Chapter 9
"Moony! How was your aunt?" Padfoot asked Moony, who was grinning weakly.
"She's better now," Moony said, his cheeks rather pale. I grinned as I shoved plates of food in front of him.
"Eat something!"
"Any chocolate?" he asked weakly, shrugging his shoulders emphatically.
"For you, mate, always!" said Wormtail as he pulled out a huge bar of chocolate.
"Aw, Wormtail, you hold the key to my heart," Moony said as he unwrapped the chocolate.
"Moony? Did you cheat on me?" Padfoot yelled, his voice an octave higher than usual.
"What?! Moony? With two different people?" I also yelled, agahst.
Moony's eyes widened as people looked at us from all around the Gryffindor table.
"Now, guys, there's plenty of me to go around, no need to fight!"
Sirius gave one of his bark-like laughs, and he slapped Moony on the back.
"Glad to see you back, mate!" said Padfoot, his voice booming throughout the Great Hall.
I watched Peter roll his eyes, and then I remembered something! But before I could say, Dumbledore stood up.
"Students! I have some very good news. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has arrived."
There were four collective, audbile gasps and they came from us.
"Professor Samantha Lupin," introduced Dumbledore.
A woman with straw-blonde hair and a slim figure then walked in, she was smiling at all of us and gave a wave.
"Professor Lupin, these students are what you have to look foward to."
I noticed that Dumbledore gave a merry twinkle towards us. Glancing quickly at Moony, I realized he was the palest that I've ever seen him.
Then Padfoot had to go and be Padfoot...
"Sam! Where've you been all my life?" he yelled out to her.
There was scattered chuckling as everyone looked at Padfoot. Dumbledore was even sparing him a happy glance. I swear, sometimes it's like he can't get upset. Dumbledore, that is. I know that Padfoot can get upset.
"Hello, Sirius," Sam said as Padfoot ran up to her and hugged her exaggeratedly.
I gave a laugh as he started to try and pick her up, and she was protesting. I chuckled as I realized her face was a bright red.
"Mr. Black, I believe that is enough of a greeting," Dumbledore said as Padfoot was now trying to give Sam a kiss.
"Oh, come on, Professor!" said Padfoot. He frowned a bit, then gave Sam another squeeze. "We're old chums!"
"Mr. Black," McGonagall started warningly. When that happened, Padfoot threw up his hands in surrender and then blew McGonagall a kiss.
I could've sworn McGonagall just blushed...
When Padfoot came back, he clapped Moony on the back, who had his head down on the table. I glanced back up at the staff table, and Sam was shaking hands with the rest of the professors.
"Moony?" inquired Wormtail.
"If anyone asks, I've hung myself in the dungeons," Moony muttered as he banged his head against the table.
"Don't worry, mate, no one'll ask," said Sirius as he stuffed peas into his mouth.
Moony looked up and shot a glare at Padfoot, and then he let his head drop back onto the table with a thump.
I gave a chuckle as I watched Moony. Then I remembered, there was something that I needed to give him. I was going to before Dumbledore introduced Sam.
"Aw, Remmy, don't whinge," I said, trying to sound comforting. It was quite hard to do. "You got a letter this morning."
I then tossed the letter towards him, which plopped in his mashed potatoes. Wormtail picked it up and thumped Moony in the head.
"Eh, Moony, want me to read it?"
"No."
"Alright!" Wormtail proceeded to open the letter.
"Dear Remus,
Blah, Blah, Blah, We've not heard from you and mum is worried... blah, blah, blah, I know I can't hold it in, so I'll tell you now! I'm coming to Hogwarts today! Positively can't wait to see you! Blah, blah, blah...
Love, Sam!
Wormtail took the letter and hugged it to his chest. His eyes were wide and he was sniffling.
"Oh, Remus, that's just beautiful!"
"Sod off, you prat," Moony grumbled as he grabbed the letter. Wormtail was laughing.
"Prongs, you got the letter this morning?" Moony asked of me.
"Yes, I did," I confirmed.
I felt sympathetic as Moony's shoulders slumped.
"At least she gave me a warning," Moony muttered as he crumpled the letter and pushed it in his pocket. I tried to smile comfortingly at him. I just didn't really see the reason to be upset.
"Don't worry about it, Moony, old boy! Things'll be perfect, you'll see. It can't be much worse than if she was to live in the hall across from us. Now that would be something to whinge over."
I snorted at Padfoot as he said this. He was looking quite frank in his attempts to cheer up Moony.
"James!"
My head snapped up as I heard my name. I knew that voice...
"Now, come on, Lily! Talk to me instead," Padfoot yelled across the table.
I almost fell out of my seat as she gave him a bright smile and stared at him in that way that was purely Lily.
"Alright then. Sirius, perhaps you can answer my question. Have you read the tome Deliquesent Potions?"
I tried not to laugh as Sirius' face fell and he physically blanched.
"Er, 'fraid not. I've read about as much as you play Quidditch."
Lily narrowed her eyes and then said, "I'm afraid I would take that as an insult under any other circumstance, but I'll let it pass as you're making an analogy which is quite true."
Padfoot looked sheepish as he shrugged and took a sip of his drink. Lily then looked at me. My breath caught in my throat, she was smiling in that special way...
"James?"
"Yes?"
She then winked at me (Praise, Merlin!) and said in a distinctly false voice, "What did you think of Arrhein's Theory?"
I grinned, I assume rather smugly, as I answered, "I believe that he's quite correct in his assumptions."
Lily gave a laugh as she mouthed, "Is that Remus' sister?"
Although, I didn't quite catch it the first time as I thought she said, "Do you have a blister?"
I looked puzzled, I'm sure, and shook my head 'no'. Then she looked puzzled.
She got up and came next to me and said, "Really? I didn't think 'Lupin' was a very common name."
I was fully turned towards her, and my whole posture screamed 'confused'.
"What would the last name 'Lupin' have to do with blisters?" I asked her, my face was probably scrunched up.
"Why would anything have to do with blisters?" she asked me. Then she gasped and covered her mouth. "Unless I have one!" was what she said next, albeit a bit muffled.
"No! You asked me if I had a blister earlier," I said. I had realized then that it wasn't what she had asked.
She laughed and uncovered her mouth. "No, I asked if she was Remus' sister!"
I smacked my head.
"Oh, of course! Yeah, that's his sister. He's not very happy with her being here, if you can tell." I then gestured to Remus, who looked sullen; Padfoot was throwing peas into his drink, and Peter was making landscapes with his mashed potatoes.
"You don't remember her?" I asked her as I took a sip of my pumpkin juice.
"Not really. She was three years ahead of us and not in Gryffindor. Not much for me to remember."
I chuckled. I noticed Lily look over my shoulder. I turned around and looked, too. Padfoot took a carrot and was making aeroplane sounds as he kept crashing it into Wormtail's mashed potatoes. Then Wormtail would retaliate by throwing peas down Padfoot's front.
"She was a real stiffler for the rules," I said as I turned back around, not paying attention to them.
Yet, I couldn't get Lily's attention again. She was too engrossed in Padfoot and Wormtail.
"Lily?"
"Are they always this childish?"
I turned back around, and Padfoot was now prodding Peter's mashed potatoes with his wand, and gravy was shooting out everywhere.
"No, usually a bit more. So, anyhow, yes, Sam is Remus' sister. I don't know why he's so upset. She's here to stay, so it seems."
Lily was turned back around towards me and was grinning.
"C'mon! Let's go do something fun!"
My mouth dropped open a bit and I put my hand on her forehead. "You all right, there?"
"Are you scared?" she asked me, a daring grin on her lips. I laughed and then said, "You must forget who I am. So, what would you like to do?"
"Fly?"
I raised my eyebrows and skeptically asked her, "Fly?"
She grinned enigmatically and then shrugged at me.
"You said you didn't like flying," I told her, still confused and perplexed. Although, that was initially the same thing.
"No, I said I didn't like Quidditch. Yet, that's only for playing. I don't mind watching." I wonder if she was watching me. Then she continued speaking. "Well? Will you take me flying tonight?"
Grinning, I stood up and pulled her with me.
"Of course I want to study, Lily! Whatever gave you the idea I didn't?" I asked her loudly, a grin and a wink directed at her.
"I've no idea. Perhaps we should go study now," she answered, catching on quite nicely. I knew she was a smart girl.
I turned around to Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail, and they looked preoccupied, not even paying attention to the show Lily and I just put on.
"Ladies, Lily and I are going to go study. I'll see you blokes later."
Remus looked up at me, as if he really was going to be sick.
"Sure, alright then. Make sure you don't show all the secret passages, there's no point in them being secret if everyone knows about them," Moony said dismally.
I gave a gasp of disgust. "But, Moony! HOw could you even suggest such things? We're going to be studying!"
"I believe you, Prongs!" Padfoot said to me. "You're going to be studying the female anatomy."
Scowling, I levitated a roll and threw it at him.
"Hey now!" Sirius yelped. "All I'm saying, mate, is that she'd want to study with me. Well, saying that, perhaps I should invite myself with you."
I glared at him as he laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Jamesie! I know that you asked her to this dance and you're attracted to her."
Wormtail snorted with laughter as Sirius laughed as well. I was about to hex them as Wormtail cleared his throat and motioned with his eyes to behind me. I turned around and Lily was behind me and was grinning.
"You ready to go study?" she asked me, her eyes twinkling happily. I heard snickering behind me, so I didn't respond immediately. Well, not before I hexed Padfoot.
"Absolutely!" I answered, and I linked my arm with hers.
When we did that, I heard giggling, and I saw Lily's friends all laughing behind their hands and making side-long glances at us. Ignoring them, Lily and I made our way out of the Great Hall.
"Good thing I have a handsome guide, or I might get lost," said Lily as she smiled at me.
"You think I'm handsome?" I asked her, the smile on my face wide.
"Well, of course, James," she answered. "How could I not think you were good-looking?"
My heart was thumping madly, and there was now an extra bounce in my step. "Wow, thanks, Lily!"
"Oh, you're very most welcome. Everyone thinks you're fantastic. I mean, you are a great Chaser after all. Sport players are always fanciful."
I narrowed my eyes at her. She was grinning wickedly.
"Oh, James, I'm just teasing you. I wouldn't lie to you, would I?"
"No, I don't suppose you would. You're the saintly Lily, no reason to lie."
She playfully smacked me on the arm. We were bantering on the way to the Gryffindor Tower, when Peeves zoomed passed us.
"The potty and the flower! Oooh, are the 'ittle prefects on a datesy?"
"Peeves, if you don't leave us be, I'll be sure to tell the Bloody Barron," Lily threatened, her face serene. I was impressed as Peeves listened, but before he left, he blew a raspberry at us.
"He's such a pest," Lily muttered when he left. She was sighing and pulling back her hair with her fingers.
I chuckled as we reached the portrait hole. I said the password, which was 'Pickles!', and we went in.
"I'm giong to get my broom, alright?" I told her.
"Okay," she answered, not looking quite sure what to do with herself.
"Well, you can come up with me and take Padfoot's broom. He won't be any the wiser."
I grinned charmingly at her as I let her walk up the stairs ahead of me. We walked into the dorm, everything was messed up, or so I thought.
"Let me guess which bed is yours. This one." She had pointed to the bed closest to the door, and it had a couple of books around the floor and on the nightstand. It was also the second cleanest in the room.
"Yeah, how did you know?" I asked as I walked to it. I pulled a broom out of the trunk, as I had started to clean it earlier. The broom, that is.
"Because of the books. I knew that you read, as well as you being a fairly organised person."
I grinned cheekily at her and then I remembered I might need my invisibility cloak. I went to retrieve that as well.
"Can you tell me which one is Sirius'?" I asked her.
She grinned at me as she walked up to the one with the underkecks haning on the bed post. There was also pastries on the bedstand.
"Yeah! Again, how did you know?"
She quirked an eyebrow and said, "The bloomers hainging. It strikes me as a Sirius thing to do."
I chuckled, and the invisibility cloak was haning off my arm. Lily gave a gasp of surprise.
"Is that an invisibility cloak? Can-can I touch it?"
There were dirty thoughts running through my head. I didn't acknowledge them, and instead handed her the cloak.
I wanted to suck in my breath as Lily tentatively took it from my grasp. She handled it as if it was fragile. If only she knew what that cloak has been through.
"These are really valuable, you know that? How did you ever come into the possesion of one?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "My mum's parents gave it to her and she gave it to me. I don't know how my grandparents got it, though. I suppose it was because they were wealthy."
Lily quirked a brow. I didn't want her to see me blush, so I went to Sirius' trunk and took out his broom.
"You say that as if you aren't wealthy now."
"Well, we're fairly well off, but it isn't as if we're as wealthy as the Malfoy's or even the Black's."
Lily gave a giggle and said, "How did I know that Sirius would be rich?"
I gave a laugh and handed her the broom. "Come now, we're wasting valuable time. We could be wasting it flying."
She gave me a grin and we walked down the stairs. She examined the broom in her hand.
"What kind is this?" she asked me.
"One of the Shooting Star models. I've got a Silver Arrow." I handed her my broom and she examined it. I could tell she hadn't a clue about brooms.
"It's very nice. Quite slender. It's actually quite perfect for you."
I gave her a cheeky grin and a wink.
"You're only flattering me so you can say to all your friends how you got the star, Gryffindor chaser doting on you."
She gave me a glare and then said, "Not self-centred or inflated are you?"
"I have her a quirky grin and said, "Whatever gave you the idea that I, the best-looking male in all of Hogwarts, was self-centred?"
We were exiting out of the portrait hole now, and she was grinning slightly. "I've no idea, James, none at all."
Grinning, I put my arm around her shoulders and said, "Let's hurry before everyone else starts to leave the Great Hall."
She nodded and we hurriedly went to the Quidditch Pitch.
When we got there, the night was fairly clear and the stars were shining, but the moon wasn't out. I didn't want to risk sending up all of the lights, so I got one to fly by Lily and one to fly by me.
"Alright, Lily, those lights will stay with us as we fly around."
Lily nodded absently as she looked at me expectantly. I was perplexed until she grinned sheepishly and held up the broom.
"I never was any good when it came to flying."
I laughed as she said this, and I went to her and held out the broom.
"Alright, well, for one thing, all that 'up' junk they did was for show. You just need to get a feel of the broom. Give me your hand."
I took her hand and made her hold the middle of the broom. "Now, grasp it firmly and place your right leg over."
I watched with interest as she put her leg up. She looked at me and then she blushed!
"I suppose you're not used to me not succeeding," said Lily as she was grinning bashfully.
"Nonsense! I am, your fellow prefect! I'm quite used to you not succeeding against me all the time."
Glaring at me, she finally got her leg over the handle. She then held the broom tightly.
"There's no way you're gong to fly like that!" I said, chuckling. "Lighten your grip and let the broom feel you."
She stared at me and then she loosened her grip and straightened up a bit.
"There you are!" I then got on my broom, and was hovering next to her.
"You've got the hang of it, so let's rise a little higher."
With that, I took myself higher, watching Lily below me.
"You can't fly if all you do is stay near the ground."
I wanted to cheer as Lily did start to rise into the air, and was starting to lose the frightened look in her eyes.
"That's it, Lily! You're doing great!"
With that vote of confidence, she finally let go of her fears and started to fly.
Me, being the git that I am, started to show off.
"Watch me, Lily," I said as I did a roll on my broom.
"James!" she squealed as she clutched her broom.
"What?"
"Don't do that!"
"This?" I asked as I let go of my broom and then rolled to where I was upside down and I was only hanging on by my legs.
"James Potter! Stop it, stop it!" she was commanding me.
Chuckling, I righted myself and stared at her.
"When we get back on the ground, I'm going to hex you!"
"Ah, but will you be able to get me back on the ground? I can fly forever."
She was glaring at me as she leaned down on her broom and started to zoom towards me.
Surprised, I didn't notice as she pulled my light with her. Not until I was without a light, and the only thing I could see was Lily.
"How will you fly forever if you can't see? I know you, James. You can't sit still for long."
Shocked, I was gaping, but also grinning.
"Wow, I wouldn't expect that from you, Lily. That was underhanded and sneaky!"
I could see Lily with the two lights, and she was smiling smugly.
"Well, expect it, Potter, I'm much better than this, I assure you."
The grin on my face was wicked as I said, "You're going up against the king of the unexpected, m'dear!"
With that, I held up my wand and said, "Accio orbs!" Lily's face was priceless as I then said, "Nox."
We were then in darkenss, the only thing now lighting us was the stars.
"James Potter! I'm really going to hex you when we get on the ground!"
"Good luck finding the ground, Lily!" I said jovially. She then gave a yell of frustration.
"Potter, I swear I'm going to hex you!" she growled.
"Y'know, you're really not that threatening when one can't see the menacing look on your face."
"Oh, but James, you have no idea how terrifying I can be, seeing me or not."
I was about to respond when a yell from below got our attention.
"What are you kids doing?"
Panicking, I whispered to Lily hurriedly.
"Put on my invisibility cloak! Summon it to you!"
I dimly saw her nod as she summoned it and threw it on.
"But, James, what about you?"
"Not a big deal, I'm used to this, remember?"
"Listen, you little delinquents, I'm talking to you!" the person yelled again.
"Oi! I hear you!" I yelled back. I got the feeling that it was Filch yelling at us.
"Potter? I know that's you! Get your arse down here!"
Grinning and tossing a wink in Lily's general directon, I flew down in a dive and then pulled up when I was about fifteen feet from the ground.
"Yes'ir, Filchy?"
"Potter! Who was up there with you?" he asked, scanning the sky. I grinned with glee as he scowled and looked back at me.
"No one, Filchy, you must be seeing things in your old age."
"Potter! Y-you--!" he started to splutter.
"Detention?" I asked hopefully.
"Yes!" he spat out, his face tinged in red rage.
"Wickedly brilliant," I said loudly. He glared at me and then I looked up to the sky and said happily, "Did you hear that? I got detention!"
Filch hurriedly looked up but he didn't see anyone.
"Come on, Potter. To your Head of House, you filthy--"
"But wonderfully talented person!" I filled in for him.
Filch looked ready to murder me before he pointed at the castle. I shrugged and then shot the orbs into the air, lighting them.
"Don't wait up, alright?" I commanded into the sky.
I started to laugh as Filch was about to have a fit over wondering who I was talking to. Not just that, but that he couldn't get the orbs of light back down.
Giving a wink to the sky, I trekked back up the castle and to McGonagall's office.