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Lily was gently folding clothes, taking them out of her trunk and placing them in her empty wardrobe, when her door flew open behind her, slamming into the wall. Instinct from living in the Wizarding World told her to pull out her wand and turn to face her foe, but a deeper, older instinct was stronger.
"Hey Petunia," she called over her shoulder, never pausing in her task.
"So, mum and Daddy's favorite little girl is back once again. Why don't you stay at that asylum where you belong, with all the other freaks?"
"Because, unlike you, Mum and Dad want to see me. After all, spending all year with their normally deranged muggle child must be driving them insane." She retorted calmly.
"Deranged? Me? I'm not the one who goes around turning teacups into frogs,"
"You're also not the one who goes around spitting out timetables or historical dates. Was that your report card on the fridge? Or did you just learn the 4th letter of the alphabet and were practicing it over and over for your proud parents?"
"That is none of your business!"
"Petunia, I don't even take any of those subjects and I could name all the multiplication facts, all of England's Kings, and the dates of their wars! I hope that if your wasting all your study time on boys you've at least chosen worthwhile ones. But knowing you, you probably went for the one with the smallest brain and biggest muscles."
"At least I have a boyfriend!"
"And who says I don't? Just because I'm their favorite child academically doesn't mean I tell them everything. Gosh," she added with mock concern, "if I did they might not have any pride or love left for you!" And with that, Lily stormed out of her room, distancing herself from Petunia as much as possible.
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The Christmas holidays were slowly dragging on for James and Sirius. Even though it was their 7th year, most people had chosen or been forced, to return home for Christmas.
James threw his book, Quidditch through the Ages, down; causing a breeze that blew down Sirius' house of cards. "I hate this! No one's here! Have you ever seen the common room this empty? We're the only one's in here! Sirius - Sirius?" He turned to look at this muted friend.
Sirius was completely singed, from his usually glamorous looking head to toes hidden by wizard robes. A smell of smoke hung in the air, over a scorched mark on the desk where the cards had been only moments before.
"Wh-what happened?" James stuttered.
"Put two and two together," Sirius muttered crossly. When James cast a still bewildered look, Sirius sighed. "I was building the house out of exploding snap cards, the breeze from your book blew it over it exploded, and now I'm like this."
"Jeeze, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen-" He stopped as Sirius held up a hand to silence him.
"Stop babbling, what is it with you? Lately you've been so out of whack!"
"I'm sorry," James said miserably. He collapsed in his chair, placing his head in his hands. "I don't know what's wrong, I feel so pathetic, getting upset over a girl, mad 'cause there's no one here to entertain us, afraid to hex Snape."
"You're not afraid, are you?"
"No, I'm so bored.I'd hex him the minute I saw him,"
"Then what are we sitting around here for? We've got some Snivelly hunting to do!"
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They found him out on the grounds, walking by the frozen lake. Kneeling to the ground, Sirius muttered an incantation, bewitching a few snowballs.
Straightening up he took one in his hand and yelled, "Oy! Snivellus!" As Snape turned around, Sirius slung the snowball in his direction. At first it looked as if the snowball was going to miss horribly, Snape obviously thought so because he just sneered at the duo, but suddenly, the snowball took an unexpected turn and smashed right into Snape's hooked nose. James doubled over in laughter at the look of astonished fury on Snape's face.
"Pretty good aim, eh?"
"You-you-you are so-" but before they could find out what Sirius was, James had flung another snowball that circled around Snape's head before landing in his mouth.
Now it was Sirius' turn to laugh, "How's that taste, Snape?" He spat out in between bouts of laughter.
Snape's pale face turned the shade of wilting pink roses. Fuming, he began blasting the snowballs as they came near him, hoping to discourage his attackers, but this just provided more of a challenge for them.
Laughing, both Sirius and James threw snowballs at the same time. The balls both zoomed towards Snape's face then split, each taking a different direction. Snape seemed unsure which to hit first, and before he could stop it, they had both rammed into a different side of his head, boxing his ears.
Roars of laughter erupted from around the fight were a crowd of bystanders had formed. A few Slytherin students stood there looking unsure of whether they should stand up for a fellow Slytherin or remain in their places where they knew they were safe. One of the bigger, burlier Slytherin 7th years strode forward and knocked the snowballs away. He appeared to be the ringleader of the crowd, as 3 other Slythierns immediately followed his lead.
But this just encouraged the Gryffindor troublemakers more. Several students stepped forward behind the duo, assuring them that they had plenty of backup. Glancing around at the team that had assembled behind them, James found that, much to his surprise, Maren and one of her giggling girlfriends had been at the head of the team, signifying their steadfast allegiance.
"Maren? I thought you didn't approve of this sort of thing." James teased.
"Hey, that was when you two ganged up on Snape for no reason, but 5 against 2 really isn't fair. Besides," she added mischievously, "I love seeing a Slytherin get his butt kicked." Scooping up some snow she yelled, "Eat this, Slytherin scum!"
"Maren that snows not-" the snowball flew past his face and hit the ringleader in the gut, "bewitched."
"Potter, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I need to bewitch snow to hit my target." Staring at his amazed expression she gave an exasperated sigh, "I have 3 muggle brothers, I had to defend myself somehow."
"Right," James shook his head and turned his attention back towards the snowball fight. More students were joining the brawl. It was turning into a free-for-all, fun, childish snow war rather than the intense Gryffindor vs. Slytherin battle. First years were skirting around the crowd nervously while 5th years were laughing in the midst of it, relieved to be able to just let go and forget the tension of studying for O.W.L.s.
Giggling, Maren reached out and grabbed the backs of James and Sirius' robes (the two were standing stupidly in their original spots uncertain of what to do) and pulled them out of the tightening crowd. "That was awesome!" she gasped in between bursts of laughter. "Oooh! I wish Lily had been here! She would have loved that!"
"Whoa, wait, Lily would have loved to have seen Snape get his a-" Maren gave Sirius a reproachful look, "er-butt kicked? Then why does she always give Potter such a hard time when he whips Snape?"
"Lily? She hates Snape just as much as you two do,"
"Then why-" James broke in.
"She also hates," Maren cut him off, "People who pick on others for no reason, people like you, who hex Snape just because you can. Something like this, though, she would have loved. Just as long as she didn't know you were picking on Snape from the start. If she had come in when we had, when you two were outnumbered, she would have loved it."
"She'd have reprimanded you though, if she'd finally discovered you'd started it. Like she did after you're O.W.L.s in the fifth year." The golden haired girl spoke up.
"And you are.?"
"Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce you guys! Um, Sirius, James, this is Kelly Stevonson - she's in Ravenclaw - Kelly, this is James Potter and Sirius Black."
"Hey," James smiled.
"How do you do?" Sirius' voice had become deeper; more mature. James stared at his friend then looked back to Kelly. She's fairly attractive, he realized with a jolt. Her golden curls splayed out of her pale blue hat and down over her shoulders, standing out against her black robe. Her cheeks were rosy-red because of the cold and her ice-blue eyes blended perfectly with her winter cap. He could see why Sirius was going out of his way to impress her. Sighing, James turned towards Maren who shrugged her shoulders. Cocking her uncapped head towards the school, she silently suggested that she and James leave their friends and their budding relationship alone. Nodding his own head, James gave one last glance to Sirius and Kelly, and then followed Maren up to the castle.
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Lily was gently folding clothes, taking them out of her trunk and placing them in her empty wardrobe, when her door flew open behind her, slamming into the wall. Instinct from living in the Wizarding World told her to pull out her wand and turn to face her foe, but a deeper, older instinct was stronger.
"Hey Petunia," she called over her shoulder, never pausing in her task.
"So, mum and Daddy's favorite little girl is back once again. Why don't you stay at that asylum where you belong, with all the other freaks?"
"Because, unlike you, Mum and Dad want to see me. After all, spending all year with their normally deranged muggle child must be driving them insane." She retorted calmly.
"Deranged? Me? I'm not the one who goes around turning teacups into frogs,"
"You're also not the one who goes around spitting out timetables or historical dates. Was that your report card on the fridge? Or did you just learn the 4th letter of the alphabet and were practicing it over and over for your proud parents?"
"That is none of your business!"
"Petunia, I don't even take any of those subjects and I could name all the multiplication facts, all of England's Kings, and the dates of their wars! I hope that if your wasting all your study time on boys you've at least chosen worthwhile ones. But knowing you, you probably went for the one with the smallest brain and biggest muscles."
"At least I have a boyfriend!"
"And who says I don't? Just because I'm their favorite child academically doesn't mean I tell them everything. Gosh," she added with mock concern, "if I did they might not have any pride or love left for you!" And with that, Lily stormed out of her room, distancing herself from Petunia as much as possible.
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The Christmas holidays were slowly dragging on for James and Sirius. Even though it was their 7th year, most people had chosen or been forced, to return home for Christmas.
James threw his book, Quidditch through the Ages, down; causing a breeze that blew down Sirius' house of cards. "I hate this! No one's here! Have you ever seen the common room this empty? We're the only one's in here! Sirius - Sirius?" He turned to look at this muted friend.
Sirius was completely singed, from his usually glamorous looking head to toes hidden by wizard robes. A smell of smoke hung in the air, over a scorched mark on the desk where the cards had been only moments before.
"Wh-what happened?" James stuttered.
"Put two and two together," Sirius muttered crossly. When James cast a still bewildered look, Sirius sighed. "I was building the house out of exploding snap cards, the breeze from your book blew it over it exploded, and now I'm like this."
"Jeeze, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen-" He stopped as Sirius held up a hand to silence him.
"Stop babbling, what is it with you? Lately you've been so out of whack!"
"I'm sorry," James said miserably. He collapsed in his chair, placing his head in his hands. "I don't know what's wrong, I feel so pathetic, getting upset over a girl, mad 'cause there's no one here to entertain us, afraid to hex Snape."
"You're not afraid, are you?"
"No, I'm so bored.I'd hex him the minute I saw him,"
"Then what are we sitting around here for? We've got some Snivelly hunting to do!"
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They found him out on the grounds, walking by the frozen lake. Kneeling to the ground, Sirius muttered an incantation, bewitching a few snowballs.
Straightening up he took one in his hand and yelled, "Oy! Snivellus!" As Snape turned around, Sirius slung the snowball in his direction. At first it looked as if the snowball was going to miss horribly, Snape obviously thought so because he just sneered at the duo, but suddenly, the snowball took an unexpected turn and smashed right into Snape's hooked nose. James doubled over in laughter at the look of astonished fury on Snape's face.
"Pretty good aim, eh?"
"You-you-you are so-" but before they could find out what Sirius was, James had flung another snowball that circled around Snape's head before landing in his mouth.
Now it was Sirius' turn to laugh, "How's that taste, Snape?" He spat out in between bouts of laughter.
Snape's pale face turned the shade of wilting pink roses. Fuming, he began blasting the snowballs as they came near him, hoping to discourage his attackers, but this just provided more of a challenge for them.
Laughing, both Sirius and James threw snowballs at the same time. The balls both zoomed towards Snape's face then split, each taking a different direction. Snape seemed unsure which to hit first, and before he could stop it, they had both rammed into a different side of his head, boxing his ears.
Roars of laughter erupted from around the fight were a crowd of bystanders had formed. A few Slytherin students stood there looking unsure of whether they should stand up for a fellow Slytherin or remain in their places where they knew they were safe. One of the bigger, burlier Slytherin 7th years strode forward and knocked the snowballs away. He appeared to be the ringleader of the crowd, as 3 other Slythierns immediately followed his lead.
But this just encouraged the Gryffindor troublemakers more. Several students stepped forward behind the duo, assuring them that they had plenty of backup. Glancing around at the team that had assembled behind them, James found that, much to his surprise, Maren and one of her giggling girlfriends had been at the head of the team, signifying their steadfast allegiance.
"Maren? I thought you didn't approve of this sort of thing." James teased.
"Hey, that was when you two ganged up on Snape for no reason, but 5 against 2 really isn't fair. Besides," she added mischievously, "I love seeing a Slytherin get his butt kicked." Scooping up some snow she yelled, "Eat this, Slytherin scum!"
"Maren that snows not-" the snowball flew past his face and hit the ringleader in the gut, "bewitched."
"Potter, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I need to bewitch snow to hit my target." Staring at his amazed expression she gave an exasperated sigh, "I have 3 muggle brothers, I had to defend myself somehow."
"Right," James shook his head and turned his attention back towards the snowball fight. More students were joining the brawl. It was turning into a free-for-all, fun, childish snow war rather than the intense Gryffindor vs. Slytherin battle. First years were skirting around the crowd nervously while 5th years were laughing in the midst of it, relieved to be able to just let go and forget the tension of studying for O.W.L.s.
Giggling, Maren reached out and grabbed the backs of James and Sirius' robes (the two were standing stupidly in their original spots uncertain of what to do) and pulled them out of the tightening crowd. "That was awesome!" she gasped in between bursts of laughter. "Oooh! I wish Lily had been here! She would have loved that!"
"Whoa, wait, Lily would have loved to have seen Snape get his a-" Maren gave Sirius a reproachful look, "er-butt kicked? Then why does she always give Potter such a hard time when he whips Snape?"
"Lily? She hates Snape just as much as you two do,"
"Then why-" James broke in.
"She also hates," Maren cut him off, "People who pick on others for no reason, people like you, who hex Snape just because you can. Something like this, though, she would have loved. Just as long as she didn't know you were picking on Snape from the start. If she had come in when we had, when you two were outnumbered, she would have loved it."
"She'd have reprimanded you though, if she'd finally discovered you'd started it. Like she did after you're O.W.L.s in the fifth year." The golden haired girl spoke up.
"And you are.?"
"Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce you guys! Um, Sirius, James, this is Kelly Stevonson - she's in Ravenclaw - Kelly, this is James Potter and Sirius Black."
"Hey," James smiled.
"How do you do?" Sirius' voice had become deeper; more mature. James stared at his friend then looked back to Kelly. She's fairly attractive, he realized with a jolt. Her golden curls splayed out of her pale blue hat and down over her shoulders, standing out against her black robe. Her cheeks were rosy-red because of the cold and her ice-blue eyes blended perfectly with her winter cap. He could see why Sirius was going out of his way to impress her. Sighing, James turned towards Maren who shrugged her shoulders. Cocking her uncapped head towards the school, she silently suggested that she and James leave their friends and their budding relationship alone. Nodding his own head, James gave one last glance to Sirius and Kelly, and then followed Maren up to the castle.
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