It's a Marauder's Thing
Oooo, double update! :o) Hope you like this chapter! :o)
Chapter four: Preparation for Halloween
The weekend quickly came at Hogwarts and with it: Quidditch Try-outs. The Quidditch season would be starting in 2 months with Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw. Devon pointed this out to James after the try-outs that weekend, when he was scheduling practices 4 times a week.
"I know we aren't the first game, but we have to be prepared!" he said, for the fifth time. The whole team had complained to him when he gave them their practice times.
Since the beginning of the year, the school had been oddly quiet, with the exception of Peeves of course. But the Marauders had not done one of their pranks since the end of last year. Devon mentioned this to James at breakfast on Sunday.
"We know. We figured it would give people a false sense of security! And it has," he said proudly.
"Well, you have to let me in on at least one this year," she said smartly, looking at him.
James sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
At dinner one night, Dumbledore stood up at the end of the feast and called everyone's attention to him.
"Before you all are off to bed, I have some exciting news to tell you!" he said, his electric blue eyes twinkling. "We are having three balls this year!"
Everyone turned to each other and started murmuring excitedly.
"Excuse me!" Dumbledore shouted, calling everyone's attention to him again, "as I said, we will have three balls this year. This would explain why I had on your supplies list 'dress robes'. One will be held on Halloween, so I expect everyone to go to Hogsmeade to get your costume. The second will be a Christmas Ball and the third will be an end of the year ball. Now, the restrictions will be as follows: third year and above for the Halloween and Christmas Ball. For the end of the year ball, everyone is invited." Loud exclamations were heard from first and second years. "While there are age restrictions, that does not mean a third year cannot invite a second year or a first year. For more information, please see a prefect. Thank you and good night!"
The Great Hall was full of talking once again, as everyone got up to go to their dorm.
"Dances, eh?" James said, nudging Sirius.
Sirius smirked. "This is going to be fun."
As the girls were walking up to their dorm, they were talking about the dances.
"So, Lil, who do you want to ask you?" Marissa asked, elbowing her teasingly.
Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "I don't know."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "Come on Lil, you know you want James to ask you!"
Lily tripped on one of the steps, saying nervously, "Wh - what?"
"You heard her," Devon said, smirking at her, "You want my dear brother to take you to the dances."
"I most certainly do not!" Lily said, looking highly affronted.
"Okay," Marissa said, unconvinced, while Addy, Ashley, and Devon were snickering behind her.
They changed into their pajamas and got ready for bed before laying down on Lily and Ashley's beds to talk.
"We all know who Addy wants to ask her," Devon said, winking at Addy, making her blush. "But what about Ashley and Marissa?"
"I want Mark Carter to ask me," Ashley said without hesitation. Everyone looked at her.
"What?" she said, "He and I really get along whenever we talk, not to mention his looks rival those of James, Sirius, and Remus."
Devon pretended to throw up over Lily's bed when she heard Ashley call her brother good looking.
"What about you Marissa?" Lily asked.
Marissa blushed, looking down. Marissa knew exactly who she wanted to ask her. But the problem is, he was taken - - by Devon. Yes, Amos Diggory. The very handsome captain and seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, who has been going out with Devon for five months. Marissa wouldn't even dare to say what she was thinking, so she just mumbled a quick "I don't know" before looking at Lily again.
"So Lil? How about it? You want James to ask you?" Devon said, grinning widely.
Lily threw a pillow at Devon.
"Ouch! Man, Lily, you have quite the arm on you!" Devon said, rubbing her cheek.
"Oh, please!" Lily scoffed, "It was a bloody pillow!"
Everyone laughed, when they heard a knock on the door. The door opened to reveal the Marauder's standing at the door. Lily blushed deeply when she saw them standing there, wondering if they had heard Devon talking about her wanting James to ask her to a dance. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind as they walked in. This was no surprise to the girls. The Marauder's had been coming up to their dorm and periodically hanging out with them since third year. They had somehow found the way to get up the girl's staircase without it turning into a slide.
"So! What have you lovely ladies been talking about?" Sirius asked. Sirius had heard what Devon said to Lily about James, but James, who had been too busy trying to get Peter to be quiet, hadn't heard it. Sirius winked at Lily, making her blush even more, if that was possible.
As everyone squashed onto the two girl's beds Sirius whispered in Lily's ear, "I won't tell". She looked at him with round eyes then smiled graciously at him. Lily sat squished between Sirius and Marissa, letting everyone carry on with their conversation. Many thoughts ran through her head.
'Do I want him to ask me to a dance?' she thought to herself. She mentally kicked herself ... hard. 'What are you thinking, Evans? This is Potter! You know, the boy who wouldn't just pull on a girl's pigtails, he would cut them off?' Lily let out a deep sigh, causing Marissa to look at her.
"What is it, Lil?"
"Hm?" she said, looking at Marissa, "Oh, nothing, just thinking."
Marissa winked at her before turning back to Devon.
"I think we have a great Quidditch Team this year," Marissa commented.
"Of course we do! We have two great beaters," Sirius said, emphasizing himself, "we have three unbeatable chasers, a speedy seeker, and a unstoppable keeper. I'd say we're undefeatable."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well ladies, we must be off!" James said, beckoning to the guys to come with him.
"It's only nine o'clock!" Devon said incredulously.
"Oh, well, there's a lot to be done!" James said, waving an impatient hand.
"Toodles!" Sirius said, walking out.
Remus waved to everyone before looking at Addy and smiling. As soon as they left, everyone turned to Addy.
"He's SO into you!" Ashley squealed! Addy bit her lower lip and looked away, willing herself not to blush.
The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was scheduled for the weekend before the Halloween Ball. All the third years and above were heading to Hogsmeade to buy their costumes.
Many people already had their costumes planned out before the trip. But many more didn't. Devon was of course going with Amos Diggory. Ashley got her wish when Mark Carter asked her the Thursday before Hogsmeade. He wanted to go with her to pick out matching costumes. Addy was dying for Remus to ask her to the Halloween Ball. But it didn't come. So Addy, Lily, and Marissa went to Hogsmeade together to find their costumes.
As soon as they entered Hogsmeade, they went straight to the Three Broomsticks to get a hot mug of Butterbeer. The three girls sat down next to the window and drank deeply from their mugs.
The bell to the door rang as four boys walked in. Addy quickly slopped Butterbeer all down her front when she saw Remus. Her stomach was twisted into so many knots that she couldn't properly swallow her drink. Lily and Marissa watched Addy slop more Butterbeer down her front as Remus walked over to their table.
"Hey Addy! Lily. Marissa." Remus said, nodding to the two other girls.
"Hey Remus," Lily and Marissa said brightly.
Addy sat there smiling stupidly at him. He grinned, looking down.
"Hey, can I talk to you, Addy?" he said, looking up at her. Lily and Marissa noticed he looked positively nervous. They smiled knowingly as Addy nodded and left the table with him.
Remus guided her to an unoccupied table. He pulled out her chair for her to sit then sat down opposite her.
"So, what's up?" he said. Addy noticed his voice shaking a bit.
"Um, not much," she said awkwardly, "Just planning on getting my costume for the ball, you?"
"Same," he said, putting his hands in his lap.
'Probably to wipe the sweat off his hands,' she thought to herself.
"Hey I wanted to know, um, did you want to go to the Halloween Ball with me?" he said, letting the words tumble out of his mouth.
Addy's heart skipped a beat when he asked her.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" she said, smiling.
"Really?" he said, smiling back at her.
"Yes, really!" she said, blushing crimson now.
"That's great!" he said, heaving a huge sigh. "So, did you want to, um, come with me to look at some costumes?"
"Um, sure! I'm sure the girls won't mind," she said. "Be right back." Addy walked over to the girls who were smiling broadly at her.
"Go," Marissa said firmly.
"What?" Addy asked, confused.
"She means go look at costumes with your date," Lily said, beaming at her.
"Really? You won't mind?" Addy asked, nervously.
"Shut up!" Marissa said, smiling at her, "Go with him!"
Addy smiled the biggest smile they had seen on her. "Thanks guys!" And with that, she walked back to Remus, walking with him out the door.
Lily and Marissa burst out laughing once the door had shut.
"What's so funny?"
They looked up and saw Sirius and James standing there, looking at them with amusement plastered on their faces.
"Remus and Addy!" Lily gasped.
"They're so cute!" Marissa added, still laughing.
James and Sirius laughed.
"May we sit down?" James asked the girls.
"Yeah, go ahead," Lily said, taking a swig from her mug.
They talked for a good 30 minutes before Marissa interrupted.
"Hey, guys, we have to go look at Halloween costumes," She said.
"Oh, yeah, can we come?" Sirius asked.
"What? Oh, yeah, sure!" Lily sputtered, coughing on her Butterbeer.
Sirius paid for their butterbeers and joined everyone outside.
"So? Where to?" Sirius prompted.
"Hmmm. How about that store?" Lily said, pointing to a store with Halloween Costumes on display in the window.
"Sure," James agreed. They followed Lily into the costume store and immediately began picking things out. They all walked into their own dressing rooms, trying on their first costume.
Lily and Marissa heard Sirius let out one of his bark-like laughs from the last dressing room. They all walked out at the same time to see what everyone looked like. Lily, Marissa, and James burst out laughing when they saw Sirius' costume. He had a large flobberworm's costume on, where a circle was cut out at the top where his face would fit.
"What? It was in the kid's section, so I had to enlarge it!" Sirius said, laughing.
"Siri, there's ... a ... reason ... it was in ... the KIDS section," James said through his laughs.
When James and Sirius were through making fun of each other (James had on a strange purple dinosaur's costume on, which Lily was quick to inform him was from a muggle kid's show: Barney. A/N: I know Barney didn't start until the late 80s early 90s, but I'm making it work) they turned to look at the girls. Lily had on an earthy green costume that flowed with the slightest movement she made. The sleeves flowed past her wrists and were cut asymmetrical. The dress was adorned with small silver beads on the bust of the dress. Half of her dark red hair was elegantly tied back, with a silver headdress that flowed over her red hair (Think Arwen's crown at the end of Return of the King).
Marissa on the other hand had on a colonial-type dress that hung off her shoulders. It was tight at the top, pushing up her bosom, and flowed out elegantly from the waist down to the floor. It was crème-colored with darker crème flowers imprinted on the fabric. She had on a hat tied around her neck and a lace fan in her right hand.
Both young women were looking expectantly at the ridiculous-looking boys who were looking at them with wide eyes.
"Um, guys?"
"Hello?"
Sirius, who was the first to come out of the trance said, "What? Oh, yeah, wow, um, you look great!"
James followed suit, "Yeah, what he said."
The girls laughed, telling them to get more normal looking costumes on.
James eventually came out with a three Musketeers costume, complete with the feathered hat. Sirius chose the Zorro-type costume that he had found at the back of the store.
All four paid for their costumes before meeting up with Remus, Addy, Devon, Amos, Ashley and Mark. Peter hadn't come, insisting that 'Halloween balls weren't for him'.
On the way back, Sirius stopped Lily. "Hey, Lil?"
"Mmmhmm?"
"Did you want to go to the ball with me? You know, as friends?"
"Yeah, sure Sirius, just as friends," she said, smiling at him. "But I don't know how good an elf would look with Zorro!"
James, having given Sirius permission to ask Lily to the dance asked Marissa as friends also. Both couples knew this was only as friends, and that's all they wanted to be.
As everyone walked back up to the castle for dinner, Lily shied away from the chatter, thinking how great life was.
Oooo, double update! :o) Hope you like this chapter! :o)
Chapter four: Preparation for Halloween
The weekend quickly came at Hogwarts and with it: Quidditch Try-outs. The Quidditch season would be starting in 2 months with Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw. Devon pointed this out to James after the try-outs that weekend, when he was scheduling practices 4 times a week.
"I know we aren't the first game, but we have to be prepared!" he said, for the fifth time. The whole team had complained to him when he gave them their practice times.
Since the beginning of the year, the school had been oddly quiet, with the exception of Peeves of course. But the Marauders had not done one of their pranks since the end of last year. Devon mentioned this to James at breakfast on Sunday.
"We know. We figured it would give people a false sense of security! And it has," he said proudly.
"Well, you have to let me in on at least one this year," she said smartly, looking at him.
James sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
At dinner one night, Dumbledore stood up at the end of the feast and called everyone's attention to him.
"Before you all are off to bed, I have some exciting news to tell you!" he said, his electric blue eyes twinkling. "We are having three balls this year!"
Everyone turned to each other and started murmuring excitedly.
"Excuse me!" Dumbledore shouted, calling everyone's attention to him again, "as I said, we will have three balls this year. This would explain why I had on your supplies list 'dress robes'. One will be held on Halloween, so I expect everyone to go to Hogsmeade to get your costume. The second will be a Christmas Ball and the third will be an end of the year ball. Now, the restrictions will be as follows: third year and above for the Halloween and Christmas Ball. For the end of the year ball, everyone is invited." Loud exclamations were heard from first and second years. "While there are age restrictions, that does not mean a third year cannot invite a second year or a first year. For more information, please see a prefect. Thank you and good night!"
The Great Hall was full of talking once again, as everyone got up to go to their dorm.
"Dances, eh?" James said, nudging Sirius.
Sirius smirked. "This is going to be fun."
As the girls were walking up to their dorm, they were talking about the dances.
"So, Lil, who do you want to ask you?" Marissa asked, elbowing her teasingly.
Lily looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, "I don't know."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "Come on Lil, you know you want James to ask you!"
Lily tripped on one of the steps, saying nervously, "Wh - what?"
"You heard her," Devon said, smirking at her, "You want my dear brother to take you to the dances."
"I most certainly do not!" Lily said, looking highly affronted.
"Okay," Marissa said, unconvinced, while Addy, Ashley, and Devon were snickering behind her.
They changed into their pajamas and got ready for bed before laying down on Lily and Ashley's beds to talk.
"We all know who Addy wants to ask her," Devon said, winking at Addy, making her blush. "But what about Ashley and Marissa?"
"I want Mark Carter to ask me," Ashley said without hesitation. Everyone looked at her.
"What?" she said, "He and I really get along whenever we talk, not to mention his looks rival those of James, Sirius, and Remus."
Devon pretended to throw up over Lily's bed when she heard Ashley call her brother good looking.
"What about you Marissa?" Lily asked.
Marissa blushed, looking down. Marissa knew exactly who she wanted to ask her. But the problem is, he was taken - - by Devon. Yes, Amos Diggory. The very handsome captain and seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, who has been going out with Devon for five months. Marissa wouldn't even dare to say what she was thinking, so she just mumbled a quick "I don't know" before looking at Lily again.
"So Lil? How about it? You want James to ask you?" Devon said, grinning widely.
Lily threw a pillow at Devon.
"Ouch! Man, Lily, you have quite the arm on you!" Devon said, rubbing her cheek.
"Oh, please!" Lily scoffed, "It was a bloody pillow!"
Everyone laughed, when they heard a knock on the door. The door opened to reveal the Marauder's standing at the door. Lily blushed deeply when she saw them standing there, wondering if they had heard Devon talking about her wanting James to ask her to a dance. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind as they walked in. This was no surprise to the girls. The Marauder's had been coming up to their dorm and periodically hanging out with them since third year. They had somehow found the way to get up the girl's staircase without it turning into a slide.
"So! What have you lovely ladies been talking about?" Sirius asked. Sirius had heard what Devon said to Lily about James, but James, who had been too busy trying to get Peter to be quiet, hadn't heard it. Sirius winked at Lily, making her blush even more, if that was possible.
As everyone squashed onto the two girl's beds Sirius whispered in Lily's ear, "I won't tell". She looked at him with round eyes then smiled graciously at him. Lily sat squished between Sirius and Marissa, letting everyone carry on with their conversation. Many thoughts ran through her head.
'Do I want him to ask me to a dance?' she thought to herself. She mentally kicked herself ... hard. 'What are you thinking, Evans? This is Potter! You know, the boy who wouldn't just pull on a girl's pigtails, he would cut them off?' Lily let out a deep sigh, causing Marissa to look at her.
"What is it, Lil?"
"Hm?" she said, looking at Marissa, "Oh, nothing, just thinking."
Marissa winked at her before turning back to Devon.
"I think we have a great Quidditch Team this year," Marissa commented.
"Of course we do! We have two great beaters," Sirius said, emphasizing himself, "we have three unbeatable chasers, a speedy seeker, and a unstoppable keeper. I'd say we're undefeatable."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well ladies, we must be off!" James said, beckoning to the guys to come with him.
"It's only nine o'clock!" Devon said incredulously.
"Oh, well, there's a lot to be done!" James said, waving an impatient hand.
"Toodles!" Sirius said, walking out.
Remus waved to everyone before looking at Addy and smiling. As soon as they left, everyone turned to Addy.
"He's SO into you!" Ashley squealed! Addy bit her lower lip and looked away, willing herself not to blush.
The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was scheduled for the weekend before the Halloween Ball. All the third years and above were heading to Hogsmeade to buy their costumes.
Many people already had their costumes planned out before the trip. But many more didn't. Devon was of course going with Amos Diggory. Ashley got her wish when Mark Carter asked her the Thursday before Hogsmeade. He wanted to go with her to pick out matching costumes. Addy was dying for Remus to ask her to the Halloween Ball. But it didn't come. So Addy, Lily, and Marissa went to Hogsmeade together to find their costumes.
As soon as they entered Hogsmeade, they went straight to the Three Broomsticks to get a hot mug of Butterbeer. The three girls sat down next to the window and drank deeply from their mugs.
The bell to the door rang as four boys walked in. Addy quickly slopped Butterbeer all down her front when she saw Remus. Her stomach was twisted into so many knots that she couldn't properly swallow her drink. Lily and Marissa watched Addy slop more Butterbeer down her front as Remus walked over to their table.
"Hey Addy! Lily. Marissa." Remus said, nodding to the two other girls.
"Hey Remus," Lily and Marissa said brightly.
Addy sat there smiling stupidly at him. He grinned, looking down.
"Hey, can I talk to you, Addy?" he said, looking up at her. Lily and Marissa noticed he looked positively nervous. They smiled knowingly as Addy nodded and left the table with him.
Remus guided her to an unoccupied table. He pulled out her chair for her to sit then sat down opposite her.
"So, what's up?" he said. Addy noticed his voice shaking a bit.
"Um, not much," she said awkwardly, "Just planning on getting my costume for the ball, you?"
"Same," he said, putting his hands in his lap.
'Probably to wipe the sweat off his hands,' she thought to herself.
"Hey I wanted to know, um, did you want to go to the Halloween Ball with me?" he said, letting the words tumble out of his mouth.
Addy's heart skipped a beat when he asked her.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" she said, smiling.
"Really?" he said, smiling back at her.
"Yes, really!" she said, blushing crimson now.
"That's great!" he said, heaving a huge sigh. "So, did you want to, um, come with me to look at some costumes?"
"Um, sure! I'm sure the girls won't mind," she said. "Be right back." Addy walked over to the girls who were smiling broadly at her.
"Go," Marissa said firmly.
"What?" Addy asked, confused.
"She means go look at costumes with your date," Lily said, beaming at her.
"Really? You won't mind?" Addy asked, nervously.
"Shut up!" Marissa said, smiling at her, "Go with him!"
Addy smiled the biggest smile they had seen on her. "Thanks guys!" And with that, she walked back to Remus, walking with him out the door.
Lily and Marissa burst out laughing once the door had shut.
"What's so funny?"
They looked up and saw Sirius and James standing there, looking at them with amusement plastered on their faces.
"Remus and Addy!" Lily gasped.
"They're so cute!" Marissa added, still laughing.
James and Sirius laughed.
"May we sit down?" James asked the girls.
"Yeah, go ahead," Lily said, taking a swig from her mug.
They talked for a good 30 minutes before Marissa interrupted.
"Hey, guys, we have to go look at Halloween costumes," She said.
"Oh, yeah, can we come?" Sirius asked.
"What? Oh, yeah, sure!" Lily sputtered, coughing on her Butterbeer.
Sirius paid for their butterbeers and joined everyone outside.
"So? Where to?" Sirius prompted.
"Hmmm. How about that store?" Lily said, pointing to a store with Halloween Costumes on display in the window.
"Sure," James agreed. They followed Lily into the costume store and immediately began picking things out. They all walked into their own dressing rooms, trying on their first costume.
Lily and Marissa heard Sirius let out one of his bark-like laughs from the last dressing room. They all walked out at the same time to see what everyone looked like. Lily, Marissa, and James burst out laughing when they saw Sirius' costume. He had a large flobberworm's costume on, where a circle was cut out at the top where his face would fit.
"What? It was in the kid's section, so I had to enlarge it!" Sirius said, laughing.
"Siri, there's ... a ... reason ... it was in ... the KIDS section," James said through his laughs.
When James and Sirius were through making fun of each other (James had on a strange purple dinosaur's costume on, which Lily was quick to inform him was from a muggle kid's show: Barney. A/N: I know Barney didn't start until the late 80s early 90s, but I'm making it work) they turned to look at the girls. Lily had on an earthy green costume that flowed with the slightest movement she made. The sleeves flowed past her wrists and were cut asymmetrical. The dress was adorned with small silver beads on the bust of the dress. Half of her dark red hair was elegantly tied back, with a silver headdress that flowed over her red hair (Think Arwen's crown at the end of Return of the King).
Marissa on the other hand had on a colonial-type dress that hung off her shoulders. It was tight at the top, pushing up her bosom, and flowed out elegantly from the waist down to the floor. It was crème-colored with darker crème flowers imprinted on the fabric. She had on a hat tied around her neck and a lace fan in her right hand.
Both young women were looking expectantly at the ridiculous-looking boys who were looking at them with wide eyes.
"Um, guys?"
"Hello?"
Sirius, who was the first to come out of the trance said, "What? Oh, yeah, wow, um, you look great!"
James followed suit, "Yeah, what he said."
The girls laughed, telling them to get more normal looking costumes on.
James eventually came out with a three Musketeers costume, complete with the feathered hat. Sirius chose the Zorro-type costume that he had found at the back of the store.
All four paid for their costumes before meeting up with Remus, Addy, Devon, Amos, Ashley and Mark. Peter hadn't come, insisting that 'Halloween balls weren't for him'.
On the way back, Sirius stopped Lily. "Hey, Lil?"
"Mmmhmm?"
"Did you want to go to the ball with me? You know, as friends?"
"Yeah, sure Sirius, just as friends," she said, smiling at him. "But I don't know how good an elf would look with Zorro!"
James, having given Sirius permission to ask Lily to the dance asked Marissa as friends also. Both couples knew this was only as friends, and that's all they wanted to be.
As everyone walked back up to the castle for dinner, Lily shied away from the chatter, thinking how great life was.