CHAPTER SIX.
moony, you're a genius.
( paper crane no. 781. )

MINT WAS ANGRY. No, no. Mint was pissed.

She was pissed that the wretched words of a boy had cut deep into her soul. She was pissed she'd even allowed them to affect her. And finally, she was pissed they even came out of his stupid mouth in the first place.

Why her? And why was she so goddamn sensitive? Sure, for most of her early teens she'd dreamt of being the victim of James Potter's attention, but certainly not for this reason! Still, she felt like a fool. Had her father not raised her to be better than this? Well, she'd thought that until now.

Ever since she was a kid, she had wholeheartedly believed that a man- no, a boy's opinion was the very last that she should take to heart. Hell, should she even steep that low. So now, as a 16-going-on-17-year-old who'd managed to shy away from the heartbreak of male validation, why was she caring so much about what a boy thought of her and her reckless heart? She felt powerless and vulnerable. It was maddening too. All her life she had relentlessly tried to push the opinions of others to the back of her mind because really only hers matters when it came to her life. So, why did James Potter's matter so much?

Because foolish Mint Rosé McKinney liked him!

The worst of it all was amidst all the anger and pent up fury she had for the boy, there was a hint of guilt too. A 6-year crush was no joke. She practically knew everything about him, from his favourite colour to his ongoing score of 17 goals during a Quidditch match — as stalkerish and creepy as that made her seem. But James Potter knew nothing about which was concerned about Mint Rosé McKinney — apart from the fact she folded paper for a hobby and somehow always seemed to lurk around the Hospital Wing. He didn't know her favourite colour or the fact she had never been to a Quidditch match — not even a practice — in her 16 years of living. He didn't know she had a fatal heart disease which would lead to her fatality... eventually. So was it so selfish of her to be angry at him for something he knew nothing about? Did that make her selfish? No. But it definitely made her guilty.

However, Mint knew she had a right to be upset. He'd made a fool of her. And not just her — her friends too. He couldn't seem to process that Lily was not an object to be won or the fact she was allowed to have guy friends without them being romantically together. Lily was worth more than Mint could ever say. So was she. So was Irene. Even Snape deserved better.

So here she was, sulking in fury within the walls of the library, hoping the words of a book would help to soothe her raging mind. She'd spent the last few days cooped up in the same cramped corner by the window, racing through all the piles of revision she had for upcoming exams Irene just loved casually mentioning to her... (So kind). Albeit, it did work for a while. The overflow of information had been a good distraction from her emotions, but they soon caught up when she was finished. Her father always said to never run away from her problems and to face them head-on with determination, but to be honest, she was always a stick-your-head-in-the-sand kinda gal. She wasn't ready to face her problems just yet. Instead, she picked out the cheesiest, sappiest romance book they provided in a Wizarding library and got to reading, hoping the world would go quiet for a bit.

Mint sat in her corner contently with her head resting in one hand and the book gripped her other. The cold breeze from the parted window blew some stray baby hairs into her face, causing her to drop her book and sweep them back. As she was about to pick up from where she left off, she felt a faint tap on her back.

"Hey." A soft, hushed voice spoke.

At any other given moment, Mint would've been pleased to see Lily. Ecstatic, even. But the whole point of her hiding inside the library was to be alone. Her mind was spinning considerably from the events of the past few days that too much noise forced her into sensory overload. She just needed some time to think... and to finish her book — the top priority.

Mint twisted her body around and watched as the redhead took the opposite seat. "Hey..."

Lily gave her a warm smile, "I thought I'd find you here." Mint tried to reciprocate the same smile, but she wasn't convinced it even partially looked genuine. Lily glanced at the pile of textbooks and parchment that lay at the end of the table. "Finishing some work?"

"Eh," Mint cringed, closing her book and placing it to the side. She was very right but also very, very wrong. "It's more... escaping?"

"Ah..." Lily nodded in understanding. "You can't escape forever, you know?"

"I know," Mint acknowledged casually, her fingers tapping the table surface.

As silence cloaked the pair, they turned away from each other. Mint glanced at the window as the delicate patter of raindrops slid down, racing one another to reach the bottom. Every now and then, she felt Lily's peering eyes glance at her as though she was trying to read her like a book. What was she, telepathic? Mint hoped not. After what felt like years, Lily cleared her throat. "What were you reading?" She asked, pointing at the book. Blinking rapidly, Mint showed her the front cover. "The Hating Game," she read, giving her a raised eyebrow. "That's a cheesy one. Dorcas told me all about it."

"I like cheesy," Mint argued as she pouted down at the book still in her hands. "It's also romantic. They act like they hate each other but they really don't."

"Still cheesy," Lily smiled.

"Fine- whatever. I like it," Mint shrugged and leant back in her seat, crossing her arms. "What kind of love would you prefer then?" If she was completely honest, Mint was curious to Lily's response. If she despised James Potter's type of love — if you'd even call it such a thing — then what kind of love did Lily Evan desire?

"Hmm," the redhead thought, pursing her lips. "Unconditional."

Mint nearly choked, flinging herself forward. "Seriously? But unconditional love is cheesy!"

"As well as beautiful and profound," Lily defended passionately while Mint scrunched up her face. It was unreal and tended to be quite fake — just disguised as love. "I'm serious! Unconditional love is the best type of love because it's a love that doesn't expect anything in return. And I like that. I don't want to feel like I'm being forced into feeling the same way as someone else..."

Mint bit her lip and cautiously whispered, "Why do I have a feeling we're no longer talking about books?"

"Mint, look," Lily's tone of voice suddenly changed and took her aback, becoming more solemn and firm — something which she was not used to from her. "I know we're friends and all and friends are meant to be there for each other... but I wanted to thank you for sticking up for me the other day." A silent breath of relief escaped through Mint's mouth. Thank Merlin, she thought she was about to be lectured right there and then. Whatever about... she had no idea.

The blonde nonchalantly shrugged, "It was no big deal." It really wasn't. They were friends. That's what friends did. She'd defend Lily to the end of the world if she had to.

"No- no, it was," Lily argued, her brows furrowed. "You really didn't have to. And yet you did. Telling Potter I wasn't an item and all that... it was really kind of you to do." The pair exchanged a short, yet sweet smile. "And I'm sorry for what he said to you. He was wrong."

"Lily," Mint deadpanned, "You have nothing to apologise for. You didn't do anything."

"That's the problem," she confessed. "I did nothing. I stood there and watched when perhaps I could've prevented it in some way. And I'm sorry. Really sorry."

"Lily..." Mint sympathised, grabbing her interlocked hands which rested on the table. Raw emotion swam in the girl's eyes. Is this how she made people feel? "James... is a mystery of his own. Nobody could've predicted what he was going to say — I don't even think he knows what he's about to say until it leaves his mouth." Lily giggled lightly. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm not mad at you. You did the best you could."

Albeit, in some ways, Mint was mad at Lily. She was the only one who was put on a pedestal by James Potter with the highest admiration and respect that perhaps if she had spoken up, everything might've gone way differently than it had and perhaps, she wouldn't be stuck here sulking in the library. However, in other ways, Mint couldn't help but empathise with her. What would have she done if she was in the same position? Most likely nothing. She would've watched too. So why was she so selfish asking things from others she couldn't do herself?

The redhead nodded once in affirmation. "Okay." Mint gently let go of her hands. "You deserve the world, Mint. I swear if you ever give me a paper crane, I promise I'll wish for you to find the one who will give you unconditional love for the rest of your life."

Mint's eyes widened, "What? Let's not go that far..."

"I'm serious."

"Well, I'm contemplating even giving you one now..."

"Sure, sure," Lily laughed.

Abruptly, their sweet moment was ruined by an almighty slam of a book on their table. Lily let out a short scream at the noise and immediately clasped her mouth with her hand, praying by some miracle that the librarian hadn't heard it and wouldn't kick them out. (Let's be honest here... they most definitely did hear it. It's a library.) With Mint's heart almost bursting out of her chest, they were greeted with a sweaty and sheen-faced Irene.

"Merlin's beard! You scared us!"

"What the fuck?!"

"I fucking hate how big this castle is, man," Irene wheezed out. She bent over and grabbed her thighs to catch her breath before standing up straight. "Right, get this. I've had to dash from the other side of the castle because fucking Professor Slughorn kept me behind because I was apparently," she raised her hands up to quote, "'easily distracted in class by Falcon Grouse.'" She dramatically dropped her hands to her side. "I was distracted because the wanker kept poking me for answers! Of course I was fucking distracted! But nooooo, Sir didn't believe that. So now I have detention on Wednesday afternoon for lying! Honestly! Fuck. Me."

"What a tosser," Mint grumbled. Grouse was always a stuck-up prat. She never liked him much. Though, that dislike grew when he ripped up her paper crane back in 5th year. Yeah, he definitely wasn't her favourite person - or anyone's, for that matter.

"Alright, let me sit," Irene said as the two girls shuffled to make room for their friend, though she plopped down next to Lily and tucked her bag underneath the table. Mint felt a pang of hurt ripple through her stomach, but she hastily let it run off her like water, placing herself in Irene's shoes. It was choosing either crush or best friend. Take Sirius and James for example. If she had to sit next to either James or Sirius, she knew she'd one hundred percent sit next to James- OH MY GOD. STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM, she yelled internally. STOP. IT.

Mint rapidly shook her head, slapping her cheeks a couple of times for extra effect and tried to zone into Irene and Lily's conversation. She really needed to stop doing that – thinking about him.

"Sounds fun," Lily smiled enthusiastically at something she was grasping in her hand. It was thin and very wrinkled from what seemed like it had been shoved into Irene's bag.

"What sounds fun?" Mint asked, furrowing her brows.

"There's a 6th year Hogsmeade trip coming up next weekend," Irene informed, handing her the crumpled poster. Mint immediately deflated as she read through all the information. A Hogsmeade trip required a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian in order to attend. Her father would've been more than happy to have signed it, but according to St. Mungo's, Mint was not allowed to go due to the higher risks. It was all a load of bollocks to Mint- she was allowed to walk around the castle! A few more miles wouldn't hurt!

She blew a bitter raspberry and handed it back. "You know my answer."

"Sorry Mint." Lily sighed dolefully, sending the girl a saddened look. "It sucks your dad won't let you go. It would be fun with you there." Mint didn't respond but placed her head in her arms on the table, staring up at the two.

"Yeah..."

Irene was quick on her feet to spear the growing tension. She loudly clapped her hands, "Well cheer up, buttercup! There's no use crying over spilt milk. I brought snacks!" Irene zipped open her bag and pulled out porcelain plates and some flamboyant napkins, which had writing engraved onto the side in a language Mint couldn't make out, and threw them onto the table as the other two girls stared with wide eyes.

Lily hastily whipped her head around to check their surroundings for any potential tattletales. Albeit the library seemed empty from their isolated corner, she knew at any point either a teacher or student could catch them in the act. "Are we allowed to eat in the library?" She gulped, her paled face monitoring Irene unpack containers upon containers of food.

Irene just shrugged.

Mint grabbed one of the containers packed to the brim with a curry of some kind and ripped the top off, the trapped steam hastily rising. She panicked and frantically tried to wave the steam away with her hands. "'Rene! This is hot food!"

Irene gave her a look, causing Mint to slowly recoil. "Well, I suspected you didn't want cold food, eh?" Finally, Irene stood up and tipped her bag upside down over the table and let it rain stainless steel cutlery. Forks, knives and spoons clattered across the table — and floor — causing the trio to sharply jump up to silence the harsh noise. "Yeah..." Irene awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Probably shouldn't have done that. Forgot we were in a library..."

"You brought cutlery too?!" Mint hissed.

"Well, how else were we supposed to eat everything?!"

As the rain continued to ruthlessly batter down upon the open grounds of Hogwarts, up in the boy's dormitory of the Gryffindor Tower, three Marauders lazily lounged while one paraded around voicing every thought that came to mind. Well, who could blame him? He was bored, but Remus wanted to read and Peter was tired. And James was... he didn't even know. So to make up the torturous boredom of laying around, he decided to start talking. You know, to kill time. And to piss his friends off.

"Don't you guys find it weird that people kill mosquitoes just because they're annoying?" Sirius prattled, swinging on his bed frame, eyeing his friends' faces for their reaction. Yet, they gave him none. "I mean, if people did that to other people I would've died yearsss ago."

Without taking his eyes off his book, Remus lazily raised his hand in agreement. "I can vouch for that."

Peter raised his too. "Same."

Sirius scoffed. "You're both fake." His voice indicated as if someone had just deeply offended him but the boys knew he was just teasing. Realising James hadn't spoken up and agreed with them, Sirius strode over and slung his arm over his shoulder, "What about you, Prongsie?"

Snapping out of his reverie, James Potter blinked dazedly as he looked up at his best friend. He'd been daydreaming... again. Sirius sent him a look of bewilderment. "Huh... what?"

"Would you kill me if I was an annoying mosquito?" He pressed.

James nodded. "Without a doubt."

Sirius let him go and threw his hands up. "Brilliant. Why do I hang around with you lot?"

"How do you sleep at night?" Remus queried, gazing over his book for a moment. "You know... Knowing that most people hate your entire existence?" He couldn't count on two hands about how many people hated Sirius Black. He'd need at least six. Maybe more.

"Without underwear on so they can kiss my ass," Sirius remarked sassily, wrapping his arm around Remus' bedpost to lean his cheek upon it. Instantly, Peter creased up in hysterics, nearly falling off his bed.

Remus tightly pursed his lips, "Okay, first of all... what the fuck? Second of all, you suck-" Remus hurled one of his pillows at the smirking boy before any of his laughter could slip through. He knew he'd be teased for weeks if he let Sirius see he laughed at his jokes. And he did not need that right now.

Sirius blew him a kiss while sashaying back to his bed, glad at the fact he got someone's attention. He glanced at James to notice he wasn't laughing but instead was staring intently at his hands which lay in his lap. "Yo Prongsie, you good?"

He received a quiet nod in response, the others all sharing a concerned look.

Abruptly, James spoke up, "Hey, can I be frank with you guys?"

They gave each other yet another concerned look.

Sirius nonchalantly shrugged, "I mean... if that's what makes you comfortable."

James nodded, feeling a tad lighter. "Okay-"

"Only if I get to be called Arthur, though," Sirius interrupted. "You know, after King Arthur?" They'd been learning about muggle legends in their class of Muggle Studies and Sirius could admit for the first time in his life, he'd actually paid attention to it. "I just feel like me and him would've been friends- Remus, what do you think? Do I look like an Arthur to you?"

Remus rolled his eyes and went back to his book. "You look like an idiot."

Sirius tutted. "Jealousy is a disease, Moony."

Peter lazily waved his hand from his bed. "I wanna be Lancelot."

"Lancelot, nice! I can see you've been paying attention, my friend! Remus that leaves you, mate."

Remus shook his head, his eyes not leaving the book. "Dickhead."

Sirius cocked his head. "Now, now, Moony. You know how we feel about self-deprecation-"

Suddenly, James burst. "No guys! I'm serious!"

"No, I'm Sirius," he remarked back, pointing to himself. "Wait, no- I was Arthur, wasn't I? Fair enough—"

Remus sat up. "—Padfoot, shut the fuck up."

"Dude, there was no need- ow!" Remus flung his book in Sirius' direction, the hefty object colliding with his shoulder causing him to dramatically double up. He gave Remus a look of betrayal as he rubbed his sore shoulder soothingly. "For the use of bad language," he spat out.

"Go on, Prongsie," Remus encouraged, shooting Sirius yet another sharp glare as if to say 'don't interrupt him again or you're dead.'

James took a deep breath and lifted his head to stare them straight in the eyes. "I fucked up."

Sirius raised a brow. "Fucked up how?"

"Badly. I fucked up badly."

"Is this about Mint?" Remus asked.

James' attention immediately perked up. Remus' reaction had surprised him. He was sat there strangely calm and collected — almost as if he'd seen this coming. Almost as if he'd known all along. James mentally cursed himself. He knew he shouldn't have overestimated the intelligence of his friends. And to think he thought he'd been sneaky keeping it subtle over the past few days... "How- how did you know?"

Remus laughed. Though not maliciously. It was a light, teasing laugh. He shook his head in disbelief. "Do you think we're idiots? You've had a dark raincloud over your head since that row. Even the whole of Hogwarts has noticed your change in mood. We just didn't want to pry."

"Seriously?"

"But if you're ready to talk about it... we're all ears."

"Yeah, mate," Peter agreed. "Carry on with what you were previously saying." James waited until all the Marauders had gotten comfy on their beds before replying. He wanted their full attention. And their honest advice.

"I wasn't angry to begin with. I just wanted to poke a bit of fun towards Snivellus, that was all. A bit of banter really," he started, fiddling with his fingers. He didn't think about any of his words. He just let them come out as they pleased. "It was the crane he had in his pocket. You know the rumours that go around that they're lucky for love and crushes and the fact he got one before me! It just- and Evans rushed in to save him like he was some helpless puppy who needed saving!" He let out a frustrated groan. "Then in came McKinney and everything just came out! I didn't even know what I was saying! And suddenly she got all upset and told me I'd never get a crane from her and- Argh!"

"Wait. What did you say to her again?"

James ran his hands over his face. "I called her heartless... Why?"

Sirius inhaled sharply, cocking his head. "Damn, bro. You're definitely not getting a crane now."

"Why?" James pestered again. Though, Sirius didn't respond.

Arguably, there are two types of secrets. The ones you can tell, and the one's you can't. Secrets of the mouth and secrets of the heart. Secrets of the mouth were insufferable — like a stone in your foot. At first, you're barely aware of it, but before long, it grows heavier and larger the more you suppress it, swelling until they fight against your lips.

However, secrets of the heart were different. These secrets are painful and private and we have no choice but to hide them from the world. The longer they're hidden and kept away, the heavier they become, yet we have no choice but to swallow them down, forcing them inside us.

Sirius had a secret — or so, he knew of a secret. He couldn't and wouldn't dare tell the others until it was confirmed, and it pained him. He wanted to be like James, he wanted to be able to tell his secrets. Yet he couldn't — ever.

Sirius let out a scoff. "No woman likes to be called heartless, mate." James dropped his head shamefully. He didn't even want to think about it anymore. He'd liked Lily Evans since his first day at Hogwarts and six years later, he'd made no progress whatsoever besides causing her to crucially despise him.

Perhaps he'd been dead years ago if he was a mosquito too.

A sudden snapping noise brought James' head straight back up. A line of sweet, milky chocolate evaded his senses as Remus held it to his face. "So, what are you going to do about it?" He challenged once James had taken the sweet surprise.

James pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I really want a crane," he stated determinedly. "Perhaps I should apologise and try to charm her?"

"Charm McKinney? Please," Peter scoffed. "You're asking for the impossible, Prongs. She may be heartless but she's definitely emotionless. I've sat next to her for years in Potions and I've never seen her smile. Not once."

"Let's stop using that word, yes?" Sirius chided. James, Remus and Peter gave him a funny look. "Do you guys want girlfriends or not?"

"No thanks," Remus piped up.

Sirius bit back without missing a beat: "Wasn't talking to you."

The boys' dormitory slowly evolved into silence as each boy racked their brains for ideas on how to approach the heartless and emotionless, Mint Rosé McKinney.

Suddenly, a genius idea popped into Remus Lupin's brain. "How about making her a paper crane?" He suggested, taking a bite of his own chocolate bar. The other three Marauders gaped at him in horror. "What? I'm serious. She has to make all the paper cranes. I'm sure she'd love being gifted one instead of giving them out. I would if I was her, anyways..."

"Moony!" Sirius heaved hysterically, his jaw dropped. "Have you seen his skills? The dickhead can't even butter his own toast!"

James' eyes lit up as he imagined it. "Moony, you're a genius."

"Dude! This may be a bad idea!"

"No, it's brilliant," Remus grinned, already getting up to leave the dormitory. "I'll try and find an origami book in the library." He slung his bag over his shoulder and left, leaving a flabbergasted Sirius, a pleased James and a very confused Peter.

END OF CHAPTER !!
to be continued.

nini speaks !

three things we can take from this chapter is
remus likes to throw things, professor slughorn and
irene have beef and sirius knows something he shouldn't !! yay !!

( rewritten; 05/02/22 )