Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 14
"I am never drinking again."
"Neither am I...this week," Sirius partly agreed with Lily.
The group were sitting in the great hall, eating breakfast before the match of the Gryffindors against the Slytherins; the match that James would not be playing in. James Potter was extremely depressed by this. He was not able to play quidditch and he had an extremely long beard. Life officially sucked.
"Um, Prongs? Your beard is in my porridge," Peter pointed out nervously. James glared at him whilst Peter cowered. "But that's not a problem for me, I'll, just, carry on eating."
James went back to staring moodily at his morning coffee while Peter tried eating the rest of his porridge, picking out grey hairs that were in his breakfast. James noticed a few students staring at him, pointing and whispering about his new found hair extension.
"What? What are you looking at! Yes, I have suddenly grown a beard, is that a problem for you!" He lifted up a cowering first year at least five foot from the ground and Lily angrily smacked James to his senses. She did not like people bullying the midgets.
"Last night was great, wasn't it?" Sirius sighed happily, but it also seemed like he was asking for reassurance that it had actually been a good night of drinking in Hosgmeade considering he couldn't remember much of the 'fun' he thought they'd experienced. He had to admit, he was a little shocked and horrified to find himself waking in a fairy costume. Of course, it hadn't been the first time he'd woke to a ridiculous outfit. And the fairy costume, in his opinion, made him look extremely sexy but also with a sensitive side which was represented by all the pink.
"Do you remember any of last night?" Remus questioned.
"Well, all I know is that I saw this hot girl," Sirius reminisced and felt himself drooling slightly. "We exchanged saliva, by the way."
Lily and Remus groaned at the way he had described his momentous kissing.
"How romantic," Lily said distastefully.
James looked thoroughly confused. "What hot girl? I know I was drunk out of my mind but I most definitely don't remember a hot girl."
Except for Lily of course...great, I've gone back to having these abnormal thoughts of her again. I thought I'd lost that 5 chapters ago...James thought moodily. Remus started chuckling as James looked so bewildered.
"Padfoot, describe this hot girl to us," Remus asked, pursing his lips.
"Well, she was around my height and had dark sexy hair, and dark smouldering eyes. The most exceptional bottom," Sirius commentated.
"You touched her bottom?" Peter whispered breathlessly in awe.
"No, I simply admired it. I do admit, she was a little flat chest-ed."
On this note, Remus was laughing, not able to control himself any longer. Maybe the reason why he thought this 'girl' was flat chest-ed was because 'she' was a shop window. Shop windows were not blessed with feminine features as the one he thought he'd described. He was about to explain to the confused Sirius looking at him strangely at his laughing that this imaginary girl was actually his reflection, but decided against it, using the information for a future blackmail opportunity, or when Sirius annoyed him so much that the news would shut him up faster then a niffler to a shiny necklace.
"Quidditch...without me...it's just not right," James said grimly. Lily rolled her eyes feeling he was being way too over dramatic.
"Don't worry Prongs, at least you'll be able to watch the game," Peter told him, but James remained disgruntled. He was not interested in just watching the game, he wanted to be in the game. He hated being left out.
Lily was nervous at the news of her and James being in the crowds observing. "Do we, er, have to go watch the game?"
James looked at her with affront. "Of course we have to! Why'd you ask?"
"It's just...I'm not that good with heights. I haven't been to many of the games, I just stay firmly on the ground," Lily said truthfully, referring the difference of standing dangerously high up in the stands. "I just ask what the score is afterwards."
"We're going, Lily. No arguments."
She bit her lip tensely and carried on eating her breakfast muffin.
"Oh, by the way, where are the nifflers?" Remus asked with interest.
"I left them in the common room," Lily said.
"I thought you were going to give the nasty little things back to Professor Lerangis!" Sirius yelled. The creatures still frightened him and he felt like he was constantly on edge, especially as James' beard was laid across the table. He was sure the beard was staring at him, if it had eyes, which could be possibly true under the layers of thick, old grey hair.
"Lily's grown rather attached to them," James grumbled.
"I'll give them back…eventually. Besides, they're great bodyguards. Anyone that annoys me today will get hunted down by the nifflers," Lily said evilly.
James and Sirius exchanged wary looks. It would most likely be James or Sirius irritating her that day at some point.
Lily suddenly brightened when she saw Anna enter the great hall, in deep need of some female company and any civilised conversation. She could have a civil conversation with Remus but it would normally be interrupted by Sirius' whining about being; hungry, bored, starving, really bored or just plain horny. She wanted to explain the humiliating misunderstanding in the common room, involving the savage zipper against the defenceless and extremely close-fitting dress.
"Anna! Anna, come sit here!" Lily told her enthusiastically. Anna spotted her, reddening in embarrassment and with fear, and shamefully ran out of the great hall.
"Look's like she's not having breakfast this morning," Remus said. Lily was furious.
"This is all your fault, James!" She looked at him crossly. It looked like he'd been the first to annoy her that morning and had won first place of being hunted down by the nifflers that awaited in the common room.
"What? My fault! How is it my fault?"
"Because, it was your stupid zipper on your bloody trousers that made Anna think she interrupted us shagging in the common room!" Lily shouted at him.
Everyone in the great hall suddenly silenced at the word 'shagging' and turned their heads to Lily and James. The red head immediately reddened, lowering her head away from the watchful eyes. James didn't care; people had already been staring at him because of his beard, a few more hundred eyes wouldn't matter.
"You shouldn't speak so loud," Sirius said. She glared back at him.
"You shouldn't speak at all," Lily snapped. He had been second to infuriate Lily, consequently second on the nifflers hunting list.
"Kill me...just kill me now..." Lily said under her breath.
Before she could consider carrying out the action of ending her embarrassing and pitiful life, the oh-so-not-cheery Jonathan had entered the great hall. James spotted the seventh year and ducked, trying to force down an annoyed Lily -who's coffee had been abruptly smacked out of her hand- to also lower herself.
"My coffee, you idiot!" Lily looked at James madly as he sank lower into his seat and forced a hand on her head, pushing her down.
"Please, Lily, just do me one little favour?" James begged. Jonathan's steps were getting nearer and he luckily hadn't spotted him…yet. "Just hide under the table with me? Please?"
"No way!" Lily shook her head fiercely. She would not reduce herself to being under a table with James, again, especially after the library incident.
"C'mon Lily! I'll promise I'll to talk to Anna, I swear!"
She looked at him suspiciously, contemplating the deal.
"Alright," Lily said hesitantly. "But you better explain to her, or I'll-"
However, she couldn't continue as James had promptly tugged and pulled her under the Gryffindor breakfast table. James speedily yanked his annoyingly long beard with him. Peter, who'd been deeply distracted by picking out the grey hairs in his porridge, looked up to see James and Lily gone from their seats. He looked around in bewilderment at their disappearance after not listening to the conversation that had happened a few seconds ago.
"Hey, where'd they go?" he asked.
"They just wanted some privacy under the table to fondle and grope-" Sirius stopped abruptly as a hard, swift kick under the table hit him in the inner leg, narrowly missing his private area. As Sirius groaned painfully, the quidditch captain had made an appearance behind him. Peter jumped a couple of hundred miles out of his skin at his sudden form.
"Black!" Jonathan shouted menacingly.
"Jonny!-" Sirius stopped as Jonathan glared at him profoundly. "Jonathan, I mean! How are you, oh mighty chieftain?"
"Why weren't you at quidditch practice last night?"
Remus looked at his friend worriedly, wondering how on earth he would sneak his way out of a Jonathan-beating. Sirius laughed nervously.
"Well, ya see, it's a funny story really. Um, I was intoxicated-"
"Oh!" Jonathan interrupted, understanding. "Because of bloody Peeves chucking all those dungbombs last night!"
Sirius paused, comprehending what he'd just said. "Uh...sure?" he cautiously agreed. He'd planned to say that he was intoxicated, but not by dungbombs, but with alcohol; but if Jonathan thought he was somehow fumed by dungbombs, he might aswell not argue with him.
"Alright, Black. I'll let you off, just this one time though. You just better play some damn good quidditch today," the captain said menacingly, and Sirius obediently nodded. "I want you out on that pitch, on time." Sirius hadn't had a good record of punctuality. "I want your 110 percent effort!"
"But that's not physically possible, a person can only do 100 percent and no more-"
"Don't get smart with me, Black," Jonathan warned him.
"Don't worry, Sirius doesn't 'do' smart," Remus butted in as Sirius glared at him heavily.
"Okay, the next matter is," Jonathan said formally. "Where's Potter?" Sirius smiled evilly, hearing a worried breath of intake under the table.
"He's got diarrhoea problems-" Sirius halted in his speaking as a hard stamp to the foot made him wince in unbelievable pain. Jonathan looked at him with confusion as Sirius started whimpering slightly. "I mean, he's been intoxicated too."
The captain eyed him suspiciously.
"Tell Potter, when you see him, that I want a chat with him," Jonathan told the marauders.
They nodded back simply, except Peter who made an unrecognisable and fearful squeak, which fitted perfectly with his animagus form, as Jonathan petrified him so. The marauders had expected Jonathan to leave but he paused when the seventh year girl, Jade, had stood up after finishing her breakfast and was on her way out of the great hall. She was walking in between the great hall tables, having to pass Jonathan on the way to the exit. Jade wished they had multiple exits.
"Dawkins! There you are!"
She cut short as Jonathan tugged on her arm as she was about to pass around him. "Why weren't you at practice last night?"
"I didn't feel like it," Jade said moodily, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
"You can't just turn up without a reasonable excuse, Jade-"
"Oh! So now you call me by my first name!" Jade exploded. The marauders flinched at her sudden loudness, did they have to have a shouting match right next to where they were sitting? Yes. Because everyone in Hogwarts seemed to be determined on planning to deafen them. "Oh, I'm so truly honoured you're calling me Jade now! I feel so special!"
"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that-"
"I'll see you down at the pitch," Jade huffed, then walked irately towards the way out of the hall.
"Jade! You can't speak to your captain like that!" Jonathan called after her.
"Oh go stick a broomstick up you arse, captain!"
Jonathan sighed and faced Sirius again.
"Women, eh?" Sirius said sympathetically.
Jonathan eyed him confusedly as he watched Sirius pass what looked to be breakfast muffin under the great hall table. Remus flung his spoon at Sirius as Jonathan watched Sirius openly grab a cup of coffee and deposit it exactly as the muffin. Of course, he was actually handing the food and drink to hungry James under the table, but to Jonathan this looked highly confusing. As Remus' spoon flung him in the face, he looked up to see a bewildered Jonathan staring at him.
"What on earth are you doing, Black? Why did you just deposit that muffin under the table?"
"Er.,.no I didn't," Sirius answered lamely. Remus smacked his head in frustration.
"I just saw you," Jonathan pointed out.
"Um, I keep all my food under the table, for safe keeping," Sirius lied. Jonathan still stared at him inquisitively. "You never know who might take your food from the table." He tapped his nose.
"There's plenty of food to go around," Jonathan said, waving his hand to the long Gryffindor table packed with delicious breakfast to satisfy them. Sirius laughed nervously; he hadn't thought his plan through.
"Yes, indeed," Sirius agreed weakly. "Well, I'll just take the food from the under the table now. Now its safe. I said, I'm going to get my muffin now! The muffin that is under the table!" he shouted loudly, hoping James would hear. Remus glanced him a worried look as Sirius shoved his hand under the table. "Just a minute."
Sirius waited as the muffin was stuffed hurriedly back into his hand. "There," he said happily, then showed the muffin by placing it on the table.
"Why is the muffin half eaten?" Jonathan asked dubiously. Sirius eyed the cake which had been attacked hungrily at.
"Amazing. I have no idea," he lied again. "Maybe some berk under the table ate it-" he stopped again as a punch was aimed at his leg. "Or maybe it just disintegrated." Sirius whimpered painfully.
"What about your coffee, Sirius?" Peter asked. Remus and Sirius scowled at him as he'd just reminded Jonathan.
"Yes, what about your coffee?" Jonathan echoed him.
"I'll just go get my coffee right now! If anyone is curious, I'm going to get my coffee, under the table! Yes, my coffee!" Sirius screamed again. The hall looked at him strangely as he shouted. Again, he shoved his hand under the table, awaiting a few seconds as the cup of coffee was placed back in his hand. He placed the cup back on the table, showing it again to Jonathan. Yes, it was a cup, but not of coffee now, because Lily had drunk it all.
"The coffee must've evaporated..."
Jonathan looked from a straight-faced Remus, back to Sirius who magnified an extremely fake smile. The smile would have been convincing except for the nervous, fast and heavy breaths coming from his nose.
"Okay..." Jonathan was about to slowly back away and exit the hall, but his eye had spotted something. A grey something.
"Is that...is that a beard?" Jonathan asked, perplexed, looking down at his feet where the end of James' beard that had somehow crept out from the under the table and was now sticking out boldly. The curious Jonathan stared at the beard, bending down to reach out and touch it, but a manic Sirius had pulled him away, smacking his posed hand that was reaching out.
"Don't touch the unknown!" Sirius whispered. The boys watched as the beard was feverishly tugged back under the table.
"What on earth-who's under there?" Jonathan demanded.
"Noooobody," Sirius sang.
Jonathan looked back at him unconvinced. "Let me see." He tried to bend over to look at who the beard belonged to. Again, Sirius stopped him, shouting a dramatic "Noooooo!"
"Black! What are you doing! Get off me!" Jonathan shouted as Sirius jumped on his back and was now giving him a piggyback, but not by choice. Sirius covered Jonathan's eyes with his hands as Jonathan stumbled in between the great hall tables, blinded and struggling under the weight of Sirius. Meanwhile, Remus and Peter, along with every other student in the great hall, watched with their mouths gaping.
"Oi! Watch it!" An annoyed girl shouted as the two nearly crushed her by falling on her as she was trying to eat her breakfast in peace.
"Black! Get off me!" Jonathan shouted again, finally managing to push Sirius off with his furious jerking elbows. Sirius fell on his arse and rolled his eyes as Jonathan determinedly -more than ever- tried to look under the table again.
"Jonathan! Wait, I've got to tell you something, about one of the team mates!" Sirius lied as he tugged on Jonathan's robes. The captain had been merely inches away from spotting the petrified James and Lily under the table, but then stopped going any lower at Sirius' words.
"What? Who?" Jonathan asked curiously. Sirius stared back at him blankly.
"Yeah, who, Padfoot?" Remus asked him. Sirius suddenly spotted a blonde, sixth year girl down the table, the other Gryffindor beater for the team along Sirius. She'd just finished her breakfast, smiling in a great mood for the quidditch as she stood up.
Her good mood would not last.
"Rachel! That's who!" Sirius said suddenly, pointing at her. She looked at him at the sudden call of her name, and also at the pointing accused finger. She wondered if she had some food stuck on her face.
"Huh?" she mumbled.
"What about Davies?" Jonathan demanded, referring to Rachel by her surname. Rachel was looking at Sirius suspiciously as if she knew that whatever was to come out if his mouth would not be good.
"She's been seeing that seventh year, Daniel from Slytherin! For six months now!" Rachel gasped and reddened as Sirius revealed her secret, immediately thinking in her mind a list of long-drawn-out ways of torturing him and causing him excruciating pain. "She could be a spy for the Slytherins!" Sirius suggested, saying anything to distract the captain from the couple hiding under the table. He knew the captain would take interest at the sentence consisting of the words 'Slytherin' and 'spy'. Sirius smiled in relief as he stood up fully, totally forgetting about the task of looking under the table, his blazing red face focused now on one of the beaters for his team.
"She's been doing what?" Jonathan screamed.
"Sirius!" Rachel shouted at him angrily. "You're so getting a beating later!" Sirius shrugged his shoulders apologetically. Jonathan stormed down the table, across from Rachel. She thanked Merlin that the table was separating them. "I was going to tell you, Jonathan, I swear I was-"
"Why are you seeing a Slytherin? Don't you care about this team! Are you mad?" Jonathan told her, raging. Rachel looked back at him with annoyance, as if to say 'You're calling me mad! You're a complete psycho!'
"Jonathan, please calm down," Rachel said softly. Unfortunately, he'd already made his way around the other side of the table, and was running towards her. Rachel's eyes widened in fear. She made one bitter look at Sirius -pointing at him and then making a gesture of a slice to the neck, signalling his death would be soon- and swiftly ran out of the hall while the hysterical Jonathan chased after her shouting "Davies! Davies, get back here!"
Sirius watched expressionless as the two ran out of the hall, shrugged coolly and then returned sitting next to Remus and Peter and carried on eating the rest of the bitten muffin.
"Rachel is going to beat you with a quidditch bat later," Remus pointed out.
Sirius sighed. "Yep, I know. And she's hot too, that'll lessen the pain, I suppose."
James and Lily finally made their exit from under the table, both swearing loudly as they bumped their heads on the table surface from under it. They sat back down again next to the boys.
"Thanks for the cover, Padfoot," James said gratefully, then looked around for the rest of the muffin that Sirius handed him under the table, horrified to see that it was gone. He instantly knew what happened to the muffin.
"You ate my muffin."
"Ha! Finders keepers, losers...don't get the muffin!" Sirius concluded, sticking out his tongue. Lily looked at him rolling her eyes and helped herself to another coffee; she would need at least five more cups to get her through the day.
"The match is going to start soon, you should get ready, Padfoot," Remus advised him. Sirius held up a finger signalling just one minute longer.
"Just one more coffee, Moony." Sirius grabbed the cup and downed the contents in one. He rubbed his head sorely.
"Are you feeling okay?" Peter asked.
"WILL YOU STOP SHOUTING?" Sirius yelled, clutching his forehead. Peter cowered, terrified, and the others also blinked at the amount of spit he'd shot out as he shrieked those words.
"I wasn't yelling," Peter defended himself.
"Oh, sorry, Wormtail," Sirius apologized. "Effects of alcohol." He felt noises were suddenly magnified louder then normal and were pounding heavily in his head.
"Are you sure you'll be okay to play quidditch?" James asked worriedly.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Sirius reassured him, and promptly stood up.
"Where are you going?" James asked.
"To go vomit in the toilet," Sirius said, and exited the hall in a quickened pace.
"Maybe we should get going," Remus suggested. The great hall was less crowded, only dispersed by a few late-morning students. The four of them got up, but were greeted with Dumbledore who was also making his exit out of the great hall. Dumbledore smiled warmly at them, then took in James' appearance and slightly chuckled as his eyes shone.
"Mr. Potter, it's like looking into a mirror," Dumbledore told him as he stroked his long grey beard curiously.
"An extremely blurry one, sir," James added, kicking the beard as it got caught tangled around his leg.
"I'd like to point out to you that there seems to be some sort of trail of liquid on your moustache, I'm guessing could be coffee."
James looked at him with confusion, then wiped a hand on his wet moustache embarrassingly as Lily sniggered.
"I take it, your friends were so considerately fascinated and amused, so didn't inform you," Dumbledore concluded, entertained by the situation. Remus, Peter and Lily whistled distractedly, trying not to look suspicious.
"I see that you have not mastered the art of eating breakfast with a beard," Dumbledore noticed as he looked at James' beard that was covered in random breakfast meals, including porridge, muffin crumbs, a slice of bacon and even a goblet had got itself tangled in the thick, grey hair. James nodded back glumly. "I find, that when one is eating with a beard with a length as long as yours, a useful tip of placing the beard over one's shoulder would be of great help." Dumbledore winked at him and James chuckled. "I will not ask how the beard suddenly grew overnight, but will simply hope that it will fade soon as the hair extension is not to Hogwarts school rules."
"I don't know how you cope, Professor," James said, as Peter tried removing the goblet from James' beard, but failed successfully and fell sliding to the floor.
"You get accustomed to it," the headmaster smiled.
"Professor, have you found any information on our hands yet?" Lily questioned, with somewhat urgency. He looked at her inquisitively and shook his head.
"I'm afraid not, Miss. Evans. Just a little while longer."
She nodded back, disappointed, but found herself also feeling relieved at his news.
Relieved? Why am I relieved? Is it because the longer I'm stuck with James...the more I want to stay with him? Lily pondered.
Hmm, why am I not furious at this news? Why am I suddenly feeling instantly happier? James thought. Dumbledore looked wonderingly at the two as they had conversations in their head and smiled to himself.
"I must be leaving to watch the quidditch match. I hope to see you there supporting your house," Dumbledore said, and nodded courteously to them in his departure.
"You think he knew we went to Hogsmeade last night?" Lily asked anxiously.
"He might have a small inkling."
-----------
"OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod..." Lily muttered to herself, hyperventilating. She was squeezing so hard on James' hand that it had become numb and was turning an odd colour, losing all blood circulation.
"Lily, please, I would really like to keep my hand attached to my arm," James said, looking at her with worry.
She ignored him and carried on muttering frantically to herself. She kept an arm furiously shielding her eyes, peeking out behind them as she spotted how vulnerably high they were in one of the high quidditch stands. She yelped and covered her eyes again.
The four of them sat in the front row, standing behind the wall of the stand where you could bend over the wall and see the pitch of grass that seemed an extremely long way away down. This was what bothered Lily; that she was such a distance away from the ground. The ground was safe and reassuring, being in the air was not. That's why she would never be seen dead on a broomstick.
"James, I really think we shouldn't of chosen to sit in the front, especially when Lily isn't great with heights," Remus pointed out.
"But these are great seats!" James said enthusiastically, but glimpsed at Lily again who looked petrified.
"Lily, don't do that," James said softly, trying to pry her hands glued over her eyes which was extremely hard to do. "Calm down, everything's fine. Just don't look down and enjoy the game." Lily looked at him breathing heavily, not knowing how she was going to enjoy the game at all.
"Are you sure this quidditch stand won't collapse or something?" she asked worriedly.
James gave her a reassuring smile. "No, I'm sure. Don't worry, nothing is going to happen to you," he braced. Remus and Peter smiled as Lily seemed to relax at his words and looked a little more content.
"What are you two smiling about?" James asked his friends suspiciously.
"Nothing..." the boys answered in unison. James gave them an odd look, then brought his attention to the commentator of the match, a fifth year called Mike from Gryffindor.
"Ladies and Gentleman!" Mike called loudly as his voice was magnified, oddly sounding like an announcer in a wrestling match. "The sun is shining, and the girls are smiling!" Mike sang, winking openly at Professor McGonagall who wasn't that far away.
"That's enough Harrington!" she told him off.
"Sorry, Professor, I couldn't help myself," Mike admitted, and the crowds of students laughed merrily. James and the others listened as Mike announced the Slytherin players walking on the pitch.
"Malfoy...Bates...Andrews..." Mike said unenthusiastically. The Gryffindors booed menacingly.
"You suck!" A voice was hard from a Gryffindor. Funnily enough, from Mike the commentator. Professor McGonagall glared at him as he laughed nervously. "I mean- the Slytherins, not your most honest players but still good lads...good lads..." Mike lied. "And here's the Gryffindor team, Taylor...Merrings...Davies...Dawkins...Black, and also the substitute Ethan Peters, a third year who is looking extremely on edge, might I add, he must be for filling in James Potter's position today. I have sources telling me that James Potter dropped out of the game because of relationship problems with Lily Evans."
"Watch it, Harrington!" Lily and James shouted at him from across the stand. He smiled casually, waving his hand in response.
"Such an odd couple. Anyway, there's the captain Jonathan. Looking very determined to win this match. Scarily determined. He's a nutter, that one is-"
"Keep personal opinions to yourself, Harrington," Professor McGonagall warned him again.
"I know you love me really, Minerva!" He focused back to the game. "And what do we have here? It looks like action has already started on the pitch before the game has even begun!" Mike said with amazement.
James, Remus, Peter, and Lily, watched with amusement as they saw the beater, Rachel, holding her bat and swinging it harshly at Sirius with anger on the quidditch pitch below. Sirius was screaming as he tried hiding behind Jade who did not look pleased at being used as a shield and was trying to move left and right so Rachel could aim at him. However, Sirius moved exactly the same moves behind her.
"And Davies swings to the left, but Black ducks and she misses! And she swings to the right, Black hides behind Dawkins, Dawkins pushes him and Black is doooown!" Mike commented, as Sirius was pushed to the floor. The crowd making theatrical "oooh" and "ahhh''s. "Black rolls! Black keeps rolling! And Black rolls into an unhappy quidditch captain. Jonathan does not looked amused."
The Slytherin team watched in confusion as the Gryffindor team was in chaos. James watched the apprehensive Ethan Peters who would be playing him instead for the chaser position.
"I can't believe that guy is filling in me for me. He looks a nervous wreck," James said, watching the small boy who was looking at the Slytherins who laughed at him pathetically. Rhys Taylor, one of the Gryffindor chasers, stood next to him supportively, scowling at the Slytherins. Smugly, he turned around, proudly bending over and pulling down his trousers to reveal his arse to the Slytherin team. The Gryffindors cheered triumphantly whilst Madam Hooch blew her whistle furiously, shouting at him that it was unacceptable behaviour, and was also trying to stop Rachel beating Sirius with her quidditch bat, whilst Jonathan was also fuming with anger.
"Well done, Rhys!" James shouted, clapping his hands.
"Well, I must say, seeing Taylor's backside was not exactly a pleasant experience for me. I even noticed a mole on one cheek- only joking Rhys!" Mike said, as Rhys was giving him the finger.
"Wow, I never knew the game could be so exhilarating," Lily said, pleasantly surprised. She cheered along with the girls in the crowd to beat Sirius to a pulp. Sirius looked up the stands, spotting James and the others, and waved.
"No! Sirius! She's behind you!" The boys yelled, again theatrically. Sirius stared back at them puzzled, putting a hand to his ear and shouting back "What?" But he was hit plainly in the back by Rachel's bat as she triumphantly shouted "Score!"
"And what a hit by Davies! I'd say that shot should be awarded ten points to Gryffindor! But I take it from the look Madam Hooch is giving me now, I'm guessing she's telling me that I am merely a commentator who has no power to award points, and also to shut up," Mike said.
"I also agree," Professor McGonagall approved.
"It looks as if the Gryffindor team have finally calmed down and gotten their act together; they're lining up in position to finally start the game. Both captains spitting into their hands and shaking- not a pleasant sight you see every day. I'd advise Jonathan to wash his hand thoroughly after this match," Mike said distastefully. "And...they're off!" he shouted as the whistle was blew and the players zoomed into the sky.
The first half of the match went considerably well, although there were some problems with the Gryffindors teams players.
"Davies! Will you try to hit the bludgers away from our team mates, not at them!" Jonathan yelled at her. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Sure, Jonathan. I apologize," Rachel said, and aimed another bludger with her bat at Sirius' head again. He swerved again as the black ball got dangerously close to removing his face.
"Rachel! Are you trying to kill me?"
"Yes."
Sirius stared back at her, not knowing what to say next. "Well...fair enough, then. Carry on."
"Dawkins passes the quaffle to Taylor-but oh! The pass is intercepted by Malfoy! Malfoy to Bates, Bates passes back to Malfoy and-oh bugger! Slytherin scores! Bugger bugger bugger!-"
"HARRINGTON!"
"Sorry McGee. The Slytherins score another ten points, now leading 70 to 50," Mike announced moodily.
James cursed at the score, muttering profound insults about Malfoy under his breath. James brightened as he saw Sirius, gliding on his broom casually up to their stand, intending to have a little chat with him because he was bored.
"Hey guys," Sirius said; his back was towards the game, not looking to what was happening in the match.
"Hey, Padfoot. Try and aim that bludger at Malfoy, will you?" James asked.
"Sure, it'll be my pleasure!"
"Shouldn't you get back to the game, Sirius?" Remus reminded him, and noticed a hysterical and raging Jonathan who had spotted him talking to the others in the stands, instead of hitting bludgers away.
"BLACK!" Jonathan screamed. "STOP FLIRTING AND HIT SOME DAMN BLUDGERS!"
"Alright, alright! Keep your hair on! I wasn't flirting anyway, merely making conversation!" Sirius defended himself. "Jeez..."
"Padfoot, you should really keep an eye on the game," Remus repeated again, looking at Sirius who didn't seem to be moving anytime soon.
"Hey, what's the rush? I got eyes in the back of my head anyways."
"Do your eyes see a bludger that is aiming at the back of your head?"
Sirius looked at James uncomprehendingly, and quickly ducked as the bludger soared past him, narrowly missing his head.
"I saw that coming," Sirius told them uncertainly, then turned around and flew back into the game.
"Taylor has the quaffle, he dodges Bates, he dodges Andrews, but a bludger is headed his way-oh, but Black hits it away! And it seems like the quaffle is aimed in a certain direction-OUCH! The bludger has hit Malfoy! I can confirm that Malfoy is in pain! Woohoo!" Mike cheered. The Gryffindors clapping and cheered with delight.
"Yes!" James yelled as the bludger connected with Malfoy's face, his nose bleeding heavily.
"Wow," Lily said. "I never knew this game could be so..."
"Violent?" Remus finished her sentence. She nodded in reply.
"Malfoy's nose is healed, what a shame! He looks very pisse-I mean, annoyed," Mike corrected himself as Professor McGonagall shook her head angrily. "Gryffindor have the quaffle again. Davies passes to Taylor, Taylor dodges-wait! It looks like the Slytherin team seemed to be have their own quaffle of themselves: Ethan Peters!"
Lily gasped in horror as she watched the poor, small chaser, Ethan, practically thrown in the air by the manic Malfoy and his Slytherin team mates. Mike was indeed right; they seemed to be having fun and using Ethan as a type of quaffle as they threw the poor boy into the air who was wailing.
"Oh god..." James said, who couldn't believe his eyes. How could have Jonathan replaced with him such a little weakling? James shamefully shook his head, sighing. Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, shouting how she disgusted she was at the Slytherin team's actions and gave two free shots to the Gryffindors.
"Despicable moves there by the Slytherins! Lucius Malfoy, he's a little-" Mike began furiously but saw again Professor 'McGee' fuming. "He's a little ray of sunshine! He is! Oh what a little...er, where was I? Right, both teams are drawing by 70. This is the time the seekers are desperately looking for the snitch.
"This is certainly a close game, folks! Slytherin take possession of the quaffle, Malfoy dodges Taylor, passes to Bates and-wait a second, what on earth is going on with those bludgers?" Mike asked aloud.
The crowds watched as the bludgers acted peculiarly, both zooming in a straight line -together side by side- towards a particular group standing at a quidditch stand: The group where James, Lily, Remus and Peter, coincidently were sitting at. The four of them watched as the bludgers headed straight towards them.
"What's wrong with those bludgers?" Peter asked, frowning.
"I'm not familiar with the quidditch rules…but I'm pretty sure the bludgers aren't supposed to be flying straight towards us like that."
"They're not," James said, clearly in denial. The bludgers were even closer now; it definitely seemed like their destination was towards them. "Okay, maybe they are!" James shouted, tugging the screaming Lily down to the floor. The bludgers missed them, close to knocking their head's off.
"What the hell is going on?" James yelled as the bludger swooped past them.
Students shrieked as the bludgers swooped towards the stand; the black balls seemed to be turning around, trying to hit James and Lily for a second time. It appeared the bludgers were being specific on who they were trying to kill.
"Bludger's only try and attack the quidditch players! Not the crowd!" Remus ducked to the floor. James and Lily immediately dropped again as both the bludgers tried to attack them with a double hit. Sirius flew quickly on his broom up to their quidditch stand, trying to help his friends out who were being attacked by the crazy bludgers.
"God, they really like you don't they!" Sirius spoke dryly as he tried beating the bludgers away from hitting James and Lily. Rachel -also at his side- tried to block the attacks. However, the bludgers that were hit away stopped in mid-air and turned back in the direction towards the couple again.
"Someone must be controlling them!" Remus concluded. James and Lily were about to ponder exactly who would do that but Remus shouted "James!" pointing to behind him.
James quickly turned around using his quidditch reflexes, spotting a bludger that was dangerously zooming towards them and shouted "Watch out!" to Lily. However, Lily wasn't equally blessed with quidditch reflexes, so turned around a lot slower, her eyes widening in shock as the bludger hit her in the stomach and knocked her backwards.
She groaned in pain as the great black ball knocked her off her feet, pushing her backwards over the quidditch stand wall.
"LILY!" James cried loudly as she fell.