Little wonders
When I thought that James Potter's ego can't be bigger, he proved the opposite. In second year he got into the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as a chaser. In that year the team won all of his matches, and in that had a great part of Potter. He was an incredibly good player: fast, prescient, co-operate. He was the hero of the team, all the Gryffindors adored him. Expect Lily and me. I admitted his talent, but I hated the way as he handled the popularity. He really enjoyed it; he loved to be in focus. But like a good friend, he didn't left his friends in the shoreline. He shared with them his flame.
Peter obviously enjoyed it, but he was unable to handle it. He always brought himself in scrape situations. He hadn't got the skill to charm the people. Despite of that Potter never left the people to poke Peter. He always protected his friend. After some incidents, people understood that it does no good to bid defiance to James Potter, so they rather get off Peter.
In the other hand Remus didn't enjoy it. He was a silent, shy type and he loved read in a still corner. To tell the truth, he just would love to, if the others would let him. Wherever went Peter, James and Sirius, they took Remus with them. Slowly he accepted the situation and I could see in his face that he enjoy the company of his friends. Most of the time.
And Sirius. Well, Sirius didn't need James' light to shine, he had the own. The people liked him for his humour, his talent and his negligent attitude. I knew that his attitude was protection. When he got the Howler from his mother, something broke in him, and it couldn't be repaired. He played the role of the careless heir, but if you looked at his eyes, you could see the suspense and fear. In third year he joined in the Quidditch Team too as keeper. The team won the matches again, and who thought Sirius an arrogant sheik, after that they celebrated him.
My relationship didn't change with Potter in those three years, then again with the others. I really paled Lily and for the sake of her sometimes I was willing to bear Snape's company. She was a nice girl, friendly with everyone and she was one the best students. I envied her a little bit. At least until our fourth year, when Potter started to be after her.
I gladly spent my time with Remus, but most of the time we were just sitting and reading. When he were with the boys he never had a calm moment, and he enjoyed the silent minutes.
I didn't spend too much time with Peter. He always, i.e. always, was with Potter, and Potter spent most of his time with Sirius, so I spent my time with Peter when I was with Sirius. It wasn't too much time that I spent with him. We usually had played chess every morning until the others woke up. We talked a lot under our matches, sometimes about our families. Sometimes we worked in pair at classes, when Peter begged James to choose him. Despite of that we spent just little time with each other, we became friends. Maybe friend wasn't the closest definition, but we had a bond. I think family was the one, which tied us. Both of us were an uncommon background, with people, who didn't love us in the way as we desired. His parents were cold and my mother was distant. All I knew about her that she didn't love me enough and she decided to leave me. Sirius' parents were with him, but never understand him, and it's hurt him more than my mother's exit to me. James, Remus and Peter had loving parents, so they weren't able to understand Sirius, because they couldn't imagine that a parent can't love his/her child unconditionally. I realised that when we first met with a boggart in our third year.
We had D.A.D.A. class with Professor Smith, an old, fragile witch. She was stern and sarcastic, but she really loved her job, and her enthusiasm infected the whole class. First she always surrendered the theoretical knowledge, than we tried it in the practise.
"Now you know the necessary information about the boggarts. So stand up in a row and front with your deepest fear." Professor Smith instructed us. We did as she said. I tried to stay in the end of the row, and for my surprise, Sirius too. James sent him a questioning look from the front of the row. Sirius just shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Mr. Potter, this is not the time when the danger comes from behind our back, so please, turn forward." Potter nodded and faced with the cupboard, which hid the boggart.
"For three I open the door and the boggart will come forward. Don't forget to think something, which make it ridiculous and don' forget the spell. I want to hear it again. Say it." The professor ordered.
"Riddikulus!" We shouted together.
"Very well, then let's the party started. One. Two. Three." She opened the door, and the boggart appeared. Remus was the first who face with it. The boggart turned into a yellow, round something. I didn't have enough time to examine it, because in the next moment it turned into a balloon and almost hit Peter in the face as it slipped away. Remus had laughed and came to us.
"Nice work, mate." Praised him Sirius.
The next one was Potter. I didn't surprise when the boggart turned into a broom. A broken broom. Potter gave forth a horrified sound. He had cast the spell and the broom started to dance around the classroom. Everybody burst into laughter, even Lily and me.
As the people lessened in front of me I got to be more and more nervous. I knew my boggart. My mother as she leaves me. I had lived through it once, and I didn't want to see it again. I didn't cry for my mother in the former six years, and I didn't plan that I will ever again. She didn't deserve my tears. So when I was on the line I had stepped back and protested.
"I don't want to do it." I said.
Everybody laughed loudly and mocked, expect Sirius, Remus and Lily.
"Free country, free will. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to do it. And the other will respect your chose. Class is over, you are dismissed." The Professor sent off us.
At evening Potter came to me at the common room.
"What kind of Gryffindor are you, who are scarred by a boggart?" He insulted me.
"At least my deepest fear is not a broom. Do you want to talk about it Potter?"
"At least I undertook it."
"Such brave."
"Braver than you, who almost cried for her mother."
"Shut up, James." Not I was the one who said that. It was Sirius. I have never heard him talk with James in that way.
"I am just kidding, Sirius." Said Potter defensively.
"Well, I think it's not funny." With that Sirius left the room.
"What is his problem?" Asked Potter with a questioning look.
"You." I had answered and I went back to my dorm.
I couldn't have sleep on that night. At one o'clock I bored to lie, so I went back to the common room. I wasn't surprised when I saw Sirius. He was sitting before the fire. I sat next to him wordlessly. He didn't look at me.
"The boggart?" He asked.
"The boggart." I replied.
We were sitting in silence until dawn, and both of us knew what for the other think.
"It's almost Christmas." Declared Sirius, five days before the winter break in our third year.
"Don't you happy about it?" I inquired.
"I don't love Christmas particularly."
"Christmas is my favourite feast. Dad and I make cookies, decorate the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols." I commented.
"What about the presents?"
"We don't give presents to each other." I said perplexedly.
"Don't you have money for it?" He asked without if and ands.
"No we haven't got too much money, but we are happy without it, thank you."
"It can be good, when money doesn't matter." His voice was bitter and aching. All my anger skipped off. I realised that he could love Christmas if it wasn't around the money in his family.
"We could make a Christmas party on Wednesday, if you have pleasure. What do you think?" I offered.
"What do we do?" I could see that he liked the idea.
"The usual. Make cookies, decorate the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols." I smiled.
"We haven't got a kitchen, where we can cook, we haven't got a Christmas tree, what we can decorate, and I won't sing. Anyway, I am in." He grinned.
"Don't worry I will solve it. You just come to the transfiguration classroom at six o'clock. And DON'T take Potter with you." I warned.
"Don't worry, he will be in detention."
Our little Christmas party was successful. At least both of us felt good. I stole food from the kitchen (well, it wasn't a real stealing, because the house-elves were very handful, they gave more, than I had asked) and I unearthed a little tree from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I gathered parchments, crops and stones and I induced Sirius to help me making ornaments.
"I am not to good in it." He complained.
"There, it is a very decorative snowman." I praised the artwork in his hand.
"It wanted to be an angel."
"Oh, well, a little fat, but cute."
"It isn't compare to an angel."
"I have never seen an angel before, so from me it could be an angel."
"Can't we use magic?" He begged.
"No. If we use, it will lost its magic." He looked disappointed. "Look, the look doesn't matter, no one will see it. We do it just for the sake of the pleasure." It was an unidentified notion for him. Despite of that he continued the making of the ornaments. After we used all of the stocks, we started to decorate the tree. Sirius desperately tried to rank the ornaments smoothly. I wasn't able to hold back my laughter.
„What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Decorating the tree?" He looked at me in an uncomprehending way.
"Okay, the point is not the perfection. Just put the ornaments on it, don't care about the shells."
"But then it won't be symmetrical." He demanded.
"Just do it as I said, otherwise you won't get your present." I threaten him.
"Did you buy me a present?" He was surprised.
"Well, not entirely."
"So I just put them without any order."
"Exactly." I nodded.
After we had finished the decorating of the tree, we got around to eat our dinner. It was our luck that the house elves had given me more food, than I asked, because we ate the all.
"And now?" Sirius had asked after we ate the dessert.
"Now the presents." I had taken out a little box out of my pocket and put it under the tree. Sirius did the same.
"Did you buy me present?" I surprised.
"I am a gentleman."
"Most of the time you keep well that secret." I laughed.
"Will we open them?"
"After the singing."
"I said I won't sing." He demanded.
"Then attend to me in silence." I had directed him and I started to sing.
"You have a terrible voice." Said Sirius, after I had finished the song.
"Thank you, gentleman." I grinned.
"Sorry, but if it is comforted you, I heard worst before."
"Potter?"
"Have do you know?"
"I heard him singing in your room. I had wanted to ask Remus' help to my Astronomy homework, but Potter's voice stopped me. It was terrible through the door, so I didn't dare open the door." I laughed at the memory.
"I know. It is like a cat is flayed. I always tell him to stay by the Quidditch."
"Good advice. Merry Christmas, Sirius!" I handled him the present.
"Merry Christmas, Mary!"
We opened the presents quickly. I got a golden colour necklace with a red medal, which shaped a lion.
"As I could know girls do like jewels." He explained himself.
"Yes, we do. Thank you, Sirius." With that I put on the necklace.
"I believed that you hate Astronomy." He said, while he examined his present, a band of knitted parchments. I had drawn him the story of the Sirius star.
"I don't hate it, I just bad in it. It's not the same." I explained.
"Then how do you know the story of Sirius?"
"Library, Sirius. You should visit this place sometimes."
"Are there comics?"
"You are hopeless." I laughed.
"Thank you, Mary. This is my best Christmas ever."
Sirius wasn't too happy when we had to go home to Christmas. I shared a compartment with Sirius, James, Remus and Peter on the train.
"I hope I will get the newest Nimbus for Christmas." Potter and his love for brooms. I could have sworn, if he ever would have a girlfriend, she will have to share her bed, not just with Potter, but with his broom too.
"I would like to get a broom, too." Peter's adoration to James, didn't know a limit.
"Just, don't want to join to the Quidditch Team?" Asked Potter.
"No. I just want to go to fly with you guys."
"Then use the school's brooms." I advised.
"These are ancient. I can't lift with them more than five meters." Complained Peter.
"Because you don't want, either!" Laughed James. Secretly I agreed with him. I used these brooms. Most of them were really old, but none of them were useless. "What about you, Sirius? What are you want for Christmas?" James turned to Sirius.
"Not going home." This was the first time, when Sirius said such a thing. None of us known what should we say. Expect Potter.
"Then, come to my house. My parents' wouldn't mind."
"Thanks James, but Christmas is a family fest." Answered Sirius.
"We are family, Sirius. You are my annoying brother."
"Thanks mate, but it's too late. My parents are waiting for me."
"Okay, then talk with them that you will spend the Christmas with me in next year."
I could see on Potter that he means it. Sirius smiled and nodded. When we had arrived to the station I could see my father from the train. Ha had saw me too and waved.
"Is he your dad?" Asked Sirius. I nodded.
"He seems nice."
"He is." I agreed.
After the train had stopped I quickly sad goodbye to the others and ran to my dad. He hugged me tightly.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too, dad."
I could see as Sirius went to his parents with his brother, Regulus. Not a hug, not a kiss, not a kind world to him. His mother quickly stoked Regulus head, then grabbed his hand, but this was all. Parental love, I thought bitterly.
One afternoon Sirius came to me in the common room. He spiked me a very sudden and without any antecedent question.
"What do you say if I said we should going steady?"
"What?" I was astonished by the question.
"I asked..." He started to repeat.
"I heard you."
"So, what do you say?"
The definite answer would be a huge no. There wasn't any reason for us to be a pair. We weren't in love, we have never dated and we were just thirteen. In the other hand there wasn't any reason for us to don't be a pair. And I never was a logical person, but sometimes calculating, yes. And I have a good (truly two) good reason to say yes. The one of them was Violet Miller, one of my roommates. We hated each other from the first moment. To specify, she hated me from the first moment, and she had only reason for that: I was cove. She loved to talk about fashion, worldwide brands, and famous people. Things that I couldn't talk about, and when I didn't respond to her comments, she decided that I dislike her. And yeah, she heard a conversation between Remus and me, in which I caricatured her. I have never said that I couldn't have been envious. In response she declared that a cove, like me never will have a boyfriend, because there isn't anything womanly in me and my sleazy jeans. In her opinion boys love highbrow girls so that has she a boyfriend. I could consort with the highbrow part, but we didn't mean the same under that word. And on that moment the richest guy of the school asked me to be his boyfriend. It was alluring.
And the other reason of course was James Potter. I had controversial feelings in this question. In the one hand I was sick about the thought that I should spend more time with him. However, in the other hand I wanted to see his face when he hears the news. Just the thought made me smile. Maybe, maybe, I could say the right answer, but in the moment of the answer I spied my two worst enemy's face, and the devil won over me.
"Yes, Sirius. I would like to be your girlfriend." I said loud enough to the two addressees could hear me.
"Okay. We discussed it." He had said, and goes back to his homework.
I watched the faces of James and Violet, and I was so pleased, like never before. I didn't care about Sirius motivations, I didn't care anything. On that moment I just cared with one thing, my victory over James and Violet. Yeah, I know I was petty, but I was just a child, who didn't know anything about the life. But the Fate never leaves a bill unmatched. Oh no, our debts must be paid, and I had to learn to grow up soon.
