Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 17
The rest of Potions class went going relatively normal. Professor Mansell was in a sombre mood, which the students guessed was because of her loss of veritaserum potion that she must have valued highly and now truly missed, for some very odd reason.
Yeah, but if she truly valued the bloody potion, then why didn't she use it then? Sirius thought. Ha, dopey cow.
"Why did Sirius steal the veritaserum?" Lily whispered furtively, as the professor droned on about the classes small attention span. James was a little surprised that she'd guessed the real culprit correctly, although it did seem obvious to everyone except the professor who was supposed to be the most intelligent in the room. She didn't have much cleverness to compete with, especially with students such as Sirius and Peter.
"Um," James started, trying to think of a reasonable excuse.
Sirius only used the veritaserum to make me confess my undying love for you. Stupid tit, James thought moodily.
"He was using it on himself to declare his true love for Snivellus," he lied, triumphantly.
"Oi! I heard that!" Sirius yelled, pouting from behind him. Professor Mansell looked at him peculiarly as he'd shouted in the middle of her speaking; at least James and Lily had the common sense to whisper.
The class were now in the middle of making another complicated potion; James was partnered with Lily again, and again he was having a lack of concentration. Contently happy, James he stirred their potion, secretly gazing at Lily with faraway eyes. She hadn't noticed as she was busy cutting up more ingredients, or in fact, more fingers as she cursed in outburst.
As James mixed the potion, he was suddenly hit in the back of the head with something quite light. He glanced behind him and saw Sirius waving and pointing the floor. He looked by his feet and discovered a crumpled up piece of parchment, which James guessed this to be a note for him to read. He sighed tiredly and bent down, much to Lily's annoyance as she was stuck to him.
James opened up the note and read: 'Padfoot says: stop perving on Lily! Its nauseating." There was also a sentence by Remus saying 'Moony says: if you do continue, please try less of the drooling and more discreteness."
James had expected this from Padfoot but not his Moony pal; he would burn one of his books for writing that! But Sirius owned no books for James to ignite…He'd burn his distastefully graphic magazines instead!
He ripped a piece of parchment from his work, which had been important notes, then scribbled: 'Prongs says to Padfoot: I will stop observing Lily (not perving) when you stop having a 'hard on' looking at Malfoy.'
He crumpled the parchment and cast a temporary flame on it. Lily gaped as James threw the blazed parchment quickly, but casually, over his shoulder to Sirius' desk. James smiled in satisfaction as he heard the cursing of Sirius as the note burned his fingers, then a loud and sarcastic "Har Har!" once Sirius had managed to read it after the flames had burned out. James turned to Lily who was still gawking, looking as if she was going to give him a telling-off about the dangers of fire.
"Uh, Sirius insulted you, that's why I tried burning his fingers off," James lied. Lily's furious look turned to a face of gratitude.
"Oh…thanks James," she said appreciatively. The two stared at each other, but the moment was lost when a high exclamation behind them interrupted their deep eye contact.
"AW MAN! I got POTION in my PANTS!" Sirius proclaimed to the class. He lifted a pair of underpants from the cauldron which was now dripping in a sickly yellow potion, although it was supposed to be red. He'd now found one piece of underwear so far on the 'pants hunt' Rachel had set him. Now Sirius had no need to steal Peter's pants, but Sirius would still have to go without underwear for the rest of the lesson because he wasn't exactly going to get changed in class and display his nude self to his fellow class mates. Although, it seemed like a good idea to him but Remus dismissed it instantly.
"We are now at stage of the potion where it is most highly dangerous," Professor Mansell warned the class. The class wondered why on earth she was letting them make a hazardous potion after the last lesson they'd had where there was more potion on the students, walls and floors of the classroom, rather than in the cauldrons.
"There must be no spillages. No accidents. You must not get this potion on yourself, clothes or on your body. Or there will be drastic consequences. This potion burns skin," the professor said dangerously. There were a few gasps of anxiety at the final note she'd said. Peter trembled, knowing that he would probably be burned at some point off the lesson, especially when he was partnered with Sirius. He could definitely feel his trousers become wetter: good news for Sirius' pranking.
"CRAAP!" Anna yelled, falling forward.
Sirius had accidentally stumbled into Peter as he was examining his soggy pants. This was somehow a 'dominoes falling effect' as Peter wailed, toppling into Remus, who then faltered into Anna. She fell into the desk, her hands keeping her upright as her head was inches away from being dipped headfirst into the cauldron of potion: immediately after the professor had said that the liquid burned skin.
"That was close, wasn't it? Your nose nearly got a dunking there," Sirius chuckled. His chuckling died when Anna was ragingly breathing through her nose, then out of her mouth to calm her. It didn't seem to be working as her face brightened with more anger. Sirius was about to point this out to her, but again, Remus had clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Did any of you feed the nifflers?" Lily asked Sirius and Remus, turning to face them. She gave the boys an odd look as Sirius muffled a few words under Remus' hand.
"We had to feed them?" Remus said uncertainly. Lily frowned at him. Remus immediately unclamped his hand from Sirius' dirty mouth, hoping he would save him from the difficult situation. Sirius was a much better liar anyway.
"Uh, sure we fed them!" Sirius lied.
"You did?" Peter said shocked. "Didn't you say earlier that you'd rather eat a vomit flavoured jellybean than feed-" Peter suddenly yelped as Sirius stamped on his foot.
"No, Wormtail. I said nothing of the sort. A still tongue makes a wise head," Sirius added to him. Remus rolled his eyes as he used yet another proverb and watched as the pathetic Peter nodded, shutting up.
"What did you feed them then?" James asked curiously, smiling with amusement. Sirius stuck his middle finger at him as Lily glanced at James. Unfortunately, Lily spotted Sirius stick up the finger so he made it look as if he was simply picking his nose.
"We fed them niffler food," Remus said lamely.
Niffler food? What on earth do nifflers eat anyway? Remus thought hurriedly.
"What niffler food?" Anna asked.
"Umm...you know, the usual food. Grass," Sirius suggested. Because nifflers are like cows, right? Remus shook his head; he could've thought of anything better than that.
"You fed them GRASS!" Lily bellowed. Sirius cowered in return; maybe grass wasn't the most sensible choice.
"Did I say grass? I meant, um, chocolate," Sirius rectified. Everybody likes chocolate, surely magical creatures had an obsession for it too.
"Chocolate! You can't feed them chocolate! They're not humans, they're not Peter which you can stuff with a load of crap until he vomits it all over you!"
"I especially know what that feels like," Anna added, as Peter blushed in embasrassment.
"Okay, not chocolate, then. We definitely did feed them though," Sirius fibbed. "But just don't have a heart attack if you go back to the common room and find the nifflers, well, napping, for an extremely long time."
"My mum said my guinea pig was napping. She told me that for the next two months. I cried my eyes out for weeks when she finally told me he was dead," Peter said miserably.
"Well, that's kind of disgusting," James commented, wondering why on earth Peter was bringing up his diseased pet. He could just imagine Peter petting his dead guinea pig for two months….actually, he didn't want to imagine.
"That's what all parents tell their children. You were just at a young age," Remus said.
"Actually it was last year," Peter said quietly. The group stared at him in silence, thoroughly disturbed.
"I swear, those nifflers better be alive when I get back to the common room," Lily warned Sirius and Remus, then turned round back to her potion. James shrugged his shoulders to them, very unhelpfully.
"I'm not worried," Sirius shrilled.
"What if they are dead?" Remus whispered worriedly.
"Then we'll just transfigure our shoes into nifflers," Sirius explained, as if it was the easiest plan in the world.
"Do you know how to do that?" Remus questioned, arching an eyebrow.
Sirius looked at him blankly. "No..."
Remus hit his head in frustration.
"I'll ask my darling Minerva in transfiguration next," Sirius said.
Remus gave him a nervous look. "Don't let her catch you calling her that," he warned Sirius.
Meanwhile, James and Lily were busy with their potion; both surprised neither of them had burned each other's skin off.
"Well, looks like things are finally looking up," James commented happily. "Nothing bad has happened to us for at least 12 hours, unless you count being scarred by the image of Sirius running in my trousers without any underwear."
"I was traumatized by that," Lily pointed out.
James glanced at his watch. "Oh, okay. So around 45 minutes without nothing bad happening to us."
"Wow, that's a record," Lily rolled her eyes. She to admit, it was pretty funny all the embarrassing things happening to the both of them; except for hanging unbelievably high over a quidditch stand wall. She would not be paid to do that again no matter how many times Sirius asked so he could film it and send it in to one of those muggle television shows, where they find it funny where people are frightened as hell and hurt themselves.
The smile from her face swiftly disappeared when an empty ink well flew in the air, as if it suddenly appeared from the ceiling. Lily and James watched, as if in slow motion, the lobbed ink well dropped forcefully into their cauldron of potion. The ink well smacked into the liquid, the liquid spraying out graciously towards Lily.
She yelped in anticipation of being soaked in potion that would remove her skin, the skin she'd always complained was too pale, but she damn well needed skin! She stuck her one hand out in front of her as a small shield to at least block her face, but was pushed hardly in the side by James who'd slammed her aside to the floor, landing with her. Yes, he'd protected Lily from the potion, but not himself.
What a doofus, Sirius thought, not really thinking of James' well-being.
"AAAAH! MY SKIN! IT BURNS! IT BURRRNS!" James yelled hysterically, covered in potion and jerking on the floor. Lily was by his side, on the verge of tears, gaping in shock. "I'M DYING! OH GOD- the PAIN! The pain...wait a minute-where is the pain?" He asked out loud, confused. He'd been expecting the potion to be burning him any time now. Maybe it was just having a delayed reaction. He waited for a few seconds as the class gawked at him.
"Okay, I don't understand. I'm not feeling any burning. At all. No burning. At all," James repeated, and wiped a finger to a splodge of potion that was dripping from his head. He looked at the finger. There was definitely no signs of scorching. He didn't even feel a tingle….well, maybe a slight tingle then, but that was basically because the reaction of Lily's frightful face that he was in danger. The potion was basically as harmful as tomato ketchup. In fact, maybe even diluted tomato ketchup.
The bewildered yet annoyed class turned to face Professor Mansell, who was looking sheepish, definitely odd for a teacher. She seemed to be finding a great interest in studying her robes.
"I wonder if this is 100 percent cotton...?" She murmured to herself. Lily coughed loudly to get her attention. She slowly looked up.
"Oh, Miss Evans, yes?"
"Professor, why isn't the potion currently burning James' skin?" She asked politely.
"You make it sound as if you want my skin burning right now..." James muttered.
"Okay, class. So I shamefully admit I am guilty of mendacity," the professor revealed.
The class looked back at her blankly.
"Mendacity, means I lied," she explained tiredly. There was sound of understanding from the class. "I simply lied that the potion would burn your skin so there wouldn't be any spills of potion or accidents…Unfortunately, there still were." The professor sighed as she cleared the spilled potion.
"Weird woman, that Professor Mansell," Sirius murmured to Remus.
"Indeed," Remus replied. "Indeed…"
Lily pulled James to his feet and ran a hand playfully through his hair.
"You're using potion as a substitute for hair gel then?" Lily teased. James stuck his tongue out at her and then wiped potion on her nose.
"You look adorable, like a red nosed carrot."
"That makes no sense," Lily laughed. She turned head to Anna who was smiling greatly, wiggling her eyebrows and winking; both hard to do at once.
"I know what's going on," Anna nodded, looking at the two.
"Anna, what's wrong with your face?" Lily asked, as she watched Anna multi-task facial expressions.
"Yeah, don't make that face for too long or the wind will blow if off," Sirius said cockily.
"Padfoot, that's not the saying," Remus said, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah," Peter agreed, "It's, 'don't make that face for too long or it'll stay like-"
"Shut it, dead guinea pig boy."
Someone in the classroom cursed as their plan to incinerate Lily's skin off had failed terribly.
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Professor Mcgonagall was displeased. She had a class with the fifth year Hufflepuffs and unfortunately, the Gryfinndors. They weren't normally any trouble, except for the marauders. Sirius graciously announced his entrance as he made his way into the classroom with the others.
"Minerva! Simply spiffing to see you!" Sirius said smoothly. Remus rolled his eyes on cue; Sirius had ignored his good advice.
Sirius' arms stretched out, expecting to give the professor a hug and expecting one in return. She would never, ever, hug Sirius Black: goodness knows where he'd been. Instead, she frowned at him.
"Hey McGee, pleasure to see you, as always," James said effortlessly, standing at his side with a worried Lily.
Sirius scowled at James in jest. "Back off, Prongsie, she's mine-"
"Sit down," Mcgonagall butted in. The boys bowed, then sat at their seats whilst Lily looked at the professor apologetically.
"I really, really, hope that your underwear isn't in this room," Remus whispered to Sirius as the class watched professor Mcgonagall tiredly sit behind her desk. She opened the draw from her desk, merely expecting to see files of parchment. Her eyes widened in shock at what was positioned inside.
"SIRIUS BLACK!"
"Too late..." Remus murmured to himself.
Mcgonagall picked up the dragon skinned thong, belonging to Mr Black, that had been neatly placed in the draw of her desk. The marauders, Lily, Anna; in fact, all of the class, looked at Sirius questioningly.
Why exactly did Sirius own a pair of dragon skinned thongs? The answer was pretty simple. Sirius Black was a perverted boy.
The class, except the marauders and two girls, were wondering how exactly the dragon skinned thong got their in the first place? The answer seemed pretty simple to that question too.
"Sirius is Professor Mcgonagall's toy boy!" A Hufflepuff whispered.
Damn that sexy Rachel quidditch beater, Sirius thought moodily.
"Professor, I do not believe it!" Sirius faked with utter dismay. "You stole, my drawers! And I don't mean drawers of the wooden kind," he added. The boys sighed with regret; accusing Professor Mcgonagall of stealing your underwear was definitely not a good move. Not a good move at all.
"Mister Black, do not flatter yourself."
"But Minerva," Sirius started, and the professor glared at him. It seemed she did not sincerely like him using her first name and the way it rolled of his tongue effortlessly. "How did you know they were mine?" He winked.
She walked up to his desk, holding the thong from an arm's distance, afraid that it might suddenly spring alive, jump up on her face and suffocate her. That would be highly unlikely to happen considering the thong didn't consume of much material. And thongs didn't normally spring alive. At least, not the un-magical ones.
"Maybe because there is a label with your name on it," Mcgonagall said viciously, dropping the thong in front of him. Heating in the face, Sirius looked at the small label on the thongs bearing the words 'Property of the sexy Sirius Black' in swirl writing.
"When did you get those?" Peter asked. Sirius was slightly freaked out by such a strangely curious question.
"An ex-girlfriend gave it to me," Sirius said casually. The marauders stared at him, whilst Lily and Anna shot him disgusted looks. "She had a dragon skins fetish," he explained.
"That's rather disturbing," Remus commented.
"Moony," Sirius said, looking quite appalled as he shook his head. He stood up from his stool, holding the thong to his crotch. "Tell me you're not turned on by this?"
Remus was about to answer with a definite 'no, I am definitely not turned on anyway', but he'd been interrupted.
"Black! When you've finally finished your fashion parade, I sincerely suggest, that you sit down," Mcgonagall said shrilly. Grudgingly, Sirius sat back down on his seat.
"I've always fancied myself as a model, you know," Sirius whispered inconspicuously to James.
"No, Sirius, you just fancy yourself," James corrected him. Sirius scoffed. "Oh, Sirius," James spoke playfully in a high girl's voice, stroking his arm seductively. "I just luurrvve your dragon skinned thongs! Take me now!"
"Potter! Will you stop seducing Black and pay attention!" Professor Mcgonagall's mouth twitched into a slight curve as the class laughed.
"She's just jealous," Sirius whispered.
"And Black, please put those undergarments away."
Sirius nodded understandingly, then tried stuffing them in his trouser pocket. Unfortunately, they were too full of useless crap. He then tried fitting the thong into his shirt front pocket, the inside of his robe's sleeve, behind his ear and finally into the sock of his shoe: all spots did not fit the thong. He sighed in annoyance, then settled for wearing the thong on top of his trousers.
James and Lily watched, dazed, as Professor Mcgonagall's mouth was opening and closing. She seemed to be talking about transfiguring a quill into a butterfly, or a balloon, or maybe a banana? Something beginning with the letter 'b' anyway. All the pair knew was that she was talking, about something, that was not interesting, in any shape or form.
They both tried determinedly to keep their eyes open, resulting in James slapping his face to keep himself from drooping. This plan didn't work and only developed in James' red cheeks. Neither could overcome the power of sleep that had taken over them. Their eyes slowly shut, both going into a dream; or to be more specific, flashbacks. In both their minds, they watches as flashes of memory images dashed before them.
Flash.
Each other's faces erupting with anger, in the common room.
"Just tell me the damn spell, Evans!" James shouted.
"No way! Not after the stupid prank you did on me, Potter! Work it out for yourself!"
Flash.
I've got no problem with you being gay though! Don't worry! You don't fancy me though, do ya?" Sirius joked.
"Not you too, Padfoot. Shut up."
Flash.
"OW! You're crazy!" James shouted, being hit repeatedly by Lily with a thick transfiguration book.
Flash.
"Tell me the damn spell, Potter, or I'll-"
"-Or what Evans? Huh? What'll you do?-"
"I'll tell Professor Mcgonagall!"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Trust me, gay boy. I will."
Flash.
"Hey Prongs mate, gonna borrow your cloak aright? To...umm...get some food." Sirius said hesitantly.
Flash.
"There," James said fixedly as he changed Lily's face back to its normal colour. "Happy now?"
"Whatever," Lily muttered, also changing James' robes back to the right adjustment. "Don't you dare think I'll give you a thank you."
"Ha, too late!"
"You annoy the hell out of me, Potter, why can't you just leave me alone?" Lily yelled.
Me leave you alone! More like the other way round." James answered.
Flash.
A voice? James and Lily turn their heads, but no-one was there.
"What the-"
"Huh?"
James and Lily suddenly awoke, shouting the angry words of: "Who's voice?"
This wasn't exactly a bright idea to do in the middle of class, especially with Professor Mcgonagall, and especially when most of the class thought they were already insane. Equally insane, and also insane for each other.
"Potter? Miss Evans? I sincerely hope you were not just sleeping in my lesson," Professor Mcgonagall warned. James and Lily looked at each anxiously, their hair in disarray, both panting and sweat pouring from their foreheads.
"I'm very disappointed in you two," Mcgonagall said. "I understand your hand predicament, but that still does not excuse your--SIRIUS BLACK! What are you doing?"
James and Lily sighed in relief as Sirius had distracted the professor from giving them a lecture and now would probably give him one instead. They did however gawk in confusion as they watched Sirius standing on his stool, trying to reach for something that was flying in the air. The thing in the air was his pathetic attempt of transfiguring a shoe into a niffler. And it wasn't even his shoe.
"Padfoot! Get me back my shoe!" Remus ordered as he stood with only one shoe on, slanting to one side and displaying his sock where his big toe popped out through a sock hole.
"I'm sorry, alright! I'm trying!" Sirius tried grabbing for the shoe that had developed fur and had sprouted wings. It was like some sort of demented butterfly.
"C'mon, come here, Moony shoe! Moony shoe!" Sirius cried. He carried out one giant leap from the stool, stretching out his hand to grab the flying thingamajig as if he were reaching for the snitch in a quidditch match. Of course, he missed, because Sirius was not a seeker. Instead, he landed on Anna who'd just removed the bandage of her nose and was feeling much better. She shrieked as she saw Sirius fly towards her and made a loud 'OOF!" sound when his body flattened on top of hers.
"Oops, sorry Anna," Sirius mumbled.
"Must I always be the one to suffer?" Anna cried. Professor Mcgonagall sighed angrily, then simply pointed her wand to the flying shoe, muttering a spell which made turned the size seven shoe back to normal and drop to the floor, unfortunately on top of Sirius' head.
"Damn your big, pointy Moony shoes," Sirius cursed to Remus.
"Are you alright, Miss Garland?" Professor Mcgonagall asked kindly to Anna, as the fallen two stood up. Sirius had courteously tried helping Anna to her feet but she'd pushed him away where he landed straight back on his bottom. Anna groaned painfully, then limped off again to the hospital wing, but was smiling as a good looking Gryffindor boy was letting her use him as support.
"What about me? Don't you want to know how I am?" Sirius asked. Mcgonagall simply ignored him, and he sulked. Sirius returned the shoe back to Remus who was shaking his head.
Mcgonagall was about to continue the rest of her lesson, but Sirius had decided that this most inappropriate time when she was currently pissed off was the 'perfect' time to ask about the correct spell which would turn the shoe into the animal he wanted. not the fluttering footwear.
"Professor?" Sirius asked sweetly. The rest of the marauders shook their heads at once. On the bright side, Remus was a little happy that at least he hadn't called her by her first name this time.
"Professor?" He repeated. "Professor? Professor? Professor? Professor? Professor-"
"Yes?" She answered finally.
"Can I ask you a question?" The professor was about to answer with a 'no' but he'd already started speaking. "How do you change shoes into nifflers?"
Lily looked at Sirius swiftly at the mention of the word 'nifflers'; her suspicions that the boys had not fed her two animal bodyguards were getting greater by the second.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh….sorry," Sirius apologized. "Did I not make it clear enough? I want to know how you change a shoe, like this one," he spoke as he kicked the shoe off his foot, unfortunately it flinging off his foot and hitting James. He talked over James' profound moaning and insults. "And turn the shoe into a niffler. You know, those horrible black fur balls." Sirius winced when Lily glared at him.
"I heard you the first time, Black. I was just wondering what on earth you've done now."
"Nothing, professor. He's talking nonsense!" Remus said.
"Well, Black, I will not tell you the spell because, knowing you, you would turn every Hogwarts student's shoes into nifflers. Including the teachers," she added.
"Of course I wouldn't! I'd never turn your shoes into nifflers, professor!" Sirius fluttered his eyelashes. Lily and Anna snorted at him.
"Why you would want to turn footwear into nifflers is purely a mystery to me. I hardly like the creatures myself," Mcgonagall said distastefully. Lily gasped in shock: surely everyone loved nifflers?
"We have something in common! Aren't they ungodly, horrid things! Our true love is fate!" Sirius declared. "Oh, Minerva, I-"
"Sirius, have some chocolate," Remus interrupted him.
"What? But Moony, I don't want-"
"Eat the chocolate, Padfoot," Remus shoved the chocolate into Sirius' gob, his mouth bulging to the maximum, which was a good think because it shut him up instantly. Unfortunately, Sirius didn't know that Remus had put some sleeping sedatives in the chocolate to calm the boy down.
"Good, Padfoot," Remus said patting Sirius' head that was now resting on the table as he snored loudly. The class sighed with content, now they wouldn't suffer anymore of his pitiful seducing.
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Remus was a little worried; he'd run out of his tampered chocolate so Sirius was hyper again. He guessed Sirius hyperactivity was probably because of the night that was before them, that he and his friends would experience. Of course, Remus would have to suffer while his friends tagged along for comfort. He was more tired than usual and it showed in his dark shadows under his eyes. If anyone asked about them, his excuse was that Sirius had simply used that old trick of painting black over the telescope ring which he had somehow fell for, twice, one on each eye.
The fifth years were currently in a History of Magic lesson with Professor Binns. Lily was presently sleeping with her head in her hand. James could still admit that she looked gorgeous even when her face was slanted by her palm and a slight bit of drool was slipping from her mouth.
"I bet you want to lick that drool right off, don't ya?" Sirius asked, making James jump in startlement at being caught in the act.
"Whatever," James scoffed. He tried turning his attention back to Binns who was droning on his monotonous voice.
"What were you dreaming about in potions?" Remus asked curiously, slightly worried about his and Lily's distressed faces when they awoke.
"Nothing," James lied, his mind now back on the thoughts of the dream; the dream he thought Lily must have experienced too. The flashbacks showing their argument before their hands were stuck, then the voice right before he and Lily passed out. The voice that was probably responsible for him and Lily being attached. But who's voice was it? That's what annoyed him the most. He couldn't remember or recognise the voice, it was just too quiet.
"I bet you were dreaming about Lily naked," Peter giggled.
"I only saw her the once, alright! And it doesn't even count because I saw it in my head!"
The marauders gaped at him. "What?" they asked in unison.
James laughed nervously; he'd said way too much.
"Don't ask," he dismissed the topic. He turned back to Binns and tried to find interest in the professor who was trying to remember a student's name and failing to guess after the fiftieth time.
"This so boring," Peter murmured.
"Don't worry, Wormtail. At least we'll be having fun tonight," Sirius said cheerfully.
"Tonight?" James echoed with confusion. "What's tonight?"
Sirius looked at him with disappointment. Peter tried copying Sirius' dissatisfied face, because Sirius was such the 'perfect' role model, but Peter failed the look and only looked constipated instead. Remus tried to look as if he were listening to Binns talking rather then their conversation as he looked uncomfortable and uneasy.
"Tonight! Don't you remember? It's that time of the month," Sirius hinted. James looked worried and wondered if he were talking about 'girl problems', but he finally realised and hit himself in stupidity.
"Oh bollocks! It can't be tonight! I totally forgot! Sorry, Moony," he apologized to Remus.
"Alas, it looks as if you won't be joining us tonight, Prongsie old pal," Sirius patted him on the back. James looked sadly at the sleeping Lily.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I can't exactly transform with Lily with me. That'll end up as one demented stag dragging along a screaming red head."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Sirius said. "You'll be spending your time with the Lily instead. More drooling opportunities." James glared at him. "Speaking of Lily, why haven't you told her you like her yet?"
James blushed as the subject had turned into another interrogation.
"I dunno, Padfoot. I just don't think she likes me in that way. She probably still thinks I'm an annoying little berk," James told the boys truthfully.
"Then stop being one then," Remus muttered adding to the conversation.
"Good one, Moony," Sirius snickered.
"Honestly, James. You're bloody clueless sometimes. Am I the only one who notices the tension between you two? Lingering looks, falling on top of each other way too many times for it to be a coincidence," Remus pointed out.
"I can't help it if we seem to be extremely clumsier then the average witch or wizard," James argued.
"She even ruffled your hair in potions!" Sirius said gleefully. The boys ogled at him, not seeing how this action was supposed to mean any significance.
"So what if she ruffled my hair?" James asked.
"She hates you ruffling you hair, and she did it herself!"
"Not to mention the look on her face when that potion spilled on you. She was practically in tears," Remus added.
"Wasn't it weird when that ink well just came out of nowhere? I wonder who threw it? Do you think it's the same person who's trying to kill Lily-"
"Shut up, Wormtail, we're talking about something more important," Sirius cut him off.
James sighed and turned back to staring at Lily, whilst Sirius and Peter unsuccessfully tried transfiguring their shoes into nifflers. Instead, turning them into black furry spiders with too many eyes and too many legs. Something that definitely made Peter wet his pants.
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After all lessons were over and dinner was eaten, James and Lily retired to the common room to finish homework and sit aimlessly in front of the fire. The nifflers were suspiciously missing, but Lily had not found the nifflers dead animal bodies so she was hoping that they would simply turn up later.
Now James was extremely on edge as he sat up, cross legged and gazing at the window. James and Lily were now in their separate sleeping bags, both supposed to be in slumber. Lily was asleep, but James was thoroughly awake. He had watched his fellow marauders leave the common room at near darkness, then gazed as the full moon rose and shone brightly in the pitch black sky through the common room's window.
A feeling of sadness and dread hung him down as he gazed at the moon. Since Sirius, Peter and him, had become animagus to comfort their werewolf friend, as they would adventure at that time of the every month. But tonight, they would adventure without Prongs, and that was a little worrying. He was the stag, he could take charge and control the situation when things got out of hand.
Sirius can handle it. Maybe not Peter. But have faith in Sirius, James told himself sternly, but he couldn't help himself feeling doubt in his mind.
"James?"
James jumped startled at the soft call off his name. He turned to his left and found Lily awake, rubbing her eyes and looking at him with confusion as she sat up.
"You're on edge. Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." He flashed her a nervous smile of reassurance.
"That's creepy," Lily spoke, but laughed nonetheless.
"What are you doing up?" She asked with concern. James turned from looking at the window, to the doorway of the common room; waiting for Sirius and Peter to return after putting Remus to rest in the hospital wing as they normally did.
"Couldn't sleep," he spoke truthfully. Lily followed his gaze to the portrait.
"Are you expecting someone?" Lily asked.
I bet he's waiting for some bimbo to have a quick snog with him in the common room, Lily thought, suddenly depressed.
"Are you waiting for some girl?" She asked, voicing her thoughts. James couldn't help but feel the jealously behind her voice.
"No way!" He protested. Lily felt instantly brightened. "Lily, just go back to sleep. Who knows what life or death situations we'll be suffering tomorrow," he joked.
"Okay then," she answered finally.
She laid back down in her sleeping back, watching James with curious eyes as he still sat up. "G'night, James," she said softly. James watched as her eyes shut, he then looked back to the common room entrance.
This is going to be a loooong nite, James told himself.
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James yawned for the fifty-fourth time as he waited for his friends to show. He'd counted simply out of amusement and to keep him awake, yet it somehow worked to the opposite effect as the counting made his eyes droop more. The full moon had finally exited the sky, now replaced by a rising sun, after what it felt like an eternity of waiting. Sirius and Peter should have been back a lot sooner and he tapped his fingers impatiently. His lack of sleep especially made him more edgy.
As he gazed at the common room doorway, he breathed with satisfaction as it opened and revealed his friends return. Problem was, he hadn't expected the barely awake Remus who was covered in cuts and bruises, looking unable to walk as Sirius and Peter, looking mightily dishevelled, supported him by holding his arms over their shoulders as they entered.
"Why did you guys bring him back here?" James hissed. "You're supposed to bring him back to the hospital wing!" His voice rose in anger, looking furious yet troubled at seeing his loyal, injured friend. Sirius gave him a look of regret and sadness: they had certainly had a rough night.
"I'm sorry, mate. We had to bring him back here, Filch was on our tail and-" Sirius stopped, a look of horror creeping on his face.
James looked confused to Sirius' and Peter's shaken faces, then made his own face of horror when he'd realised he'd forgotten about Lily sleeping beside him. Regrettably, she was not asleep anymore. It seemed as if James' shouting had waken her.
"Oh Merlin," Lily whispered, looking wide-eyed as she sat up, taking in the marauders shocked faces and appearance. "What's happened to Remus?" She cried, as she stood up from the sleeping bag and walked over to the weak and fragile Remus, gasping as she looked at his injuries, whilst James was dragged along wordlessly in disbelief. The boys gaped back at her, stunned and unsettled.
"What the hell is going on?" Lily demanded. "Tell me what happened to him!"
All that was going through James' mind were repetitive cursing on how the hell he was going to get himself out of this one.