Chapter 9: Chocolate

"Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who get there first."- Peter Ustinov

Hermione slowly made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. She felt exhausted. The day had been long. After Sirius had been stunned, a very angry Professor McGonagall had appeared and issued the group of Slytherins a very harsh telling off along with a month's worth of detention for Malfoy. They left the scene as McGonagall had summoned a stretcher and personally floated him up to the hospital wing. Hermione had explained what had happened in full on the way and had stayed with Sirius until he had woken up which had taken a few hours. She was looking forward to finally having some peace and quiet since she knew her roommates would be out for at least a little while longer.

Making her way past the Fat Lady and into the common room, she pulled her books out of her bag and made herself comfortable on the empty couch. By the time 10 p.m. rolled around, she had finished her Ancient Runes essay and was staring blankly at the fire. She was beginning to doze off when she was snapped awake by someone entering through the portrait.

Remus appeared then, with what appeared to be a large assortment of Honeydukes chocolate tucked under both arms.

"Hello, Remus." The boy looked in Hermione's direction like a deer caught in headlights and promptly dropped all his chocolate onto the floor. Hermione smiled softly.

"Good evening, Hermione. Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Well it is the Gryffindor common room," she said smugly. He chuckled nervously. "Right you are."

"Stocking up on sweets, are you?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Yes." Hermione got up from her place on the couch to help him pick up his contraband. "Can I ask how you were able to get so much of this on a day we aren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade?" she asked innocently. She already knew of course, but she kind of enjoyed watching him squirm.

"Uh," he stammered. "Um, I have a secret stash in the castle. Just transferring some for easy access," he answered uneasily.

"Uh huh." Hermione made sure everything was safely back in Remus' arms before heading back to the couch to put her stuff away. "Well, I should head to bed. I'm pretty tired." Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she patted her friend on the back and started for the staircase.

"Uh Hermione?" She turned around to look at Remus.

"Mind not mentioning this to anyone?" he asked nervously.

Hermione laughed softly. "Of course, Remus."

Hermione retreated up the stairs just as the portrait opened for the second time. Sirius shuffled in looking slightly disheveled. "Moony! You have more chocolate. Excellent!"

"It's not for you, Sirius," said Remus holding it all closer to his chest.

"Oh come on, I'm an invalid! I need it!"

"Sirius, when are you not an invalid? I'm pretty confident you have permanent brain damage."

"I am offended, Moony," Sirius responded nonchalantly. "Any brain damage is only temporary." Sirius took a moment to make a grab for one of his chocolate bars and succeeded.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Hermione didn't buy my lie that I didn't just sneak into Hogsmeade," said Remus thoughtfully.

"Well she's a smart girl. And you're a horrible liar. That makes sense."

"Yes. It does. Of course, it does. It was just something in her expression, like she expected me to lie."

"Remus. You're a prefect smuggling sweets onto campus when you're not allowed. It would surprise me if she expected you not to lie."

"I suppose."

"Name the three main ingredients in a befuddlement draught."

"Sneezewort, scurvey-grass, and lovage," Lily responded to Hermione's question. The pair was studying in the library, attempting to be productive with their free time. Hermione found herself pleased that she finally had a friend as motivated as she. It made things so much easier only having to worry about her own assignments. It had been a few weeks since the incident with the Slytherins and everything had seemed to calm down. Malfoy didn't seem to be seeking revenge just yet and Hermione felt more comfortable. She fell into an easy groove with her roommates, spending a great deal of time studying for their classes. It was a nice distraction.

The girls switched turns asking the other questions for Potions class. "In what potion is pomegranate juice most predominantly used?"

"A Strengthening Solution," she answered. Lily nodded. "Correct."

"In a Draught of Peace, which-"

"Evans!" he screamed at general surprise of everyone in the library. "I mean Lily! Lily Evans!"

Hermione and the Lily Evans in question were suddenly broken out of their reverie by his outburst.

Here we go again, thought a rather bemused Hermione. James had been following Lily around Hogwarts like a lap dog for the past few weeks with no signs of relenting. He seemed to be relinquishing his pride little by little with each ridiculous attempt to win her over. The most memorable moment to date had been the muggle megaphone in the Great Hall used to announce to the entire student body that Lily was a 'sexy beast.'

To the outside eye, Lily would have appeared livid but Hermione swore she saw her new friend crack a smile… if only for a second.

It took a moment for each of them to process what they were seeing this time around. It appeared as if James had stolen one of the suits of armor and had dressed himself up because James Potter was not visible beneath the shiny metal exterior. He was indeed covered head to toe like he was a knight dressed for battle. The only things missing were a sword and shield.

"Lily Evans." His voice was a little muffled. The silver medieval helmet didn't help. "I bring thee chocolate. Because chocolate is sweet," he started. "…and you're sweet." He slowly walked over to their table, walking with a bit of a wobble and a great deal of squeaking due to the armor.

Wow.

Hermione had already become amazed at the length at which James was prepared to go to win Lily over. The fact that he had to win her over was a surprise in and of itself. She had always been under the impression that they had always been friends, considering they were both in Gryffindor. That was clearly not the case. James could definitely be an ass at times but he adored Lily. The problem was convincing Lily that was true and that James wasn't just in love with getting what he wanted as she supposed.

He was trying awfully hard. Hermione glanced in Lily's direction. She was remarkably stoic despite the costume. Hermione wondered just how long she could keep up this cold exterior before falling for James.

Lily looked at James hard. "Um…Thank you," she eventually replied. "James, I…look, I want to apol-," she started but was quickly interrupted by the sound of yelling drifting down the hall outside the library getting louder and louder.

Everyone in the library looked up in alarm as Remus Lupin came skirting into the library with a look that would make even the Grim Reaper run in the opposite direction, and he had eyes only for James.

"You honestly broke into my trunk and stole my secret stash of chocolate?"

"No, I didn't."

"Yes you did!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"James!" yelled Remus, his voice rising.

"Ok, look. You've been gaining a little pudge around the middle and I really did it for your best interest," he shrugged nonchalantly. Remus looked livid.

He breathed in slowly. "Alright, Mooney. Just breathe. In and out. Slowly and steady. You don't want to kill him. Just maim him a little." He closed his eyes as if in deep concentration.

In the mean time, James turned back around in his ridiculous suit of armor with a very loud squeak to face Lily and Hermione, the former looking much more annoyed. "So, where were we?"

"You were about to give me chocolate that you stole from your friend?" Lily inquired.

"Well, he really didn't need it."

And at that, Remus lost what was left of his self composure and rushed at James like a bull. Despite the extra protection, James went down like a weight and Remus followed, toppling him to the ground. The collective noise they made was extraordinary.

Both Lily and Hermione gasped as they hit the hard stone ground, only sitting about a foot from where they continued to wrestle around on the floor.

"What in the blazes is going on in here?"

Madam Pince had left the library with all its students quietly studying to run a quick errand and returned to find everyone fixated on the commotion now taking place.

James and Remus stopped dead, looking up to see the intimidating librarian glaring down at them looking frighteningly livid.

"The both of you will disentangle yourselves, stand up, and escort yourselves out of this library. Do I make myself clear? And at six p.m. tomorrow, you will each report to back here for detention."

The two marauders began to get up off the ground, James taking a little longer due to his suit. Remus waited till he was standing up straight before he knocked him upside the head one more time. As much as he loved his friends, they sure as hell could annoy him. James placed the box of chocolate on the table next to Lily, despite the glares of Remus. Lifting the part of the armor that shielded his face, he stared at Lily and she didn't turn away. His expression was hopeful while she looked cautious.

After a brief moment that seemed longer than it actually was, Lily lowered her gaze and focused her attention back to the text book she had sprawled out in front of her. James laid one hand softly on hers on the table smiling gently. She stiffened, not sure what to make of the gesture.

And then without saying another word, he left the library with Remus, creating loud scraping sounds as he awkwardly walked out with all the bravado he could muster.

"Look, Lily, I know it isn't really my place but maybe you should consider going a little easier on James."

Lily and Hermione had finished their study session and were now exiting the library about to part ways for awhile so Lily could attend to her prefect duties. After the boys had left, they had quickly returned to their books, Lily neglecting to say a word about the outrageous scene they had started and Hermione too nervous to bring it up herself. She had been told not to interfere here. It wasn't her place to meddle in these people's lives, especially since it had technically already happened. At least it had for Hermione. However, minding her own business had never been one of her strong suits as Harry and Ron never failed to point out. She never seemed quite able to keep her mouth shut, especially when she was confused.

She chanced a glance in Lily's direction.

Lily's expression was stony again. "He doesn't need anyone to go easy on him. He has enough people fawning over him as it is."

"I don't know. He seems pretty fond of you," Hermione responded softly.

"Potter isn't fond of me. He just likes a challenge."

"Are you sure about that?"

Lily paused mid-step, her face becoming a little more thoughtful. She looked towards Hermione with all the confidence she seemed to be able to muster and responded with assurance.

"Yes."

"If you're sure. But if it were me, I'd give him a shot," she smiled genuinely looking Lily in the eyes.

"Just like you're giving Sirius a shot?"

Hermione paused momentarily. "That's different." She hoped Lily didn't notice how much her voice quivered.

"Sure it is," Lily responded with a hint of sarcasm. "Look, Hermione. I've known James for quite awhile and he is the same egotistical prat he was when he was eleven. Sure, there's no one better at executing practical jokes. And yes, somehow he's oddly intelligent without even having to try that hard. But he's also an ass. And I don't blame you for not wanting to go out with Sirius. The both of them are exactly the same. They might as well marry each other."

Hermione realized she was fighting a losing battle and decided hastily to let it go for now. "I get it."

Lily's expression softened. "Thanks." Hermione had a feeling this wasn't the first time she had to defend her dislike for James. She briefly wondered what the catalyst would be that would eventually change her mind.

"Hey, I have to go but I'll see you later in the common room, alright?"

"Sure. See you there." Lily quickly scurried off down the corridor leading to McGonagall's office while Hermione began heading back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. It would be nice to curl up in bed and just sleep while everyone was gone. She barely had anytime to herself over the last few weeks. While she appreciated Lily and Margo's constant attempts to include her in literally everything they did, it was getting a little tiresome. And when they weren't constantly by her side, one of the Marauders would suddenly appear out of nowhere for whatever reason. A few days ago, Hermione had received a bizarre note from a rather haughty looking owl.

New girl. You are fluffy and amusing. We have decided to keep you.

Ever since she could rarely get rid of them for long, much to the dismay of a certain red haired suitemate. They appeared by her side while walking to class, in the common room, or whenever she was eating in the Great Hall. From what she could tell, they all had various reasons for wanting to keep her company. James kept up a long never ending list of questions about Lily that she rarely knew how to answer considering she barely knew the girl, while Sirius had a never ending list of questions just for her…which she also didn't even begin to know how to address. Anytime he appeared, she couldn't help but get a little agitated. It was hard enough keeping things straight without a constant barrage of inquiries about her parents, school, France. She had a difficult enough time with those considering she had only been to France once and then when the questions strayed to past boyfriends…well then it just got awkward. Because there was no way she opening up about that to her best friend's godfather.

Thankfully Remus acted reasonably enough under most circumstances, often keeping his friends in check. She had come to find his presence to be the most peaceful. Maybe it was because of his demeanor, the way he often gave her some much needed space. Or it could simply be, she thought once, that he wasn't dead.

She was even more grateful that the only times she ever had to see Peter was while in a group. He only seemed vaguely curious in her sudden presence and his shyness kept him from speaking directly to her most of the time. However, no matter how much he kept his distance it never did undo the knots that would always form in her stomach at the mention of his name or at the sound of his voice, so horribly familiar and a terrible reminder of memories she had no desire to replay in her head.

The memories snuck up on her when she least expected them. She often suspected her new friends of catching on to those moments when she simply just wasn't present. If they did notice how spacey she had become they certainly hadn't said anything. In certain respects she was grateful to for that, yet she couldn't help but miss the intimacy that came with old friendships where the telling of secrets was simply second nature. She missed Harry and Ron. She missed the closeness that she had taken for granted. To be perfectly honest, Hermione wasn't entirely sure she could get through another seven months without breaking.

Hey everyone! So I am finally getting off my ass and getting back into this story. Sooo sorry for the delay! I realized while I was rereading the last few chapters that there were serious errors. I literally wrote a scene twice in two different chapters and forgot. Major fail. Teaches me not to ignore a story for months and months and then to start writing again cold turkey. But here is Chapter 9 revised and I hope you enjoy it. I revised Chapter 8 as well so definitely check that out. I'm literally writing Chapter 10 as we speak so hopefully I should get that posted a hell of a lot sooner than I have been updating lately. Thank you all so much for the patience and the support! You guys are awesome