Disclaimer: see chapter 1 . . . I own nothing except my characters . . .
Chapter 3 The Moon Charts
Lunch was pretty un-enjoyable for the most part. James's bad mood had followed him all the way to Transfiguration and he happened to spread it on to Sirius. Sirius had asked what was wrong with James and James lost his temper. Sirius was now angry about going home for the holidays, upset that James was worrying about him and upset with Woad for giving his detention on the last day before break for hexing Snape with out a good reason. Sirius said he didn't need a reason. And Remus didn't dare try to talk to James. Everyone knew he had a horrible temper and quite frankly Remus wasn't in the mood to deal with that right now. Sirius however was a bit easier to talk to.
"I'm sure if you talked to your Mum she'd let you—"
Sirius snorted into his pumpkin juice, "Yea sure she'll let me go . . ." his face hardened, "In a million years she'll let me go."
Remus frowned. Cheering up Sirius was proving to be quite the task, "Why don't you ask her..?"
"Because I already know what the answer will be . . ." Sirius said swallowing his pumpkin juice hard, "It's gonna be 'No this is our family holiday not the Potter and Black family holiday' . . ." Sirius sighed, "I can hear the old bat croaking it to me now."
Puzzled, Remus was about to give up, "Well you won't know until you—"
"Ask right..?" Sirius said finishing his sentence for him.
"Well . . ." Remus was lost for words, "Yes . . ."
"Well I know she'll say no," Sirius grunted, "I've only lived with the cow for my whole life."
Remus gave up. There simply was no point in trying to get Sirius out of his slump. When he was ready he'd come out of it and Remus knew that. In due time Remus knew that Sirius would take whole situation and make it into a joke they could all laugh at. But right now was not the time. James however was a different story. His bad mood might linger longer than Sirius's. Remus looked over at James. He was grumpily eating his Shepard's pie.
"Everything okay..?" Remus asked James.
James however was not in the mood to say anything. His brain was working hard to think of a way to let Sirius have an enjoyable Christmas.
"No . . ." he finally said.
"Why..?" Remus asked.
James didn't answer his question and started to read The Dream Oracle. Well not really reading it . . . only pretending to get Remus to stop talking to him . . . He could feel Remus looking at him but he didn't look up from the book. Maybe Remus would buy it that he was reading..?
"James I know you're not reading The Dream Oracle . . . you can't stand Divination," Remus said in a tone, which clearly said 'nice try'.
Or maybe he wouldn't believe it . . .
Placing down the book James looked up, "Alright. I'm mad."
Remus raised an eyebrow as Peter dug into his pudding shoveling it into his mouth, "Why..?"
James mumbled something.
"What..?" Remus asked.
"I said I'm mad that Sirius can't have an enjoyable Christmas for once," James said in a low voice.
Remus looked at him with a smile, "Well that's nice of you," he said, "But . . ."
"But what..?" James snapped.
"But that's Sirius's problem . . ." Remus said as politely as he could, "Don't let his family ruin your family's holiday. People can take care of their own problems. That's what makes it their problems."
James glared at him. How could Remus say that..? When they found out Remus was a werewolf Sirius didn't say to him 'It's Remus's Problem . . .' they all stuck together and worked out a way to be with their friend. How could Remus say such a thing, "Remus..!" James said angrily.
Remus looked taken back, "I didn't mean it like that . . ."
"Then what did you mean..?!" James shouted standing up and a few people looked at him.
"Well everybody has problems James . . ." Remus said trying to explain, "You don't need to burden yourself with them all..!"
"I'm not..!" James shouted. His temper was rising. Normally him and Sirius dueled like this. Not him and Remus, "I'm just trying—!"
"You think that if you think of a way that—!"
"SHUT UP—!"
Before James knew it him and Remus were in a shouting match. Remus grabbed his books and got up with out saying a word to James. James was left looking dumbly at air for a few moments. Peter blinked then looked up at James.
"What was that about..?" Peter asked timidly.
James didn't answer him. He was too frustrated right now to care. Grabbing his things and shoveling them into his bag James stomped off. Peter looked at James then Sirius, "What was that about..?"
Sirius shrugged, "I'm not sure."
The next class they had was Divination. James sat in the far corner with Sirius while Peter went over to see what Remus was fussing about.
"I just don't see why he has to be the master who needs to take on everybody's problems and make them 10 times worse for himself," Remus confessed to Peter, "It just bothers me. I try to calm him down and he loses his temper. He's not the only one with problems you know," Remus said to Peter, "Sirius has family issues. You're having trouble with your O.W.L.'s," Peter turned red, "And I'm—"
"You're what..?" Peter asked, 'What..?"
"Never mind," Remus said opening a copy of The Dream Oracle, "It's nothing. You already know anyway."
"Know what..? No, I don't know..." Peter stated, "I don't really. I'm confused about this whole mess."
Remus did not answer his question. Defeated, Peter sat down on his black pouf next to Remus. James and Sirius however were still talking.
"He told me it wasn't my problem," James said angrily.
"Well," Sirius began, "It isn't. It's mine. So don't burden yourself with my problems James."
"Don't you say you agree with him..?" James mumbled.
"I didn't . . ." Sirius stated, "I said it wasn't your problem, it is mine. Don't let my family ruin your holiday. They have a thing for spreading grief. Don't let them catch you."
"You're starting to sound like Remus . . ."
Sirius looked taken back, "James, I'm flattered you care but don't you and Remus start fighting over me and my family," he said bitterly, "We're not worth it."
"But Sirius—"
"James just think about it. You—"
"Good Afternoon class . . ." said a female voice.
The class turned around to look at Professor Trindle. She glided over to her crystal ball sitting on a black covered table. Gracefully she moved her feeble hands loaded with silver rings, around the crystal ball. Her black lined eyes widened with joy as she looked on. Heavily wrapped in a black tight cloak she stood up and throwing her arms into the air and a thousand silver bracelets came crashing into her elbows. Her face wore an expression of delight and the class watched as her skin moved with her grin. Her make up gliding up with it. The black bun tightly placed on top pf her head shinning dimly in the candle lit classroom. She examined her crystal ball again and jumped right back up causing her black-jeweled glasses to almost fall off her nose.
"I have just received word . . ." she said in a cool voice, "Of your emotions."
"This is a load of rubbish . . ." Sirius muttered to James under his breath. James nodded back it truly was a load of rubbish.
"We have some high tempers..!" she smiled. James raised an eyebrow at Sirius who was trying not to laugh. How did upset people spark her interest..?
"This is perfect for our work today..!" she announced, "Today we soar threw the minds of our classmates trying to read their emotions..! Emotions are very powerful to the human . . ." she said walking around her blackened room, "They let us feel and understand how we feel . . . in Divination emotions are a important thing to know . . . it lets us feel the presence of the future..!"
"Oy what a load of dung . . ." Sirius mumbled to James, "Emotions don't predict the future. If they did that mean your future is pretty angry with that temper James."
James chuckled silently.
"So..!" Professor Trindle said happily clapping her hands together causing all her jewelry to rattle, "Lets us partner up . . . four in a group please . . ."
"Wanna make up with Moony Prongs..?" Sirius asked.
"Suppose . . ." he said dryly, "Maybe I did over react."
"Yea . . ." Sirius said, "You're good at that."
Getting up and gathering their things James and Sirius walked across the dark room and sat down at Remus and Peter's table.
"Ummm . . . look . . . I—" James started.
"You're sorry..?" Remus asked.
"Yes . . ."
"Alright I forgive you," Remus said smiling.
Sirius pretended to cry and act like a mother and grabbed Remus and James around by their necks, "Oh that's my two boys making up . . ."
"Lay off Mother Sirius," James said pushing him off his pouf.
Everybody laughed except Peter. He remained looking at The Dream Oracle with concentration.
"Come on you guys . . ." he said.
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "You actually want to read this rubbish..?"
"I want to pass..!" Peter shouted at him.
"All you need to do to pass this class is make up dung about things," Sirius said looking at his own copy of The Dream Oracle, "Okay lets see . . . James's eyes are hazel meaning he'll die an early death. There," he snapped the book shut, "You just make up stuff Peter."
"Glad I'm living to a rip old age," James said with a laugh and looked at the book, "Now lets see . . ." he looked hard at Sirius, "You have brown eyes . . ." he flipped through the book, "I dunno it probably means you'll get eaten by a giant marshmallow or something . . ."
"Yea probably."
Remus laughed and opened his book pretending to be focusing as Professor Trindle came around passing out sheets of paper, "Now. Emotions are easy to read, but in order to predict how they will affect the future you need to have your Moon Charts out . . ." she handed James one, "I will be passing them out."
Remus looked up with a bit of a nervous reaction. Sirius raised an eyebrow and took his chart and almost in an instant started to make a paper airplane out of it.
James took his own. They had each date of December on it and the moon rotation. There were each stages of the moon on it and under it would state a different emotion, which would say a different prediction. James rolled his eyes. This was so stupid.
"The moon effects our ways very deeply . . ." Professor Trindle said softly.
Sirius snorted a laugh, "Look out Prongs, tomorrow we're going to have bad luck thanks to the half moon."
James laughed, "Yea I'll get hit by a . . ." James flipped through The Dream Oracle, "I'll get knocked out by a hippogriff. Who writes this crap..?"
Sirius smiled slyly, "I dunno . . . but," Sirius said looking at James. James could start to see him forgetting the holidays, "But I'm sure they get paid a ton. Maybe I should consider writing a book . . ."
James snorted, "You writing a book..?"
"Hey all you have to write for a Divination book is a bunch of dung and you know that," Sirius said grinning, "I'd get paid money to make up stuff."
"That's true."
Peter was flipping through his book pages with a face of stress. He seemed to be breaking down in a way. James glanced over and looked at what Peter had written for emotions and what not for this pointless class. Most of it was wrong, and even though James despised this class he could still tell what was right and what was wrong.
"Ohhh . . ." Peter mumbled, "I just don't get it."
James smiled to himself and looked at his Moon Chart. He should get started on this to get at least a passing grade on this stuff. So with out further a due, James turned to the correct page and started to do his work when he noticed something, something he hadn't though about since last month.
Looking at the Moon Chart James soon realized why Remus was a bit upset, why he told James people have their own problems to worry about, why he should let things be . . . James dropped the Moon Chart down and saw the full moon right above Professor Trindle's scratchy writing: Full Moon, December 25.
Authors Note: What do you think..? Drop a review. And thank you to all those who reviewed. : )