Disclaimer: See other chapters.

I actually wrote this chapter the same day as I wrote Chapter 8. Go me.

This is another switching chapter. Deal with it.

'Aaahtchoo!'

It was a week later, and Suzie was feeling ill. She groaned.

'Oh, Suzie!' said Sarah, looking dismayed, 'You caught my cold!'

'Tissue,' muttered Suzie in reply, and Lily raced over to her, with the box. Suzie took one and mumbled her thanks. Lily sat down next to her and placed her hand on her friend's forehead.

'You're boiling!' she exclaimed, 'Caroline, fetch some cough medicine.'

'I'm busy,' replied Caroline, who was lying on her bed, twirling her hair around her finger.

'Just give her some of my cold medicine,' chipped in Sarah.

'We haven't actually made the potions yet,' commented Lily.

'It doesn't take long to make.'

Lily wandered over to Sarah's bed and picked up the parchment lying on it.

'Chocolate Frogs, Fizzing Whizbees… how does this cure colds?'

'It doesn't,' said Sarah, sighing and ripping up the parchment, 'It merely tastes good.'

'I can't imagine all those sweets together would taste good. Separately, but not in one big mush. And do your real Potions – it's due in tomorrow, Sarah, you should get cracking with it,' said Lily.

'Yes, I should,' replied Sarah blandly, taking out her ink, textbook and parchment, and setting herself to work again. Lily sat down on her bed, fidgeted, and then got up again.

'I'm bored… Caroline, I'll check your work for you!'

'Haven't started it.'

'What?'

'I haven't thought of a potion that would be any use to me,' replied Caroline, shrugging, 'and anyway, we have all evening, you're the only one of us who's already finished it.'

'Actually, I've finished it,' said Suzie. Lily looked delighted.

'Thank you, Suzie. Sarah's at least started it as well, Caroline, you're the lazy one.'

'Was that supposed to be an insult?' asked Caroline, but she dug out some parchment and a quill, and her expression changed to thoughtful.

'Suzie,' said Lily, after a pause, in which she had prepared some medicine, 'Are you going to go to lessons tomorrow? Or go to the hospital wing?'

'Oh… I don't know. It varies with colds,' replied Suzie.

Caroline looked up excitedly, as if struck by a sudden thought.

'Hey, Suze…'

'What?' asked Suzie suspiciously.

'If you're ill tomorrow, can I use your potion as mine?'

'What? No!'

'Why not?'

'Firstly,' said Sarah, 'what braids would you need the potion for, secondly, it's not in your handwriting, thirdly, what if she's not absent, then you'd have no work, and finally, even if she is ill, she will have to go to class sometime, and hand in the work. That's why not.'

'Admit it was a good idea.'

'No.'

'Why not?'

'Because I'd be wrong.'

Caroline pouted, sticking out her lips petulantly.

'That's got to be the stupidest expression I've ever seen,' said Lily scathingly, as she brought the medicine over to Suzie.

'Do I have to?' Suzie asked, eyeing the medicine warily.

'Yes.'

Suzie sighed and downed the liquid. It was truly horrible. She screwed up her face in disgust and passed the cup back to Lily.

'Don't ever do that to me again,' she said slowly.

Lily rolled her eyes, and, as she returned to the bathroom, yelled, 'It's for your own good you know!'

'You know,' said Sarah conversationally, 'It's been over a week since I heard from my mum. I still think she took over Lily.'

'But you got a letter from her yesterday,' pointed out Caroline.

'Ruin my joke, why don't you.'

'You ruined my plan.'

'What plan?'

'The plan to disguise Suzie's homework as my own.'

'No one's using my… my…' Suzie yawned widely, 'my ho'work… Oh, I'm tired.'

'It's because you're ill,' said Lily, 'You going to sleep?' Suzie nodded, getting herself under the duvet. 'Well then out, Caroline, Sarah, out!'

'Do we have to go?' moaned Caroline, 'I'm comfortable.'

'Yes,' said Lily, and she forced them out of the room, waving at Suzie as she did so. Without even bothering to close her curtains, Suzie fell asleep.

Peter looked up as Lily, Caroline and Sarah entered the room. He wondered where Suzie was, but looked back down at his Potions homework. He'd finished, and now he was just spell-checking. James and Sirius were struggling through their homework, and Remus was staring towards Sarah.

'If you have any questions about the homework, ask us, not Davies,' said Sirius without looking up.

'Padfoot, this is getting silly,' said Remus wearily, 'I understand you might not want to talk to Evans or her friends because of your embarrassing date, but stop getting angry if we do.'

'If you were my friend you wouldn't talk to them.'

'That's complete rubbish and you know it.'

Sirius and Remus glared at each other for a while, until Remus said, 'Anyway, what I want to say to Sarah is not homework related.'

'Sarah?' said James, raising an amused eyebrow.

'Since when have you called her Sarah?' asked Peter, grinning.

'For years,' said Remus shortly, 'Just not in front of you.'

He stood up and stormed over to Sarah. When they started talking, his bad mood vanished instantly off his face, as did Sirius'. He chanted, loudly,

'Lupin and Davies, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N–'

'Shut it, Black!' yelled Lily. Sirius smirked and grinned.

'What happened to the no-talking-to-the-girls-ever-again thing?' asked Peter.

'I can't deprive dear Moony of his girlfriend, now, can I?' asked Sirius.

'You're so mature.'

'Was that sarcastic?'

'Yes.'

'Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, you know.'

'But the highest form of humour,' replied Peter, and, given confidence by what was, in his opinion, a good comeback, he went over to join Remus at the girls' table.

'Evans, Hawling, Davies… whoever,' he said, 'where's Gibson?'

'Ill,' said Caroline. 'She got Sarah's cold. I hope I get it now, so that I'm ill tomorrow, and don't have to hand in my Potions homework.'

'It won't happen. Get to work,' ordered Lily, 'So what did you come over here for?'

'What?' said Peter, caught off guard, 'To ask where Gibson is.'

'That's all?'

'Yes,' said Peter, 'Um, bye.'

He wandered off, and, as his back was turned, he didn't see the look of disbelief and excitement Caroline and Lily exchanged as he left.

Yay! The plot is getting going!

Give your opinions on coursework. Irritating, isn't it?

Hepsa