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Hogesmeade and B-boying
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Sirius was busy chomping on a pancake when Lily came down. She dropped a crossword book down beside her and picked up a waffle and syrup. Sirius chewed and looked at Lily like he wanted to ask her something. Lily raised her brow. He held up a finger. He opened his mouth but then closed it and resumed eating.
"For Merlin's sake, Sirius, what is it?" Lily exclaimed.
Sirius smirked, covered his mouth and said, "Want to go to Hogesmeade with us?" Lily furrowed her brow. "Like, your group. Want your group to go to Hogesmeade with us? Dorcas and Alice are coming." He shrugged. "Figured might as well ask the three amigos." He grinned.
"I'll have to ask the rest of the amigos." Lily smiled and ate her waffle. Sirius nodded and went back to his waffle. A few minutes later, James rushed down with wet flat hair. He slid on the bench until Lily stopped him with a hand before he could slam into her. James grunted.
"Ask her?" he asked excitedly. Sirius nodded.
"Said she had to ask the rest of the amigos." He raised his brow and grinned at his best mate. James smiled back.
"Already done," he sang. "They said it would be lovely." He turned to Lily, with his elbow rested on the table.
"Settled then," Lily replied. James picked up a bowl of fruit and started to eat without another word. "You're down early," she said trying to make conversation.
"He was a bucket of nerves all night. Asked me personally to ask you, because you'll say no to him. Won't believe Remus is talking for the rest of the Marauders and Peter can't ask a girl anything without being a bucket of nerves himself."
"It's called a bundle, and I would have said yes if it was a question to the group." James didn't say anything he just watched his fruit. Sirius sniggered.
"Fine, he was a bundle of nerves. But I do have a survey for you." He pulled out a piece of parchment out of nowhere. "Please, take it." He slid it across the table. Lily saw "How well did this asking out go?" Lily pulled out a pen and Sirius gasped. "It's one of those things. James." He smacked James' fruit bowl with his fork. "James, it's one of those things." James looked over at Lily and noticed the pen in her hand.
"It's a pen, Sirius. Remember, she showed us them at her house." Sirius nodded excitedly.
"You brought some to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.
"No. I didn't," Lily replied sarcastically. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Do you have extras?" he pressed on.
"Nope," she lied.
"Why don't you use them in class?"
"I do. You just sit in front of me." Sirius gasped.
"They don't take it away from you! Dumbledore!" Sirius waved his hand up at the teacher table. "This girl!"
"Woman," James interjected. Lily looked at him with wide eyes. He saw her staring at him and frowned at her. "Girl?" he asked. "I don't think you look six, you look like a woman." He puffed his chest and sat up straighter. Lily smiled but quickly covered it by quirking her mouth to the side.
"This!" Sirius sighed and sat back down. "I still think of her as a girl. What do you want to be called? Woman, girl? Teen? Human? Witch?"
"Um…" Lily felt heat rise in her cheeks. James had gone back to his fruit. "Witch is fine for now," Lily murmured. Sirius sucked in a breath and stood waving his hand again.
"Dumbledore!" He shouted, yet James and Lily noticed it was barely considered a shout. Especially since Sirius could really shout loud. "This witch has a pen. Isn't that forbidden?" No one came. Sirius sighed dramatically and dropped onto the table. "The unthinkable has happened."
"Sirius, can you pass the toast and jam?" James asked as if nothing was wrong. Sirius grunted and kept his face and chest firmly on the table as if he had died. Lily sighed and reached for what James wanted.
"Why is he so dramatic?" she asked.
"It's just a face he puts on for everyone. Kind of like your overly kind face." Lily frowned. "Okay, that's not to say you're not kind. It's to say you're not as kind as you'd like people to believe, just as Sirius isn't as dramatic as he'd like people to believe. I'm not as arrogant as I think people believe, though I've tried very hard to put on a cool person face because I'm really a…" He leaned in a little. "I'm a big nerd inside," he whispered. Lily raised her eyebrows. "Maybe one day you'll find the nerd." He shrugged.
"Well me being nice isn't a face," Lily defended. "It's just a side of me. If anything I try to be nerdier than I actually am. I'm…" She sighed and leaned in a little just as James had done. "I'm really a sports fanatic. I get thrills during any sport game. And I love doing anything athletic."
"Then why don't you? It's be lots of fun. I could have you as a backup for Quidditch. I'd have to see you fly-." Lily put a hand up.
"That's the whole point. If people know I love athletic things and sports, they would make me do those things. I… I can cheer for Quidditch because everyone does. But I can't play. I'm horrid on a broom and… I'm not as athletically inclined as I look," she whispered. James narrowed his eyes.
"Well then… one day maybe you'll see my nerd and I'll see your athletically inclined person." Lily opened her mouth. James raised a finger. "I'll figure a way to help you be as athletically inclined as you want to be." He then turned to his toast and started lathering it with jam.
"What were you whispering about?" Mary asked whispering herself and sitting down with a smile on.
"Nothing," they repeated in unison. Mary hummed, narrowed her eyes, but sat down on the other side of Lily.
"Okay, fine, don't share. But I have news." She grinned.
"What?" Lily asked turning away from James and putting her full attention on Mary. James tapped Sirius with his knife and spread red jam over Sirius' hand.
"Sirius!" James shouted. "You're bleeding." Sirius overreacted much to the amusement of several younger years, James, and a few Ravenclaws. Mary curled her finger toward her and Lily leaned forward.
"I just got asked to go to Hogesmeade, with a boy." Mary giggled but covered her mouth knowing how Lily hated it when girls made a big deal of being asked out.
"Oh, so you're not coming with us?" Lily asked quietly. Mary shook her head and giggled a little more. Lily furrowed her brow. Mary sucked in a deep breath.
"Okay, okay." She took another deep breath. "Well, it was a double ask out kind of thing. First a second year asked me out. Really cute little boy. He must have been dared." Mary smiled. "But then another second year asked me out. He had flowers, and he'd written a poem. Mary, you're so sweet. Mary, this may be the first time we meet. But would you maybe go eat some meat … with me?" Mary laughed loudly.
"Oh, that's sweet," Lily said sadly. Mary frowned a little.
"I had to say no. I mean, I had to. But it was sweet and I had to tell you. Marlene would have said I should go on the date as a joke, but the poor kid." Mary hung her head a little. "I couldn't tell if he really had a crush on me or not."
"Which one is he?" Lily looked around toward the second year end of the table.
"He's got a blonde curls and he's." Mary craned her neck and looked toward the second years. "He's the one giving flowers to a girl his own age."
"Hello," Peter called sitting down next to Sirius who had just fake passed out. James looked over to see if the girls were occupied and spotted them looking at second years.
"Pete," James whispered across the table.
"Yep?"
"Should I show off some tricks this afternoon?" Peter frowned. "You know… flipping stuff? I tried out a new one the other day behind Hagrid's after I visited him. I landed it. I've got two other ones I really want to show someone. Hagrid always says they're great even when I land on my arse."
"Yeah. That'd be fun."
"Do you think it'd be bragging?" James asked.
Remus clumped down next to him. "If you're doing it, it might be bragging," he answered. James frowned at him.
"But he just wants to flip around," Peter defended.
"Is that bragging?" James asked.
"Just. I don't know. Why do you need permission to flip around?" Remus groaned and stuffed a few hash browns in his face. He made a face of disgust then found ketchup. He dipped more hash browns in it then stuffed them in his face. He sighed happily.
"I. I don't want to look like a prat."
"Just ask us our opinion on your tricks," Remus suggested.
"Tricks?" Lily asked turning around to face them.
"Yeah, um…" James stumbled.
"He's asking if he can do a few flipping tricks at Hogesmeade. He doesn't want to make a fool of himself," Sirius said apparently having made a full recovery. James shot him a glare.
"Oh. Like show them off?" Mary asked excitedly.
"Um… well." James scratched the back of his head. "I've landed a few new ones and it'd really mean a lot if I could show people. Because… Hagrid he's the only one that really sees me doing these martial arts gymnastic moves. And. I don't know. He thinks everything is wonderful even when I don't land it."
"Why do you do it at Hagrid's?" Lily asked.
"Well…"
"Only place people won't make him feel self-conscious about his efforts at trying something he's not amazing at," Remus informed. Mary and Lily ahhed then smirked a little.
"No. It's because he has all these mats that are a little bouncy and soft that I use to land on. He says he uses them for his creatures, but I don't really see how… but that doesn't really matter," James said.
"Plus the self-conscious thing," Remus added with a smirk. James blushed a little.
"You want to see if you're really as good as Hagrid says you are?" Lily asked. James tilted his head back and forth, but ultimately nodded.
"Then bring it on," Mary encouraged.
"What are the names?" Peter asked. "The names are always the best." He grinned to the girls.
"Well I landed the Axe2Aerial the other day. It's like an Aerial but with an Axe kick upward added to it. Have you seen my aerial? It's gotten much better." James bounced in his seat. "I haven't shown you my Au-Batido since like first year. It's like a handstand. What about a barani?"
They all shook their heads. James gasped.
"It's a round off without using my hands." He held his head in his hands. "I've forgotten, none of you have seen anything. All you've seen is the stuff I did on the dock and the few front, back, and side flips plus a front pike, a back pike, two back layouts, one busted aerial, and a busted aeriola from like first to third year." He bounced in his seat again.
"You showed off without me!" Peter exclaimed.
"Yeah for Quidditch initiation. I did them off the dock."
"You don't need to show us those again," Lily said dully. "Just chose a few you really care about and show us those. Your newest."
"Okay, okay." He thought for a beat. "I'll do an Axe2Aerial, a back full which is a back flip with a 360 twist in it, spyder twist, I don't know how to explain that, and a moon kick which is a gainer but a little to the side and a kick is added. A gainer's like a back flip but you run into it. I've landed the axe to aerial four times, the back full twice, the spyder twist once, the moon kick three times." He grinned big.
"I know, none of us know what he's saying either," Peter said excitedly.
"No. No. I got most of that. I'll have to see it, but I got it," Lily said. James narrowed his eyes not quite believing her.
"Okay, okay, I'm here. What are we talking about?" Marlene asked coming to sit next to Sirius.
"Tricking," James answered excitedly.
"Oh, not another prank. I don't want to be in on that," Marlene whined.
"No," James said firmly. "Not tricks as in pranks but tricks as in martial arts tricks. It's called tricking."
"You're into martial arts?" Marlene dropped her brow and looked at him seriously.
"Yeah." James frowned. "What did you think I was doing off the dock the other day?"
"Um… I don't know flips? Gymnastics?"
"Well it's a bit of gymnastics too. Well you could count it half gymnastics half martial arts." James shook his hand in front of him to stop the beginnings of a ramble. "That's not important. I'm going to show you a few moves I've recently landed." He grinned again.
"Okay, we can go!" Alice said dragging Dorcas by the hand to them. "We ate with Frank's group. He and his friends are going to stay back and study. They don't want to go on the first trip. Say's it's too crowded." Alice rolled her eyes. "So we're not doing that."
"Please, you just want to be able to tell him a new story. You've ran out of things to say to each other," Dorcas shot at her. Alice's smiling face dropped and she hit Dorcas in the arm.
"I want to spend time with my friends, not his." Alice crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin.
"Well lucky you, James will be performing," Marlene said. Alice and Dorcas looked to him. James ducked his head.
"What's wrong with your hair?" Alice asked. She pointed to where James' spikes usually were.
"I. I rushed downstairs and didn't run gel through it." He ran a nervous hand through it and it puffed back up.
"That's better. Before it was like sticking straight out like the lip of a hat."
"Oh. Yeah. That's the cowlicks." James ran his hand through his hair again making it stand a little more.
"It's good." Mary patted him on the back and got up. Lily, Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Marlene followed. James pulled out his two way mirror and looked at himself in it. Sirius stomped back and grabbed him by the shirt collar.
"Come on," Sirius said. James wrapped an arm around Sirius' waist and tried to lift him. "Ah! Stop!" James laughed and put him back on the ground. Sirius didn't chuckle as he normally would. James jogged up to the group. Sirius pouted for a minute before joining them. They had naturally split into their favorite sections of their big group.
"Are you nervous for your performance, Prongs?" Remus asked teasingly.
"I bet you're going to do great." Peter grinned at him. James nodded his head.
"Yeah, Prongs. Don't want to fall on your arse in front of Evans," Sirius teased. James shrugged.
"She'd find it funny, so doesn't really matter."
Meanwhile Mary was saying, "I hope James doesn't fall and break his arse." Lily laughed at the thought.
"He'd be out and I'd be subbing for captain." Marlene grinned.
Meanwhile Alice was looking back at the group she and Dorcas were leading. Dorcas said, "At least it's progress you know. Lily and James going to Hogesmeade together… in a group."
"A large group," Alice said.
"A large group, but a group, and to Hogesmeade." Dorcas nodded.
"One day, Dory, one day." Dorcas wrinkled her nose at the nickname. "Oh, you love it." Alice grinned. "Time to mix things up. You take the boys?"
"I always get the boys," Dorcas whined.
"Fine, fine. I'll take the boys. You take the girls."
"I feel like a mother."
"No." Alice raised a finger. "We're matchmakers." She smirked. Dorcas grinned with her. They high fived and then took their respective groups.
"Where we going?" Dorcas asked Marlene.
"I don't know? You just stopped leading us."
"Want to go to Zonkos?" Mary suggested.
"Yeah. That'd be fun."
"Ask the Marauders," Dorcas said as she waved her hands when she used their name. The girls chuckled.
Meanwhile Alice said, "Hey."
"We were most definitely not just talking about how much we love skirts," Sirius said blatantly. Alice blinked once.
"I love them too, for different reasons but also the same reasons… for Frank at least." She winked at him. Sirius clutched his heart.
"Padfoot, did you just flirt with another man's girl?" James asked teasingly. Sirius gasped and hid his face. Alice laughed.
"How dare you." Remus wagged his finger.
"Scoundrel," Peter said. Sirius started to chuckle. Then Lily turned and started to walk backward.
"Want to go to Zonkos?" she asked.
"Yeah!" the four of them cheered. Lily grinned pleased with herself as she turned around to continue walking. They walked for a while until James broke away from the middle of the pack and did a cartwheel, then looked like he was going to attempt another one but instead he flipped his body in the way you would do with a cartwheel but without his hands touching the ground, his hips sideways the same as a cartwheel. He stood up and grinned really big at the group.
"What was that?" Peter asked.
"A grandmaster swipe." He walked away with a little swagger in his walk. He started to lead the group to Zonkos.
"Such cool names," Peter whispered. Sirius rolled his eyes. He took the position James had left and did a cartwheel.
"Just as cool, Prongs!" Sirius shouted after him, but James didn't look back.
"Hey, Prongs!" Remus shouted. James flicked his head back but didn't stop walking. "You B-boy?" James turned a little red at this.
"How would he know about b-boying?" Lily asked.
"He went to a gymnastics gym that had like twelve b-boys there, and one other martial artist. Told me while he was tipsy. James must have picked up a few b-boy moves," Remus said. James started to walk faster, but Remus had gotten the groups' attention. They sped after him.
"What's b-boying?" Mary asked Marlene. Marlene shrugged. Remus smirked.
Lily joined Remus in his faster pace and asked, "How did you know about b-boying?"
"Stumbled upon it on a Muggle street when I was traveling with my Mum. She wanted to move past quickly, but I just had to ask what style dancing that was because I'd known a few of the moves they did from James. They started talking about how tricking is a part of b-boying or breakdancing or whatever and I mentioned James and they said he probably knew a few b-boy dance moves. They wanted his number, so I moved on, but… it was cool."
"I've seen kids do it on the street, but it's on the telly too. Came from the States and it's catching on fast." Remus raised his brow.
"When'd it start?"
"Just a few years ago, like six at most."
"When we started Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, probably. So would he know about it?" Lily asked nodding her head toward James.
"He definitely knows something, else he wouldn't be avoiding us." James ran into Zonkos. Lily laughed.
"I want to see him dance," she murmured. Remus grinned.
"Wonder if he's any good," Sirius said coming up on their speed.
"What's b-boying?" Mary asked tapping Sirius on the shoulder.
"Dancing that includes tricking. So basically what James just did but with dancing in it," Sirius answered. Mary quickly got the word out to Peter, Dorcas, Alice, and Marlene.
"I want to see him dance!" Peter exclaimed.
"Let's get him." Remus opened the door and they crowded in. James was in a far corner looking at nose-biting teacups. Remus grabbed him harshly by the jacket.
"Hey this is a new leather bomber jacket!" James exclaimed.
"And I'll treat it nicely if you just show us your b-boy tricks," Remus said. James looked at him thoroughly shocked.
"I'd expect this from Sirius, Remus, but you?" Remus rolled his eyes and started to drag James through the store.
"Hey! No!" James shouted. He started to pull things off the shelf and throw them at the group. Sirius caught a teacup but Peter was unlucky and one bit his nose. A dungbomb went off and everyone coughed.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" the manager shouted. "Pay for that!" Remus shoved James against the counter and James threw a few sickles at the manager. The manager took great offence at the way James threw the sickles. "Out! The lot of you!" He pointed to the door.
The group slowly made their way out of the shop, all of them groaning James' name. James still gripped by the jacket stumbled after them. He slapped Remus' hand away when they reached outside. Remus let him go but stared him down.
"You have skills, show them," he demanded. James brushed off his jacket.
"By the way, he copied my leather jacket," Sirius whispered to Marlene. Marlene rolled her eyes but chuckled a little.
"Yeah, you're is a biker jacket anyways. Plus his is grey," Marlene whispered back. Sirius grinned at her.
"Remus," James begged. "I'm not that good." Remus tilted his head and gave James a disbelieving look. James looked down for a second. "I need a beat."
"Lets go to the Three Broomsticks and ask Rosemerta to put on a tune."
"No!" James exclaimed putting a hand up to stop Remus from turning. "Just…" He took Remus by the arm and pulled him into an empty alley. He motioned for everyone to join. "Just… do this." He started thumping his foot on the ground then he covered his mouth and tried his best to beatbox. Remus followed and everyone started stomping their feet on the ground in a rhythm. He handed Sirius his jacket and glasses. "Okay." James took a few deep breaths.
He kicked his left foot out, then stepped his right foot all the way around so he was facing sideways, then he lifted his left foot and stepped backward, quickly. Then he kicked his right foot out, then stepped his left foot all the way around so he was facing sideways the opposite ways form before, and then he lifted his right foot and stepped backward, quickly. He did this several times getting a rhythm and lifting his hands up so they were close to his face.
Then he spread his legs, leaned forward, dipped down onto his back, spun on his back in a coin drop. He then raised onto his hands and started to swing his legs back and forth spinning them around him in a flare. He used one leg to raise himself then he did the first move again then he posed a little at the end. He looked up with a flushed face.
"Good," Lily said. But everyone else was speechless.
"That's b-boying?" someone asked.
"A bad version of it," James answered. He ran a hand through his hair.
"A good version, just… not a long one," Remus answered.
"Let's, just… let's go to the Three Broomsticks now." James pushed through the pack grabbing his jacket from Remus in the process and started for the bar.
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