Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 19: Those damn Slytherins
"W-w-hat?" Peter quivered, paralysed to the spot in front of the stairs. He feared to move anywhere near the angry James and Lily, although there was no need because they'd bolted from the couch and were storming towards him.
"I can't believe it was you! You're supposed to my friend!" James shouted at Peter, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing his wand from his back pocket.
"Hurt him," Lily commanded venomously.
"What are you talking about?" Peter squeaked, squealing as James lunged for his throat. Peter fell to his knees and scrambled along the floor, hiding under one of the common room tables, thoroughly resembling his animagus form of a rat.
"You stuck our hands together!" Lily yelled at him. Peter instantly paled as he backed further away under the table.
"B-but it wasn't my idea," Peter protested. He yelped when James grabbed the table that had been Peter's temporary shield, and knocked it over, where is was hurled at a group of screaming second years.
"EEK!" Peter yelped as the table flew off him, unprotected and defenceless. He tried scrambling away, wondering whether the exit of the common room or the stairs was the nearest escape route, but James had already grabbed him by the collar, cutting off his air supply.
"Tighter! TIGHTER!" Lily ordered to James who squeezed his grip harder around Peter's neck.
"It would be easier with two hands," James complained. Lily was about to suggest that she would help, but a shout from behind them butted in.
"JAMES!" Remus yelled, taking a last step off the stairs and running up to them, Sirius close behind.
"What's going on? I heard wailing," Sirius said, oddly cheerful.
"James, get off him," Remus said sternly, prying his hand off Peter. James gave him a look of indignant anger. Peter whimpered and collapsed to the floor in sobs.
"Moony, don't get involved," James said bitterly, and was about to make another step towards Peter, but Remus had determinedly stood in front of him.
"What is your problem?" Lily snapped in annoyance.
"Why exactly are you trying to beat Peter up?" Remus asked them, trying to calm the two down.
"Because he's the one who stuck our hands together!" Lily bellowed, pointing a finger at the blubbering boy. Remus instantly went white and sent an anxious look at Sirius.
"Padfoot!" Remus shouted annoyed. Sirius, at one point of the conversation, had drifted over the other side of the common room and was now chatting with some sixth year girls. He looked up from one of the girl's slender pair of legs to examine Remus' frown.
"Sorry," Sirius apologized. Remus wasn't sure if he was making this apology to him or the girls fluttering their eyelashes at him. Sirius skipped back over to Remus and the others and sent them a curious look. "So...what's going on, then?"
"I've had enough of this," James complained. He pushed off Remus' hands that were on his shoulders that had been keeping him from beating Peter up.
"James! James, no! Lily! Guys, stop it!" Remus shouted, watching as James picked up Peter from the floor and was now strangling him again, this time with the help of Lily; two hands are better than one after all.
"Sirius! Tell them!" Remus bawled. It seemed as if Sirius was pondering whether to say anything or not as he stood with a hand to his chin and portraying a deep 'thinking face'. He finally snapped when he saw Peter's face turning different colours; Peter turning different colours would lead to vomiting. He did not want to be vomited on.
"Prongsie, Lily flower, stop strangling the poor kid." Sirius pulled off their forceful grips, though, pulling them off Peter seemed harder than he thought.
"C'mon, guys! Don't make me lick you!" Sirius warned. The two finally lessened their grips and glared at him.
"Give me one bloody reason why I shouldn't be gutting him like a fish and drinking his blood?" James said icily. Sirius made a disgusted face at his choice of torture.
"One, you're not a vampire," Sirius said distastefully. "Two, Peter's blood would taste horrible - no offence mate," he added to Peter but he was too busy whimpering to notice the offence anyway. "And three, because...it was my idea," Sirius finished dreadfully. James and Lily gaped in silence.
"What?" James sincerely hoped this was a joke: a stupid 'Sirius joke'.
"I made Peter and Remus help me. All Peter did was make you guys sleep…"
"You got our hands stuck?" Lily asked him furiously, wanting a full confirmation before she caused him serious pain. Sirius nodded slowly. He trembled as James and Lily looked at him with silent anger.
"Please says something, your muteness is scaring me," Sirius pleaded. He could hear the deep breaths of anger through James' nostrils.
"Violence isn't always the answer," Remus warned James. The fifth years scoffed at him, even Sirius, which was not a wise thing to do when he should of been agreeing with Remus so he could avoid the physical punishment he was about to get.
"When I get a hold of you, I'm going to sink my teeth into your cheek and rip your face off!"
"You could of said anything but that," Sirius replied grimly, but promptly leaped out of the way as James and Lily pounced on him.
"Get back here, Padfoot!" James commanded. He and Lily chased after Sirius around the common room. "I'm not going to hurt you!"
Sirius immediately saw through the fib. "Bull!" he replied, grabbing a first year girl, as James conjured books and started pelting him with them.
"Not the books, James! Don't make the books suffer!" Remus yowled, trying to grab the stack of literature he was throwing aggressively. The first year screamed as Sirius used her as a safeguard and managed to get out of his hold by kneeing him in the groin.
"Damn you, midget!" Sirius yelled. He watched the first year escape up the common room stairs, no longer a shield for Sirius. He quickly ran behind the couch, using that as some sort of defence.
"Sirius Black, I am going to rip out your eyes and shove them down your underpants so you can watch me kick the crap out of you!" Lily shouted, grabbing a book, much to Remus' despair, and throwing it at Sirius where it hit him squarely between the eyes.
"Really Lily, you're going a bit over the top aren't you," Sirius said.
"Over the top?" she spat. "I had to stand and listen to a guy pee! Pee!"
"Did he sprinkle when he tinkled?" Sirius asked amusedly; that had not been a good thing to say at this comical time. Sirius was about to ask Lily if James left the seat up after he urinated -a habit not conquered by any boy- but James had pummelled a cushion at him.
"Don't use the cushions! They don't cause any pain! Here," Lily said, handing him a harder object.
"Shit!" Sirius swore as he ducked as a jug of water that was hurled in his direction. The jug crashed the floor, luckily missing Sirius but the water had unfortunately sprayed the sixth year girls Sirius had been flirting with. They were now drenched, make-up running off their faces.
"Don't worry ladies, you still look hot," Sirius said positively. They gave him dirty looks, then returned to their dorm.
"Thanks a lot, Prongs," Sirius said dryly. "You're a pal."
"A pal! I thought you were one but then you decided to put me and Lily through hell and get our hands stuck!" James remarked.
"He meant well, James," Remus protested. Lily and James scoffed at him, then James produced some more jugs of water to throw at Sirius.
"Can't you make them jugs of Firewhiskey?" Sirius pleaded, but quickly regretted the words as the new jugs of Firewhiskery were chucked at him. The alcohol sprayed over him, and he somehow managed to get some in his mouth, licking the Firewhiskey dripping from his chin. Unfortunately, he got some in his eyes; they stung like hell, and Sirius proved this point greatly.
"My eyes sting like hell!" Sirius announced, then turned to Remus for support. "Moony, help me!" he begged. Remus looked at him helplessly as more jugs of alcohol was thrown at him. He quickly handed an object to Sirius which he thought would help in his situation; Sirius was not at all grateful.
"A BOOK?" Sirius yelled, staring at the book Remus had handed him. Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Moony!" Sirius said disappointedly. "A true friend would give me something decent to protect myself. A shield, a sword," he suggested, "maybe even an axe! But, a book? I spit on your book!"
"Please don't. It's new."
Sirius rolled his eyes which was not a wise move when he was supposed to be paying attention to the jugs being flung at him. He shrieked as more Firewhiskey drenched him.
"I smell like a drunken bum," Sirius said bitterly, sniffing his wet clothes.
"You ARE a drunken bum," Lily retorted. Sirius couldn't help but clap his hands at her witty remark, but halted when Lily grabbed a few quills which she had been using earlier for homework and launched them at him. He swore loudly as he watched the quills fly at him like daggers.
"Ow ow OW!" Sirius moaned, the quills hitting him like gun shots. "They're sharp, you know!"
James made a feigned an expression of sympathy, then pelted an ink well at him which was graciously full of ink.
"Oh God no! Not the ink!" Sirius screamed as the ink flew towards him and somehow got in his mouth, again. Violently, he coughed.
"Sirius, for Merlin's sake, I gave you that book for a purpose!" Remus reminded him, pointing the book in his hand. "Read some of the quotations!"
"What? You want me to bloody read at a time like this?" Sirius said in bewilderment, looking at his friend as if he'd gone insane, which was probably true at the time.
"Just read some of the lines out loud!" Remus said. Sirius stared at Remus oddly, then finally looked at the front cover of the book which read 'Lasting Friendship'. A look which said 'are you kidding me?' graced Sirius features. Nonetheless, he opened the book, flicked to a random page. Pointing aimlessly to a line, he read aloud:
"Friendship is plant which must often be watered." Sirius frowned at Remus. "What the hell? Why did you give me a gardening book, Moony?"
James and Lily continued flinging objects at him.
"If our friendship is a plant, Padfoot, then the plant is dead! The plant has been burnt and cut into mulch! Then, a dog has come along and vomited all over it, then pissed on it repeatedly!"
"Thanks for the graphic detail, Prongs, mate," Sirius spoke unpleasantly, ducking from another jug.
"Padfoot, read another quote," Remus advised. Sirius sighed, flicked to another page, and read another line.
"The most precious of all possessions is a wise and loyal friend." Sirius scoffed at the cheesiness.
"Then I must have no precious possessions at all!" James yelled, trying to pick up one of the common room chairs and use that to hurt his friend. Sirius swiftly rushed to another page and spotted another line.
"Without confidence, there is no friendship," Sirius said uncertainly. Remus shook his head, showing his feeling that the quote wasn't one of the most well-advised to read out.
"You're so bloody confident that you've got your head up your own arse!" Lily shouted. Sirius was highly offended, but read aloud another line to try and save himself.
"Trust first in those who say - 'I made a mistake'." Sirius looked desperately at James and Lily, with much intent. Sirius smiled as he could feel the couple giving in; at least, maybe after a few more thrown objects.
"Shut up, Sirius!" Lily noticed his technique of making them feel guilty was working. She quickly picked up a fire poker from the fireplace and grinned maliciously. Sirius squeaked and backed away as Lily admired the poker in her grip.
"Hmm, maybe this will make you learn your lesson, what do you think James, eh?" Lily smiled evilly.
"I say, poke away," James growled, finding Lily holding a fire poker extremely sexy, adding along to another one of his dirty fantasies. Remus looked at his friends in horror and quickly grabbed the quotations book from Sirius. He searched for the right page that he would think would stop his friends.
"Plotting revenge only allows the people to hurt you longer!" Remus said, headstrong. He watched as Lily and James stopped walking towards Sirius, however the fire poker was still gripped ferociously in Lily's hand. Remus stood in front of Sirius protectively and stared hard at the couple.
"Your friend is the person who knows all about you, and still likes you," Remus read from the page, shutting the book, and looking up at them. "You know all about me," Remus spoke to James, referring to his secret of being a werewolf, "And you still like me, right?"
The almighty furious expression on James' features quickly disappeared, turning into one of a smile and a shaking head; Remus had picked the perfect line to save Sirius. It was dirty trick, but he'd forgive him.
"Course I like you, you berk!" James gave him a bear hug, patting him on the back. "Good save," he told Remus, who smiled feebly. Lily put the fire poker back and shook her head at Remus, though a smile was tugging at her lips.
"Padfoot," James sighed. "You can come out now." Sirius was hiding behind the couch, rocking back and forth, mumbling about fire pokers.
"You're not going to hurt me?" Sirius asked uncertainly from behind the furniture.
"No, you better thank Moony and that sly book of his," James said moodily.
"I always knew books would save the day," Remus smiled with satisfaction, proudly holding the book against his chest. Hesitantly, Sirius popped his head from behind the couch and rested it on top of the furniture; this looked oddly scary, as if he were beheaded and his head were resting casually on top of the couch as Sirius licked the remaining Firewhiskey from his cheek. The others watched how far his tongue could stretch until Lily could no longer take anymore.
"Sirius, will you stop that. Its vile," Lily commented. Sirius finally got up from his hiding place and went over to them, instead hiding behind Remus in case James and Lily suddenly went hysterical.
"Padfoot, I'll forgive you once you free our hands, so just do it," James told him in a stern tone. Sirius portrayed a worried gaze.
"I don't actually know the reverse spell off by heart," Sirius explained weakly. James and Lily clenched their fists. "But, don't worry! The book I used is upstairs in the dorm! I'll just go get it now!" Sirius strained a smile, before running up the common room stairs, two steps at a time.
"Wow, we're finally going to be freed," Lily said, trying to make her voice sound relieved and happy, but ended up sounding tight and choked. James and Lily watched strangely as Remus tried to 'inconspicuously' move across the common room to leave them to talk alone. The boy looked simply odd as he moved across the room to chat with Peter, moving like a crab as he held a book in front of his face as if he were reading. This might have been believable if the book wasn't upside down.
"Er, Moony, watch out for that-"
"Bugger," Remus blurted as he collided with a table in his discreet moving. Slowly, he moved the book, displaying his cringing face behind it then laughed in embarrassment as James and Lily narrowed their eyes at him. Swiftly, he made his way over to Peter, prodding him with his wand to see if he was dead or not.
"Yeah, no more waking up to see your face," James chuckled, continuing back to the conversation. "I'm gonna miss that," he added with a serious face.
"I'll miss waking up to your chocolate covered mouth too," Lily laughed. "I suppose," she stated quietly, "we'll be going back to her own lives."
"What do you mean?" James eyed her. "You sound as if we're going to different countries or something."
"Your James Potter, I'm Lily Evans," Lily said matter-of-factly. James was about to answer with a 'well done captain-obvious' but Lily had carried on. "We have different, separate lives. We're not supposed to go together. We're supposed to hate each other," she reminded him.
"But we don't hate each other anymore," James pointed out.
"Yeah, but," Lily paused uncomfortably, pushing her hair out of her eyes, "we only became friends because our hands were stuck and we had to be civil with one another." She ended somewhat sadly, gazing at their glued hands with gloomy eyes.
"I thought we became friends because we like each other and passed all the hate. Maybe even more friends, if it wasn't for those bloody black fur balls- Crap, Malfoy moment there." He cringed.
Lily sighed in return. "I dunno, James…"
"What are you trying to say? That the minute we are freed we're supposed to go back to being enemies?"
"I suppose," Lily shrugged.
"I can't do that," James said, in a daring tenor. "I can't go back to hating you."
Lily looked down at her feet. "Ditto," she replied quietly.
They stood in uncomfortable silence, apart from the occasional sniff from Peter in the corner, with Remus handing him 'wizard size tissues' every few seconds. All of a sudden, they remembered that they were waiting for Sirius to return who'd been awfully long time to grab a book from the dorm.
"Sirius! For Christ's sake, what's taking you so long? You've been ten minutes!" James called from the common room.
Sirius heard the shout and tried to abruptly break away from a fellow fifth year girl that was kissing him. He'd got the teensiest bit distracted whilst walking up the common room stairs and was pounced on by a dark-haired girl, who's name hadn't been mentioned from her godly lips. He thoroughly admitted they were godly. He also strongly protests that she pounced on him and not the other way round.
"Sirius Black! Do you want me to come up there and stick a fire poker up your arse?" Lily yelled.
The girl finally broke part from him, giving him a suspicious look.
"Heh heh," Sirius chuckled nervously. "I gotta go, sorry doll…" He greatened his voice, "Don't worry Evans from the heavens! I'll just be a sec!"
The dark haired girl looked disappointed, but nonetheless slapped his bum on her exit back to her dorm. Sirius blinked several times, trying to think exactly what his purpose was to going up the common room stairs in the first place.
As if on cue, Remus shouted, "Sirius, get the book!"
"Book, yeah, the book," Sirius realised, entering the 'Marauder dorm'. He made his way over to his chest beside the bed where he'd placed the book days ago.
"Why's he taking so long?" Lily yawned.
"He probably got distracted by a girl," James guessed; a very accurate one. The fifth years finally heard the sound of someone walking down the stairs, and they sighed contently, thinking it was Sirius.
"Bloody hell," James swore loudly, glaring the on edge first year who made his appearance down the stairs. The first year glanced wearily at the peeved eyes that were on him, then slowly walked backwards up the staircase, feeling they did not want to be disturbed.
Again, they heard the sound of slow, hesitant footsteps going down the staircase. They moaned a sigh of satisfaction as it was Sirius who smiled nervously.
"Finally!" Remus said.
"Sorry I took so long," Sirius apologized.
"Yeah, whatever, just hand over the book," Lily ordered tiredly, holding out her hand.
"…"
James and Lily gave Sirius a deadly look of horror as they realised something: Sirius' hands were empty.
"Ya know: I'm feeling hungry! I think I'll just go on a little trip to the kitchens for a snack and-"
"Sirius-"
"-So you guys are feeling fine now then? No more nap attacks? That's lovely!" Sirius attempted to change the subject, which worked for a few seconds.
"Oh yeah," Lily answered. "Maybe the side effects worn off, right Remus? I wonder why the chocolate did that. It was strange. And how they--hey, wait a minute," Lily realised as she'd forgotten about the subject at hand.
"Sirius, where is the book?" James demanded slowly.
Sirius bit his nails nervously. "Uh, well, ya see. It's kind of, er…gone." He whispered, sprinting back over to Remus, peeking over his shoulder.
"YOU LOST IT?" James and Lily screamed in unison.
"Bursting ear drums..." Peter mumbled as he laid on the floor, with his eyes shut.
"I am going to pick out your eyes with a corkscrew," James said venomously, trying to force himself past Remus and pound Sirius to death with many pointy tools. Forks, Sporks, all the works.
"I think I'll go get that fire poker now," Lily said hysterically.
"Padfoot," Remus put a hand to Lily's and James' faces, forcing them back. "How did you lose the book?" he said madly.
"I didn't lose it. I put it in the chest beside my bed and I looked now and it was gone!" Sirius protested, hiding further and further behind Remus.
"Wait, wait a sec," Remus said hurriedly, trying to keep James and Lily from Sirius who was whimpering. "That is it!" he snapped, grabbing at James and Lily's ears and pulling on them strongly.
"Ooooow!" Together, they screamed, as Remus pulled hardly on their ears, determined to not let them go into they calmed down.
"Guys, cool it," Remus commanded.
Meanwhile, Sirius was laughing in uproar at the dominating Remus pulling ears for torture, obviously something that was not regularly seen.
"Watch it, Padfoot, if I had a third hand then I would be pulling on yours too," Remus said menacingly. Immediately, Sirius shut up.
"Alright, alright! Let go!" James and Lily moaned, feeling their ears literally being pulled off their heads. Remus obligingly let go.
"Now, before you go all hysterical again, think about something," Remus told them. "The book is gone, right?"
"Well duh," the three answered, cowering at Remus' glare.
"Why is it gone?" Remus questioned.
Sirius put his hand in the air like a six year old in a classroom.
"I know, I know! Pick me!" Sirius said excitedly. The others gave him a strange look. "Because it was stolen," he answered smugly.
"Yes, it was stolen. The question is: by who?"
The fifth years stood in silence, pondering the question before James made a frustrated groan and started storming towards the exit of the common room, Lily dragged in tow.
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"James, how do you even know it was Snape?" Lily said tiredly, as she was pulled by James towards the library. James had explained to her his one suspicion on who it could be,; the answer was Snape and could only be him. There could be no other suspects in his mind. The rest of the marauders obediently followed.
"It just has to be Snape, okay?" James replied, not fully justifying a reason.
"Only Snivellus could be behind something so sick," Sirius agreed, to get back in James' good books and also because Snape was dark character.
"You have no evidence!" Remus reminded them, trying to keep up with James furious stomping.
"It must've been Snivellus," Peter accorded; he was contently happy that he wasn't being trying to murdered by the couple. "There's no one else it could've been. He must've been the one to control those bludgers somehow, and the poisoned drink too."
"But you have no evidence," Remus protested again.
"Screw evidence," James replied bitterly, and made a sound of satisfaction as they'd arrived at the library.
"Why do you think he could be in here?" Lily asked.
"You snow Snivellus, he reads a lot about those dark arts," James said resentfully, about to open the door, but was stopped by Lily.
"James, you do remember that we're banned from here, right?" she reminded him, "Remember? The whole 'accio books' thing?"
"Oh yeah," he recalled, wincing. "I'm sure Madam Pince didn't really mean it," the others looked at him unconvinced, "and if she did, we'll just try and sneak in silently," he added.
James slowly pushed open the door, popping his head through the gap. The library had somehow been cleaned up and refurnished from all the toppled bookcases, piles of books that had been standing like mountains, and there were also no traces of flying pages swirling in tornadoes. He glanced over at Madam Pince who's back was facing them, currently petting books, then placing them on to the bookshelves. James quickly signalled to the group as they tiptoed over to a secluded part of the library which was cloistered by bookshelves - unfortunately, occupied by Snape who was sitting, quietly reading .
"Just the thief I wanted to see."
Snape glanced up from reading his book and shut it, looking snide. "Oh great," he remarked. "Potter and his groupies."
"We're not groupies!" Sirius protested, then whispered to Peter "What are groupies?"
"Don't they sleep with the band?" Peter answered.
"But we're not in a band," Sirius murmured back.
"No matter how much I'd love to hear Black and Pettigrew somehow prove the theory that little things do please little minds, why exactly are you here?" Snape asked menacingly.
"This is a public place," Lily couldn't help but mention.
"Not public enough for mudbloods," he snorted. Remus had to strongly hold James back from beating him with a heavy book.
"Not public enough for greasy haired slime balls," Lily retorted, watching Snape quiver with anger.
"Look, Snivellus," James began. "I know you stole the book so just give it to me and you won't be hammered with literature."
"What are you talking about?" Snape questioned, folding his arms, looking bored, and unaffected by the threat.
"We know you stole the book from my chest so hand it over," Sirius commanded, closing in on Snape aggressively.
"I don't know what book you are referring to," Snape said icily. "Neither would I want to steal a book from you, knowing the only books you read would be comics or pornography."
"Oh yeah? You probably wank over dark arts book," Sirius laughed.
"Can we not talk about this," Lily said disgustedly , blocking her ears. Sirius seemed to find the conversation very interesting, but that was just him.
"Just hand the book over, Snivellus!" James ordered.
"I already told you," Snape stood up from his seat, glaring at the gyrffindors. "I don't have your stupid book."
"James," Remus held on his shoulder, "I think he's telling the truth," he said, something none of them wanted to hear.
"That would be a first," Sirius commented as Snape clenched his grasp on his wand.
"Look, Potter," Snape started venomously. "I don't have your book," he told the truth. "So I suggest you get your facts straight before you go off threatening someone. It could backfire on you," he warned.
"Threats only work for people who can carry them out." Sirius eyed him scathingly.
"Let's go," Lily interrupted, not wanting to be present in fight that might happen. "He doesn't have the book, so let's just go," she advised. Remus nodded agreement and dragged Sirius by the elbow, while Lily pulled James away from Snape's gaze. As they walked away, their back's to Snape, Snape decided to mention something on their exit:
"I do know who stole the book though." The revelation was announced in a casual manner, as Sirius examined the dirt underneath his fingernails. At once, James stormed back over to him, startling Snape as James grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against a bookcase, while Lily helplessly watched.
"Don't piss around with me, Snivellus."
Snape scoffed in return.
"You know who took the book? Who?" Lily demanded hastily, hearing the sound of Madam Pince confusion at the sounds, where the woman would inevitably come over in a matter of seconds.
"What exactly do you want in return then?" Sirius asked Snape, not feeling his gratitude of telling them information would go un-rewarded.
"I don't want anything," Snape smiled insanely, "the mere look on your faces when I tell you is pure satisfaction to me."
"Go on then, you slimey git," James pressed, "Who took it? Who stole it?"
"There's no need to spit on me," Snape snapped, wiping his face.
James was beginning to lose his patience. "WHO?" he yelled.
"Malfoy." Snape grinned malevolently.
Lily gaped openly; the book that could free them was in the hands of one of the most sinister people she had met. There would be no hope to separate their hands. They would have to go along with Sirius' idea of cutting them with a chainsaw after all.
James closed his eyes with annoyance at the Malfoy's name, then pushed Snape away from him, unfortunately too hard as Snape toppled backwards into a bookcase. The fifth years watched in horror as the bookcases fell one by one, somehow falling into more bookcases as they all collapsed. They shrieked as the books tumbled towards them.
"This seems familiar!" Lily shouted to James, as they wormed their way through the piles of books that were forming. Remus looked on the verge of tears as the books fell discarded to the floor. The books never deserved to go through so much torment.
"OH, for the love of Merlin! NOT AGAIN!" Madam Pince screamed as she was suffocated with books that flew off the shelves. Swiftly, the fifth years made their exit, leaving Snape to drown in a mountain of literature.
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"James! James, calm down!" Remus tried to make his friend regain self-control, which would be unlikely to happen, as James was livid. Instead, James only quickened his pace to the Slytherins common room, along with Lily who also had to quicken her pace so not to flat on her arse.
"James," Lily tugged on his arm, forcing him to stop, "He said it was Malfoy, but how do we know? He could by lying," she suggested.
Unfortunately, James ignored her, walking again. "I can't believe I didn't think of him before!"
"Well, I did say it was Malfoy," Sirius lied, holding a smug face.
"You didn't say that," Peter argued.
"But I did think it," Sirius fibbed.
"Look, Prongs, even if Malfoy did steal the book, why don't we just tell a professor? Tell Dumbledore, he'd get the book off him and then no one would get hurt," Remus said, stopping directly in front of James to try and block his walking. This only resulted in James colliding into Remus, both cursing in pain, then James simply walking around him.
"That takes too long," James said hastily.
Remus sighed, giving up trying to stop James who was practically jogging to the Slytherin common to break every bone in Malfoy's pale body. Lily and the marauders finally turned up to Slytherin common room minutes later, where Malfoy and a group of other Slytherins were chatting and laughing humorously on their way to entering the portrait. The laughing stopped when their eyes landed on the Gryffindors, as though they were uninvited guests to their party.
"Malfoy," James greeted the blonde icily, a fair distance between them. He kept a fair distance away from Malfoy at first, trying desperately to stop himself from running up to him and pulling his blonde hair off and using it to cover the cushions of the Gryffindor common room. The Slytherins protectively guarded Malfoy.
"James Potter," Malfoy replied with feigned surprise. "Did you take the wrong turning? This is Slytherin teritory," he growled.
"You didn't seem to care about the Gryffindor territory when you somehow broke into our dorm and stole a possession," James snapped.
"How did you do it then, Malfoy?" Sirius questioned. "Bully a first year into telling you the password? Or did you somehow sink lower than that?"
Malfoy smiled evilly. "Good guess, Black," he congratulated him, running a hand through his light hair. "I do believe I am becoming too predictable. Next time I will just use a first year under the imperius curse," he proposed.
"I suppose you were the one controlling the bludgers too, then?" Lily accused him. "And the one who poisoned my water?"
"Whatever, Evans," Malfoy shot her a disgusted look. "I was not the genius who thought of that brilliant, but unsuccessful, plan to kill you with rogue bludgers. And poisoning you with tampered water? I'd rather get a hold of you and force poison down your throat instead," he ended menacingly.
"How was detention with the nifflers then, Malfoy?" James arched an eyebrow mischievously. "Did a niffler bite you in the arse again? What colour pants are you wearing today? Yellow?"
Malfoy looked immediately uncomfortable and reddened, scowling at his sniggering Slytherin friends.
"Your dormitory is disgustingly filthy," Malfoy commented, avoiding the subject of the nifflers. "And your common room? I never seen any room so tasteless. Your dormitory is similar to the standards of a pig sty." He smirked, and his friends laughed on command.
"Why did you take the book, Malfoy?" Remus asked, glaring at him.
"Well, Lupin," Malfoy began, "That is an interesting question. I never intended to find the book. I merely went to your dorm to discover any interesting objects. There was nothing interesting under the piles of junk," he said sneeringly. "But, then, I found the book. It was mystifying. So mysterious. No title, no name, yet it...beckoned me," Malfoy remembered. Sirius frowned at this information, remembering how he felt when he discovered the book.
"The second I opened, all the pages were blank, but then... it stopped on one page. The page of the last spell cast. The spell that was used on you and Evans," Malfoy grinned maliciously to James. Sirius cowered slightly as Lily and James glared at him fully.
"I take it you do not know the reverse spell?" Malfoy assumed, looking at James and Lily. Their silence of not answering only made the blonde Slytherin cackle.
"Cut this bullshit, Malfoy," James said harshly, grabbing his wand and pointing it fiercely at the Slytherin. "Hand the book over. Now."
"You mean, this book?" Malfoy said mockingly, conjuring the book from his wand where it appeared in his hand. The fifth years watched the glowing book. "You seem to really want it," he sneered.
"Don't make me call the nifflers, Malfoy, one whistle and they could be running over here and ripping your face off," James threatened. He smirked at Malfoy's frown, as the looked abruptly nervous.
"Your pitiful, pathetic intimidation is humorous," the blonde remarked.
"How's your nose, Malfoy? Do you keep far away from the trees now?" Sirius mocked as Malfoy clutched his nose, remembering the moment in the forest where Sirius swung back the branch that hit him with such force.
"Is the memory still painful?" Sirius leered.
"Shut up," Malfoy snapped, and Sirius laughed as he'd thoroughly struck a nerve. "I think I've had enough of your company now," he announced with superiority.
Lily swallowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"You're boring me. I've had enough of this." Malfoy yawned as he tossed the book in the air and caught it. He watched James and Lily's intent gaze on the book, an idea springing to him. "I wonder what happen if this book happened to be damaged in any way…The book you so pathetically need. What a shame it would be." Malfoy finished, slamming the book the floor. He swiftly pointed his wand the book, shouting a powerful burning spell at the book, which immediately ignited.