Disclaimer- If you recognise it, it's not mine. Comprende?
Authoress's Note- Hee hee this was a fun chapter to write. I'm stuck in my room with my dad's laptop listening to country music while my parents party with their friends downstairs. The joys of my Saturday nights, eh? Ah, oh well! At least you all get another chapter, right? E.D.J.
Thanks for the wonderful reviews! If only they were worth money then they'd be the best thing ever!
ThelovelyladyLily- Yay, I'm glad you liked the description of Remus's werewolf attack. I thought it was necessary to keep up the drama. Yes, "Bite my head off, why don't you" was an awesome oblivious line by Sirius!
Black Emerald Dawn- Yes poor, poor Remus. -huggles Remus-
Harry Lvr- I'm glad you liked Summer with the Arrogant Prat on MuggleNet and felt compelled to read more on here! Unfortunately, I took it off of MuggleNet because it was just too hard trying to update on two different sites and because they wouldn't validate Chapter Eight unless I rewrote it or something and I don't feel like that there's anything wrong with it! They said it had some punctation errors as well, but I read over it and resubmitted it and they rejected it again! -sighs- I did leave a note to all the readers over there to come read Summer on Fanfiction if they want. Yes, my book! -grins evilly- I tentatively say it's about halfway done, but I'm not sure. I have about 26-27,000 words saved onmy computer at the moment.
DarkKestrelArwenSilkeQueen- Yes,poorRemus! -huggles Remus again- And Remus IS happy at least happier than he was at home where everyone knows he's a werewolf. He has FRIENDS now!
Clara- Wow! You check to see if I update every day?! You're dedicated! Thanks a bunch! And no, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon, so don't worrying too much!
Ch. 26- First Days Are Always Hard
The next morning, Sirius woke up early, a first for him, and dressed silently before making his way down to the empty common room. He settled himself down in one of the scarlet armchairs and stared moodily into the fire.
What was Remus hiding? he wondered. Remus's denials, excuses, and assurances that he was fine, life was fine, etc... didn't reassure Sirius like they seemed to for James and Peter.
Sirius wasn't stupid; in fact, he was what some might consider brilliant. All his professors knew it, and they told him so when he had received his first year's marks over the summer, but, apparently, he wasn't 'living up to his full potential.'
You skive off lessons once or twice a month and suddenly you're not living up to your full potential! It wasn't as if James wasn't with him on every one of those occasions, but did he ever get called on it? No! And Remus! He was missing all the time and all the professors would do was sigh and murmur, "Oh dear. Mr. Lupin's absent again. I'm sure he'll have a perfectly legitimate excuse when he returns. Such a responsible boy, Remus Lupin..." while glaring daggers at Sirius.
Sirius snorted. Remus? Responsible? As if Remus hadn't poked around off-limits areas of Hogwarts, set off Dungbombs in the corridors, and flitted easily through the secret passageway on the fourth floor to Hogsmeade and back just like the rest of them.
Blatant favoritism was what it was. James and Remus were the teacher's pets, the son of the Minister of Magic's best friends and... well Sirius had never quite put his finger on what was so special about Remus, but he would find out and soon. If Remus wasn't hiding some secret, Sirius would eat his hat. Maybe he'd even eat the Sorting Hat too, and he was sure that old dusty fabric would not taste too good going down his gullet.
Sirius was dozing in front of the fire when his friends trooped begrudgingly down the stairs, eager for breakfast, but not eager for the start of lessons that day.
"Sirius, wake up!" James bellowed into his friend's ear.
Sirius gave a start and looked up blearily. "Is it time for the Christmas holidays yet?" he murmured sleepily, stretching his arms above his head.
"Not quite," said Peter with a grin. "But, we're going down to breakfast and then to boring lessons all day if you care to join us."
"Nah, I'm okay," muttered Sirius, shutting his eyes again and letting out a loud fake snore.
James shot an evil glance at Peter and Remus, who was trying not to laugh at Sirius's jokes because he was still slightly angry with him, and raised his wand.
Sirius slowly floated up into the air above their heads and the three boys slowly edged out of the portrait hole with James being careful to knock Sirius's head against the wall, causing him to shout out groggily, "You yellow bastards! I'll bite your legs off!" (A/N- Borrowed that from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Nope I didn't create that either though I do own a copy of the DVD.)
Apparently, the poor boy had actually fallen asleep in his attempt to fake sleep. With a nice lump on the back of his headto wake him up, Sirius opened his eyes, gave a yell, and bellowed, "Dammit, James! Put me down!"
"But we thought you wanted breakfast," said James innocently, levitating Sirius a bit higher.
"Do you plan on levitating it up to me as well?" asked Sirius with a slight yawn.
"Haven't really thought that through yet," said James briskly.
"Lovely." Sirius decided to enjoy the gasps and stares from his fellow classmates while they lasted. He waved and made face until, suddenly; he dropped from the air with a sharp and painful jolt. "What the..." he murmured before catching sight of the shock of red hair in front of his friends.
"No magic is allowed in the corridors!" snapped Lily, her face furious as she lowered her wand after muttering the counter to the levitation charm James had been using.
"Did McGonagall suddenly elect second-year prefects?" said Remus wryly. "Why wasn't I asked?"
"No," said Lily, her face slightly red. "I just thought it would be nice if we could all act mature for once. Magic isn't allowed outside the classroom."
"And?" asked Sirius from where he sat on the floor, wincing as he touched the large bruise that was appearing below his knee.
Lily faltered. "What more is there, Black? It's a rule; you're breaking it. It's that simple."
"And you've appointed yourself our keeper and you're going to make sure we're good little boys from now on?" asked James incredulously. "Damn, Evans. You'll have your work cut out for you. I'd suggest you resign before you even get started. You've got about as much control and authority over us as Peter here. No offense," he murmured, nodding at Peter.
"None taken."
Lily gaped at the four boys, dumbstruck. What had she gotten herself into? Why did she care so much about what the Marauders did? She should've just kept her head down and been glad whatever non-regulation magic they were performing didn't involve her. And now she'd practically told them she was planning on watching their every move for the next six years? Brilliant, Lily. Abso-bloody-lutely brilliant.
"Any other comments before we head off to breakfast?" asked James, as Lily hadn't said anything for a full two minutes.
"Just keep out of my sight, alright?" she hissed before whirling around and striding into the Great Hall.
"Did she prove something there?" asked Remus.
"Shh," hissed Peter. "She'll come back and yell at us again."
"Too true," said Sirius with a grin, cuffing Peter in the back of the head.
After all the students had shoveled down platefuls of good Hogwarts breakfast, house-elf cooked, of course, and received their lesson schedules, all the Gryffindor second-years headed off to Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws. It was bad enough that they had to take Transfiguration at all, but having to have it on their first day back at Hogwarts was almost unbearable.
"Why, cruel fate? Why must you put us through this?" moaned Sirius as he threw himself into a desk next to James near the back of the Transfiguration classroom. He banged his head against the desk for emphasis.
"Mr. Black, I sincerely doubt fate has anything to do with it," said Professor McGonagall dryly, sweeping a slightly irritated glance across the room, silently noting that every student was present and accounted for. "If you must blame something or I suppose someone, I'd choose the school founders for creating the class of Transfiguration in the first place and putting me through such a task as trying as having you as a student."
The entire class instantly stopped chattering about their summers and spun around to gape at her.
"Professor, did you just make a joke?" asked Myles Konen, a tall Ravenclaw with curly blonde hair.
"Perhaps I did," she said, a slight smile twitching the corners of her lips. "Now, class," she said, switching back to her usual sharp tone and clapping her hands. "Year two of your study of Transfiguration has officially begun. I would first like to give you a test-" Everyone groaned and she shot them a withering look. "-on what you learned last year." She took a stack of papers off her desk and handed them out. "Please take out your quills and begin."
More groans. Professor McGonagall sighed. This was going to be a long year.
"Students, students! Class has begun!" barked Professor Dearborn, looking his usual eccentric self in black and scarlet robes that were almost exact replicas of the same ones worn by the Ballycastle Bats. He'd been to a Bats' lovers' convention over the holidays and thought the robes were worth every one of the four hundred and twenty-seven Galleons he'd paid for them. Sure that was a lot of gold, but they were almost exact replicas of Bats' Quidditch robes for Merlin's sake! What would anyone else have done in his position?
"Those Bats' robes look absolutely smashing, Professor," said James, shooting a knowing glance at his friends. "They could practically pass for the real thing!"
"Do you really think so?" asked Professor Dearborn, turning red with pride. He then launched into a long-winded retelling of his doings and purchases at his Bats' convention, leaving the class free to ignore him and talk amongst themselves once more.
Only Lily was listening intently to everything their crazed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was saying and scribbling furiously.
"You aren't taking notes?" asked Emmeline, horrified as she glanced at the sheet of parchment in front of Lily.
"-And then at two o'clock I met with a man named Edward about buying some of his memorabilia-"
"Yes," replied Lily, still writing and already starting on her second sheet of parchment.
"-Granted, that fell through completely, the fat money-grubber. Actually, he wasn't really fat. Well maybe a bit on the paunchy side, but-"
Emmeline stared at her. "But you don't expect we'll have a test or something on what he did this summer, do you?"
"-And I even met Owen Reynolds, the worst Keeper the Bats have ever had! Let in six hundred thirty-two goals in one game he did-"
Lily stopped writing for a moment and gave Emmeline a patient look. "Em, Professor Dearborn is completely and utterly mad. Why wouldn't he give us a test on anything and everything Bats-related? He did last year."
"-My best mate, George Youngbury, went with me. Splendid fellow, George. Bought me my first Bats' limited edition Lawrence Adsworth Chaser model he did-"
"And nearly cried when Frank Longbottom didn't know which Bats' Beater never washed his robes," added Bella, leaning over to join the conversation.
"-A twenty foot model of Barny the Fruitbat! Can you believe it? That's as close to heaven as you get except maybe when you eat an exceptionally tasty Levitating Sherbet Ball-"
Just then, the bell rang, and Professor Dearborn whirled around to stare at the clock. "Merlin, how time flies! No homework for next class!"
The four Marauders wolfed down lunch, and Remus and Sirius even managed a few civil words. After they'd finished, they all glanced at their schedules and whimpered. Another thing no one ever wanted, especially on the first day of term, is double Potions with the Slytherins, which was exactly what the second-year Gryffindors had next.
Sirius began to launch into his "Oh, cruel fate" routine as they made their way down the ancient stone steps to the dungeons before being silenced by a look from James. He glanced around James and saw Evans and company standing outside the classroom. Sirius glanced at Peter's watch. Right now was the perfect time to test Evans's new 'I'll cram the rules down your throat or worse' façade she'd come up with.
He grinned knowingly at his friends and innocently stepped in the path of the late first-year girl hurrying up the dungeon steps. She collided with him, sending them both sprawling.
"Hey! Watch it!" snapped Sirius, standing up and brushing off his robes.
"You stepped in my way!" pointed out the tiny, dark-haired girl, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, knowing she was going to be latefor her very first Charms class.
"Excuse me?" asked Sirius incredulously, brandishing his wand. "I'm not going to take any cheek from a little first-year!" He murmured a jinx and a cloud of amber sparks erupted from the end of his wand.
"No!" To his amusement and glee, Lily scrambled forward and pushed the girl out of the way, the sparks hitting her instead. She didn't even glance at herself to see what Sirius had done to her, but turned to the girl and barked, "Go! Get out of here before you get yourself killed by this idiot!" The girl stared for a moment and then took off up the stairs like a scared rabbit.
"BLACK!" came two very angry voices and feet pounded up behind Lily. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Emmeline and Bella spun her around, searching her for extra limbs or hideous spots. They found nothing.
"What did you do to her?" demanded Bella, advancing on Sirius who merely quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked.
Suddenly, Lily felt a sudden wave of dizziness roll over her, but, in an instant, it was gone and replaced with a strange tingling sensation inside her mouth. "Yeh!" she snapped. "Htuom ym htiw gnorw si gnihtemos!"
Everyone stared at her.
"What?" asked Emmeline.
"Htuom ym htiw gnorw si gnihtemos!" shouted Lily, pointing furiously at her mouth. "Em no xniJ hceepS drawkcaB a tup kcalB!"
"Huh?" asked Bella, squinting at her. "Are you feeling alright, Lily?"
"Toidi taht fo esuaceb gniyas m'I tahw aedi on evah uoy on!" she yelled, stomping her feet and pointing furiously at Sirius.
That seemed to get the point across.
"Black," said Bella slowly and dangerously. "Tell us what you did."
Sirius found this tone of Bella'svoice much more frightening than when she was shouting her head off at him. He ran a thumb along his wand and said, "I may have put a Backward Speech Jinx on her."
"YOU WHAT?"
"Madam Pomfrey should be able to fix her up in a second," he said with a slight yawn. "Unless she has some sort of odd reaction to the jinx than it could last a few weeks."
"A FEW WEEKS?"
Sirius nodded.
Bella opened her mouth to bellow a loud string of curses at him, but the bell rang, drowning her out.
"I could take her to the hospital wing if you want," suggested Sirius, nodding at Lily.
"Niaga em xnij ll'eh! On!" said Lily, looking horrified and shaking her head vigorously.
"No, I'll take her," said Emmeline, exasperated, grabbing Lily's arm to keep her from punching Sirius in the face. "Come on, Lils."
"Tig elbirroh uoy, uoy etah I!" shouted Lily, shaking her fist at him.
"Same to you too, love," said Sirius, smirking at her and following James, Peter, and Remus into the Potions classroom.
Nice little humour chapter there, don't you think? Nice and light compared to the last chapter. Ah oblivious and mad Professor Dearborn just kills me! -laughs hysterically- Let's see those reviews! Rocket me up to a one hundred plus reviews fic! Please? -puppy dog eyes- E.D.J.