Chapter 20
"Amanda, when will it be done?" Jennifer said impatiently as she paced back and forth in the empty classroom. It was past their curfew, and they needed to be careful.
"Calm down Jen." she said softly and gave her a smile. "It will be done in a few days, so you can relax."
Jennifer sighed relieved. "Finally, I can't wait any longer, I want to show that bitch not to mess with my guy."
"We understand, Jennifer, just calm down." Margie patted her shoulder. "Right Lisa?"
"What-oh yes." she said with a sigh. Lisa was still sulking over her break up with Remus.
"See?" Margie pointed. "Now what exactly are we doing?"
"Well we're-" Jennifer started.
"We cannot start it until I have some DNA of some kind from her. The easiest being her hair." Amanda added.
"Oh..." Jennifer thought hard and came up with a solution. "Her hair brush, I can get that easily, do you need that now?"
"Um..well you might as well get it now, so yeah sure." Amanda said adding more ingridients to the potion and stirring.
Jennifer and Margie left the empty classroom and headed up to their dormitory.
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They lightly crept into the dark quiet room and softly tiptoed over to Lily's dresser. Jennifer couldn't see anything since it was basically pitch black.
"Hurry up Jen! Just grab it!" Margie pushed nervously.
"Okay just shut up will you! She might hear us." Jennifer searched blindly on her dresser and felt something very pokey.
"Got it!" Jennifer whispered fiercely grabbing the brush as they all darted out of the room without notice by either Lily or Emily.
Entering the empty classroom they all huddled over the polyjuice potion. Jennifer examined the prize won, a few lead strands of red hair dangled from the tips as she smirked.
"Good, now the hard part is over, we just wait, I still need to add a few more ingridients and it will be done by friday." Amanda said stirring the smoking cauldron.
"Excellent."
"Jen, what's the plan you never specified it..." Lisa dumbly asked.
"That is because I never told you yet." Jennifer rolled her eyes.
"Oh..I see, well what is it?"
"You will know on friday, just be patient." she smiled coyly.
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Lily woke up the next morning having the strangest dream where all her problems turned into a crowd of people who started chasing her into the forbidden forest where she feverishly escaped but then bumped into her biggest problem which was Jennifer with the Hogwarts staff behind her and accusing her of improper use of magic. She woke with a startle as she breathed in and out.
She looked over to Emily who was still fast asleep and looked to the clock in the corner, it read 5:23am. Classes will not start until 8:30 so she decided to just lay down and stare at the ceiling and try to figure out this mess that she's in. The dream must of been some sign that she needs to fix things up.
"Maybe I should apologize to Jennifer?" Lily thought, immedietly shaking off the thought realizing how stupid it was and what Emily's reaction would be.
"I was just defending myself so there shouldn't be any problem. Jennifer was being way out out of line anyhow...but maybe...I don't know. I suppose i'll just take it as it happens." Looking to the bright side made Lily feel a little better as she laid on her side.
Lily and Emily headed out to breakfast where unfortunately bumped into the Marauders at the front doors leading into the great hall. They all exchanged awkward glances as they headed in towards the packed Gryffindor table. They had no choice but to sit near each other since there was no other place for them to sit.
The girls sat directly across from the three Marauders as they quietly began eating. Remus was the first to break the silence as he directed a question to Emily. "Did you have a good break?"
Emily, caught off guard stared wide eyed for a moment then recovered as she responded. "I did, it was a little boring since I had no one else to to talk to but I survived. How was yours?"
"It was interesting, I believe I had more fun on New Years rather than Christmas."
A choking sound was heard from Lily and James as they looked strangely to their friends. They mumbled a quick 'sorry' as they continued eating in silence and no looking at each other.
"Well that's good then..." Emily said smling as she continued to eat as well.
"Good." Remus smiled as breakfast zoomed by. Sirius who usually stuffed his face with food lightly pushed his around as he observed the recent conversation.
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Today was the first day back from break and students were all scurrying to their classes while catching up with some friends about their winter breaks. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had Herbology next as they all headed towards the Greenhouses.
The students gathered around the professor as he demonstrated the proper ways to planting mandrake seeds and the good techniques in how to raise a good mandrake since they already knew the basics of re-potting them from their second year.
"Now go split up in groups of five or six and start preparing your areas to where you will be planting your mandrakes." The professor ordered as the students picked their groups leaving Lily, Emily, and the Marauders together.
"Good now you five go to one of the blue flags that i've set up over on that far field and start making the ground fertile for the mandrakes." The professor added as they all went to their designated spot.
Being way out of hearing range, Sirius finally spoke. "I feel like a second year again working with Mandrakes."
"Well now you seem to finally suit your personality, a second year." Emily retorted with a smirk. Lily, Remus, James, and surprisingly Sirius laughed.
"Maybe..." he quietly smiled. Emily was confused by his calm posure.
"Anyhow, let's get going on this project. We will need shovels and rakes for the soil." Lily took charge and ordered everyone to get a tool and start leveling the ground. She still couldn't bare talking or even looking at James, but for school work she needed to set aside her personal issues and deal with it as she directed him to get two shovels from the shed in the green house.
Emily was sent with Sirius to get gloves and the seeds while Remus got the rakes and Lily herself got the leveling tools.
"So is something wrong." Emily asked as her and Sirius entered the greenhouse.
"Why would you think something's wrong?" He looked at her with sincerity.
"That's why."
"What?"
"The fact that you're so calm today. I mean you usually would have some smart alec response when I say something about you but you just accepted it, normally?" she questioned while Sirius just thought with a smile.
"I didn't think me being normal would bother you so much..." Sirius joked.
"No it doesn't, its just its weird. Unless of course you are just doing this to make me mad or something or just to piss me off or aggravate me." Emily narrowed her eyes to slits while Sirius just laughed at her expression. He picked up two packets of mandrake seeds.
"No i'm not doing this to aggravate you."
"Then what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing I'm just being normal."
"Ugh!" Emily threw her hands up in the air as she grabbed five pairs of gloves. "You are just doing this to aggravate me."
Sirius inhaled a deep sigh as he gave up the normal side. "Fine I am doing this to aggravate you, happy missy?"
"See you are..Why do you find happiness in bugging the hell out of me. Do you like seeing me when I get aggravated or even angry sometimes. I just want to know why?" she questioned with a knowing look.
"What do you mean?"
"Well tiny things that I do you know, like we are being normal and then suddenly you do something stupid which you know would upset me, things like that."
"Oh that...Well I don't know, I suppose its just fun." He smiled cheekily.
"Fun? Well its not fun for me."
"No I was just messing around with you, I really don't know why."
"Ugh see, you just love aggravating me." Emily rolled her eyes as she headed towards the field again with Sirius walking fast beside her.
"Not really..I suppose I like seeing you aggravated is because you look really cute with that expression, but then again you always look cute to me..." Sirius said honestly causing Emily to stop and stare at Sirius who smiled gently and headed back towards the group. Leaving a dazed Emily to ponder.
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Friday came quickly and Emily was confused. Sirius had been somewhat normal this whole entire week and it was annoying her that he was not annoying her if that ever made any sense. The first thing was on Monday with the whole 'she looked cute when she was angry' bit he said which was unlike a Sirius statement and that during the week he didn't say anything stupid or even partake in any pranks. In fact neither of the Marauders pulled off any pranks.
Emily reasoned that James had an excuse since he and Lily had that situation and that Remus wasn't one to partake in any, but Sirius was just strange, him being normal made him more human in her opinion which was a strange way of putting things. She lightly shook her head as she walked back into Gryffindor common room during her free period. She waited for Lily to come back from her Arithmacy class, but Sirius came first. He saw her and waved.
"Free period?" he asked.
"Yeah, Lily should be getting back from Arithmacy."
"I see well same here, but no, not for Lily or anything cause yeah that would be strange but yeah... I'm just waiting for James and Remus."
"Oh..okay." Emily actually laughed. She was having a normal conversation and it was strange yet something she couldn't describe, but she liked this better than all the others they've had even if she would consider those other times conversations.
"Well I'll just wait here I guess." Sirius took a seat in the arm chair while Emily already sat on the sofa. Since it was still January and cold, the fire was still lit, keeping the Gryffindor common room warm.
The two just started conversing normally while they waited and even lost track as their friends all walked in. They were surprised to see them laughing with one another and not bickering. Supposedly somethings do change.
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"Thats the plan?" Lisa questioned.
"Why?" Jennifer retorted.
"Well it seems a little difficult...how do you think we could pull this off...you know without the whole thing back firing on us which could be easily done. Just one look at you both and then its obvious right?" Lisa reasoned.
"Well that is why we need to take extra precaution, especially you since you will be the main focus and we have to make it as realistic as possible that is what we will be working on before we do that. We need to set things up nicely."
"Alright then..."
"Good, now Amanda how much supply do we have?" Jennifer asked the Ravenclaw who poured the thick substance into several tinted bottles.
"Well I did make a lot as you asked, but pretty much a little over a months supply so it should be good. Use it wisely, this stuff is tricky to make and I should be very glad that I was able to make it successfully since few wizards or witches make it exactly right." she prized in herself.
"It is right and thank you Margie for testing." Jennifer smirked.
"Yeah thanks." She crossed her arms as she continued to drink water. "That is the foulest thing I have ever tasted and I never want to taste it again."
"No worries Margie, Lisa will have the honor in doing so."
"Great." she rolled her eyes. "You all make it seem so tempting."
"Don't worry you guys all will be worth while once we sabotage that red heads life, making her wish she never stepped foot into this school." Jennifer gathered up all the bottles and stored them in an empty cupboard.