~ Three ~
The comforting, gentle sound of babbling chatter filled all corners of the Great Hall as the first trickle of students entered for breakfast. Among them was an excitable Celestina Warbeck, her voice rising above all others as she talked animatedly to James Potter.
"I mean, it has to be a sure thing this year, right? I mean what with you being Quidditch Captain and all, of course you'll let your best friend on the team -" she gabbled in her usual bouncy, shrill voice, her deep brown eyes glistening.
"If he's good enough, Celestina," James attempted to be patient with her. "I'm going to be unbiased - it's only fair -"
"Sirius is a good flyer - you know that, James - "
"Yes, he is," James said firmly, "but we'll just have to see." He was being completely honest; Sirius was a true Quidditch ace. It was his misfortune that his forte was the position of Seeker, a post in the Gryffindor team already filled by an unbeatable, international professional-standard flyer. Her name was Arabella Figg, and she was a dear friend of James', although he couldn't comprehend why she was so set on becoming an Auror when she was so talented on a broom. She found her a little odd and suspected she was very insecure, although she would never confess it.
"It's going to be so much fun having you and Bell and my boyfriend on the team, you know - it'll be even more exciting in the stands with three of my best friends up there -"
"Celestina -"
"C'mon, James, you know he'll make a great third Chaser -" Celestina whimpered falsely, fluttering her eyelashes and swishing her long, blond hair from side to side. "I mean, he'll never fly as well as you, obviously…" Celestina seductively smothered James with flattery. "You're the best Chaser this school's ever had, you'll probably make the England team one day…"
James smirked in mild amusement. "You think so?"
She took James' arm and drew him close. "Oh, definitely," she said softly. "You know, sometimes I get so jealous of Lily having a man like you… I mean sure, Sirius is alright, but you… you're…"
"What? What am I?" James inquired playfully.
"You look so sexy in those little glasses of yours, you know, James…"
James fell in to fits of laughter. Celestina looked positively horrified.
"Sirius put you up to this, didn't he?" James laughed. "Well, now he has tried bloody everything to get on the team…"
"Hmm - w-well - doesn't that tell you something? Doesn't that tell you how dedicated my man is, hmm? Well if you don't want him on your stupid team, then… then it's your loss!" Celestina stuttered huffily.
"It's not that I don't want him on the team, it's just I have to be fair. It's my duty to choose the best player, not my best friend," James reasoned. "Please can you just try and understand that, instead of spouting all this 'sexy glasses' crap…"
"For your information I think your glasses are sexy!!" Celestina screeched, much louder than she intended. The Hall suddenly silenced, and pupils and teachers alike began to giggle and snigger. Celestina's deep brown eyes widened in panic and humiliation as her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. She darted away at the exact same moment Sirius appeared in the doorway. He approached her to wish her good morning but she pushed him away.
"Get out of my sight - I'm never talking to you again, you pig!" She squeaked, rushing up the great marble stairs in a spasm of fury. Sirius raised his dark eyebrows in bewilderment.
"Good god, what is it with women this morning?!" he spluttered. "I haven't even done anything this time and I'm having bitter venom spat at me from all directions…"
"Well maybe you shouldn't have told Celestina to seduce me into giving you a place on the Quidditch team," James tittered.
"I was joking about that! For Merlin's sake, doesn't that girl understand humour? I am so sick of this…" Sirius moaned in exasperation. James patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm going to have to finish with her, James. It's just one thing after the other. She drives me insane."
"Are you sure that's wise?" James questioned as the two sat down to eat breakfast. "I mean, she took it pretty hard the last time you tried to get shot of her… even worse than the first time you dumped her, when she was threatening to throw herself from the Gryffindor Tower…"
"If I have to listen to her piercing drivel for much longer, it will be me throwing myself from the Tower," Sirius said heavily. "I'm serious James. She just rants on for hours about her damn hair and what shoes will go with her dress robes. I can't even remember what first attracted me to the stupid twit."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" queried Remus Lupin, as he sat down next to despairing Sirius. He greedily grabbed a bacon sandwich and wolfed it down in seconds.
"Hungry, Moony?" James laughed.
"Famished," Remus said, spitting particles of bread across the table. "I'm telling you, a night running around as a wolf really takes it out of you," he whispered. "I could eat Hagrid."
"Either that or you've taken up eating like an animal as well as turning in to one," joked James.
"It was a good night, though," Sirius said. "Nearly all went to pieces though. Demented Bell hurtled in to me when I was making a run for it from the forest…"
"You shouldn't have stayed out so long, it's too risky in daylight," James reproved.
"What's life without a little danger, eh James?" Sirius teased.
"Hmmm, I don't know, safe?" Bell snapped sarcastically as she joined the table next to Remus. Sirius' grin disappeared instantly and was replaced by a stiff glare of hostility. "You're all up early this morning - we don't usually see you until at least nine on a Saturday -"
Remus, James and Sirius exchanged nervous looks. "Ah well, you know," James tried to say casually. "What with Quidditch trials today…"
"They don't start until this afternoon," Bell said suspiciously, as she helped herself to hot-buttered toast. "And Remus isn't even trying out for the Quidditch team…"
"Ah, but I'm a Quidditch supporter," Remus defended himself. "And I thought we could practice your new arrangement of that Beethoven duet this morning…"
Bell had an immense passion for music. She played violin, guitar and piano to an exceptional standard and over the last five years she had encouraged each of her close friends to take up a musical instrument. It was thanks to Bell that Remus had realised that he too had a particular talent for piano and violin. Arabella Figg and Remus Lupin had grown to be like brother and sister over the last few years. There was never a day when the pair weren't working on something musical together.
"Oh, I can't spare the time, Remus," Bell regretfully answered. "My Auror college exams are only six weeks away, you know…"
"How could we bloody well forget that?" Sirius slipped in one of his usual sneering comments. Bell shot him a cold glance but resisted the temptation to bite back.
"Well, perhaps some other time…" Remus said, but Bell wasn't listening. Lily Evans, Bell's best of best friends had joined the room and she had dashed over so they could hold one of their conspiratorial, whispered girlie conferences. Lily didn't seem fully focused though; she ran her fingers through her long, silky, dark red hair and flashed affectionate smiles at James every now and then. James stumbled into a daze, grinning stupidly and ignoring Remus and Sirius.
"Well, so much for holding a conversation," Sirius moaned before leaving the breakfast table. "I'd better go find bloody Celestina… I'm in for an earful, I can tell you…"
As Sirius left, Lily took his place at the table. She picked out a red apple from the fruit bowl and began to munch away.
"Is that all you're having, sweetheart?" James inquired with concern.
"Oh, I'm watching my weight, darling," Lily explained. "You realise it's only four and a half months to the Yule Ball - I want to be nice and slim to fit into my mint green satin robes…"
"But you're thin already!" Bell objected, suddenly looking in concern at her own figure.
"I don't want you wasting away, sweetheart," James warned. "Have some bacon."
Lily shook her head and scuttled away, apple in hand, with James at her heal. Bell frowned.
"Am I fat, Remus?" she said.
"God, no!" Remus replied in surprise. "If you were any thinner you'd be invisible from side on…"
"Hmm… " Bell murmured, plainly not listening as she wandered off in a daze, abandoning her breakfast.
