Chapter Twenty-One: Quidditch
After a week or so, the Slytherins lost interest in the witch-hunt they had started to sniff out the identity of the Marauders and the excitement over the prank died down. Then it was time for the full moon, and that started everyone thinking furiously about a way to stay together during this process. Remus spent his human hours in the shack mulling over this problem, but no practical solution came to him. The time passed by uneventfully, which was a major relief to Remus.
When he returned to breakfast, he simply looked at his friends with raised eyebrows and the question in his eyes. They shook their heads. "Oh well," Remus said, taking a seat next to Peter. "I guess I'll just have to be on my own."
James looked at Remus compassionately. "Don't say that. I'm sure the solution is here, right under our noses. We just have to keep looking and we'll find it."
Remus smiled back. "I appreciate that, James."
"Don't mention it, mate," James stammered, turning a bit red and looking uncomfortable. "So, does anyone know when the next quidditch match is?"
"Ravenclaw plays Hufflepuff in a week or so," Lily answered. "I can't wait to watch again!"
"We should have a little game after dinner tonight," Sirius suggested. "It'd be nice to be outside doing something."
Everyone agreed, then they scarfed down their breakfasts in order to get to class on time. The boys had Charms first, but Lily had Herbology, so she really had to run to get to the greenhouse on time. All day, Remus kept chewing on the problem of how to be with his friends when he transformed, but when it started to get him down, he just thought about the quidditch game they'd play that night and he felt cheerful again.
Finally, dinner was over and the whole group (including Lily!) went to Madam Hooch to see if they could borrow brooms. She agreed (reluctantly in Peter's case, but they all agreed to watch out for him) and they took six old, school brooms and a quaffle and went out to the field.
After an hour or so, it was too dark to play anymore, and they all felt pleasantly exhausted. James and Sirius were in deep conversation with Lily. They had been a bit surprised that she was a decent quidditch player (A/N: they had no reason to be, but they are just little boys...), so they were interested to see which teams she followed and what position she liked to play. Finding themselves left on their own, Remus, Peter and Austin discussed the potion for removing warts that they had been working on in class.
As soon as the Gryffindor boys' heads hit their pillows, they were sound asleep. All of them except for Remus. He was just as tired as his friends were, but his mind was all of a sudden buzzing with unanswered questions. Finally he gave up on sleep and decided to go to the common room and catch up on some reading. He wasn't even very surprised when he met Arabella sitting in the common room as well.
"Hi," she said, also not seeming at all surprised to see Remus. "Couldn't sleep again?"
Remus nodded and dropped into a large armchair.
"Why not?"
"I'd rather keep my mind off of it," Remus sighed. "How about a game of chess?"
"Sure," Arabella answered.
They played a couple of games, and concentrating on the logic of chess helped to clear Remus' mind. He even won the last game. Arabella teased him that he just wanted to stop so he didn't have to lose again, but he joked back that he just needed his beauty sleep. With his thoughts more under control, he climbed the stairs back up to his dorm and fell asleep very soon.
The next day in Potions, the professor used some of his wart potion to give every student a wart, which they had to try to remove with their counter potion. Remus was a bit nervous about what could happen to him if his potion was wrong, but luckily it was right, only a bit weak. He joined the line of about half the class who had to have the rest of their wart removed by the professor. Peter's concoction had actually grown another wart on his arm, which was growing quite rapidly. He looked at it in panic as Remus spoke up from the back of the line.
"Uh, Professor?"
"What?" he said, exasperated, without looking up.
"I think you ought to take a look at Peter's arm..." Remus said nervously.
He looked over curiously, then bolted over to Peter and administered a bright red potion to his arm. He waited, anxiously watching as the wart stopped growing and shrank down to nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, he said sternly, "Mr. Pettigrew, didn't you hear me say to add only 1 teaspoon of crushed snake fangs?"
Peter didn't answer, only looked down at his feet.
"Well, you fail today's assignment, but if you need extra help, come and see me after class," the professor added.
"Thank you, sir," Peter replied quietly.
Lily offered after class to help Peter with any homework he needed assistance with. He accepted her help gratefully, and over the next week or so they spent several nights together in the library. Then it was time for the Ravenclaw v. Hufflepuff quidditch game. Of course, the Marauders joined Lily in supporting Ravenclaw, not only to support their friend, but also because they favored a Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw final over a Gryffindor v. Slytherin final. (They weren't sure how their friendship with Lily would survive the week of that final, but they had time to sort that out.)
It was still cold out, and there was a thin layer of snow still on the ground, when the entire school made its way out to the quidditch field.
Wearing their heavy winter coats, the Marauders and Lily made their way to the Ravenclaw stands. No one was surprised much to see the five Gryffindor students join Lily there. As they watched Madam Hooch toss the quaffle to begin the game, Lily spread a thick blanket over everyone's legs. Remus liked sitting this close to Lily and he was grateful to his friends for letting him sit there without comment. He didn't want Lily to feel uncomfortable.
The game wasn't very exciting; Ravenclaw was a better team, hands down. It didn't take long for them to get a 100-point lead, and soon after that, the Ravenclaw seeker captured the coveted golden snitch. The Ravenclaw stands cheered and all around Lily and Remus students were remarking, "I'm glad that was quick, it's freezing out here!" Grumbling issued from the Hufflepuff stands, but it was only half hearted. They, too, were grateful to go inside to a roaring fire.
Once inside, the students received a real treat- in every common room, there was a large supply of marshmallows waiting to be roasted. Lily observed the necessity of leaving her guy friends to retreat to the safe and yummy haven of the Ravenclaw tower. The Marauders nodded sadly and said they understood, but as soon as Lily was out of sight, they ran full speed to the Gryffindor tower to get their marshmallows before the older students ate them all. They had quite a fun time roasting and eating the marshmallows, as well as laughing hysterically at whoever happened to have marshmallow goo on their face. In the midst of this, Arthur Weasley stood on a chair and yelled, "Food fight!" while throwing a handful of this precious treat at Arabella and her friends. Arabella lost no time in returning the favor, and soon the whole room was littered with little white dots and exhausted students.
Suddenly the portrait swung open and Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway. She started to say something, and then noticed the state of the room. Her mouth hung open for a moment, but she soon recollected herself...
"What on earth were you thinking?" she said quietly, but sternly.
Someone let a giggle slip out, but everyone else looked guiltily down at the floor.
"Do you think this is funny?" McGonagall asked.
Shoes must have been the most interesting things in the wizarding world that day, because that was all the students were intently studying.
"We tried to do something nice for you, and this is what we get in return. I will have to inform Professor Dumbledore that Gryffindor house has no interest in receiving any more treats." With that, she turned and left the room, presumably on her way to see Dumbledore.
As she left everyone let out a sigh, and Meg Weasley wearily remarked, "We'd better start cleaning this up."
The older students showed the first years some handy cleaning spells, which made the job go quickly. It even would have been fun if they hadn't been in so much trouble.
The next morning at breakfast, the students were greeted with the delicious smells of cinnamon rolls and French toast. But when the Gryffindors reached their table, they found nothing but oatmeal. They all looked at each other in dismay. Lily, who had been planning to eat with her Gryffindor friends, laughed and said, "I'll catch up with you guys later," as she made her way over to the Ravenclaw table.
"Typical McGonagall," Meg Weasley muttered as she sat down. She ate a spoonful of oatmeal and tried to smile. "It's not even warm."
James and Sirius exchanged glances, then began to follow Lily.
She turned around. "I don't think so. You're not going to get some of our food just because yours is gross." She sat down and made a big production out of taking two thick slices of French toast and covering them in syrup. "Mmmm," she moaned as she took a bite.
James and Sirius looked disgusted as they rejoined Remus, Peter and Austin at their table. They sat together and tried to choke down some of their bland, cold breakfast.
After a week or so, the Slytherins lost interest in the witch-hunt they had started to sniff out the identity of the Marauders and the excitement over the prank died down. Then it was time for the full moon, and that started everyone thinking furiously about a way to stay together during this process. Remus spent his human hours in the shack mulling over this problem, but no practical solution came to him. The time passed by uneventfully, which was a major relief to Remus.
When he returned to breakfast, he simply looked at his friends with raised eyebrows and the question in his eyes. They shook their heads. "Oh well," Remus said, taking a seat next to Peter. "I guess I'll just have to be on my own."
James looked at Remus compassionately. "Don't say that. I'm sure the solution is here, right under our noses. We just have to keep looking and we'll find it."
Remus smiled back. "I appreciate that, James."
"Don't mention it, mate," James stammered, turning a bit red and looking uncomfortable. "So, does anyone know when the next quidditch match is?"
"Ravenclaw plays Hufflepuff in a week or so," Lily answered. "I can't wait to watch again!"
"We should have a little game after dinner tonight," Sirius suggested. "It'd be nice to be outside doing something."
Everyone agreed, then they scarfed down their breakfasts in order to get to class on time. The boys had Charms first, but Lily had Herbology, so she really had to run to get to the greenhouse on time. All day, Remus kept chewing on the problem of how to be with his friends when he transformed, but when it started to get him down, he just thought about the quidditch game they'd play that night and he felt cheerful again.
Finally, dinner was over and the whole group (including Lily!) went to Madam Hooch to see if they could borrow brooms. She agreed (reluctantly in Peter's case, but they all agreed to watch out for him) and they took six old, school brooms and a quaffle and went out to the field.
After an hour or so, it was too dark to play anymore, and they all felt pleasantly exhausted. James and Sirius were in deep conversation with Lily. They had been a bit surprised that she was a decent quidditch player (A/N: they had no reason to be, but they are just little boys...), so they were interested to see which teams she followed and what position she liked to play. Finding themselves left on their own, Remus, Peter and Austin discussed the potion for removing warts that they had been working on in class.
As soon as the Gryffindor boys' heads hit their pillows, they were sound asleep. All of them except for Remus. He was just as tired as his friends were, but his mind was all of a sudden buzzing with unanswered questions. Finally he gave up on sleep and decided to go to the common room and catch up on some reading. He wasn't even very surprised when he met Arabella sitting in the common room as well.
"Hi," she said, also not seeming at all surprised to see Remus. "Couldn't sleep again?"
Remus nodded and dropped into a large armchair.
"Why not?"
"I'd rather keep my mind off of it," Remus sighed. "How about a game of chess?"
"Sure," Arabella answered.
They played a couple of games, and concentrating on the logic of chess helped to clear Remus' mind. He even won the last game. Arabella teased him that he just wanted to stop so he didn't have to lose again, but he joked back that he just needed his beauty sleep. With his thoughts more under control, he climbed the stairs back up to his dorm and fell asleep very soon.
The next day in Potions, the professor used some of his wart potion to give every student a wart, which they had to try to remove with their counter potion. Remus was a bit nervous about what could happen to him if his potion was wrong, but luckily it was right, only a bit weak. He joined the line of about half the class who had to have the rest of their wart removed by the professor. Peter's concoction had actually grown another wart on his arm, which was growing quite rapidly. He looked at it in panic as Remus spoke up from the back of the line.
"Uh, Professor?"
"What?" he said, exasperated, without looking up.
"I think you ought to take a look at Peter's arm..." Remus said nervously.
He looked over curiously, then bolted over to Peter and administered a bright red potion to his arm. He waited, anxiously watching as the wart stopped growing and shrank down to nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, he said sternly, "Mr. Pettigrew, didn't you hear me say to add only 1 teaspoon of crushed snake fangs?"
Peter didn't answer, only looked down at his feet.
"Well, you fail today's assignment, but if you need extra help, come and see me after class," the professor added.
"Thank you, sir," Peter replied quietly.
Lily offered after class to help Peter with any homework he needed assistance with. He accepted her help gratefully, and over the next week or so they spent several nights together in the library. Then it was time for the Ravenclaw v. Hufflepuff quidditch game. Of course, the Marauders joined Lily in supporting Ravenclaw, not only to support their friend, but also because they favored a Gryffindor v. Ravenclaw final over a Gryffindor v. Slytherin final. (They weren't sure how their friendship with Lily would survive the week of that final, but they had time to sort that out.)
It was still cold out, and there was a thin layer of snow still on the ground, when the entire school made its way out to the quidditch field.
Wearing their heavy winter coats, the Marauders and Lily made their way to the Ravenclaw stands. No one was surprised much to see the five Gryffindor students join Lily there. As they watched Madam Hooch toss the quaffle to begin the game, Lily spread a thick blanket over everyone's legs. Remus liked sitting this close to Lily and he was grateful to his friends for letting him sit there without comment. He didn't want Lily to feel uncomfortable.
The game wasn't very exciting; Ravenclaw was a better team, hands down. It didn't take long for them to get a 100-point lead, and soon after that, the Ravenclaw seeker captured the coveted golden snitch. The Ravenclaw stands cheered and all around Lily and Remus students were remarking, "I'm glad that was quick, it's freezing out here!" Grumbling issued from the Hufflepuff stands, but it was only half hearted. They, too, were grateful to go inside to a roaring fire.
Once inside, the students received a real treat- in every common room, there was a large supply of marshmallows waiting to be roasted. Lily observed the necessity of leaving her guy friends to retreat to the safe and yummy haven of the Ravenclaw tower. The Marauders nodded sadly and said they understood, but as soon as Lily was out of sight, they ran full speed to the Gryffindor tower to get their marshmallows before the older students ate them all. They had quite a fun time roasting and eating the marshmallows, as well as laughing hysterically at whoever happened to have marshmallow goo on their face. In the midst of this, Arthur Weasley stood on a chair and yelled, "Food fight!" while throwing a handful of this precious treat at Arabella and her friends. Arabella lost no time in returning the favor, and soon the whole room was littered with little white dots and exhausted students.
Suddenly the portrait swung open and Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway. She started to say something, and then noticed the state of the room. Her mouth hung open for a moment, but she soon recollected herself...
"What on earth were you thinking?" she said quietly, but sternly.
Someone let a giggle slip out, but everyone else looked guiltily down at the floor.
"Do you think this is funny?" McGonagall asked.
Shoes must have been the most interesting things in the wizarding world that day, because that was all the students were intently studying.
"We tried to do something nice for you, and this is what we get in return. I will have to inform Professor Dumbledore that Gryffindor house has no interest in receiving any more treats." With that, she turned and left the room, presumably on her way to see Dumbledore.
As she left everyone let out a sigh, and Meg Weasley wearily remarked, "We'd better start cleaning this up."
The older students showed the first years some handy cleaning spells, which made the job go quickly. It even would have been fun if they hadn't been in so much trouble.
The next morning at breakfast, the students were greeted with the delicious smells of cinnamon rolls and French toast. But when the Gryffindors reached their table, they found nothing but oatmeal. They all looked at each other in dismay. Lily, who had been planning to eat with her Gryffindor friends, laughed and said, "I'll catch up with you guys later," as she made her way over to the Ravenclaw table.
"Typical McGonagall," Meg Weasley muttered as she sat down. She ate a spoonful of oatmeal and tried to smile. "It's not even warm."
James and Sirius exchanged glances, then began to follow Lily.
She turned around. "I don't think so. You're not going to get some of our food just because yours is gross." She sat down and made a big production out of taking two thick slices of French toast and covering them in syrup. "Mmmm," she moaned as she took a bite.
James and Sirius looked disgusted as they rejoined Remus, Peter and Austin at their table. They sat together and tried to choke down some of their bland, cold breakfast.