The beaten up looking Slytherins faced the bored looking Gryffindors. They drew their wands at once, but no one did anything.
"Um, why aren't we cursing?" Snape asked Lucius, who was in the front.
"We need to banter first." He said as though it was obvious. "Duh."
"Oh my God." Jimmy said, rolling his eyes.
"You're not allowed to say God, you're a vampire." Avery said, sticking his tongue out.
"Oh sure, that's mature. And I'M NOT A VAMPIRE!" Jimmy shouted over at Avery.
"Anyway," Nancy said, rolling her eyes, "Banter already Lucius, I want to fight. I don't even know why I'm out here."
"Ok." Lucius said, clearing his throat. "You are . . . um . . . well . . ." He drifted off into mumbling and thinking very hard.
"Oh for Pete's sake!" Jimmy said. "Banter or fight already! I'm getting bored."
"Who exactly is Pete?" Sirius asked.
"What?" Jimmy said. "You mean Pettigrew?"
"No no, people are always saying for Pete's sake." Sirius continued. "Who is this Pete and what makes him so special? Why is everything for his sake?"
"I don't know . . ." Jimmy said, thinking about this. "Well, there's a Pete in that Pete and Repeat went for a boat ride thing . . . but he's not that special I guess, he just falls out of the boat."
"Hmm . . ." Said James.
"Hmm . . ." Said Sirius.
"Hmm . . ." Said Remus.
"Hmm . . ." Said Peter.
"Hmm . . ." Said Lily.
"Hmm . . ." Said Nancy.
"Hmm . . ." Said Avery.
"Hmm . . ." Said Jimmy.
"Hmm . . ." Said Snape.
"I've got it!" Said Lucius, jumping out of his train of thought.
"Who Pete is?" Sirius asked with excitement.
"No, what I can say to you guys." Lucius said, happily pulling himself up into a fighting pose. "Those rings you all wear are really girly. Who wears rings anyway?"
"You mean our Marauder rings?" Sirius asked. "The ones a made out of peanuts in Transfiguration?"
"Hey!" Said James, getting angry.
"No, be fair James." Sirius said, holding him back. "He could be right, they might be girly. After all, he does have the most experience with such things."
"Good point." Remus nodded, looking skeptically at Lucius.
"I'm not girly!" Lucius said, tugging self-consciously at the black velvet hair ribbon he tied his rib-length hair back with.
"What's your middle name? Arwen?" James questioned, smirking.
"And I don't look like an elf!" He said, pushing some or his long blond hair out of his eyes and putting it back again, slicked back in the front and long in the back. He pulled nervously on the bottom of his slightly pointed ears.
"Anyway, let's fight." Snape said, looking at Lucius in a new way all of a sudden.
"I can't stand up." Peter commented, picking flowers on the ground. His wand was sitting next to him harmlessly.
"Yeah, and I don't feel very good." Remus told Sirius, who looked concerned.
"Maybe we should do this some other time." Sirius told James, who nodded. They huddled for a moment.
"You know, I have nothing to say right now." James said. "Why are we huddling again? Is there something I need to be telling people?"
"I have no idea." Lily said. "I think we already know everything that we need to say."
"Yeah, we'll tell them that we can pick this up next week." Sirius said, trying to help Peter up. "They're not at their best either. Snape can hardly see, he has two black eyes."
"Good point." Remus said, glancing over at the Slytherins who were looking kind of stupid and staring at them.
"Hold on you guys." James told them. "We need to think about this for a minute. Come on everyone, up into the tree."
They all climbed up to the top of the tree and sat down. James looked at everyone one relaxing in the tree and then yelled down to the Slytherins.
"Ok, we're done!" He told them. "Come back next week, we're not ready to fight right now."
"Hey! You played us!" Malfoy yelled. "You can't do this, I'm a Malfoy and I want to fight right now! This instant! Now now now now now!"
"Calm down." Jimmy said, turning to walk away. "It's not a big deal."
"Hold on!" Snape said. "You all made this duel date, you can't break it!"
"Duel Date." James said, sounding it out. "That's cool. It aliterates. Awesome. Duel Date."
"Right . . ." Said Sirius, "But that's not as cool as Funny Frog."
"Funny Frog?" Remus asked. "What's that? And how is it cool?"
"I made it up." Sirius explained. "It sounds like one of the names of one of those tz shows. You know, the car toons."
"No no no!" Lily said. "TV! And it's cartoons, not car toons."
Just then a girl with long black hair that James recognized from the fight the day before walked up and stood under the tree.
"Hi Sev." She said.
"Um, why aren't we cursing?" Snape asked Lucius, who was in the front.
"We need to banter first." He said as though it was obvious. "Duh."
"Oh my God." Jimmy said, rolling his eyes.
"You're not allowed to say God, you're a vampire." Avery said, sticking his tongue out.
"Oh sure, that's mature. And I'M NOT A VAMPIRE!" Jimmy shouted over at Avery.
"Anyway," Nancy said, rolling her eyes, "Banter already Lucius, I want to fight. I don't even know why I'm out here."
"Ok." Lucius said, clearing his throat. "You are . . . um . . . well . . ." He drifted off into mumbling and thinking very hard.
"Oh for Pete's sake!" Jimmy said. "Banter or fight already! I'm getting bored."
"Who exactly is Pete?" Sirius asked.
"What?" Jimmy said. "You mean Pettigrew?"
"No no, people are always saying for Pete's sake." Sirius continued. "Who is this Pete and what makes him so special? Why is everything for his sake?"
"I don't know . . ." Jimmy said, thinking about this. "Well, there's a Pete in that Pete and Repeat went for a boat ride thing . . . but he's not that special I guess, he just falls out of the boat."
"Hmm . . ." Said James.
"Hmm . . ." Said Sirius.
"Hmm . . ." Said Remus.
"Hmm . . ." Said Peter.
"Hmm . . ." Said Lily.
"Hmm . . ." Said Nancy.
"Hmm . . ." Said Avery.
"Hmm . . ." Said Jimmy.
"Hmm . . ." Said Snape.
"I've got it!" Said Lucius, jumping out of his train of thought.
"Who Pete is?" Sirius asked with excitement.
"No, what I can say to you guys." Lucius said, happily pulling himself up into a fighting pose. "Those rings you all wear are really girly. Who wears rings anyway?"
"You mean our Marauder rings?" Sirius asked. "The ones a made out of peanuts in Transfiguration?"
"Hey!" Said James, getting angry.
"No, be fair James." Sirius said, holding him back. "He could be right, they might be girly. After all, he does have the most experience with such things."
"Good point." Remus nodded, looking skeptically at Lucius.
"I'm not girly!" Lucius said, tugging self-consciously at the black velvet hair ribbon he tied his rib-length hair back with.
"What's your middle name? Arwen?" James questioned, smirking.
"And I don't look like an elf!" He said, pushing some or his long blond hair out of his eyes and putting it back again, slicked back in the front and long in the back. He pulled nervously on the bottom of his slightly pointed ears.
"Anyway, let's fight." Snape said, looking at Lucius in a new way all of a sudden.
"I can't stand up." Peter commented, picking flowers on the ground. His wand was sitting next to him harmlessly.
"Yeah, and I don't feel very good." Remus told Sirius, who looked concerned.
"Maybe we should do this some other time." Sirius told James, who nodded. They huddled for a moment.
"You know, I have nothing to say right now." James said. "Why are we huddling again? Is there something I need to be telling people?"
"I have no idea." Lily said. "I think we already know everything that we need to say."
"Yeah, we'll tell them that we can pick this up next week." Sirius said, trying to help Peter up. "They're not at their best either. Snape can hardly see, he has two black eyes."
"Good point." Remus said, glancing over at the Slytherins who were looking kind of stupid and staring at them.
"Hold on you guys." James told them. "We need to think about this for a minute. Come on everyone, up into the tree."
They all climbed up to the top of the tree and sat down. James looked at everyone one relaxing in the tree and then yelled down to the Slytherins.
"Ok, we're done!" He told them. "Come back next week, we're not ready to fight right now."
"Hey! You played us!" Malfoy yelled. "You can't do this, I'm a Malfoy and I want to fight right now! This instant! Now now now now now!"
"Calm down." Jimmy said, turning to walk away. "It's not a big deal."
"Hold on!" Snape said. "You all made this duel date, you can't break it!"
"Duel Date." James said, sounding it out. "That's cool. It aliterates. Awesome. Duel Date."
"Right . . ." Said Sirius, "But that's not as cool as Funny Frog."
"Funny Frog?" Remus asked. "What's that? And how is it cool?"
"I made it up." Sirius explained. "It sounds like one of the names of one of those tz shows. You know, the car toons."
"No no no!" Lily said. "TV! And it's cartoons, not car toons."
Just then a girl with long black hair that James recognized from the fight the day before walked up and stood under the tree.
"Hi Sev." She said.
