A/N: This is a sequel to Meet Me with a Smile, starting where it left off. Reading part 1 is not a requirement, but is recommended, just so you get to know how I write the characters and their history with each other. Also, I've been told it's a sweet, fun, emotional read if you like romance/drama involving Sirius Black and his buds. :)
One more thing, I forgot about Remus being a prefect… oops. James' sentiment in the beginning of the first chapter is essentially my thoughts as well. Ha! The new professor may seem like Lockhart with the bragging, but that is where the similarity ends... TRUST ME.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author of this story is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter One: A Rough Start
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What is a friend?
I will tell you . . . . it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself.
- Frank Crane
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Sixth Year – January 1977
It was the first day of classes after Christmas break, and the halls of Hogwarts were abuzz with enthusiasm. Not necessarily for classes, but most of the students were glad to be back among their friends. The Gryffindor sixth-years were in high spirits, except for two, Dominica Dávila and Septima Scroggie, who were suspended until the end of the month for the awful trick they played three weeks prior on Sirius Black and his girlfriend, Annabelle O'Neill. Fortunately for Sirius and Annabelle, they not only got through the aftermath of the prank, but they were stronger for it.
Just before heading off to breakfast that morning, they quietly slipped outside the common room ahead of their friends, unable to go another second without touching each other. As soon as the portrait closed, they didn't waste any time; Sirius pulled her in tightly against him and their mouths met in a frenzy. They moved toward the bannister, using it for support as they attempted to get their fill of each other, or at least a small fix until the next time they could be alone.
"God, I missed you last night," Sirius whispered as he kissed her, this girl that he'd known of for years, but never really knew until last autumn. Now, he wasn't sure how he'd existed without her.
"Likewise," Annabelle responded, feeling a bit weak in the knees. The previous night was the first in a few that they'd spent apart, and she hadn't known how much she would miss the warmth of his presence until she was alone in her own cold bed again. Sure, her friends were there in the room, but her arms were so empty without him. She'd wondered if he felt the same sense of loneliness, and now she had her answer.
"Sneak out with me tonight?" he breathed into her ear.
"I'll meet you at midnight," she replied.
He squeezed her tighter, lifting her onto her tiptoes as she pushed her hands through his lush hair. Quite abruptly, the portrait burst open and out stumbled Caradoc Dearborn and Fairfax Hood, who stopped in their tracks. Sirius and Annabelle parted lips, and Annabelle hid her face his neck, her cheeks prickling with embarrassment.
"What's this?" bellowed Caradoc. "Troppin' off on the stairs at eight o'clock in the morning?"
Fairfax laughed and said, "Give 'em a break, Doc. They haven't seen each other in ages. Yesterday was a long time ago, after all," then he turned back to Sirius and said, "Just so you know, there are several broom cupboards in the vicinity that are quite convenient for that sort of thing."
"And I'm sure you're familiar with the interior of each and every one of them," replied Sirius.
"Can't deny it," quipped Fairfax with a wink as he started down the stairs after Caradoc.
"That was awkward," Annabelle remarked to Sirius when they were out of earshot.
"I'm sorry, Annie," Sirius replied. "I should have taken you somewhere more private. I just couldn't wait to get my hands on you."
"Did you fail to notice that I was just as eager to get my hands on you?"
The corner of Sirius' mouth turned up. "I hope you're still as eager later on."
Again the portrait opened and Remus, James, Peter, and Alice came out onto the landing.
"Where's Lily and Johnny B.?" Annabelle asked.
"Lily said something about reading through her notes from before the break," Alice replied. "She said she'd catch up with us."
"Huh, I wonder why she's doing that," Annabelle said as the group started down the stairs. Lily was a straight-A student and she'd always taken school seriously, but looking over old notes the first day back after a break was going a bit overboard in Annabelle's opinion.
"And Johnny B. is working on his hair," replied Remus. "He said not to wait."
"Of course," Alice said.
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After breakfast, the girls walked a few feet ahead of the boys on their way to class. "It still feels like the holidays without Dominica and Septima around," Lily observed cheerfully.
"You're telling me," said Annabelle, who wasn't quite over the lengths the girls had gone to break up her and Sirius.
"I hope they move Dominica in with Septima when she gets back," said Alice. "It will be rather uncomfortable sharing a room with her if they don't."
"It's her that should be uncomfortable," replied Lily. "Not us."
The boys were a few paces behind them. James had been pleased the day before when he saw that Sirius' mood had improved greatly since he'd last seen him. He hoped that his mood would stay elevated now that his parents no longer had a hold on him. James never knew quite how to handle his bouts of depression after facing his family, even though he did his best to be there for him. Thankfully, he seemed the opposite of how he was in London. The kid looked like he was floating on air.
Remus on the other hand was looking a bit run down from the recent full moon. He wasn't talking much, and he seemed almost as miserable as Sirius had been in London. Just when one of them got happy, the other had to go all gloomy, James thought.
"Are you all right, Moony?" he asked Remus as they followed the girls to class.
"Just a bit sore. You know there was full moon a few nights ago."
James wasn't sure if he should ask him about Claire. He was so bloody sensitive about her and he never knew if mentioning her would get him an answer or a telling off. He decided to ask anyway.
"Did you see Claire on the train yesterday?"
"Yep."
James and Sirius exchanged apprehensive looks. "How is she?" James prodded.
"She's fine."
"When did you-"
"I'm going to take house points if you keep questioning me," Remus interrupted.
"From your own house?" demanded Sirius. "Only a complete wally would do that."
"Then call me Wally," Remus replied. "Look, I'm tired. We can chat later, lads."
And with that, the prefect walked ahead past the girls and entered the classroom.
"What's got into him?" Peter asked. "He's barely worn his prefect badge all year. Now he wants to take points from his own house?"
"He's all talk," replied Sirius. "He wouldn't take points from us."
"Crikey. I forgot he was a prefect until just now," said James.
Just then, Severus Snape passed them rather quickly, bypassing Lily as well without so much as a glimpse. It pained James that they had to share two classes with Slytherin, and he hoped that Dumbledore would come to his senses and stop the madness. He knew he was just trying to force them all to be friends, but it wasn't working, and it never would. Maybe someday the old man would figure it out.
They followed the girls into the classroom, eager to see if there was any truth to the rumours that their elderly, deaf Defence against the Dark Arts professor had suddenly retired. Old Professor Dunbar had only been hired as a replacement for last year's instructor who rather unfortunately tried apparating while intoxicated and ended up splinching his own head off. They were used to having a new teacher every year for the class, but two in the same year was something different.
They entered the classroom to find the new professor standing at the front of the room, his hands clasped behind his back. He was quite tall with shaggy light brown hair that was streaked with gold. His skin was sun-tanned, but his eyes were dark and didn't seem to match the rest of him. He looked to be in his early-thirties, and was well-dressed, his clothing on the more modern side of what professors normally wore, but not flashy enough to be considered unprofessional. He had a light stubble running around his jaw and for a moment Annabelle recalled the absurd cover of Lorelei's romance novel that she'd nicked from her bedside table over the Christmas break.
Annabelle and Lily went straight to their assigned seats, but James and Sirius took it as an opportunity to sit wherever they pleased, almost daring the new professor to tell them where to sit. Sirius sat directly behind Annabelle, and James shoved Edmund Kittle out of the way and sat behind Lily.
"That's my seat, Potter," Edmund said angrily.
"Not anymore it isn't," replied James as he made himself comfortable.
Edmund muttered something under his breath and found another seat. Lily turned around and said, "What if he has the seating chart?"
James shrugged. "Then my name is Edmund Kittle."
As the rest of the students found seats, James leaned forward in his desk, instantly drawn to Lily's hair. He took a lock of it and began twirling it around his finger, barely resisting the urge to bury his face in it. Maybe sitting behind his girlfriend wasn't the best idea after all. He would never hear a word the teacher said with Lily that close to him. She flipped the rest of her hair out from between her chair and her back, then turned her head and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She was killing him, as usual.
Sirius was also distracted by Annabelle being directly in front of him. He sat with his elbow on the desk, his head resting in his hand as he gazed at her. She was seated sideways in her chair, observing their classmates as they found seats. All Sirius could think about was what the two of them had done over break, the last few nights of break specifically. He also reached for a lock of her hair, running it between his fingers, recalling how it felt brushing across his bare chest as she covered him in kisses.
Suddenly, the man in the front of the room cleared his throat loudly. Annabelle turned forward in her seat, and Sirius leaned back in his, crossing his arms over himself. This new professor already struck him as a wanker and he hadn't even spoken to them yet.
"Greetings, class," he said in a deep voice. "My name is Eric Jaeger. If you get on my good side I'll let you call me Eric." He chuckled, but when the class didn't respond, he continued. "Allow me to take attendance before we begin."
He ran through the names, and when he got to Dominica and Septima, he questioned why they weren't there. All eyes shifted to Sirius and Annabelle, but neither of them said a word. Alice took it upon herself to inform him that they were suspended until the end of the month and the professor seem satisfied with her answer. Once Professor Jaeger was through with attendance, he poised himself rather grandly and addressed the class again.
"Your former professor has retired due to his poor health, so I will be with you for the duration of the year. In case you're wondering if my credentials are suitable to this position, I'll have you know I've been training people to defend themselves against the dark forces for over a decade, with great success I might add. I own several Defence against the Dark Arts training studios throughout the U.K. and I am opening one in France this summer."
Sirius and James exchanged irritated glances from the across the room.
"I have also been hired by top ministry officials to train their private security staff," he bragged on. "Annnd, I've been honoured multiple times over the years for my contributions to the betterment of wizarding society."
From his seat in the back of the room, James was becoming increasingly disappointed in his peers as he observed their reaction to the new teacher. He noticed how Gloria Henderson and Opal Ross, two of Septima's roommates, were tilting their heads and looking up at Jaeger like they were in love with him. Next, he watched as Esmeralda Roux and Delilah Burke, two of Elsinore Collins' best friends, began twiddling their hair and biting their lower lips as they gazed at the man. He looked around and noticed several others of the female persuasion gawking dreamily at him as well. He wished he hadn't sat behind Lily because he really wanted to know if her facial expression in any way resembled theirs.
Then he saw Alice. She seemed to be smirking, like she wasn't impressed. And Annabelle wasn't even looking at him. She looked like she was falling asleep. Even Johnny B. looked like he was trying not to laugh at him. At least he knew his mates were the clever ones in their year.
James leaned over in his desk and whispered to Lily, "Is this guy an arse or what?"
"Shhh," she responded. "Let's not make a bad first impression, all right?"
On the other side of the room, Annabelle couldn't keep her eyes open. The dullness of the man's droning on and on about himself and her need to catch up on sleep almost knocked her out cold. Her head kept nodding forward and when her neck would drop, she'd open her eyes and sit up a little, then repeat the cycle. It was torture.
Sirius noticed she was dozing off, and he poked her in the shoulder with his wand a few times to get her to wake up. He knew the feeling of trying so hard to stay awake, but not being able to force his eyes open. In fact, his own eyelids were feeling a bit heavy, but he didn't think it wise for either of them to get in trouble with the new teacher on his first day.
The professor droned on. "Before coming here, I was an instructor at Beauxbatons and I've also guest lectured at the formidable Durmstrang. Oh, and I almost forgot," he chuckled at himself, "I have worked with Aurors on top secret missions all over the globe."
Caradoc couldn't take it anymore. Despite Johnny B. shooting him a warning a glance when he raised his hand, his impulsiveness got the better of him.
"Yes, young man, do you have a question?" Professor Jaeger asked.
"Yeah, um, if you've done all that high and mighty stuff, what're ya doin' here?"
The professor pursed his lips and looked up toward the ceiling, clearly wanting everyone to know how annoyed he was with Caradoc's question before answering it. A few of the girls glared at Caradoc, but Annabelle had perked up when she heard a different voice.
"Because, young man - what is your name?"
"Caradoc Dearborn, sir."
"Because, Mr. Dearborn, I like to volunteer my expertise wherever it is needed. I'm not selfish with my gifts."
"But volunteering means you're not getting paid," pointed out Evan Rosier, the nasty Slytherin Keeper who had screamed "Die Mudblood!" at Annabelle during Gryffindor's last Quidditch match in December. "Who in their right mind works for free?"
Professor Jaeger exhaled in exasperation. "What I mean is, I offered my services where I heard there was a need for them. I am not one to keep my talents to myself. I like to share them."
Sirius snorted with laughter, which caused a chain reaction of laughter throughout the class. The professor pretended not to notice, perhaps because it was difficult to know who laughed first.
"All right, I think it's time we get started. Take out your parchment and your quills. Time for your first exam."
A collective groan rose from the students as they prepared for the surprise test. Once they were ready, Professor Jaeger led them through an interminable series of questions that covered everything they should have learned up until that point.
At the end of class, Professor Jaeger motioned to Annabelle and said, "You, young lady, Miss O'Neill is it?"
Annabelle warily nodded as she said, "Yes, sir."
"Please stay here for a moment. I'd like to speak to you."
Some of the other girls shot daggers at her with their eyes. She was used to those jealous looks from dating Sirius Black, but she didn't expect to receive them for being asked to stay after class by a professor. She looked nervously to Sirius who said, "I'll wait."
Lily and James hung behind as well. Once the majority of students had left the room, Jaeger motioned for Annabelle to approach his desk. She did as she was directed.
"I noticed, Miss O'Neill, that you were having a bit of a nap earlier. Did I bore you?"
"No, sir."
"Then what was the problem?"
"I'm just tired, sir."
"Try to get a good night's sleep before my next class. It would be quite ironic if the late, great Darien O'Neill's granddaughter failed Defence against the Dark Arts."
At the mention of her grandfather's name, her heart seemed to leap into her throat. She was unsure how to respond. Was he trying to hurt her? Or was he just showing off some more by tossing her granddad's name around? She couldn't tell.
"All right then, Miss O'Neill. No need to look so… put out. You are dismissed."
Annabelle nodded and went back to her desk to gather her belongings. As they were exiting the classroom, Sirius looked back at the man and noticed that he was staring at them as they left.
"Creep," he muttered under his breath. The others were waiting in the corridor.
"What did he want?" Alice asked.
"He scolded me for falling asleep in class," Annabelle replied, not wanting to repeat what he'd said about her grandfather. It made her self-conscious for some reason.
Sirius scowled. "If he wasn't so fucking boring then maybe people wouldn't have such a hard time staying awake."
"Dumbledore really knows how to pick 'em," said James as they made their way to the common room.
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Lily sat down at a study table and instantly cracked open her Dark Arts text book, scouring it for the correct answers to the test Professor Jaeger had just given. She was confident she'd passed, but there were some questions she wasn't quite sure of, and she had to make sure she'd got them correct. If she hadn't, then she would be studying before their next class, not socialising like everyone else was doing.
"That test was bloody easy, wasn't it Lil?" James commented as he sat down at the table with her. "I mean, come on. Name five dark magic items available to the public for purchase? Who doesn't know that?"
Lily frantically started naming off the ones she'd put on the test. "Shrunken heads, poisonous candles, flesh-eating slug repellent, human fingernails, and… and… the hand of glory! Was I correct?"
"Yes, those are all correct," he said in a soothing voice. "Relax, Lily. You're acting like you just took your N.E.W.T.s or something."
"I just wasn't expecting a test the first day of classes after a holiday. I'm glad I looked over my notes this morning."
"Only a complete git gives a surprise test the first day back after a holiday," James replied.
Johnny Bemis, or as his mates called him, Johnny B., sat down in a huff at the table with them, pouting like a child. Then he sighed dramatically. Lily knew what it was about. She had talked with Matthew herself for a bit on Saturday, and he was every bit as gorgeous as Johnny B., and just as nice. Matthew had clearly thought it odd that she had to handle all the post between them, but he didn't let it scare him away. Still, her heart went out to Johnny B. She didn't imagine pursuing a relationship with an unsuspecting muggle who didn't even live nearby would be easy.
"Where the hell is Annabelle?" he asked.
"I don't know. They were right behind us," Lily looked round the room. "Where's Sirius?"
"My guess is wherever Annabelle is," James said.
"Of course," muttered Johnny B.
"Just let me know when you're ready to send Matthew a letter," Lily offered. "My mum said it's no trouble."
Johnny B. nodded glumly. "Thanks Lily. And thanks to your mum."
"Don't worry," said James. "We'll get back to London one of these days. It's only a quick trip by floo, don't forget."
"So, what do you think of Jaeger?" Johnny B. asked. "He's a bit naff, isn't he? Like he's trying too hard to be cool."
"Thank you. I thought the same thing," James replied. "Total wanker."
"Give him a chance," said Lily. "He might be a really good teacher."
"And he might be a total wanker," James countered. "Look how he treated Annabelle."
"She was sleeping in class," replied Lily. "No teacher is going to accept that. A good teacher wants his students to pass. She should know better."
James decided not say any more about it. As long as Lily didn't fancy the man like some of the other girls seemed to, then he couldn't care less about him. She didn't appear to think much of him either way just yet, and that was good enough for him.
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Remus went directly to his room to rest. He was always tired after a full moon, sometimes for an entire week after, and getting back into the swing of school didn't make it any easier. He already felt guilty for how he'd brushed Claire off on the train the day before. He used his prefect duties as an excuse, but he could tell she was disappointed. Once they got back to school he'd disappeared with his friends, knowing she'd be too shy to come looking for him at the Gryffindor common room. He felt like a total cad, but he wasn't ready to break her heart just yet. Every once in a while he'd try to talk himself out of breaking up with her, telling himself that maybe she wouldn't reject him if she knew what he was, or that maybe she'd already figured it out. But then he thought about how horrible the transformations were, and how monstrous he was when they were complete, and he berated himself for wanting to shackle her with someone like him. She deserved a normal boyfriend. Someone she didn't have to worry might accidentally kill her someday.
That evening at dinner, she smiled and waved to him, but didn't approach like she normally did. She could sense something was wrong, he knew. He waved back, and felt his heart ache as her smile faded and she looked away.
The next day, as they were walking to Potions, Claire passed them in the halls. She smiled timidly, and almost whispered, "Hello," but kept walking.
"Claire," called Alice, glancing from Claire to Remus and back to Claire again. "Wait! How are you? How was your break?"
Remus backtracked, figuring that being cold would only make things worse.
"It was long," she said. "I actually found myself missing school." She looked at Remus, who looked down at the floor.
"You're not the only one," replied Lily.
"Yeah, well, I'd better get to class," Claire said, glancing at Remus one more time. "Bye Remus."
"Bye Claire," he said and began to walk away.
The girls looked at him like they were astonished at his behaviour, and the guilt overwhelmed him. "Claire, wait!" he called as he caught up with her. "I'll see you later, all right? I'll stop by your common room."
She nodded quickly, and replied, "All right, I'd like that."
Once they were in potions, Annabelle whispered to Sirius, "Did something happen with Remus and Claire?"
Sirius shrugged. "He didn't say."
Professor Slughorn welcomed them back from holiday and immediately got started on a new potion. It was called the Wideye Potion, and it was used as an antidote for the Draught of Living Death, as well as other medicinal purposes. It was considered a controlled substance and he made it clear that he would be coming round himself to dump their finished product at the end of class.
"I could have used some of this stuff yesterday," Annabelle said quietly.
Sirius smirked and replied, "You'd have needed a whole pitcher of it."
During the lecture, Sirius and Annabelle zoned in and out, half the time holding hands, touching their legs together, and daydreaming about the other, remembering their nights together earlier in the week. When it came time to brew the potion, Sirius was confident that he'd understood the process, even though his sparse notes told another story. Annabelle's notes weren't any better. They got to work, almost forgetting what direction to stir in after adding the crushed ingredients. The potion took a long time to brew, and in the meantime, they were given a detailed reading assignment about the proper uses for it and how it could be misused as well. After adding the final ingredient, they waved a wand over it, completely forgetting to stir it first.
"Oops," Sirius said.
"Uh-oh," Annabelle muttered.
Slughorn came to check their potion and said rather loudly, "This is an example of what not to do. I'm quite disappointed in you both."
"So sorry, sir," replied Annabelle. "It won't happen again."
"I certainly hope not. This potion is always on the N.E.W.T." He walked away, and when he got to Lily and James he cooed gleefully, "Wonderful work, Miss Evans and Mr. Potter! This is so well done that instead of disposing of it, I think I'll send it to Madam Pomfrey to be used in the hospital ward!"
Lily smiled proudly. "Thank you, sir."
James turned around in his seat and looked at Sirius, smugly holding up his forefinger then pointing to himself, indicating that he was number one. Sirius snickered and gave him the two-fingered salute in response. James laughed silently before turning back around.
"Sorry Annabelle," Sirius said. "I should have been more focused."
"I wasn't paying attention, either," she replied.
The class was immediately dismissed since it had already gone over into lunch due to the lengthy brewing time of the potion. At lunch, everyone was teasing Lily and James for their potion brewing success.
"Snivellus had some competition today," Peter said. "I could tell he was miffed."
"It was mostly Lily's doing," said James. "She was determined."
Lily's eyes flashed and she smiled tightly, thinking of how she was already on the path to destroying her sister's notions of her. Head girl would be hers and Petunia would be eating her nasty words. She just had to keep up the momentum.
"Slughorn is going to ask you to join the Slug Club if you're not careful," Fairfax teased James.
"Don't count on it," James said. "But if he did, I might actually consider it."
Sirius pulled a face. "What was that? Because I thought I just heard you say you might join the Slug Club."
"Yeah, well, it couldn't hurt, right?"
"No comment," replied Sirius.
"You're just pissed off because you ruined your own potion," Peter sneered at Sirius. He seemed a little too delighted that Sirius had made a mistake.
"Oh, yes, Pete," Sirius said. "You got me there. I'm gutted over one stupid potion going wrong in six years of making them correctly."
"It's not like you to screw up in that class," Peter goaded. "Slughorn was none too pleased."
"Slughorn can go to hell," Sirius replied.
"It's not Slughorn's fault you messed up."
"Put a cork in it, Peter," said James, mildly irritated with him.
Sirius was getting angrier by the second. "Pete, do you want me to hex you into next year?"
"That would get you expelled," Peter replied. "But maybe you don't care about school anymore."
Annabelle was getting upset with Peter's heckling of Sirius. He was like a dog with a bone; he just couldn't let it go.
"For crying out loud, it was one bloody potion!" she exclaimed. "Why does it concern you so much?"
"Yeah Peter, let it go," said Remus. "It's not your problem."
"It's not anyone's problem," continued Annabelle. "In fact, we could go back in there right now if we wanted to, and brew it correctly."
"Why didn't you do it right the first time, then?" asked Lily quietly, barely making eye contact with Annabelle.
Sirius laughed irreverently as Annabelle just looked at her friend in disbelief. Everyone else at the table had grown silent.
"Maybe because people make mistakes," Annabelle replied evenly. "One bad potion won't make or break us."
"And it's no one's business but ours, so everyone can calm the fuck down," declared Sirius.
Lily wanted to say more but she didn't. She knew what hotheads Annabelle and Sirius were when they were upset and she didn't want to fight with them. But she also didn't want to see her best friend slacking off. First she was falling asleep in class, then she wasn't paying attention in Potions… it wasn't like Annabelle. She needed to pay attention in Potions since it wasn't her strong suit, and Lily began to wonder if her being partners with Sirius was still such a good idea.
"You're right," Lily said. "I'll mind my own business."
James was uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. Forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be making an effort to appear more studious for Lily, he snapped, "Can we please change the subject? All this talk about classwork is getting awfully geeky."
Lily glared at him. "So it's geeky to care about your marks?"
"Uhh, no… it's just… well… it's kind of geeky to keep going on and on about them, that's all."
"Oh look, it's time for class," she chirped. She got up in a huff, grabbed her belongings and charged out of the Great Hall.
"Shite," James spat, and went to catch up with her.
Sirius sighed and said, "Come along, Annabelle. Let's take our completely inept, stupid selves to Transfiguration. Maybe we can really get everyone going by mucking up in there, too." He shot a malevolent look at Peter before taking Annabelle's hand and leaving the table.
Johnny B. watched them walk away and as he gathered his books, he turned to Peter. "What the hell was that? You couldn't just leave it alone?"
"Yeah, that was a bit of a kick in the teeth, wasn't it?" added Caradoc, standing to leave as well. Fairfax just sighed in disappointment.
All three boys left, and Peter said to Alice and Remus, "I was just surprised is all. Sirius never does poorly in Potions. Or any class."
"Still, why'd you have to call attention to it?" Alice asked. "Couldn't we have just been happy for Lily and James?"
"You've never brewed a perfect potion in your life, so it's really quite funny that you are shaming Sirius for one error," Remus scolded him. "Next time, just keep your thoughts about other people's mistakes to yourself."
"Whatever you say," Peter muttered, still feeling pretty good that he took Sirius down a peg or two, or so he thought.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
That evening in the common room, Lily and James sat at a study table doing their assignments together. Sirius and Annabelle came in after them, plunked down at the table with them, and took out their books and parchment. Annabelle wanted to prove to Lily that they weren't intentionally slacking off or anything. Lily looked up at them and smiled slightly, then got back to work. For two hours they worked, only speaking about the subjects at hand. Eventually, though, Sirius had had enough. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head, hoping the others would tear themselves from their parchments. James glanced at him, then to Lily, who was writing like mad. Then he looked back at Sirius, shook his head, and got back to work.
"Are you finished?" Annabelle asked him.
"Yep," Sirius replied. "Except for the new lit assignment which-"
"So start reading it now then," Lily suggested.
"If you'd let me finish, I was going to say I was waiting for Annabelle."
"Oh, right, you two like to read it out loud to each other like it's a joke."
Annabelle's brow knitted and she said, "No, not like a joke. We just like to have fun with it. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Lily didn't answer because Lorelei Twonk burst into the room like an angry Hungarian Horntail. She was scary enough when she was in a good mood, but when the abrasive, vulgar girl was upset, it was common knowledge that one should run for cover.
She looked up at the ceiling and shouted, "O'NEILL! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?"
The whole room fell silent and all eyes turned to her, then to Annabelle. Annabelle glanced around at her friends whose mouths had all dropped open.
"Help," she mouthed to them, slowly moving her hand to her wand. The others instinctively did the same. Sirius stood up, blocking Annabelle from Lorelei's line of vision.
When Lorelei met Sirius' eyes, he asked, "What's the problem, Twonk?"
Annabelle didn't think it fair that he should face her by himself. She stood up and stepped around Sirius.
"I'm right here, Lorelei. You don't have to shout."
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
"Just you wait a min-" Sirius began but Lily interrupted him, coming around the table to defend her friend.
"Who are you calling a bitch?" she demanded.
Lorelei ignored them, and took a few steps toward Annabelle. "I told you NOT to touch my books. I told ALL of you not to. So I was quite taken aback when I was called into Professor McGonagall's office and given a bloody lecture for letting FIRST-YEARS read my ADULT NOVEL!"
It took Annabelle a moment to figure out what she was going on about. But then it hit her. The book she'd nicked from her bedside table during Christmas break.
"What does this have to do with Annabelle?" Lily asked.
"The first years in question were here with Annabelle over the break! Apparently they found the book stuffed in the sofa cushions. They were caught passing it around in Transfiguration!"
"How do you know they didn't nick it themselves?" asked Lily.
"You have no proof Annabelle took it," Sirius said. "None."
"I don't need proof. I know it was her!"
"Annabelle doesn't read that smut," replied Lily. "Only you do."
Lorelei narrowed her eyes. "Say what you will about my taste in books, but Annabelle nicked it, then misplaced it, and it fell into the wrong hands. It's HER fucking fault that I have detention for a bloody WEEK and I get to miss Hogsmeade!"
"You are just looking for someone to blame," said Lily. "Blame yourself for having that trash lying about."
Annabelle was embarrassed. She put a hand on Lily's arm to stop her and said, "I'm sorry, Lorelei. I was going to put it back, I promise."
Lily looked at Annabelle in shock, and Annabelle didn't know if it was because of her carelessness, or if she was disappointed that she'd been reading a trashy romance novel.
"So you admit it?" Lorelei seethed.
Annabelle nodded uncomfortably and said, "Yes. It looked… interesting, so I borrowed it." Then she looked back at Lily and said, "It was a mistake, because it was a dreadful book anyway." She swallowed hard and turned back to Lorelei. "Then Professor McGonagall came in and I hid it between the sofa cushions and forgot about it. The younger girls must have discovered it."
"Well how convenient for you. You get away with nicking my belongings while I get humiliated for having INAPPROPRIATE READING MATERIALS!"
"I'll tell McGonagall it was mine," Annabelle offered, her voice trembling as she made a move toward the portrait hole. "I'll go right now."
Lorelei shoved her and screamed, "What's the point you selfish brat? It said MY NAME on the inside cover!"
Sirius got in front of Annabelle again and wielded his wand at Lorelei. "Don't you lay so much as a finger on her again, do you understand me?"
"Don't get involved Black! This doesn't concern you!" Lorelei shouted, her grating voice hurting the ears of everyone in the room.
"Oh, it concerns me all right. I was there when she put the book in the sofa. I forgot about it, too. Hex your vengeance out on me if you must, but leave her alone. She said she was sorry."
"McGonagall called me a bad influence," Lorelei replied. "Do you know how terrible that made me feel? I would NEVER share that book with children."
"Neither would I!" exclaimed Annabelle. "Not on purpose! It was an oversight. I'm sorry. I want to make this up to you. Just tell me what to do!"
Lorelei's nostrils flared as she snarled, "Here's what you can do, Little Miss I-Can-Do-No-Wrong, STAY AWAY FROM MY STUFF!"
Lorelei stomped dramatically to the girls' staircase and was gone. Now everyone in the room was looking at Annabelle. Some started to whisper, others giggled. Annabelle thought Lily must be disgusted with her for reading a book like that in the first place and she couldn't meet her eyes. She was feeling like a massive screw-up and instead of waiting to be berated by her mates while the other students looked on and snickered, she ran out of the common room, Sirius following right behind her. When he exited the portrait hole, he slammed it shut with such force that all the paintings on the walls rattled and the Fat Lady screamed.
"Never a dull moment around here," James muttered. At the rate things were going, 1977 was not looking good.
Please review! Even though the story is well finished, I still love hearing what readers think!
A little sidenote: Someone mentioned to me that the name "Eric Jaeger" reminded them of a character's name in something called Shingeki. Honestly, I have never heard of Shingeki and had to Google it, and in case anyone was wondering, I didn't get that name from anywhere but my own head. (I have never read any Manga (?) in all my days.)
