’s such a lovely person. I’m sure you’ll get to like him!” Tonks threw a look at James that screamed, “Can we go home now?” He shook his head no. They gradually drifted away from Miriam and into a corner of the wooden fence, where Tonks threw herself down onto a paint- splotched pool chair.
“What, didn’t bring a bathing suit?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” she said with a sneer. “It’s under my clothes.” She lifted the hem of her shirt- ‘Stop staring at my chest’- to show a strip of sky-blue suit. “See?”
“I see, I see,” James said defensively. “You sure it’s just Reigo that’s ticking you off?”
“None of your friggin business.”
“She’s jealous of Miriam,” Remus said as he pulled off his shirt; Tonks spluttered and gasped.
“What- I- no!”
“And mad at Sirius.” Leaping up indignantly, she shoved him into the pool; he came up and spit out a stream of water unfazedly. “Am I right?”
She scowled and threw herself back down into the chair. “Let’s put it this way. Would I tell you if you were?”
Remus grinned. “Would you tell me if I wasn’t?”
“Stop finding holes in my logic!”
“Why?”
“Just- because!”
“Nope. Not a good reason.”
“You’re impossible!”
“Then why am I here?”
James pushed Tonks out of the chair and sat down in it himself, looking vaguely amused. “Stop flirting, you two.” Tonks made a sound of surprised indignation and pushed him right back out.
“And what would you mean by that?” she said angrily.
“Oh look, you’re blushing,” teased James.
“Am not!”
“Are too...”
She turned her head toward the fence, ignoring him. Suddenly, she looked up at the tree whose branches hung over the diving board. “Oh, surely not...”
“What?” asked Peter, looking up from inflating his floatie.
“Oh, you’ll see...oh, can I borrow that?” Tonks pointed to the faded, pink-and-orange, tiger-headed inner tube.
“Erm...I guess so.” Peter finished blowing it up, corked it, and handed it to her.
“Thanks.” Tonks took the floatie, then just stood there for a bit. After a few minutes, she walked over and held it over the diving board.
“What are you-“ James began, but he never finished. None other than Sirius Black leaped from the overhanging branches onto the diving board- and right through the floatie. Not noticing what he’d picked up, he bounced again and did a giant cannonball into the water, soaking many of the people clustered around the pool.
“Siri!” screamed Miriam, launching herself into position beside the edge. Gradually the water calmed and the floatie popped to the surface, accompanied by a few bubbles.
“Er...Prongs?” Peter said nervously.
“Yeah?”
“Erm...can Padfoot swim?”
“Oh Lord,” Remus said quietly.
As if on cue, Sirius broke the surface, eyes wide, spluttering for breath. Somehow his hands found the bobbing floatie; he clasped it to his chest and nearly went under again. Coughing and gasping, he doggy-paddled to the side and hauled himself up into Miriam’s arms, whereupon she began sobbing and scolding wildly. For her part, Tonks stuck out her tongue at James, tossed the floatie back to Peter, and shoved Remus’ head under the water as she made her way over to the other side of the pool.
“Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say,” James grumbled peevishly under his breath as Tonks perched herself delicately- no, coquettishly on a deck chair. “And- what the devil?” The cause of his comment was not the decidedly un-Tonks-like manner she was taking, but who she was taking it with.
“Tell me, tell me, tell me that’s not Reigo,” he pleaded to Remus.
“Er...yeah. That’s definitely Reigo.”
James just stared for a second, then turned back to him. “And...er...is she flirting with him?”
“Er...yeah. She’s definitely flirting with him.”
James stared at Remus now. “And...er...are you repeating everything I say?”
Remus just kept nodding dazedly. “Er...yeah. I’m definitely repeating everything you say.”
“Well, would you cut it out?” James turned back without waiting for an answer, and promptly did a double take. “Hey- they’re gone!”
“No, they’re over there- by the cake.” Sure enough, Tonks had led Reigo over to the table with the cake on it and both were laughing obnoxiously.
“She’s betrayed us,” Peter said solemnly.
“We must never speak of this,” James said.
“Agreed,” said Remus.
The three turned to each other and shook their heads sadly. “I guess this is it, mates,” James started to say, but he was interrupted by a splash and a scream from the other side of the pool. A very, it must be added, unmanly scream.
“What the- did you see that?” James said amazedly.
“No- what happened?”
“I dunno- I didn’t see it either.”
Peter pointed to one of Miriam’s giggling girlfriends. “Well, she’s got one of those, erm...vidyo thingies...”
“It’s a video camera,” Remus said. He opened his mouth as if to continue, then shut it and began chuckling to himself.
“What?”
“I think I know what happened...”
“Well?” Remus just pointed to where Reigo was floundering around in the deep end of the pool for all the world and a video camera to see, splashing about helplessly and screaming his head off. Leaning against the table, Tonks wore a self-satisfied smile.
“You don’t mean to say...”
“Mm-hm.”
Peter’s face took on an air of deepest awe, usually reserved for James. “Nooooo.”
“What did you expect? ...she is a Black, you know.”
“Of true Marauder stock,” James breathed.
Sirius turned around suddenly and looked at them. “What’s going on exactly?”
Remus looked at James. “You explain.”
“No, you explain.”
Remus smiled. “No...you explain.” He sank under the surface and disappeared from sight, emerging only when his breath was depleted and he was quite sure Sirius had stopped laughing.