If I owned them I wouldn't still be living at home and Dumbledore would have survived! Now on with the story...
No Ink-ling
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
James Potter cringed as his wife yelled at him. "Of all the giddy irresponsible things to do?" she ranted and fumed. She stopped her pacing. "Why?" Meekly he looked up at her his question written over his face. "What possessed you to get a tattoo?"
James tried to shrug nonchalantly. "We were celebrating finishing Aurour Training," he grinned in an attempt to make Lily see the lighter side.
"In celebration? You got a tattoo in celebration?" James nodded. "Whose idiotic idea was that?"
"Lily," Sirius called entering the lounge, Remus and Peter following. "I thought that was your voice I heard."
Seeing the bandage on Sirius' right ankle she didn't even need to look at her husband to know the culprit had just walked in.
"Sirius," Lily started feigning concern, "What's happened to your foot?"
Sirius stole a quick glance at his best friend, seeing the warning in his eyes did nothing to help prepare him for the temper of Lily Potter nee Evans.
"Nothing. Just a minor flesh wound."
James and Remus smirked at his words.
"Really? Are you saying you let my foolish husband," here Lily tapped James on the chest right where his bandage was, "Go out and get a tattoo all by himself? I thought you made a pledge of friendship and stupidity about things like this."
James had his hands covering the spot a grimace on his face. "Lily, you know it's still sensitive."
Lily turned on him with a glare that made all the men think of an annoyed McGonagall. And they should know, they were on the receiving end of that glare a combined 942 times, in their first 3 years. They lost count after the prank with the marionettes, blue paint and half of the Ravenclaw Quiddich team.
Lily walked next to Remus. "Well, I trust Remus wasn't as ludicrous to do the same." She punctuated his name with a hard slap on his right shoulder.
"AH!" Remus cried in pain backing away from Lily nurturing his, similarly bandaged, shoulder.
"You too?" She looked at him shocked.
At Remus' cry several people from the Order came rushing to see what had caused the werewolf to cry out.
Alastor Moody, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, Benjy Fenwick, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcus Meadowes all came rushing into the room all had their wands drawn.
"What's going on in here?" Moody growled upon seeing they were all safe and in no danger. "What you yelling out like that for Lupin?"
"Lily hit him," Sirius explained patting Remus affectionately like he was a child with a scrapped knee. "Hard."
"Evans what's the meaning of this?" he turned on the redhead as everyone put their wands away.
"I didn't know he joined in the stupidity of my husband and his partner in crime," Lily explained, shooting a dirty look at both said husband and afore mentioned partner.
"We were just fulfilling a time honoured unofficial tradition of finishing Aurour Training!" Sirius replied.
"You got your tattoos then?" Frank asked smiling. "I assume you two finished in the top four of your year, and Remus went along because… you two got him drunk."
Lily looked at Frank shocked. "What?" James just looked at Lily sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Sirius beamed. Now he had Frank to back him, Lily couldn't kill him.
"Cool," the Prewett twin said together, both sitting themselves either side of James.
"Where's yours and what is it?" Benjy asked moving more into the room and seating himself opposite where Sirius and Remus were standing.
Sirius grinned and hoisted his right leg into the chair. He then gingerly remove the tapped on bandage to reveal a skull and cross bones on the inside of his leg just above his ankle.
"Like the pirates Jolly Rodger," Frank commented.
"Arr," Sirius grinned nodding.
"Nice penmanship," Marlene observed. "What did Potter and Lupin get?"
James looked at Lily as if asking permission. Lily just rolled her eyes, and James knew that meant she grudgingly was allowing him. James started to pull his t-shirt off.
"Hey all she asked was to see your tattoo, Potter, not for you to do a strip," Benjy teased.
But as James let the shirt fall to the floor he revealed the bandage covering his right pectoral. Just as gingerly as Sirius had he pulled back the cover to reveal a crouching tiger.
"Can you believe the guy didn't know how to do a lion?" James smiled.
A small laugh rippled around the room.
-
"Hello tiger," Alice whispered to Lily.
Lily just looked at her confused.
"Just let the idea settle," she continued to whisper, unnoticed by the rest of the group. "And the initial tenderness. Forget he did this with out letting you know, and you can have a lot of fun with something like that. Trust me, once you get used to it, even a little creative, you'll be glade he did it."
"What?" Lily whispered back not sure if she wanted to hear what else Alice had to say.
"Just give it some time." Lily gave her a questioning glance. So Alice elaborated, "Frank finished top of his class. He's got a massive shark on his stomach. At first I was, like you, furious. But after a while we worked it out, and… he became inspired." Alice seemed a little lost in thought for a while. "We weren't really seafaring people before, but we defiantly are now. Most defiantly."
Lily giggled and whispered, "No way!"
"Oh very way," Alice grinned before letting out a little giggle of her own.
Hearing his wife's giggle Frank looked over at her. Lily saw Frank look and saw the blush that entered his face as he caught the expression in Alice's eyes.
Lily giggled some more. Maybe she could be persuaded that it wasn't such a foolish thing after all.
-
"So what does Remus have on his shoulder?" Dorcus asked offering him the spot next to her on the couch she'd claimed.
"Prefect Moony has a little angel on his right shoulder," James explained smiling.
"Yeah, we're going to get drunk another time just to reveal the devil on his other shoulder," Sirius joked.
"So Lupin has the voice of reason on his shoulder, Black has become a pirate, and Potter attempted at house pride," Frank summarised.
"Too bad yours was only an attempt," Fabian smiled.
"Yeah, you succeeded didn't you Dorcus?" Gideon added.
"Well, a snake is easier to know how to draw," Alastor spoke up.
"Yeah," Dorcus replied glaring at the Prewett twins. "And don't you go insulting Hiss. I may be forced to hurt you both if you do." She stroked her shoulder affectionately.
"You named it?" Lily asked shocked.
"Of course. He deserves a name. I worked my butt off to finish fourth in my class."
"Too bad Hiss couldn't make an appearance," Gideon pouted.
"Or maybe he could," Fabian immediately finished raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"Or maybe I could hurt you," Dorcus smiled.
"Well there's one thing you should learn all," Benjy started. "If you're going to get a tattoo, make it in a spot that's easy to show off."
He then lifted his left foot and moved his sock to reveal a tattoo in almost the identical spot as Sirius', just on his opposite foot.
"Finished third of my class and thought this one looked most fitting."
It was a medium sized tattoo of a rat trapped behind the bars of the gutter.
"Oddly fitting isn't it Wormtail?" Sirius teased ruffling his hair.
"Oh shut it Padfoot," Peter retorted.
"What about you, Pettigrew?"
Peter paled. Remus let out a hearty laugh. "He should consider himself luckily he didn't end up with one."
"Yeah, that guy turned down a $100 tip, by not doing it," Sirius pouted.
"The guy did have ethics, and you can't really blame him for saying no," James reasoned.
"Yeah, but it would have been fabulous if he had though."
"Care to step back and elaborate on that anyone?" Alastor grumbled.
"When the artist put the first needle in James, Petey there passed out," Remus chuckled.
"Out like a light." "Down for the count." James and Sirius chimed.
"I don't like needles," Peter softly said.
"Sirius tried to convince the guy to give him one anyways, but the guy said he couldn't," James smirked.
"And across his back it would've read; 'PROPERTY of SIRIUS BLACK. Hands Off!'" Sirius laughed.
Everyone laughed at the image of Peter with the inscription on his back.
"Well, I'm certainly glade there are some things that will never change. Since I graduated there hasn't been many who finished in the top four of the class and not gotten a tattoo," Alastor smiled. "I remember when Caradoc Dearborn graduated they got 'Old Man' put across his back."
"He's added to it since then," Fabian explained. "Underneath it it now has 'Young Women'."
"And under that it has in subscript; 'who can blame them with looks like these?'" Gideon finished for his twin.
They all laughed at their fellow Order member's humour.
Suddenly the doors opened and in walked Aberforth Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore.
"See, I told you I'd be able to find the others," Aberforth beamed at Minerva.
"Never doubted you Abe," Minerva replied rolling her eyes.
"How long till this meeting is meant to go for do you think?" Aberforth asked stealing a glance at his right forearm under his sleave.
"We should be finished before the bottle is empty," Albus tried to reassure his brother.
"It had better be," Aberforth grumbled having one more glimpse.
"What's he looking at?" Alice asked eyeing the younger Dumbledore.
"Abe has a charmed tattoo on his forearm of a whiskey bottle. When the bottle is empty his pub has used up the entire alcohol quota for the day. So, either he has to bring more, or it has to close," Albus explained with a small chuckle. "No matter how much he sets for a Friday night, somehow he always seems to run out at around 12. And he doesn't like to close before 2 on any given morning."
"What was everyone talking about?" Minerva asked looking around at the group.
"Tattoos," James replied gesturing to the tiger on his chest.
"And the proud top Aorour tradition," Sirius beamed.
"I don't really believe it," Lily rebuffed moving closer to Minerva. "Tell me it isn't true, Minerva?" she plea softly.
Minerva turned her eyes ablaze to Alastor.
"You swore to me you'd never tell anyone I got one!" she growled. But upon seeing the shocked expressions travel across the room at her words Minerva realised her mistake. "You didn't tell them. I just did," she groaned rubbing her hands over her as if it would make it all go away.
"You've got a tattoo Professor?" Both of the Prewetts said together identical grins on their faces.
"Where is it?"
"What is it?"
"When did you get it?"
"I bet it's a lion. It's a lion isn't?"
"Or the crest of Gryffindor?"
"You're family coat of arms?"
"The white queen from a chess set?"
"The black queen from a chess set?"
"Is it a cat?"
"You won't get her to tell you what it is," Alastor said loudly getting everyone's attention again. "That's something she's guarded very closely. More closely than I have mine."
"Oh please, Moody. I've seen your clock," Minerva scoffed at his analogy.
"You've seen his what?" James asked overly loudly looking between them shocked.
"When did you see my clock?" Alastor asked surprised.
"How drunk were you at graduation?" Minerva laughed. "Do you not remember mooning the entire graduating class and all the Ministry Officials?"
Alastor flushed deeply. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that."
"Obviously," Minerva smiled.
"Would either of you care to explain what you're talking about?" Frank venture to voice everyone else's confusion.
"At Minerva and his graduation, Alastor mooned the whole room while the main speeches were being made. Thus revealing his old style clock," Albus explained. "And Minerva it's nothing to be ashamed of. I think your tattoo is very fitting for you."
"Hang on," Alastor called getting to his feet. "Albus has seen your tattoo?" Minerva shot Albus one of her best deathly glares. "I haven't seen it, and I spent two weeks undercover with you in clothes that could hardly be called underwear!"
"I didn't see your clock on that op. either," Minerva replied. Without pause she continued, "And no, it's not in the same place as yours, or anywhere like the reverse side. Now would we by any chance be able to drop this subject?"
"Not likely," Sirius smirked. "So, Professor, what and, more importantly, where is it?"
"What make you think I would tell you, Mr Black?" Minerva asked irritated.
"I wasn't asking you McG," he turned to face Albus more obviously. "Professor?"
Albus noticed that everyone was listening very closely to what he was about to say. Even more closely than they would in the meeting they were meant to be having in 20 minutes.
"Mr. Black, you should know I value my life too much to divulge that information. You think you've seen Minerva at her worst? That's not even scratching the tip of the iceberg," Albus could see a humours enter her eyes that showed Minerva was amused at what he was saying. "I choose to live, and by doing so I could never reveal the answer to either of those questions without Minerva's consent. And I don't think you need me to tell you that you have a snowballs chance in hell of getting that." The twinkle in Albus' eyes revealed how much he actually enjoyed the situation.
Sighing defeated Sirius looked at Albus pleading, putting on his best puppy dog expression. Being a dog animagus meant it was a very persuasive expression.
"Not even a hint?"
"It's academic."
"Albus!"
- - -
Later that night, or maybe morning would be the more correct time, Albus propped himself on his elbow. As the moon streamed into the room Albus took in the sight of beauty lying before him.
Gently he ran the hand not supporting him down the side of his lover's torso. Moving the sheet that had been covering her as his hand moved. He exposed more and more of her naked form. His hand paused at her right hip. With feathery light touches he traced the inked patter there.
Just as she started to stir Albus leaned down over the hip and placed a kiss on the tattoo he felt was very fitting for his love. A Divination book on fire.
A/N- This was in response to the Specific Tattoo Challenge. Here are the options given. Instead I did them all…
Tattoo Choices:
1.) Snake. 2.) Skull and Cross Bones. 3.) Bottle of Whiskey. 4.) Shark. 5.) Tiger. 6.) An Old Fashion Clock. 7.) The Words 'Old Man'. 8.) A Rat Behind Gutter Bars. 9.) An Angel On One Shoulder. 10.) A Book In Flames.