CHAPTER 13: AND THE PLOT THICKENS
Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but the plot.
*~~~*
No one really wanted to admit it, but during the week a blustery cold had set in. Winter was coming, and so was the first Quidditch match, which everyone was getting more and more apprehensive about. The colder it got the harder it would be to concentrate on the game, and at this rate, five minutes into it their butts would be frozen to the broom. Everything went on as normal besides the fact that Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures were like torture with the weather. On this particular Wednesday morning, the Marauder's were heading back from a completely disastrous Herbology lesson. They all had cloaks and gloves on, their faces and ears were very red, and they were struggling against the wind back towards the Heavenly warm castle.
"B-bloody hell, it feels like my e-ears have frozen off," said James, teeth chattering.
"Cheer up, mate, got Charms next, and old Flitwick's a big pushover," Sirius said pulling his cloak up towards his face. They walked the rest of the distance in shivery silence, and finally made it to the castle. They were excruciatingly close to the classroom when they noticed a, pale, greasy and altogether freakish boy blocking the entrance for some unknown reason.
"'Ello Snivelly, nice to see you again."
"Damn you, Potter." James just grinned even wider, and said,
"Although I really would love to stick around and chat, I've got Charms, and you are, as of current, in my way."
"Oh but of course," spat Snape, "And no one gets in the way of the almighty Potter and his little friends, everyone just falling all over to bathe you in your glory."
"Too right," James said happily, and Sirius added,
"Well, see, Snivelly, we at least do bathe. You on the other hand, have obviously never learned how..." but he was interrupted by Snape taking out his wand and muttering a string of swearwords. Before he actually was able to hex the four into next year, however, Remus took out his wand and stated,
"Peficatrus Totalus!" A jet of green light flashed and hit Severus Square in the jaw. He keeled over straight as a board and Lupin smiled satisfactorily. Sirius kicked him out of the way of the door and the four sat down in seats next to each other just as the class began. They all smiled at each other in the goofy, mischievous grin we all know and love, and waited until Flitwick had given out instructions before beginning their conversation, not even bothering to attempt the charm they were supposedly learning.
"So, Mr. Potter believes Mr. Lupin showed his peers some exemplary spell work with his good chum Snivelly back there."
"Mr. Lupin thinks he is just lucky to have not gotten caught," Remus said, pointing to his Prefect badge, and waving his wand lazily in a half- assed attempt to charm the bullfrog in front of him to stop croaking. Surprisingly, it kept moving it's mouth, but no sound emitted from it.
"Mr. Black is really quite curious as to how Mr. Lupin got his badge in the first place, seeing as how he is a Marauder, for God's sake."
"Mr. Potter thinks it is because Mr. Lupin just manages to never get caught, and is quite jealous of this particular skill, and if he gets his way, (which he always does) he will know how by the end of the day."
"And Mr. Pettigrew is really tired of trying to talk in Messer's. Not to mention, attempting to figure out the third person stuff." Sirius sniggered,
"For the record, Mr. Black thinks Mr. Pettigrew should really learn to multi-task, as well as how to silence the damn Raven, it's annoying me." Peter gave him a death-glare that rivaled Cailie's, and Sirius threw up his hands and smiled innocently. At this moment the Professor walked by, causing all four to quickly grab their wands and shout a little over- exuberantly,
"SILENCIO!" The animals went zooming towards the backs of the room and bounced off the wall, unable to make any noises, or rather, unable to do much of anything.
"Well done boys!" Flitwick squealed, "Although I must say, you might want to try, well...err...a little less enthusiasm next time." They looked at him sheepishly, he waddled away, and the four re-pocketed their wands.
"Now, back to business," said James in undertone. "What operations and doings are the Marauder's currently formulating?"
"Err...well, I have Prefect duties tonight, with Jessi."
"And we have Quidditch practice," Sirius said pointing to himself and James.
"Good Lord!" exclaimed James, running his hands through his hair exasperatedly, not even noticing the girl behind him who had been avidly staring at Sirius, and now had toppled out of her chair in surprise. Sirius quickly got up and helped the blushing girl up,
"I'm sorry, about my friend, Miss... Err..."
"Bones."
"Right well, I hope you can forgive my prat-of-a-friend, Jamsie over there, he's a little bit...unstable, if you get my drift." The girl giggled, blushing immensely and Sirius sat back down, where James proceeded to hit him over the head with his Intermediate Charms book.
"I'll give you prat."
"Oww." Sirius said in mock anguish, and then tilted his chair back and winked at the girl, who was still staring, and said,
"Told you, babe." Remus rolled his eyes and James just grinned, shaking his head, and then continued on as if nothing had occurred,
"So anyway, do you realize we haven't even really pulled a prank this year? We're acting truly..." he wrinkled his nose in disgust "normal, and boring, and goody-goody! This must stop!" Sirius nodded grandly,
"Hear, hear!" and they all pretended to click glasses. After they had finished grinning wickedly at each other, Peter spoke.
"So, Remus, I think a full moon's coming up, am I correct?" James shushed him quickly and Peter lowered his voice before continuing on,
"So do you think we'll be able to pull off the spell this time?" looking especially at James and Sirius. Sirius, noticing Peter looking to him, inclined his head in James's direction, and waited.
"No, not yet, I don't think." The three others groaned and the class turned to look at them oddly. They quickly pulled out there wands and pretended to be working on the charm. "I'm coming close to deciphering the end part of the spell though, and then after that we only need to translate the 'thought directions' so to speak, and then all we need is practice." They nodded and then went to there charm work, as so not to appear suspicious. Strange thing was, everyone was cleaning up and leaving, and Professor Flitwick was standing over them, eyebrows raised.
"Boys? I dismissed class about five minutes ago. You may go, although by all means, stay during you're lunch period and work on the charm!" He smiled at them, eyes twinkling.
"Uh, sorry Professor, but I think we've got it." Remus said and they all scrambled out of their seats to go to lunch.
*~~~*
The Girlies sat in the back of Potions, listening only half- heartedly. It was there second to last class of the day, and Transfiguration didn't really count. As strict as she was, not even Professor McGonagall could deny the Girlie's talent in this subject. Potions, though, was an entirely different story. The only one who had a truly firm grip on the subject was Jessi, and that was really only because her dad was a potion brewer for a hospital back in Italy. It didn't make her like it any more, though, as they had an elderly, snappish batty old woman, Professor Gloria Marchbanks, who while by no means Slytherien- oriented-evil, was practically deaf, irritable, and likely to go off on tangents that had nothing to do with the subject. Rumor had it that she would be retiring soon, or maybe she'd die, but the student's didn't really get there hopes up, seeing as how death had not deterred Professor Binns in the least. Today they were to be working in partners on a potion that was supposed to put a person to sleep for a good amount of time, and to hand a flask up at the end of class. Caitie and Cailie quickly paired up, as did Ashley and Jessi. Across the room, the fifth year Slythereins, who they regretfully had to share this lesson with, were pairing up.
The girls began there potion, and for awhile, all seemed to be going well. This peaceful calm, of course, did not stay for the entire lesson. Caitie and Cailie, as intelligent as they were, were also remarkably stubborn, and both took to heart the saying 'My way or the highway.'
"You cut the roots, Caitie, and I'll stir, I'm better at potions then you, so just do as I say, and we'll be fine." Caitie sighed exasperatedly,
"Yes, but I want to do more then cut the damn roots, seeing as how I've known how to do that since I was three." Cailie looked at her pointedly,
"Just. Cut. The. Roots. And. You. Can. Do. Something. Later." She stated as if talking to a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum.
"God, Cailie, you really need to stop treating me like I'm five. I think I can handle this, it looks simple enough." She took out her wand and began stirring the half-made potion.
"No no no! You're doing it all wrong!" Cailie grabbed Caitie's wand from her and held it out of her reach. Caitie made a lunge for it and soon there was an all-out war. Unbeknownst to them, Snape was currently taunting the other two Girlies.
"You're friends better watch there backs. And I'd be careful if I were you, too."
"Oh yes, and I'm so afraid of big bad, Snape. You are such a git." Jessi said, not removing her gaze from the simmering cauldron. He chuckled softly,
"You really should be, you and you're mud blood friends," he said oily, inclining his head towards the two other girls, who were currently pummeling the life out of each other, "Guess they're finally coming out the closet."
"You are so disgusting, Snape, you really need to get a life and sod off. Or some friends, or someone to insult who really cares." Said Ashley quietly, through gritted teeth. It took every fiber of there being not to push the cauldron over on the asshole. They needn't have worried, though, because at that instant, Cailie had rammed Caitlin into their cauldron with a force equal to that of a hurricane's and it tipped over in that direction, the potion splattering onto Snape, but also unfortunately Ashley and Jessi. The three stumbled around woozily and fell over into a deep sleep. Stopped in mid-animation, Caitie and Cailie looked up, and burst into hysterical laughter and the havoc they had wreaked, all anger dissipated. There smiles were wiped from their faces, though, when Marchbanks 'tut tutted' her way on over to them and said,
"For disrupting the class, a weeks worth of detention. For making a mess in the dungeon, twenty-five points from your house each. For putting three of your classmates into a sleep that'll probably last a good three days, another week's worth of detention."
"But Professor!" gasped Caitie, feeling very sick all of the sudden.
"No If's, and's, or but's, Miss Roark. Well, class is dismissed, I suppose." She tottered off leaving two very pissed off girls to deal with three sleeping students.
"Well, could be worse." Said Cailie dully.
"How?" Caitie snapped.
"You could be one of these three." She said pointing at her friend's and her enemy.
"Right." Said Caitie, and they laughed, linking arms and walking out, not bothering to do anything about the fact that her best friends were currently snoring on the floor of the potions dungeon.
*~~~*
The next morning a very grumpy looking duo sat at the Ravenclaw table. They were grumpy for three reasons: 1. They had to serve two weeks worth of detention with their insane Potions professor cleaning the dungeon. 2. Neither were morning people to begin with, and minus their cheery friends to intervene when they grated on each other's nerves, the case was hopeless. 3. Cailie had PMS, and was willing to hex anyone into a parallel universe who annoyed her, which tended to put anyone close to her on edge. Sirius was just about to go over to confront his girlfriend to see why she was behaving this way (not such a good idea) when the owl post came and he heard James say in a shaky I-am-in-shock-and-suppressing-my-anger voice,
"Oh my God. Sirius, come take a look at this..."
Disclaimer: Still don't own anything but the plot.
*~~~*
No one really wanted to admit it, but during the week a blustery cold had set in. Winter was coming, and so was the first Quidditch match, which everyone was getting more and more apprehensive about. The colder it got the harder it would be to concentrate on the game, and at this rate, five minutes into it their butts would be frozen to the broom. Everything went on as normal besides the fact that Potions, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures were like torture with the weather. On this particular Wednesday morning, the Marauder's were heading back from a completely disastrous Herbology lesson. They all had cloaks and gloves on, their faces and ears were very red, and they were struggling against the wind back towards the Heavenly warm castle.
"B-bloody hell, it feels like my e-ears have frozen off," said James, teeth chattering.
"Cheer up, mate, got Charms next, and old Flitwick's a big pushover," Sirius said pulling his cloak up towards his face. They walked the rest of the distance in shivery silence, and finally made it to the castle. They were excruciatingly close to the classroom when they noticed a, pale, greasy and altogether freakish boy blocking the entrance for some unknown reason.
"'Ello Snivelly, nice to see you again."
"Damn you, Potter." James just grinned even wider, and said,
"Although I really would love to stick around and chat, I've got Charms, and you are, as of current, in my way."
"Oh but of course," spat Snape, "And no one gets in the way of the almighty Potter and his little friends, everyone just falling all over to bathe you in your glory."
"Too right," James said happily, and Sirius added,
"Well, see, Snivelly, we at least do bathe. You on the other hand, have obviously never learned how..." but he was interrupted by Snape taking out his wand and muttering a string of swearwords. Before he actually was able to hex the four into next year, however, Remus took out his wand and stated,
"Peficatrus Totalus!" A jet of green light flashed and hit Severus Square in the jaw. He keeled over straight as a board and Lupin smiled satisfactorily. Sirius kicked him out of the way of the door and the four sat down in seats next to each other just as the class began. They all smiled at each other in the goofy, mischievous grin we all know and love, and waited until Flitwick had given out instructions before beginning their conversation, not even bothering to attempt the charm they were supposedly learning.
"So, Mr. Potter believes Mr. Lupin showed his peers some exemplary spell work with his good chum Snivelly back there."
"Mr. Lupin thinks he is just lucky to have not gotten caught," Remus said, pointing to his Prefect badge, and waving his wand lazily in a half- assed attempt to charm the bullfrog in front of him to stop croaking. Surprisingly, it kept moving it's mouth, but no sound emitted from it.
"Mr. Black is really quite curious as to how Mr. Lupin got his badge in the first place, seeing as how he is a Marauder, for God's sake."
"Mr. Potter thinks it is because Mr. Lupin just manages to never get caught, and is quite jealous of this particular skill, and if he gets his way, (which he always does) he will know how by the end of the day."
"And Mr. Pettigrew is really tired of trying to talk in Messer's. Not to mention, attempting to figure out the third person stuff." Sirius sniggered,
"For the record, Mr. Black thinks Mr. Pettigrew should really learn to multi-task, as well as how to silence the damn Raven, it's annoying me." Peter gave him a death-glare that rivaled Cailie's, and Sirius threw up his hands and smiled innocently. At this moment the Professor walked by, causing all four to quickly grab their wands and shout a little over- exuberantly,
"SILENCIO!" The animals went zooming towards the backs of the room and bounced off the wall, unable to make any noises, or rather, unable to do much of anything.
"Well done boys!" Flitwick squealed, "Although I must say, you might want to try, well...err...a little less enthusiasm next time." They looked at him sheepishly, he waddled away, and the four re-pocketed their wands.
"Now, back to business," said James in undertone. "What operations and doings are the Marauder's currently formulating?"
"Err...well, I have Prefect duties tonight, with Jessi."
"And we have Quidditch practice," Sirius said pointing to himself and James.
"Good Lord!" exclaimed James, running his hands through his hair exasperatedly, not even noticing the girl behind him who had been avidly staring at Sirius, and now had toppled out of her chair in surprise. Sirius quickly got up and helped the blushing girl up,
"I'm sorry, about my friend, Miss... Err..."
"Bones."
"Right well, I hope you can forgive my prat-of-a-friend, Jamsie over there, he's a little bit...unstable, if you get my drift." The girl giggled, blushing immensely and Sirius sat back down, where James proceeded to hit him over the head with his Intermediate Charms book.
"I'll give you prat."
"Oww." Sirius said in mock anguish, and then tilted his chair back and winked at the girl, who was still staring, and said,
"Told you, babe." Remus rolled his eyes and James just grinned, shaking his head, and then continued on as if nothing had occurred,
"So anyway, do you realize we haven't even really pulled a prank this year? We're acting truly..." he wrinkled his nose in disgust "normal, and boring, and goody-goody! This must stop!" Sirius nodded grandly,
"Hear, hear!" and they all pretended to click glasses. After they had finished grinning wickedly at each other, Peter spoke.
"So, Remus, I think a full moon's coming up, am I correct?" James shushed him quickly and Peter lowered his voice before continuing on,
"So do you think we'll be able to pull off the spell this time?" looking especially at James and Sirius. Sirius, noticing Peter looking to him, inclined his head in James's direction, and waited.
"No, not yet, I don't think." The three others groaned and the class turned to look at them oddly. They quickly pulled out there wands and pretended to be working on the charm. "I'm coming close to deciphering the end part of the spell though, and then after that we only need to translate the 'thought directions' so to speak, and then all we need is practice." They nodded and then went to there charm work, as so not to appear suspicious. Strange thing was, everyone was cleaning up and leaving, and Professor Flitwick was standing over them, eyebrows raised.
"Boys? I dismissed class about five minutes ago. You may go, although by all means, stay during you're lunch period and work on the charm!" He smiled at them, eyes twinkling.
"Uh, sorry Professor, but I think we've got it." Remus said and they all scrambled out of their seats to go to lunch.
*~~~*
The Girlies sat in the back of Potions, listening only half- heartedly. It was there second to last class of the day, and Transfiguration didn't really count. As strict as she was, not even Professor McGonagall could deny the Girlie's talent in this subject. Potions, though, was an entirely different story. The only one who had a truly firm grip on the subject was Jessi, and that was really only because her dad was a potion brewer for a hospital back in Italy. It didn't make her like it any more, though, as they had an elderly, snappish batty old woman, Professor Gloria Marchbanks, who while by no means Slytherien- oriented-evil, was practically deaf, irritable, and likely to go off on tangents that had nothing to do with the subject. Rumor had it that she would be retiring soon, or maybe she'd die, but the student's didn't really get there hopes up, seeing as how death had not deterred Professor Binns in the least. Today they were to be working in partners on a potion that was supposed to put a person to sleep for a good amount of time, and to hand a flask up at the end of class. Caitie and Cailie quickly paired up, as did Ashley and Jessi. Across the room, the fifth year Slythereins, who they regretfully had to share this lesson with, were pairing up.
The girls began there potion, and for awhile, all seemed to be going well. This peaceful calm, of course, did not stay for the entire lesson. Caitie and Cailie, as intelligent as they were, were also remarkably stubborn, and both took to heart the saying 'My way or the highway.'
"You cut the roots, Caitie, and I'll stir, I'm better at potions then you, so just do as I say, and we'll be fine." Caitie sighed exasperatedly,
"Yes, but I want to do more then cut the damn roots, seeing as how I've known how to do that since I was three." Cailie looked at her pointedly,
"Just. Cut. The. Roots. And. You. Can. Do. Something. Later." She stated as if talking to a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum.
"God, Cailie, you really need to stop treating me like I'm five. I think I can handle this, it looks simple enough." She took out her wand and began stirring the half-made potion.
"No no no! You're doing it all wrong!" Cailie grabbed Caitie's wand from her and held it out of her reach. Caitie made a lunge for it and soon there was an all-out war. Unbeknownst to them, Snape was currently taunting the other two Girlies.
"You're friends better watch there backs. And I'd be careful if I were you, too."
"Oh yes, and I'm so afraid of big bad, Snape. You are such a git." Jessi said, not removing her gaze from the simmering cauldron. He chuckled softly,
"You really should be, you and you're mud blood friends," he said oily, inclining his head towards the two other girls, who were currently pummeling the life out of each other, "Guess they're finally coming out the closet."
"You are so disgusting, Snape, you really need to get a life and sod off. Or some friends, or someone to insult who really cares." Said Ashley quietly, through gritted teeth. It took every fiber of there being not to push the cauldron over on the asshole. They needn't have worried, though, because at that instant, Cailie had rammed Caitlin into their cauldron with a force equal to that of a hurricane's and it tipped over in that direction, the potion splattering onto Snape, but also unfortunately Ashley and Jessi. The three stumbled around woozily and fell over into a deep sleep. Stopped in mid-animation, Caitie and Cailie looked up, and burst into hysterical laughter and the havoc they had wreaked, all anger dissipated. There smiles were wiped from their faces, though, when Marchbanks 'tut tutted' her way on over to them and said,
"For disrupting the class, a weeks worth of detention. For making a mess in the dungeon, twenty-five points from your house each. For putting three of your classmates into a sleep that'll probably last a good three days, another week's worth of detention."
"But Professor!" gasped Caitie, feeling very sick all of the sudden.
"No If's, and's, or but's, Miss Roark. Well, class is dismissed, I suppose." She tottered off leaving two very pissed off girls to deal with three sleeping students.
"Well, could be worse." Said Cailie dully.
"How?" Caitie snapped.
"You could be one of these three." She said pointing at her friend's and her enemy.
"Right." Said Caitie, and they laughed, linking arms and walking out, not bothering to do anything about the fact that her best friends were currently snoring on the floor of the potions dungeon.
*~~~*
The next morning a very grumpy looking duo sat at the Ravenclaw table. They were grumpy for three reasons: 1. They had to serve two weeks worth of detention with their insane Potions professor cleaning the dungeon. 2. Neither were morning people to begin with, and minus their cheery friends to intervene when they grated on each other's nerves, the case was hopeless. 3. Cailie had PMS, and was willing to hex anyone into a parallel universe who annoyed her, which tended to put anyone close to her on edge. Sirius was just about to go over to confront his girlfriend to see why she was behaving this way (not such a good idea) when the owl post came and he heard James say in a shaky I-am-in-shock-and-suppressing-my-anger voice,
"Oh my God. Sirius, come take a look at this..."