Friendship Has Its Limits
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, apart from Alexa and anyone else you might not recognize. The characters that you do recognize from the Harry Potter books all belong to the brilliant imagination of J. K. Rowling. Okay, I'm done now.
Alexa burst into laughter. "You've got to be joking," she said, looking around at everyone. "Right? No one in their right mind would make James Potter Head Boy with Lily Evans as Head Girl."
"No one in their right mind would ever make Prongs Head Boy, with Lils as Head Girl or not," Sirius said. "James has got to be joking."
Remus looked skeptical as he said, rather sarcastically, "I don't think he's joking, you guys. He looks pretty sincere with that silver badge that says Head Boy on it in his hands."
When everyone looked to James's hands, they were all thoroughly shocked to see that indeed, he held a shiny badge with the words Head Boy on it. Lily had become extremely pale in the last few moments, and now she sunk into a nearby chair, where she then began fanning herself with her hand.
"Dumbledore's gone mad," Alexa swore. "That's the only logical explanation for all of this mess. Doesn't he realize the chaos that will ensue his crowning James one of the Heads of the school?"
"Like what?" squeaked Peter.
"Firstly, Malfoy will be dragging his mother dearest into all of this mess," Alexa said scornfully. "And we all know that Beatrice Malfoy is NOT the most darling woman in the world. Remember what happened when James hexed Malfoy bright pink, and Mrs. Malfoy came to the school and---"
Remus, Sirius and Peter all listened while Alexa recited exactly what had happened three years ago, when Beatrice Malfoy had come to Hogwarts. That had not been one of the happiest times of Hogwarts history, as far as everyone but Lucius Malfoy was concerned. It was quite obvious after that of where Malfoy got his horrible temper.
James went over to the chair where Lily was sitting, staring unblinkingly at the wall in front of her and still waving her hand in front of her face. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before sitting on his knees to get a better look at her.
"Lily? Do you think that maybe you might be okay with this whole I'm- Head-Boy thing?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure," she answered and turned her head to face him, fixing him with her green eyes. "But there isn't anything that either of us can do about it, now is there? And besides, last year, I became your friend, and friends should be happy for each other when they get something like this. It is a high title, after all, and I think that I'd be---"she coughed a few times----"honored to work with you."
"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Wait, why would you, Lily Adrianna Evans be honored to work with me, James Isaac Potter?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"I didn't know your middle name was Isaac," Lily commented absently.
"Don't change the subject," he said sternly. "Answer me."
"Because," she said, slightly exasperated, "I am trying to be a good friend. Is there something wrong with that? Besides, I think that maybe, just maybe, you might make a good Head Boy, okay? Are you happy now?"
"Very, sweetie," he answered smugly.
"Call me sweetie again, and I swear I'll rip out your vocal cords."
"Right. Sorry."
"Mum!" James shouted when he got home from Diagon Alley. "Mum! MUM!"
"For heaven's sake, James Potter what is it?" asked an alarmed Mrs. Potter, thinking there was something wrong. "Calm down. Now what is it?" She wiped her hands on her apron, turning to face her only son.
"I'm Head Boy this year at Hogwarts!" cried James happily. "And you know Lily Evans, right? Well, she's Head Girl! Isn't that great? Aren't you proud of me?"
"Head Boy?" repeated Mrs. Potter incredulously. "You've got to be kidding. There's no way that you, James Isaac Potter, can be Head Boy. It's- --it's practically physically impossible. I thought you said that Remus was surely going to get it?"
"Way to be supportive, Mum," James grumbled irritably. Why did everyone think that it wasn't possible for him to be Head Boy? It wasn't that impossible, surely, or else he wouldn't have the Head Boy badge in the back pocket of his jeans. "Thanks a lot."
"Well can you blame me?" his mother responded. "After all the letters I've gotten since your first year at Hogwarts, most of them being about detentions or how you turned some innocent girl's hair bright pink, or how-- -"
"I get the point, Mum," grumbled James. "Most of those girls weren't innocent. And if it's so impossible for me to be Head Boy how come my Hogwarts letter says that I'm the new Head Boy and that I'll find my badge enclosed in the letter? I have the badge to prove it and everything!"
He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and produced the shiny badge, handing it to his mother to examine. Mrs. Potter took the badge and put her hand over her heart when she realized that it was real.
Poor Mum, James thought, watching his mum stare at his new badge, she's probably having a heart attack, like Lily. After all, Lily reacted the same way when I said that I was Head Boy.
Mrs. Potter finally regained her composure and smiled faintly at her son. "I can't believe that you're really Head Boy, I'm not sure how you managed to pull it off, but---"
"James is Head Boy?" said Mr. Potter from the doorway. "Is it any wonder how he pulled it off? He is my son after all."
"That's what makes me wonder how he got Head Boy," Mrs. Potter muttered, rolling her eyes. "Now what's all that racket outside---?" A sudden banging on the Potters' front door made Mrs. Potter jump.
"I'll get it," said James, and raced to stop the battering of the door. He wrenched the door open and was nearly knocked flat on his back when Sirius came barging in the living room, hauling his trunk in behind him.
"I'VE HAD IT!" he roared, tossing his trunk on the carpet. "I'VE BLOODY HAD IT WITH THAT SO CALLED FAMILY OF MINE, I SWEAR I HAVE! THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME!"
"Padfoot mate, what are you going---?"
"Sirius! My goodness, what happened?" Mrs. Potter immediately rushed into the living room when she heard Sirius's voice, Mr. Potter quickly in tow. "What has that wretched family of yours done this time?"
Sirius was fuming as he snarled, "They've really done it this time! They've threatened to disown me, ME, LIKE I DID SOMETHING WRONG! And all because I started dating Alexa, who's mum is a witch and her dad's a Muggle- --"
"Wait, you've been dating Alexa?" broke in James.
"Only since the end of the year," Sirius said irritably. "Anyway, my family wanted to disown me because I'm not dating someone of pureblood, someone who 'good enough' for them! So I told my mother not to bother disowning me, because I'd had it with that horrible place, and now I'm here."
"Oh, you poor dear," exclaimed Mrs. Potter, shaking her head in disgust. "There's only one thing that you can do, Sirius."
"What's that?" Mr. Potter, James and Sirius all asked together.
"You'll have to stay with us. You're welcome for as long as you like."
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, apart from Alexa and anyone else you might not recognize. The characters that you do recognize from the Harry Potter books all belong to the brilliant imagination of J. K. Rowling. Okay, I'm done now.
Alexa burst into laughter. "You've got to be joking," she said, looking around at everyone. "Right? No one in their right mind would make James Potter Head Boy with Lily Evans as Head Girl."
"No one in their right mind would ever make Prongs Head Boy, with Lils as Head Girl or not," Sirius said. "James has got to be joking."
Remus looked skeptical as he said, rather sarcastically, "I don't think he's joking, you guys. He looks pretty sincere with that silver badge that says Head Boy on it in his hands."
When everyone looked to James's hands, they were all thoroughly shocked to see that indeed, he held a shiny badge with the words Head Boy on it. Lily had become extremely pale in the last few moments, and now she sunk into a nearby chair, where she then began fanning herself with her hand.
"Dumbledore's gone mad," Alexa swore. "That's the only logical explanation for all of this mess. Doesn't he realize the chaos that will ensue his crowning James one of the Heads of the school?"
"Like what?" squeaked Peter.
"Firstly, Malfoy will be dragging his mother dearest into all of this mess," Alexa said scornfully. "And we all know that Beatrice Malfoy is NOT the most darling woman in the world. Remember what happened when James hexed Malfoy bright pink, and Mrs. Malfoy came to the school and---"
Remus, Sirius and Peter all listened while Alexa recited exactly what had happened three years ago, when Beatrice Malfoy had come to Hogwarts. That had not been one of the happiest times of Hogwarts history, as far as everyone but Lucius Malfoy was concerned. It was quite obvious after that of where Malfoy got his horrible temper.
James went over to the chair where Lily was sitting, staring unblinkingly at the wall in front of her and still waving her hand in front of her face. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before sitting on his knees to get a better look at her.
"Lily? Do you think that maybe you might be okay with this whole I'm- Head-Boy thing?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure," she answered and turned her head to face him, fixing him with her green eyes. "But there isn't anything that either of us can do about it, now is there? And besides, last year, I became your friend, and friends should be happy for each other when they get something like this. It is a high title, after all, and I think that I'd be---"she coughed a few times----"honored to work with you."
"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Wait, why would you, Lily Adrianna Evans be honored to work with me, James Isaac Potter?" He eyed her suspiciously.
"I didn't know your middle name was Isaac," Lily commented absently.
"Don't change the subject," he said sternly. "Answer me."
"Because," she said, slightly exasperated, "I am trying to be a good friend. Is there something wrong with that? Besides, I think that maybe, just maybe, you might make a good Head Boy, okay? Are you happy now?"
"Very, sweetie," he answered smugly.
"Call me sweetie again, and I swear I'll rip out your vocal cords."
"Right. Sorry."
"Mum!" James shouted when he got home from Diagon Alley. "Mum! MUM!"
"For heaven's sake, James Potter what is it?" asked an alarmed Mrs. Potter, thinking there was something wrong. "Calm down. Now what is it?" She wiped her hands on her apron, turning to face her only son.
"I'm Head Boy this year at Hogwarts!" cried James happily. "And you know Lily Evans, right? Well, she's Head Girl! Isn't that great? Aren't you proud of me?"
"Head Boy?" repeated Mrs. Potter incredulously. "You've got to be kidding. There's no way that you, James Isaac Potter, can be Head Boy. It's- --it's practically physically impossible. I thought you said that Remus was surely going to get it?"
"Way to be supportive, Mum," James grumbled irritably. Why did everyone think that it wasn't possible for him to be Head Boy? It wasn't that impossible, surely, or else he wouldn't have the Head Boy badge in the back pocket of his jeans. "Thanks a lot."
"Well can you blame me?" his mother responded. "After all the letters I've gotten since your first year at Hogwarts, most of them being about detentions or how you turned some innocent girl's hair bright pink, or how-- -"
"I get the point, Mum," grumbled James. "Most of those girls weren't innocent. And if it's so impossible for me to be Head Boy how come my Hogwarts letter says that I'm the new Head Boy and that I'll find my badge enclosed in the letter? I have the badge to prove it and everything!"
He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and produced the shiny badge, handing it to his mother to examine. Mrs. Potter took the badge and put her hand over her heart when she realized that it was real.
Poor Mum, James thought, watching his mum stare at his new badge, she's probably having a heart attack, like Lily. After all, Lily reacted the same way when I said that I was Head Boy.
Mrs. Potter finally regained her composure and smiled faintly at her son. "I can't believe that you're really Head Boy, I'm not sure how you managed to pull it off, but---"
"James is Head Boy?" said Mr. Potter from the doorway. "Is it any wonder how he pulled it off? He is my son after all."
"That's what makes me wonder how he got Head Boy," Mrs. Potter muttered, rolling her eyes. "Now what's all that racket outside---?" A sudden banging on the Potters' front door made Mrs. Potter jump.
"I'll get it," said James, and raced to stop the battering of the door. He wrenched the door open and was nearly knocked flat on his back when Sirius came barging in the living room, hauling his trunk in behind him.
"I'VE HAD IT!" he roared, tossing his trunk on the carpet. "I'VE BLOODY HAD IT WITH THAT SO CALLED FAMILY OF MINE, I SWEAR I HAVE! THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME!"
"Padfoot mate, what are you going---?"
"Sirius! My goodness, what happened?" Mrs. Potter immediately rushed into the living room when she heard Sirius's voice, Mr. Potter quickly in tow. "What has that wretched family of yours done this time?"
Sirius was fuming as he snarled, "They've really done it this time! They've threatened to disown me, ME, LIKE I DID SOMETHING WRONG! And all because I started dating Alexa, who's mum is a witch and her dad's a Muggle- --"
"Wait, you've been dating Alexa?" broke in James.
"Only since the end of the year," Sirius said irritably. "Anyway, my family wanted to disown me because I'm not dating someone of pureblood, someone who 'good enough' for them! So I told my mother not to bother disowning me, because I'd had it with that horrible place, and now I'm here."
"Oh, you poor dear," exclaimed Mrs. Potter, shaking her head in disgust. "There's only one thing that you can do, Sirius."
"What's that?" Mr. Potter, James and Sirius all asked together.
"You'll have to stay with us. You're welcome for as long as you like."