The Gang
"It's kind of crazy, ya know?"
James just gave his friend a look that quite plainly expressed his thoughts. You're crazy, all right. "What do you mean?"
"I dunno. Never mind. Hey, where's your stuff?" Sirius asked.
"In your front hall. I wasn't sure how we were getting to the train."
A puzzled look came over Sirius' face. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure either... Better go ask Mum. Last one in is an Earwax Bean!" Sirius took off running, partially to be first in and partially because of the murderous look James was giving him. Just a couple minutes before, he and James were trying to catch Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans from the air, and after the yolk-flavoured one that James had to choke down, Sirius promised the next was a toffee.
Sirius had know it was no toffee... Still, James sprinted off after his long-legged friend.
"Boo!" The doorknocker on Sirius' front door shouted at him as he puffed up the front stairs. "Heehee, I got you! Is Jamesies 'fraid? Heehee!"
"Man, you're slow!" Sirius was leaning against the hall wall just inside the door, munching on a shnapple (an apple flavoured ginger snap).
"I wasn't trying to race you, I wanted to get some moo juice to get rid of this earwax taste!" James covered for himself. "Besides, I'm not obsessed with Muggle sports, I don't have to run quickly - just fly quickly. And I'd like to see you do that better than me!"
Sirius scowled. "So what if you've got the fastest broom... Wizards these days..."
At this, James laughed. "You make yourself sound like you are positively ancient, what do you mean 'these days'?"
As Sirius was about to take off on his speech of how Muggles have a lot to teach the Wizarding community, and how soccer was better than Quidditch any day, James shoved the remainder of Sirius' shnapple in his mouth.
Later that afternoon, they were buzzing around the scarlet-red Hogwarts Express.
"Sirius Black! I think I have to give you detention!" A dark-red-haired, green eyed, pretty 7th year girl yelled out to a very guilty looking Sirius.
He turned around. "Oh, it's only you. So, how's my girl been?" He put his arm around her waist.
"Your girl happens to be the Head Girl, and my girl!" James approached, mock-angry. "Get off, or am I going to have to show you what's what?" His brown eyes narrowed to slits.
"You're Head Girl! Well, I'll be... and James, did you get... yes, I can see your badge. Well, all we need is for you two to have a kid... what a prick he'll be!" Sirius said this as he pushed Lily towards James. He ran off, jumping over a first year on his way to find Remus.
"We are not going out!" Lily exclaimed, at the same time James asked, "What are we naming the kid?"
She ruffled his hair. Not that I wouldn't like it...
She hates me... James looked at her wistfully, and when she caught his stare he grinned.
"Due to a stink bomb in the teacher's compartment, the train will not leave until the culprit comes forward." A voice blared through the air outside Platform 9 and 3/4.
Lily jumped. "What have you done?" She studied James' face closely for any hint of guilt.
"Me? Nothing... but Padfoot-"
Lily ran off toward the cry of "Oh no! Don't not let us go to school! How absolutely horrible!" Sirius crowed from the front of the train. Many students looked around hopefully, wishing that the holidays wouldn't end. Maybe they wouldn't be able to go, like that black haired, brown eyed, gorgeous, tall guy standing on a soap box had pointed out. Many girls started to crowd around his antics, which made it hard for Lily to get through.
"Hey Lil, Head Girl, what do you say? Isn't it just horrid that we can't-" He stopped his silly tirade abruptly when Lily pulled him off the soap box by the scruff of his neck. "Hey, lighten up-"
"Sirius, if you did this..."
"Why do you care so much?" Sirius gave her a bewildered stare. "Filch is the only staff on the train- wait a minute!" A gleam lit up his eyes. "You and your lover boy have to ride in that compartment, don't you? Oh, this is better than I thought!" He climbed back up on his box. "Ladies and Gents, do you realize that Lily here is going to smell real good when she gets to Hogwarts? Maybe she'll even be in a good mood, having to suffer through a train ride with Filch and all the while having to stay sane with James! They need to get married, you know. Then they can have a little Padfoot Jr.-"
"Sirius, get down. Now." James was hot in the face from what Padfoot was going on about. Why is it, if you aren't with him, you're against him? I am his friend, and yet he does this to me...
James was getting all worked up, when Lily turned to him. God, he looks his best when he's mad... Too bad he's mad about Padfoot saying we should go together... "James, we can get him back, I have an idea!"
Prongs loved the look in her eyes. He wanted to- but no. "Lily, you are the Head Girl... what evil thoughts are you thinking...?"
Six hours later, James and Lily were laughing so hard that the Sorting couldn't go on. Sirius was in line with the rest of the first years, looking very wet. During the carriage ride, they had magicked Sirius into the middle of the lake and had tricked McGonagall into thinking that he was a silly first year. She had pulled him out of the lake, and hadn't listened when Sirius had protested that he was a Prefect 7th year, not a first year too stupid not to stay in the boat. But she wouldn't hear of it, so now he was sitting on a stool far too small for him and with the Thinking Cap on his head - which actually fit him now.
Why are you here, Sirius? Hmmm? You should be in... 7th Year? Whoa, I do not want to know this... you are an Animagus? Ooooh, illegal! And... oh! You are a bad boy! Oh, this in interesting... well, if I am to sort you properly, I will have to take into account what you did to Severus Snape, letting him meet your friend... Moony... as a werewolf... you are evil! Evil! Even so... well, I am sure you know this already, but keep your practical jokes practical-
Hey! Sirius responded. It's not my fault you are reading my mind. And don't even think about putting me in Slytherin! I am a Gryffindor! Sure, I did that to Snape, but... he was awful. You should have known the circumstances. He called Lily a mudblood, and wanted to tell the whole school about Moony being-
I know, I know... well, you wouldn't do anything unwarranted, I guess... but even so, be more careful. You have a deep understanding of the ways of the world... what's this? You could have saved your sister? If you had traded in that other girl's life... but you didn't. Hmm. The only other person I have ever known, which is quite a few, mind you, that would have been able to do that is Gryffindor himself. Therefore, it still has to be "Gryffindor!" And good luck!
Sirius got up smiling and bowing to the other students. Lily and James were no longer laughing, though, and neither was Dumbledore. Padfoot ignored this, and went on entertaining the school until McGonagall told him to sit down, or else he would get detention.
Lily and James had their heads down, whispering furiously when Sirius sauntered over to their table. When they looked up, they asked in unison, "Why did the Sorting Hat take so long?"
Sirius was taken aback. "What? What are you talking about? I think it was just trying to get through the thickness of my skull." He flashed a silly smile, and ignored the looks of concern on their faces. I can't tell them about my sister. They would hate me. James knew my sister as well as I had... hell, him and Jeannie would've gotten married then... He would never talk to me again. No, I can't tell. And as for the Sorting Hat wanting to put me in Slytherin...
When the sorting was over and the Gryffindor table was weighed down in first years (why does it always seem that there are more and more freshmen every year? and they are all so dull...), Lily, James, and Padfoot went crazy.
"But, Prof. McGonagall, it was Sari's fault!" wailed Sirius. He winked at her, but at the same time shooting a dirty look. *Well, it was still fun... but having to clean the trophy room on the first day back...*
Sari looked at Padfoot strangely. Did she really hear that? Nah, she was just imagining things. No one but her family was Enlightened. "Sirius Black, you know very well that it was provoked. And the fact that you drew Willow into it was just wrong!" Sari spat out.
"Oh ho ho! Look who's talking now! A big bad 6th year! And a scruffy looking one at that, eh? Hey... I did not drag Willow into it! I drug James into it!"
"And Prongs used me as a shield!" Lily was not happy and was trying her best to show this, but she just looked comical with food splattered down her front.
James was transfixed. He could probably get that piece of chocolate off of her neck... her delicious neck... As his mind fell inward towards her, McGonagall stomped her foot.
"All of you. Detention. And..." She stopped. She shook her head, and a little smile played across her normally tightly drawn mouth. "...Sari, you and Sirius need to stay behind. I will deal with you both later. As for you two," She rounded on James and Lily and laid into them. "You are my Head Students! I can not believe that you would take part in such a childish act! And-"
"Prof., remember that no matter how bad they are, you and Prof. Dumbledore were the ones who felt they were the best in the school..."
"Mr. Black, I do not choose to deal with you now, and if you make me want to you will regret it!"
"James, Lily, I am disappointed. Report to Dumbledore Saturday morning, 7 am. You may go. Willow! I have no idea how you managed to make yourself part of this gang. You and Sari have integrated yourselves by choice though, so I guess you have chosen your own worst punishment."
McGonagall made a funny! The shock was evident on all faces. Sirius couldn't even think of anything to say.
"Willow, you may go see Mr. Lupin." Willow left and headed to the infirmary. "Mr. Black, Miss Engle." Sari and Sirius stood at attention, Sari actually worried and Sirius in mock-military position. "As I see that you don't necessarily care for each other's company, I have chosen you to be partners. Throughout this year -" She took a moment to relish what she was going to doom them to. " - your survival depends on each other. Sari, you are a 6th year, correct? And Sirius, you are a 7th. Well, if either of you gets in any sort of trouble, you will share the punishment." She stood back while these words took effect.
"Prof. McGonagall... you wouldn't...!?!" Sari was amazed. She was infuriated.
Sirius was happy. Now, he could do two things at once, annoy his arch-rival and make her do half of his work. "Prof., have you been reading that?" He was referring to a self-help book on her desk. It was titled: Punishment in the Magical World With Influences of the Muggle.
"Yes, but I didn't need it. Prof. Snape has already read it, and he has - opened my eyes." At this, her eyes got lost. She snapped back to it. "Did I mention, you would have to share the punishments?"
"Yes, Prof." Sari was flat toned, as this would be adding detentions to her norm, but Sirius was estatic as he would be having less. Kind of.
"Together." She pronounced this word well. And she relished the effects. "You may go. Report to me in the morning, on Saturday."
Sari and Sirius stared after the Prof. Both of their minds were screaming. *Together!?!* Sirius turned and smiled. He smiled, and flicked her ear. "You know, you'll have to take that shirt off."
The end, for now. Do you want to know why her shirt has to come off? Or what the punishments are? Or why Moony is in the infirmiry? Or who Willow is? Or... there are so many questions. And I also urge you, look way deeper. I have a lot in here, and by the end it will all come out. I have a dream... I really do hope you like this, though. If you do, or if you don't, or if you don't know, please review. And even if you don't want to review, just urge me to go on with an ! in the message. It does help. More to come!