"Are you serious?" Regulus slaps his forehead.

"Don't you dare," he glares at Sirius when he opens his mouth. Sirius pulls an exaggerated pout in response. From next to him, James looks at Remus, looking seconds away from exploding into laughter.

"I can't believe you called us all the way here to build a shop when you don't have anything you need," Regulus points at Sirius, who rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Why am I the only one who's getting shit for it?" Sirius pouts some more. Remus has to fight hard to stop smiling. Or running over and kissing it.

"Because it's your fault," Regulus says flatly.

"How so?"

"Because I say so," Regulus stands up. Sirius looks at Remus and pulls a face. Remus turns away to stop himself from laughing.

"I guess we should go get... whatever we need, then?" James suggests, very helpfully indeed. "You're really oozing brilliance today, Potter," Regulus huffs. "Hey, I'm an adult. Treat me with respect," James stands up as well, offering a hand to Sirius.

"Remus," Regulus turns to Remus, ignoring James. His expression is much softer, but Remus quickly pushes himself off of the wall he's leaning against. "Come on. Don't know how these idiots keep finding new friends..." he mutters as they walk outside.

"They're quite persistent," Remus laughs. He locks the door once everyone's come out.

Regulus walks fast, dragging Remus by his hand. Sirius and James, however, keep getting distracted.

"Why can't we go in for just a second?" James pants as they pass The Three Broomsticks. Remus and Regulus turn around to watch them. "Yeah," Sirius sighs, "Why can't we? I'm so tired," he leans into James, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. James wraps an arm around him. "So, very tired..."

"Padfoot!" James gasps loudly, "Stay with me. Don't close your eyes, I promise you that nothing's gonna happen..." he widens his eyes.

"Oh," Sirius closes his eyes, his cheek pressing into James' shoulder. "I don't feel so good..."

"The only thing that can help him now is the infamous-"

"Highly sought-after," Sirius adds, opening his eyes.

"Glorious,"

"Delicious,"

"Nutritious,"

"Tantalizing,"

"Scintillating-"

"No one's getting any Butterbeer until we're done," Regulus pinches the bridge of his nose. "I should get an award for dealing with these two," he tells Remus.

Sirius sighs loudly and straightens himself. He looks at Remus for a second, at his cheeks painted bright red by suppressed laughter. Even if he scored no Butterbeer, he decides that reaction is worth it.

"You should've seen his emo phase," Sirius whispers in Remus' ear, sneaking a glance at Regulus. Three hours later, they've finally made it inside The Three Broomsticks. Remus too, looks at Regulus, who's at the counter with James.

"Scale of one to ten, how bad?" Remus whispers back.

"Wherever wearing a living python around your neck ranks," comes the swift reply. Remus blinks a couple times. "He-"

"Here's your scintillating drink," Regulus huffs, placing the two glasses in front of Sirius and Remus. "Thank you," Remus smiles at him, trying to picture a snake dangling from his shoulders.

"You're welcome," Regulus smiles at him, looking sweet enough. "Now that you've wasted my whole day, you can also give me a lift back home, yes?" He turns to Sirius.

"I thought you were-" Sirius stops himself. The uneasy glance James throws his way doesn't go unnoticed by Remus. "Yeah, I can give you a lift." Sirius takes a sip from his drink, closing his eyes. Remus can't tell what that indicates - some sort of pain or simply how good Butterbeer feels in your body.

There's a short silence that follows, the thick and sticky kind that makes everyone uncomfortable. This is where James Potter proves himself useful.

"So," he starts, "Have I told you guys about Mrs. Darlington's eye collection?"

This drags a loud groan from Regulus' throat. Remus cringes a little. "You haven't... But we're all super excited to hear, Prongs. Do tell us of this eye collection of yours," Sirius says.

"Of Mrs. Darlington's," James corrects, oblivious to Regulus and Remus. "So you know how people die?"

"Never heard of it," Regulus says, almost gravely.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Sirius shakes his head, reaching for his beer.

James rolls his eyes and continues. "So back when Mrs. Darlington used to work as a nurse, she would carve out-"

"That's quite enough, James," Remus says, feeling a little queasy. Very queasy.

"What? No," Sirius pokes Remus in the cheek. "An ocular collection? That's the most metal thing I've ever heard. How many does she have?"

"Seventy eight pairs and growing. She always comes looking for preservatives. Last week only she ordered-"

"Okay, but here's my question," Regulus interrupts. "You said she used to work as a nurse. So how is her collection still growing?"

Author's Note

Little filler cause I've starved you of an update for unforgivably long. Don't worry, something will happen soon.

Enjoy xx