Close on Omniscience** Chapter 5
"Hogsmeade trip this weekend," James announced to the common room as he came in from dinner. There was a small bout of cheering and sighs of relief from everyone. He walked into a small circle of overstuffed chairs with a chessboard in the middle. Remus and Lily were playing on the board. Sirius was standing just outside the circle with his elbow sticking out, trying to teach Peter how to whip your arm forward to catch a Knut that was sitting on your elbow.
"Thank goodness," Lily breathed. "I'm dying of cabin fever."
"You know, I only meant OFFICIAL trip to Hogsmeade. There are, um, unofficial trips too," James said quietly.
"Forget it. I know what trouble you boys get in. I want no part of it."
"Lily, lily," he cooed, picking her up and sitting himself in her chair, then lowering her back down onto his lap. "It's perfectly safe."
"Check," Remus murmured, musing over the game board. Lily hadn't been watching.
"Damn," she cursed, studying the board for a new angle.
"So ladylike," James chirped like an annoying bird. After twenty tries, Peter had finally caught the Knut. He sat down. Being there no more chairs, Sirius started impersonating Lily and sat down on Peter's lap. Lily, being the only girl, was often the butt of their jokes.
"When's the next dance?" Lily asked cuddling up to James.
"Er, I think," he looked past Lily for help from his friends. Remus quickly scrawled "Halloween Dance" on a scrap of parchment and held it up for James to see. ".On the thirtieth of October, my darling."
"Thirty-first," the whole group amended.
"Right. All Hallows Eve," James insisted. "So go to Hogsmeade and buy a pretty dress robe or whatever you need."
"Yes, thank you, Scruffhead, I need all the hot tips from you," Lily cajoled and rolled her eyes.
"Who are you taking?" James asked Remus.
"Dunno. Don't think I'll go," Remus replied in a noncommittal way. Sirius gave an exaggerated gasp.
"We'll have to set you up with someone then! So much to do!"
"Hey, Hotshot, who are you taking?" Lily quipped.
"In such a name-calling mood, aren't we?" Sirius asked rhetorically, trying to avoid the question.
"You could take the Ravenclaw girl," Peter suggested. "She seemed pretty fond of you in Flying today."
"Did she?" Sirius asked, genuinely interested.
"Yeah. Ask her. She could go with Lily to get dress robes and stuff. That's a girl bonding thing, isn't it?" James encouraged shamelessly.
"I might," Sirius said shortly.
"By the way, how's the bite?" Lily said, grabbing Sirius' hand and holding it up to the light. He had been bitten by a nasty little spider that had, apparently, nested in a beaker full of basic Poison Potion II, a concoction that turned anything you ate into an inedible acid. The spider had bitten Sirius while he had been "borrowing" supplies from the Potion Master's office that morning before breakfast. There was a peeling bandage with yellow medicine leaking through.
"My, my," Madame Pomfrey had festered in an irritating nurse voice, but didn't persist to ask questions. "I only have one treatment for this, and it takes about twenty-four hours to work. It's rather unlucky you had to be nipped before you had the chance to eat anything." Madame Pomfrey had taken the precaution to ban him from the Great Hall that day. However, Sirius had stuffed himself silly with food the previous day. So he wasn't hungry, much.
"I'll give you this Knut if you go get me something to eat. Heck, give me a minute, and I'll give my entire seven birthdays and Christmas' worth of dough."
"Now, now," Lily chortled in another annoying nurse voice, then adjusted her bra when she thought he wasn't looking. He imitated her, pretending to snap a bra back and forth, making Lily blush an awful color that clashed with her red hair. "You're mean. Just terrible. And you, really, really, don't have the equipment."
"Hogsmeade trip this weekend," James announced to the common room as he came in from dinner. There was a small bout of cheering and sighs of relief from everyone. He walked into a small circle of overstuffed chairs with a chessboard in the middle. Remus and Lily were playing on the board. Sirius was standing just outside the circle with his elbow sticking out, trying to teach Peter how to whip your arm forward to catch a Knut that was sitting on your elbow.
"Thank goodness," Lily breathed. "I'm dying of cabin fever."
"You know, I only meant OFFICIAL trip to Hogsmeade. There are, um, unofficial trips too," James said quietly.
"Forget it. I know what trouble you boys get in. I want no part of it."
"Lily, lily," he cooed, picking her up and sitting himself in her chair, then lowering her back down onto his lap. "It's perfectly safe."
"Check," Remus murmured, musing over the game board. Lily hadn't been watching.
"Damn," she cursed, studying the board for a new angle.
"So ladylike," James chirped like an annoying bird. After twenty tries, Peter had finally caught the Knut. He sat down. Being there no more chairs, Sirius started impersonating Lily and sat down on Peter's lap. Lily, being the only girl, was often the butt of their jokes.
"When's the next dance?" Lily asked cuddling up to James.
"Er, I think," he looked past Lily for help from his friends. Remus quickly scrawled "Halloween Dance" on a scrap of parchment and held it up for James to see. ".On the thirtieth of October, my darling."
"Thirty-first," the whole group amended.
"Right. All Hallows Eve," James insisted. "So go to Hogsmeade and buy a pretty dress robe or whatever you need."
"Yes, thank you, Scruffhead, I need all the hot tips from you," Lily cajoled and rolled her eyes.
"Who are you taking?" James asked Remus.
"Dunno. Don't think I'll go," Remus replied in a noncommittal way. Sirius gave an exaggerated gasp.
"We'll have to set you up with someone then! So much to do!"
"Hey, Hotshot, who are you taking?" Lily quipped.
"In such a name-calling mood, aren't we?" Sirius asked rhetorically, trying to avoid the question.
"You could take the Ravenclaw girl," Peter suggested. "She seemed pretty fond of you in Flying today."
"Did she?" Sirius asked, genuinely interested.
"Yeah. Ask her. She could go with Lily to get dress robes and stuff. That's a girl bonding thing, isn't it?" James encouraged shamelessly.
"I might," Sirius said shortly.
"By the way, how's the bite?" Lily said, grabbing Sirius' hand and holding it up to the light. He had been bitten by a nasty little spider that had, apparently, nested in a beaker full of basic Poison Potion II, a concoction that turned anything you ate into an inedible acid. The spider had bitten Sirius while he had been "borrowing" supplies from the Potion Master's office that morning before breakfast. There was a peeling bandage with yellow medicine leaking through.
"My, my," Madame Pomfrey had festered in an irritating nurse voice, but didn't persist to ask questions. "I only have one treatment for this, and it takes about twenty-four hours to work. It's rather unlucky you had to be nipped before you had the chance to eat anything." Madame Pomfrey had taken the precaution to ban him from the Great Hall that day. However, Sirius had stuffed himself silly with food the previous day. So he wasn't hungry, much.
"I'll give you this Knut if you go get me something to eat. Heck, give me a minute, and I'll give my entire seven birthdays and Christmas' worth of dough."
"Now, now," Lily chortled in another annoying nurse voice, then adjusted her bra when she thought he wasn't looking. He imitated her, pretending to snap a bra back and forth, making Lily blush an awful color that clashed with her red hair. "You're mean. Just terrible. And you, really, really, don't have the equipment."