If Love is a Game...

Lanni Weasley

Story Summary:
It's the Marauders' final year at Hogwarts and they have everything - and that includes a few big problems. James matures and finally wins over Lily; Remus falls head over heels for Lucius Malfoy's cousin; and Sirius finally gets the girls of his dreams. But that girl is supposed to marry Malfoy and her parents hate Sirius and her friends. Soon, she must choose between being the next Mrs. Lucius Malfoy or the early deaths of Sirius and her friends. Deep trouble is on the horizon of bliss.

Chapter 06

Chapter Summary:
It's James's and Sirius's Seventh Year at Hogwarts and they have everything - although a few big problems. James matures and finally wins over Lily; Remus falls for Lucius Malfoy's cousin; and Sirius finally gets the girls of his dreams. But that girl is supposed to marry Malfoy and her parents hate Sirius and her friends. Soon, she must choose between being the next Mrs. Lucius Malfoy or the early deaths of Sirius and her friends. Deep trouble is on the horizon of bliss. CH6: James and Remus go to rescue Sirius and Krystyna from the closet, but get stuck in a few too many jams after that. We see just how much room a closet can have.
Posted:
09/06/2004
Hits:
1,207
Author's Note:
Hey, sorry it's been a while since I last posted. I just got a new computer at my mom's where I post the chapters (yay!), but it didn't have Word on it. Now it does!


Chapter Six
Closed Closets and Close Calls

"James, just to warn you - again - Sirius is going to kill us for this," Remus said after awakening sometime in his four-poster bed very early in the morning. James had woken him up. Peter was still fast asleep. Remus had attempted to go back to sleep by throwing the blanket over his head, but James had yanked it off and abused him repeatedly with his own pillow.

"Maybe, but I think he'll be thanking us instead," James said, putting his shoes on. Remus shook his head and got out of bed. "He's always wanted to get that close to his sweet Melanie."

"He's going to kill us," Remus said firmly, "unless Krystyna gets to us first."

James laughed and continued getting dressed. Remus walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. James ruffled his hair, making it look windswept (as if it didn't already look like that), and stared out of the window. Although it was still a bit dark, he could already tell that it would be perfect Quidditch conditions today. Soon enough, Remus came out of the shower with Hogwarts robes on, rubbing a towel over his head to dry his hair. James stood up and stretched. He snatched the Invisibility Cloak.

"C'mon, we have to get them before Lector goes to his office," James sighed. Remus threw the towel on the ground with all the others he and Sirius used every morning. "You know how strange that would be?"

Remus chuckled, and they walked out of the dormitory, but not before hearing Peter mutter some girl's name. James shut the door quietly; then they burst out laughing.

"Looks like Peter is able to keep a secret from us after all," James laughed, "when he's awake, at least."

As soon as they walked out of the Gryffindor common room, James threw the Invisibility Cloak over them both.

They traveled in a quick-paced rush to Lector's office in the dungeons. James had woken later than expected, which annoyed him, and Lector could be in his office any minute. They'd have no time of letting Krystyna and Sirius escape all day if they didn't get there very soon. Luckily, by the time they reached the office door, it was still locked, but not with spells; Filch hadn't established them again for some reason.

"Alohamora!" James whispered, his wand pointed at the lock outside the cloak. The door unlocked, and James pulled it open. He lit his wand before Remus shut the door. James then pulled the Cloak off and hung it on the back of a chair. They walked over to the closet, which was surprisingly silent. Both of them had figured that Krystyna would be pounding on the door. James grinned; Remus shook his head. He sat in a seat and rubbed his eyes.

"Why did you wake me up to come with you anyway?" Remus asked tiredly, yawning broadly.

James looked back and flashed a grin again. "Because, if Krystyna does try to kill me, you'd be able to back me up," he said.

"Yeah, that's all you'll see of me," Remus mumbled; and he yawned again. "My back when I'm running away from a most unpleasant death at the wand of Krystyna when you let her out of there."

James chuckled again, shaking his head at his friend. He muttered the counter-curse; the door clicked unlocked. He stood away from the door and let out a very dramatic sigh.

"Prepare yourself, Moony," James said dramatically. He puffed up.

"Yeah, I'll prepare myself to run for it," Remus muttered. He was always a little grumpy when he didn't get enough sleep. "She's just being silent so she can pounce on you when you open the door."

James tutted and shook his head, grinning slightly. "Maybe we should've called you Moody, instead," he said thoughtfully. "Ah, oh well, I should be getting to open this door now. I don't want Lector walking in with us sitting here."

Remus would've grinned, but he was too tired to. James took a deep breath and opened the door. He chuckled quietly.

When James first glanced in the closet, it appeared as if Krystyna was sitting in Sirius's lap, they were so close. But upon further examination of the odd situation, James saw that she was only sitting very close to Sirius. Her hand was not at her feet anymore, but on his leg absentmindedly; his hand was still holding her other hand; his other arm around her waist; and they were pressed against each other comfortably.

Remus jumped out of his chair at the sight and stared wildly; amazed that Krystyna had ever gotten that close to Sirius. It was so strange and confusing. Things had certainly changed in just a few hours.

"I told you to prepare yourself," James chuckled. He prodded Sirius with his foot. "Hey, Sirius, wake up."

Sirius didn't budge.

"Maybe he's dead," Remus said. He sat back down slowly.

James chuckled again. He prodded Sirius a little harder this time. "Padfoot, wake up," James said in a singsong voice. Sirius stirred and mumbled something, his mouth twisted. He thought of something. "Sirius, stop making out with Melanie!"

At this, Sirius almost jumped and James laughed, almost falling over.

"What?" Sirius said loudly, his eyes wide open, looking startled and confused. James grinned and stopped laughing.

Remus shook his head. "That just isn't right," he muttered.

"Just tried to wake you up, sleepyhead," James explained. "Wake up, Melanie, we got to go now before Lector catches us."

Sirius suddenly realized that Krystyna was still asleep against him. He looked over at her, but she looked too peaceful and beautiful to awake. But he had to. He nudged her a little; he hoped she wouldn't get startled and accidentally smack him after being woken up so abruptly.

"Er, Krystyna, wake up," Sirius said softly. Krystyna didn't move. "Krystyna, wake up."

This time, she moaned a little and stirred, switching positions and burying her face in his robes. James started cackling.

Remus continued to shake his head. "That just isn't right," he muttered.

Sirius looked a little startled and took a deep breath.

"What, you've lost all your courage?" James guffawed.

Sirius shot a look at his friend. "I didn't see you have the large amount of courage last year when you tried to talk to Evans!" he retorted. James grinned, but it was a bit hollow. "Krystyna, wake up."

Suddenly, Krystyna's free hand moved up onto his shoulder. James laughed louder.

"Please, don't stop, Sirius," she murmured. Horrified and yet ecstatic with his eyes wide, Sirius shifted a little while James rolled with laughter.

Remus started shaking his head violently and stood up to pace the room. "That really isn't right!" he said loudly. James continued to laugh. Krystyna murmured something else that they couldn't understand, and James continued to laugh.

"James, what do I do?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"What do you mean 'what do I do?'" James sniggered, trying to calm down. "You've been in this position before, haven't you?"

"Well...a few times, yeah, but - but this is different!" Sirius replied loudly. James grinned cheekily. "It's not just any girl; it's Krystyna! James, what - do - I - do?"

She murmured something else that they didn't understand.

"Thank your lucky stars!" James laughed; his eyes were wide and filling with tears, he was laughing so hard.

"This isn't funny, James!" Sirius shouted.

James laughed and then began to calm down. He wiped the tears out of his eyes. "Okay, okay," he sighed. "Just try to wake her up again."

Sirius looked at James with a look of unconvinced; James bit his lip. Remus had stopped his pacing, but was still shaking his head softly, muttering under his breath. He had been woken up just to get the shock of his life. He scratched the back of his head and tried to think clearly.

"Er, Krystyna, wake up," Sirius said more firmly, prodding her softly.

Krystyna rubbed her face in his robes. "Hm, what is it now, Sirius?" she muttered. The three boys were unsure if she was awake or still sleep talking; they all had frozen and stared at her.

"You have to wake up, Krystyna," Sirius replied.

"Not now, not now," Krystyna mumbled. "I'm not ready to go. Can't we wait any longer in here?"

Since she obviously didn't want to get up, James thought of yet another random thing to shout so she would get up.

"Krystyna, why are you making out with Malfoy?" he shouted.

At this, Krystyna jolted to her senses and bounced a little. "Bloody hell, I'd never!" she shrieked, her eyes wide and looking around. However, all she saw was James Potter laughing and Remus Lupin shaking his head. She looked over and almost bumped heads with Sirius. He moved his head back a little. "Merlin, did they just come to get us?"

Sirius nodded his head, looking disheveled; he was also pink in the face.

"Say, you must've had some interesting dream there, Melanie," James chortled loudly. Krystyna turned bright red and realized that her other hand was on Sirius's shoulder and they were snuggled together practically. She blushed even more, if possible. She took her arm off of him immediately. "What was it about?"

Remus shook his head again.

Her dream had been just an elaborating dream like the one during the summer. She'd been caught kissing Sirius in a closet by Lily, Remus, James, and Peter but this time, she hadn't cared. She just kept kissing him. Krystyna tried to shake the mental picture out of her head.

"Nothing, nothing, it was about nothing," she mumbled. "What time is it?"

James suddenly turned serious. "Time to get out of here," he answered. Sirius and Krystyna stood up inside the closet. "C'mon, if Lector gets in here-"

Suddenly, the doorknob began to rattle. Everyone spun around to watch the door being jostled open; Professor Lector was coming in. James grabbed the Cloak; and he and Remus rushed into the closet shutting it behind them. There was barely any room to move or breath.

"Great..." Krystyna mumbled, crammed between Sirius and Remus.

They shifted a little. Krystyna, Sirius, Remus, and James heard Professor Lector shut the door behind himself. He was mumbling something under his breath. His voice got closer to them. Remus shifted himself so that he wasn't squishing Krystyna so much. Now James had less room. He stepped on Sirius's foot, but Sirius held it in; James took his foot off. Lector's voice faded. He'd gone into his classroom, but there was not enough time to escape just yet. James moved and pulled the Invisibility Cloak out again.

"If he opens the closet door, he won't be able to see us," James whispered. Sirius nodded his head; and James pulled the Invisibility Cloak over them all awkwardly. But right before it was over them completely, his elbow bumped into the wall.

"What was that?" Lector's voice came as he walked back into the office. James mouthed a curse to himself in the closet. Lector was walking towards them. The light coming from the slits in the closet door disappeared; Lector was standing right in front of the closet door.

Krystyna held her breath - what little she had, at least. It had been small enough in the closet with Sirius when Filch was outside the door, but now with Sirius, James, and Remus and Lector outside the door, it was almost unbearable.

"Hm... If anyone is in there, show yourself!"

They obviously didn't answer him. Lector stalked away. No one let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing but Lector's rambling when it suddenly became louder again. The doorknob began to move. Lector was opening the closet door! They all pushed themselves against the side of the closet wall, hoping for the best with their fingers crossed. The door opened.

Professor Lector was a very tall, very thin, very pale man. His nose was too small, and his straw-colored hair was always a mess. He was strict and ruthless when it came to rule breaking. And considering that he loathed James Potter, Sirius Black, and even Remus Lupin (although not as much), there would be no room for mercy if he caught them. And if Krystyna was caught with them - well, she didn't like to think of what he and her parents would say.

Oh, no, we're all going to get caught and get in so much trouble! What will they all say? Well, I particularly don't care what any student says. I'm just worried about what my parents will say! Krystyna thought worriedly as she watched Lector scan the small closet. I expect it'll be painful...as if not getting fed was worse enough. Next, it'll be the whip! Don't say that, Krystyna; don't even think about that. Just stay calm and think positive. Oh, Merlin, I'm going to get in trouble, aren't I?

It would have been funny if they weren't so cramped in the closet and Krystyna wasn't with them. They'd had there share of close calls, but not with other people. Sirius knew Krystyna had a pretty much clean record so far and if she got caught, her parents would likely blow the roof. That would not be a pretty sight; and he didn't want to cause so much pain for her.

But Lector, instead of searching for anyone, took a step inside the closet. They all panicked because he was likely to accidentally touch one of them. They scooted back father and father and found themselves scooting back farther than what was possible. They stopped, confused for a minute, when they finally realized that the closet was expanding itself much larger than normal. Lector looked calm and collected. He walked to the back of the closet which was farther away from the door than it had been before and pulled out his wand. He muttered something and tapped the wall with his wand. Suddenly, a door appeared there. Confused yet intrigued, they all watched as Lector opened the door and walked in the hidden room. They spotted all sorts of already prepared potions frothing and bubbling in small cauldrons.

It was then when Sirius found their chance to escape. Sirius, Krystyna, James, and Remus stopped in the middle of the room to see Lector putting stuff on his hair labeled in his spidery handwriting: Anti-Dandruff Potion. The door was still open and they made their run for it. They slipped through the cracked open door and ran away as fast as they could possibly go while still hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. When they were far away to enough, James and Sirius started sniggering while running; Remus was still shaking his head; and Krystyna was thanking God that they hadn't got caught.

Then, without warning, James tripped on the step and jerked the Cloak. Suddenly, the four found themselves tumbling down the stairs in a hard manner. Krystyna slid out of the Cloak and passed the corner. When she looked over, Severus Snape was standing at his post as a Prefect. He heard the noise and began to turn around towards them. Krystyna pushed herself backwards and landed on her bottom hard. She pressed her back against the wall and looked back at the three boys who were situating themselves off each other. She then put her finger to her lips and jerked her head at the corner. Immediately, they knew someone was there - and most likely a Slytherin. She stood up and signaled for them to put the Invisibility Cloak back on. They stood up and James threw it over them again. Krystyna combed her fingers through her hair and then fixed her blouse. She pressed her skirt down and took a deep breath.

"Hello, anybody there?" Snape's shaky voice asked unsurely.

Krystyna rounded the corner and they almost ran into each other. "Hullo, Snape," she said with a bright smile. It took a second for Snape to snap out of the daze. He looked over Krystyna who was in her blouse and skirt with no black robes. He could only imagine how Lucius would look if he saw her right now; Snape could only think of what his face was looking right now as he stared at her.

"Oh, hello, Melanie," Snape mumbled, trying to look past her and not at her directly. "What are you doing here all alone? Where are your usual lackeys?"

Krystyna rolled her eyes, but smiled sweetly. "I needed the get my head clear for the day; and I fancied a walk so here I am," she replied.

"In the Slytherin dungeons?" Snape said skeptically.

Krystyna giggled, cursing the day already in her mind. "Well, I didn't really expect to get this far away from the Gryffindor Tower," she chortled, leaning forward. He leaned back; she straightened up. "I was walking and just admiring the place really because I've never took time to do that, you know. I just lost track of time and I've never really been to this neck of the woods - only once or twice. So being the silly girl I am that has no sense of direction, I kind of got lost."

"Oh," was all that could escape from Snape's mouth. He was still taking in Krystyna's appearance. She looked around the place, her hands behind her back, and then looked at Severus with a puzzled expression.

"Er, do you know how to get back to the Gryffindor Tower?" Krystyna asked shyly. She blushed. "I mean, I've been wandering these halls for about half an hour now." Snape nodded his head, but didn't say anything. "Well...do you mind telling me? I mean, I know I'm an ickle Gryffindor and all, but if I don't get back soon, Lorena and then will get suspicious and, well..."

Snape flushed. "Oh, oh, yeah, of course, I don't care," he said, nodding his head. "Just walk down there and take the first left and you should be fine. Don't get lost again, Melanie"

"Oh, okay!" Krystyna exclaimed, sounding excited. "Thanks for telling me. See you in, class. 'Bye."

She turned around and began to walk away.

"Whatever," Snape replied. She waved. Unknown to Snape and Krystyna, the three Marauders were right behind her. They rounded the corner. Sirius walked out from underneath the cloak after Remus told him not to.

"How come you never talked to me that sweetly before?" Sirius asked, looking like he was about to pout.

Krystyna smiled and shook her head. "The only time I spoke to you was when I was trying to stop you from hexing people randomly in the hallways and picking on other people," she pointed out with a grin.

James stuck his head out from underneath the cloak after many ignored protests from Remus. "Don't forget telling him to sod off and to shut up when he was showing off!" James added delightedly. Sirius looked back at him, James shrugged his shoulders, and Krystyna chortled. Remus stuck his head out.

"Sirius, James, get back underneath here, someone is coming!" Remus hissed.

"How do you know - oh, yeah," Sirius said, nodding his head.

"What?" Krystyna asked.

"Just act like you did with Snivellus and you'll be alright," James simply told her, ducking under the cloak again. Sirius disappeared under the cloak.

They were right at the next turn, which they didn't have to take, when Lucius Malfoy walked out of the Slytherin common room on the left with Narcissa Black and Nate Zabini flanking his sides. James almost hexed him on the spot. Remus actually thought about hexing him too. Malfoy was lucky that Sirius had to jump out of Narcissa's way and didn't have his chance to hex him - and that Remus grabbed his hand and gave him a warning stare. Malfoy stop to stare at Krystyna; Nate stared at Krystyna; and Narcissa glared at Krystyna.

Just act like I did with Snape, Krystyna thought. Not in this lifetime, no way, no how.

Sirius felt the same exact way; he didn't want Malfoy getting the wrong ideas. Remus held him back while James fingered his wand. Krystyna glared right back at them.

"Krystyna, what a surprise to see you here," Malfoy exclaimed playfully.

"Yeah, and now you can sod off," Narcissa growled.

Lucius gave her a warning look. "Now, now, Narcissa, we must treat people from other Houses correctly; you remember what the Sorting Hat said this year," he noted with a nod. Krystyna rolled her eyes and he looked back at her. "So, what brings you to the dungeons of Slytherin, hm? I thought Gryffindors liked high places, not low places."

"I'm becoming one of you, I guess," Krystyna replied sarcastically. Zabini didn't catch it and raised his eyebrows. "I was just taking a morning walk to clear my mind of some certain people and lost track of the time. I didn't wear my watch. So, after getting directions from your Slytherin Prefect buddy, I'm heading back to the Gryffindor Tower to get ready for the day."

Sirius clenched his fists and bit his lip when he saw Malfoy's eyes roving over Krystyna; Malfoy's grin almost made him snap. If it wasn't for Remus - and now James - holding him back, he'd have Malfoy's throat between his hands. The picture was all too pleasant. Krystyna, however, felt uneasy too. Zabini's mouth about dropped while Narcissa scowled angrily.

"I can see that you're not completely ready," Malfoy pointed out. Sirius bit his lip harder.

"Ah, yes, now, no staring, Malfoy," Krystyna said with a grin. "It's not polite."

Malfoy's grin broadened. You could almost see the fire burning in Narcissa's eyes. Zabini was still gaping at her.

"And you might want to tell your Slytherin friend on the left to close his mouth," Krystyna noted with a nod. "Nate Zabini, is it? Well, you're starting to drool. I'd close that mouth if I were you, Zabini."

Zabini flustered embarrassedly and closed his mouth. He licked his lips, and Krystyna shook her head. Malfoy shook his head and then advanced on her. Krystyna took a step back, her hands behind her back, gripping her wand.

"We were just going to get Severus and then head off to breakfast," Malfoy said softly, stopping. "Why don't you join us?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"No, thanks, Malfoy, I'm on a No-Slytherin-Narks diet, sorry," Krystyna answered quickly. "And besides, I don't think she would want me to come. And I'm afraid that she might contaminate me with some terrible disease." Narcissa looked affronted. "'Bye." She began to walk away. "And don't think it's been pleasant."

"You-you'd be the one contaminating me!" Narcissa yelled at her angrily. Sirius, Remus, and James walked away under the Invisibility Cloak, trying not the snigger and still holding Sirius. Malfoy snapped at Zabini while Zabini still gaped. They turned the corner and started laughing when they knew the Slytherins couldn't hear them. They continued to walk - not under the Cloak - to the Gryffindor Tower. Krystyna couldn't wait to tell Lily, Lorena, and Sara about this. Of course, some parts of the escapade would be altered quite a bit.


Author notes: Thank you for reading.