Summary: Lily and James love/hate fic. James uncovers some dark secrets in his seventh year.
Author's notes: Wow...that actually went better than I thought it would ^.^ Thanks all who reviewed! Now I'm really hoping I won't lay this fic aside like I have with numerous others I've started...*coughs* You all are so nice! ^.^ Hope you all enjoy this part as much as you did the last one!
Disclaimer: You know the drill...*sighs* I still want Jimmy, Siri, and Remy *dreamy sigh* ^.^
Of Hidden Truths
(Marauder Traditions)
James must have been thinking a lot longer than he realized for when he returned to the real world, the witch with the food cart was approaching his compartment. He looked outside of the window and watchd the scenery until he heard the witch ask politely, "Anything from the cart, Dear?"
"No, thanks," he answered and then added before the witch could continue on, "Er...excuse me...you haven't seen a redheaded girl in seventh year from Gryffindor by any chance, have you?"
The older woman smiled at him. "Oh, Dear, there are so many children on the Hogwarts Express that I am not quite sure," she replied.
James racked his brain about something that would tell Evans apart from the other girls. "Well, this girl...she has kind of long hair and bright green eyes--" he began, but was interrupted by the small frown on the woman's face.
"Oh, yes, I seem to recall her. She looked as if she had been close to crying, the poor dear..." Now James felt even more horrible.
"Do you think you can tell me which compartment she's in?" he asked, in a small voice, feeling like dirt for the way he had treated Evans.
"She should still be in the compartment four doors down from yours near the back of the train," answered the witch, who smiled kindly at him. "Perhaps a nice lad such as yourself will be able to cheer her up."
With that the older woman carried on about her business and left James to deal with the situation. Maybe he shouldn't even try to apologize. Evans would probably get mad at him for having the nerve to come in there after almost hitting her and hex him to the afterlife.
What fun that would be...
"Perhaps a nice lad such as yourself will be able to cheer her up."
James nearly snorted at the words. Evans cheer up with him around? That was something about as close to impossible as someone surviving the Killing Curse. (a/n: *snickers* shows how much he knows ^.~)
With that thought in mind, James decided he should probably apologize to her when they reached Hogwarts. At that moment, he needed to talk to Sirius and Remus, to explain some things to them and probably get them off of his back about...about what had happened the year before.
"James, go! Grab the pendent and go!" her voice rang in his ears, which was soon followed by cruel laughter, a flash of green, and then the sound of a body hitting the ground.
James closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to clear away those thoughts. They wouldn't help him any, especially if he ran into Snape during the train ride. With a sigh, he stood and headed out of his compartment toward the one that his friends were in.
Before he even reached the door, however, he ran into the one person he hadn't wanted to run into. Severus Snape.
Just like his luck--to run out when he wanted it the most.
He had tried to keep walking, but the greasy-haired Slytherin's voice kept him from taking another step. "If it isn't the infamous James Potter," said Snape, spatting out the other boy's name as if it were a curse.
James didn't even bother with being nice.
"Bug off, Snape. I'm not in the mood," he told the Slytherin before making a move to continue. Snape just stepped in his way and James scowled at him.
"Oh, the almighty Head Boy says to leave him alone, does he?" he sneered as the Gryffindor glare at him.
"Yes, he does. And he is going to take points off of Slytherin if a certain greasy-haired git doesn't move out of his way," said James evenly. The two enemies glared at one another in a few moments of silence before Snape reluctantly stepped to the side.
James continued on and thought he wouldn't hear anything from his enemy. And then the voice came, "I have to admit, Potter. You do a better job at making the Mudblood Evans feel at home than we Slytherins do."
James froze at that, but when he turned around, he didn't see Snape in the corridor anymore. Scowling, he continued on his way, driving out the feeling of guilt that he had been feeling ever since he had run across Evans for the second time.
He couln't let Snape get the better of him. And he couldn't let Snape know that he had pressed the right buttons. He just had to ride out what had happened and wait until later to confront Evans about the apology...as if she would accept it...
With another sigh, James reached the door to the compartment Remus, Sirius, and most likely Peter were in. Not knowing what else to do, he knocked on the door and waited...and waited.
"There ain't no way you can see the wizard! Ain't no way, ain't no how!" came Sirius' voice, followed by laughter. James just stared at the door as if he could see through it.
What had that been about?
"Let them in, Sirius, and knock it off with the Muggle movies," he heard Remus say. There was a snort--from Sirius, no doubt--and then the door slid open a bit, only a crack, so Sirius could see who it was that was knocking. James rolled his eye a bit at the other boy's antics.
"Nope, we don't want any, sorry," said Sirius and he was about to close the door again when James grabbed the door and pushed it open. Or at least, tried to. Sirius, being stubborn, refused to let James come in and struggled to close the door again while James struggled to get it open.
"Would you let me in?" demanded James. Sirius feigned a thoughtful look and then nodded.
"All right," he answered and let go of the door, causing James to fall over on the ground. Laughter erupted from the compartment and James just lied on the ground, crossing his arms as he stared up at Sirius expectantly.
"I give it a six point two. How 'bout you, Moony?" Sirius turned to Remus, who smiled a bit.
"Three point nine three six. Wormtail?"
"Seven."
James rolled his eyes.
"Funny, you guys. Now can you help me up?" he asked and again saw the feigned look of contemplation on Sirius' face.
"Now whyever would we do something of that sort? You're fine, aren't you? And if you're fine--" began Sirius.
"Sirius," growled James.
"Yes, James?" asked Sirius, innocently, while Remus and Peter hid their smiles.
"Shut the hell up," muttered James as he got up off the ground. Sirius smiled at him, while the others forgot about hiding their snickers.
Slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder, the most mischievous Marauder grinned. "Good to have you back, Prongs!"
James couldn't help but to smirk a bit, though he wondered if things were ever going to stay the same. The past year had taught him, if anything, that nothing is permanent and things change, whether good or bad, and with that year being their last year at Hogwarts...how much would their friendship change?
The somewhat depressing thoughts were gone by the time they reached Hogwarts. And so had the thought about finding Evans and apologizing to her.
The four Marauders all climbed into a horseless carriage that was going to take them to the castle and began to plan some things that they could do for the last day of school. They had to leave the school with an explosive exit, after all.
Minutes later they were in the Great Hall watching the Sorting take place.
"That one looks like Julie Pathawy!" exclaimed Sirius in an excited whisper. James and Remus exchanged bemused and questioning looks. Neither one knew who the other boy was talking about and continued to watch as another Hufflepuff sat at the table beside them.
"There's too many Ravenclaws this year," moaned Sirius, who had decided to stop throwing winks and grins at the first year girls.
"Don't worry," said Remus. "I'm sure there's bound to be--"
"SLYTHERIN!" cried the Sorting Hat and the girl sitting on the stool stood up and headed over to the Slytherin table.
"Like they need any more Death Eaters," muttered Sirius, while Peter winced and James studied the table before him. Sirius looked to his closest friend and grimaced. "Sorry, James..."
"'Sall right, Padfoot," said James quietly. Sirius gave him another sympathetic look, but then looked away as the Sorting Hat called out that a first year had become a Gryffindor.
"WHOO!" cried Sirius, standing up and clapping. Remus rolled his eyes and James smirked a bit. Their friend had been doing the same thing for the past six years and would not stop tradition just because it was their last year.
Professor McGonagall, however, paused a moment to give the tall boy the evil eye before continuing.
Sirius sat back down and looked at his friends with a frown. "How dare you three let me embarrass myself!" he exclaimed.
James rose a curious brow. "You? Embarrassed?" he questioned as if it were an impossibility, which it probably was.
"Yes, embarrassed! McGonagall didn't glare enough! How am I supposed to be a Marauder if the Head of our House doesn't glare at me hard enough!" a very exasperated Sirius ranted. James shook his head, grinning again as he began to think once again about changes.
Well, it seemed as if there was always going to be Sirius and his jokes. If that ever changed, James wouldn't know exactly what to do. It was his was constant and he hoped it would never change.
"GRYFFINDOR!" cried out the Sorting Hat once again, and once again Sirius stood and whooped with joy, but this time with James by his side. The boy who had been sorted blushed red as he came to sit down at their table and McGonagall glared at the two trouble-makers.
After the last first year had been sorted ("RAVENCLAW!") and after listening to Sirius' protests ("Haven't they got enough already!"), the Great Hall grew quiet as Professor Dumbledore stood up, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"I am sure that many of you are eager to begin filling your empty heads with new knowledge of magic and its fine arts. I would just like to announce this year's Head Boy and Head Girl. James Potter and Lily Evans of Gryffindor." While the Great Hall applauded--Sirius and the Marauders shouted and laughed--James was surprised at who was the Head Girl.
Evans?
Well, if that wasn't just ironic. Now he had an easy way of getting to her to apologize for what happened on the train--even if she may slap him for having the nerve to do so.
Dumbledore rose his hands and the Hall fell silent and the Head Boy and Girl took their seats again. Merrily, the old wizard looked over the crowd of students and joyfully called out, "And now that that is out of the way, we shall feast!"
At that statement, the food appeared on the dishes in front of the students and teachers, who began to choose their favorites and dig in.
Sirius was more than happy to dig in as he inhaled several rolls of bread before diving for the last corn on the cob. James followed suit and Remus and Peter watched in amusement as the two began to compete to see who could eat the most.
"Give it up, Potter! There's no way you're winning this!" declared Sirius as he grabbed hold of another roll.
James smirked and grabbed food from every possible place and piled it on his plate. He then began to eat the items on his dish, putting him ahead of Sirius, who was now laughing too hard to swallow.
"How the hell can someone your size eat that much!" he exclaimed after declaring that he lost.
"Unlike you, dear Padfoot, I have yet to finish growing," answered James with a smirk. A snort of disgust brought the Marauders attention to a certain redhead.
"You two are a disgrace to the name Gryffindor with table manners like that," said Evans while Sirius looked over to James and rolled his eyes. James chuckled a bit as he took another roll from a dish in front of him.
"Shows how much you know," retorted Sirius. "Why don't you go over to Ravenclaw? They need some more brainiacs."
The Marauders laughed a bit and Evans face went red.
"All right, Black. Five points from Gryffindor," she said icily.
Sirius looked startled.
"Ya hear that, James! A new record! Points taken away at only an hour into the school year!" excalimed a very happy mischief maker. Evans rolled her eyes and the other Marauders laughed.
James slung his arm over his friend's shoulders and grinned at him, in much the same way Sirius had done earlier in the evening. "That's right, Padfoot! And I doubt there will ever be any mischief makers that will beat it."
Sirius puffed out his chest with pride, while James, Peter, and Remus laughed at how childish it looked. The Head Girl shook her head and went back to the coversation her friends were having.
Not much longer after that incident, the dishes emptied and dessert sat before the four magical mischief makers of Hogwarts. After dessert, however, the four were full and the dishes cleared and Dumbledore stood again.
"I hope you all have eaten your fill and if not, then more than that--" A slightly loud belch answered the Headmasters wishes as proof that at least Sirius Black had had his fill. Dumbledore smiled at the young seventeen year old before continuing, "I would like to announce some rules that most have already heard, but some haven't.
"Firstly, first years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Also, please take note to stay away from the Whomping Willow. It does not have its name for just supersition.
"Thirdly, I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Nextly, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Traki.
"And finally," added Dumbledore, gazing at the crowd of students before him with a stern stare. "it shall be noted that there shall not be any visits to Hogsmeade this year."
Immediately there was shouts of protest, which were silenced with a look and a gesture.
"This," stated the Headmaster. "is to ensure your safety. The Dark Lord has, as you know, been attacking publicly and I will not permit any of the students here to be in one of those attacks. Hogswarts is the safest place to keep from this evil. And, until all this is over, all Hogsmeade visits shall be cancelled."
"Now," continued Dumbledore, over the murmurs that echoed throughout the Hall. "I believe it is now time for us to sing the school song! Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"
The school, who stood up at the mention of the school song, now all sang at once in their own style:
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could use with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Dumbledore smiled brightly as he conducted the Marauders, who were continuing to sing--after everyone else had finished--in the form of opera. When they finished, the headmaster, as well as the other students and teachers, applauded while the Marauders bowed to their audience.
"And now, alas," spoke up Dumbledore when the clapping and cheering died down. "it is time to retire. I shall hope you all will wake with some yearning for learning." (a/n: *winces* I know...that was bad. But hey, this IS the 70s. ^.^)
With that, the Houses followed their prefects to their common rooms, some running into Peeves on the way there. Once in their dormitory, the Marauders collaspsed onto their bed at nearly the same time, which made Sirius snort in laughter.
"Ah," he sighed as he turned over and stared at the ceiling. "It's too bad this is the last year here. But, hey, I'm not complaining."
"Sirius Black complain about not coming to school? I doubt that will happen," comment James, who was up and getting dressed in his night clothes.
"You'd be surprised, my dear Prongs," said Sirius with a smirk. James grinned back at his friend and reached up to his face where he expected there to be glassed, but instead, he poked himself in the eye.
"Ah!" he cried out, causing the others to jump.
"What?" asked Remus, who's bed was to the left of James'. James rubbed his eye, cursing under his breath.
"I forgot that Evans the Evil took my glasses," he muttered, shuffling over to his bed, still cursing. Remus chuckled while Sirius laughed out loud.
"I think someone likes you!" he said in a sing-song voice, which earned him a whack with James' pillow.
"Shut it you," growled James playfully. Sirius just smirked and turned in his bed, getting ready to sleep.
"Night, Prongsie, Moony, Wormie!" he called as the lights went out. The other three called out their goodnights and soon all four were asleep, though three of them did not suffer nightmares caused by horrific events that had occurred not too long ago...
anime: Lol. We like to do it to annoy the readers ^.~ Tis one of our many secrets. Plus it brings the readers back for more. ^.^ Aw...*blushes* You're too kind. Surely it cannot be that good...*blushes again* Thanks for the wonderful review ^.~
Mwu: Another nice review! You people are too kind! Thanks for the lovely review!
Drops of Jupiter: Ah, the question you asked shall be revealed in good time. *starts her Yoda impression* Yes, yes! Good time. ^.^
Poebe Goose: Hehe, everyone's just giving out nice reviews, aren't they? ^.^ Again, I have to say that I am not going to reveal those answers as of yet. It will give you all something to think and wonder about. And I'll be sure to email you everytime the fic is updated ^.^
Melanie Granger: Ah, longer review ^.^ Who wouldn't want one of the three? The problem is deciding which one you really, really want...*sighs, but then perks up a bit* Josh Hartnet? Danny on Pearl Harbor? God, that boy is HOT! I never thought about our dear Jimmy looking like Josh. Hm...something to think about ^.^ I'll have to look up Beau Brady. You're just sparking my curiosity about who looks like who. Sorry to say, but I haven't thought of someone that looks like Remy. Maybe we should look around for someone. ^.^ Anyways...I would say that James nearly hitting Lily is the first step for them ^.^ I also love L/J love/hate fics, as well as James-returning-from-the-dead fics...^.^ The story is continuing, but where is my chocolate topping and sprinkles? *curious look* ^.^ Oh, don't worry about weird reviews. You should see the reviews I leave behind in No Higher Praise ^.^ I go back and review the same chapter, just to make sure my review turns out to be longer. Gosh! I certainly have let my fingers run with this review! ^.^ I'll keep posting so long as I get at least one weird review in the reviews ^.^
sirius' lover: Interesting name ^.^ Yes, poor little Jimmy...(if any of you are wondering, I am calling James Jimmy because there's a lot of Jameses at my school and everyone calls them Jimmy ^.^)
porkypop: Another interesting name ^.^ Tis continuing! ^.^
Queen of the Underworld: ^.^ Thanks for taking the time to review then! Thanks for the support! ^.^
Author's notes: Wow...that actually went better than I thought it would ^.^ Thanks all who reviewed! Now I'm really hoping I won't lay this fic aside like I have with numerous others I've started...*coughs* You all are so nice! ^.^ Hope you all enjoy this part as much as you did the last one!
Disclaimer: You know the drill...*sighs* I still want Jimmy, Siri, and Remy *dreamy sigh* ^.^
(Marauder Traditions)
James must have been thinking a lot longer than he realized for when he returned to the real world, the witch with the food cart was approaching his compartment. He looked outside of the window and watchd the scenery until he heard the witch ask politely, "Anything from the cart, Dear?"
"No, thanks," he answered and then added before the witch could continue on, "Er...excuse me...you haven't seen a redheaded girl in seventh year from Gryffindor by any chance, have you?"
The older woman smiled at him. "Oh, Dear, there are so many children on the Hogwarts Express that I am not quite sure," she replied.
James racked his brain about something that would tell Evans apart from the other girls. "Well, this girl...she has kind of long hair and bright green eyes--" he began, but was interrupted by the small frown on the woman's face.
"Oh, yes, I seem to recall her. She looked as if she had been close to crying, the poor dear..." Now James felt even more horrible.
"Do you think you can tell me which compartment she's in?" he asked, in a small voice, feeling like dirt for the way he had treated Evans.
"She should still be in the compartment four doors down from yours near the back of the train," answered the witch, who smiled kindly at him. "Perhaps a nice lad such as yourself will be able to cheer her up."
With that the older woman carried on about her business and left James to deal with the situation. Maybe he shouldn't even try to apologize. Evans would probably get mad at him for having the nerve to come in there after almost hitting her and hex him to the afterlife.
What fun that would be...
"Perhaps a nice lad such as yourself will be able to cheer her up."
James nearly snorted at the words. Evans cheer up with him around? That was something about as close to impossible as someone surviving the Killing Curse. (a/n: *snickers* shows how much he knows ^.~)
With that thought in mind, James decided he should probably apologize to her when they reached Hogwarts. At that moment, he needed to talk to Sirius and Remus, to explain some things to them and probably get them off of his back about...about what had happened the year before.
"James, go! Grab the pendent and go!" her voice rang in his ears, which was soon followed by cruel laughter, a flash of green, and then the sound of a body hitting the ground.
James closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to clear away those thoughts. They wouldn't help him any, especially if he ran into Snape during the train ride. With a sigh, he stood and headed out of his compartment toward the one that his friends were in.
Before he even reached the door, however, he ran into the one person he hadn't wanted to run into. Severus Snape.
Just like his luck--to run out when he wanted it the most.
He had tried to keep walking, but the greasy-haired Slytherin's voice kept him from taking another step. "If it isn't the infamous James Potter," said Snape, spatting out the other boy's name as if it were a curse.
James didn't even bother with being nice.
"Bug off, Snape. I'm not in the mood," he told the Slytherin before making a move to continue. Snape just stepped in his way and James scowled at him.
"Oh, the almighty Head Boy says to leave him alone, does he?" he sneered as the Gryffindor glare at him.
"Yes, he does. And he is going to take points off of Slytherin if a certain greasy-haired git doesn't move out of his way," said James evenly. The two enemies glared at one another in a few moments of silence before Snape reluctantly stepped to the side.
James continued on and thought he wouldn't hear anything from his enemy. And then the voice came, "I have to admit, Potter. You do a better job at making the Mudblood Evans feel at home than we Slytherins do."
James froze at that, but when he turned around, he didn't see Snape in the corridor anymore. Scowling, he continued on his way, driving out the feeling of guilt that he had been feeling ever since he had run across Evans for the second time.
He couln't let Snape get the better of him. And he couldn't let Snape know that he had pressed the right buttons. He just had to ride out what had happened and wait until later to confront Evans about the apology...as if she would accept it...
With another sigh, James reached the door to the compartment Remus, Sirius, and most likely Peter were in. Not knowing what else to do, he knocked on the door and waited...and waited.
"There ain't no way you can see the wizard! Ain't no way, ain't no how!" came Sirius' voice, followed by laughter. James just stared at the door as if he could see through it.
What had that been about?
"Let them in, Sirius, and knock it off with the Muggle movies," he heard Remus say. There was a snort--from Sirius, no doubt--and then the door slid open a bit, only a crack, so Sirius could see who it was that was knocking. James rolled his eye a bit at the other boy's antics.
"Nope, we don't want any, sorry," said Sirius and he was about to close the door again when James grabbed the door and pushed it open. Or at least, tried to. Sirius, being stubborn, refused to let James come in and struggled to close the door again while James struggled to get it open.
"Would you let me in?" demanded James. Sirius feigned a thoughtful look and then nodded.
"All right," he answered and let go of the door, causing James to fall over on the ground. Laughter erupted from the compartment and James just lied on the ground, crossing his arms as he stared up at Sirius expectantly.
"I give it a six point two. How 'bout you, Moony?" Sirius turned to Remus, who smiled a bit.
"Three point nine three six. Wormtail?"
"Seven."
James rolled his eyes.
"Funny, you guys. Now can you help me up?" he asked and again saw the feigned look of contemplation on Sirius' face.
"Now whyever would we do something of that sort? You're fine, aren't you? And if you're fine--" began Sirius.
"Sirius," growled James.
"Yes, James?" asked Sirius, innocently, while Remus and Peter hid their smiles.
"Shut the hell up," muttered James as he got up off the ground. Sirius smiled at him, while the others forgot about hiding their snickers.
Slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder, the most mischievous Marauder grinned. "Good to have you back, Prongs!"
James couldn't help but to smirk a bit, though he wondered if things were ever going to stay the same. The past year had taught him, if anything, that nothing is permanent and things change, whether good or bad, and with that year being their last year at Hogwarts...how much would their friendship change?
The somewhat depressing thoughts were gone by the time they reached Hogwarts. And so had the thought about finding Evans and apologizing to her.
The four Marauders all climbed into a horseless carriage that was going to take them to the castle and began to plan some things that they could do for the last day of school. They had to leave the school with an explosive exit, after all.
Minutes later they were in the Great Hall watching the Sorting take place.
"That one looks like Julie Pathawy!" exclaimed Sirius in an excited whisper. James and Remus exchanged bemused and questioning looks. Neither one knew who the other boy was talking about and continued to watch as another Hufflepuff sat at the table beside them.
"There's too many Ravenclaws this year," moaned Sirius, who had decided to stop throwing winks and grins at the first year girls.
"Don't worry," said Remus. "I'm sure there's bound to be--"
"SLYTHERIN!" cried the Sorting Hat and the girl sitting on the stool stood up and headed over to the Slytherin table.
"Like they need any more Death Eaters," muttered Sirius, while Peter winced and James studied the table before him. Sirius looked to his closest friend and grimaced. "Sorry, James..."
"'Sall right, Padfoot," said James quietly. Sirius gave him another sympathetic look, but then looked away as the Sorting Hat called out that a first year had become a Gryffindor.
"WHOO!" cried Sirius, standing up and clapping. Remus rolled his eyes and James smirked a bit. Their friend had been doing the same thing for the past six years and would not stop tradition just because it was their last year.
Professor McGonagall, however, paused a moment to give the tall boy the evil eye before continuing.
Sirius sat back down and looked at his friends with a frown. "How dare you three let me embarrass myself!" he exclaimed.
James rose a curious brow. "You? Embarrassed?" he questioned as if it were an impossibility, which it probably was.
"Yes, embarrassed! McGonagall didn't glare enough! How am I supposed to be a Marauder if the Head of our House doesn't glare at me hard enough!" a very exasperated Sirius ranted. James shook his head, grinning again as he began to think once again about changes.
Well, it seemed as if there was always going to be Sirius and his jokes. If that ever changed, James wouldn't know exactly what to do. It was his was constant and he hoped it would never change.
"GRYFFINDOR!" cried out the Sorting Hat once again, and once again Sirius stood and whooped with joy, but this time with James by his side. The boy who had been sorted blushed red as he came to sit down at their table and McGonagall glared at the two trouble-makers.
After the last first year had been sorted ("RAVENCLAW!") and after listening to Sirius' protests ("Haven't they got enough already!"), the Great Hall grew quiet as Professor Dumbledore stood up, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"I am sure that many of you are eager to begin filling your empty heads with new knowledge of magic and its fine arts. I would just like to announce this year's Head Boy and Head Girl. James Potter and Lily Evans of Gryffindor." While the Great Hall applauded--Sirius and the Marauders shouted and laughed--James was surprised at who was the Head Girl.
Evans?
Well, if that wasn't just ironic. Now he had an easy way of getting to her to apologize for what happened on the train--even if she may slap him for having the nerve to do so.
Dumbledore rose his hands and the Hall fell silent and the Head Boy and Girl took their seats again. Merrily, the old wizard looked over the crowd of students and joyfully called out, "And now that that is out of the way, we shall feast!"
At that statement, the food appeared on the dishes in front of the students and teachers, who began to choose their favorites and dig in.
Sirius was more than happy to dig in as he inhaled several rolls of bread before diving for the last corn on the cob. James followed suit and Remus and Peter watched in amusement as the two began to compete to see who could eat the most.
"Give it up, Potter! There's no way you're winning this!" declared Sirius as he grabbed hold of another roll.
James smirked and grabbed food from every possible place and piled it on his plate. He then began to eat the items on his dish, putting him ahead of Sirius, who was now laughing too hard to swallow.
"How the hell can someone your size eat that much!" he exclaimed after declaring that he lost.
"Unlike you, dear Padfoot, I have yet to finish growing," answered James with a smirk. A snort of disgust brought the Marauders attention to a certain redhead.
"You two are a disgrace to the name Gryffindor with table manners like that," said Evans while Sirius looked over to James and rolled his eyes. James chuckled a bit as he took another roll from a dish in front of him.
"Shows how much you know," retorted Sirius. "Why don't you go over to Ravenclaw? They need some more brainiacs."
The Marauders laughed a bit and Evans face went red.
"All right, Black. Five points from Gryffindor," she said icily.
Sirius looked startled.
"Ya hear that, James! A new record! Points taken away at only an hour into the school year!" excalimed a very happy mischief maker. Evans rolled her eyes and the other Marauders laughed.
James slung his arm over his friend's shoulders and grinned at him, in much the same way Sirius had done earlier in the evening. "That's right, Padfoot! And I doubt there will ever be any mischief makers that will beat it."
Sirius puffed out his chest with pride, while James, Peter, and Remus laughed at how childish it looked. The Head Girl shook her head and went back to the coversation her friends were having.
Not much longer after that incident, the dishes emptied and dessert sat before the four magical mischief makers of Hogwarts. After dessert, however, the four were full and the dishes cleared and Dumbledore stood again.
"I hope you all have eaten your fill and if not, then more than that--" A slightly loud belch answered the Headmasters wishes as proof that at least Sirius Black had had his fill. Dumbledore smiled at the young seventeen year old before continuing, "I would like to announce some rules that most have already heard, but some haven't.
"Firstly, first years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Also, please take note to stay away from the Whomping Willow. It does not have its name for just supersition.
"Thirdly, I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Nextly, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Traki.
"And finally," added Dumbledore, gazing at the crowd of students before him with a stern stare. "it shall be noted that there shall not be any visits to Hogsmeade this year."
Immediately there was shouts of protest, which were silenced with a look and a gesture.
"This," stated the Headmaster. "is to ensure your safety. The Dark Lord has, as you know, been attacking publicly and I will not permit any of the students here to be in one of those attacks. Hogswarts is the safest place to keep from this evil. And, until all this is over, all Hogsmeade visits shall be cancelled."
"Now," continued Dumbledore, over the murmurs that echoed throughout the Hall. "I believe it is now time for us to sing the school song! Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"
The school, who stood up at the mention of the school song, now all sang at once in their own style:
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could use with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
Dumbledore smiled brightly as he conducted the Marauders, who were continuing to sing--after everyone else had finished--in the form of opera. When they finished, the headmaster, as well as the other students and teachers, applauded while the Marauders bowed to their audience.
"And now, alas," spoke up Dumbledore when the clapping and cheering died down. "it is time to retire. I shall hope you all will wake with some yearning for learning." (a/n: *winces* I know...that was bad. But hey, this IS the 70s. ^.^)
With that, the Houses followed their prefects to their common rooms, some running into Peeves on the way there. Once in their dormitory, the Marauders collaspsed onto their bed at nearly the same time, which made Sirius snort in laughter.
"Ah," he sighed as he turned over and stared at the ceiling. "It's too bad this is the last year here. But, hey, I'm not complaining."
"Sirius Black complain about not coming to school? I doubt that will happen," comment James, who was up and getting dressed in his night clothes.
"You'd be surprised, my dear Prongs," said Sirius with a smirk. James grinned back at his friend and reached up to his face where he expected there to be glassed, but instead, he poked himself in the eye.
"Ah!" he cried out, causing the others to jump.
"What?" asked Remus, who's bed was to the left of James'. James rubbed his eye, cursing under his breath.
"I forgot that Evans the Evil took my glasses," he muttered, shuffling over to his bed, still cursing. Remus chuckled while Sirius laughed out loud.
"I think someone likes you!" he said in a sing-song voice, which earned him a whack with James' pillow.
"Shut it you," growled James playfully. Sirius just smirked and turned in his bed, getting ready to sleep.
"Night, Prongsie, Moony, Wormie!" he called as the lights went out. The other three called out their goodnights and soon all four were asleep, though three of them did not suffer nightmares caused by horrific events that had occurred not too long ago...
anime: Lol. We like to do it to annoy the readers ^.~ Tis one of our many secrets. Plus it brings the readers back for more. ^.^ Aw...*blushes* You're too kind. Surely it cannot be that good...*blushes again* Thanks for the wonderful review ^.~
Mwu: Another nice review! You people are too kind! Thanks for the lovely review!
Drops of Jupiter: Ah, the question you asked shall be revealed in good time. *starts her Yoda impression* Yes, yes! Good time. ^.^
Poebe Goose: Hehe, everyone's just giving out nice reviews, aren't they? ^.^ Again, I have to say that I am not going to reveal those answers as of yet. It will give you all something to think and wonder about. And I'll be sure to email you everytime the fic is updated ^.^
Melanie Granger: Ah, longer review ^.^ Who wouldn't want one of the three? The problem is deciding which one you really, really want...*sighs, but then perks up a bit* Josh Hartnet? Danny on Pearl Harbor? God, that boy is HOT! I never thought about our dear Jimmy looking like Josh. Hm...something to think about ^.^ I'll have to look up Beau Brady. You're just sparking my curiosity about who looks like who. Sorry to say, but I haven't thought of someone that looks like Remy. Maybe we should look around for someone. ^.^ Anyways...I would say that James nearly hitting Lily is the first step for them ^.^ I also love L/J love/hate fics, as well as James-returning-from-the-dead fics...^.^ The story is continuing, but where is my chocolate topping and sprinkles? *curious look* ^.^ Oh, don't worry about weird reviews. You should see the reviews I leave behind in No Higher Praise ^.^ I go back and review the same chapter, just to make sure my review turns out to be longer. Gosh! I certainly have let my fingers run with this review! ^.^ I'll keep posting so long as I get at least one weird review in the reviews ^.^
sirius' lover: Interesting name ^.^ Yes, poor little Jimmy...(if any of you are wondering, I am calling James Jimmy because there's a lot of Jameses at my school and everyone calls them Jimmy ^.^)
porkypop: Another interesting name ^.^ Tis continuing! ^.^
Queen of the Underworld: ^.^ Thanks for taking the time to review then! Thanks for the support! ^.^