Author's Note: Hello to all! This is the first story I've ever posted (though not the first I've written) so I do hope you enjoy it! Constructive criticism and reviews would be utterly lovely; however, I would appreciate it if readers would please refrain from posting any flames. Pray, spare my heart.
Summary: The saying "Opposites attract" has never been more wrong... But then again... who's to say? Noella Nyx Blairheart wants nothing more than to make trouble for the master troublemakers themselves: The Marauders. But they won't stand for it. Sirius then takes it upon himself to be more of an annoyance than he assumes she can handle. She won't stand for that.
Rating: T for mild language and suggestive humor.
Disclaimer: I hold no claim to the Harry Potter series. All of it belongs to the genius, the Lady Rowling. This storyline and several characters, however, I am proud to say are mine.
On to the story!
Diagon Alley was teeming with life as per usual. Colorful window displays hit the eyes from every direction and equally colorful people quickly scurried from shop to shop, stopping every so often to peer at the colorful window displays or examine the products lain out for them to look at. Witches and wizards of all shapes and sizes were checking out merchandise of all sizes and shapes and were hurrying this way and that. All in all, it was busy just as it always was. A pair of old witches were stooped over the array of different cauldrons just outside the Cauldron Shop, muttering complaints about how ridiculous prices were these days for good-quality copper cauldrons (15 to 30 Galleons depending on the size). A gaggle of small children were crowding around Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, each vying for the attention of the nice Mr. Florean Fortescue to yell to him their favorite flavors. Little boys were pressing their faces against the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, chatting to each other about which professional Quidditch players were riding which brooms, while several business-type wizards and witches were walking briskly into and out of the Daily Prophet building. And in the hustle and bustle of it all… stood four boys: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
One boy with extremely messy, jet-black hair, hazel eyes gleaming from behind his spectacles, wore a cheeky smirk that would have any stern adult wondering, "What in God's name kind of havoc is this young man about to wreak?" This was James Potter. He turned his head to the side slightly to address his companions with a mock sigh.
"Another year, another year's worth of teachers and trouble and troublesome teachers."
An overly loud, squeaky laugh rang out from the shortest of the group, Peter Pettigrew, causing several shoppers to turn and look at the group of boys with disapproval. "Ha ha… Good one, James!"
The other two looked at each other, rolled their eyes and shook their heads, while James let out a little chuckle and grinned.
"If you're quite out of half-witted jokes, James," said one boy, one Sirius Black, smirking, broad-shouldered and quite good-looking, as he wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his friend in question. "I believe we have a bit of school shopping to do."
"My, my, Sirius, I do believe that this is the first time you've ever put school so high up on your list of priorities," said the brown-haired boy, Remus Lupin, with a pleasant smile.
"Ha, that's a good one, too, Remus!" offered Peter.
"Peter… shut up," said Sirius, causing the smaller, but chubbier, mousy-looking boy to shrink a little as if chastised. "We can't all be ickle little prefects like you, Remus, but really, I'd rather this not take all day."
It was James, this time, who rolled his eyes. "What shall we go look for first, then, Sirius, since you're so keen on shopping?"
As Sirius made a face at James, Remus examined the list he had brought with him. "Well, the only things we need, really, are books and perhaps maybe some supplies from the Apothecary."
"To Flourish and Blotts, then!"
-------
Remus had just picked up a copy of Hairy Snout, Human Heart when he heard giggling enter the shop. He looked over toward the entrance to see a small group of girls in his year coming in through the door. He glanced down the aisle at his friends, who were each leafing through copies of Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts, pointing out certain pages in turn and snickering every so often. Sirius looked up absentmindedly and caught Remus' eye. Remus pointed at the girls and Sirius grinned and nudged James.
"What? Found a hex we haven't tried yet?"
"Not exactly. It looks like we don't have to go searching for the victim of your fancy today," Sirius said as Remus shelved the book he was flipping through and came over to them.
"What are you going on about?" asked James, though he was sure he already knew the answer.
"Don't be thick, James, you know damn well what I'm ta-" Sirius cut himself off when he saw the dazed look in his friend's eyes. "James?" Remus, Sirius, and Peter each followed the trail of his vision to the group of girls making their way toward the aisle in which the four of them were located.
"So he does know what you're talking about," Remus said with a smile as Peter sniggered a little.
"Hey, Evans!" called James suddenly, ruffling his hair up quickly with one hand as he thrust the book he was holding into Peter's chest with the other, causing the latter to wince. A girl with thick, dark red hair and pretty, green, almond-shaped eyes turned around, her laughter fading immediately as soon as she saw who it was that had called her.
"Oh, it's only you, Potter," she said dryly, looking back at the books on the shelves, pretending to be interested in the titles. James took a few steps closer.
"What, you don't want to ask how nice my summer holiday was?" He grinned.
"No, I'd rather save my breath and the un-pleasantries for someone more worth my time." The girls behind her twittered audibly.
"So are you saying you'd rather skip right to the date, then?" James asked, rather cheekily. The girls giggled even more. Remus sighed and returned to browsing the shelf next to him as Sirius and Peter exchanged amused looks.
"Lily," they could hear one of the girls whisper as she looked furtively at James, blushing. "Why don't you say yes this time? It couldn't hurt."
Lily gave an incredulous, reproachful look to her friend before turning back to James with a raised brow. "Sorry, Marilee, I know how much you pity pathetic fools, but I don't date them –especially those who are so egotistically pig-like." With that, she turned to make her way toward some shelves on the opposite end of the shop as her companions shuffled after her. Except one.
James had been too busy staring after Lily to notice the girl before him with her hands on her hips. She had long, thick, curly dark hair and attractive, deep blue eyes that sparkled with a complacent rigidity. She cleared her throat to bring James' attention upon herself. He turned to her with a slightly confused look as he had just snapped out of his reverie. His friends turned to her as well, each with different expressions on their faces. Remus looked pleasantly surprised and Peter looked positively intimidated as he kept wringing his hands over and over. Sirius looked rather bored as his dark hair fell across his forehead and a fair bit of his eyes quite fantastically, while he looked at the girl before them with an air of indifference.
"Something bothering you, Blairheart?" he asked flatly. She strode over to them with curves and a sway in her hips, both of which, Sirius noted, had not been there last year and stopped in front of the four, crossing her arms.
"Nothing at all, Black, except your existence as usual and," here, she narrowed her eyes a little as she glanced at James before turning to face Sirius again, "your friend here. Tell him to stop messing with my friend. She's obviously not interested."
"Tell him yourself. He's standing right next to you," Sirius said with a glare, gesturing toward James, who was frowning.
She looked at him with an appraising look then turned to address all of them, pointing at each of them in turn. "See here, the lot of you, no toying with my friends, any of them, especially Lily. None of us need any extra stress this year. There's enough of that already with our N.E.W.T. level classes." She looked as if she was going to end it there and walk away to join the other girls. No such luck. "I won't have any of your inane misconduct back at school either. I may not have done much to end your immature behavior last year, but this year I won't take any nonsense from you."
The boys were irresistibly reminded of Professor McGonagall. Sirius smirked.
"Firstly, James has a right to fancy any girl he pleases, regardless of any relationship to you they might have. Secondly, classes are going to be a breeze for anyone with a wand and even half a brain. Though, I might be a bit worried for you." The girl rolled her eyes at this and muttered something that sounded a lot like "cocky git". "Thirdly," Sirius continued, not intimidated, "you didn't catch us last year and you won't be able to this year. If I were you, I'd give up."
She glared and gave a mock laugh. "I always new Dumbledore had it wrong in making Remus a prefect." She looked at him apologetically. "Remus, I'm sorry, you are a perfectly fine human being, but your friends here… they're bringing you down."
"Excuse me," Remus interjected heatedly as the others glared at her. "But my friends are exactly that, my friends and they're a right lot better than you at the moment. My being a prefect has nothing to do with why we don't get caught… It's all skill."
Silent for a moment, she did nothing but stare at him, regarding him as if he were a child who had just done something horribly, horrible wrong. "It doesn't matter," she began quietly. "I don't know exactly what you were up to last year, but if it continues, I swear, I won't rest until I find out. And your 'skill' will be made into a farce once I catch you in the act." She resumed smirking once again. "As I said, it doesn't matter. I'm going to be extra-vigilant and steadfast in my duties this year, so I advise you to stay out of trouble lest you want trouble of your own from me." After her firmly-delivered warning, she turned on her heel with one last stern look at them and strode away, hips swaying ever-so-slightly, Sirius couldn't help but note again, a brow raised and an iota of confusion that went unnoticed by his friends passed over his handsome features for a brief second.
The four of them were silent for a bit before they turned to each other and subsequently burst out into laughter.
"Stay out of trouble?" James scoffed, completely unfazed. "Trouble of our own? If she believes in the slightest that she frightens us, she's gone mental."
"Right…Mental… D'you think she was right though? About Dumbledore being wrong in picking me?" Remus asked, looking at his prefect badge contemplatively. He had pulled it out of his bag as soon as the girl had left.
"Of course not," Sirius said, heartily clapping him on the back. "You were brilliant just then and Dumbledore's never wrong. Don't listen to her, Remus. You know she's had it in for us ever since the moment we set foot on school grounds. She's nothing but a self-righteous, arrogant, little prig."
"Y-Yeah," agreed Peter with feeble confidence, looking in the direction the girl had left as if making sure there was no chance of her coming back. "A real prude, that Noella Blairheart."