HP Fic- Too Many Cooks 4/???
Nov. 26th, 2003 12:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarotgalHere's the next part... I'm half asleep and absolutely so in complete awe of Nermal's most recent LJ post that I'm not going to bother saying much more except enjoy and hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving! Gods... Obi... sneezey Qui... damn... MUCH too hot for words... anyway, yeah, I'm heading out of town later today but, as promised... here's part 4
Part 1- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/183693.html
Part 2- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/187366.html
Part 3- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/188816.html
Same ratings apply to part 4
Too Many Cooks...
Part 4: A Potion
James stumbled out of the fire, his chest seizing with coughs from the smoke. Doubled over in a fit, James managed to lift a fist to his mouth. Remus came up behind him, another arm around him to hold him steady, murmuring reassurances into James’ ear. Making a nod clearly visible amidst the coughs, James leaned wearily against Remus for support. Even with choking on ash and suit, it was easier to travel through the fireplace than it would have been on foot. His coughing paused for a moment to make room for a strong nose-clearing sneeze. “ahhh-CHUHSHHH!” The strength of the sneeze caught him off balance, and he might have fallen if Remus hadn’t been holding him tightly. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, clinging to Remus.
“Shhh!” hushed Peter, scurrying across the room and grabbing James’ arm to help support him. “We managed to get as many down to breakfast as we could, but we think there are still a few girls upstairs.” It was clear that Peter, who was oftentimes the lookout on their missions, had again been standing guard to allow them safe passage up to the Gryffindor common room without anyone noticing them springing out of the fire. “C’mon. Hurry.” He and Remus started pulling James over to the staircase up to the boys’ dormitories. “Boy, Prongs. You look and sound a lot worse this morning,” he said, looking James over. James groaned in response.
“Boy, Wormtail,” Remus said, leaning forward to look past James and make eye-contact with Peter. “You know just how to make a guy feel better, don’t you?” Peter flushed. “Try a nice ‘good morning’ next time, won’t you?”
Peter, biting his lip, nodded. “Sorry,” he said, going a few steps ahead on the stairs because they were too wide as the three of them to get up their stairs all at once. “But we’ve got it all figured out for you. So don’t worry, okay?”
James groaned again. “Next person to tell me not to worry’s going to get hexed,” he promised, sounding dead serious about it. Both Peter and Remus were silent after that as they guided him up the stairs and into their dormitory. Sirius was there already, waiting for them, stretched out playfully on his stomach across James’ bed. He made a large, sweeping gesture with his arms to introduce the bed.
The hangings had been drawn back on one side and at the foot of the bed to reveal a sick-bed even James hadn’t been expecting. Boxes of tissues were stacked on the nightstand, beside a pitcher of water, a glass, and a small box James recognized as Remus’ emergency kit. The headboard was buried behind a stack of at least six pillows, all plumped and dressed with smooth, soft pillowcases. The sheets of his bed had been changed from normal cotton to flannel plaid because they were warmer, though they couldn’t be as warm as the seven or eight blankets that were neatly arranged on the bed. It all looked welcoming and comforting, but none as much as the top of the bed which currently housed about a dozen balls of soft light, swimming around up by the canopy. There was something about staring at the lights for even a few seconds that made him want to lean further into Remus and fall asleep right then and there.
“Do you like it?” asked Peter anxiously, though he was smiling so broadly it was clear he knew what the answer would be. Awestruck, James could only nod as they guided him over and sat him down on the edge of the bed.
Sirius, his legs crossed and up in the air below his bent knees, and his arms folded against the bed and beneath his chin, grinned and rolled over onto his back to make room for James to sit fully up on the bed. James did, with his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back on the pillows. “I know what you’re think-ing,” Sirius sang, reaching up and poking James in the temple.
“Oh? Do you now?” James asked, startled suddenly as Remus and Peter draped another few blankets around his shoulders and over his front.
Sirius nodded. “Of course. You’re thinking that you’re so comfortable you want to stay in this bed all day long, but don’t have any idea how in the world that could be worked out.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Actually, yes,” James admitted, looking around at his three friends in confusion. He sniffled and rubbed at his nose and Peter leaned close to the bed to hand over a tissue he had at the ready. James smiled to thank him and used it at once. “hah-Chuhh! ahhhChooo! Tchooo! AHH-Choo!” By the time he’d finished sneezing, Peter had left his side and Sirius was continuing.
“Well, you can stay here all day. So don’t you wor—”
“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed, bounding over and slapping a hand over Sirius’ mouth while grabbing the man from behind and the side in what he hoped looked somewhat affectionate.
“Re-Remus!” Sirius said, struggling. “I thought we agreed it’d be better if I was the one to tell him? What’s all this?”
“Nothing at all,” Remus covered, grabbing him, holding him tight as James looked on, skeptical and disappointed that Sirius hadn’t been able to finish. “Just missed you is all.” As he bent to give Sirius a kiss on the cheek, his mouth turned towards Sirius’ ear. “Don’t say that sentence!” he hissed in warning.
“What sentence?” asked Sirius at a normal volume, making James lean forward to hear what Remus’ whispered reply would be. Remus didn’t have a chance to answer but jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. “Ow! Hey, I was just going to tell him about the potion.”
“Potion?” James asked, rubbing his nose. “What potion?” His eyes widened. “Surely not pepper… pep… ah-ahh-Chooo! hahChoo! Sniff! Not pepper-up?”
Sirius shook his head, in as much as he could with Remus’ arm wrapped around him as they were. “Not enough time for that, Mate,” he said with great regret.
Meanwhile, Peter was crawling back out from beneath his bed, dragging a large cauldron in front of him. He carried it over, moving slowly so as to be sure not to spill any.
“Then what kind of potion…? Ah! Sirius!” James exclaimed, for the young man had pitched forward, dug his hand in the mass of hair, and extracted two strands. “What’re you playing at?” Peter brought the cauldron over, setting it on the bed and keeping a tight grip on it. “Oh, not the polyjuice!” James said, waving his hand, shaking his head. “We’ve spent a month and a half making that! We were going to use it to—”
“We won’t use the whole thing,” Remus said to quiet him. “And we can always make more. Peter’ll just sneak into the cupboards in Professor Marriot’s potion stores and nick some more ingredients.” Remus pulled the thermoses out, setting one on the nightstand along with the cup and spoon, wherever they fit, and opening the other. Peter dipped it in, filling it with potion. Sirius added James’ hairs and they all watched as the surface in the thermos erupted with bubbles. They all stared at it closely, watching the bubbles slow until the surface was calm.
“Well…” Sirius said, taking the thermos from Peter. “Looks like that’s it.”
“Four minutes until class starts,” Remus reminded them, checking his watch. “It’s now or never.”
“ahhhCHihhh!” James made use of the mountain of tissue boxes by his bed, bringing one down to his lap as he felt the need to sneeze again even as soon as he’d finished sneezing.
Peter made a frightened, squeaky sound. “You don’t suppose you can catch a cold by drinking polyjuice potion with a bit from a person who’s sick?”
As though in answer, “AhhChooo! Tshooo! hahChoo!” He sniffled and rubbed a tissue at his nose, very glad now to have a whole supply at such easy reach.
“I highly doubt it,” Remus reassured him, putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. He was watching James closely, to be sure he was all right. “Germs don’t work like that.”
Sirius took a deep breath. “Well, then. Bottoms up.” He lifted the thermos, tilting it to them with a nod, then raised it to his lips for a sip. He might have spilled it had it not been for Remus grabbing it from his fingers before it dropped completely. He bent over, moaning and gasping in pain. The others watched as his broad shoulders narrowed and his hair lengthened, becoming scraggly and wild. When he was done coughing and sputtering, he lifted his head. James, and Remus jumped in surprise. Peter both jumped and squeaked, and Remus increased the grip on Peter’s shoulder to calm him. Sirius looked concerned. “Something wrong?” His voice was the perfect replication of James’ and even he looked startled by it.
“Nothing’s wrong… ah, Love,” Remus said, smiling. He leaned over, lips pausing as though he could not bring himself to do it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then kissed the cheek. Though Sirius looked like James, and even smelled like him, there was something about Remus’ werewolf senses that told him that it was still Sirius. “It’s just strange. You look just like James.” He shuddered. “Strange!” He chuckled. “See that? I kissed James.”
Sirius blinked, his eyes straining to focus on Remus’ face. “Actually, I can’t see much of anything. Blimey, James! I knew your prescription was strong but you’re half blind,” he laughed. Peter helped pass over the pair of glasses. This was insurance that James wouldn’t stay up reading and instead would try to sleep off his sickness while they were at class. He really couldn’t see properly to do much else. Sirius blinked as he got used to them. “Yeah… much better,” he nodded. “So, ready for classes, Mates?”
Remus sealed the thermos and packed it into his bag, then offered a hand up to Sirius, who was tall enough that he didn’t need to change robes. It was strange, very strange, to look at Sirius and know he was Sirius, but see another best friend instead.
“We were going to take turns,” Peter explained. “But it’s too suspicious. So we’re just going to say Sirius broke his arm on the way back from breakfast in the… well…” He flushed a little, knowing he’d said too much.
“In the distraction,” Sirius finished, not yet quite used to hearing his best friend’s voice coming from his own mouth. “But it’s okay. I’ve known you for, what, fifteen years? I can easily pretend to be you.”
James looked stern, which was a difficult task behind a handful of tissues, but he managed it well for this was important. “No kissing Evans.”
“Believe me, he won’t be!” Remus answered giving Sirius an equally stern look which made Sirius’ playful grin fade. Or, rather, it was James’ grin with Sirius’ intentions behind it. “We’ll be watching his back and keeping Lily away.”
Sirius sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be good. I’m doing this to help you, remember? Trust me. Don’t worry about a thing.”
At the sound of the phrase, James grabbed for his wand and both Peter and Remus dove in front of Sirius. “No, James! No!” Peter yelled, grimacing, hoping that whatever hex James cast wouldn’t hit him instead. “You need him!”
“It’d be like hexing yourself!” Remus said quickly, giving Sirius’ shoulder a tight squeeze then leaving him unprotected to go to James in bed. “Come on, we’re leaving for class in a minute and then you can worry needlessly all you want, all right?”
James, caught in a fit of coughing, lowered his wand and buried his mouth in his shoulder. Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and patted his back “Give me twenty seconds,” Remus mouthed to the other two, as Peter pushed Sirius, looking exactly as confused James had looked earlier, out of the room.
When James’ coughing fit had subsided, Remus felt his forehead and cheeks and tucked the blankets up to his chest. He nestled the tissue box in between the blankets and pillows for easy reaching. “You should have everything you need for the day, and we’ll bring some lunch up for you.” He rubbed his hand over James’ head, and then gave it a comforting pat. “And make sure you stir the tea before you pour it, or all the honey and sugar will stay at the bottom.”
James nodded and rubbed at his nose. Remus made sure he had a bunch of tissues in one hand and a full cup of tea in his other hand before leaving. James really didn’t have a thing to worry about now. So long as Sirius didn’t do anything stupid, and that was nearly impossible as Remus and Peter would be watching him like a hawk, no one but the four of them would know James was spending the day resting in bed. And after classes and practice afterwards, there was no reason for James to need to make any more so-called personal appearances. He could stay in bed with no excuses needed, get better by his date, and there was nothing at all that could go wrong now. Nothing at all to worry about.
Next up... Part 5: Chicken Soup
Happy Thanksgiving! Mmmmmm my favorite was always that cranberry sauce from a can that's jellied and keeps the shape of the can. Yum!
Part 1- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/183693.html
Part 2- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/187366.html
Part 3- http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/188816.html
Same ratings apply to part 4
Too Many Cooks...
Part 4: A Potion
James stumbled out of the fire, his chest seizing with coughs from the smoke. Doubled over in a fit, James managed to lift a fist to his mouth. Remus came up behind him, another arm around him to hold him steady, murmuring reassurances into James’ ear. Making a nod clearly visible amidst the coughs, James leaned wearily against Remus for support. Even with choking on ash and suit, it was easier to travel through the fireplace than it would have been on foot. His coughing paused for a moment to make room for a strong nose-clearing sneeze. “ahhh-CHUHSHHH!” The strength of the sneeze caught him off balance, and he might have fallen if Remus hadn’t been holding him tightly. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, clinging to Remus.
“Shhh!” hushed Peter, scurrying across the room and grabbing James’ arm to help support him. “We managed to get as many down to breakfast as we could, but we think there are still a few girls upstairs.” It was clear that Peter, who was oftentimes the lookout on their missions, had again been standing guard to allow them safe passage up to the Gryffindor common room without anyone noticing them springing out of the fire. “C’mon. Hurry.” He and Remus started pulling James over to the staircase up to the boys’ dormitories. “Boy, Prongs. You look and sound a lot worse this morning,” he said, looking James over. James groaned in response.
“Boy, Wormtail,” Remus said, leaning forward to look past James and make eye-contact with Peter. “You know just how to make a guy feel better, don’t you?” Peter flushed. “Try a nice ‘good morning’ next time, won’t you?”
Peter, biting his lip, nodded. “Sorry,” he said, going a few steps ahead on the stairs because they were too wide as the three of them to get up their stairs all at once. “But we’ve got it all figured out for you. So don’t worry, okay?”
James groaned again. “Next person to tell me not to worry’s going to get hexed,” he promised, sounding dead serious about it. Both Peter and Remus were silent after that as they guided him up the stairs and into their dormitory. Sirius was there already, waiting for them, stretched out playfully on his stomach across James’ bed. He made a large, sweeping gesture with his arms to introduce the bed.
The hangings had been drawn back on one side and at the foot of the bed to reveal a sick-bed even James hadn’t been expecting. Boxes of tissues were stacked on the nightstand, beside a pitcher of water, a glass, and a small box James recognized as Remus’ emergency kit. The headboard was buried behind a stack of at least six pillows, all plumped and dressed with smooth, soft pillowcases. The sheets of his bed had been changed from normal cotton to flannel plaid because they were warmer, though they couldn’t be as warm as the seven or eight blankets that were neatly arranged on the bed. It all looked welcoming and comforting, but none as much as the top of the bed which currently housed about a dozen balls of soft light, swimming around up by the canopy. There was something about staring at the lights for even a few seconds that made him want to lean further into Remus and fall asleep right then and there.
“Do you like it?” asked Peter anxiously, though he was smiling so broadly it was clear he knew what the answer would be. Awestruck, James could only nod as they guided him over and sat him down on the edge of the bed.
Sirius, his legs crossed and up in the air below his bent knees, and his arms folded against the bed and beneath his chin, grinned and rolled over onto his back to make room for James to sit fully up on the bed. James did, with his legs stretched out in front of him, leaning back on the pillows. “I know what you’re think-ing,” Sirius sang, reaching up and poking James in the temple.
“Oh? Do you now?” James asked, startled suddenly as Remus and Peter draped another few blankets around his shoulders and over his front.
Sirius nodded. “Of course. You’re thinking that you’re so comfortable you want to stay in this bed all day long, but don’t have any idea how in the world that could be worked out.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Actually, yes,” James admitted, looking around at his three friends in confusion. He sniffled and rubbed at his nose and Peter leaned close to the bed to hand over a tissue he had at the ready. James smiled to thank him and used it at once. “hah-Chuhh! ahhhChooo! Tchooo! AHH-Choo!” By the time he’d finished sneezing, Peter had left his side and Sirius was continuing.
“Well, you can stay here all day. So don’t you wor—”
“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed, bounding over and slapping a hand over Sirius’ mouth while grabbing the man from behind and the side in what he hoped looked somewhat affectionate.
“Re-Remus!” Sirius said, struggling. “I thought we agreed it’d be better if I was the one to tell him? What’s all this?”
“Nothing at all,” Remus covered, grabbing him, holding him tight as James looked on, skeptical and disappointed that Sirius hadn’t been able to finish. “Just missed you is all.” As he bent to give Sirius a kiss on the cheek, his mouth turned towards Sirius’ ear. “Don’t say that sentence!” he hissed in warning.
“What sentence?” asked Sirius at a normal volume, making James lean forward to hear what Remus’ whispered reply would be. Remus didn’t have a chance to answer but jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. “Ow! Hey, I was just going to tell him about the potion.”
“Potion?” James asked, rubbing his nose. “What potion?” His eyes widened. “Surely not pepper… pep… ah-ahh-Chooo! hahChoo! Sniff! Not pepper-up?”
Sirius shook his head, in as much as he could with Remus’ arm wrapped around him as they were. “Not enough time for that, Mate,” he said with great regret.
Meanwhile, Peter was crawling back out from beneath his bed, dragging a large cauldron in front of him. He carried it over, moving slowly so as to be sure not to spill any.
“Then what kind of potion…? Ah! Sirius!” James exclaimed, for the young man had pitched forward, dug his hand in the mass of hair, and extracted two strands. “What’re you playing at?” Peter brought the cauldron over, setting it on the bed and keeping a tight grip on it. “Oh, not the polyjuice!” James said, waving his hand, shaking his head. “We’ve spent a month and a half making that! We were going to use it to—”
“We won’t use the whole thing,” Remus said to quiet him. “And we can always make more. Peter’ll just sneak into the cupboards in Professor Marriot’s potion stores and nick some more ingredients.” Remus pulled the thermoses out, setting one on the nightstand along with the cup and spoon, wherever they fit, and opening the other. Peter dipped it in, filling it with potion. Sirius added James’ hairs and they all watched as the surface in the thermos erupted with bubbles. They all stared at it closely, watching the bubbles slow until the surface was calm.
“Well…” Sirius said, taking the thermos from Peter. “Looks like that’s it.”
“Four minutes until class starts,” Remus reminded them, checking his watch. “It’s now or never.”
“ahhhCHihhh!” James made use of the mountain of tissue boxes by his bed, bringing one down to his lap as he felt the need to sneeze again even as soon as he’d finished sneezing.
Peter made a frightened, squeaky sound. “You don’t suppose you can catch a cold by drinking polyjuice potion with a bit from a person who’s sick?”
As though in answer, “AhhChooo! Tshooo! hahChoo!” He sniffled and rubbed a tissue at his nose, very glad now to have a whole supply at such easy reach.
“I highly doubt it,” Remus reassured him, putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. He was watching James closely, to be sure he was all right. “Germs don’t work like that.”
Sirius took a deep breath. “Well, then. Bottoms up.” He lifted the thermos, tilting it to them with a nod, then raised it to his lips for a sip. He might have spilled it had it not been for Remus grabbing it from his fingers before it dropped completely. He bent over, moaning and gasping in pain. The others watched as his broad shoulders narrowed and his hair lengthened, becoming scraggly and wild. When he was done coughing and sputtering, he lifted his head. James, and Remus jumped in surprise. Peter both jumped and squeaked, and Remus increased the grip on Peter’s shoulder to calm him. Sirius looked concerned. “Something wrong?” His voice was the perfect replication of James’ and even he looked startled by it.
“Nothing’s wrong… ah, Love,” Remus said, smiling. He leaned over, lips pausing as though he could not bring himself to do it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then kissed the cheek. Though Sirius looked like James, and even smelled like him, there was something about Remus’ werewolf senses that told him that it was still Sirius. “It’s just strange. You look just like James.” He shuddered. “Strange!” He chuckled. “See that? I kissed James.”
Sirius blinked, his eyes straining to focus on Remus’ face. “Actually, I can’t see much of anything. Blimey, James! I knew your prescription was strong but you’re half blind,” he laughed. Peter helped pass over the pair of glasses. This was insurance that James wouldn’t stay up reading and instead would try to sleep off his sickness while they were at class. He really couldn’t see properly to do much else. Sirius blinked as he got used to them. “Yeah… much better,” he nodded. “So, ready for classes, Mates?”
Remus sealed the thermos and packed it into his bag, then offered a hand up to Sirius, who was tall enough that he didn’t need to change robes. It was strange, very strange, to look at Sirius and know he was Sirius, but see another best friend instead.
“We were going to take turns,” Peter explained. “But it’s too suspicious. So we’re just going to say Sirius broke his arm on the way back from breakfast in the… well…” He flushed a little, knowing he’d said too much.
“In the distraction,” Sirius finished, not yet quite used to hearing his best friend’s voice coming from his own mouth. “But it’s okay. I’ve known you for, what, fifteen years? I can easily pretend to be you.”
James looked stern, which was a difficult task behind a handful of tissues, but he managed it well for this was important. “No kissing Evans.”
“Believe me, he won’t be!” Remus answered giving Sirius an equally stern look which made Sirius’ playful grin fade. Or, rather, it was James’ grin with Sirius’ intentions behind it. “We’ll be watching his back and keeping Lily away.”
Sirius sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be good. I’m doing this to help you, remember? Trust me. Don’t worry about a thing.”
At the sound of the phrase, James grabbed for his wand and both Peter and Remus dove in front of Sirius. “No, James! No!” Peter yelled, grimacing, hoping that whatever hex James cast wouldn’t hit him instead. “You need him!”
“It’d be like hexing yourself!” Remus said quickly, giving Sirius’ shoulder a tight squeeze then leaving him unprotected to go to James in bed. “Come on, we’re leaving for class in a minute and then you can worry needlessly all you want, all right?”
James, caught in a fit of coughing, lowered his wand and buried his mouth in his shoulder. Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and patted his back “Give me twenty seconds,” Remus mouthed to the other two, as Peter pushed Sirius, looking exactly as confused James had looked earlier, out of the room.
When James’ coughing fit had subsided, Remus felt his forehead and cheeks and tucked the blankets up to his chest. He nestled the tissue box in between the blankets and pillows for easy reaching. “You should have everything you need for the day, and we’ll bring some lunch up for you.” He rubbed his hand over James’ head, and then gave it a comforting pat. “And make sure you stir the tea before you pour it, or all the honey and sugar will stay at the bottom.”
James nodded and rubbed at his nose. Remus made sure he had a bunch of tissues in one hand and a full cup of tea in his other hand before leaving. James really didn’t have a thing to worry about now. So long as Sirius didn’t do anything stupid, and that was nearly impossible as Remus and Peter would be watching him like a hawk, no one but the four of them would know James was spending the day resting in bed. And after classes and practice afterwards, there was no reason for James to need to make any more so-called personal appearances. He could stay in bed with no excuses needed, get better by his date, and there was nothing at all that could go wrong now. Nothing at all to worry about.
Next up... Part 5: Chicken Soup
Happy Thanksgiving! Mmmmmm my favorite was always that cranberry sauce from a can that's jellied and keeps the shape of the can. Yum!
