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"Okay class, for homework tonight, I want you to draw a picture of a Muggle telephone and find a spell to make it unique. For example, you can make it move or change colors or whatever. Assignment due tomorrow." Professor Drake announced to the class. They had barely written it down when the bell rang.
"James, wait for me, I have to pack up…all my stuff fell out." Isabella called to James urgently.
"Uhuh," he replied in just the opposite tone. He picked up his bag and made his way out of the room, into the corridor and towards the staircase. He was almost there, when something forceful knocked into him, taking his breath away for a second. He was about to yell something rude to it when:
"Oh, I'm so sorry…" said a muffled voice from his chest. The figure stepped back to reveal a petite, pretty girl that he had never seen before. She took another step back, knocked into a burly seventh year and fell backwards onto the stone floor.
"Its alright, I'm the one who wasn't watching." James answered, extending a hand to help her up, picking up her books and smiling all at the same time, "I'm actually glad I ran into someone as pretty as you. Your name is…?" she giggled a delicate, pretty laugh, took his hand and got to her feet.
"I'm Charisma Gillman and you're the infamous James Potter, no?" she asked, taking her books and piling them into her bag. "Captain of the Quidditch team, top of the class, excellent prankster, and, " she glanced at his smiling face, "one of the most eligible bachelors in the school…"
He laughed , "So…explain to me why I was denied the pleasure of meeting you sooner?" she smiled dazzlingly and opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a voice coming from down the corridor.
"James, you stupid git, what happened to waiting for me after class?" asked an out of breath Isabella indignantly. Her hair was disheveled from the effort of trying to catch up with him. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath and turned to James again, "We have Divination next, right? Oh, hi Charisma." She added, looking at the girl. Charisma had been looking from James to Isabella with a puzzled look on her face but now she smiled and said hello.
"Sorry, Izzy. Fate thought it more important for me to meet this creature than wait for you, you must forgive them however." he said, directing his speech more towards Charisma than Isabella.
"Oh brother," she answered, rolling her eyes, "C'mon James, Owens's will kill if we're late and we have to get to the North Tower. Charisma, do you have Divination now?"
"Nope, Ancient Runes, I'll see you later then…" she added as Isabella nodded to her and started pulling James towards the nearest staircase.
"Hold on, are you going to the Anniversary Ball with anyone?" he asked, looking back at her and pulling his hand out of Isabella's grasp.
"No…" she said raising her eyebrows and smiling.
"Well, now you are, I guess I'll see you later." she waved and walked towards her next class and he stood looking after her until Isabella pulled him up the steps with a forceful 'C'mon'.
"We…are…. so….late…." Isabella panted. They had just stepped onto the top floor landing and she clutched at her side, they had run up the whole way thanks to James. He walked up to the trapdoor, pulled down the ladder and gestured for her to go first. She frowned and shook her head. With a resigned sigh, he climbed up the ladder with her behind him and opened the trapdoor.
"Now pour the wax into the dish and… you're ten minutes late Mr. Potter, Ms. Rey, thirty points from Gryffindor. Sit down and your neighbor will tell you what to do." They walked over to one of two large round tables and sat next to their friends.
"Did something happen at Muggle Studies?" Remus asked curiously.
"James here was just picki-"
"Another ten points! I will not tolerate anymore disruptions from you Rey." Professor Owens growled at them. They went back to copying notes.
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"Izzy?"
"Hmm?" she answered, taking one of Lily's knights.
"Can you stop scratching your head? The glitters everywhere, look at my Potions essay, its practically pasted on. And why don't you get rid of those streaks already!!" Lily said, trying to brush the shimmer off her assignment unsuccessfully.
"But, I like them! The glitter is going away…" she answered defensively.
"Yeah, sure…are you going to the ball with anyone or are we going as a group?" Lily asked her friends.
"There are only three days left, right?" asked Angela, finally snapping out of her reveries.
"Yeah, I'm getting worried, my mother hasn't sent me the dress I had her order for me yet…" Isabella said with a sigh.
"Really? Mine came yesterday." Lily put in.
"Yeah mine too…" Angela added.
"So did mine." said a voice from behind them. Sirius, grinning like a chesire cat, was standing behind Isabella's chair. He moved up and whispered something into her ears. Her face lit up, she moved her chess piece, declared 'checkmate' and he received a smack from Lily. They laughed and he sat down on a pouf next to the fire.
"Hey, who are you going to the ball with?" Isabella asked him. Lily and Angela noticed her biting her lip thoughtfully.
"You, you prat." he said. He turned and smiled at her angelically and she narrowed her eyes.
"Shouldn't you have asked first? What, you just assumed no one else would ask me?" She said in mock indignation, ignoring the insult.
"Hmmm… I don't know. What is it that boyfriends do again?" he asked, tapping his chin in exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Besides, who else would put up with you? It's a hard task, but someone's gotta do it…" he wiped fake sweat off his forehead. "Hey, Remus!! Who're you taking to the ball??" he yelled across the room to where a figure was tying a letter to an owl. He turned around when he heard his name and walked over to them.
"I dunno… Angie doesn't have a date, right? I suppose I could go with her?" he sighed, more a statement than an answer.
"As insulting and unenthusiastic as that was, alright." she answered after blushing a pale pink. She shot Isabella a triumphant look before closing her Divination book with a snap and suddenly picking up her crystal ball, she was the only one who actually bought one for herself. Isabella shook her head faintly but smiled nonetheless.
"Great, James can take Lily and we can just go as a group!" Sirius said happily.
"Romeo's already got a date. That's why we were late for Divination, he spent ten minutes asking that new girl, Charisma, out." Isabella said with a grimace. They all looked at Lily, as though expecting her to burst into tears.
"Its okay, if no one asks me, I'll just go by myself." she said with a smile. Peter, who was sitting at a nearby pouf, not in their semi circle but close enough to hear what they were saying, suddenly reddened. He looked away when Remus caught his eye and after a few minutes, walked over to them.
"H-hey! What's up?" he asked, smiling like an idiot, and looking like one too. Remus turned abruptly around to hide his laughter and Sirius, who was behind Peter, was shaking.
"Why so cheerful?" Sirius managed to ask.
"Oh nothing, so you've all got dates for the ball?" he asked, reddening more.
"Yeah, all but Lily." Isabella said while trying to keep a straight face and shooting that 'stop laughing!' look at the boys
"Really? Well...y-you wanna go with me?" he asked, laughing nervously and trying to act casual. Lily looked from Angela who was biting her lip and gazing into the foggy ball harder than ever to Isabella who had a small smile on her face and was cocking her head so she was looking pointedly at her. She glared at Sirius who was silently laughing hysterically, pointing at Lily and saying 'ha ha' behind Peter. She then looked to Remus who's eyes were watering as he picked at a loose string on a nearby chair to Peter who's face was growing steadily darker as he wringed his hands in an apprehensive fashion.
"Sure Peter, that would be wonderful." she said with a bright smile. His face resumed its usual color and he smiled nervously.
"Great!... uh… I'll see you at the ball then! I mean… I'll see you before that too because we-we have transfiguration-" he stuttered, blushing profusely. "I'll just go to bed now. You know… tired and everything…" he said quickly, pointing towards the stairs.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Lily answered quickly, glancing at her friends, all of whom looked ready to explode. Peter nodded and they watched as he practically leapt up the stairs. As soon as he was out of sight, they burst into laughter.
"Oh. My. God." Isabella said after a minute or two.
"Wow, Sirius was actually right when he said Peter could go with whoever he wanted to." Remus jutted out between peels of laughter.
"Did you see his face??" Angela said, as the crystal ball fell out of her shaking hands and broke. She didn't even seem to care, she was laughing so hard. As for Sirius, he was beyond words.
"He's-he's shorter than me!" Lily cried out between her mirth. Just then, James walked into the common room and looked at them all puzzled.
"What's going on? What's so funny?" he asked, his eyebrows raised, eyeing the four red faces and the figure rolling around on the floor.
"James! Y-you totally missed it. Peter asked Lily to the ball!" Remus said as a fresh outburst took over him.
"Really?" he said gleefully, "What did you say?"
" 'Yes!' What else was I going to say? You should have seen him!" Lily said, out of breath.
The ball was going to be an interesting one.