Title: Close Call
Character(s): James. P + Sirius. B
Summary: "Why is it that whenever Gryffindor loses points, you two are the culprits?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at fifth years Sirius Black and James Potter over her glasses with a stern expression on her face. One-shot
Notes: Okay - This was so fun to write because I had no idea at all what I was doing! I had a quote - seeing as this is for the quotes challenge - and it's literally the first bit of speech you read in the fic! Hope you like it - and I really would like to know if you all like this or not so review!
Mint~
Warning: Rated 'T' for bad language...
"Why is it that whenever Gryffindor loses points, you two are the culprits?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at fifth years Sirius Black and James Potter over her glasses with a stern expression on her face.
"We didn't do it Minnie."
"Come on Padfoot!" A hiss came from across the other side of the great hall. James Potter was hissing into a muggle walkie-talkie, and as he waited for the response from his partner in crime, he flicked his wand carelessly between his fingers, looking around the room with hazel eyes. He could barely see the faint outline of his best friend Sirius Black, but he did not get a reaction for at least five minutes,
"Sorry Prongs, that charms a bitch."
James stifled a laugh, and within seconds he talked back into the walkie-talkie, remembering that he had to press the button on the side in order for his voice to be heard from where Sirius was standing.
"Alright Pads, is it alright to do those charms up here now?"
"Sure, make sure you do them properly, we can't mess this up."
"It wasn't you two? And who do you presume were the miscreants who did such a task then?" The transfiguration teacher asked, as she looked at the two boys with a look that told them if they didn't answer truthfully then they would be in knee deep trouble.
James and Sirius quickly looked at each other with a quick look, not quite sure whether they wanted to die, or tell the truth.
"Well you see..."
"It wasn't our fault..."
"Alright Pads, Mother of Merlin calm down. Nothing's going to go wrong," James spoke carefully back into the walkie-talkie, before clipping it onto the side of his muggle shirt (The boys were dressed in muggle camouflage in order to help them stay hidden) and using his wand to cast several silent spells.
He was in the middle of a certain spell when he heard the mew of a very familiar cat – Mrs Norris. James nearly jumped out of his skin, and nearly did the spell with wrong wrist flicks.
"Where are they my lovely?" He then heard the voice of Filch the school caretaker echo into the room, and almost immediately – glad he had finished all of the spells required, he dropped to the floor. Immediately he turned the switch of the walkie-talkie to 'off' instead of 'on'.
As if he was taking part in an Auror assault course he dropped to the floor, and through the shadows, he could see the Sirius had done the same thing as well.
"So you two were the culprits then? What would have sprung to mind for you to do such a thing?" The professor asked, as she narrowed her eyes, looking at the boys with a mix between disappointment and anger. The two boys felt shivers run down their spines,
"Professor, we really didn't do anything wrong..."
Slowly, and quietly, James shuffled forwards out of the blind sight of the hall and into one of the corridors where he knew Sirius would be meeting him. He was extremely lucky to escape the terror of Filch who finally gave out an aggravated sigh when he found neither James nor Sirius after searching the great hall for ten minutes.
When they had finished listening out for Filches retreating James leapt up and quickly turned back on the power of his walkie-talkie, knowing full well that Sirius would have done the same thing.
"Padfoot, meet me back in the great hall."
"I beg your pardon?" McGonagall looked furious despite her usual calm demeanour, "You didn't do anything wrong?"
James quickly ran a hand through his hair, as Sirius rubbed the back of his neck.
"No..."
Back in the hall Sirius and James looked at each other through the darkness. James looked at Sirius with a grin and let out a small laugh, as did the other.
"That was close Prongs," Sirius spoke with a smirk when the two had finished laughing, and carelessly, James started twiddling his wand in his right hand.
"I know right?" James replied, running a hand through his hair, not noticing the several dim red sparks erupting from his wand, "Any other spells we want to use on the hall for tomorrows prank?"
James couldn't see it, but Sirius shrugged slightly. James rolled his eyes, before quickly smiling his devilish smile he would only adopt as an expression when he had an idea,
"How about we do the spell we've been working on for ages?" James asked, "but we can't be loud with it, what with filch about and everything."
"Sure," Sirius had replied, "I'll do it, I did it better than you."
"And why do you say you did nothing wrong Mr Potter?" McGonagall had a clenched jaw as she turned her full attention to James, who wore a pained expression on his face,
"Because... well... you see..." James stuttered, looking for words to plead his case, "Uh... let me get back to you on that one professor – but honestly we did nothing wrong."
Under his breath, Sirius mumbled several words as he flicked his wrist and performed a blue coloured spell. Once he had finished his spell, he quickly turned back to James who was looking at him with a smile.
"See, quick and quiet, I think this pranks going to be our best prongs,"
"It seems like it, doesn't it?" James spoke, still grinning back. His grin suddenly faded when he asked, "Hey isn't it lighter in here?"
Turning around, both James and Sirius wore horrified looks as they both looked at the curtains of the four houses. They were engulfed into flames...
"Shit!" Sirius exclaimed, quickly getting his wand out of the hoister he had just placed it back in. "Agumenti!"
Water spray out of his wand immediately, as did water from James' but it seemed that the curtains would not go out. James swore – twice.
"Shit – shit!" Sirius added to the situation, raking his mind for any other ideas to put out the fire, "Minnie's gonna be pissed!"
"Catching the house symbols in the great hall alight, isn't wrong Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked, her patience thinning, "Tell me, how on earth you came to this conclusion."
James swallowed, as he ran his hand through his hair,
"Minnie's gonna be pissed? Of course Minnie's gonna be pissed! But what about us – we're gonna be dead Padfoot! We're gonna freaking die!" James cried out, and Sirius knew not to push James, knowing full well that the boy had a phobia of fire.
"Calm down James..." Sirius muttered, uncertain of whether James would faint due to his horror. Had they not been in a situation involving fire and their lives, Sirius would have laughed – knowing full well that James would laugh too.
"Don't tell me to calm down – I don't want to fucking calm down Sirius! I know the real way how the wolf got those two pigs!" James cried hysterically, and he immediately let out a very girly scream when the fire immediately jumped toward them as if possessed.
"Holy mother of Merlin..." Sirius exclaimed.
"Well Professor, if I can say I'd never intentionally do that, then would that help our case?" James asked, as he shivered once again.
McGonagall glared at him,
"I was assuming that you didn't do such a thing intentionally Mr. Potter."
"Prongs, we're going to go with plan B now..." Sirius spoke carefully as he grabbed hold of the arm of James' shirt.
"Plan B?" James questioned, not looking away from the fire as the two slowly walked backward toward the entrance of the hall.
"Yes Prongs, Plan B – RUN!" Sirius managed to pull James out of reach of the flames that were jumping – attacking - the two boys, just in time, and immediately the two scrambled away from the flames.
James and Sirius were both wide eyed when the both looked back over their shoulders, seeing that the house symbols were following pursuit with the fire still dancing about.
"What the fuck kind of spell did you use Padfoot?!"
James exhaled sharply, ignoring his shaking body
"Oh thank god, I mean I would never do that ever..."
Quickly, James cast a glance over at Sirius, who two seemed to be shaking,
"Me? You're blaming this on me! I did the spell you told me to cast Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, as the two turned the corner, James almost slipping. Sirius immediately ensured that James regained his balance and the two continued sprinting down the halls, to the entrance hall of the building,
"How the hell do we get this fire to go off?" Sirius heard James mutter, before the boy cried out in pain. Sirius' blood ran cold – the fire was actually attacking them, it had hurt James!
"You okay James?" Sirius called, before he too let out a cry of pain as the fire caught at his leg, burning it. The fire however, didn't seem to catch his trousers on fire.
"Padfoot?" James exclaimed, worried for his best friend, "Are you al- Ahh!"
James quickly sped up; pulling Sirius along with him like the latter had been doing previously. The fire kept bouncing at the two boys, and the two boys quickly skidded across the next corner, the doors to the entrance of the school becoming clear.
Both boys, wands in hand quickly raised their wand arm, yelling at the top of their voices,
"ALOHOMORA!"
"You two will both attend two months of detention, and you will both lose fifty points each from your house." McGonagall's voice was sharp and her tone was one that told the two boys that they should not argue back, "Now go to bed the two of you."
The two boys nodded, and immediately stood from their chairs. McGonagall's expression turned from angry and disappointed to concerned and worried as she heard the two inhale sharply, as they winced.
The doors immediately sprung open and the two boys sprinted as fast as they could across the grass. James looked over at Sirius with a look of concern – as did the other, as they both cried out in pain once again.
James slipped, falling onto his burnt back, crying out in hysterical alarm,
"Sirius go on without me!" He cried out, but Sirius immediately shook his head, grabbing on James' arm and dragging him back up to his feet despite his own pain.
"Come on!" Sirius cried, as the two ran down in the direction of the black lake, "We need to get there!"
Sirius pointed at the black lake, and immediately James nodded, as he continued to run down the slippery grass.
"You're hurt?" The transfiguration professor asked, as she stood as well. James and Sirius looked at her with blank looks,
"Not really..."
"Doesn't hurt much..."
Sirius and James looked over their shoulders once again; surely the fire would engulf them any second. They then looked back at the lake, seeing that they were only metres away from the water.
"I'm not so sure about this James..." Sirius suddenly spoke, his voice slightly frightened. James knew that even though he was frightened of Fire – Sirius was terrified of water. He presumed it was due to the fact that his mother had tried to drown him during the Christmas Holidays – it had been the thing to cause the boy to run away to live with James.
"We've got to Sirius. Remember to hold your breath!"
The boys looked around them, eyes wide as they looked at the fire that was circling around them.
"But you're both hurt?" McGonagall asked warily, sighing when the two boys nodded slightly, "You two will stay right here and I will inform Poppy right this second. I assume the fire burnt you yes?"
The two boys nodded slightly, before wincing at the movement.
"Shit Padfoot what do we do?" James shouted out, his voice full of fear.
"I don't know Prongs! Do what they do in the muggle movies I suppose? We're right by the water aren't we? Run through it and jump straight into the lake!"
Sirius could see James' clenched fist, and immediately, clenching onto his best friends wrist, Sirius shouted, "Stay with me Prongs!" before sprinting into the depths of the fire and diving straight into the lake.
"It's a wonder you two boys barely feel the burns," Mme. Pomfrey's voice sounded disapproving as she tended to the boy's burns, "You've both got severe burns. What on earth were you both doing?"
James looked at Sirius, who looked back expectedly,
"Well... I'm sure you can get briefed by McGonagall..." They both spoke in union.
After what seemed like hours for the two boys, both Sirius and James broke the surface of the water, both relieved to see that the curtains had followed them into the lake and had, in fact, lost their flame.
"You okay Padfoot?" James asked, his voice extremely shaky as he looked over at Sirius,
"Yeah, you?" Sirius replied his voice equally shaky, as the two both quickly swam back to the grass.
"Fine, I'm fine, alive. I just want to get out of this water."
"Yeah, me too Prongs." Sirius whispered.
"I'm sure I will," Madam Pomfrey replied, looking at the boys with an incredulous look, "You two will be staying here for at least two days, while you heal. Understood?"
The two boys nodded slightly, and the nurses' expression softened slightly,
"Alright boys, I'll go get your potions to heal your burns."
When the two boys were back at the castle, shivering as water dripped off of their clothes, they closed their eyes slowly.
"What on earth are you two doing?!" The two boys jumped at the angry, impatient shout of Professor McGonagall's voice.
"Told you Minnie was going to be pissed Prongs," Sirius whispered, as James sighed from beside him.