Locker 627 slammed, the sound muffled by a falling Chemistry book. "Shoot." The keeper of the locker and the book quickly tried to kick it shut, but the book still stuck halfway out of the locker.

A pair of black ballet flats skidded across the wet floor as they raced down the hallway. We really need more than five minutes in between classes, their owner thought irritably. If we're expected to go to the bathroom AND go to our lockers, where is the time? I mean, for boys, it only takes a minute to pee, but for girls it takes all of the five minutes, even if you aren't on your period!

A small man with a wheezy little voice tried to gain the attention of twenty-four yappy teenagers. "Good morning, class!"

A trip, a groan, and then a giggle. "Padfoot, you idiot!"

Rain steadily pounded with the girl's feet as she ran, then tiptoed past Ms. McGonnagall's room. She was not interested in a detention today. She tried to whistle casually, but it was difficult to do as there was no oxygen in her lungs.

"Now, really! A little rain is not going to get in the way of our test review!" By the groans that erupted, one would think that the students didn't expect to do anything when they dragged themselves to school today.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Black!" The boys had forgotten to tiptoe. "Detention with me, 7:00 tomorrow morning!"

"Yes, ma'am," the politer of the two replied more out of habit than out of actual politeness, not bothering to turn around.

Willa North rushed into the World History classroom, hopped over feet in the aisles and apologized profusely to Mr. Flitwick. "Sorry, sorry, sorry," she added as she edged around some more laid-back members of the class, trying not to step over the books that they had not cared to place under their desks.

"It's quite all right, Miss North," Flitwick replied kindly, glancing about his classroom before tapping a few buttons on his keyboard and looking up at the projector screen."Now what about-"

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally there are instances in life that seem like they are straight out of a movie, like when at the exact moment Flitwick notices two empty desks at the back of the room, James Potter and Sirius Black come thundering in.

Flitwick sighed as the boys did not bother to make an excuse for their tardiness. James was trying not to run his fingers through his hair too purposely, and Sirius was texting under his desk. "Late again," Flitwick said more to himself than to them, then turned on his screen. He sighed, trying to prepare himself. "This...is...JEOPARDY!" He announced, trying to be enthusiastic as the theme music played jubilantly.

No response.

Flitwick sighed. He really wanted them to do well on this test. He tried to think about what motivated the students. Times have changed and extra credit points aren't desirable anymore, but he tried anyway. "The winning team gets extra credit!"

No response.

"Candy?" Some interested faces, but not effective either.

"You know what we want!" Frank Longbottom called from the back of the room. A few students backed him up with cheers and pleads. Flitwick rolled his eyes and sighed, thinking for a moment.

"Okay, fine. If everybody participates, then we can watch Mulan after the test." He covers his ears as the room erupts in cheers, and he wonders how watching this historically inaccurate children's film will motivate the high school students, and from then on reminds himself every few minutes that he can't let them see him type in his Netflix password.

Meanwhile, down the hall...

"Lupin." Someone throws a precious stick of gum at the back of his head.

"Pssssst. Lupin."

"What?" he mutters without even turning around. Ms. Trelawney is in one of her long speeches about Shakespeare and all the words that wouldn't exist without him, and Remus knows that if she is uninterrupted, then she will carry on like this for the rest of the hour, and he can daydream in peace.

"You have to be on our team for Jeopardy!"

Remus pauses, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Is that how you ask?"

"Pleeeeease?"

Remus pauses again, knowing the suspense will kill her, biting back a laugh. "No."

"LUPIN!" Elloise's foot flies into the aisle and swiftly kicked his chair. "We need you! You're the only one who has actually READ any of the books!"

"Well, isn't that a shame," Lupin observes out of the corner of his mouth, sinking lower and lower in his chair.

"Please, Remus?" a soft voice pleads behind him.

Remus smiles in spite of himself, and sinks down a little farther so he can tip his head back and rest it on her stack of books and folders. Jacquelyn Dearborn smiles down at him, gently poking him on the nose with her pen. "Jac, you love to read. How could you not have read any of the books?"

She quirked her mouth to the side, something he loves, particularly because her brown eyes crinkle up when she does it. "I hated Catch-22," she confided in a whisper. "I don't get that kind of humor. And Heart of Darkness was just so..."

"Dark?" he offered with a chuckle. Jac nodded, hiding her smile behind her hand. Remus glanced at her friend, who was staring at him and tapping her foot impatiently. "Why does she want to win so bad?"

"It's the candy," Jac replied, shaking her head. "We didn't have time for a McDonald's run this morning, so she hasn't got her caffeine in her yet. It's going to be a rough day if she doesn't find a replacement."

Remus covered his mouth in mock shock. "But...but that means that you didn't get your morning hashbrown," he teased. "How ever will you survive without it?"

Jac shrugged, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Well, the candy would be an acceptable replacement."

Remus sighed. He knew he couldn't say no to her, and a selfish part of him hoped that maybe this would help her to see him in a more...boyfriend kind of light? His heart fluttered at the thought of being able to hold her hand, and tell her how beautiful she is without it being weird or creepy. He even thought of some dates he could take her on. The orchard had apple picking for a few more weeks, and maybe they could make a pie or some applesauce. Pumpkin season was coming soon, too. There was no end to what they could do in the fall, his favorite season.

"Lupin," Elloise hissed. "LUPIN." Her insistence broke him out of his little daydream. "So, will you be on our team or not?"

Remus glanced at Jac's hopeful eyes. "Sure."

"Yes!" Elloise didn't even bother to whisper, breaking Trelawney out of her tirade.