Sirius's Top Ten
Here's chapter 8!
TeenTypist - If you're truly feeling sorry for Oliver, I don't think you'll like this chapter either... But don't worry, I will reward him for being my toy...
goddesgaia - I'm glad! I love writing it.
J.K. Rowling owns every character, aside from Abby, Oliver, Cass... and someone else.
Thoughts are in italics.
Chapter 8: Happy One-Sixth Birthday
"Dungbombs? You've got to be kidding me. She'd know it was you guys." Cass objected, crossing out the idea on Sirius's roll of parchment.
"Yeah, you guys always do stuff like that." Abby agreed.
"Are we really that predictable?" Sirius asked, amazed at the girls sitting across from them. Abby and Cass were the two least likely people to be participating in this sort of endeavor. Glancing up to see a familiar redhead enter the Great Hall, accompanied by 'the enemy'. Quickly, he rolled up the parchment and shoved it in his pockets, giving Lily an innocent smile as she sat down. Oliver was heading over to the Hufflepuff table.
"So they finally sorted him into the right house, then?" James asked slyly.
"He's speaking with Amos. No need to be rude, Potter." Lily replied shortly, looking through the large stack of mail that had arrived for her that morning. She had skipped breakfast for a prefect meeting with Remus.
James winced as she called him Potter, but it was better than not being spoken to at all.
"What is all that?" Cass asked curiously, snatching a letter from Lily's pile and opening it. It was a heart shaped card, which immediately began to sing 'All You Need Is Love.' Cass laughed, reading through the message inside. "He's quite smitten, Tig."
Abby glanced over Cass's shoulder and giggled. "Oh. Happy One-Sixth Birthday!"
Sirius frowned. "What's a One-Sixth Birthday?"
"Apparently it's when a sixth of the time until your actual birthday is." Remus explained, though he too looked quite baffled.
"He sends you One-Sixth Birthday cards?" James asked incredulously, trying to hide his laughter as Oliver joined them, Cass hiding the card she had opened under the table.
"Hello, Muffin." Oliver said dreamily, gazing at Lily so intently that James wanted to punch him in the face.
"Err... hi Oliver. How's Amos?" Lily asked with an awkward smile.
"He's good. Sorry I took so long, he was talking to me about Hufflepuff's new quidditch plans..."
"Really?" James asked, perking up with interest. "Plans like what?"
Oliver laughed. "I wouldn't tell you James. I mean, I'm not that stupid.
Surprised me. James thought quietly, for once keeping his thoughts to himself.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Abby began gathering her things. "Well, I'd better head off for my CARIO meeting." she said with a mischievous smile.
"CARIO?" Lily asked, frowning slightly.
"Yeah. It's a tap group." Cass said with a bright smile. "I'm a member too."
"I don't think I've ever heard of 'CARIO', have you passed the club with Dumbledore?" Lily asked curiously.
Fuck. James thought to himself. Lily was a prefect, she knew about all the different clubs and such. How could they have not realized?
"That's what I was going to do right now!" Sirius said with a happy grin. "I'm the president! I mean... Leader!"
"I didn't know you were into Muggle dancing." Lily commented, wondering why her friends (and non-friends) were acting so strangely.
"Love it!" Sirius lied enthusiastically. "Me and James have been doing tap since we were five!"
"Really? You never told me that, Potter."
"Yeah, well, it never came up." James said bashfully, hating the fact that he was lying to Lily.
"Well, as Prefects, Remus or I could authorize it for you." Lily suggested.
"Perfect! Remus, old pal, will you do the honours?" Cass said with a hyper grin - lying was not his strong suit.
"Sure. Good idea, Lily." Remus said with a glazed smile. The entire group jumped up, and left the hall in a hurry, leaving only Lily and Oliver.
"Well, now we can be alone..." Oliver said quietly, gazing into Lily's eyes.
"We just were." Lily said, looking down the table for someone else to talk to her.
"Oh, yeah." Oliver said sheepishly, before pecking her on the cheek and going to talk to Amos again, leaving Lily alone.
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"That was so bloody close!" Sirius said in relief.
"I know!" Cass agreed. "But you can see what we mean, eh? Just a tad obsessive."
"That boy spooks me out." Sirius admitted, before glancing to James, who was staring at the wall, lost in thought.
Lily didn't seem very comfortable with him. Maybe she doesn't even like him. He could still feel her soft lips on hers. James smiled to himself at the thought.
"HEYLO?!?! PRONGS?!?!"
James snapped out of his thoughts as Sirius jumped about in front of him, yelling loudly.
"What?"
"You were so out of it!"
"So? You're not the only one who gets to be 'out of it!'" James replied, grinning.
"Ouch." Cass said with a smile, before adding thoughtfully, "I wonder if they've been approved yet."
At that exact moment, Abby was sitting with Remus in Headmaster Dippet's office, as he reviewed the form Remus had filled out, requesting a new club, by the name of CARIO.
"What does CARIO stand for, Mr. Lupin?" he asked slowly, glancing up from the parchment.
"Err..." Remus paused, trying to think of a good name.
"Coalition of Appreciators of River music, Irish dance, and Outlets for creativity!" Abby said brightly, stringing random dancing-themed words together.
"Interesting." Dippet commented. "Although I'm not sure the word 'Appreciators' exists. Despite that, I think it will be a great idea. But you say you want it to be a private club?"
"Yes, Sir. You see, we take tap dancing to heart, and only want those who take it seriously joining our troupe. We want commitment, and people to be serious." Remus offered. He couldn't believe how much he had lied to Dippet today. However, he was impressed at Abby's quick thinking for what CARIO stood for.
"Well, I suppose I will allow you to start this club. I assume you, Mr. Lupin, will be overseeing the club?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Well, congratulations then, CARIO has been born. However, to prove to me that you're serious about this..."
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"Checkmate, again." James said with a smug grin as his queen destroyed Sirius's king, winning the game.
"How are you so good at this? I mean, you're just as stupid as me, and yet you kick arse at chess."
"Tis a gift." James agreed.
Sirius turned to see Remus and Abby enter the common room.
"Well?" he asked expectantly.
"We've been approved." Abby said solemnly.
"Great!"
"What's wrong with you?" James asked curiously. "You're supposed to be happy."
"Well... since we didn't want other people joining the club, we had to tell Dippet we only wanted people who were serious." Remus began.
"So?" Sirius asked, confused.
"Well, to prove how 'serious' we are, we're to perform a tap number just before Easter." Abby finished. The boys were silent, and Cass, who had been reading and listening, was gaping.
"Perform? We're so friggin' screwed."
The group agreed with Sirius's comment, despite how badly he had worded it.
"Lily's worth it though." James said, his hazel eyes watching the girl's dormitory door.
Cass followed James' glance, and instantly forgave him. Maybe he wasn't lying, and the contest thing caught up with him. I mean, if I were in a contest with Sirius, I wouldn't want to loose. I'd never hear the end of it.
"I think I'm going to catch some shut-eye before Potions." Abby said slowly, walking up the steps to the dormitory. Despite the fact that she was in Ravenclaw, she spent most of her time in the Gryffindor common room anyways - between classes, at night. James would then escort her back, under the invisibility cloak to her own common room, where she would sleep.
"Yeah. I think I've gotta talk to Lily. I've had an epiphany." Cass agreed, standing to join Abby and Lily upstairs.
"You've finally realized your true feelings for me, you mean?" Sirius asked with a wicked grin.
"You just keep dreaming." Cass replied, sticking out her tongue and climbing the stairs.
Lily had somehow beat her friends back up to the common room. She was sitting on her bed, surrounded by flowers and cards from Oliver, staring at the wall right above the doorway.
"Tig?" Cass asked, frowning as she traced Lily's gaze. "Whatcha looking at?"
"Just thinking."
"About?" Abby asked, sliding through the door behind Cass and plopping down on Lily's bed.
"Oliver. I mean, he's great boyfriend. Sweet, involved... He's cute... Devoted... I can trust him." Lily said softly, like she was convincing herself more than anyone else.
"Of course. I'm sure he's great." Cass agreed.
"What do you like about him?" Lily asked curiously.
"Oliver? Well, he's nice... Very devoted..." Cass agreed.
"Yeah... and cute. And devoted." Abby added.
"If a little... obsessive." Cass added tactfully.
"You think?" Lily asked, looking astonished and pleased to hear it all at once. "I mean, I thought it was just me, but the cards and flowers and everything... They seem a bit much."
"Yeah." Abby agreed.
"And you know, we don't connect well. He's always talking about how beautiful I am, and that's nice, but that's all we ever talk about. At least with Jam - " Lily stopped herself. She wasn't about to say 'James', was she? "I mean, I just wish he was a bit more... deep."
"Understandable." Abby said with a wink toward Cass. Lily still liked James.
"I've got an idea... For a dance move for CARIO!" Cass stood urgently, leaving the dormitory and heading downstairs to discuss her plan with Sirius.
Abby shrugged. "Well, I ought to go too then. But Lillers," she said, pausing at the doorway. "If you're not into Oliver, don't drag him on. It would be nicer just to dump him."
Lily nodded, knowing that Abby was right. Abby smiled briefly and headed downstairs.
"Perfect, Agent 02 is here, for Operation Dance-off, Revised 1." Cass said with an evil grin as Abby joined the group in a corner of the common room.
"What?" Abby asked, frowning slightly.
"You're going to be a major component of Operation Dance-off, Revised 1." Sirius said, as though it was easy to understand what they were talking about.
Cass groaned. "Lily still likes James, following?"
"Yes."
"So, you're going to date James."
"What? Why?" Abby looked surprised and upset, as did Remus.
"So that Lily will get jealous, and dump Oliver for James." Sirius said, beaming at Cass.
"And then you'll dump James, and... POOF! Our problems will be gone." Cass finished.
"Cass, I don't think that's a good idea." Abby protested.
"Yeah. I mean, it's kinda unfair to Abby and James." Remus agreed.
"I don't mind." James lied. He did mind, in fact, he never wanted to kiss another girl in his life, only Lily. But to win her back, he'd do anything.
"I do!" Abby cried. "Lily's one of my best mates!"
"You don't have to kiss or anything. Just hold hands, sit together in classes..." Sirius offered, trying to get her keen on the idea.
"Then you can go back to that stupid I-have-a-crush-on-Remus-but-I-don't-know-if-he-likes-me phase, and Remus to his I'm-in-love-with-Abby-but-I'm-too-afraid-to-tell-her phase." Cass said, sounding annoyed.
"What?!?!" Remus and Abby yelled, both flushing a deep shade of scarlet.
"Oh come off it, it's like so obvious!" Sirius said with a smile as he waddled around like the ditzy girls of Hufflepuff did.
Abby glared daggers at him, before taking Remus's hand and leading him away from the group.
"Is it true?" she asked softly, gazing into his soft blue eyes.
"Yeah." Remus admitted sheepishly, staring back into her deep brown ones.
"Me too."
"You mean?"
"Yeah."
"Then, Abigail... will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" Remus asked timidly.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Abby said, a bright smile crossing her face. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, and pulled him into a hug.
"Well, obviously we can't use Abby then." Sirius commented, watching the pair from their corner. "It's all your fault Cass."
"We'll just have to find a girl who actually likes Oliver, then." Cass replied simply.
"Wait a minute... There's a girl in fourth year, a Hufflepuff, who's always giving him looks at meals!" Sirius said, amazed he had even thought of it.
"Looks? Of what? Disgust? Admiration? Love?" Cass asked impatiently.
"Uh... Love, I s'ppose. I mean, they're the same looks James gives Lily."
"It's love then." James said decidly.
They just had to figure out who this girl was, and get her in on the plan.