Chapter 7. The jealous kind

I woke up the next morning, disturbed by someone who where throwing stuff around. I got up on one elbow, trying to see through my cloudy eyes. It was Ally; she was cleaning her part of the room, at 07:00 am. I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

"What are you doing, Ally?", I wondered, even though it was absolutely clear for me already.

"Cleaning. While waiting for you to get out of bed.", she said shortly, not even looking at me. Here we go again. I sighed and rose from my bed, put on the clothes that were closest to me and we went out of the dorm without a single word to each other. I figured that if I just let her be, she would get over it soon enough.

But she did not. I tried to speak with her when we sat at the table, eating our breakfast, but she only spit the answers back at me and it felt like she slapped me in the face every time with her gaze when I tried to keep up a conversation with her again. At that moment, I stopped trying and just pretended like she was not even there at all. I thought she was very immature, and became more and more irritated with her. It was not like Sirius was her property, and I could not befriend him because of that. And that was the thing; we were friends, only friends. Nothing more, nothing less. She had nothing to be jealous about.

I suddenly woke up from my thinking mode by a hand that shook my shoulder roughly. I looked up at Ally, confused.

"I'm off now, if you wanted to know.", she said sourly, turned around and started walk to the door. I was not even half through my bowl with cereals and milk, and decided to continue with my 'not caring'-tactics. It had worked before, but also failed, so there was a 50-50 percents chance how this whole situation would turn out, but right then I did not bother much.

I sat there in my own world, did not even realize someone was coming before the four of them threw themselves down around me. I looked up, surprised, and saw Sirius, James, Remus and Peter grinning at me.

"Hi, team-mate!", Sirius greeted, and the other three said a simple 'hello' or 'good morning'.

"Hi.", I said, actually very happy, and surprised, they had shown up.

"Where's Ally?", James asked, pretending to look around and even got under the table in the search for my at least before other half. I chuckled at him but then turned serious again.

"We've been fighting a bit."

"I thought you two where like this!", Sirius said, twirling two of his his fingers around each other.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, but we've been getting on each others nerves quite much lately.", I said and sighed while I played with the last cereals in the bowl.

"Ah, girls. You're so complicated.", James said, sighing too, and the others laughed at him.

"You having problems with your love life, James?", I said, and smirked.

"No, not problems. I only have one problem. Lily won't give in and accept the fact that she loves me.", he answered, looking a bit frustrated, and his friends laughed at him again.

"You're wrong, dear friend. Your biggest problem is that you scare the ladies away with your uncharming way of being.", Sirius said, looking a bit superior.

"Easy for you to say, Mr Chick-magnet!", James said, a bit sour, and Sirius looked even more superior after that.

"Don't say too much about that, it will only give him more confidence, and I don't think he needs that, to be honest.", Remus said and I laughed at him.

"What are you laughing at, Iz? I'm pretty sure I've dazzled you a few times already.", Sirius said and winked at me. I snorted at him, a bit amused, before I turned to Remus.

"I definitely think you're right, Remus."


I was a bit late for the Potions lesson, because I could not find my book. It was strange, I knew exactly where I had put it, but it was totally gone. I searched for a long time, getting more and more frustrated, and then I finally found it, deep down under my mattress. I had my predictions on who could have put it there, and that made me more irritated with her. Why would Ally do that to me? I had not done anything wrong at all.

When I finally stepped into the classroom, panting after my rush through the corridors and stairs, I found my usual table full. Ally had invited Diane and two friends or hers, and as soon as she saw me coming in, she started babbling loudly and enthusiastic with them. I just raised my eyebrows at them for a moment, thinking how immature she was and started searching for another place to take. Every table was made for four persons, and ironically enough they all seemed to be full. I wondered how I had fit in before, when I saw someone waving at me in the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Izabel! Come over here.", James shouted and smiled at me. At the same time Sirius looked over to Ally's table and grinned at bit amused at them. I made a quick glance too before I reached my place and she gave me a look of surprise and anger. I thought it was a bit amusing too, but promised myself that I would deal with it later.

When I took the last few steps and stopped at the table I noticed that there were only three of them. Remus was missing. I put my bag slowly down on the floor and looked around to see if he was standing at another table but could not find him anywhere.

"Where's Remus?", I asked.

"He's at the headmaster's office.", Sirius answered, sounding like it was something usual and I frowned a little.

"Why?"

"We don't know. He's been there a few times now, but he won't tell us why.", Peter said and shrugged.

"Hm, if anyone of you had to visit the headmaster I didn't believe it would be him.", I said, smirking at them.

"What's that suppose to mean?", Sirius asked me, trying to sound offended. I laughed at him.

"Good try, but you're not convincing me at all.", I said. A smile broke through his façade, but he did not get time to say something more because Professor Slughorn started the lesson. And it was the funniest potions lesson I have ever had. I did not success at all in making the potion we were suppose to do, neither did James. He and Sirius only joked around the whole time, though Sirius' potion went out to be perfect, of course. Peter's blew and made his hair burn. I quickly raised my wand and said 'aguamenti', and a small jet of water hit him in the face. That made the other two laugh even more and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks.", Peter said, trying to dry his face with the sleeves of his robe.

"No problem.", I said and then sighed slightly, returning to my miserable potion.

Unfortunately, Professor Slughorn came to me to look at it and he gave me a worried face before he patted my shoulder.

"You'll make it the next time, Miss Whitlock. This is a... good try, for being the first.", he said, probably trying to make me feel a little bit better, but I saw James and Sirius having a hard time holding back a laugh and I tried to not care, but my mouth twitched unwillingly, forcing a smile to take form. Mr Slughorn continued to Peter, and then James, and ended up at Sirius' side. He made a strange sound of excitement and started to congratulate Sirius for his 'excellent work', and stayed there for the nearest five minutes. Sirius gave me a superior look, and I just waved it off as if I did not care. It was nothing new to me that he was good at everything.

The lesson ended shortly after that, and I went out alone, on my way to the next. I walked slowly, trying to pick up my schedule to see where to go when someone came up beside me.

"I saw that you failed at making the potion. Is he going to help you with that too after school now?", Ally asked with a sour tone. I stopped and looked at her. I had had enough now.

"Allison Smith, what in the whole world is your problem? Please tell me, 'cause I don't get it."

"My problem is that for about four days ago you didn't even like him, and now you're practically already-"

"I did not dislike him four days ago, and I'm not in love with him now. We're friends. Why can't two people of the opposite sex be friends?"

"That's not what i meant-"

"That's exactly what you meant!"

"No! I see the way you look at him!"

"I don't look at him any other way than how I'm looking at you, and sadly enough, he was in my visual field this morning because you chose to not allow me to share table with you anymore. So don't blame me for that.", I said and continued walking. She did not follow me, and not answer either, and it felt like I had made her eat her own actions. I could not help myself from smiling a bit, probably looking like an idiot. But then I felt bad for being rude against her and promised myself once again to talk with her after school.

I hurried to the greenhouses for the Herbology lesson so Ally would not be able to catch up with me again; I did not like to argue in public and had done more than enough of it for today. When I came in through the doors, I walked forward and took place in the middle of the table's left side. Only a few other students had arrived already. Shortly after I had arrived, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus came in. James steered them towards me and took place on my left side with Peter and Remus, while Sirius went to my right side. I glanced at him for a second and he looked back at me, a bit amused.

"You're going to show me how splendid you are at this class too, eh?", I asked him and he looked down on the table, seeming to think about it for a bit before he answered.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm actually quite good at this one too, so prepare for some competition this time."

We looked challenging at each other, and we both jumped when someone bumped its books hard into the table on the other side. I looked up, so did Sirius, and we both met Ally's dark gaze. But as soon as we looked at her, she broke it and got very busy with her books and papers, though I could see her blush. Professor Sprout came in and introduced today's lesson, which was going to be about fanged geraniums, that we were going to replant. We all got a small plant on front of us and an empty pot beside it. I put on my gloves during the time Professor Sprout talked about safety rules. Afterwards, she told us to begin and I watched my flower from every possible angle to make up a plan for how to grab it. Sirius leaned down, very close to me, and I could feel a sweet smell of perfume coming from him.

"Watch out, Iz, yours look a bit hungry...", he said and leaned away again, the perfume still lingering around me, making me slightly unsteady on my feet.

Damn you, men's fragrance. Or at least, I would still pretend like it was the perfume's fault, even though I knew something which could not and definitely should not happen, was beginning to.