CHAPTER ELEVEN - STRANGE WILL BE THIS YEAR
James Potter and Sirius Black were rambling around the Hogwarts Express looking for place or (more probably) for familiar and nice faces: they knew enough place will be in Lupin's compartment.
Prongs opened the door and they stepped into. Julia was sitting next to window, watching the landscapes, with a book on her knees. Lily was chatting with Mavis Allen and Virge Glasscow. They looked up to see who dared to bother them.
'Oh, it's you guys', she said and turned to her mates. Guys were still staring.
'We just came to say hello', said Sirius and glanced at Julia. Her face was still turned to the window but he could see the reflexion. And it gazed at him.
'Hello', said the girls and continued the talk. James sighed.
'Well, not very hearty types, let's go Padfoot.'
They were to leave when Julia turned slowly and said.
'Hey, Black', he looked into her eyes, too quickly, James thought. 'I've heard. That's nice. And brave, I guess.'
'I appreciate that, Jill', he said. First time since ages, he'd used her name.
'Enjoy your first free year, Padfoot', she smiled as he smiled at the thought of runaway from home, living with James. First year really free from that nuts family.
***
Their sixth year begun with lots of extra lessons, regular ones and pranks, of course. But the most interesting thing (as it seemed it the middle of September) was a conjunction of four planets: Venus, Mars, Jovis and Saturn. It happened only once three thousand years. It's the best moment to observe the skies, watch the past and learn about the future. The best to make decissions and plan. To prepare some special potions. And to make divinations.
Julia was amused when she found Lily so excited about this very last advantage of the conjunction. She told her about this and Lily at once began to count the days to the zero point on Saturday, 1st of October. Julia had been thinking a lot about planning, comparing sky charts, doing some incantations. But to augure? She smiled to herself. Her family never cared about divinations (prophecies were of a different kind) and all those auguries about who to marry or so on seemed riddiculus.
The school was not going to feast the conjunction officially, so girls decited to do this by themselves. They were not the only ones.
The Marauders found that night to be just perfect to try out some of their new pranks. James and Lupin were laughing when Peter told them seriously about things that happen on such nights (men are drunk and fell of the roofs; women dance naked; water in all seas begins to boil). Sirius, a little absent with his thoughts, barked at the idea of seeing womed dancing naked. All of them laughed but Peter was still afraid and refused to join them that night. Guys didn't seem to care. Peter wasn't funny at all.
They chose the Astronomy tower: best view and a great telescope to watch the stars; enough place for everyone to watch and to drink butterbeer, for example.
The very last lesson before the conjunction night was Transmutation. Professor McGonagall at the very end announced headmaster's directions.
'Students are not allowed to leave the rooms after modnight today. Neiter are allowed to believe in some stupid divinations and superstitions about such events. You know what sort of events I am talking about.', she gazed suspicously at the Marauders: James and Sirius both looked so innocent that even Lupin - the serious one - giggled. Minerva sighed. 'If not - that's even better. You will hear about them tomorrow. Oh, by the way: the Astronomy tower will be occupied by teachers, so even if you tried, no one can get there. Dismiss!'
The class was slowly getting out, some were wondering what she told them about, some, like Sirius were thinking where to go instead. He caught Julia's blink, but couldn't ask her about that because she was stopped by her aunt. Professor closed the door and he couldn't hear.
'Julie, dear, are you planning something. You know I will know afterwards. Tell me.'
'Great! And you will put a detention on all the Gryffindors. Sounds good to me.'
'Don't act stupid. Not everyone knows. I would like to ask you not to watch the skies.'
'You know that I would never ever do that not allowed', Julia laughed and wanted to leave, but aunt stopped her once again and carefully looked into her eyes.
'Tonight's sky is not for you', Julia was a little scared. 'You're too smart.'
*
Julia found Lily sitting on her curtain bed. She was worried. Never wanted to break the rules and now they even can't leave their dormitories! Julia told her about the talk but, Evans was taken-aback: Jill didn't seem to obey the directions. She still wanted to see the sky.
'C'mon, Lily, I never wanted the divinations, it's all stupid. But the skies!! Believe me, we'll take our little telescopes and go to the Divination Tower. I guess next to the classroom is a roof entrance. Oh, and of course we will leave before midnight, we don't want to be impolite.'
Lily threw a pillow on Julia's head. But laughed. Yes, they could do this. This was to be her first breakage of school rules.
They decided to leave for library after the dinner and then hide in deserted bathroom. Lily wanted so much to have her sky charts prepared that Julia had to do this until 11pm. Then they approached the tower.
Lily opened the door with a spell and they stepped onto a ladder. Outside, on the roof, the sky was dark navy and stars were shining. It was cold. They pulled out the blankets and magically closed the entrance.
*
'Moony, you should eat less!! You grow fatter!!', James laughed as they were walking silently under their Invisibility Cloak. Remus was always very thin and it was James who made the road difficult.
They were just under the entrance to roof in the Divination tower when Sirius took a glance at the Marauders Map and sighed.
'Well, guys, I guess we have company.'
'Who?', asked Lupin, a little terrified.
'Julia and Lily, we should have expected that!'
'So, let's ask them to let us in!', James put off the cloak and knocked at the door. The ladder slowly fall and they went on the roof.
*
The five of them were standing on the roof, telescopes in their hands, watching the skies. It was amazing. The planets slowly approaching each other, then at the moment of conjunction, a different light of the orbs, bluer or greener than usual. Wonderful.
Julia slowly put down her instrument and watched the others. Lily was amazed, smiling to herself. James was more interested in her than in the skies, but bravely held the telescope. Lupin was murmuring to himself, counting, predicting. Sirius was watching the skies with a slight interest mixed with endless boredom.
'Hey, you're not watching!', he accused her. Julia smiled.
'From a sociological point of view watching you staring at the skies is much more efficient.'
Lily turned to them, sat down, took off her charts and said.
'Let's read them. It's not dangerous, is it?', Remus stood himself behind her and looked into the charts.
'Who first? Julia?', he asked. Julia snorted, took her bottle of butterbeer and allowed them to read her future. What a bullshit, she thought.
'No secrets can be revealed. But you will find a date forever, this year', Lupin slowly spoke, with amusement in his eyes.
'Oh, God', Julia pretended to care. 'So I am going to be expelled. I do not expect the date to be at Hogwarts!'
'Hey, we're just having fun. Now James', said Lily firmly.
James was going to have a first important fight in his life this year, Lily would be attacked, this scared her a little, but she didn't show. Lupin was going to discover the area of magic he wanted to work on. But Sirius.
'this is so strange, but you will find a date forever!!', shocked Lily shouted.
'I guess Julia we should think about where to go after we BOTH are expelled!', Sirius laughed, but Lily opened her book and checked this divination.
'It's strange, but we should read some more about this in "Star prophecies". I haven't seen the book.'
'Because it's hidden from us', said Julia grimly. 'Well, from me exactly, but THEY thought no student should be allowed to read it.'
'Hey', James suddenly realized the essence of the augur. 'But if you both are to find.'
He couldn't finish because Julia and Sirius froze him with their cool eyes.
James Potter and Sirius Black were rambling around the Hogwarts Express looking for place or (more probably) for familiar and nice faces: they knew enough place will be in Lupin's compartment.
Prongs opened the door and they stepped into. Julia was sitting next to window, watching the landscapes, with a book on her knees. Lily was chatting with Mavis Allen and Virge Glasscow. They looked up to see who dared to bother them.
'Oh, it's you guys', she said and turned to her mates. Guys were still staring.
'We just came to say hello', said Sirius and glanced at Julia. Her face was still turned to the window but he could see the reflexion. And it gazed at him.
'Hello', said the girls and continued the talk. James sighed.
'Well, not very hearty types, let's go Padfoot.'
They were to leave when Julia turned slowly and said.
'Hey, Black', he looked into her eyes, too quickly, James thought. 'I've heard. That's nice. And brave, I guess.'
'I appreciate that, Jill', he said. First time since ages, he'd used her name.
'Enjoy your first free year, Padfoot', she smiled as he smiled at the thought of runaway from home, living with James. First year really free from that nuts family.
***
Their sixth year begun with lots of extra lessons, regular ones and pranks, of course. But the most interesting thing (as it seemed it the middle of September) was a conjunction of four planets: Venus, Mars, Jovis and Saturn. It happened only once three thousand years. It's the best moment to observe the skies, watch the past and learn about the future. The best to make decissions and plan. To prepare some special potions. And to make divinations.
Julia was amused when she found Lily so excited about this very last advantage of the conjunction. She told her about this and Lily at once began to count the days to the zero point on Saturday, 1st of October. Julia had been thinking a lot about planning, comparing sky charts, doing some incantations. But to augure? She smiled to herself. Her family never cared about divinations (prophecies were of a different kind) and all those auguries about who to marry or so on seemed riddiculus.
The school was not going to feast the conjunction officially, so girls decited to do this by themselves. They were not the only ones.
The Marauders found that night to be just perfect to try out some of their new pranks. James and Lupin were laughing when Peter told them seriously about things that happen on such nights (men are drunk and fell of the roofs; women dance naked; water in all seas begins to boil). Sirius, a little absent with his thoughts, barked at the idea of seeing womed dancing naked. All of them laughed but Peter was still afraid and refused to join them that night. Guys didn't seem to care. Peter wasn't funny at all.
They chose the Astronomy tower: best view and a great telescope to watch the stars; enough place for everyone to watch and to drink butterbeer, for example.
The very last lesson before the conjunction night was Transmutation. Professor McGonagall at the very end announced headmaster's directions.
'Students are not allowed to leave the rooms after modnight today. Neiter are allowed to believe in some stupid divinations and superstitions about such events. You know what sort of events I am talking about.', she gazed suspicously at the Marauders: James and Sirius both looked so innocent that even Lupin - the serious one - giggled. Minerva sighed. 'If not - that's even better. You will hear about them tomorrow. Oh, by the way: the Astronomy tower will be occupied by teachers, so even if you tried, no one can get there. Dismiss!'
The class was slowly getting out, some were wondering what she told them about, some, like Sirius were thinking where to go instead. He caught Julia's blink, but couldn't ask her about that because she was stopped by her aunt. Professor closed the door and he couldn't hear.
'Julie, dear, are you planning something. You know I will know afterwards. Tell me.'
'Great! And you will put a detention on all the Gryffindors. Sounds good to me.'
'Don't act stupid. Not everyone knows. I would like to ask you not to watch the skies.'
'You know that I would never ever do that not allowed', Julia laughed and wanted to leave, but aunt stopped her once again and carefully looked into her eyes.
'Tonight's sky is not for you', Julia was a little scared. 'You're too smart.'
*
Julia found Lily sitting on her curtain bed. She was worried. Never wanted to break the rules and now they even can't leave their dormitories! Julia told her about the talk but, Evans was taken-aback: Jill didn't seem to obey the directions. She still wanted to see the sky.
'C'mon, Lily, I never wanted the divinations, it's all stupid. But the skies!! Believe me, we'll take our little telescopes and go to the Divination Tower. I guess next to the classroom is a roof entrance. Oh, and of course we will leave before midnight, we don't want to be impolite.'
Lily threw a pillow on Julia's head. But laughed. Yes, they could do this. This was to be her first breakage of school rules.
They decided to leave for library after the dinner and then hide in deserted bathroom. Lily wanted so much to have her sky charts prepared that Julia had to do this until 11pm. Then they approached the tower.
Lily opened the door with a spell and they stepped onto a ladder. Outside, on the roof, the sky was dark navy and stars were shining. It was cold. They pulled out the blankets and magically closed the entrance.
*
'Moony, you should eat less!! You grow fatter!!', James laughed as they were walking silently under their Invisibility Cloak. Remus was always very thin and it was James who made the road difficult.
They were just under the entrance to roof in the Divination tower when Sirius took a glance at the Marauders Map and sighed.
'Well, guys, I guess we have company.'
'Who?', asked Lupin, a little terrified.
'Julia and Lily, we should have expected that!'
'So, let's ask them to let us in!', James put off the cloak and knocked at the door. The ladder slowly fall and they went on the roof.
*
The five of them were standing on the roof, telescopes in their hands, watching the skies. It was amazing. The planets slowly approaching each other, then at the moment of conjunction, a different light of the orbs, bluer or greener than usual. Wonderful.
Julia slowly put down her instrument and watched the others. Lily was amazed, smiling to herself. James was more interested in her than in the skies, but bravely held the telescope. Lupin was murmuring to himself, counting, predicting. Sirius was watching the skies with a slight interest mixed with endless boredom.
'Hey, you're not watching!', he accused her. Julia smiled.
'From a sociological point of view watching you staring at the skies is much more efficient.'
Lily turned to them, sat down, took off her charts and said.
'Let's read them. It's not dangerous, is it?', Remus stood himself behind her and looked into the charts.
'Who first? Julia?', he asked. Julia snorted, took her bottle of butterbeer and allowed them to read her future. What a bullshit, she thought.
'No secrets can be revealed. But you will find a date forever, this year', Lupin slowly spoke, with amusement in his eyes.
'Oh, God', Julia pretended to care. 'So I am going to be expelled. I do not expect the date to be at Hogwarts!'
'Hey, we're just having fun. Now James', said Lily firmly.
James was going to have a first important fight in his life this year, Lily would be attacked, this scared her a little, but she didn't show. Lupin was going to discover the area of magic he wanted to work on. But Sirius.
'this is so strange, but you will find a date forever!!', shocked Lily shouted.
'I guess Julia we should think about where to go after we BOTH are expelled!', Sirius laughed, but Lily opened her book and checked this divination.
'It's strange, but we should read some more about this in "Star prophecies". I haven't seen the book.'
'Because it's hidden from us', said Julia grimly. 'Well, from me exactly, but THEY thought no student should be allowed to read it.'
'Hey', James suddenly realized the essence of the augur. 'But if you both are to find.'
He couldn't finish because Julia and Sirius froze him with their cool eyes.