Marauder Memories:
Chapter Four: Quidditch and Pranks
James munched on a few bits of cereal, glancing at Cherish's head which was barely visible over the Daily Prophet. He began to stab sausages and put them on his plate next to his bowl of cereal.
"You're going to the match, right?" James asked, glancing at her for confirmation as he began cutting up his sausages.
Cherish lowered the Prophet enough that he could meet her eyes for a brief instant. She took at a large gulp of juice and then nodded, "Probably."
Next to him, Sirius was half-awake as he swallowed down scrambled eggs on toast. Remus was continually nudging him at odd intervals, whenever he felt like Sirius looked too much like he would keel over into his eggs.
"Cheer up, Sirius," Cherish nudged him under the table. He jerked up, looking dazed and exhausted. "We'll flatten Ravenclaw at any rate," she stole a glance at the Ravenclaw table
There was a large amount of chatter coming from that table. Cheers from people at the end of the Gryffindor table went up loudly as their own team appeared.
The Chasers were all girls with the same athletic build. They were tall with their hair tied back, except for one whose hair was cut very short in an almost boyish fashion. The Keeper was tough-looking though Cherish knew he was rather kind.
The Seeker was one of the youngest, a Fourth Year with not as broad of shoulders and bright hazel eyes. The two beaters were fastening their gloves and glancing around at the fellow Gryffindors as they ate their breakfast.
Lily was speaking with one of the youngest, a Third Year who had made Chaser only that year. She looked shaky and nervous, her sleek blonde hair was short and fell down to almost her shoulders, unlike the other two Chasers with their long hair.
"You'll do great," Lily assured the girl before she set a bowl of cereal in front of the girl. Catching the look the girl gave her, she suddenly sounded stern, "You've got to eat Violet. You're going to play brilliantly, you'll need your strength."
The girl, true to her name had her short blonde hair colored a slight dark violet. She looked as though someone had dropped a paint can of violet paint onto her hair. Cherish rose and moved down the table to speak with the girl.
"Good luck Violet, you'll do fine," Cherish said approvingly.
The girl twisted her hair nervously. "No I won't. Everyone's been telling me how horrifically I'll do. They say that Jace only picked me because I'm his best mate's sister." The girl was playing the last match of the season, filling in for another Chaser who had been cursed by one of the opposing team's players.
Cherish glanced at Jace, one of the Beaters and Quidditch Captain. She didn't let her smile waver, "After they see you play today they won't be saying that anymore."
She rose, wished Violet good luck again and made her way back to James. Peter had arrived, offering her a small smile. A different Chaser, Jackie had moved in to take Cherish's place in assuring Violet.
"That was nice of you," Peter piped up as he gazed at Violet and Jackie.
Cherish gave him a weak smile. "I barely know her. I just thought since she's new on the team and this is her first match-"
"You have a heart as big as London, you know that?" James asked her in a sort of half-exasperated way.
Cherish laughed. "Oh shut it," she shook her head at him. "Let's go down to the pitch, yeah? I want to get good seats," she pulled James up with Sirius and Peter trailing.
Remus sighed, following reluctantly. He would have much rather read in the library until the Quidditch game was over however, Sirius and James were both equally insistent that he had to go.
Cherish merely gave him a sheepish grin, then half-rolled her eyes as if to say Quidditch, what can you do?
James and Sirius picked the seats, trying many different angles and different benches until they deemed one suitable. Cherish sat down next to Remus, putting Peter between herself and the two boys who were already deep in a discussion about Quidditch.
She flipped open her bag, dug inside it for a moment and extracted a book. It was a novel that Remus had suggested, having half read it himself. She handed it over, "I thought you might prefer it."
He took it with a grateful look. "Thanks, Cher," he flipped open the cover, scanned the table of contents and quickly immersed himself in the book.
Cherish leaned on Remus, reading intently over his shoulder as the stands filled up around them. Many Gryffindors had brought flags or banners to support their team.
Madam Chasta was walking out onto the Quidditch Pitch, looking up at the stands and then behind her as the Quidditch teams trooped onto the field.
"The weather's perfect," James was saying to Sirius and Peter. "Sunny, no clouds and it's not too hot out-"
Sirius cut in quickly, "See, that's Davies over there. He's not got the build at all-he's skinny, no muscle at all and that's what Beaters need, right? I dunno how Dawson expects him to be able to aim a bludger properly at all," he was pointing out a thin, lanky boy who was holding the Beater's bat awkwardly.
"Quiet, the lot of you," came a voice from behind them. Cherish looked to see Lily sitting in the row behind them. She flashed Cherish a smile but then glared at the two boys who were already back to talking animatedly about the different players.
"Remus," Cherish pulled the book out of his hands and whipped it behind her back before he could grab it. "Come on, join the party. Have a pasty," she held out a Pumpkin Pasty to him. "We won by nearly a hundred points out there."
He took it, tearing off the wrapper and taking a large bite. "Thanks, Cher," he hesitated looking around the busy Common Room. "But I don't think I will. I don't like parties much."
Cherish smiled warmly, "Dance with me," she requested, setting the book on a side table and taking Remus's hands.
Remus protested, "Really, Cher. I don't think-" but Cherish had already managed to pull him up despite his protests.
"It's because you look bored," Cherish insisted. "You need to get out more."
Remus followed her reluctantly to the dance floor and she took both his hands, spinning them around. "Cherish," he spun with her, looking around wildly. I'm getting dizzy," he was barely able to keep up with her as she spun them around again, laughing.
Laughing, she let him go. "You want a drink?" she motioned to the table of food and drink.
He nodded, tottering slightly as he tried to follow her. She snatched up an unopened butterbeer and handed it over. It was ice cold and very refreshing, almost like slush. "Where are the two troublemakers?" she asked, popping open her own butterbeer and downing a gulp.
"Who?" Remus asked as he took another swig of butterbeer, wiping his brow.
"Sirius and James," she managed to make herself heard over the music.
Remus gestured toward the fireplace where Sirius and James were talking with Violet. The girl looked as though she was giving them a blow-by-blow account of what was happening. She made gestures with her hands, swooping and then miming catching the quaffle, passing the quaffle and scoring.
"And I had just dodged Davies's bludger," she was saying as they walked closer, "So I knew I had a clear shot."
James took a large gulp of Pumpkin juice and spoke, "I want to make the team next year."
Violet perked up, "What position do you want to play?"
"Chaser," James replied instantly.
"Beater," Sirius answered at the same time.
Cherish sat down next to James. Sirius was grinning at his best mate, and Violet was smirking.
"Good luck beating me at tryouts," she teased.
James shrugged. "I don't need to beat you. Jamie's a Seventh Year, she won't be here to play Chaser next year," he motioned to the brunette who was chatting with Cliff Davies.
"You're young," she said quietly, giving them a sort of twisted smile like she knew something they didn't. "But you'd make out to be a good Chaser. And you, you'd probably be a fine Beater."
"I'd like to make the team," Cherish confessed after a moment, glancing at the boys and then Violet. " I don't think I have the skill it takes to be a Chaser though. No aim and I'd get clobbered by the other team."
Violet stared at her for a long moment thoughtfully. "You might make a fair Seeker," she allowed.
"Thanks Violet," James looked a bit more hopeful about making the team now. He shared a gleeful glance with Sirius.
Cherish looked around and spotted Remus who had now dragged Peter up toward the dancefloor.
She smiled then looked toward James, "Enough Quidditch talk, come on you two," she took them each by the hand and pulled them after her.
James hesitated and Sirius tried to pull away but she dragged them toward Remus and Peter. She took turns, James spun her around in a circle and gave her a quick hug. Sirius finally relaxed and swooped in to kiss her on one cheek right before Remus took both her hands and spun them around.
He twirled her until she laughed, and then he laughed with her until they cried. She held her hand out to Peter but he seemed reluctant so instead she spun James around, he executed a twirl, tripped over his own feet and grabbed onto Sirius which dragged them all to the ground.
Despite the people talking loudly around them, the flash of the dancers swirling around them, the beat of the music and the pounding of her own head that told her she'd had too much butterbeer she heard his next words. James leaned in, pressing his mouth to her ear and whispered, "We'll always be like this. It's never gonna change."
Cherish turned to look at him, then thought she must have imagined the flash in his eyes because the next moment he had pulled Remus down to fall across her legs, and Peter was trying to help Sirius up.
She laughed, picking herself up off the floor and looking at them. "You four..." she murmured and shook her head, trying to find the right words.
Sirius said something, and suddenly sparks shot out of the end of his wand, erupting in beautiful fireworks. James, Remus and Peter all followed his lead and shot fireworks toward the Common Room's ceiling.
People cheered and some older students joined in, setting off more fireworks.
A few people looked on, glaring darkly at the four first years but most smiled or cheered loudly.
Over the noise James looked toward Cherish who was smiling, she stepped back and clapped along with the crowd but he heard her next words. "You're hooligans, nothing but a bunch of marauders," even as she shook her head at them she smiled.
James lounged on the couch, looking bored even as he hung upside down with his hair touching the floor. He lifted his head to look at the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh.
Sirius lay next to him, in a similar position and he was looking equally bored.
"I'm bored," Sirius announced unnecessarily. Cherish looked up, flicking a piece of lint off of her robes. "Let's play on the Quidditch field then," she placed a chessman down carefully.
Peter stared decisively at the board before he made his own move.
"It's nice out, come on," she looked pleadingly at James. He held her gaze for a moment and sighed, she beamed, knowing that she'd won.
"All right," James agreed, getting up reluctantly and brushing himself off.
Sirius hesitated, then he pulled himself up and followed James's lead. Remus peered up at them from a letter he was writing to his parents. He began rolling it up and screwed the cap back onto his ink pot. Peter organized his chess set and then scooped the chessmen into a holding compartment in the chessboard.
Cherish slung one arm over James's shoulders and the other over Sirius's shoulders. When neither shoved her away she continued to walk in that fashion to the Entrance Hall. Peter caught up with them with Remus trailing slowly behind.
"I'll race you," Cherish dropped her arms from their shoulders and broke into a sprint.
With Sirius hot on her heels she ran for the Quidditch Pitch. She didn't look it, but she was incredibly fast. But so was James who was already passing Sirius and was even with her.
She glanced toward him as they reached the Quidditch Pitch and James passed her, effectively beating her and skidding to a stop. But Cherish didn't stop, she bowled him right over and they fell onto the grass.
"James is on my team," Sirius claimed as he came to a stop in front of the two wrestling on the grass.
Cherish pulled herself free and looked up at him. "There's not enough of us for a team," she pointed out as she flopped down onto the grass on her back.
"We could just fly around," James said as he sat up and brushed grass off of himself. Sirius and James took off to raid the school broom closet.
Cherish opened her mouth to protest it was locked when Remus appeared. Peter was panting hard, his stubby little legs carrying him as fast as he could manage. Remus looked tired and a bit windswept but otherwise had managed the sprint fairly well.
Between the two of them James and Sirius returned clutching Cleansweep 5's and two Comet 140's that looked a bit battered and worn but otherwise okay. Cherish mounted her broom like James had taught her and kicked off, soaring above them with ease.
Sirius was next, flying up past her he stopped and looked around the clear skies. Remus was next, he seemed a bit uncomfortable in the air but had managed to fly just how Madam Chasta had taught them in their flying lessons. Remus was quick to balance on the broom and spent a few moments testing his turns again.
Peter was still on the ground with his feet firmly on the ground. Cherish noted that he'd never quite gotten the hang of flying. James hadn't taken off even though he knew perfectly well how to fly.
"Just take off lightly-don't lean too far to one side or you'll fall off," James explained, standing next to Peter and seeming to be unusually patient.
Peter twisted first one way and then another to get situated. He tried to take off, panicked and nearly fell off before he placed both feet back on the ground fearfully.
"Trust me," James held onto the handle and looked Peter in the eye. "I won't let you fall off."
Peter did as he was told, and hovered while James mounted his own broomstick. "Now, pull up on the handle a bit to go higher or down to go lower," James instructed.
Peter did as he was told and flew several feet higher, with James letting go of the broom and watching him carefully.
"Good, now don't turn too sharply and you should be fine, a firm turn is good. If you turn too hard you could fall off on these school brooms," James said after he took off on his own broom.
Peter turned a few times, flying higher and found he wasn't so bad.
Above, Cherish threw herself into a dive and narrowly missed Sirius. He spun around and feigning anger he chased her half across the Pitch.
"Oy! Catch!" James called to her. Cherish spun around sharply just in time as James threw a large, bright red ball at her. She caught it and then took off with it tucked under her arm with all four boys flying after her.
Sirius and James were easily the best, jostling her and trying to steal the ball from her. She could tell they were curbing their strength so they wouldn't accidentally knock her off her broom or hurt her.
Remus only darted forward a handful of times, seeming extremely unwilling to push her around. Peter was either very bad or his borrowed broom was too slow to catch up to Cherish.
After several minutes James swooped in, nearly rolled her off her broom and stole the quaffle. The moment he stole it Sirius and Cherish were upon him. Remus knocked his shoulder against James's on one side, and Peter had to roll out of the way when Sirius passed James and then suddenly turned around.
Sirius stole it and they were off again, chasing one another.
Two hours later they touched down after a particularly vicious fight over the quaffle between Sirius and Jaames. Sirius was panting, having chased James for nearly ten minutes straight.
Remus, Peter and Cherish had all quit trying an hour ago and instead were flying in circles around the Quidditch Pitch. Peter's landing was unsteady but he was smiling happily as the rest when he got off his broom. Remus looked rather worn out but Sirius and James were still full of energy.
"If we hurry we might be able to scrap together a prank before nightfall," James said as they shoved the brooms back into the storage cupboard.
"Come on," Sirius motioned anxiously, "We'd better hurry up or we'll miss supper," he turned and ran full pelt toward the castle.
James ran a ways and then dropped back to walk beside Cherish. For awhile they were quiet as he matched his pace to hers then threw his arm around her and hugged her briefly as they walked.
"What do you think of Sirius?" James asked casually.
Cherish looked at him, startled. He stared back and then tilted his head towards Sirius who was vanishing into the castle. He sounded as though it was or no real importance but she could see through it. He truly wanted her opinion.
She hesitated, tasting her words before she spoke, "I rather like him. He's nice, funny, smart...why do you ask?"
James shrugged and then looked toward Remus. "And Remus?" he asked looking fondly at his friends.
Cherish looked at Remus and couldn't help but smile. "He's quiet, shy, very talented and he's studious-something you aren't," she told him with a nudge. She paused to think, "I've grown fond of him. He's sweet. Much more charming than you," she teased lightly.
He threw her a mock glare and then flashed a grin. He nodded towards Peter wordlessly.
Cherish hummed softly to herself. "He's...nice," even she could hear the hesitation in her voice.
James did not turn to look at her, but the glance he stole was unmistakable. "You don't like him," he stated rather bluntly.
"No," she replied a little too quickly. James threw her a skeptical look and raised one eyebrow. "Well," she faltered and chose her words carefully. "I do like him, I just don't know him all that well."
James said nothing, only stared at the castle. He stopped walking for a moment and then looked her in the eye and sighed.
"He's very nice. I like playing chess with him, Exploding Snap too, even though he nearly always wins. I just don't know much else about him. He's studious. He's no good at Charms, a bit like me. But he's good in most of his other subjects with a bit of help," she continued to fill the silence.
James sighed again and kept walking. "Peter is likable enough. He just doesn't seem too keen on knowing you either, I think he prefers male company," James glanced at her hastily. "Maybe you should talk to him like you do with Remus and Sirius."
Cherish whirled around to stare at him, her eyes wide in surprise.
He gave a small smile and then shrugged. "I've seen you talk to them. Sirius treats you a bit like a sibling, like a sister he's never had. Sort of like I do. Remus is fond of you, I think you're one of his best friends. I'm glad you're friends with them."
"I don't know how to talk to Peter like Remus and Sirius. I mean, Remus and I have things in common. We study together sometimes and read with each other. Sirius is so like you it would be hard not to get along with him," she said thoughtfully. "But Peter...what do I have to talk with him about? I hardly ever play chess and to be honest I couldn't be friends with him only for that."
"Try," James requested.
"But-" she began to protest.
"For me?" James asked, looking at her with a pleading expression similar to the one she'd given him.
"For you," she murmured and then repeated his own words, "Anything."
He grinned. "Come on, before Sirius eats everything. We'll plan the prank during dinner."
"I've got the dungbombs," Sirius hissed as they made their way down to the dungeons.
"Peter, you stand watch over that corridor," James gestured to one, and then motioned Cherish to the other. "Cher, you guard the other one."
"James, are you sure about this?" Cherish asked even as she turned her gaze down the corridor he'd instructed.
"We've done this more times than you think," Sirius said from where he stood.
Cherish almost turned to speak, then remembered her post. Instead she fixed her gaze on the hall and kept her voice low. "And if we get caught?"
James was muttering words to the stone wall, trying to force it to open. "We have been, that's why we've got detention next week."
"Hurry up, will you?" Sirius said into the darkness. "Otherwise we'll be here until tomorrow morning."
Cherish silently agreed but didn't think she should say so. They'd been there at least ten minutes according to her watch, any longer and they risked being caught by the new caretaker. Argus Filch was a young, rather strict and moody looking man, often seen prowling around with a slight hunch in his back and muttered unintelligibly under his breath as he cleaned the halls.
Although Professor Dumbledore had banned caning, Cherish was sure that Filch would come up with some kind of awful punishment for them if he caught them.
"I can't get the password right," James retorted, rather irritated by now.
"Serpent," Cherish suggested without looking behind her.
"Pureblood," Peter's voice came from the dimly lit dungeons.
"True blood," Sirius hissed even as he held the dungbombs at the ready.
Something clicked, the wall shifted and opened. James hid himself against the wall beside the entrance. Now he mouthed to Sirius. Somehow, even in the dim light Sirius saw the signal.
He hurtled the dungbombs forward, then he ran not even pausing to look where they hit. James was right behind him. "Run!" James recommended as loudly as he dared. Peter and Cherish both bolted, running down the corridor Cherish had been guarding.
They didn't pause for breath until they'd put at least four floors between themselves and the dungeons. Cherish was laughing, and threw her arms over Sirius's and James's shoulders again.
"Where's Remus?" she asked, realizing she hadn't seen him since supper.
"He went to visit his mum," James replied as they reached the portrait.
"Something about her being sick," Peter added, jumping over a trip stair.
"Fairy lights," Sirius told the Fat Lady and stepped into the Common Room.
"Pretty soon it'll be summer."
James was right, summer and Second Year were approaching far too quickly for her liking. Before she knew it, they were finished with their exams.
One glorious week of nothing except sunshine, playing by the lake, tussling in the grass and playing tag on the Quidditch Pitch.
Then they were packing their bags, Cleo found her missing shoes, and their exam results came back. Sirius and James scored fairly good marks, Cherish beating them both in Potions. Lily and Remus passed with some of the highest marks of First Years and Peter scraping good marks with his best in Herbology and Defense.
She looked around as they boarded the train, all four boys following her to a compartment. At first she'd been a bit intimidated by them but now the four boys surrounding her didn't scare her in the least.
James was busy swapping wizard cards with Peter who had unwrapped a couple new ones.
"I'll swap you Falco Aesalon for one of your Circe," James was saying.
"I've already got five of him, I'll swap you one of Gringott for it though," Peter said. James held up a different card with a rich goblin on it.
Peter scrutinized the card before agreeing.
Remus was chewing thoughtfully on a Sugar Quill, one of the last from the bunch he'd received for Christmas as he wrote a letter home.
Cherish chewed on her own eagle feather quill, thinking hard as she looked around at the four. It was surprising, after only a year she felt rather unwilling to leave any one of them.
Sirius was examining a few of James's Chocolate Frog Cards, flipping them over to read about the famous witch or wizard and occasionally reading them aloud.
Cherish nibbled on pumpkin pasties, reading a letter from her parents before folding it up and placing it in her novel. "My mum said I could invite you all over during the summer."
James looked up from his examination of Godric Gryffindor to look at her. "Yeah, my parents said something similar."
Remus continued to chew on his Sugar Quill but Cherish could tell from the slight tilt of his head he was listening. Peter was still examining Agrippa, but he nodded.
"I'll come over," Remus mumbled after he removed the quill from his mouth.
Peter nodded eagerly. "I'd love to see where you live," he was looking at James and Cherish so it was hard to tell who he was talking to.
"We could all go to James's, he has a much nicer mansion," Cherish said. James flushed pink but made no move to deny it.
"I want to see the horses, anyhow," she added when James looked like he might suggest the Meadowes Mansion instead of the Potter's Mansion.
James snorted. "If I let you see the horses, we'll never find you again."
Cherish rolled her eyes with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth full of pasty. "His parents own sport horses," she mumbled when she had swallowed.
Sirius looked a bit surprised at this information, but must have summed it up as a normal thing for rich purebloods, not like his own family.
"Well my family is staying for the summer, so I think they'd be all right with all of you staying over for a few weeks."
Indeed, in only a few short weeks they were packed and ready for the train ride home.
After several games of Gobstones, in which Peter kept winning, it was past high noon on the train home.
"This is the end of year one," Cherish declared, a bit sadly.
The boys nodded, slipping their robes off and leaving them in muggle attire. Remus and Peter helped their friends blend in, instructing them to lose the ties and cloaks.
All dressed in t-shirts and jeans they filed off the train, stuffing their pockets with the remaining sweets. James and Sirius helped the other three with their trunks, James handing Cherish her trunk and then Peter.
Cherish threw her arms around them each in turn. "You'd better come over, all of you," she threw a pointed look at Peter and Remus.
Remus nodded, still rather quiet. Peter smiled, this time a true smile without his usual nervousness. Sirius hugged her enthusiastically. James caught a glimpse of him whispering something to Cherish but only grinned and turned back to hug Peter. He wasn't worried about them anymore.
Remus held out his hand for Cherish to shake, she laughed, took it and then pulled him into a hug.
