*** The Marauder Chronicles is a fan fiction. It isn' to be sold, reproduced or taken as true. The main characters and most locations belong to J.K. Rowling, as do all publishing rights. No copyright infringement is intended.***
Pronunciation guide: Louis: LU ee, Jean Luc: zhAHn Luke, B' ellana: bell ANNA
The Summer in Between
Part Two
"One of God's greatest's gifts is friendship."
The Summer was going well, for some. For others the summer was a painful reminder of home, and the tone that it took. Remus Lupin made it look to his friends that he was glad to be going back home, but he was secretly wishing he could go back with James and Sirius instead.
Today, in the middle of July, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were having a terrible fight, which could be heard all the way to the attic, where Remus would stay when they had very heated arguments. Remus had spent many days in the attic thus far; they fought most of the time. He thought it might be better if they would get a divorce, but knew they wouldn't. They would argue about anything and everything, things you wouldn't believe people could ever argue about. He had stopped trying to interfere with them long ago. He had even stopped listening to what they were fighting about, it didn't matter anymore. He was sure that there was a time when they weren't at each other's throats, but that was too far back for him to remember.
The friction in the family began the day it had happened, when life as the Lupin's had known it changed forever. Changed in a way no family ever wants it to change.
It was a sunny day, in the summer to be precise. The Lupin's were too quiet to live in the hubbub of the city, so they lived on the forests edge in Beulah, Wales. Mr. Lupin had small work at the Ministry to do, and Mrs. Lupin worked in her garden with Remus by her side. He was just a small three year old back then and didn't know any better when he followed several small rabbits into the forest. He tried to catch the furry little creatures, but they were just out of his reach, so he continued the pursuit. It wasn't until he was deep into the forest that he began to realize that he was lost, alone and with out his mother. When he looked strait up into the sky and saw that it was night , the full moon piercing the leave less trees so that the branches looked like dark outstretched fingers, he started to panic.
He called out to his mom and began to cry but she didn't come to him. He started to run deeper into the forest hoping to find something that could give him some hope, but to no avail. He kept calling for his mother, then his father but they didn't seem hear him. It was the first memory that Remus had, almost as if it was yesterday. He had never been so scared in his life.
He called for her again, but this time something else answered. He turned to see what it was, but only saw the rustling bushes, and heard low growling. Remus turned the other way and started to run. Run as fast as his small legs could carry him. But then it hit him in an instant. It seemed to have pounced him from behind, knocking him onto the ground, cutting Remus' nose on the rocks and bark that littered the forest floor. Whatever it was that hit him, it began biting him, all over his small body. He screamed as loud as he could; the pain was astounding.
Then he saw her, she was running towards him screaming his name, wand in her hand. When she lay her eyes on him, she cried great tears. His father just came behind her, looking horrified, as he lowered his wand and mumbled a spell which shot the beast right off of Remus's back. His mother ran to him as fast as she could and scooped him up in her arms, crying. Then Mr. Lupin, with a strong look of determination, walked over to the beast and killed it.
They knew right then and there what that beast was and knew that from then on things would never be the same. It was a werewolf. Blame had been placed on his mother from his father ever since. She insisted that it was no ones fault, as did Remus. But that didn't stop all the quarrels, the yelling, all the holes that his father had made in the wall. It didn't stop kids from recoiling in fear, didn't stop guests from never stopping by, or family from discontinuing ties. The fact of the matter was people didn't like werewolves; they were scared of them, and Remus didn't or couldn't blame them for it. He had no control over his actions; his parents had to build an iron shed to put him in at nights of the full moon so that he wouldn't hurt anyone.
But their concerns didn't stop problems from appearing. At age six, Remus showed signs of magic. It wasn't a surprise at all, but where was he to go to school? Hogwarts was by far the closest and probably one of the best, but would they risk the entire student body for him to attend?
Then luck hit them with full force in the appointment of the old transfiguration teacher to headmaster: Albus Dumbledore. He was known as one of the greatest wizards of all time, but somehow had the modesty to go and teach youngsters the art of magic. The Lupins wrote to him and gave him their situation in plain and simple English. He had agreed to meet Remus and his parents to discuss the matter.
Remus would be the last person you would suspect to be a werewolf. He was mostly quiet and kept to himself, never did anything ostentatious or dangerous, but was very well behaved. Dumbledore saw this, and thought it most unjust that he shouldn't be aloud to learn because of what he was.
In July of 1970 Remus got his acceptance letter from Hogwarts. His parents were very pleased, as was he. But something else haunted his mind, something he thought about all of the time. Would he have any friends?
It was on the Hogwarts express that he met his first great pals. He could remember it like yesterday, and now more than ever he wished he were with them, away from his angry parents who's yells were shaking the attic floor.
He was in a train compartment all to himself, reading a book about Hogwarts. The train had been moving along for just under ten minutes when two boys opened his compartment door, ran inside, then slammed it very suddenly. They appeared not to notice Remus sitting by the window.
"Do you think they saw us?" one of them asked the other, whispering.
"I don't know. Peek your head over the window and see if they're coming," the other one said.
"Me? Why can't you do it? I don't want them seeing me."
"Well I don't want them seeing me either!"
"Ok, on the count of three we both look up, deal?" he asked.
"Ok, deal," he answered.
"One...two...you do it, I can't look up," the taller one said. He was also the thinnest one, with very untidy black hair.
"Let's just not look and assume that they didn't follow us," the other one said. He also had black hair and was almost as tall as the other boy, but not as scrawny.
"Sounds good. Did you see the looks on their faces?!" the thin one asked.
"Priceless! I don't know why they got so mad, I mean it was just two dungbombs, it's not like we threw in the whole bag."
"No kidding. Maybe it was the fact that we trapped them in the compartment with the bombs that really got them ticked," he and his friend laughed, Remus still hadn't said a word. They struck him as the type that threw spit balls across rooms, and yelled loudly through hallways.
"Let's sit down, shall we?" the shorter one said.
"Ok, but I get....hello," Remus could now tell that this boy had round glasses which enhanced his bright blue eyes. He smiled when he saw Remus, a true genuine smile. Then the other boy turned. His eyes were a warm brown, which for some reason made Remus think he was a very trustworthy person. He also smiled at Remus.
"I'm sorry I didn't see you sooner. We were hiding," the one with glasses said.
"Yeah, I noticed. You can sit down, you know. I'm not saving these seats," Remus said, crossing his fingers.
"Great," the other boy said.
"I'm James Potter, by the way, and this here is my best friend, Sirius Black," said the boy with the glasses.
"Remus Lupin," he replied, shaking both of their hands. "So who did you dungbomb?"
James and Sirius both smiled evilly. "Slytherins," they said together.
"Slytherins? You have something against them?" Remus asked.
"Other than the fact that they're in Slytherin? No. I don't think there is another reason, or should be another reason," Sirius said.
"People in Slytherin are mean, horrible people," James said.
"How do you know?" Remus asked.
"Our parents said so," James said.
"What houses were they in?"
"My mom was in Ravenclaw, Dad was in Gryffindor," Sirius said.
"Really?" Remus asked, "My mom was in Gryffindor, dad was in Ravenclaw."
"Neat," Sirius said smiling.
"James, how about your parents?" Remus asked.
"Oh, all of my family has been in Gryffindor. Not a one has been in a different house, and neither will I."
"But what if you do go into another house?" Remus asked. James and Sirius stared at him, not believing what he had just said.
"I will go into Gryffindor. There's not another option," James said, not smiling or joking but being purely candid.
"Oh," Remus said, "alright. So how long have you been friends?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"Life," Sirius said. "We live right across the street from each other."
"That's cool," Remus smiled. He was making his first friends, it was like a dream. So what other things have you done to people?"
James and Sirius grinned.
The train ride to Hogwarts, Remus thought, what a fun time. He met his best friends before he even got to school. As he looked back it seemed silly that he ever feared that he wouldn't make any friends.
He could still hear his parents yelling three floors below him, and wanted more than anything to be back in that train right now.
Then an owl came to the window. Remus got up and walked over to let it in. He recognized it as B'ellana, Sirius' Eagle owl. He took the letter attached to its leg,
opened it and read:
Moony!
How's it going? Over here it's pretty cool, we're actually going to have a little bit of fun tomorrow night and wanted to know if you had plans. We are
sending the following to the Quidditch team and many other Gryffindors, some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. If you want to invite anyone, feel free!
TO all who seek to find a way to leave their world behind: Jen and Mitch Black have gone to Greece on Holiday for a week. Translation: The house is ours! James and Sirius are throwing a huge party for those who want to have a good time and won't blow up the house, because that's our job. Time: 8p.m. till when ever we kick you out. Where: Sirius' castle, 31 Lions Way, Godric's Hollow, New Devonshire. We are connected to the Floo Network, if you don't have Floo powder, then I suggest the Knight Bus. Raise your wand hand in the air and they will come to you.
Hope to see all of you there,
James and Sirius
Remus's heart skipped. He was definitely going. This is what he wanted; to get away from his mother and father for one night. Remus ran to the corner of the attic and pulled out some parchment and ink and wrote back:
Padfoot and Prongs! Yeah I'm going. I was so glad to get a letter from you two. My parents are fighting like cats and dogs over here, I will be there at eight sharp!
See you soon, Moony
He attached the letter to B'ellana's leg and set her out the window. Then he ran down the stairs to confront his fighting parents. He walked into the living room to find them red faced with veins pulsating.
"Mom, Dad," Remus said. The looked at him and smiled. "I'm going to Godric's Hollow tomorrow night. James and Sirius are having a party and they want me to come
so I am going. Just thought you ought to know." Then he ran up to his room.
The next night Remus was set and ready to go. He had pulled out his finest robes but didn't know that he would need them. He also wrote to Liz that morning and told her that he was going. She wrote back and said that she was also going to be there and looked forward to seeing him.
Remus had run out of floo powder. His parent's forgot it when they went to Diagon Alley but because they could Apparate it was no big deal to them. So he gathered some coins and went outside to catch the Knight bus instead. He raised his left hand in the air, he was left handed, and the large triple-decker purple bus appeared out of thin air. The door swung open and he stepped inside, paid the small fee and told the conductor where he wanted to go. In a flash they were on their way.
"Is there a party tonight?" the driver asked him. "Cause we've been gettin' a lot of young people like yourself tonight. We have to go and pick up another one, as a matter of fact."
"Yeah, there's a party," Remus answered him. Then the bus suddenly came to a halt. Remus threw his arms forward to brace himself on the seat in front of him. The door swung open again and another passenger got on.
"31 Lions Way, Godric's Hollow," she said. Remus recognized her voice and stood up to say hello.
"Lily!" he said. She smiled and came and sat next to him.
"Hello Remus. So they convinced you to go to this shindig of theirs, did they?"
"I didn't need much convincing. I wanted to get out of the house for a bit. It'll be fun though, it will. Trust me."
She looked a little concerned. "Sirius' parents don't know about it, do they? James and Sirius probably disobeyed a direct order of theirs. I don't even know why I'm going."
"Lily just relax, it'll be fun."
"Maybe. So how's your summer been?" she asked.
"Fine," Remus lied, "Yours?"
"Fine."
"Yeah, Sirius told me about that dinner of yours," Remus smiled at her. She smirked and blushed a little.
"That was a very fun evening. Wrong, but fun."
"31 Lions Way!" the conductor shouted out. Lily and Remus got off the bus and walked onto the street. At first they even wondered if anyone was home because it was completely silent and the windows looked black. Remus shrugged his shoulders and walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. In less than five seconds Sirius answered. The loud music almost blasted them across the street as Sirius opened the door.
"Remus and Lily! We were wondering where you were!" Sirius yelled over the music. "Come in, come in!"
The two stepped inside, Lily covered her ears. There had to be at least forty people in just the living room area alone, some of which she had never seen in her life.
"Who all showed up?" Remus yelled to Sirius. Sirius put up a finger signaling him to hold that thought. He went to his stereo, or I should say the wizarding stereo which is very different from muggle sound systems, and turned down the volume a little so that he didn't have to yell so loud.
"All three Quidditch teams, all of the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws in our year, most of the sixth years, a few fifth years, and some people on vacation from Beauxbatons. Liz is talking to Jade over in that corner, last time I checked."
"All Quidditch teams, eh? That means Annika is here, doesn't it?" Remus asked him. Sirius rolled his eyes and then nodded.
"Unfortunately."
"Whatever happened with the two of you? You never explained that to us?" Remus asked. Lily was making her way over to Liz and Jade.
"Oh it just wasn't working. She hated James with a passion because he beat her at Quidditch and shoved her face in it. I laughed and said it was funny and she got a little miffed, so I called it off. I can't have a girlfriend that doesn't like James, it just won't work. Any way, she's old news. You should see some of the girls from Beauxbatons, wow! They make them good there!"
"They make them good at Hogwarts," Remus said as he saw Liz smile and wave to him.
"Yeah, yeah, you people and your steady girlfriends drive me crazy. Go say hello to her, why don't you. I think I have spotted someone in need of a little Sirius charm," he said smiling as he left Remus for a tall thin girl obviously from Beauxbatons.
Remus walked over to Liz, which proved to be quite a challenge. People were dancing wildly in the center of the room, so he had to take an indirect path to the other corner.
"Remus!" she said as she hugged and kissed him. "I am so glad you came!"
"Me too. You look fantastic," he said to her. She was dressed casually but was very pretty never the less.
"Thanks," she said blushing.
"You want to dance?" he asked.
"Absolutely!" she yelled, and he took her hand and escorted her to the middle of the dance floor slash living room.
"Is it just me or is it way too loud in here?" Lily asked Jade, who had her arms crossed as she watched Sirius flirt with the french girl. "Jade!"
"What!" she asked.
"Just try to ignore him and have a good time. He'll come to you soon enough, just let him get this out of his system. She probably can't even speak English."
Jade tried to smile, but couldn't.
Then a very hansom young man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes came up to the two of them and smiled.
"Bon jur," he said in French, smiling. Both girls smiled back. "I 'am Louis, a sevanth year from Beauxbatons. 'Oo are you?"
He was quite charming. Jade was lost for words, seeming to have forgotten all about Sirius, she just stared at his face and his broad and muscular shoulders. Lily decided to break the ice.
"I'm Lily, an engaged seventh year from Hogwarts, and this is my best friend Jade a single seventh year from Hogwarts. She's very pleased to meet you."
Louis smiled at Jade. He seemed to understand 'engaged' and 'single.'
"Jade," he said, "Would you like to daunce with me?" he asked. Jade nodded and put her hands in his as he led her away.
"So now I am at a party, and completely alone. This is just great," Lily mumbled to herself. There were so many people she knew, she could at least talk to some people. She decided to make her way across the dance floor to talk to some Ravenclaw girls that she saw. But she met someone else as she started walking.
" 'Allo," said a young Frenchman. "I am Jean Luc, and I want too ahsk you a question."
Lily smiled politely but continued on without saying anything.
"Did it 'urt when you fell from 'eaven?" he asked smiling more widely.
"Excuse me?" Lily said shocked.
"I ahsked if it 'urt when you fell from 'eaven. You look like an angel to me."
"Do I?" she asked sarcastically. She knew what he was doing, and didn't like it.
"You know that you 'ave stolen my 'art. I want to dance with you, show you true romance."
"Um, I'm not really interested," she said, waving her left hand to him, hoping that he would catch the ring, but he didn't.
"Come on, just one daunce with me," he said. Lily was getting a bit tired of it, and wish he would go away.
"I don't want to dance with you. I have a boyfriend you know. Actually he's my fiancé as of just a few weeks ago."
"Just one dance, please. I 'ave only a few months left to live." Lily walked faster hoping that someone would come to her rescue. And then she saw him. James was talking to David, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. David saw Lily and pointed her out to James.
He turned and smiled at her, "Lily!" he said excited.
She didn't say a word, just ran up to him, put her hands on his face and kissed him, the most romantic and deepest kiss she had ever given him, as if she hadn't seen him in many years.
James put his arms around her waist, mostly to stabilize himself from falling over due to the sudden weakness in his knees. When she pulled away she just said, "Hi," and put her fingers to his lips.
"Hi," he said weakly. Jean Luc who had seen Lily kiss James, gave him an evil stare and turned and followed another girl.
"That guy was hitting on me!" she said to him, "I tried telling him to stay away, but apparently he needed a visual. Damn Frenchman," she said. "So, how are you?"
But James was still having some trouble adjusting after she kissed him. He was still holding on to her so he didn't fall, and words were failing him. "Um..." he said, "Fine."
"So do Sirius' parents know about this little pow wow of yours?" she asked him.
"Know about this party? No, they don't. And if they ever ask, there never was a party."
"James that is so dishonest!" she yelled, though it didn't sound like she yelled, after all, it was very loud inside.
James smiled, "Oh come now Lily, live a little. You want to talk about being dishonest, I think I recall a certain someone deceiving an entire family just a little while ago, even your own parents. I don't think you should lecture me on dishonesty."
"I didn't throw a party which is host to half the school and foreigners, James. Gosh it's loud in here, is there any place quiet in this house?"
"Yeah, the kitchen. I'll take you. I'll be back, David," he said to the Ravenclaw. He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her through the mass crowd of people to the kitchen, which was thankfully rather silent.
"Oh it's so good to hear myself think again!" she said once they were inside. "So what are you talking to David about?"
"McClintick graduated, so Slytherin's getting a new captain. We were making educated guesses at who it could be. New leadership changes the entire game plan, Slytherin knows that and will pick a good captain. It could change everything."
"Sounds fascinating," she said sarcastically.
"Oh it is if you enjoy Quidditch. I'll be back here in a minute, I just want finish the conversation." He kissed her and left, leaving Lily a bit surprised. She looked around the kitchen, now quite alone, and sat on the counter.
"Remus!" Liz giggled as she and Remus burst into the kitchen in a close embrace. He seemed to be kissing the back of her neck, or smelling her hair, Lily couldn't quite tell.
"Lily, what are you doing in here?" Liz asked as she suddenly saw Lily sitting on the counter and got quite embarrassed. Remus let go of her.
"James put me here. I wanted to be someplace quiet. He said he'd come back when he was finished talking Quidditch to David. Whatever," she said.
"And you're upset about that, aren't you?" Liz asked, still blushing.
"Well shouldn't I be? This is the first time I have seen him all summer, and he drops me off in the kitchen while he talks to some captain of some team!"
"Have you told him this?" Remus asked.
"Do I need to tell him something that obvious? We should be doing what you two are doing. Maybe I'll just go home."
"Lily, he's just stupid guy," Liz said.
"Hey!" Remus said.
"Sorry, but your sex does seem to be a bit on the dense side. But very lovable all the same. Just go out there and pull him away from that captain guy."
"Maybe," she said thoughtfully. Lily got off the top of the counter and went back out into the mess that was the Black's living room. The music was still so loud. Lily stood on her toes to try and see the top of his head but didn't.
Sirius had much better luck in finding him though. He was in the far corner talking serious Quidditch with David.
"James, I'm going to go take a shower if anyone asks for me," he said.
"What?" James yelled over the noise.
"I said I'm going to go take a shower!"
"Turn off the power? Why?"
"No!" Sirius yelled, "I am going to take a shower!"
"What?" James asked. Sirius just rolled his eyes and pointed upstairs. James nodded his head. Sirius made his way upstairs to his room and kept wondering about James. If he couldn't hear him telling James that he was taking a shower, then how was he talking clearly to David? It was a mystery. Sirius walked into his room and into his bathroom.
"Good God, Sirius, you're a pig," he said to himself as he opened his bathroom door and turned on the light. Dirty clothes were spread every where, the tub was gross looking, toothpaste was stuck all over the sink, and the mirrors had spit drops on them. "Gross. Ok, think. You stink, and you want to impress Renee, so what do you do? Use James' shower." He walked down the hall and went into James' bathroom. "James you are such a fruitcake. You could eat off the floor in here." There wasn't a spot to be seen. Sirius shut the door, stripped down, turned on the radio, turned on the hot water and stepped inside the shower, using the soap as a microphone as he sang along with Serena the Sorcerer.
Back downstairs things were very different. "James!" Lily yelled.
"What?" he asked.
"A word!" she said, beckoning him with her finger. He got up and walked slowly to her, but then she pulled him by his ear into the kitchen.
"OW!" he said when she released him. "What did you do that for?"
"Why are you ignoring me?"
James didn't know what she was talking about. "I'm not ignoring you. I was just talking to David about-"
"Yeah, yeah, Quidditch I know. I haven't seen you all summer and when I finally do you drop me off in the kitchen till your ready for me."
"I did not," he said, folding his arms in disgust.
"Oh really? Then what do you call it?" she asked. James stared at her and thought about this.
"I wasn't ignoring you."
"You were too!"
"Was not!"
"Yes you were, James, you ignored me delibratly to talk about Quiddtich." James closed his eyes and sighed.
"I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm sorry if that was your impression. Are we good now?" he asked. Lily looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, we're good now."
"Ok, then I'm going back out there to talk to David.."
"James! What about me?" she asked perturbed. James dropped his shoulders.
"Lily," he wined, "it's Quidditch, just let me tell him one last thing."
"It's so important that you'll just leave me here? Alone, in the kitchen? Fending off good looking boys that want to dance with me? If you leave me I just might have to grant them their wish." James walked over to her and took her hand and led her back out into the mess. He walked to David and yelled, "I'll write you a letter about it!" David nodded his head. Lily smiled.
"Dance with me," she said to him.
"Lily, I don't dance," James told her.
"It's not that difficult. Actually," she said, looking around, "people here aren't dancing, they're swaying. You can do that."
"Lily!" it was Jade, "I hate the french!" she yelled.
"What did he do to you?" Lily asked.
"He put his hands on my butt, and tried to kiss me!"
"What did you do?" Lily asked shocked.
"I slapped him. Why do the french have to be such pigs?"
Lily shrugged. She put her arms around James shoulders.
"James! Where's the bathroom?" She yelled.
"Well, there's one down here, but last time I looked there was a huge line. You can use my bathroom upstairs. My room is the last door on the left, all the way down the end of the hall."
"Got it. Thanks." She left the two of them to "dance" and headed upstairs. The music could still be heard, but it wasn't that bad. No one was up here, which seemed strange, perhaps they put some kind of spell on the staircase. She opened James' door when she got to it, and walked to a next door which she assumed was his bathroom.
She opened the door quickly to see something she never would have expected.
Sirius was dancing naked on the tile floor, singing into the soap bar and watching himself in the mirror. Jade just stood there for a while, not knowing what she should do. He was singing quite loudly and probably wouldn't hear her if she shut the door and walked out. But what he was doing was just to funny for words. He was spinning around the floor, wearing nothing and not even noticing that she was standing there. Jade snorted with laughter and tried to muffle it but he saw her.
"Jade!" he screamed, grabbing a towel and covering himself.
"I am so sorry," she said, trying not to laugh even more, "I didn't know you where in here, I'll just go," and she slammed the door, and ran down stairs, laughing all the way. She saw Lily and Liz, both in the arms of their boyfriends, and she ran to them.
"Lily, I have to tell you something!" she said grinning, and before Lily could say anything, Jade grabbed her shirt and yanked her away. Then she got Liz and yanked her too, taking both of them into the kitchen.
"What's up with you?" Liz asked frowning.
"I have to tell you something!" she said excited.
"What?" The both asked.
"I just saw Sirius naked!" she squealed. Liz and Lily were not expecting this, and their jaws dropped ten feet. They both tried to say something in return, but didn't know what to say.
"He was taking a shower in James' bathroom, and he was dancing in front of the mirror, and singing! Oh my, it was hilarious!"
"Did he see you?" Lily asked.
"Yes, he was very embarrassed I think, though he shouldn't be. He has a great body!" Jade blushed furiously, and sat up on the counter. Both Liz and Lily started
laughing as they soon had their own mental picture of what Jade had described playing in their heads.
"What do you think they're doing in there?" Remus asked James, as he pointed to the kitchen door.
"I have no idea. Probably talking about us, or something," he replied. Then Sirius came down the stairs and ran to them. He looked on edge.
"Are you alright?" James asked. Sirius didn't answer him.
"Where's Jade?" he asked.
"She just drug Lily and Liz into the kitchen to talk about something. Why?" But Sirius didn't answer him. He turned and headed for the door, dreading what he was about to see. When he entered the kitchen he found all three of them laughing their heads off, but as soon as they saw him they all became suddenly interested in their fingernails. Sirius walked to the fridge and opened the door. As the door creaked open he could have swore he heard a chuckle. He looked back at the three quickly. They were all biting their lips, and examining their cuticles. Sirius reached inside and grabbed a bottled water, keeping his eyes on them the entire time. Jade was sitting on the counter, Lily and Liz were standing next to her. The corners of their mouths were quickly deceiving them, as they raised slowly upward. Sirius watched them, not smiling himself, as he backed out of the kitchen. Once the door closed behind him, he heard all three of them burst with laughter, even over the loud music.
Sirius rolled his eyes in disgust and went to his three friends, Peter had finally managed to find the other two.
"Sirius, are you ok? You look like someone told you that you have weeks to live," James said smiling.
"They're all laughing at me," Sirius said strait-faced. The other three waited for him to finish the statement, but he never did.
"They're not all laughing at you," James said, "why would they be doing that?"
Sirius looked at his feet.
"Sirius, why do you think they're laughing at you?" James asked again. Remus and Peter watched him closely.
"Because," Sirius started, getting closer to James' ear, "Because Jade saw me...um...in the nude." James face read shock, but his eyes read amusement. Remus and Peter looked at Sirius as if waiting for him to tell them, but he didn't.
"What is it?" Peter asked.
"Jade saw Sirius in the raw, and found it to be funny!" James told them. Remus and Peter both laughed, as did James. Sirius wasn't.
"Oh yeah, think it's funny do you? It wouldn't be if it was one of you they saw. At least I have a body. You're too thin, you have no muscle, and you're fat!" he said to the three of them. But it didn't hinder their humor.
"Sirius, lighten up," James said. "It couldn't have been that bad. Besides, if you had seen her in the same way, you would be telling us."
"But not laughing!"
"Just go in and talk to her," Remus suggested.
"And say what? 'Hey baby, what do you think?' I can't say that."
"I don't know, you're the one they're in hysterics about," Remus replied.
"Come on, Sirius, we'll all go with you," James said, pushing Sirius back to the kitchen against his will.
"I want to go alone!" Sirius said, trying to fight James, but Remus and Peter were also pushing him back. When the door swung open, they all saw the three girls, whose faces were red, tears in their eyes and Jade was dancing and singing. When they saw the four boys, they went back to their positions: Jade jumped back onto the counter and Liz and Lily stood by her.
"So," James said, breaking the awkward silence, "One of us has seen another in a whole new light." Everyone but Sirius laughed.
"What is so funny about my body?" Sirius asked Jade.
"Sirius, you have a nice body, especially when you are dancing," she said, laughing again.
"Dancing?" Remus, James and Peter asked.
"Oh he didn't tell you?" Jade asked them. "He was dancing naked in front of the mirror, singing to the soap at the top of his lungs."
James, Remus and Peter all stared at Sirius and cracked. Sirius still didn't see the humor in all of this. James was laughing so hard he had to lean on Sirius shoulders to keep from falling. Then he smiled just a little.
"You know," Sirius said, smirking, "there is only one way to get even." He walked over to Jade, looked into her eyes, and put his hands on her thighs.
"And what's that?" she asked, putting her hands around his neck.
"I have to see you naked," he said, smiling.
"Ha!" she said, "As if. You'll never see that!"
"Oh come on, Jade. You know you want to, all the other kids are doing it."
"No way, Sirius. Do you know how much power I hold? I can tell people all about you. I own you now, boy," she said slyly, running her hands through his hair.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I can tell all of your future blonde bimbos about what's under that cocky exterior of yours, and I don't have to be truthful. Got me?"
"Oh man," James said, "she's right, she's got you in a tough spot."
"You do anything I say now," she told him.
"No," he said quietly, moving closer to her.
"Um, yes," she said in return, nodding her head and smiling.
"Jade, don't tell people," and then he kissed her lightly on the lips. Everyone else in the room, who knew that Jade liked him very much, stopped breathing.
Jade closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Liz and Lily crossed their fingers as they watched.
"You're not going to tell people really, are you?" he asked her.
"I'll think about it," she said lightly, as if floating on air.
"Good, you do that," and he let go of her and walked out of the door. Jade almost fainted, and would have landed flat on her face if James hadn't caught her on the way down.
"He kissed me," she said smiling, James still holding on to her. "Sirius Black kissed me. Me, not some idiot like usual. No, he kissed me."
"Can you stand up now, Jade?" James asked her.
"I don't think so. You want to know why? Cause he kissed me."
"Yeah, we all saw him do that. Here you go," James said, leaning her on the counter. Liz and Lily grabbed onto her so she didn't fall. Jade was looking upwards, all dreamy eyed, repeating, "he kissed me." James went for the door.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked him.
"To talk to Sirius about all of this," he said, raising his eyebrows to communicate to her.
"Oh," she said, suddenly understanding, "Ok." James pushed the door open and went up to Sirius who was now talking to a Beauxbatons girl.
"Hey," James said to him, Sirius turned around, "We need to talk."
"Bout what?"
"About what just happened. Come with me." James took Sirius by the collar and took him up stairs.
"So what is it?" Sirius asked.
"You just kissed Jade," James said, as if what Sirius asked was a very stupid question, which it was.
"Your point being...."
"Sirius! You can't just kiss someone and not..I don't know, you just can't flirt with some girl from a different school after you kiss Jade!"
"Why not?"
"Sirius! Can you be any more superficial? Girls have emotions, you know."
"We're just friends James, it's no big deal," he said casually. James was now having a strong inner conflict. Should he tell Sirius and break Jade's promise, or should he not tell Sirius, let him hit on another girl and break her heart instead?
"Just refrain from kissing her, alright? Can you do that for me?" James asked. He knew Sirius would still talk to her, but maybe he wouldn't kiss her as Jade walked out of the kitchen.
Sirius pondered it for a while, "Oh alright, but just because you asked me, and I respect you."
"Fine." James walked back into the kitchen, and whispered into Lily's ear instructions to keep Jade out of Sirius' view, just in case. She understood and said she'd try
her best.
After many hours of late night partying, dancing, laughing, eating, and grinding the food into the carpet, James and Sirius insisted that everyone go home. Jade was still in a euphoric state, knowing that she had just lived her fantasy. Lily was glad that the party was over, she was never one that enjoyed loud music, and James kept talking about Quidditch to the other players on the three teams. Sirius didn't keep his promise, he took Renee, the girl from Beauxbatons in the back yard and made out like there was no tomorrow. But Remus had an excellent time with Liz and his friends, and really didn't want to go back home. Of all the people at the party, however, Peter seemed to have lost the most control, and let lose completely. After several butterbeers and a kiss from Fran, the girl from Hufflepuff, Peter danced solo very strangely in the middle of the living room, everyone else cheering him on.
Afterwards summer seemed to slow down. James and Sirius turned 17 within a week of each other at the end of July, and celebrated by dueling one another. This made Jen Black very angry, for many of their shots missed and shattered vases, windows, and set fire to the furniture, but James and Sirius thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen.
Lily, Liz and Jade spent much of their time together talking about Sirius, and how he had kissed her. It made Jade so happy, and very nervous whenever she was around him from then on. Liz and Lily shared their own romantic stories with Jade, and hoped that she would be so lucky.
Peter spent the rest of the summer with his mother, who was very domineering. She wouldn't let him go to see his friends, or talk to Fran, which he deeply resented. Instead he wrote letters without her knowledge to everyone he knew. They all sympathized with him and told him summer was near the end, and more magical adventures were waiting to begin.
Towards the end of July, Headmaster Dumbledore sent out two letters, one to James, the other to Lily. Lily was beside herself with joy when she got her letter. She
read it many times to her mother and father, and plastered it on the refrigerator.
"Dear Miss. Lily Evans,
I am writing to inform you that the teachers and staff of Hogwarts have chosen you to be Head Girl. I am sure that you are aware of the responsibilities of
this position, and the prestige that it encumbers. Your excellent academic achievements, great magical capabilities, beyond which I have ever seen may I add,
and near perfect record make you the best candidate for the job. All will be looking to you for help and advice, and will see you as a role model.
Congratulations Lily, on your wonderful achievements.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
And to James' shock, he got a very similar letter.
"Dear Mr. James Potter,
I know you are not expecting this letter, as you hold a record number of detentions, I believe it is around 129, but what are numbers? I am writing to inform
you of your appointment as Head Boy. The staff and teachers of this school see you as a role model to the entire student body. People listen to you, and
respect you. Your academic abilities have surely surpassed excellence. Your talent on the Quidditch field deserves no explanation. But I wanted you as Head
Boy because I have never encountered a student as noble and pure of heart as you, James. Congratulations again, my friend.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"
Enclosed in each envelope was a round shiny silver badge, with "HG" and "HB" printed in big letters. James was beyond shock when he got his, so much so that he thought it was Sirius' idea of a joke, and threw the badge out the window.
Lily called James the moment she got her letter and expressed her happiness to him. She too was shocked, however, at James' appointment. "Hey, at least we get to boss people around as a couple," he joked.
With a few weeks left of summer, they all went to Diagon Alley and met up for lunch. James and Sirius had to be dragged away from the new Nimbus 150, which was displayed in Quality Quidditch Supplies, by Remus and Peter. They all got new Robes, their books, and other parafanella, then said goodbye till September first.
