CALLING
"Potter! Black! Will you stop disrupting the class?!"
It was Transfiguration and seventh years had had a tiresome and gruelling first day of term.
James and his best friend Sirius had been caught joking around for the second time during class and Professor McGonagall was not amused. With just minutes left for the bell, she dismissed them in exasperation.
"Potter!" she called out, "I'd like a word."
He went up to her desk, puzzled. She had never held him back after class, she had always announced detention in front of everybody.
She looked at him sternly over her square spectacles and said, "This is absolutely not expected of you, Potter. Six years of fun was more than enough, now you have to live up to what you have earned."
She pointed to the badge on his chest which gleamed the letters HB.
"I didn't ask for it," he muttered, not meeting her eye.
"Maybe not, but the headmaster has apparently seen that you show promise, so I expect you to live up to his and we teachers' expectations, rather than distracting students in every class you attend."
She waited for him to answer. Sighing, he said in a toneless voice, "Okay, Professor."
She looked as if she were suppressing a smile. "You may go."
"What was that about?" Sirius asked the moment he stepped out of the classroom. Grimacing, James recounted what had happened.
Sirius kept his mouth shut. He did not like the more than frequent reminders from everyone. The whole day, all the teachers had behaved in different ways; Professor Kettleburn had patted James on the back with his wooden prosthetic arm, tiny little Professor Flitwick had given him tips on how to be a good and reputable Head Boy, and you would have thought Professor Merrythought was seeing him plainly for the first time in six years. As for Professor Slughorn, he had actually given James a skeptical look and set them all to work.
Not to mention the students who made excuses to walk past him thrice while the Marauders made their way to classes, all of them staring and whispering, sometimes shrilly laughing or tutting.
James had laughed it off and mostly taken it well in stride, but Sirius had not been able to digest that the two best friends, who were record holders at Hogwarts for their mischief, were now being seen in a different light.
And for crying out loud, on which planet was a mischief maker made a Head Boy?!
Remus smiled mildly at James' recounting and was about to say something when a bossy voice called out behind them, "Hey, Potter!"
His hand jumped to his hair as he turned. He could recognise that voice anywhere, for it belong to the most beautiful and gifted witch, Lily Evans.
Her eyes narrowed at his hand in his hair. Oops.
"All right, Evans?" he asked maturely. Mousey-looking Peter squeaked a "Hi Lily" at the same time, causing Sirius to stomp on his foot and James to glare him down. She rolled her eyes and said, "I just came to tell you -"
"That you will finally go out with me?" he inserted hopefully. Lily gave him a look of disgust at his shamelessness.
"No," she breathed forcefully through her nose. Continuing as if she had not been interrupted, she said, "We have been called for some work. Professor Flitwick just told me."
"Oh," his face dropped, but on the inside he was looking forward to spending time with her, even if it was just an hour.
Sirius growled angrily. "What about free period?!" He demanded. "You promised a match, Prongs," he said threateningly at his best friend.
James looked from Lily to Sirius and back, confused. Shaking his head, he said apologetically, "Later, okay, Padfoot? Promise."
Remus cut in hastily on spotting the murderous look on Sirius' face and said, "We'll catch up on it later Padfoot, come on, lets have dinner. You said you were starving..."
Sirius turned on his heel and stalked off, Remus gave James an assuring look and followed him. Peter looked uncertainly at James and trotted off behind Remus, giving the Heads a small wave.
Okay, just a reminder : this is part 2 to the story "James the Head Boy", so go on and read that first if you haven't already and don't forget to review! :)
Also - this story, like "James the Head Boy". was also written three years ago when my writing style and sense of humor was pretty different. Like "James the Head Boy", I have altered some part that were too immaturely written or didn't sound right, but the base plot stays the same, so don't worry about any major changes :p
See you soon x
Radz
