DISCLAIMER: Not mine: JK's stuff, the Holy Grail, or The Beatles.

Chapter 27: Back to Normal (Sort of)

"I hate taking Christmas decorations down," Lena sighed.

"Aww," Sirius said. "Poor ickle Leeny."

"How hard is it to use my actual name?" Lena asked.

"What Helena?" he teased.

"It'd be better than 'Lee' or whatever rolls off your tongue easiest," she muttered. Sirius put down the tinsel he was holding and walked over to her.

"Interesting choice of words," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her.

"You know, I don't think we'd manage without Lena and Sirius' help," Ally remarked sarcastically, skirting around them with a box of decorations.

"Forgive us all for not jumping for joy at the thought of de-Christmasing the room and returning to classes to start frenetic preparations for our NEWTs," Lily said in their defense.

However, it had to be done. The fairies were released, the tree stripped and Banished, the extra bed and the festive rug removed. Sophie and Adele returned and the boys moved back to their own room.

Lily was certainly correct in her assumption that classes would be tiring. Teachers rushed to finish syllabi and start revision, with many not only assigning homework, but also setting revision schedules, meaning that in most subjects their already sizable workload was doubled. Lena, James and Remus had to divide their time as equally as possible between study and Quidditch. (Sirius spent a bit more time on Quidditch.)

Slytherin beat Hufflepuff quite effectively, with Seeker Lucius Malfoy pulling off a commendable catch (much as it pained James to admit). They then went on to beat Ravenclaw by another landslide, taking them into the lead. Nevertheless, Gryffindor were not far behind them, and still had a game in hand.

One night, in mid-January, Peter stormed into the Room of Requirement rather angry.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"I hate Charms," he declared.

"Were you disappointed with class today?" Lily went on soothingly.

"You were there, for Merlin's sake!" Peter snapped. "You saw what I did to that mouse …"

"It's simple once you concentrate," Lily assured him. "It's as easy as the Bubble-Head Charm." Peter scowled.

"Never did master that one, either," he said.

"Well, let's fix that then," Lily said. "Would you like me to give you a hand? I'm sure you can get the hang of it." Peter sighed and took out his wand.

"Very good!" she said half an hour later. "You're almost there! I have to go to a meeting with Dumbledore now, and then the prefect meeting, but we'll continue this when I get back, ok?" Peter nodded and took out some other books. "C'mon, Potter, we'll be late," she said, pulling James out of the chair he had been dozing in.

"Mwassi?" he mumbled, though he was already halfway down the corridor.

"You should really get some rest," Lily said as they descended a staircase.

"When? Between being Quidditch Captain and Head Boy and studying for my NEWTs, I have a pretty hectic calendar at the minute," he reminded her. She smiled. "You were brilliant with Peter," he added, squeezing her hand.

"Not now," she said. "It's our first meeting since we've been a couple and I want Dumbledore to know we can still be responsible Head Prefects."

"Yes ma'am," James said, and they knocked on the door.

*****

Lena and Remus arrived at the Prefects meeting early and found Lily and James setting up.

"Peter's been practising all night," Remus told Lily. "We had to burst his bubble a couple of times, though."

"Aw, don't!" Lily said. "He was doing really well; all he needs is a bit of encouragement."

"No, literally burst his bubble," Lena explained. "The air kept running out. He almost suffocated." The other prefects filtered in and James started the meeting.

"Well, we were just meeting with Professor Dumbledore, and he asked us to bounce an idea off you," he said once the usual business had been taken care of. "You see, no one knows exactly how old Hogwarts is, but those of you who have read Hogwarts, A History will know that the first recorded mention of the noble school was in 978 AD, when a tavern-keeper in Hogsmeade noted: "Yet again my tavern was filled with young villains playacting, roughhousing, and generally being disruptive. If they were not filling my purse, I would likely send them back to those four idiots up the road. Teach children magic? It'll only encourage them to use it, if you ask me …" The students exchanged amused glances. "So there you go -- we've been annoying tavern-keepers in Hogwarts for 1,000 years. How do we celebrate?" The room was silent. "Whoa, don't all shout at once," he muttered.

"An all-school pub crawl in Hogsmeade. Annoy as many tavern-keepers as we can, and continue the noble tradition?" Lena suggested, though Lily suspected that she was joking.

"A picnic?" a sixth year Ravenclaw put in.

"Well, it's to be in February, so it could be a bit nippy," Lily said.

"When in February?" someone wondered. Lily and James glanced at their parchment.

"The fourteenth," they replied together, and all the girls smiled.

"Aren't they so cute?" a fifth year Hufflepuff cooed. Lily and James smiled, reddening slightly.

"Wait, that's Valentines!" her sixth year counterpart realized.

"No," Lily said quickly, "nothing to do with Valentines."

"Why not?" the girl asked grumpily.

"It discriminates against people who don't have boyfriends or girlfriends," she said. "This is a celebration for the whole school."

"Please?" another girl, a Gryffindor this time, asked.

"Why not a ball?" a Slytherin suggested.

"No, that's too formal," a Ravenclaw said. "You'd have to wear dress robes and that."

"There is nothing wrong with a ball," another Slytherin said hotly.

"Not to you--"

"How about fancy dress?" Remus, ever the diplomat, cut in.

"What?"

"Fancy dress," he said. "Muggles love them, apparently. You wear costumes. Not as formal as a ball or as exclusive as Valentines."

"Excellent," James said. "But what theme?" They thought.

"Medieval?" Remus went on. "Like they dressed 1,000 years ago?"

"Good idea," Lily said. Let's vote: how many for the Valentine-party?" James did a quick count.

"Seven," he said, and smiled as he noted that they were all girls.

"Ok," Lily said, scribbling on her parchment. "Ball?"

"Four." All Slytherins, this time.

"And fancy dress?"

"Thirteen," he said. "Unlucky for some, but not Remus. Thank you so much for you help. Now bugger off back to your study." The students laughed as they filled back to their dormitories.

*****

"I'm so proud that my boyfriend came up with the idea," Kim said, soon after Dumbledore officially announced that there would be a fancy dress-type ball on Valentines Day.

"I always suspected that I was brilliant," he said. She smiled. "Hello Lena," he went on. "I thought we'd lost you to that Transfiguration essay."

"No, I'm finished," she said. "And as soon as my darling Sirius is finished his Charms, he's taking me away to help me blow off some steam, right, Siri?"

"You bet!" he called, still scribbling furiously. Kim nudged Remus.

"You don't have to go away," Remus said. "I'm sorry I was so annoying about the public displays of affection before Christmas."

"He was just bitter," Kim offered, grinning.

"Yes," Remus admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "So if you want to stick around, it's ok." Lena looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well, it's nice to get some time alone," she said.

"Oh, I see," Kim said. "You don't think that our virgin eyes can take it?"

"It's not that--" Lena started.

"Just how much steam are you two blowing off lately, anyway?" Remus asked.

"More than we used to," Lena said.

"Of course, Lena, feel free to discuss our sex life with them," Sirius called, throwing down his quill.

"Do you really want to start an argument now?" she asked.

"No," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "Let's go."

When Lena returned to the dormitory later that night, Ally and Kim were sitting up waiting for her.

"Well? All your steam blown off?" Kim teased.

"And why should I discuss this with you?" Lena asked.

"Because you have failed to fulfil your constitutional obligation," Lily piped up. "When have you ever reported back to us?" Lena grinned.

"Fine," Lily said. "I will, if you will."

"What's going on?" James asked, sitting up in Lily's bed.

"Nothing, go to sleep," Lily said.

"No, this sounds like a conversation I should hear," James said.

"It's girl talk, James," Kim said. James grinned and sat cross-legged on Lily's bed.

"Think of me as one of the girls," he said.

"Lena, spill it," Lily said.

"Yeah, come on," Ally said. "What is the State-Of-The-Union?"

"Brilliant," Lena said, grinning widely.

"That's it?" Kim asked. "Pathetic. You gave us lots of details with Ritchie."

"Well, there was only the physical stuff with Ritchie," Lena said. "With Sirius, it's more than that. I honestly don't know how to describe it." Ally smiled.

"I'm not leaving until you give me all the gory details," she said, crossing her arms.

"All of them?" James asked curiously. "Do you really talk about -- things -- in detail?" he went on, with a worried glance at Lily.

"Well, we used to," Kim said. "But these two have suddenly become very tight-lipped. They won't breathe a word." James looked relieved.

"Seriously, Helena Morgana White, how much have you done?" Ally pressed.

"Enough," she answered shortly. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Is it James?" she asked. "If it is, he can bugger off."

"Thanks," he muttered, but Ally ignored him.

"Ok, have you--" she whispered something in Lena's ear. Lena's mouth fell open.

"No!" she exclaimed.

"What, what?" Kim asked, and Ally repeated it to her, and while she was at it, Lily and James.

"Ew," Kim said, but to Ally's delight, Lily and James turned red and exchanged awkward glances.

"You've done that?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Just once," Lily said quickly, and James elbowed her.

"It isn't as bad as it sounds," he added.

"You wouldn't think so, anyway," Ally muttered.

"I think Sirius should be here for this conversation," James went on. "And Remus."

"Well, they're not, so tough," Ally said. "How about--" she went on, whispering something to Lily. Lily shook her head quickly.

"What?" Lena asked, and Ally told her. "Oh, we have," she said.

"Lucky bastard," James muttered. Lena smiled.

"Have you let him--" Kim wondered.

"Yes," Lena and Lily answered in unison.

"Really?" Ally asked. "Over or under clothes?"

"Over," Lena said. "So far."

"What does that mean?" Ally wanted to know.

"Robes," James cut in.

"What?"

"Think about it," he said. "It's impossible to do otherwise. You'd have to put your hand--"

"We get the picture," Ally said quickly.

"You wanted all the 'gory details'," Lily reminded her. Ally made a face.

"Have you--" she continued.

"No," James said, looking at Lena.

"Yes," she admitted.

"You've only said no to one thing!" Ally said, delighted. "Unlike boring Lily and James."

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed now, since I've given you plenty of details," Lena said, pushing the girls off her bed. "'Night," she called down to them as she closed her hangings.

*****

"Ok, we need to decide what we're going to wear to this fancy dress-thingy," Sirius said in a businesslike tone.

"What are the girls going as?" Remus wondered. Sirius shrugged.

"Lena's decided that it should be a surprise," he said. "Though I think it was only because she hasn't made up her mind yet."

"Godric Gryffindor?" Peter suggested. James shook his head.

"Nah, loads of people are going to be going as the Founders," he said. "Something … different …"

"A plague victim?" Remus suggested. Sirius smiled. "What?" Remus asked.

"Bring out your dead," he quoted. "The Holy Grail." James grinned. Sirius sat up. "That's it!" he said. "King Arthur and the Nights of the Round Table -- Python style!"

"Great!" James said. "I'll be King Arthur."

"No way!" Sirius objected. "It was my idea!"

"I said it first--"

"Why don't we draw names out of a hat?" Remus suggested. Reluctantly, Sirius scribbled five names on pieces of parchment.

"There are only four of us," Peter pointed out.

"Well, there are four knights -- Bevedere, Galahad, Robin, Launcelot," Sirius said. "And King Arthur."

"What will we do?" Peter wondered.

"We could ask Frank," Remus suggested.

"Ask me what?" Frank asked, entering the dorm. Remus explained their predicament.

"Would you be the fifth person?" he asked. "You wouldn't have to stick around us all night, if you don't want to," he added.

"Yeah, ok," Frank said. "I'll probably be with you all night anyway."

"Why?" James wondered. Frank smiled.

"I asked Ally to the ball," Frank said.

"Really?" Sirius asked. "Very interesting."

"What brought this on?" Peter wondered. Frank shrugged.

"Have you looked at her?" he joked. "Seriously, why did you ask Lena out?"

"Point taken," Sirius said.

"Which knight am I, then?" Frank asked.

"We have to pull names out of a hat," Remus said.

"Why?"

"Because James and Sirius aren't mature enough to come to an agreement without resorting to name calling," Remus replied. "I think we should get an impartial party to organise it."

"But I've got them all done," Sirius said.

"And you've marked King Arthur," Remus went on. Sirius looked as though he was about to protest, but Remus shook his head.

"Fine," Sirius sighed, and walked to the door. "Oi, hello!" he called out. "Could you do us a favour, please?" He brought a group of first years into the room. They wrote out new slips and passed the hat around.

"Yes!" James exclaimed. "King Arthur!" Sirius made a face.

"I'm Sir Lancelot," Remus announced. "The Brave," he added.

"Sir Bevedere," Frank said. Peter sighed.

"Sir Robin," he said, not sounding overly happy.

"Sir Robin the Not-Quite-As-Brave-As-Sir-Launcelot," Sirius corrected. "And Sir Galahad the Pure for me." the other boys snickered. "What?"

"Sorry, Padfoot, but pure is not normally an adjective one would use to describe you," James said.

"What makes you say that?" Sirius asked.

"Leaving aside the colossal amount of flings you've had, I've heard some interesting things from Lena," James said.

"First of all, you had more flings than I did, as I recall," he said. "Secondly, I could be pure if I wanted to be pure. I just … never wanted to be." He glanced at the first years. "Thanks," he said. "Are you lot looking forward to the ball?" They nodded.

"We'd better go," one said. "Bye."

"Bye," they called.

*****

"Where'd my helmet go?" James asked.

"It was under my chainmail a minute ago," Sirius said.

"No, that was mine," Remus said, arranging it on his head. "James' is the one that sort of looks like a crown and is sitting in the sink. Does anyone know what the girls are wearing yet?"

"Thanks, Moony!" James called.

"Getting all worked up at the thought of Kim in a medieval gown?" Sirius teased. "With flowing skirts and tight bodices…"

"Please refrain from talking about my girlfriend's bodice," Remus warned him.

"Has anyone seen my sword?" James called. Sirius rolled his eyes, wondering if things were this hectic in the girls' room, and letting his mind wander to thoughts of Lena in a Medieval gown … Remus was looking at him.

"Lena's bodice?" he asked.

"So?" Sirius challenged. "I'm allowed to, being her boyfriend and all, occasionally think about her bodice."

"Do you think it'd be ok without the sword?" James asked, kneeling over his trunk.

"Your costume?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, could I go without it?"

"Do you mean: 'Could King Arthur get by without Excalibur?" Sirius asked. James sighed.

"I'll find it," he said.

"I would have been a better King Arthur than him," Sirius muttered.

"Really?" James said. "What would you do that I haven't so far?"

"I wouldn't loose Excalibur, for a start," he retorted.

"Well, we picked fair and square, and I got King Arthur," James said. "And I don't care whether or not that was democratic. Now let's talk about you being a good Sir Galahad."

"I can be pure," Sirius maintained.

"Need I remind you about the moment back there when you were fantasising about Lena's bodice?" Remus said. "Sorry, Sirius," Remus went on, "but you could never be pure."

"I could be pure!" he insisted.

"Prove it," James said, emerging form his trunk.

"What do you mean?"

"Act pure and chaste all night," James went on. "No touching, kissing or doing anything questionable that would endanger Lena's reputation."

"What about my reputation?" Sirius asked, and then remembered that they would not be having this conversation if his reputation were capable of being tarnished. He weighed it up.

"You're on," he said. "And if I manage it?"

"Twenty Galleons?" James suggested.

"Ok," Sirius said. "Are we ready?"

"No, I still can't find my sword," James said.

"Merlin's sake, Arthur didn't have this much trouble getting the real one out of the stone," Sirius muttered.

"Is that it there, under Peter's bed?" Frank asked.

"Aha!" James said, picking it up.

"We're meeting the girls down there, right?" Frank checked. Remus nodded, and they made their way down to the Great Hall. Sure enough, dozens of Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherins, Rowena Ravenclaws, and Helga Hufflepuffs roamed in and out of the crowd, as did peasants, princesses, Knights and others. Some hadn't bothered dressing up at all, but others were dressed in elaborately designed costumes, ranging from court jesters to ancient robes.

James scanned the hall for Lily, not noticing the first years who were approaching them, until one of them spoke.

"Um, hello?" James jumped. All five first years that had stayed over Christmas were standing beside them with lots of bags on their backs and cocoanuts in their hands. "We were wondering … well, we've gone as the Pages from The Holy Grail. I'm Concorde, he's Patsy, and she's the one that gets squashed," he said, pointing them out. "Could we be your Pages for the night?" James glanced at Remus.

"Well, it isn't very fair, you running around after us like house elves all night," Remus pointed out.

"We wouldn't follow you around all night," the Squashed Page said.

"I suppose, if you don't mind …," James said. "And now, time for our first quest! We will seek--"

"The Holy Grail?" Remus guessed.

"No, Lily," James finished.

"Am I not the same thing?" Lily asked from behind him. James spun around. Lily stood in a dazzling emerald Medieval gown, complete with flowing skirts, bell sleeves, and …

"Eyes off the bodice," he whispered, nudging Peter. "Good evening, Milady. I am Arthur, King of the Britons. And you are?"

"Guienivere, your queen," she replied, pointing to her tiara.

"What a coincidence," James said.

"Well, I heard your Pages talking," she admitted.

"Shall we get some punch?" James asked, grinning.

"Have you spiked it yet?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No! I'm insulted that you'd even think your own boyfriend was capable of such a feat!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Ok, I apologise," Lily said. "Has Remus spiked it?"

"No," James replied, smiling.

"Peter?" Lily tried.

"Nope," James denied.

"Sirius?" she asked.

"Yes," James admitted. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

"Here, Milady," Sirius said. Lily smiled as she noticed their costumes. "The Knights of the Round Table," she said. "Remus as Sir Lancelot, Frank as Sir Bevedere, Peter as Sir Robin The Not-Quite-as-Brave-As-Sir-Launcelot, and Sirius as--" She did a double take. "Galahad?" she asked incredulously. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I know, out-of-character, I know," he said. "You'll be laughing on the other side of your face when I take twenty Galleons from your boyfriend."

"Excuse me?"

"We have a bet," he explained. "If I can remain in character as Galahad the Chaste tonight, that is, not kiss Lena all night, he has to give me twenty Galleons." Lily's eyes lit up.

"You didn't tell Lena what you were going to be going as, did you?" she asked.

"No, why?" Sirius asked. Lily looked to be thoroughly enjoying something.

"No reason," she said, smiling.

"What?" Sirius asked, "She'll be cool, she'll understand. Where is she, anyway?"

"I've been here for a while," she said from just behind Lily. Smiling, Lily stepped aside to reveal Lena in a white gown, with a white veil. Sirius swallowed. This could not be good. Her costume reminded him of something …

"L-Lena--" he stammered, but she stepped closer to him and placed a finger on his lips.

"Call me Zoot," she whispered. "Just Zoot."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Hehe … poor Sirius!

Hey, guess what … I have my laptop!! Wahooo!! Now I have no excuse for not updating, and you can count on my friends to chain me to it for at least one night a week to make sure I upload.

Oh, and I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes, I don't have Word yet, so I'm a bit lost. That also goes for appearance, etc.

Oooh, I just got an amazing CD! Rusty Anderson, 'Undressing Underwater.' He's Paul McCartney's guitarist, and he is really really good. Trust me!

Thanks for your never-ending patience over the last few months. Please review!