Well, hello again dear readers!
I'm SO glad that spring is finally here in Scandinavia. It's not as dark or cold anymore plus that the ice is gone. But...we got quite a lot of rain going on instead! Enjoy the chapter ^_^
Moving on slippery grounds.
The boggart lesson went a bit quicker after everyone had gotten their riddikulus spell right. Even Peter had gotten some progress at turning a rather realistic version of Lord Voldemort into a dancing toy clown. Remus walked towards the refreshment table with a small smile at his face. He found it a bit amusing that something his friend found funny was something that one of the fifth year Slytherins found terrifying. 'I guess that just shows how different we are. Our fears are just as unique as our personalities' pondered the male as he stepped forwards in the queue.
Something to his right then caught his attention. His partner was about to face her boggart. The Gryffindor wondered what that could be. 'Maybe it's a troll or something like the Loch Ness monster. I'm pretty sure she's living close to Loch Ness. Or perhaps she's scared of her family dying' guessed the guy. But his face paled when he saw the boggart take a shape that was all too familiar with him. Alice was now face to face with a rather big, black wild dog with ominous orange eyes. Her left hand trembled a little while the little colour in her face gradually disappeared. "Riddikulus!" yelled the female as she pointed at the wild canine. The wild dog suddenly transformed itself into a yellow puffskein that bounced off the floor like a rubber ball. A part of him felt a bit frightened that her boggart was a dog that looked quite similar to Sirius in his animagi form. 'Have she seen us during our outings? I can't remember that we have run into anyone since our fifth year' thought the auburn-haired male.
"Great job everyone! It's time for a break. We'll have the duels afterwards. Remember to come back here at 5 PM for the lessons in dancing. The dressing code is formal casual. At least that was what the dance instructor told me" informed Harvey. Everyone nodded before they went for the refreshments. "Something on your mind Moony?" inquired the guy who had not put on his glasses. "Hm…I'm just thinking about our roamings every month. Have we ran into anyone or been spotted by someone lately?" asked the male. "I don't think so. We've been a bit more careful after we were almost spotted in our fifth year. Why do you ask?" replied James as he filled up his glass with ice cold water. "It's just that my partner had a boggart that looked a lot like Sirius" muttered Remus with a low voice. His friend suddenly snorted water out of his nose when he heard it.
"Really? I better let him know" laughed the male. "No, you shouldn't! I wasn't talking about Sirius…I mean Padfoot" whispered the guy. The other Gryffindor then got a more serious look at his face. "Are you SURE it was Padfoot you saw?" inquired the guy. "It was very similar at the very least. Bigger than average with black wild hair plus orange eyes" answered the werewolf with a low voice. His friend nodded before he drank some of the water that was in his glass. "I doubt she know it's him though. Blondie is in Ravenclaw after all" stated the inky-haired male. "But why-". He then realized what his friend was telling him. The Ravenclaw tower was at the west wing. In contrast, the Gryffindor tower was at the north wing. Chances were quite slim that she had seen them enter the castle. A wave of relief went through his body…it seemed that the Marauders secret would remain that way unless Snape decided to change his mind.
"All right, let's line up! I want you to form three long lines with the partners facing each other. There should be at least five feet space between each line, preferably ten. I want two lines to start here at the front while the third one is going to be at the middle at the room" instructed Harvey. James spotted his female partner lining up at the middle of the room and followed her suit. "Ready to spellbind me?" joked the male as he removed his wand from his jeans pocket. "I am" replied Lily with a neutral voice. He could see that her bright grass-green eyes were locked at his frame. There was no doubt; she was dead serious.
"The fifth years are going to concentrate at the spells expelliarmus, petrificus totalis plus stupefy. You can add one or two more spells when you get comfortable. Everyone in year six are going to use the same spells and try to keep them non-verbal. Seventh year students are doing the same, but you will add one or two more spells when you get more confident. Let me just give you this quick warning. Lethal spells or spells that can cause more severe injuries than broken fingers have to wash the pans in the hospital wing as a punishment. Those who show great confidence in their spells or dueling are rewarded with house points" stated the older man. Some of the students looked a bit displeased when they heard about the spell limitation while the others were excited. The Gryffindor looked at his partner as he tried to remember the spells he was allowed to use. He was fairly confident with stupefy as well as petrificus totalis after hexing others with it for so long. But expelliarmus was a bit trickier; it was a fairly new spell to his arsenal. "Right. Those with the back facing the east wall will begin. Let's start…NOW!" exclaimed the older man.
The redhead wasted no time as her wand hand went like a whip towards the guy. He was barely able to dodge before he lifted his wand. 'STUPEFY!' shouted the inky-haired guy mentally as he pointed at her legs. She stepped aside quite fast while she prepared her second spell. SCHNIP! Hazel eyes widened as they realized that the wand had been sent flying towards the back of the room. It then landed at the floor with a small "clank" seconds later. "Nice job there Lily. Just let me fetch my wand" told James with a sincere smile. He went to pick up his wand while the witch pondered what spell she should use next. She was not as confident as her partner with stupefy, but was better at disarming people. Her eyes widened when she saw the male lift his wand. 'PROTEGO!' shouted the female inside her mind while she extended her wand in defense. The spell was barely able to do its job thanks to the speed her partner had. 'He's not bad…I'll give him that. Petrificus totalis!' thought Lily as she countered his spell. Her fellow Gryffindor spun quickly to the right while he heightened his spell arm a little. What happened next was unknown to the girl. All she remembered was that she flied backwards at the floor with her legs locked together while the guy felt down. He was as stiff as a board.
"All right you two. Just give me a moment to fix this" told professor Flitwick as he walked towards her. He pointed his wand at her legs, which became mobile again after two seconds. The older man then went towards her partner to undo the petrificus totalis spell. "There we go. Take it a little easier next time" advised the teacher. "I'll try. Thanks professor" muttered the inky-haired male as he got back up. 'I suppose I have to use a little less-'. His train of thoughts was interrupted when the redhead shot a new spell towards him. 'Protego!' exclaimed the male while he lifted his wand the same way that the instructor had lifted his. A shield formed around him immediately while the spell wore off. Suddenly, the Gryffindor felt down to the floor again. "Sorry! I didn't think my expelliarmus would be that strong" confessed the girl as she approached him. "Expelliarmus huh? You're REALLY dangerous with that wand in your hand" muttered the male as she undid the spell. "Well…thanks I suppose. But I have to be. Nobody else will defend me if You-know-who or his followers attack me" told Lily. "What do you mean? I'm sure your friends and family would protect you" stated James. "They would. But how many in my family or friend group back home are witches or wizards? You and Sirius are both full-blooded wizards. Remus has his father as well as his more distant relatives. I don't have any other witches or wizards in my family to rely upon" informed the female. Her otherwise bright grass-green eyes now had a look of sadness upon them.
'Oh Merlin. I forgot that' remembered the guy as he sat up. He was borne in a family with quite skilled wizards that were capable of protecting themselves. Sirius could probably not rely upon his family anymore, but at least they were able to defend themselves. Not that they needed to since they were probably pro-Voldemort or Death Eaters. His cousin Bellatrix had most likely joined them already.
'Maybe I should give her a pep-talk. Better choose my words carefully here' decided the Gryffindor. He gathered all the courage in his body as he looked straight into her green eyes. "Listen Lily. Your family may not be able to do magic like you do. But I'm sure that your skills will be good enough to protect them. You're one of the best witches in our year and you're probably one of the best students in the castle. Don't forget that in case You-know-who targets your family" told the inky-haired male with a sincere voice. Her eyes widened while her peachy-pink skin turned light red. "Thank you James. I appreciate to hear that, I really do" said the teenager with a low voice. A shrill sound then rang through the Great Hall. "Time to end the lesson guys! I'm now going to hand out the house points. Slytherin gets 25 points, Ravenclaw as well as Gryffindor are given 30 points each while Hufflepuff has earned themselves 35 points! You all did an excellent job. Keep practicing and I'm sure you'll become great duelists. Bye for now" told Harvey with a smile. Everyone applauded before they left the Great Hall. It was time to get dolled up for the dance lesson.
"Jeezes. I don't have much makeup here" muttered Mathilda as she looked into her makeup bag at the female prefect bathroom. She had decided to team up with her female friend to get dressed up. The dress code for the dance lesson was "formal casual", but the girls had to wear a dress or a skirt instead of trousers. The boys however were not allowed to wear jeans or sweatpants. "I suspect that McGonagall wrote the forbidding jeans part since she doesn't like them" laughed the other girl as she pulled out her dress. It was a sleeveless 60's style dress in a pale silvery-purple colour. The dress ended a couple inches above her knee. "Nice dress you got there Goldie" commented Annie as she pulled out a silver coloured belt from her bag. "Thanks Silver. I think my partner will appreciate it. Green is the colour of his house after all" told the female as she put on her necklace. The piece of jewelry was a golden-coloured chain with a broomstick pendant. It was a great match with the long-sleeved emerald green dress.
"Time for makeup I suppose. I can do your face while you help me with the eyes" offered the girl before she walked into the toilet stall to change clothes. "Sure" replied the Hufflepuff as she started to put up her hair. Her friend then walked out of the toilet two minutes later, her hair put up in a ponytail with wavy ends. "Looking good there Alice! Remus is a lucky guy. Just give me a moment to find my magical cream" said Mathilda. She pulled out a magical cream bought at Diagon Alley that would make your skin appear less flawed. The only downside was that the effect only lasted for five to six hours with no chance of permanent effects. "Close your eyes" instructed the girl. Her friend did as she was told and the golden-blonde female put on the cream. It did not take long until the cream had blended into the skin. "Thanks Goldie. I'll do your eyes now. Do you want bronze or light golden yellow for your eyes?" inquired the Ravenclaw. "Golden yellow. You can add a little bronze in my sockets if you wish" replied the female. She then closed her eyes while her friend put on some eye shadow. It was muggle makeup since the eyelids were rather sensitive. Not to mention that eye damage was serious business. "There! I think we're ready to go now" stated the ash blonde girl with a grin. Her eyes had pale silver eye shadow on them with a hint of brown in the sockets. The lips had pale pink lipstick with a little shimmer in them. "Thanks Silver. Where are you meeting Remus?" asked the girl in the green dress. "I'm meeting him near the grand staircase near the Great hall" replied her friend as they went out.
'OK Lily. He should be here somewhere' thought the female as she looked around. James said he would meet her at 5:50 sharp outside the prefect bathroom. She glanced at her dress. It was a golden yellow short-sleeved dress. The dress ended two inches above her knees but had no cleavage on show. Lily had put on a pair of emerald green ear studs while her hair was tied back in a simple knot. "There you are! Hey Lily" called a familiar voice. The girl turned and saw her dance partner arrive. He looked quite handsome. James was in a pair of black slacks with a deep red shirt at the top. She noticed that his hair was a little less unruly than usual while the lack of glasses made him look a bit…boyish in some way.
"Nice to see you Lily. You're looking fantastic" complimented the male. She felt a quick rush of heat go through her body. "Thank you. Your shirt really suits you. I like the colour" told the redhead while she hoped her makeup would cover her slightly pink cheeks. "Me too. Let's go down to the Great hall. Remus and Sirius are picking up their partners there" told the inky-haired guy. The duo walked down the staircase with the other students. 'Should I offer my hand? I wonder if that's the polite thing to do. But we're going to dance later anyways, so maybe I should wait' thought the guy. He glanced down at her hands. They were slim with milky-white skin. Her skin looked smooth and was probably soft to touch. The thought made his heart beat a little faster, which made him wonder. Since when did the thought of holding a girls hand make him feel like this? 'Maybe I'm just growing up' concluded the Gryffindor as they went down to the hall. He then spotted Sirius as well as Remus standing next to the entrance. The former guy was wearing a bright blue shirt that made his eyes pop plus a pair of black slacks. His other friend had chosen brown slacks and a light spring green shirt that brightened his face.
"Hello. Looking forward to the dance lesson?" inquired the guy. "You bet I am. My partner is going to get a waltz or three that she won't forget" promised the Black with a smirk. "Who is your partner?" asked female, curious who he had paired up with. "Catelyn Nelson from Hufflepuff. Speak of the devil, there she is" told the guy. A somewhat tall girl with wavy brown hair plus matching cool brown eyes approached them. She had chosen a nice cobalt blue sleeveless dress that ended right above her knees. "Hello Sirius! Ready to rock and roll?" asked Catelyn. "I am. See you guys later" said the Gryffindor as he left them. "Who are you going with Remus? I thought you said you were going with someone from Ravenclaw" told the male as he adjusted the collar on his ruby red shirt. "I am. Her name is Alice. She's in our charms class" informed the guy. "Good for you! I think a brainy Ravenclaw should be a good match for you" stated James. He was happy that his friend had found a girl to accompany him. And most of Ravenclaw girls he had met were usually nice unless they were of the gossipy type. But his friend would have probably not agreed to go with someone who was like that…he hated gossip.
"Hello Remus" greeted a voice right next to Lily. It turned out to be a petite blonde girl that wore a pale lilac dress. "Hello Alice. You-you're looking quite nice" told the auburn-haired guy. 'That's weird. First time I've seen him turn pale in front of a girl' thought the guy. His friend was not shy around girls, but he rarely paled. She had not vomited or mentioned something about his condition. The Gryffindor doubted that she knew it despite that most Ravenclaws were supposed to be rather clever. 'Hold on…no wonder he turned pale! That dress has the EXACT same colour as a full moon during the winter!' concluded the male. The pale purple colour combined with her ash blonde hair probably reminded the werewolf about his biggest fear.
"I saw the match you had against us a couple months ago. You guys did really well" said Annie while looking at him. It shook the inky-haired guy out of his thoughts. "Oh. Thanks I suppose. I'm a little surprised since most of the Ravenclaws gave me icy stares afterwards" admitted the guy. "Don't worry. I kind of got even with that" told the girl with a cryptic smile. "THE LESSON IS ABOUT TO START! PLEASE FIND A PLACE AT THE FLOOR!" yelled McGonagall's magically enhanced voice. James had no time to think about the blonde's reply as he entered the room with Lily.
And there we are! Only a little more to go until the story is finished. Constructive criticism and praise are appreciated ^_^