Ch 38 The Beginning of the End February
Remus and Sirius literally hadn't spoken a word to each other all month. It was really dragging the rest of us down. James was torn between his two best friends. I felt really bad for him, actually. He would plan a new prank with Sirius one evening and Remus would huff and complain about how he was picking sides. Or he'd go with Rem to the library Saturday afternoon to "study" and then Sirius would be the one to act all hurt, like his best friend was abandoning him. It was the most irritating thing in the world.
Lily was still a little sore about how we'd all blamed Snivellus for her "accident." She didn't believe it had been him and when she asked him about it, the little bastard said he had no idea how it'd happened. But Lily, Alice, Mary and I were back to being inseparable. So it was ok that she was a little sensitive on the topic of a certain greasy haired Slytherin because nothing was going to ruin our friendship again.
The four of us girls had decided to take a break from the boys' drama and have, what Lily and Alice called, a pampering day. Mary and I were not ecstatic about the idea, but we both agreed that we needed some girl time and reluctantly consented.
Lily was sprawled across her bed, hair in a towel turban, wearing foam separators between her newly painted toenails, and reading this week's issue of Witch Weekly. Alice, we'd discovered, had a knack for painting elaborate nail designs. She was currently painting Mary's toenails, hers already done. I'd been given the simple job of heating up the wax so we could do our eyebrows later. Something I was dreading with every fibre of my being, but that Lily seemed rather blasé about.
"It's just like pulling off a plaster!" Lily had told me when she suggested the idea. I wasn't convinced. Alice said there was some magical potion you could use to fix eyebrows, but that it wasn't 100% guaranteed to work, so they stuck with the muggle treatment.
"This was a good idea." Mary sighed and lay back on her bed.
"Hey, stop moving!" Alice snapped and pumped some nail polish remover on a cotton swab. "You made me screw up the design. Now I have to start again!"
"Sorry, Al." Mary mumbled.
Lily let out a peal of laughter from across the room. "Jaycee! This is your quiz, alright!"
"What is it?" I asked, putting my Potions' book down.
"Jaycee! You're not studying?" Alice glared at me. "This room is a study-free zone today!"
I giggled, "Sorry. Ok, so what was the quiz?"
Lily bit her lip to contain a smirk. "It's callllllllllleddddddd... Drum roll please!"
Mary sat up and gave her a drum roll on the post of the bed.
"Is he more than just a friend?" She laughed and pulled a tongue at me.
Alice and Mary snickered. I chucked my pillow at Lily's head. "Oh shut up! You know full well that Sirius and I are-"
She cut me off and continued reading, "Is your BFF purely a platonic pal, or could he be a budding boyfriend? Question numero uno, when he's with his friends and sees you, he: a) nods and continues with his convo, b) always runs over to see how you are, or c) barely looks up."
"Oh definitely 'b'!" Alice squealed, abandoning Mary's toes for a minute.
I blushed and secretly admitted to myself that, yes, Sirius did that mostly always...
"Question 2!" She continued, sitting up. "You have been friends for a) a few weeks, you're still getting to know eachother, b) a few months, you're getting closer, or c) so long you barely remember how you met."
I sat up, spying a kind of hope. "I DEFINITELY remember how I met him!" I smiled confidently.
"Ok," Lily agreed, "why don't you tell us exactly how it happened?"
"Easy!" I said, "It was... in first year..."
All three of them raised their eyebrows.
"Yeeeeeees?" Mary asked, trying not to laugh out loud.
"On the first day..." I was struggling a bit. This was surprising even me! How did I not remember meeting Sirius? Was it on the train? Or maybe it was in the Great Hall? It may have even been in the station. Oh crap.
"A very obvious 'c,' methinks..." Lily pencilled the answer in. I groaned looked for my pillow to bury my head in, remembering that I'd chucked it at Lily. Just not my day.
She continued reading. "If you've had a bad day he will a) send you an owl saying 'cheer up', b) ask what happened and then change the subject or c) immediately floo to your house and spend the day hanging out."
"I don't know! Probably c..." I sighed. I was getting very sick of this quiz very quickly. But I should at least do him justice.
The others smiled knowingly and shot each other gleeful 'told you so' glances. I officially hate my friends.
"Oh okokokok here's a good one! This is for us, girls!" She shrieked with laughter again. "The rest of your friends think a) he's more into 'the game' than you, b) Enough is enough! It's time you two got together already! Or c) things are good the way they are- friendly."
All three of them screamed at the top of their lungs, completely in sync, "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! IT'S TIME YOU TWO GOT TOGETHER ALREADY!"
By now I resembled an overripe tomato. Lily giggled and circled what I assumed was 'b.'
"Ok, one more. When it comes to dating other people, you guys a) confide in each other and ask the other's advice?"
I snorted with laughter at the very notion of Sirius asking my advice on how to handle all his conquests.
"Oi, shut up and listen to the question!" Lily shook the magazine in the air to get my attention. I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, Lily dearest, continue please." I mockingly bowed my head.
"Anyway! b) get your info from other people or c) have a don't ask/don't tell policy- you don't like knowing the other is off limits." She read.
Mary raised her eyebrows. "Where's d) it's a fight to the death every time the female party even glances at another guy?"
This scored a round of giggles and a high five from Alice.
"Let's just say 'c.' It's close enough." Lily counted up my score. Once she was done she peeked over the top of the magazine, a wicked look in her eyes.
"What? What is it? Oh, just tell me before I throw the wax at you!" I said impatiently. I wanted this quiz over and done with. Alright, fine... I was a liiiiittle interested in the answer.
"You scored a 5/5 for perfect couple!" She yelled and threw the magazine at me so I could see for myself. I quickly scanned over the page. Oh Merlin's pants. She was right. There it was, in black and white. Well... actually... more like pink and purple, but whatever. I felt the familiar butterflies as I imagined Sirius and me as a couple. I couldn't help smiling to myself.
"Oooooh! I'm so telling Sirius!" Alice leapt up from the floor, sending the nail polish colours flying.
"I'm coming!" Lily pulled the seperators from her toes, stole the magazine back off me and followed her to the door.
"Me too!" Mary jumped off the bed, grabbed my arm and raced after them.
"What happened to a 'Girls only' day?" I yelled as we ran down the stairs.
"This is too damn funny not to share with the guys though!" Alice led the way up the boys' stairs and towards the fifth year dormitories. She banged on the door loudly. She received a muffled 'hang on a second, we're busy.' Mary shook her head and dragged me past Alice with her. She flung the door open and the four of us entered, one less willingly than the other three.
"What part of we're busy did you not-" James spun around from where he'd been standing in front of his seemingly locked closet , "Oh! Lily-petal! Hi!" His face melted from extreme annoyance to one of pure delight.
"Not here to see you, Potter." She said firmly. "Where's Black?"
James smirked and pointed to the closet. We girls looked at each other, confused.
"Why is he in there?" Mary asked slowly and cautiously.
"He's in there with your boyfriend." James replied nonchalantly, like two guys hanging out together in a closet was totally normal.
I raised an eyebrow and shook Mary's arm that had been restraining me off my own.
"Worms and I decided enough was enough." He gestured to Peter, who I only just noticed was sitting behind James' bed, next the closet. He had a cup pressed to the door, trying to decipher the muffled sounds coming from inside. "We locked them in there to talk it over and apologize."
"You know..." Lily said, curiously, "we never did find out what that fight was about."
James widened his eyes and looked at Peter. "Um... Lily-flower... it's probably best for everyone that... well... that you never do."
"Excuse me!" She put her hands on her hips and flicked her side fringe out of her eyes with a toss of her head.
But before she could go on I heard Remus yell from inside. "LET US OUT! WE LOVE EACHOTHER AGAIN! JUST LET US OUT! YOU'VE HAD US HERE FOR HOURS!"
Peter scuffled away from the closet and James muttered, "Alohamora."
The door clicked open and two very disgruntled boys emerged from inside. It was full moon again tonight. Poor Remus was looking worse for wear.
James grinned happily. "So you're friends again?"
"The best! He forgave me." Sirius beamed and lifted Remus off the floor in a hug. Rem weakly nodded, rolling his eyes.
"I may have overreacted a little, but Merlin, Prongs, some of your stuff could do with a very good, long clean." Remus crinkled his nose. "The smell is honestly appalling."
"GOLDY! HELLO!" Sirius noticed us and raced over to me. He squeezed the air out of my lungs with an enthusiastic hug.
I gasped for breath. "Hey Sirius... You know how breathing keeps me alive?"
"Uh huh?" He replied, but didn't let go.
"WELL CURRENTLY I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THAT!" I yelled in his ear. He released me and chuckled.
"I do love you." He winked and then stuck out his tongue when I smacked him over the head as punishment for nearly suffocating me. "Oh and hi, everyone else."
"Feeling the love, Black." Mary muttered drily after giving Remus a quick kiss.
"OK! So... we decided to come and visit because we have something to show Black." Alice giggled.
"Just for the record, I was made to this against my will and dragged down here at near Avada Kedavra-point." I cut in, cheeks reddening a tinge. Lily rolled her eyes and handed him the magazine, turned to the quiz page.
"We made Jaycee do that quiz and guess what you scored?" She tittered. "PERFECT SCORE FOR A PERFECT COUPLE!"
The guys poured over the page, laughing to death at the result.
"We've all been telling you both for as long as I remember!" James poked Sirius in the stomach.
"Piss off... Me and Goldy are happy as is." He muttered and crossed his arms uncomfortably. James and Peter glanced at one another.
"I have a brilliant idea." James stated. "It's so brilliant it is sure to make brilliant things happen! All because I'm so brilliant for coming up with this brilliance."
"And, pray tell, what is this 'idea'?" Lily scorned. His smile grew and he nodded at Peter.
"GO!" James yelled and grabbed my wand. Peter, with the element of surprise, overpowered me and chucked me into James' closet. Sirius soon followed, thrown in by James and Remus once he'd realized what was going on.
"NOOOOO!" Sirius banged on the door furtively. "I JUST SPEND BLOODY 3 HOURS IN THIS CLOSET! LET MEEEEE OUTTTTTTTTT! HAVE MERCYYY!"
I joined in. "JAMES POTTER, LET US OUT THIS INSTANT! MARY! LILY! ALICE! ANYONE?"
I heard them in peals of laughter outside the closet and narrowed my eyes angrily. Oh would they be in for it once I was let out of here. Sirius huffed and sank down onto the floor. I did too. Lily yelled that they were heading out to lunch and when they got back they expected us to be a couple. Have I mentioned that I hate my friends?
"Well... hey there." Sirius said.
"Yo..." I replied.
"James is an evil bastard." Sirius complained and shifted around trying to get comfortable amongst shoes and... Merlin knows what else. "I've been in here half the day!"
"Um, excuse me? I've had to suffer through half a pampering day! And I was forced to do that stupid Witch Weekly quiz." I crossed my arms. At least I got out of the eyebrow wax.
Sirius laughed. "Sounds horrific!"
"You don't know the half of it..." I mumbled darkly. We sat silently for a few moments. The smell was beginning to get to me. What did James have in here? I moved around over shoes and clothes, trying to find a niche or something. Who'd have guessed sitting in a closet is uncomfortable?
"Hey... Goldy...?" Sirius finally asked.
"Mm?" I leaned against the back of the closet and put my feet on Sirius' lap. He picked one up and massaged it absent-mindedly. And wow, was that boy an excellent masseuse. I wanted to pack him away and take him out whenever I was stressing over OWLS, which was a lot lately.
"Um..." He began and sighed. "Nevermind."
"No, what?" I pressed. He couldn't just start a question and not finish it! I was interested now.
He didn't answer for a long time.
"Come ON! Just tell me already!" I bobbed up and down, still seated. In the dim light coming from the slits in the closet, I could see him grin a little.
"It's no big deal. I was just wondering if you'd found James' Quidditch socks yet."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right, Sirius Black. Cut the crap and ask me what you were really going to." Then I paused, thought for a bit and added as an afterthought. "Out of curiosity... James' socks?"
Sirius snickered. "He doesn't ever wash his Quidditch socks. It's a luck thing, I think?"
"EWWW!" I shrieked and lept half a foot in the air, landing on top of Sirius and flung both arms around his neck, like he could protect me from the socks that I'm sure were walking on their own by now. He laughed louder and wrapped an arm around me so I wouldn't fall off.
"That's DISGUSTING!" I continued, mortified, "I wonder if Lily knows about that?"
"Why would Lily care?" Sirius asked and raised an eyebrow.
It was my turn to snicker. "You think she's completely immune to five years of constant perserverance? She's not completely heartless you know!"
Sirius grunted like he didn't quite believe my second statement. I playfully whacked him on the cheek.
"So... what you're saying is... she likes James?" He slowly caught on.
"Merlin, you're slow!" I shook my head and laughed. "But she doesn't know it yet, so shhhhh!"
We were both laughing stupidly when the door burst open. I immediately jumped off Sirius' lap.
"It's not what it looks like." We both pleaded, jokingly. But, to my surprise, no one even acknowledged our former position. Sirius must have also noticed the panicked look in everyone's eyes and wordlessly pulled me up with him.
"Jaycee... a letter arrived for you this morning, but you must have missed it." James spoke hoarsely and held out a black letter with decorative red vine patterns around it. I blinked, confused. Mouse knows if I'm not at breakfast to bring my letters to the dorm. Who could this be from if it wasn't Emily?
I reached out a hand to take the letter. Looking closer at the envelope, what had originally appeared to be red vines were now obviously something very different. Snakes. And not just any snakes. Dark Mark snakes. My stomach dropped like I had just fallen from 100 feet. I knew who this letter was from. And so did everyone else, clearly.
I looked around. What I had mistaken for panic was clearly fear. They were afraid. Afraid of what the letter held. So was I. Nothing left to do but open it.
Silence ensued as I broke the seal and pulled out a crisp sheet of paper. I scanned the letter. It seemed to be a sort of request to join the Death Eaters. The last sentence sent shivers down my spine.
Failure to respond will result in dire consequences. You have been warned.
He was very bold, I'll give him that. Sending invitations to students to join his Death Eater party right under Dumbledore and the Ministry's nose.
"Well... what does it say?" Mary broke the deathly silence.
"It's... an invitation..." I muttered, still processing the threat at the end. I whipped my head up and spat, "He wants me to be a part of them."
Lily, Alice and Remus gasped. Peter sat down on the bed, looking weak. Sirius let out an involuntary hiss-like snarl. But James snatched the letter from my and read it himself. And then again.
"Merlin." He said softly, passing the letter to Sirius. "You have to tell Dumbledore. Now."
I nodded. "I know. Let's go. Let's go right this second."
I grabbed the letter back from Sirius' hand and led the way down the stairs. No one spoke. I noticed a few looks that passed between the others. They knew this was going to happen. How could it not? Why else would the Ministry be so terrified of me? Because they, like the rest of the wizarding world, knew this would happen. And they thought I'd say yes.
I banged loudly on Dumbledore's door. It had been a while since I'd been here. Lessons had sort of petered out. He was probably too busy, now that Voldemort was getting more and more powerful.
No answer.
I knocked harder. Lily huffed and joined me.
Suddenly the door clicked open, revealing a pale, worried and tired Dumbledore.
"I apologize, I fell asleep at my desk and missed your first knock. I've been awfully tired lately. Why don't you all come in and tell me what could have happened that earned me such a wake up call." He said with a smile. I tried to return it, but my face refused to move an inch from the stony, grim expression it was currently set in.
"I got a letter, sir." I managed to get out. "From...him. From Voldemort."
All traces of amusement washed from Dumbledore's face. He reached out immediately to take the letter from my hand. The eight of us stood back, huddled together.
Dumbledore sat at his desk and sighed. "I was very much afraid this would happen," he said almost to himself.
"What's Jace supposed to do?" Mary asked forcefully. "He said there'll be consequences if she doesn't reply. She can't ignore it."
I shook my head at her, unable to form words. Being rude wasn't going to help.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "I appreciate your concern for your friend, Mary, but there will be dire consequences no matter how we address this. I think... I think that it would be in the best interests of Jaycee to pretend like this letter never arrived."
"What!" Remus yelled. Sirius' jaw dropped. Mary and Alice looked at Dumbleodore incredulously.
"She can't!" James and Lily cried. Peter blinked rapidly, too afraid to speak back to the head.
"She must." He simply replied. "Answering no will only anger Voldemort. He'll see her as arrogant and cheeky. Replying yes is clearly not an option, unless I am mistaken. I will not tell you what to do Jaycee, I shall merely suggest."
"I'll never join him." I said loudly and calmly. I should be angry that he even considered me agreeing, but somehow, all I felt was fear. Fear that I really had no easy choice here. If I replied no, Voldemort would most definitely hunt me down and probably try to kill me. And if I didn't reply... well... I'd been warned. Something dreadful was sure to happen.
"Of course not. But I had to give you the option. Not replying, for the moment, seems your safest choice." Dumbledore looked at the letter once more. "Thank you for immediately notifying me. I'll attempt to trace the letter, though I doubt I'll get anywhere."
I nodded and thanked him for the help. The others grunted in acknowledgement and we left the office to return to the dorms. They formed a sort of protective barrier around me, like they could save me from Voldemort's wrath where the enchantments and professors couldn't. It still touched me though, that they cared so much about me.
We walked silently and slowly down the hallways, up the staircases. No one said anything until we reached the Great Hall. There, standing with Malfoy, Nott and Avery was Snivellus. I saw red and reached for my wand. James must have had a similar reaction because two curses were shot directly towards the group, no concern for the trouble we might receive if caught.
"What the HELL! Jaycee! Potter! For the last time LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily screamed at us and stepped forward.
"No, Lily, I won't leave him alone. Because he's a slimy, manipulative, lying, Slytherin, Death Eater!" I spat, more at the group of Slytherins than Lily. Unfortunately neither spell had hit Snape, but James' furnunculus had hit Nott. Boils were springing up all over his face. It made me smile.
Lily opened her mouth like she wanted to defend Snape, but he cut her off.
"You're more death eater than me, Vigorater." He sneered. But I definitely noticed his left arm twitch when I spoke.
"You going to accept you little club invitation?" Malfoy stepped forward, eyes flashing.
I thought quickly. Better to deny all knowledge of the letter. Plus, Malfoy had just completely reiterated the fact that he was indeed a Death Eater. How else could he have known about the letter? But this small victory only made me feel much, much worse.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you fancy the idea of keeping your nose attached to your face, STOP talking NOW." I pushed Lily aside and pressed my wand into his nose.
"Ooh I'm so scared." Malfoy mocked.
"You should be!" Sirius stepped forward, wand raised. The others close behind, Peter a little more tentatively.
I glanced at Snape, he was muttering a curse under his breath that sounded an awful lot like Sectumsempra. I ducked and it narrowly missed me, skimming by Remus' ear.
"You think you're so clever and powerful." Snape yelled at me. "But you're nothing more than a pathetic, weak, monster with nothing going for you, half-breed-mudblood."
His words slid off me like water off a duck's back, but Sirius had taken them a lot more personally. He said nothing, but something in his eyes scared me. It didn't look like my Sirius.
"That's it!" I heard a shout from behind. Flitwick. "Break it up! Detention for all of you. No fighting in the hallways!" He shooed us away, fervently. I didn't hesitate to comply, following Lily back to the dorm. Something was wrong. Sirius had never looked like that before. He almost looked evil. And it terrified me.
V V V V V V V V V V V
James sent a first year girl up to call me down when he was about to leave for the full moon. I left the Potions study session we were trying to have, thankfully. No one was doing much studying, all focused on the letter and the fight.
"I'm ready," I breathed, a little out of breath. I was mentally exhausted from the day's events, but I wasn't about to share that with James and Peter, who were waiting for me.
"You okay, Jace?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah, come on we're really late. Where's Sirius?" I asked. A rumble of thunder sounded far away. A distant storm.
"Jaycee," James began warily, ignoring my question. "I don't think you should come out tonight."
My mouth hung open. "WHAT? Of course I'm coming! I'm FINE."
"You are not fine. This would definitely put a lot of strain on you. Just take a break for ONE night, ok." James said, exasperated.
"You must be joking. Remus is one of my BEST FRIENDS. He was my first friend! I'm not abandoning him now!" I hissed, trying not to let the whole common room overhear me.
"I can't tell you what to do, but I really think you should stay in tonight. I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Seriously!"
I quickly changed the topic. "On the topic of seriousness. Again, where is Sirius?"
"He said he was just going to talk to-" Suddenly James stopped. His eyes widened as if understanding something and he got a distant look in his eyes for a moment.
"What? WHAT?" I shook his shoulder. "Where is he?"
"He's. Fuck. He's done something really," pause "really," pause "stupid." James spoke slowly, coming out of a trance. Then he took off, sprinting out of the common room faster than I'd ever seen him run, leaving Peter and me alone.
"Peter, you better answer me right now. What's going on?" I said angrily.
"I-I don't know." He said, shakily. "Sirius went to talk with Sna-ivellus. And I d-don't know."
Sirius went to talk to Snape? Right before we were meant to get Remus? What the hell? Whatever he had to say must have been really really important. And then the penny dropped. Remus' anger at Sirius for a suggestion of a way to get back at Snape. The look in Sirius' eyes this afternoon. The fact that he didn't fight Snape after he said what he did. His sudden need to talk to him right before we left for the moon. James' panic and the fact that Sirius had 'done something really really stupid.'
I knew what Sirius had done. Another crack of thunder, closer this time.
"Peter we need to get to the Willow NOW!" I yelled and raced out the portrait hole. Peter, clearly confused, followed clumsily behind me.
Oh MERLIN how could he have been so STUPID. WHAT was he thinking! If I was right, this was deadly serious. No joke. No pun intended.
We ran as fast as we could down to the Whomping Willow, where I was sure James had been headed for. As we stepped outside a freezing cold gale whipped my hair around my face and nearly caused me to fall. But I was right. We got there, out of breath, panting, just in time to see James in his human form dive down the tunnel. But where was Sirius? I searched the grounds, squinting. Where could he be?
There. I spotted him, pale as a ghost, eyes wide, just short of the Willow, sitting up a tree. Clinging on to a precariously swaying tree branch like his life depended on it. Judging by the strength of the wind, it probably did. He'd just seen James race down the passageway, human, after who I assumed was Snape. I dragged Peter to where Sirius was.
"SIRIUS BLACK!" I screamed over the storm that was approaching quickly now, shaking with rage. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN HAVE YOU DONE!" My throat was raw from screaming, but Sirius acted as if he hadn't heard me. The moon was completely covered by black clouds. No stars tonight.
He slid down the tree and raced towards the passageway, trying to avoid the braches. And failed. He was whacked across the face and flung 10 feet backwards.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Oh my merlin, I'm so sorry." He looked at me insanely, shaking wish cold and fear. Large rain droplets began to fall, chilling me to the bone. It was snap freezing tonight. Snow had turned to slush the previous week. The raindrops were like bullets, making holes in the ground as they hit with such force.
I heard a howl from far away and a faint scream. My heart skipped a beat and I forgot how to breathe.
"What have I done!" Sirius yelled and tried to get to the passageway again. He was hit in the stomach this time by the flailing branches and was winded. The moon's eerie light surrounded one of the clouds like a yellow halo. The wind howled, muting Sirius' voice.
"WHAT HAVE I DONE!" He yelled again, almost beside himself, shaking uncontrollably.
"I DON'T KNOW SIRIUS! What HAVE you done." I screamed at him, unable to control my anger. This was too much. This was too much. I, too, was shivering. My toes were numbing as I realized I'd forgotten shoes. But right now that didn't matter.
Finally I heard something coming from the passageway. It was a low, whimpering. Like someone had lost their mind. Intensified by the break in the storm. James appeared, dragging Snape behind him. Snape's eyes were wide and his face was frozen in an expression of terror. But other than that, he was unharmed. James, however, had three lines cut deeply across his face. Blood washed down his neck by the ice cold rain and staining his shirt.
I let out a cry of relief and raced towards them. Finding a long stick on the ground, I poked the knot, freezing the tree so they could escape. James dropped Snape by my feet.
"Where is he?" He asked hoarsely. I mutely pointed to where Sirius had collapsed, so wracked with guilt, on the ground. James hollered something lost to a fresh gust of wind and ran over to him. He lifted his arm high and punched Sirius with all his might in the face, forgetting that he was a wizard and could use magic. Forgetting everything except the fact that this was the reason he had almost died. That this was the reason Remus' secret was now at risk.
"JAMES NO!" I shrieked and sprinted over, fighting the howling gale the whole way. "PETER! Get Snape to the hospital wing!" I yelled over my shoulder. Peter, drenched, who had been frozen in shock until now, suddenly nodded and levitated a still completely terrified Snape.
James lifted his fist again. Sirius flinched, but I caught his arm before he connected.
"JAMES YOU CAN'T!" I screeched over the howls.
"WHY NOT!" He glared at me, inhumanely. "That's just so TYPICAL! You, siding with HIM"
"NO JAMES! I'm not siding with anyone! But you can't KILL him! He's your BEST FRIEND!" I desperately pleaded, Sirius' nose was a scarlet fountain, mixed with rain water, but he hadn't done anything to defend himself. Either he was too far gone with guilt... or he knew he'd deserved it. The world lit up in a flash of lighting. I blinked, dots swimming across my vision. A roar of thunder almost deafened me. And the rain did not cease.
What James said next, was lost in a combination of the Whomping Willow missing our party by an inch as it whacked the ground, and the continuous storm. But it looked like his lips had mutely formed the words:
"This is not my best friend."
Sirius sure has done something rather rash hasn't he? If only he'd think more before making impulsive decisions. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And please remember to review!
Night Hawk 97: Youuuuuu guessed it! Congrats! :D *round of applause* That always makes me think of applesauce... hmmm... ANYWAY moving on! Thanks for the super nice review!
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lovehorses13: Thanks! That truly means a lot! Hope you like this chappie too!
RMH RMH: Patience is a virtue, my dear :P Thankss for reviewing as well! Make sure you look at Morals too! I expect a tribute.
ellabellabee: Spiffing of you to review! Oh I could just use that word all day :') hahaha I totally used the word proclaim in chapter 40! It too, is a magnificent word! SNAPE IS AN UTTER SLIMEBALL! I agree! I was most upset when he cursed poor Lilykins. Of course, it was me that made him do that... but no matter! It's still his fault! Hope you liked the chapter! Just wanted to tell you, you're actually one of my favourite reviewers! I love reading them! They're so funny and long and interesting!
thebritishone: Another of my favourite reviewers! :D It's been six days, missy. I'm expecting an update tomorrow :( *glares* haha just kidding. Take your time! Perfect it! Be an ARTIST! :D Thanks for reviewing! On the topic of Watson and Sherlock, did you know Sherlock actually never had the hat in the books? They were just drawn in the cartoons! :O SCANDAL! Also he NEVER said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the books either! Just some random Sherlock knowledge right there. Lol Mary and Remus happened in 36. Don't stress, I didn't put a huge scene in about it... probs should have, thinking about it. OMG you love the wombats tooooo? They're the best, hey! I personally prefer their newer album. Love love love Tokyo. Also, take a look at the band Simple Plan if you don't already know them. I adore Perfect and Welcome to my Life.
harrypotterlover: oh nooo! I'm sorry! I hope this chapter was more gripping ! And yeah, I know they're getting a bit perfect. But, I just wanted to point out one thing. He hasn't risked his life for hers. It was the other way around. And it wasn't really risking her life, it was more just doing to decent thing and making sure they went to the hospital wing. Thanks for the constructive criticism though! It's always good to improve This, and of course the coming after-OWL Snape attack will definitely not put Sirius in a good light. And, as always, thanks for the review! :D