Left With YOU
Chapter 7
By Mrs. Padfoot
Author's note: Steph slowed me down with a heated argument about whether James or Sirius was cooler. Honestly. Sirius is cooler than everyone.
Actually, since American Mione asked to meet our muses (okay, not EXACTLY, but I'm a writer so I get poetic liberty...wheeeee!), and well, technically, you all have. Because as weird as this sounds, Mrs. Prongs is my muse and I'm her muse.
OH. And everyone needs to go look at our livejournal. Yes, our. The link is in our author profile, so go now! =D It's not friends only, or anything, so everyone can see it. (The question is, what will we use it for?)
And honestly, this took ages for me. But my life is hectic right now. Like, really. I'm SORRY!
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"You DO know they'll catch up to us eventually, don't you?" sighed Alex, trying to keep up with her irritated friend.
"Not if we go fast enough, they won't," mumbled Stephanie.
"Steph," sighed Alex.
"NO, Alex. The lines between our two groups have become very, very blurred, and as far as I'm concerned, they can stay that way. I don't want to be with ANY. OF. THOSE. GRYFFINDORS. ANYMORE."
"This isn't about Sirius anymore, is it Steph?" asked Alexandra quietly.
Steph didn't answer.
"Steph?"
"What, Alex?"
"Are you jealous of Lily?"
"Of course not," Stephanie said, stiffening. "Let's go, I can hear Sirius singing. We have to stay ahead of them."
Alex sighed but set off after Stephanie.
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"Ohhhhh, ninety-six bottles of butterbeer on the wall, ninety-six bottles of butterbeeeeer, take one down, and – "
"SHUT. UP," said Lily.
" – pass it around," continued Sirius defiantly, "ninety-five bottles of butterbeer on the wall! Ohhhhhhh, ninety-five…"
"This is all your fault," hissed Lily to James.
"How is THIS my fault?" asked James.
"It's the bloody laws of physics," said Lily. "Something goes wrong, blame it on James. The end."
"I think I'm hurt," said James.
"Yeah, well. Join the party. My ears and head have been aching for hours."
"OH YEAH? MY EARS HURT TOO!" yelled James.
"Really, Jamesey?" said Sirius. "Mine kinda do too."
"Maybe you should stop singing for a minute," said James sarcastically.
"I'm BORED."
"I'm beginning to have NIGHTMARES about that phrase coming from you," said Lily.
"Why the hell are you BORED, Sirius?" asked James.
"Because. You guys are talking to each other like little lovebirds ("WHAT?" screeched Lily), and not talking to me. So what can I do except sing? Ohhh ninety-three bottles of butterbeer on the wall..."
James and Lily sighed.
"Okay, Sirius, lemme have a private discussion with you," said James.
"Alright, Jamesey," said Sirius happily.
"Padfoot," said James, "you want to be with Alexandra right now, don't you?"
"Duh, Prongsie," said Sirius, rolling his eyes.
"So we all have to walk faster. Because they're ahead. And Stephanie's probably RUNNING. And Alexandra's probably trying to keep up with her. So we have to go FAST. So then you can be with Alexandra, and I can be with Lily!"
"Good thinking, Jamesie," said Sirius, grabbing James' arm. "Let's go!"
"Oh, great," said Lily as the two of them ran off. "Just what I needed."
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"Steph," said Alex, biting her lip as they walked out of Honeydukes, "don't you feel a little weird? Being in Hogsmeade, I mean?"
"Alex," groaned Steph. "No one we know is here. We are not going to get into trouble. So deal. The end."
"Right," said Alex, closing her eyes and trying to imagine it all away. Unfortunately, this caused her to run directly into someone.
"Oh, I'm – Jenny?"
"Alex?"
"What are you doing here?" they chorused.
"Finding a filibuster," said Alex.
"Running away from Sirius," said Steph.
"WE came for a filibuster too," said Jenny, "how odd."
"Who's we?" asked Steph.
"Remus and I," said Jenny, waving her book around. "He's in Zonko's right now."
"Ohhhhh," said Stephanie knowingly.
"Oh, shut up," said Jenny. "You got put with James, so you shouldn't talk."
"Actually," said Stephanie, "we got stuck with Sirius instead."
"That must be horrible," said Jenny, glancing at Alex. "Have they been snogging all over the place?"
"Excuse me," said Alexandra.
"Not really," said Steph, "but it's not because they haven't tried. How's it going with Remus?"
"Not so good," said Jenny, "I keep trying to talk to him, every time I sorta clam up and – god. You know what happens when I'm with a guy I like. I go from outspoken to completely silent."
"From me to Alex," said Stephanie.
"I'm not THAT quiet," said Alex.
Stephanie and Jenny snorted.
"HEY. What is this, pick-on-Alex day?"
"Right on, Ally," grinned Steph.
Alex pouted.
"So what have you got so far?" asked Steph.
"Um, we've been going backwards. So we've got apple shampoo, a book on house-elves, a blood-flavored lollipop, a chocolate éclair, OH. And James' underpants."
"WHAT?" screeched Alex and Steph.
"Hey," said Remus, walking up to the trio. "You're talking."
Jenny gave him a weak sort of grin.
"She talks," said Steph.
"All the time," added Alex quietly.
Remus raised his eyebrows and glanced down at Jenny.
"Hey, look! The gang's all here," said Sirius as he and James exited Honeydukes with Lily not too far behind.
"Just a sec," said Steph, grabbing Jenny and Alex. "We need to talk. About... that item you just mentioned, Jenny."
"What was that all about?" asked James, looking confused.
"No clue," said Lily.
Remus just grinned.
"Moony," said Sirius. "Tell us what you know."
"I heard the tail end of their conversation," said Remus. "But I'm sworn to secrecy."
"But Mooooony," whined Sirius.
"Look, Sirius, they're just talking about something on list, like they said," said Remus, shrugging his shoulders and giving James an innocent grin, despite the fact that he was talking to Sirius.
"Yeah. Right."
"Really," said Remus, "I mean, some of the items are more interesting than others. But you should know that. You did copy the lists for everyone, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but..." said Sirius, "OH."
"Wait... what?" said James.
"Nooothing, Jamesey," said Sirius, giving his friend a big grin and turning back to Remus.
"Remus...?" said James, glancing between the two of them.
"Like I said, James, I'm sworn to secrecy," said Remus. "Sorry, Prongs."
James sighed and scanned down the list he and Lily shared, but didn't see anything worth this much fuss.
"You know what, James?" said Lily vaguely, reading over his shoulder.
"Yeah?" said James.
"Your friends are idiots. Every single one of them."
"Yeah, I figured that out years ago," said James.
"Why, Prongs," said Remus, feigning hurt, "Maybe I won't give you my extra filibuster. I'm sure Sirius could use it more than you two."
"Please," said Lily, "he'd blow up the school on accident."
"No, he wouldn't," said Remus.
"Not on accident, anyway," said Sirius, looking strangely pensive, as if considering the situation.
"Do you REALLY want to put a filibuster in the hands of him?"
"Well, if I don't give him one, he's going to buy one anyway, so I might as well," said Remus.
"Fine. James and I will go buy our own," grunted Lily, grabbing James by the arm and dragging him into Zonko's."
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