Just something random I came up with as I was doing my math homework and remembering imaginary numbers from last year.
Summary: Remus tries to help Sirius with his Arithmancy homework, but Sirius can't comprehend imaginary numbers. Not so crazy randomness of an idle mind. (Not Slash. Honestly people, it's about math homework.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sirius or Remus or any part of Harry Potter. They belong to J.K. Rowling. As for the imaginary number i, I don't own that and I quite frankly don't want to anyway. As for the remembering trick, that I learned from my former math teacher:
i -- +i
i(squared) -- -1
i(cubed) -- -i
i(to the fourth power) -- -1
Hence: i, 1, i, 1... plus, minus, minus plus...
The Imaginary Number
"Grrr!" exclaimed Sirius, slamming his head against the table and letting his arms hang loosely at his sides, "I just honestly don't get it."
"Look," said Remus, trying to be patient and helpful, pushing a book towards Sirius so that its corner poked his head, "It's quite simple really."
"Really?" replied Sirius sarcastically.
"See," Remus indicated some of his notes, "I won, I won. Plus minus, minus plus."
"I just don't see how there could possibly ever be an IMAGINARY number." said Sirius, looking up, resting his chin on the desk to look at Remus, "It don't make sense. How can a number be IMAGINARY? I mean, I'm all for imagination, but doesn't that mean it shouldn't exist? Now, MAGICAL number, that would be better. How it'd be magical, I have no clue, but at least it would EXIST. And what's with the little 'i'? Is that supposed to stand for imaginary? But again, it makes no sense." Remus could sense his friend was going to continue on this tangent for a while if not stopped.
"Padfoot, it's not supposed to make sense." sighed Remus.
"HA! So you admit it!" exclaimed Sirius, shooting up in his chair.
"NO!" shouted Remus before catching himself and continuing calmly, "I mean, it's supposed to make sense. But if you think about it too much, it'll just make your head hurt."
"Tell me about it." responded Sirius gruffly, letting his forehead rest on the table again. Remus chuckled quietly and tried to focus on his own work. For the next few minutes, he worked in a silence he knew would not last.
"But how can it be imaginary? I mean, if we use it in math problems, it can't possibly be imaginary, can it? I mean, it has to exist for us to use it, right?"
"Padfoot." sighed Remus.
"Right. Shutting up now."
A few minutes more and Remus announced, "Well, I'm done with my Arithmancy homework." and closed his notebook.
"Moony, why the bloody hell am I taking Arithmancy?"
"Because you have to in order to graduate?"
"Oh, right, that." There was a pause and Remus didn't move, knowing what was coming next. "Can I copy your answers?"
"No, Padfoot."
"Aw, Moony, come on. Pleeeeaassee?" whined Sirius, looking up at his friend with big eyes, "It's not my fault I'm so dumb."
Remus laughed, "No, it's mine for letting you and Prongs copy your way through classes."
"Exactly!"
"And now you're going to have to learn how to do stuff on your own."
"Whan." complained Sirius, letting his head dropped back down again, "You stink, Moony."
Remus rolled his eyes, "I know, I know."
"Minus plus, plus minus." muttered Sirius into the binding of his textbook.