Duelling Matters

'Duelling,' snapped Sirius.

'...in the corridors,' added Peter.

'That's an insult that is,' snorted James. 'As if Snape - him of all people! - would take all four of us single-handedly. Ha!' He slammed his bag into one corner of the common room and himself into the armchair opposite of it, feeling that he would like some ice cream now. Or a liquorice wand at least.

'Professor Vector isn't exactly what you would call a shining example of Slytherin's more intelligent specimen,' said Sirius darkly. 'Good thing, too. Or we'd be in detention now. Again!'

'Yeah, I'm sick of it as well,' snorted Remus. 'Three times within a month is just too much.'

James gave him a quick grin, suppressing his urge to point out that for him, three times within a week would have been closer to reality, and instead stated: 'Depends on the kind of detention I should say.'

'You are talking of the Forbidden Forest one, aren't you?' grinned Sirius, settling down in front of the fireplace as well, beckoning Remus to take the seat next to him.

'Ooh,' remarked Peter, 'don't remind me of that night. It was awful!'

Remus frowned. 'When have you three been sent in the Forbidden Forest? As a detention?'

James saw the disbelief on his face and stretched his legs in what he hoped was a relaxed and superior-looking manner.

'Oh, last year,' said Sirius airily. 'You weren't there. Busy with your full-moon ailment, I seem to remember. Missed some smashing good fun, you did.'

'Matter of opinion,' muttered Peter, watching Remus unfold a piece of parchment, which he had been holding for some time now, and started reading it over the taller boy's shoulder.

'What've you got there?' enquired James curiously, dropping his last feeble intention of busying himself with his Transfiguration textbook. 'A letter?'

Remus nodded. 'Got it from Bina,' he muttered. 'She went off to Rumania this weekend with the other fourth-years. They're doing their study trips, visiting dragon reservations and the like.'

The effect these words had on James and Sirius was astounding. Both boys leaned forward, watching their friend in a mixture of sudden interest and suppressed yearning.

'Rumania?' inquired Sirius.

Remus nodded. 'It's where she says she is. They're still travelling, though. Maybe that's not where the dragons are, I don't know.'

'I wish we'd do study trips like that,' sighed James, staring into the fireplace dreamily.

'Getting to see foreign countries,' nodded Peter.

'And real dragons!' stated Sirius.

'What did she write?' enquired Peter curiously, peering over Remus's shoulder, who hastily turned the letter, giving his friend a most reproachful look.

'This is private,' he said snobbishly, shoving the letter into his bag. 'Don't we have any more homework to do?'

Three dismissive groans told him that, even if this was the case, none of his friends had any intention to change their usual habit of pushing back their work to the utmost limit - usually Sunday evening shortly before the lights were extinguished.

Suddenly, however, Sirius jumped to his feet, making Peter jump at least a foot into the air out of surprise, and gathered his things together in what actually seemed a disturbed hurry to his surprised friends.

'Easy,' said James, hiding his astonishment. 'What got into you?'

'I forgot,' muttered Sirius, thrusting the last book into his bag. 'I have an urgent meeting down in Hogsmeade this afternoon.'

'But we aren't allowed down there,' gasped Peter. 'Don't you remember? You'll get yourself into trouble!'

'Rubbish,' snorted Sirius. 'It's not as if I am going to simply walk through the entrance doors and back. No one will notice.'

Remus frowned slightly. 'But you can't -'

'- go without us!' interrupted James, jumping to his feet, grinning. 'Or me, at least. What did you think, planning to deprive me of a bit of fun?'

'No,' said Sirius distractedly, trying to fix a torn strap on his bag. 'I am going alone.'

James stopped, staring at him in mild astonishment. Peter frowned slightly, and even Remus looked up from another book he had begun to read.

'What?'

Sirius looked up. 'I am going alone,' he said firmly, putting his bag over his shoulder. 'This meeting is just meant for two.'

And with this he vanished through the portrait hole, leaving his three friends dumbstruck and slightly annoyed.

'What a git,' growled James, letting himself fall into his armchair again. 'I wonder what he is up to now.'

'He hasn't behaved like that for months,' said Remus thoughtfully. 'You reckon there's something wrong with him?'

'I think he's having a date,' stated Peter, causing two exceedingly curious looks to focus upon him.

'DO tell,' said James.

'I don't believe you,' said Remus.

'He has been acting weird for several weeks now,' said Peter thoughtfully. 'Hasn't been eating a lot, sleeping badly...'

'How do you know?' interrupted James.

'He's been talking to me,' said Peter knowledgeably. 'And I have been watching him a lot. Believe me, there's more behind his behaviour than just a bad mood or a fad. I think he's meeting a girl.'

James jumped to his feet. 'I've got to see whether that is true.'

'Don't be an idiot,' said Remus, his face full of thoughtful surprise. 'He won't want you to follow him. Especially not if Peter is right. What did he say, Peter?'

'He said he was having problems getting his thoughts straight,' replied the round-faced boy, playing with the red cover of his armchair. 'Said there was someone who was giving him trouble, though he wouldn't state who it was. I know it's a girl, though. He referred to her as 'she'. Seems very close to her as well. To... know her very well.'

Remus shifted uncomfortably, but James's face twisted into a mischievous grin.

'Unbelievable,' he said. 'What's he to do with girls? He doesn't ever even speak to any of them.'

'Good thing, too,' said Remus. 'Or they'd run away screaming.'

James collapsed in his chair with a fit of laughter. 'True,' he panted. 'But maybe this is the big exception. The big... you know - the one.'

He made a mysterious face and, as if driven by an invisible impulse, all three boys stuck their heads together in mock secrecy, producing what sounded like one, awestruck 'Whoohoo'.

Eventually, Remus returned to his books, Peter took up his observation of the potted plants on top of the fireplace again, and James put his legs on the table in front of him, trying not to look bored or to think about why Sirius had left without even telling him, his best friend to date, where he was going and whom he was meeting.

'Not much of an eventful afternoon, is it?' he said grumpily. 'Apart from Professor Vector's escapades and Snape's little games...'

'What was it he wanted anyway?' nodded Remus, without looking up from his book. 'Why did he lose it like that?'

'What do I care?' muttered James. 'It was the perfect excuse to get back on the little git in any case. I've been longing to try that spell on someone for ages.'

'What does it do?' enquired Peter curiously. James frowned.

'You have seen him double up, haven't you?'

'Yes,' said Peter, 'but what does it actually do? Blow up your insides or anything? Doesn't it have a specific effect?'

'Not that I know of,' replied James lazily. 'But it looks excellent.'

He looked down at Remus, watching a small frown appear at the light-haired boy's forehead.

'What?!' he said irritably. 'You always look as if you had something in mind which you prefer to keep for yourself. Haven't you been enjoying yourself?'

Remus gave him a shy look, suddenly seeming a bit awkward rather than reproving. 'Yes, yes,' he said. 'It's just... I don't like seeing people cry. Not even Slytherins.'

'Well, of course you don't,' said James conciliatorily. 'And neither do I, but we couldn't have foreseen how far it would go. And he is a bit of a whiner, isn't he?'

Remus smiled shyly. 'Well, yes. He can be a bit daft.'

James grinned. 'And we stopped, didn't we?'

'Only because Professor Vector came along,' threw Peter in.

James frowned. 'She's just the kind of teacher I don't like. Can't keep her nose out of anything, it seems.'

'Yes, she's a bit annoying,' admitted Remus. 'Naturally, being Head of Slytherin, I suppose.'

'Arithmency is definitely the last subject I am going to take,' said James firmly. 'But none of them is really pleasant. It is as if the founders had been thinking of a house where to put all the deranged, potentially dangerous fools in. Each of them not unintelligent as such, but definitely unpleasant and equipped with a kind of cruel wit no decent person would ever even think of.'

There was a short break.

'Oh, and Snape, of course,' he added as an afterthought.

Remus grinned. Peter laughed loudly.

'I wonder what he's doing in there, actually,' said James. 'You reckon Hufflepuff was too crowded?'

'He's not loyal enough,' said Remus quietly. 'And I don't suppose he's much of a hard worker.'

'He isn't very faithful either,' said Peter precociously. 'I think the Sorting Hat just didn't want to say: "Ah, sorry mate. You must have got your letter by accident. Go home."'

'That would have been awesome,' said James grinningly. 'I am told, actually, that something like that has happened, some two or three decades ago. But I'm not sure whether that is true. Deady can be so wonderfully inventive at times.'

'Deady?' said Remus. 'Deadalus Diggle?'

'A rule-breaker of the finest sort,' said James reminiscently. 'He is one of the most intelligent people I have met.'

'And that's saying something, coming from you,' replied Remus. 'So...' he hesitated for a second, 'what are we going to do about our little accident this morning? You think it'll have any consequences?'

'If the whiner doesn't blab it won't,' said James savagely. 'And I don't think he will. He never does. And in any case, how's he going to prove I used that spell? He could have just as easily eaten too much.'

Remus nodded pensively. 'Come to think of it,' he muttered, 'it did look more like a stomach upset than anything. You sure you even hit him?'

James raised one eyebrow, trying to look insulted.

'Sorry,' muttered Remus. 'I forgot. Quidditch geniuses don't miss.'

'That's right,' growled James. 'Still, I'm not all too sure I am entirely to blame for all that snivelling.'

'Snivellus Snape,' muttered Remus. 'The pride of Slytherin house.'

There was a short silence in which James seemed to take in these words. Peter giggled pleasantly, while Remus resolved to grin lopsidedly.

The following laughter was audible through all of Gryffindor house and James decided that, among all his friends at Hogwarts, Remus was definitely the most inventive one.