"Hey, James!" Sirius called across the table at their third herbology
lesson of the year. Sirius Black had a habit of being very loud. "Check it
out!" He reached across the table to hand a piece of parchment to James.
Taking the paper, James noticed that it had some kind of little doodle on it. He sighed and looked closer like a parent whose child may have done something remarkably beautiful if anybody could only figure out what it was. "What is it?" he asked.
"Whaddaya think it is?" Sirius countered.
"I dunno.." James responded unfocusing his eyes, thinking that perhaps it might help. "A pig with glasses?"
"Exactly! It's YOU!" Sirius said, laughing.
James rolled his eyes and folded the paper back up, zooming it over at Sirius with his wand. "You have way too much free time, Black," he responded.
"Was that a racial comment?" Sirius joked, arms folded across his chest in mock anger.
"It was if I wanted it to be," James said, casually.
"Guys, your monkey grass is starting to get really annoying," Remus called. Having a plant climb all over him and poke at his ear would have annoyed him much sooner, had the two not been his best friends.
"Sorry, bud," Sirius said, prompting the monkey grass off of him.
"Hey, where'd Pete go?" James asked, scanning the greenhouse for signs of him.
"He had to go up to the hospital wing," Remus answered.
"Why?" This question came from Sirius.
"The jaguar ivy wasn't feeling particularly friendly," Remus replied, wincing.
"Whoa!" Sirius said, his eyes getting big. "Was there swelling? Blood? Poisoning?!"
Remus stepped back slowly. "I worry about you sometimes."
James laughed and snipped off part of the monkey grass, hearing the plant whimper and seeing Sirius pet it to make it hush up. He snipped off another part.
"James! You're hurting the little critter. Cut lower with those things, will you?" Sirius said, indignantly.
"Sorry," James said, trying to snip lower as the plant wriggled and squirmed in an obvious display of fear. "It for the thing's own good," he said.
"Hubert is not a thing," Sirius said. "Hubert is a plant. A living creature."
"God, Black, at least givie it a descent name." a boy commented, passing them. He casually snipped off a lock of Sirius' long black hair with his garden clippers.
"Hold this," Sirius said, handing Hubert over to Remus again. He took great prde in his hair. "You're gonna pay for that you slimeball," he said to the Slytherin.
Severus Snape laughed. "You're a trip, Black," he said.
"Trip. Good idea, Snape," Sirius said. He spun around, his leg outstretched knocking Severus over. He also knocked himself down but caught his balance and held himself up with his hand.
James, Remus, and even Frank Longbottom were among the people chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!"
Snape got back up and shook his head, putting his fists before him, blocking his face. Sirius pushed himself up and kneed Snape in the groin.
"Go screw a dragon, Snape," he said coldly.
"What a tough descision faces me, then," Snape retorted, looking sly.
"What descision?" Sirius questioned dubiously.
"An actual dragon, or your girlfriend, who's quite like one," Snape said, a hating smile on his face.
There were gasps and 'oooooh's from the spectators.
Sirius lunged at Snape knocking him down, and managing to be punched in the stomach. Sirius and Snape tumbled and tussled like alley cats; the crowd made room for them. Sirius slammed his knuckles into the side of Severus' face, and twisted his ear mercilessly with the other hand.
"What's all this? BOYS!" the professor shouted angrily, elbowing through the crowd.
Sirius grinned at Snape, harshly. "Severus started it, Professor," he said.
"He's lying!"
"I have witnesses!"
"Exhibit A," James interjected, gesturing to the garden shears and pieces of Sirius' hair.
"Shut up, Potter," snarled Severus. "Nobody needs your opinion."
"Detention for both of you, ten points from Slytherin, five from Gryffindor," Professor Sprout said.
"Why less from-" Severus started.
"It was a provoked fight, Mr. Snape. Do not argue with me. It would be a fruitless act, because I always win on such matters," Professor Sprout answered.
Snape glowered, shooting mean looks at James, Sirius, and Remus.
Taking the paper, James noticed that it had some kind of little doodle on it. He sighed and looked closer like a parent whose child may have done something remarkably beautiful if anybody could only figure out what it was. "What is it?" he asked.
"Whaddaya think it is?" Sirius countered.
"I dunno.." James responded unfocusing his eyes, thinking that perhaps it might help. "A pig with glasses?"
"Exactly! It's YOU!" Sirius said, laughing.
James rolled his eyes and folded the paper back up, zooming it over at Sirius with his wand. "You have way too much free time, Black," he responded.
"Was that a racial comment?" Sirius joked, arms folded across his chest in mock anger.
"It was if I wanted it to be," James said, casually.
"Guys, your monkey grass is starting to get really annoying," Remus called. Having a plant climb all over him and poke at his ear would have annoyed him much sooner, had the two not been his best friends.
"Sorry, bud," Sirius said, prompting the monkey grass off of him.
"Hey, where'd Pete go?" James asked, scanning the greenhouse for signs of him.
"He had to go up to the hospital wing," Remus answered.
"Why?" This question came from Sirius.
"The jaguar ivy wasn't feeling particularly friendly," Remus replied, wincing.
"Whoa!" Sirius said, his eyes getting big. "Was there swelling? Blood? Poisoning?!"
Remus stepped back slowly. "I worry about you sometimes."
James laughed and snipped off part of the monkey grass, hearing the plant whimper and seeing Sirius pet it to make it hush up. He snipped off another part.
"James! You're hurting the little critter. Cut lower with those things, will you?" Sirius said, indignantly.
"Sorry," James said, trying to snip lower as the plant wriggled and squirmed in an obvious display of fear. "It for the thing's own good," he said.
"Hubert is not a thing," Sirius said. "Hubert is a plant. A living creature."
"God, Black, at least givie it a descent name." a boy commented, passing them. He casually snipped off a lock of Sirius' long black hair with his garden clippers.
"Hold this," Sirius said, handing Hubert over to Remus again. He took great prde in his hair. "You're gonna pay for that you slimeball," he said to the Slytherin.
Severus Snape laughed. "You're a trip, Black," he said.
"Trip. Good idea, Snape," Sirius said. He spun around, his leg outstretched knocking Severus over. He also knocked himself down but caught his balance and held himself up with his hand.
James, Remus, and even Frank Longbottom were among the people chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!"
Snape got back up and shook his head, putting his fists before him, blocking his face. Sirius pushed himself up and kneed Snape in the groin.
"Go screw a dragon, Snape," he said coldly.
"What a tough descision faces me, then," Snape retorted, looking sly.
"What descision?" Sirius questioned dubiously.
"An actual dragon, or your girlfriend, who's quite like one," Snape said, a hating smile on his face.
There were gasps and 'oooooh's from the spectators.
Sirius lunged at Snape knocking him down, and managing to be punched in the stomach. Sirius and Snape tumbled and tussled like alley cats; the crowd made room for them. Sirius slammed his knuckles into the side of Severus' face, and twisted his ear mercilessly with the other hand.
"What's all this? BOYS!" the professor shouted angrily, elbowing through the crowd.
Sirius grinned at Snape, harshly. "Severus started it, Professor," he said.
"He's lying!"
"I have witnesses!"
"Exhibit A," James interjected, gesturing to the garden shears and pieces of Sirius' hair.
"Shut up, Potter," snarled Severus. "Nobody needs your opinion."
"Detention for both of you, ten points from Slytherin, five from Gryffindor," Professor Sprout said.
"Why less from-" Severus started.
"It was a provoked fight, Mr. Snape. Do not argue with me. It would be a fruitless act, because I always win on such matters," Professor Sprout answered.
Snape glowered, shooting mean looks at James, Sirius, and Remus.