James was almost nodding off over his textbook. Professor Bathsheda Babbling was animatedly waving her hands at the board and explaining something really uninteresting in her loud voice. It was his second week at Ancient Runes and he still couldn't for the life of him figure out what the whole subject was about. He squinted through his glasses at the squiggles on the board. James thought one of them looked particularly like the face of a constipated pig. Next to him, Sirius was aimlessly tearing apart the feathers on his quill. Sleep overtook him, and he almost dropped his head on the table when he felt a sharp, shooting pain in the shin which made him sit up with a jerk.
"If I have to stay awake, so do you," whispered Sirius maliciously. James glared at him, rubbing the place on his calf where Sirius had kicked him.
He glanced across the aisle and saw Remus, who was looking thoroughly bored, but taking down notes all the same. Peter seemed to be staring at the board, his eyes unfocused and mouth slightly open.
Sirius nudged James and invited him to play a game on their parchment. This led to a lot of sudden snorts and poorly disguised chuckles. A Ravenclaw[Priya Nair] sitting in front of Remus and Peter, turned around and glared at them.
"Some of us are trying to listen," she hissed angrily at them and turned around haughtily. Sirius snickered loudly while James looked rather affronted. Remus, Peter, Lily Evans and Mary Macdonald had noticed James being told off and were smiling rather mockingly at him. James felt a ripple of annoyance at the self-satisfied smirk on Lily Evans' face.
Sirius pulled at his sleeve, drawing his attention back to their game. James jerked his head towards the girl who had snubbed him and looked at Sirius with raised eyebrows.
"Let's help her out then, shall we?" said Sirius grinning, meeting James' look and picking up his wand. At the same time, they pointed their wands at the back of the Ravenclaw girl's head.
The girl shrieked loudly, clapping her hands to her ears. Unfortunately, her hands were too small to hide the fact that her ears had grown to twice the size of her head, giving her the impression of a small, trunkless elephant. The class roared in laughter, the loudest of which originated from the desks of James and Sirius. The girl burst into tears and ran out of the class. Her friend[Leigha Ollivander] followed her, torn between amusement and pity, casting a dirty look at the laughing duo as she crossed them.
"Detention Potter and Black!" Professor Bathsheda's loud voice sounded much closer. James looked up and saw her glowering at them.
"But Professor, she only said she was trying to listen," protested James.
"We were only trying to help!" supplied Sirius, trying to keep a straight face.
James caught Lily's eyes and returned her amused grin with a cocky one of his own.
"James…" Marlene came running down the charms corridor to catch up with him. "Is Gideon Prewett the new Quidditch Captain?" she asked, panting.
"Yes he is," replied James.
"When are the tryouts? I heard the matches are going to start earlier this year."
"Next week, I think. I'll ask him and let you know?"
"Sure, Thanks," she replied. Lily Evans and Adhara Selwyn had caught up to her. James nodded and turned to enter the classroom, where his friends were waiting for him. "One more thing," she said. Her cheeks were rapidly turning pink. He looked quizzically at her. "Could you help me practice? You know, give me a few pointers?" she asked tentatively.
"Sure," he grinned. Any excuse to get back on his Nimbus 1500. "Why don't we make a game of it? Selwyn, Evans, why don't you join us for a bit of two - on - two match this evening?" he invited.
"I'm - uh - heading to the library. I still haven't finished the Potions essay due tomorrow," Lily replied hesitantly.
"Come on Lily, you know that stuff better than anyone. Please?" pleaded Marlene turning to Lily. Lily looked uncomfortable, half glancing at James.
"Don't bother Marlene, I'm sure Remus or Sirius will join us," he replied coolly, walking into the class without as much as a glance in Lily's direction.
"Is it just me or was James Potter being a bit cold to you?" He heard Marlene ask as the girls entered behind him.
"That's just the way he usually talks," Lily replied with a hint of disdain, "Thinks he's too great for manners."
James flung his bag furiously on to the empty desk next to Remus.
"What's wrong?" asked Remus immediately. James didn't respond but glared straight ahead.
Professor Flitwick was sitting on top of a large pile of books on his desk so that he could get a full view of the class. He was demonstrating the Augmenti charm. Water flowed out of the tip of his wand and neatly filled the goblet in front of him. James, Remus and Sirius had already mastered that charm the previous year, on account of Peter's inadvertent pyrotechnics. The rest of the class, however, were not as adept and soon water was seeping around the soles of their shoes.
James surveyed his classmates, after having filled his goblet with a flick of his wand. There seemed to be more practice in bludger dodging techniques than in charms going around, as most people had to duck out of the way of many unsuspecting streams of water. He caught sight of Lily Evans, showing Marlene the precise wand movement. He felt a ripple of anger as her earlier words came back to him. He grinned to himself, flicking his wand in her direction and drowning her in a particularly strong jet of water.
She gasped in surprise and spluttered, turning to look at her offender. Her eyes narrowed when they landed on him.
"Sorry Professor," James called out unnaturally loudly as Professor Flitwick hurried forward to dry her, "must have missed the target." He grinned cheekily at her.
"I don't think it's him you need to be apologizing to," Remus reminded him, gesturing to a very annoyed Lily.
"Oh but Evans knows I'm too great for manners," he sneered, raising his eyebrows pointedly. He smiled in satisfaction in seeing her redden uncomfortably before turning to a confused Remus.
Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. At first only the students near the teacher's table noticed. It wasn't customary for him to give a speech on an unassuming breakfast morning. However, silence befell the hall shortly, and everyone was looking at him with polite befuddlement.
"I'm afraid I'll need to take a few moments of your peaceful morning meal," he started, smiling apologetically at them. "There are a few things that are more important than food at this point." Lily saw Sirius raise his eyebrows skeptically and suppressed a grin.
Dumbledore's voice grew grim as he continued. "At the start of the term, I was told that the following students would be arriving later than the start of term - Amelia and Edgar Bones, Regina Flume and Rupert Hamilton. However, it gives me great sorrow to inform you that the parents of Amelia and Edgar Bones were found dead last night."
The Great Hall broke out in mutters at his words. The Hufflepuff house seemed quite agitated.
"The Bones' are my father's second cousins," said Marlene, looking horrified.
"Also," Dumbledore continued, raising his voice slightly. The Hall hushed, turning their attention back to him. "The Flume and Hamilton residences have been vacated, with no signs of their return."
"Didn't Regina write to you saying she was on an extended holiday?" whispered Mary to Dorcas. Lily shushed her.
"I'm sure many of you are aware of what is happening outside Hogwarts. In the interest of squashing rumors and unnecessary panic, allow me to brief you all on the exact facts."
He paused for a moment. Lily saw that almost all students had sat up straighter, giving him their undivided attention.
"It is indeed true that a new Dark Wizard has risen. It is my belief that isolated events of terror and mysterious disappearances aren't coincidences. Families are going into hiding as we speak. As your Headmaster, I urge you all to stay united, and when the time comes for you to choose a side, I implore upon you to look to either side of you, at your friends, and imagine a world without them, without your family. When the time comes, remember that what is right, is not always easy, but it is what has to be done... for the greater good."
With that he sat down and resumed eating. The teachers seated on either side of him looked at each other warily. A somber blanket had fallen over the students. After a moment of silence, whispers broke out all around. Some were curious, some fearful and some were just grim.
"Do you think Regina-?" Mary was the first one to speak up, breaking the uncomfortable silence at the Gryffindor Table.
"I don't know," Dorcas replied, her voice close to a whisper. She had been the closest to Regina.
"I'm sure she is fine," comforted Remus. "Dumbledore said the families have gone into hiding. Nothing more."
"Yes, but why the Flumes? They just own a Pastry Shop in Hogsmeade. What could this - this Lord - person - want with them?" asked Marlene, confused.
Nobody had any answers for her. Lily's head was swimming with all the new information. Even James and Sirius for once had nothing to say to make the mood lighter.
"Why are we sitting here, Sev?" asked Lily, frowning around at the cold Arithmancy Tower.
"We won't be disturbed," replied Severus, drawing his parchment closer to him, squinting at what he had written.
"Excited about next month's Hogsmeade visit?" she asked conversationally.
"Yes," Severus grinned, "Mulciber said he could get us all some Red Currant Rum."
"Is that all you boys think about? Drinking?" she chided, shaking her head amusedly.
"What about girls then?" he challenged, "all you ever think about is gossip!"
"That's not true!" she said sitting up straight indignantly, "although," she pondered, leaning back against the stone wall, "I heard that Dedalus Diggle was caught behind a greenhouse with Bertha Jorkins yesterday," she said with a giggle.
"The whole school has probably heard about it," Severus replied, rolling his eyes. "Knowing Jorkins, a highly distorted version at that!"
They laughed. Lily resumed her writing, debating happily with Severus about the height difference between short Dedalus Diggle and taller Bertha Jorkins, and the technical difficulties it must have caused them.
"What was wrong with meeting the library?" she asked after a while, uncrossing her legs and stretching them out in front of her, "my feet have lost all feeling," she complained.
"Here," Severus offered, flicking his wand at her feet and muttering an incantation. Lily felt a warmth spread down her legs, regaining feeling.
"Hey, thanks," she replied. "How do you know all these spells?" she asked, wiggling her toes and admiring its effects.
"You would too, if you read up, instead of playing the fool with Potter and his mates," he said reproachfully.
"Not them again, Sev," she groaned. "Why do you have to bring them up in every conversation?" she frowned.
"Sorry," he muttered. She glanced at his schedule which had slipped out of the book in front of him.
"You have Thursday afternoons off, same as me," she observed, "Why have you never mentioned it? We could hang out."
"Well," he turned red for some reason, taking the parchment back from her and slipping it in between the pages of his book again, "It's just… my friends don't like it when I - that I'm friends with a mud - Er - you."
"Because I am a Muggle-born?" she asked sharply. She knew that nothing except the fact that they were alone would have prompted him to confess.
"I didn't say it, they did," he protested, "You know how it is don't you?" He looked at her imploringly, "the pure-bloods, and the fact that you're Gryffindor…"
Lily sighed. "Marlene feels the same way about you being Slytherin. She doesn't say much, but I can see the disapproval in her eyes."
"It's different for me," Severus muttered. "They tease me, taunt me."
Lily saw that he was growing more uncomfortable.
"I wish I didn't care about what they think," he said after a pause, his eyes searching her face apologetically. "I wish you were-" he sighed looking down at his hands, "were in Slytherin or something," he finished.
She had a strong feeling he hadn't been about to say that. She looked away, her gaze moving out of the Arithmancy Tower, watching her friends zooming around on broomsticks. They were only visible as specks and she couldn't discern who was playing.
"They called me to play, you know," Lily mused softly.
Severus lifted his head from his parchment and followed her gaze.
"You should have gone." There was a hint of hardness to his voice.
"Don't be silly, I spend all day with them. I never get to spend time with you."
"You like spending time with me?" he asked searchingly.
"Always!" she said firmly, smiling warmly at him.
Adhara narrowed her eyes at the sight of Sirius. Things had been tense between them ever since he had suspected her of switching sides at the Quidditch match. She had expected an apology at the very least. Remus, Sirius and Peter had decided to join her and Marlene for Quidditch practice. Sirius purposefully avoided her eyes. James divided them into teams with two chasers and a keeper each. She was teamed with Peter and Remus.
It was fun for a while, to play without the strain of practice or the stress of the real game. Remus was proving to be a really adept keeper. Even Peter was not too bad once he got used to being on the broom. Sirius, however, amazed both James and Adhara by exhibiting a careless grace and superior reflexes.
"Oye Sirius!" panted James, after Sirius had blocked a particularly difficult throw, "Why don't you try out for the team?"
"Nah!" he called back, "All this practice and strategies is too much work."
Adhara snorted. With that attitude, he had some nerve calling her on her team loyalties. Sirius heard her and turned to glare at her. She met his gaze with cool defiance, throwing the Quaffle in his direction and smiling satisfactorily when Sirius couldn't save the goal.
After the first ten minutes, James had started interrupting the game every thirty seconds to give instructions or tips to Marlene. James seemed to be taking his role as a coach pretty seriously. And by the rapt look on Marlene's face, she was lapping up every word he was saying.
The session was brought to an abrupt end by Sirius claiming moodily that he didn't want to spend all night being suspended in the cold mid-air. As they all trudged back, lugging their broomsticks behind them, Sirius fell into step with her. It wasn't by design and he didn't seem much too pleased about it. The air was uncomfortable, and before Adhara could help it the words were torn out of her mouth.
"Hey."
Sirius grunted in response.
"You've been avoiding me," she said, coming straight to the point.
"Me?" He had the gall to look indignant. "You've been acting up since the match last year."
"Acting up?" It was her turn to be indignant now. "You practically mauled me for displaced loyalties, and never even apologized-"
"Why should I?" he demanded. She was taken aback. "I confronted you and you didn't say anything. I only believed what I saw. I have nothing to apologize for."
She opened her mouth to retort but found that she had nothing to say in her defense. He had made a very valid point. She was about to relent when saw the haughty expression in his face.
"Fine," she said stiffly. She marched forward and said "Marlene, you coming?" she snapped. Marlene looked startled. She half-glanced at James reluctantly but James had already turned to Sirius. Her face seemed to fall a little as she joined Adhara and they walked in silence, each engrossed in their own thoughts.
"How was the game?" Dorcas inquired as they entered the dorm.
"Awesome!" exclaimed Marlene, falling back on her bed with a content look on her face. Adhara looked at her funnily. It hadn't been that great. Marlene continued to gaze dreamily at nothing in particular. Dorcas raised her eyebrows at Adhara.
"It was okay," she shrugged her shoulder, giving Marlene a bemused look before going to wash up.
Marlene was still gushing about the session when Adhara came back. "- and then James taught me this swerve. I swear I didn't think I could do it but James-"
"She hasn't stopped since you left," Mary said to Adhara wryly. Marlene glared at her.
"It was pretty useful, that's all I'm saying," said Marlene huffily.
"Oh that's what you were saying?" said Dorcas in mock-realization, "I thought you were just talking about how wonderful James Potter was," she smirked.
"Yeah, he's a good flier. What's wrong in saying that?" said Marlene defensively. Adhara could see her face flush as she spoke.
"Your mouth says he's a good flier, your eyes say you want to snog him!" teased Dorcas.
"They do not! Why would they?" Marlene sat up indignantly.
"You have a crush on Potter," pointed out Mary.
"Who has a crush on Potter?" Adhara turned to see Lily entering their dorm, directing the question at Mary with a frown of confusion.
"Marlene," supplied Dorcas.
"No!" she denied.
Adhara could see her blushing furiously. "Yes, you do," she said, suddenly realizing something, "That's why you were so annoyed when I interrupted you both back there."
"I was - No... It isn't," she spluttered. Unable to bear their knowing grins she fell back on the bed, pulling a pillow across her face.
"You fancy Potter?" asked Lily seriously.
"I don't!" a muffled voice came from behind the pillow.
"She does," mouthed Dorcas nodding solemnly at Lily as Adhara and Mary snickered in agreement.
"You came out of detention, with another detention?" asked Remus incredulously, looking between Sirius and James. Neither had the grace to look ashamed. On the contrary, they seemed quite proud of themselves.
"Well it was not our fault entirely, wolfie," started Sirius defensively. "We had just worked hard at polishing those relics Babbling told us to."
"Really hard. Like house elves," supplied James, nodding solemnly.
"We were tired, and decided to take a shortcut back to the common room."
"Who should we see on the way? Peeves!" said James shaking his head in mock-surprise.
"And Mrs. Norris," added Sirius.
"And Mrs. Norris," agreed James, "Peeves was trying to stuff her into an armor."
"Now, what kind of humanitarians would we be if we didn't go and help - er - her?" said Sirius, his eyes wide with innocence. Remus looked suspiciously between the two of them.
"And?" asked Peter, listening intently. Remus gave him a look.
"We tried to help. But we are just third years," continued James.
"Yes. Wizards in training. Lot of uncontrolled magic," nodded Sirius in a pained voice. Remus rolled his eyes.
"And how can we be blamed if she ended up hanging from the chandelier by her tail?" asked James innocently.
"Who caught you?" asked Remus in a bored voice.
"Professor McGonagall," said James sulkily, "She even docked off points. We begged her forgiveness,"
"I'll bet," said Remus sarcastically. He knew well what would have happened. They would have just snickered through McGonagall's admonitions or at the very least failed miserably at trying to keep a straight face.
"You always have no faith in us, Wolfie," said Sirius in a mock-hurt voice.
"You never give me reason to," smirked Remus.
"Anyway," said James, his tone snapping back to normal, "Now I can't very well ask her for that note we need to get that book out of the restricted section."
"Oh no," groaned Peter, "You're the best at transfiguration in our class. She would have given you without any suspicion."
"What book?" asked Remus, startled. The thought of James expressing a wish to go to the library was shocking enough, much less wanting to acquire a note from a teacher for it. He highly doubted that Professor McGonagall would have found that ordinary.
"The one Professor McGonagall talked about in class the other day," explained Peter. "About Animagus transfiguration."
"You've started that crazy plan again?" asked Remus raising his eyebrows exasperated.
"It's not crazy," replied James indignantly.
"And we never stopped planning. Keep up, Wolfie!" said Sirius.
"It's really dangerous. You heard what McGonagall said in class about how complicated it is. Only seven wizards in the world have managed to succeed. What makes you think that a bunch of underage wizards - with lots of uncontrolled magic," - Remus looked at Sirius pointedly - "can pull it off?"
"We'll never know if we never try," grinned James.
"It's all about confidence, Wolfie," drawled Sirius.
"It's more about skill," said Remus dryly, "and why do you keep calling me that?" he asked Sirius.
"Because you're a werewolf. Werewolf - Wolf - Wolfie. Get it?"
"Of course I get it," Remus said indignantly, "Lower your voice will you? Too many people know as it is. And listen, I'm used to being a - a… well, I'm used to this situation. I don't want you all doing something crazy because of some stupid notion of trying to help me. I have lived with it for so long, and I can continue to do so," he finished firmly.
Sirius and James looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
"We knew you'd say this," replied James with a smile.
"Stop mooning around, Wolf-"
"I'm not mooning," Remus said furiously.
"Of course you are," pointed out Sirius, "'I've lived with it for so long… I'm used to the pain'," mocked Sirius, clutching his heart dramatically as Peter and James started laughing.
"Maybe we should call him Moony instead," suggested Peter between laughs.
"No, thank you-" started Remus, alarmed.
"No, wait, that makes sense. You moon about your situation, which incidentally is intimately associated with the moon," said James, sitting up, his eyes wide. "You're Moony."
Remus looked huffily at his three friends rolling around in laughter, pointing to him. He knew it was hopeless to try and talk them out of their crazy schemes. Besides, there was still the very real possibility of them seeing for themselves how impossible the process would be and abandoning it.
"Well," James said after they had all stopped laughing, "there still remains a very real problem of getting the note from McGonagall."
"Why don't we ask Peter or Moony himself?" suggested Sirius. Remus scowled. Was that name going to stick?
"No, it might come back to us," said James thoughtfully.
"Well it obviously would have if you had walked up to her and asked," pointed out Remus. Everyone ignored him.
"Why don't we ask one of the girls?" suggested Peter.
"And while we're at it, why don't we tell them our plan and ask them to bless us," said Sirius sarcastically.
"No, Peter has a point," said James seriously, "McGonagall wouldn't suspect them. And they would never guess what we are up to."
Sirius looked doubtful and Remus silently agreed with him. The plan was crazy enough without incriminating other people. But before they could pull him down, James had gotten up and was walking to the corner where the girls were sitting.
"Be polite!" called out Remus in a loud whisper, hoping James would dearly pay heed.
"Hey, did you lot finish your essay on Animagus Transfiguration?"
"Why?" asked Lily, raising her eyebrows.
"We're not letting you copy ours," replied Mary.
"Why would I want to copy yours?" he asked haughtily. Remus groaned, dropping his head into his palm.
"What did you want James," cut in Marlene before Mary could retort angrily.
"Actually," he cast a nervous glance towards Remus, "I need this book from the library. It's in the Restricted Section. I was - Er - hoping one of you could help get a note - Er...please?"
"You must want that book real bad," observed Dorcas. "He said please," she pointed out to Lily shrugging.
"Why can't you get the note?" asked Lily, suspiciously.
"It's for Transfiguration homework, this essay actually," he said gesturing to Mary's parchment. She frowned at him, not having forgotten his previous snub. "McGonagall isn't exactly pleased with me at the moment. But you know I really like Transfiguration, it would be good if I could refer it."
"Well, sorry to break it to you Potter, but we are not your minions to do your bidding-" began Lily hotly.
"I'll ask," offered Marlene brightly, "Just write down which book, and I'll talk to McGonagall."
James grinned, scribbled on a scrap piece of parchment. Lily threw Marlene a dirty look as James returned to join Remus and Sirius.
"That was easy," said Peter briskly.
"That's probably the easiest part in this whole insane plan," replied Remus dryly.
"Lighten up Moony, you'll be singing a different tune later," said Sirius clapping Remus enthusiastically on the back.
"Is Moony going to stick?" asked Remus wearily.
"Yup," affirmed Sirius.