Chapter Two: Establishing a Reputation
I would like to say that in my dedication in the previous chapter, there is supposed to be an underscore between 'juniper' and 'james'. Grr.
I apologize for any incorrect spellings in the spells. I don't remember where they were listed in the books, so I just sounded them out and hoped for the best. –embarrassed look- You'll get the drift, though, right? … Right? … Ah well…
I'm going to separate scenes with the phrase 'et puis,' meaning 'and then,' because when I edit in my original separations are missing and I often skip over them.
"Lookit that!" Sirius said excitedly, leaning over Remus' and James' shoulder and flapping a piece of paper in their faces. "Our schedules are the same!"
Remus easily plucked the paper from Sirius' fingers and held it up against his own. The Black family heir was right – all the classes were the same.
Monday – Double History, Potions, Lunch. Double Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Tuesday – Double Charms, Transfiguration, Lunch. Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology.
Wednesday – Double Herbology, Charms, Lunch. Transfiguration, Double History.
Thursday – Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Lunch. History, Double Potions.
Friday – Double Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lunch. Double Potions, Charms.
Remus wryly took note of the designated detention hours, before and after dinner, every day of the week. Somehow, with the association of his newfound friends, it seemed like he would become very familiar with those scant hours of the day. Scrawled on the bottom of the parchment sheet under Monday and Wednesday was the word 'Astrology.' Along side it was the time, '12pm – 1pm.' Remus's small smile faded at this, and he handed the appropriate schedule back to Sirius.
"What I want to know," James said rather loudly, "Is when do we get to fly, huh?"
"Why?" A dry voice said, inserting itself into the conversation, "Do you need the lessons?"
"No," James responded automatically, turning to face the newcomers. "I just want to get in the air!"
The rest of the marauders turned around. There were two other boys standing there, looking as if they had been eavesdropping on the group for a long while. As the tall blond Slytherin and the slightly shorter dark-haired Slytherin stared down at them, Sirius' eyes filled with sudden recognition.
"Hey…" He said slowly, standing to meet the blond's gaze exactly, "I know you!" He nudged Remus with his elbow. "It's the lads from the train!" Sirius grinned at them. "How you been?"
The blond's gaze narrowed considerably as he glared at him. "Fine, once I could see again. You almost blinded me, you wanker!"
"See?" Remus said quietly. Sirius waved away the prodding comment.
"Ah, nothing was meant by it, you know," Sirius said, crossing his arms; his eyes glittered strangely. "All in the good nature of payback, eh?"
"Payback?" Peter repeated curiously.
"Seems they were giving the Lieutenant a hard time on the train," Sirius replied evenly, ignoring Remus' pleas for discretion and commands to 'let it lie.' "Trying to push him around, kicking him out of his own cart."
"He was in one that we wanted," the blond sneered.
"Oi!" Peter said suddenly. He had been quietly observing the conversation until something occurred to him. "Who are you, anyway?"
The blond looked at him as if surprised he was human. "Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy." He indicated the other boy with a nod of his head. "This is Severus Snape."
"Ohewww…" Sirius made some weird noise as if he were going to say a word, but had settled on a verbal sound instead. "This is James Potter," After waggling a hand at James, he pointed at Peter, "Peter Pettigrew," and then at Remus, "Remus Lupin." He re-crossed his arms and smiled at Lucius. "I'm Black. Sirius Black. And I'm surprised I didn't recognize you, Lucius."
Lucius let out a half gasp, his mouth closing in a straight line. "I should have known," he muttered darkly. "Come, Severus." Without another word, he turned heel and left the Gryffindors alone. Severus followed along after, sending only one inquiring look back at the marauders.
"You know that golden – haired prat?" James asked.
"The Blacks and the Malfoys are well acquainted," Sirius said; eerily prim as he lowered himself gracefully to the table. "Our relatives have been eager, yet hostile, allies since before our forefathers were named." Sirius picked up a fork, squinted at it and then rubbed it on a napkin. "Being of equal stature and nature, both the Blacks and the Malfoys are the crème de la crème, and are therefore not allowed to associate with anyone of a lower standard unless it is to their benefit." Shaking out the napkin, Sirius placed it on his lap. "However, whereas the Malfoy family has a patriarchal system, the Black family has a matriarchal system."
"Please," James said, swiping the napkin from Sirius' lap and crunching it into a little ball, "Do turn back to normal before I get violently ill from all the crap you're spouting." He threw the paper ball at Sirius, who grinned at him as it bounced off his forehead.
"What's a patriarchal – matriarchal something whosits?" Peter asked.
"Matriarchal means that the family is headed by women or ran by the women," Remus said quietly, drinking from one of the shiny silver goblets on the table with a straw, "Patriarchal means that the family is headed or ran by the men folk instead."
"Oh."
"To sum it all up," Sirius said blandly, stuffing a roll into his pocket for later, "We both come from money, and pureblood dark wizard families. He chooses to follow and I choose not to."
James grinned at him and cleanly stole the roll. Peter snorted into his eggs, and Remus silently pulled out his plastic fork.
-et puis-
After their detention that night, James had led the way through the halls to search for Prefect Hewlett. Of course, Remus and Peter weren't aware of this, and had only been informed once they were completely lost in the many winding corridors. James and Sirius claimed to have their path carefully and correctly diagramed in their head, but the other two quietly doubted it.
"There he is!" Sirius said gleefully, as they hid in the shadows by a door with a sign reading, 'Hospital Wing.' Prefect Hewlett was walking slowly, heading down the second corridor, on his turn of night watch. He paused to look at one of the statues tucked in a notch in the wall, conveniently facing away from the marauders.
James unwrapped a Sticky Slimelight, handing it to Sirius. Sirius palmed it in his right hand, watching as the small rectangle slowly started to glow and ooze. Tongue sticking out, Sirius squinted at his target and lobbed the Slimelight into the air. The four marauders ducked into the hallway just across from the Hospital Wing, waiting and listening. There was a dampened bang and a high-pitched sort of 'glug' sound. Then…
"GOOD GODRIC!"
They all scattered, as if on cue. After quickly rejecting the suit of armor as an appropriate hiding place, James wiggled behind a long tapestry, silently willing it to stop rippling. He rested back on the wall and waited.
"YOU!"
James flinched before he realized that he hadn't been spotted. Footsteps brushed past his hiding place, and he heard them stop to his right.
"I can see you climbing out that window! Get back here!"
"Not while I can still fit through this pane!"
"IMMOBILUS!"
"ARG!"
"Ah – NOT OUT THE WINDOW!" There was the sound of rushed footsteps.
"I CAN'T PULL MYSELF BACK IN, YOU MORON!"
"BLACK, YOU IDIOT!" A loud rip accompanied the fair amount of noise.
"OW! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
James risked a look and saw a slime-covered Prefect Hewlett hauling an immobile Sirius back through the window. Sirius was hanging half out of the castle, limply staring in horror at the ground three floors below. James could also see Peter crouched under a statue stand with his hands over his eyes, not two feet from the struggling prefect. Remus was peeking out from behind a tapestry like James was, though he appeared to be frozen from the spell, considering that he was right beside the window. James shot him a reassuring look and received a worried glare in return.
"Come on, Black, stand will you?"
"THE SPELL!"
"Oh, for the love of- Finite Incantium!" James carefully pulled his face back behind the tapestry and waited. There was a loud thump and Sirius swore loudly. "That's it, Black – you have detention for the rest of this week!"
"Blast it!"
"And don't think I didn't see you hiding there!" James froze, but again it wasn't he who was spotted. There was a small 'meep' and the rusty shuffle of a statue being knocked into, and James heard Hewlett say, "Pettigrew, you'll be joining your friend in detention!"
"Aw, but-"
"No buts! Now, both of you are coming back to the tower with me! And if I find anyone else, so help me--!" James squeezed his eyes shut as the prefect moved past his hiding place again, with Sirius and Peter in tow. He waited until he couldn't hear the three of them arguing before cautiously peering from out of his hiding place.
"J-James…" Remus' voice sounded like it came through gritted teeth. "Bit jammed, here!"
James slipped into the hall and went over to where Remus was. He pulled back the curtains and saw that Remus was wedged between the wood around the window and something…invisible. James reached out to touch it and felt a slippery fabric under his fingers. He pulled at it, and it came off the wall, revealing an empty picture frame. James was going to examine the picture frame further, but Remus grunted and slid to the ground. James tucked the slippery invisible fabric under his arm and reached over to prop Remus up.
"I'll just do the same counter spell that Hewlett used," James said, pulling his wand from his pocket. "What was it, again?" He waved his wand at Remus's chest, thinking back thoughtfully. "Finit Incanium?"
Remus' eyes widened.
-et puis-
"Think of it this way," Sirius said, examining the row of fine rose-colored fins lining Remus' rib cage. "You'll be a great swimmer." Remus batted his hand away and crossed his arms self-consciously over his chest.
After James had tried to reverse the Immobilus spell, Remus promptly sprouted fins across his chest and arms. Panicking and unsure if he could breathe or not, Remus had flopped on the carpet while James stifled laughter and dragged him to the near-by hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was both shocked and appalled, but immediately deposited a thrashing Remus into a large tub of water in – much to Remus' humiliation – only his under shorts, after performing the correct counter spell.
Peter found it fascinating, and Remus had to keep glaring at the boy. James tried his hardest not to find it funny – it's not like he was hurt or anything… Sirius kept peering at him with a sideward look.
"What?" Remus demanded irritably.
Sirius reached over the edge of the tub to run his finger down a set of silver lines down Remus' side, between two fluttering fins. "Where'd you get those scars?" He asked softly. There was an abrupt silence as James and Peter leaned over to examine it, and Remus turned a bright red.
"MADAM POMFREY!"
The three boys jumped back at the boy's abrupt yell, and the witch hurried in. "Dear me, Remus, are they bothering you?"
"Yes," Remus said calmly, discreetly hiding the scars with one hand. "I would like to float in my tub in peace, if it's possible."
Madam Pomfrey swiftly ushered the other boys out.
"Aw, come on, Remus…" Sirius said over his shoulder as he gripped the doorframe. "I didn't mean anything by it!"
"Sirius, you dummy!" Muffled, James waved a hand at Remus, "Sorry about the flips, mate! No hard feelings?"
The witch doctor shoved them, "OUT!" The door slammed behind them and Remus sighed, settling in the water.
"No hard feelings," he muttered to himself. "Of course not…" He poked a fin sticking out of his skin and winced.
Poor, poor Sirius. Unfortunately, it's funny. I love Klutzy!Sirius. He's just as cute as PlasticFork!Remus. –giggles- … Whoa. That was a weird feeling of fangirlness. o.O;;
Oh, and does anyone know the British word for boxers? As in underwear? (Is there one?) Is knickers the right word? Or is skivvies better? Or underpants? I used under shorts because I didn't know, and I didn't want you imaging the wrong sort when you read the passage… so…please drop a helpful word, if you can help me out! Thanks! Gods, it's embarrassing, because I also spelled 'bollocks' wrong again in the previous chapter. Dammit! Anyway…
Cheers and love, OV