Chapter The Second
"Well?"
"What?"
"What was it? Vanishing spell?"
Sirius attempted to look innocent, chewing his morning toast with a distinct air of merriment. "No idea what you're talking about, James," he said airily, eyeing the ceiling's bright blue expanses. "Going to be a nice day, do you think?"
"Sirius," said Remus in a low voice.
Sirius grinned, his outer teeth slightly pointed like a dog. A first-year with black curls glanced at the grin, which was, as usual, extremely charming, and blushed a deep crimson. She suddenly found something extraordinarily interesting in the Daily Prophet and buried her head in it.
"If you must know," he said airily, "I wiped it on the Cloak."
"You didn't!"
"Yes, I did."
James exchanged looks with Remus. "That stuff," he said uncertainly, "stains, doesn't it?"
Sirius gave them both a quick glance and leaned forward.
"Worried about being marked men, are we?" he grinned. "Bright fluorescent handprints on our invisible adventures?" James snorted and looked away, towards a girl with flashing green eyes who was talking to a friend at the end of the table. Remus, however, continued to stare at Sirius.
"If anybody discovers the Cloak, Sirius, the whole thing crumbles like a pack of cards. You spent years figuring out that-" he lowered his voice even further, to a kind of vibrating wolfish baritone- "Animagi spell, and now you're getting cocky. Don't. Where did you hide it?"
"I gave it to the house-elves to clean," said Sirius lightly. "Asked them to have it back by tonight."
"Well, then," said James, slightly absently- he was still staring at the girl with green eyes, who was laughing with her head back now- "that's all settled." He flicked a look at Remus. "Honestly, Moony, you should try to lighten up a bit."
Sirius laughed, and poked Remus teasingly. "Yeah, we're just trying to have some fun."
*~*~*~*
"EVANS!"
The girl with the green eyes propped herself up on her elbows sheepishly. She was sprawled beside a mangled cauldron in a pool of green slime, splotches of which were dripping from everyone within a six-foot radius.
"What have I told you, Evans, about the importance of not adding more than four drops of belladonna to a Submerging Potion?" bellowed Professor Squatchunk, his round stomach rising indignantly under his robes. He looked, as usual, like an inflating toad.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," muttered Evans. James snorted and managed to change it rapidly into a cough, but not before Evans shot him a look of loathing.
James' and Sirius' potions were a simmering orange, like a good soup. Lupin was absent- he had gone for his monthly holiday to visit his mother. Subsiding slightly, Professor Squatchunk examined them with the huffing precision of a military general inspecting troops.
"Look here!" he bellowed, pointing to Sirius's potion. Several students jumped, and Evans almost dropped the remains of her cauldron. "Black has produced a perfect Submerging Potion!"
"Ah, Professor, you shouldn't," said Sirius simperingly, pretending to blush. James snorted again. Professor Squatchunk cast him a look from under his bushy eyebrows and wriggled his moustache. "That's quite enough cheek from you. For that, you can help Evans clean up her miserable effort." And he moved away.
James stopped laughing abruptly and whispered indignantly to Sirius, who didn't look in the least upset with his punishment, "What was wrong with my potion? It was just as good as yours- especially after we made it about a year ago to visit the mermaids in the Lake!"
"Ah, you just want to be alone with Evans," said Sirius out of the corner of his mouth. "Besides, you have Quidditch practise."
"True." James looked moodily at Evans, who was scrubbing her green concoction off the tiles with an expression of disgust. "All the same, it doesn't seem fair."
"Life isn't, chum," laughed Sirius quietly as the class began to file out of the classroom, shrieking and talking. "Go on," he added, pushing his friend's shoulder, "go and have fun. I'll serve my time. You've been pining too much lately."
James nodded, grinned, and with a last look at Evans grabbed his books and disappeared. Sirius scrubbed quietly alongside Evans, who was scraping at the residue murderously.
"I don't have time for this!" she burst, and threw her cloth on the floor. "WHY doesn't Submerging Potion dissolve by magic?"
"The dragon's essence," said Sirius quietly.
"What?"
"The dragon's essence resists magic attempts to make it dissolve. It was developed to let wizards have underwater duels, and that was a precaution to make sure the opposition couldn't leave them without any air." He was careful not to look at her.
"Oh, you think you're so smart!" exploded Evans.
"Hey, you asked a question, I answered it." Sirius got up. "Well, that's done. Hurry off to your Book Club or whatever you're late for."
Lily snorted derisively. "One of these days you're going to get into trouble, Black. You can tell that to Potter as well," she said to his retreating back, but with a slightly calmer air than before.
Sirius grinned to himself. Poor old Evans. One of these days she would have to stop fighting.
He wandered the corridors, hopped absently over an invisible step, saluted a few suits of armour who obediently, if creakily, saluted back. His mind was elsewhere, running over plots and thoughts for the future, so when someone rounded the corner in front of him he ran straight into them.
"Oof! Sorry."
The first thought that crossed his mind was that he'd run into the Bloody Baron- the person was, after all, wearing a full-length hooded cloak- but ghosts are not solid, and the impact with whoever it was had taken his breath away. Without a word, the person passed him and continued down the corridor. Definitely a person- though very slim, and walking in a way that resembled a glide. At the branch at the end of the passage, it stopped momentarily and turned its head in both directions- Sirius caught a flash of a face, of eyes and a nose- before disappearing into the left fork.
Mildly disconcerted, Sirius looked after it for a few seconds, then picked up his books and made his way to the Gryffindor common room.
"Well?"
"What?"
"What was it? Vanishing spell?"
Sirius attempted to look innocent, chewing his morning toast with a distinct air of merriment. "No idea what you're talking about, James," he said airily, eyeing the ceiling's bright blue expanses. "Going to be a nice day, do you think?"
"Sirius," said Remus in a low voice.
Sirius grinned, his outer teeth slightly pointed like a dog. A first-year with black curls glanced at the grin, which was, as usual, extremely charming, and blushed a deep crimson. She suddenly found something extraordinarily interesting in the Daily Prophet and buried her head in it.
"If you must know," he said airily, "I wiped it on the Cloak."
"You didn't!"
"Yes, I did."
James exchanged looks with Remus. "That stuff," he said uncertainly, "stains, doesn't it?"
Sirius gave them both a quick glance and leaned forward.
"Worried about being marked men, are we?" he grinned. "Bright fluorescent handprints on our invisible adventures?" James snorted and looked away, towards a girl with flashing green eyes who was talking to a friend at the end of the table. Remus, however, continued to stare at Sirius.
"If anybody discovers the Cloak, Sirius, the whole thing crumbles like a pack of cards. You spent years figuring out that-" he lowered his voice even further, to a kind of vibrating wolfish baritone- "Animagi spell, and now you're getting cocky. Don't. Where did you hide it?"
"I gave it to the house-elves to clean," said Sirius lightly. "Asked them to have it back by tonight."
"Well, then," said James, slightly absently- he was still staring at the girl with green eyes, who was laughing with her head back now- "that's all settled." He flicked a look at Remus. "Honestly, Moony, you should try to lighten up a bit."
Sirius laughed, and poked Remus teasingly. "Yeah, we're just trying to have some fun."
*~*~*~*
"EVANS!"
The girl with the green eyes propped herself up on her elbows sheepishly. She was sprawled beside a mangled cauldron in a pool of green slime, splotches of which were dripping from everyone within a six-foot radius.
"What have I told you, Evans, about the importance of not adding more than four drops of belladonna to a Submerging Potion?" bellowed Professor Squatchunk, his round stomach rising indignantly under his robes. He looked, as usual, like an inflating toad.
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir," muttered Evans. James snorted and managed to change it rapidly into a cough, but not before Evans shot him a look of loathing.
James' and Sirius' potions were a simmering orange, like a good soup. Lupin was absent- he had gone for his monthly holiday to visit his mother. Subsiding slightly, Professor Squatchunk examined them with the huffing precision of a military general inspecting troops.
"Look here!" he bellowed, pointing to Sirius's potion. Several students jumped, and Evans almost dropped the remains of her cauldron. "Black has produced a perfect Submerging Potion!"
"Ah, Professor, you shouldn't," said Sirius simperingly, pretending to blush. James snorted again. Professor Squatchunk cast him a look from under his bushy eyebrows and wriggled his moustache. "That's quite enough cheek from you. For that, you can help Evans clean up her miserable effort." And he moved away.
James stopped laughing abruptly and whispered indignantly to Sirius, who didn't look in the least upset with his punishment, "What was wrong with my potion? It was just as good as yours- especially after we made it about a year ago to visit the mermaids in the Lake!"
"Ah, you just want to be alone with Evans," said Sirius out of the corner of his mouth. "Besides, you have Quidditch practise."
"True." James looked moodily at Evans, who was scrubbing her green concoction off the tiles with an expression of disgust. "All the same, it doesn't seem fair."
"Life isn't, chum," laughed Sirius quietly as the class began to file out of the classroom, shrieking and talking. "Go on," he added, pushing his friend's shoulder, "go and have fun. I'll serve my time. You've been pining too much lately."
James nodded, grinned, and with a last look at Evans grabbed his books and disappeared. Sirius scrubbed quietly alongside Evans, who was scraping at the residue murderously.
"I don't have time for this!" she burst, and threw her cloth on the floor. "WHY doesn't Submerging Potion dissolve by magic?"
"The dragon's essence," said Sirius quietly.
"What?"
"The dragon's essence resists magic attempts to make it dissolve. It was developed to let wizards have underwater duels, and that was a precaution to make sure the opposition couldn't leave them without any air." He was careful not to look at her.
"Oh, you think you're so smart!" exploded Evans.
"Hey, you asked a question, I answered it." Sirius got up. "Well, that's done. Hurry off to your Book Club or whatever you're late for."
Lily snorted derisively. "One of these days you're going to get into trouble, Black. You can tell that to Potter as well," she said to his retreating back, but with a slightly calmer air than before.
Sirius grinned to himself. Poor old Evans. One of these days she would have to stop fighting.
He wandered the corridors, hopped absently over an invisible step, saluted a few suits of armour who obediently, if creakily, saluted back. His mind was elsewhere, running over plots and thoughts for the future, so when someone rounded the corner in front of him he ran straight into them.
"Oof! Sorry."
The first thought that crossed his mind was that he'd run into the Bloody Baron- the person was, after all, wearing a full-length hooded cloak- but ghosts are not solid, and the impact with whoever it was had taken his breath away. Without a word, the person passed him and continued down the corridor. Definitely a person- though very slim, and walking in a way that resembled a glide. At the branch at the end of the passage, it stopped momentarily and turned its head in both directions- Sirius caught a flash of a face, of eyes and a nose- before disappearing into the left fork.
Mildly disconcerted, Sirius looked after it for a few seconds, then picked up his books and made his way to the Gryffindor common room.
