AN: So sorry about the wait. It's been a crazy couple of weeks! We've had this play thats really hard work- so that, plus school has taken up most of our time. The chapter was writen a while ago- But trust me when I say you don't want to read anything from me that my partner hasnt edited-I cant spell and my grammer sucks!
So to make up for it, this is a long chapter... A whole 30 pages long! While not a lot happens in it that is major- it is import to see the relationships and what the characters are like in general.
Just for anybody who is wondering, we do know where this story is going. We know exactly where it will be in a year and so on- so don't be scared, we do have a plan. Having said that any guesses to what people think is going to happen or anything you guys would like to see-even stupid stuff just let us no and we'll see what we can to.
Many thanks to all the people that read this. We hope you enjoy this chapter and we will try and update as soon as we can. The more you review the quicker we will post.
Enjoy.
Chapter One: On the Edge
Mid semester exams went as soon as they came, and with them they brought winter. The snow began to fill the grassy plains of Hogwarts and the sun was seldom seen until nine in the morning. However, the dreary mood brought about by this weather did not seem to effect the sixth years, who were still swimming in post exams excitement. Feeling the pressure of exams lifted, James and Sirius embraced the new hours of spare time they seemed to find as they awaited their results, knowing very well that they had passed all of then with flying colors.
Some people, though feeling the pressure lifted, replaced this with the pressure of anxiously awaiting their results. Remus and Lily were continuously on edge and seemed to be taking their prefect duties veryseriously, continuously picking up people for even daring to think about breaking the rules.
James awoke early to go down to breakfast, with every intention of avoiding Lilly. With the week of teachers marking coming to a close and the first day of finding out results starting he knew she would be catatonic. James didn't usually mind that Lilly pin pointed her rage at him (she happened to look very sexy when she was yelling at him) but having his ears blown off first thing Monday morning was not how he intended to start his day. So he went ahead and had a shower before the rest of the dormitory had awoken.
He waited for Sirius and Peter in the common room for a few moments, but when commotions could be heard from the girls dorm, James counted his lucky stars and went down to the hall.
Not to his surprise Remus and Peter were already seated and had begun breakfast. Peter, always on the lookout for James noticed him immediately, waved profusely and motioned for James to come over and sit.
"Morning James, how did you sleep?" Peter was uncommonly happy considering he probably failed most of his exams.
But James thought it best not to ask and replied simply.
"Fine" Not overly interested in how Peter felt and knowing very well he would somehow bring the focus back to James, he did not press the subject. Instead he turned his attention to Remus who was gazing down at his cereal as if it were the most intriguing thing he'd seen in a long time.
"Morning Moony"
"Hmm…."
His grunted greeting annoyed James. Exams were over; so why were people so cranky? This was the period to swim in ignorant bliss, before marks were returned--- not the time for sulking. Besides, Moony had done more study than anyone he knew of, he was the last person who needed to be nervous.
"Lighten up please! Your dull mood is going to rub off onto the rest of us---" James joked loudly with a wide grin
"Easy for you to say---" Remus mumbled
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means not all of us can have so much confidence in our results as you"
"What? Come on Moony, with all the work you put in how could you not do well?"
Though James' voice still implied her was joking Remus seemed to be restraining himself from saying something. After a few moments of tense silence her eventually let it slip.
"I'm not like you James…."
James attempted to interrupt at this point but Remus pushed forward.
"I'm not like you or Sirius--- I don't just remember things the way you do. I can't read the text book an hour before the exam and know it off-by-heart." Though the werewolf's voice was not aggravated or aggressive, James felt his stomach clench uncomfortably.
"That's not fair---" James began
"James I'm not saying it's a bad thing and I'm certainly not mad at you…. you're lucky! You're possibly the most naturally intelligent person I know and I would put money on it you're the smartest student in this room- I know nothing you can't do…" he sighed loudly and gazed down at the desk, pushing his honey-blonde hair out of his amber eyes.
"I'm just saying that… I'm not like that… I have to study-lots and even then I still don't feel confident. I'm nervous about getting my marks back because- I need to do well…"
His gaze was still fixed upon the desk in front of him and James couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from his fellow Marauder, feeling an ever sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach.
"There's no fortune waiting for me when I get home…" Remus added, so quietly that James barley heard him "I need this. So I'm sorry if I've been grumpy…. but it's a scary thought…"
James sat still for a moment; trying to conjure an appropriate reply to voice his astonishment but Remus's words seemed to flood his mind
Nothing you can't do. Smartest boy in room. I'm not like you. No fortune waiting.
James opened his mouth to attempt some sort of apology when Peter beat him to it; however his comment washed away any serious thoughts James had in his mind.
"Remus you really are punishing James for been brilliant---"
There was a moment of almost disbelieving silence in which the two boys stared blankly at the short pudgy blonde sitting between them before they erupted into fits of unstoppable laughter- their stomach muscles immediately seizing painfully.
Peter sat looking between the two utterly confused, stupidly wondering what he had said that they had found so amusing.
Coming to a stop as the need for oxygen over took them both, James and Remus locked eyes as a silent apology passed through them and they each understood- the previous conversation had been forgotten.
"Seen Sirius?" James enquired. The where abouts of his best friend puzzled him- Sirius would never miss the Monday breakfast feast- no matter what was holding him back.
Remus smirked, the first he had shown in days, and motioned towards the door of the great hall.
Peering over to where Remus was staring James noticed a clump of girls ranging in all Hogwarts years and houses stood giggling and smiling, throwing their hair over their shoulders in an attempt to gain the attention of the figure in the middle.
With little of the figure to be seen most would take a guess at who he was- but to those who knew him- that charming smirk and bark like laugh were immiscible.
James grinned widely, shaking his head as he turned back to his breakfast. He should have known.
Ploughing his way out of the crowd, Sirius sauntered over to his three friends, sliding himself in next to James.
"Oh you're still alive are you?" James asked in a casual voice, glancing up at his friend from his toast "I thought you might have drowned in a sea full of girls…"
"Yeah well…" Sirius leant back in his chair and grinned at his friend "I wouldn't want to go any other way"
"Typical" remarked Remus.
All four boys laughed. As they threw their heads back up and around they each, in their own time, noticed the three girls that had come over with Sirius. The girls stood in a group concentrating on James, their eyes following him as he moved. The laughing from the boys faded out as they found the girls stares growing more intent.
James was used to girls staring and blushing as he walked by. But this by all means was a little strange. Sirius however seemed unmoved.
"Oh right, James this is Hazel----" he indicated to the petite blonde who waved shyly at him
"Amanda----" The tall green eyes Hufflepuff batted her eyelashes
"And Veronica----" He nodded casually to the curvy redhead "Sorry girls I sort of forgot--"
And with that Sirius turned back to his breakfast, leaving James to figure out the situation on his own. While turning he glanced at James and shrugged.
Great he thought What now?
"Uh--- Good morning Ladies---"
The three girls all turned an identical shade of hot pink and giggled to each other, keeping their eyes fixed hungrily on James. Feeling quite awkward, he spoke again.
"So---- did you need something?"
"No---ah---we just----um---were wondering---"
They burst into a fit of giggles again, making James arch his eyebrow in confusion, forcing a polite smile as he watched the girls banter in front of him.
"Yes?"
"Well---" The blonde to the left (Hazel? James couldn't remember; They all looked the same to him---) began to speak "My friends and I were reall y hoping to try out for the quidditch team next year and Sirius---"
Hearing his name, Sirius turned around and winked to the three girls who giggled once more
"---He told us you were the one to go to for some extra training" she concluded, keeping her eyes fixed on his and giving him a suggestive smile.
"Oh---" James's voice sounded his annoyance as he cast an annoyed glance at Sirius who was staring very intently at his toast, his body shaking as if he were trying desperately to stop himself from laughing.
"We're really quick learners---" Veronica informed him, leaning forward to rest her arms on the back of Sirius's chair as she curled her finger around her red locks "and we've been told you're a fantastic teacher--"
Not knowing quite how to react to the strong sexual undertow of the girls questions, not to mention how much he was being distracted by the smothered laughs of his friends behind him, James hesitated, smiling awkwardly.
"Uh---well---I don't know about teaching---" he started
The green eyed girl in the middle, batted her eyelashes and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud voice that rang out through the hall.
"Potter! How did I guess? The morning of exam results and your too busy flirting to even stuff that large mouth of yours. Imagining future conquests I expect? Or have these poor girls already been down there?"
Opening his mouth to respond, Lily cut him off, storming forward and placing her hands on her hips, her golden prefect badge, shining in the sunlight.
"I don't care! Back to your own houses now!"
The girls were momentarily frozen but when the scowl on Lilly's face hardened, they dashed off, but not before shooting three last minute suggestive smiles at James making him smirk back in recognition as they sighed simultaneously.
"Pathetic---" Lilly muttered
"Ah Evans---" James grinned up at the flustered prefect "Just because they go after what they want, its no reason to hate them! And you don't have to worry, I only want you---" he added with a wink making her snort haughtily
"Don't flatter yourself Potter----"
"Come on!" James rolled his eyes and stood up our of his chair, so his was standing above her, forcing her eyes upwards into his "Lets not walk around this forever!"
"Quite the contrary---" she told him haughtily "I have no intention of walking around anything---" And with that she pushed him forcefully back down into his chair and walked over to take her seat at the other end of the breakfast table.
"Hoops--- or studs?"
Jenny looked up from the morning paper, pushing her dark rimmed reading spectacles down the bridge of her nose and rested her dark eyes upon Charli
"Excuse me?"
"Should I wear hoop earrings---- or studs?" Charli enquired, holding up her two sets of earrings and trying to examine herself in the jug of pumpkin juice in front of her.
"Hmm let me think…" Jenny placed her hand at the bottom of her chin and stared up at the ceiling, mocking a look of deep though "I….I don't think I care"
And with that she picked up the Daily Prophet and pushed her glasses back up to the bridge of her nose, scanning the pages with a satisfied sort of smirk. Charli exhaled loudly, rolling her eyes before she went back to examining her reflection in the jug. The comfortable silence was interrupted however when a huffing Lily stormed over to the table and sat down beside Jenny, slamming her bag down onto the floor next to her.
"I sense you are troubled child?" Jenny asked lazily, not taking her eyes of the paper as she licked the tip of her finger and turned the page.
"Troubled? No… it's just Potter thinking he's god's gift to women again…" Lily muttered bitterly, pulling a plate of scrambled eggs towards her and glaring down at them as if it were their fault that James annoyed her so much.
She shovelled a spoon full of them into her mouth and sighed loudly.
"I mean…who does he think he is?" she demanded angrily, spraying eggs everywhere "Acting as if I'm actually jealous of those desperate little trollops… can you believe it?"
Lily waited for an answer but found herself listening only to the buzzing of conversation in the hall. The redhead looked up from her breakfast to see that Jenny had left her seat to get the marmalade from the Ravenclaw table and Charli was gazing over at Sirius Black who was making hinting gestures at her over his bowl of cereal.
"Why do I even bother!" Lily exclaimed sounding frustrated as she dug her fork back into her eggs
"Bother with what?" Sam drifted into the hall and sat herself on the table in front of Charli, blocking her view of Sirius making the dark haired Gryffindor scowl at her.
Lily wondered for a moment, why Sam had chosen to sit on the table rather then beside it, but continued anyway, choosing not to question the oddity that was her friend.
"I was just telling them about James Potter being an asshole" Lily explained casting Jenny a dark look as she returned with her marmalade and Charli who was trying to get a clear view of Sirius around Sam's head.
"Oh… him again" Sam sighed, taking a sip of pumpkin juice "You really ought to worry less about him Lily" she added leaning down to pick up her bag before rummaging through it in search of something
"I don't worry about him" Lily told her indignantly "He just pisses me off"
"Well I wouldn't bother…" Sam told her, still rummaging through her bag, the sound of a tinkling bell echoed from inside it making Lily arch an eyebrow "Aha!"
The attractive blonde pulled out a very long bright blue feathered quill and placed it on the desk, smiling up at her friends who cast her three blank stares. Even Charli had dragged her gaze away from Sirius to arch her eyebrow in astonishment.
"What?" Sam questioned, reaching for another piece of toast
"Are you going to provide us with sunglasses?" Jenny asked her gesturing to the electrifyingly blue quill.
"Oh…. It's my lucky quill….." Sam informed them, picking it up by the nib, letting the long blue feathers trail back onto the table "It comes from the South African Fwooper bird… they're an exceptionally rare species now days"
"Its….nice" Charli lied with a forced smile before turning her attention back to Sirius.
"Yeah…" Sam gazed down at the quill, the colour reflecting in her grey blue eyes "Mum gave it to me…"
Though there was no sense of sadness in the words spoken by their friend, Lily, Jenny and Charli all immediately turned their attention back on Sam.
Sam's mother had passed away when she was only seven years old. She had never really mentioned how it happened, only that it had been sudden and quite a shock to her and her father. Though she often mentioned her mother in conversations, neither Lily, Jenny nor Charli knew much about her; only that she had been a good woman and much like her daughter in many perspectives. Sam was not the type to unlock her secrets and share her pain openly, though they all knew it was there- probably burrowed deep inside her- but there all the same. Still they did not press the subject. Sam would open up when she felt it necessary- she knew they were always there.
"Oh… it really is nice Sam" Lily told with sincerity, casting her friend one of her rare warm smiles
"Thanks….I figured I'd use it today… just in case…" Sam grinned and gave a loud sigh, pushing herself of the table and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Anyway I have Arithmancy first so Ill see you guys in Defence Against the Dark Arts later…"
And she got up and left, leaving all three of her friends watching her retreating back, the bright blue quill shimmering in her hands.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts room was a small semi-circular chamber that was lined with carved wooden stands filled with large dusty books and a number of odd looking contraptions that no-body really knew the use for. It consisted of a row of desks that led up to the front of the classroom where a spiralling staircase descended from the professors office.
Sirius Black sat at the back of the classroom, his legs propped up on the desk and his arms folded lazily behind his head as he cast his heart melting smirk at each good-looking female that entered, making them blush and giggle, gazing at him coyly, before hastily taking their seats, whispering eagerly to their friends.
"This is the life…" he sighed loudly, running his fingers lazily through his hair "End of exams, party coming up, plenty of hot girls who would jump at the occasion to for fill my every little desire…"
"And their boyfriends ready and waiting to beat the crap out of you when you're finished…" James added with a sideways smirk
Sirius snorted with laughter and raised a brow at his friend.
"Please prongs…" he rebutted with an air of sophisticated arrogance "Like anyone of their boyfriends could take me…"
James laughed in spite of himself and he heard Remus give a snort of laugher from beside him.
"He's modest too" the werewolf whispered huskily to him
A few moments passed in which Sirius, winked at the few girls that plucked up the courage to look him in the eyes before the door creaked open and a flustered looking Lily entered, taking her spot in front of Remus and tossing her books onto the desk in front of her whilst deliberately ignoring James who instantly sat up and combed his fingers through his hair.
"You okay Lily?" Remus inquired-noticing her flushed cheeks
"Yeah I'm fine… I just came from Ancient Ruins and had to go down all the stairs in the west tower" she answered breathlessly, fanning herself with her hands
"How did you do in your exams?" he asked
"Alright- I passed so I'm happy…" Lily answered him with a small smile
"Congratulations Evans…" James grinned at her "Must have made you day a whole lot brighter…"
Taking James' genuine compliment for some form of arrogant remark- Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You know what would make my day Potter? If you just shut your mouth and stopped trying to make any form of contact with me what so ever" she shot nastily at him before turning back to face the front of the classroom
"Wha…?" James looked almost hurt "Women…" he muttered to Sirius who was paying no attention as a sexy looking Charli strut into the room, followed by a short podgy boy who was balancing her books under his arms. Jenny rounded the corner after them, a look of blank exasperation on her face.
"Thanks Martin" Charli exclaimed, taking her books from the arms of the dazed looking Gryffindor.
"S'ok Charli…" he answered softly with a far away smile set firmly on his face, watching her as she took her seat beside Lily. Jenny shot a disgusted look at the boy before pushing past him as so she could sit down on Lily's other side.
"What took you so long?" the red head asked them irritably, looking up from her parchment
"We got ambushed by a sex crazed group of males" was Jenny's answer as she fished through her bag in search of her text book
"We weren't ambushed" Charli explained indignantly "A couple of guys just came to say hi---"
"Yeah to your chest" Jenny murmured "Like the sex-deprived zombies they are---"
"How you doing Kent?" Sirius asked, tilting back on his chair once more.
"Speak of the devil" Jenny added with a roll of her dark brown eyes, as Charli turned with a swish of her long brown ponytail and leant over to greet a smirking Sirius.
"I'm okay- I passed muggle studies… you?"
"Well I'm just fine now that you're here" Sirius told her, his eyes shining as he leant forward onto the desk.
Charli blushed and hastily changed the subject as her two cynical friends gave snorts of disgusted laughter.
"Do you like my earrings?" she asked him, tilting her head to show him the silver hoops she had eventually chosen to wear
"Yeah they're…" Sirius voice trailed off as a yawning Sam entered the room, her electric blue quill stuck firmly into the back of her short blonde ponytail. She took her seat in front of him and turned to a shocked Lily and an appalled Jenny.
"Sam…" Lily paused for a moment, taking in the long blue feather extruding form her friends head "Why is your quill in your hair?"
Sam glanced behind her at the long blue feather draping along the back of her chair and turned back to her staring friends with a shrug of her slim shoulders.
"So I wouldn't forget to pick it up" she informed them "And it's a lot easier to reach it back there…"
Sirius watched in stunned fascination as Sam reached back to thread her fingers along the long blue feather, completely oblivious that Charli was still trying to get his attention with her earrings.
"She is the weirdest girl" he muttered- his voice laced with a tinge of interest as he shook his head turning his attention back to an annoyed Charli.
"They're great Kent" he quickly told her- still watching Sam from the corner of his eyes "they really match your eyes…."
"They're pink…" Charli pointed out
"Yeah…?"
Charli was just about to speak when the upstairs door suddenly flew open and a dark blue robed man backed into the room, holding a large pile of rolled up parchment. Every single female pair of eyes in the room immediately flew up to meet him as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Tag descended down the stairs, smiling happily at his students.
Professor Tag was undoubtedly the best looking teacher that had ever stepped foot inside the castle and whilst Sirius and James ruled the world of young students- Professor Tag was every girls dream.
Starting from the top, there was that deep brown hair; thick and a little shaggy, like he didn't care too much about it, but always managing to casually frame his strong handsome face. Then moving down there were the eyes, light blue, electric blue- blue you couldn't describe blue. Eyes set in a face that seemed to be handsome from every angle. His deep blue robes always seemed to show every muscle -and he had them all- but still managed to leave a tantalizing bit to the imagination.
"Hello all! Sorry I'm late- I had a little mishap with my owl" he said in a deep charming voice that made every girls heart thump.
Tag placed the parchment on his desk and stood up straight- stretching his arms lazily above his head to reveal his strained arm muscles.
There was a reason that very few girls were failing Defence Against the Dark Arts- the female population of the class was hypnotized the second Professor Tag opened his mouth and they eagerly lapped up every little word that escaped his lips. The males however- especially Sirius- took to glaring resentfully at him throughout his lessons- watching as he remained oblivious to the girls unwavering stares.
"Now I am afraid that I haven't quite finished marking your exams- but most of you passed with ease-" he cast them a melting smile and leant up against the blackboard with one strong arm "So today we will begin to study defence against mind controlling charms… "
He turned and began to write on the bord in his messy scrawl.
"Easily the best looking man that has ever stepped foot in this castle…" Charli whispered longingly staring at his back and giving a dream like sigh.
Remus smirked knowing how her comment would affect his two best friends. James and Sirius had become quite accustomed to girls swooning around them- and did not like the handsome older man stealing their limelight.
Peter gasped quietly the words shocking him as he turned to stare at the boys beside him waiting to see their reaction. James and Sirius sat for a moment, their heads slightly turned as Charli continued to gaze at the back of Professor Tag.
"You really think so?" James asked in mock contemplation making the four girls turn to look at him
"Personally I'd say that we were better…." Sirius added
Jenny gave a snort of laughter as Charli and Lily exchanged a glance.
"No, no Sirius---" the red-head said with a fake smile "Charli said he was the best looking man that has ever stepped foot in the castle- both you and Potter are still nothing but boys- and I wouldn't hold your breath while waiting for manhood"
Jenny sniggered in amusement and even Charli let a grin spread across her face as Lily beamed in triumph. Sam however seemed to let the conversation go, unnoticed.
James was momentarily shocked. Nobody had ever insulted either of them like that. As the phrase hung between the two groups a cartoon light bulb seemed to flick on inside the good looking boys head and he once again was smirking.
"So you're saying we're good looking?"
Silence. Lily opened her mouth and then shut it again-horrified at her misconception.
"No! I just….I only…" she was unable to think of anything "Shut up Potter!" she eventually shot at him before turning her back on him and writing furiously onto her parchment.
Jenny threw the boys a freezing glare before turning back to her work and Charli bit back a laugh as she followed in pursuit. James raised his hand and let Sirius hi-five him as a smirking Remus shook his head.
"Yes…well done" he muttered "Now can you two please take down these notes?"
Sirius and James sniggered through the rest of the lesson- ignoring the sharp looks Lily and Remus shot them.
The events of the previous class lingered in the minds of the sixth years and, having survived their first class, each student was anxiously awaiting their next set of marks. With Transfiguration coming up- even the Marauders were a little nervous.
Professor McGonagall was notorious for setting incredibly difficult exams and -out of all of them- the Marauders had found this exam the hardest. Nobody was looking forward to this class, except for some odd reason, James who was strutting happily down the hall beside his friends as if he were on his way to a Christmas luncheon rather then his hardest class.
"Why are you looking so happy?" Sirius demanded accusingly tossing his hair out of his grey blue eyes.
"Why not?" James countered, lazily stretching his arms up above his head "Defence went well so why can't I be happy?"
"Well… in case you have noticed, Transfiguration is where we're headed now" Sirius pointed out with a voice laced in sarcasm
As they turned the corner and descended a flight of stairs James seemed unaffected
"Your point being?"
"How can you be so cocky Potter?" Lily demanded from a few paces behind him where she had been chatting nervously to her friends "You did absolutely no study and spent half the exam playing charades with Black…"
James turned to her, his hazel eyes sparkling and a smile set firmly on his handsome features
"It's not being cocky Evans… its confidence" he explained to her stepping back as he spoke "I just happen to know Transfiguration…"
"What? You think its' easy?" Lily scoffed the words as if even the thought amused her beyond belief
"No I guess it isn't easy…" James paused, a look of deep thought crossing over his young face
"Its logical" he concluded after a few moments "It makes perfect sense… cause and effect. You put in the effort and you get out the results. In most other subjects there is history and rules and theories which is why most people find it easy to learn the text book off by heart… But in transfiguration you can't do that- which is why people find it so hard…"
He paused again- eagerly lapping up the stunned attention he was getting from his peers
"But I get it…" he told her, his eye burrowing into hers "It's about your ability to understand the concepts. It's what you do that matters… not what you memorize. So yeah… I suppose I am confident"
James turned his back and continued walking down the hall his shoes scuffing the clean marble floors and his hands burrowed deep into his pockets. Had he turned around he would have seen a very confused Lily Evans.
Lily watched his back- what surprised her most was that she was impressed… very impressed.
James Potter talked a lot- but never about anything that caught her attention- except for now. His speech had reflected some sort of meaning and honestly and she could tell he had truly had believed what he'd been saying- and wasn't just putting it on to inflate his ego.
For the first time in the six years she had known him, Lily Evans saw the slightest flicker of resemblance to the great wizard people often told her James Potter would become.
"I think I can rest assured that the top mark will have my name on it…"
As the self absorbed remark escaped his lips- James Potter was wrenched back down to the level he often held in Lily Evans head –the very bottom.
"Well done Potter I would expect nothing less" she spoke coldly "Although faith won't always get you past something you did absolutely no work for…"
"Be quiet and sit down" McGonagall was filled with severity as she entered the room and a pile of parchment on the desk "Black that means you too…"
Sirius slumped down on his seat next to James and rested his arms behind his back as McGonagall got to her feet, he mouth set in a grim line.
"I expect you all to be quiet and concentrate" she told them- not angry but firm "By the state of some of these exams…it will appear that you all need it…"
Lily turned in her seat and flashed James the look of- I told you so. James smirked and shrugged his shoulders as the redheads focus was shifted from him to the professor as she began to speak once again.
"However there were a few rather impressive results…" After a slight pause she continued reluctantly "Mr Black and Mr Potter- please come and collect your marks…"
James showed not even the slightest sign of being surprised- nor did Sirius as they both got to their feet, shooting each other a grin. While sometimes it did amaze James the way he and his best friend managed to breeze through five and a bit years of school without lifting a finger- he dreaded the day he came to class and received a less than impressive mark.
But Transfiguration was different, along with Defence Against the Dark Arts. They were the two classes he knew like the back of his hand and he never found himself anxious in either of them. James still attempted a look of shock with the hope of not looking too arrogant in front of the entire class… or Lily.
"While I would not encourage anyone to adopt the study habits of these two young men" McGonagall explained as she cast the boys a hard look, handing back their exams "they have achieved two of the most impressive marks I have seen in a while… not that either of them deserve it…"
Sirius flashed smirked at Charli as the professor called them "men" trying to show that he really was deserving of the title. Charli however, pretended not to see him and began to laugh at something funny Lily hadn't said.
Out of the corner of her eye, the chaser could still see him looking very sexy as he tried to work out why she wasn't looking at him.
"Black you earned yourself…. and I use the term loosely… a 96" McGonagall said unenthusiastically, ignoring the astounded gasp form the class.
"Why thank you professor" Sirius shot her a charming smile "Or may I call you Mini?"
"No Black…sit down" she told him curtly
Several moments of silence passed around the room as students stared at James who was looking intently at the floor and McGonagall read over his paper. Finally she turned to him- her hard eyes shining and her mouth strained.
"And Mr Potter…well I suppose you ought to be congratulated…"
James took his paper from the desk and turned it over. Lily swore she saw disappointment flicker across his face but it was gone before she could tell for sure and it was soon replaced with a smirk.
"What did I do wrong?" he asked
"You spelt Transfiguration wrong in your essay" the professor gave him one of her rare smiles and Lily found herself wondering if McGonagall really disliked James as much as she hinted she did,
I would expect nothing less from you professor…" James grinned
"And I from you Potter" she watched him a moment before waving her hand "take your seat…"
James returned quickly to his place next to Sirius, the expression on his face unreadable.
"Well?" inquired Sirius
James simply passed him the paper.
"You bastard…" The words were harsh but by the tone in Sirius's voice anyone would have been able to tell he was joking.
"Thanks mate…" The two erupted in laughter.
It never ceased to amaze Lily the way James and Sirius managed to understand each other on every level. They didn't even have to speak. They were simply two pieces of a jigsaw that fitted one another perfectly- though sometimes she doubted if they belonged to the rest of the puzzle and were just in the wrong box.
"Lucky, you kept up with your little speech…" Sirius muttered nodding his head towards a scathing Lily
"You're telling me"
Lily, although she would never admit it out loud, desperately wanted to know what James' result had been. If Sirius had done so well and James had done even better than him- it must have been a pretty impressive mark. But Lily wanted to know for sure.
The redhead contemplated asking him but quickly dismissed the idea.
Listening closely to their conversation, she tried to make out exactly what they were saying to one another; unfortunately neither mentioned the actual mark- so Lily went to the next best thing.
"Charli…"
Her pretty friend had been watching Sirius laugh but quickly turned her attention to Lily- blushing as if she had been caught doing something forbidden.
"What?"
But Lily was interrupted before she could continue.
"Well done to the four of you… each mark was well above average" McGonagall told them as she handed back their parchment "Miss Kent with a well earnt 75. Miss Isaacs with a 79, Miss Evans on 81 and Miss Waterson with an 85. A little more study next semester and we should be able to lift these marks into the very top"
Lily immediately asked her question- as casually as she could.
"Uh…Professor, what was the top mark?"
"That Miss Evans- you shall have to ask Mr Potter" McGonagall told her simply before turning to talk to another group of Gryffindors in the second row
Damn it she cursed
Lily turned her attention back to her friends but they were already deep in their own conversation.
"Wow Sam that's an awesome result…" Charli congratulated her
"Thanks" Sam replied "But it's not that great…"
"Considering the little work you did… I'd say it's better than great… and even a little unfair" Jenny told her bluntly
"It's just like James said cause and effect…" Sam murmured
Lily quickly seized the opportunity to ask the question that was itching inside her brain.
"On the subject of Potter… Charli ask him what he got…" she hissed
"What?"
"Ask him what he got- or just ask Sirius!" Lily badgered gesturing towards the laughing twosome in front of them
"I will not" Charli replied indignantly
"Why not?" Lily demanded
"Because Sirius has to talk to me…" Charli explained with a roll of her deep brown eyes
"You're so childish!" Lily exclaimed "Fine then! Just ask James"
"If you want to know so bad why don't you ask him?" Charli demanded making Lily glare angrily at her
"Oh you two are pathetic…" Same finally exclaimed
She turned with a swish of her short blonde ponytail and faced the two boys, who were scribbling eagerly on their exams.
"James?"
He raised his head just a little and cast his hazel eyes over her.
"Yeah?"
"What did you get on your exam?"
Lily, Charli and Jenny were all amazed at how confidently Sam had asked and how unaffected James seemed by the question. Even Sirius was intrigued and raised his head from the game to look up at an unblinking Sam.
"99.5" James told her
There was an astounded gasp from the students who had overheard and a chorus of excited whispers tore around the room.
"Wow"-"Oh my God"-"No way"
"99.5?" Sam turned her head on the side and wrinkled her nose "Kind of annoying really… I mean you lost half a mark and it could have been 100... if you had tried a little harder…"
Everyone stared at Sam as if she were insane. Even Lily felt her jaw drop.
"What?" Sam looked surprised by everyone's reaction "It's a fantastic mark- but like James said- cause and effect- had you studied how to spell transfiguration properly, you would have gotten everything perfect!"
There was nothing but silence. Sam stared around for a moment before frowning at herself and shaking her head briskly.
"Oh God that was rude! I am so rude." She quickly scolded herself "I'm sorry James it is a very impressive mark, I shouldn't have said that. Why did I say that? Merlin Sam your so rude…."
Then she turned back to her work just as quickly as she had away from it. Sirius watched her in momentary shock. She was the strangest girl.
He very rarely found girls he couldn't figure out but Sam Waterson was without a doubt the strangest girl in the entire school and he doubted anyone would be able to figure her out.
Sirius smirked to himself wishing a silent good luck to who ever that poor bastard was. Remus however was watching her in great amusement- a pink tinge creeping around his cheeks as he smiled at the back of her head.
"Its fine Sam" James assured her with a laugh as she glanced at him over her shoulder "Your right… had I studied I probably would have gotten the mark…"
However he was interrupted before he could continues. Lily had been sitting silently since she heard the mark- but now her bitterness and embarrassment had pushed her rage close to boiling point.
"You are such a show off Potter!" she shot at him
"What?" James looked shocked and his eyes widened "Evans where did that come from?"
"Listen to you! Making Sam feel bad for telling you the truth!" Lily spat at him
"What? I didn't- I just said…"
"Evans you are out of line!' Sirius barked making her scowl as Charli placed a comforting hand on her shoulder
"Calm down Lils…"
Charlie gave Sirius a small smile and he gave her a pitying look-
How were they going to get out of this one?
But- not to Charli's surprise- she felt as though she could stare into Sirius's eyes for as long as the two continued to bicker and much to her happiness Sirius didn't seem to be looking away any time soon.
Her thoughts were soon interrupted.
"You are impossible Evans" James exclaimed
"Or maybe you just can't figure me out?" Lily countered
"You'd like me too figure you out wouldn't you Evans?" he hinted with a smirk as he took his one millionth chance "Go out with me Saturday? I think I earnt it don't you?"
"You just don't get it do you Potter?" Lily demanded "I'm not interested!"
Glaring at him like a challenge he accepted and returned with a smooth grin. Charli and Sirius looked between the two, trying to figure out who was going to crack first.
As James's grin grew, Lily's glare hardened however after a few moments of tense silence the red head shot him a final glare before sliding on her chair to turn around. Muttering angrily under her breath.
"I'll be the bigger person…"
Charli struggled between the beautiful eyes of Sirius and her fuming best friend. He winked at her- letting her know it was ok for her to choose Lily- well just this once.
The remainder of the lesson proved to be uneventful, the block of it spent listening to McGonagall explain to the class that now that mid-semester exams were over- they knew what they needed to concentrate on in order to achieve standard O.W.L.S.
However Charli did not find this boring topic too painful as every now and then Sirius would turn around and glance at her or even wink and give a small smile. As much as she hated to admit it she found herself more attracted to him everyday.
Every time she brushed passed him in the hall she felt her whole body tingle; Every time they locked eyes across a classroom her stomach did a back flip. And whose wouldn't?
Sirius black was debatably the best looking boy at Hogwarts… every single girl in the school would have jumped at the chance to have Sirius- even for just a second- and many did.
This was what annoyed Charli most about him. She had always prided herself on being one of the only girls able to stand up against Sirius's charm yet now she found herself becoming one of the girls she despised-
No that wasn't quite true- she wasn't that bad. She didn't follow him around all day or have sex with him just because he felt like it. And there was one major difference between her and those sad girls…
He seemed to like her back.
But as much as her entire body was telling her to go to him- her head told her he was bad news- and she would just become one his left over girls- one shag and they'd be done.
And for as long as she could, she would listen to her head. Unfortunately her body was growing stronger every time she saw him.
The walk from Transfiguration to Charms however- was much more eventful then any other class had been. As the four Maraurs rounded the corner, deep in conversation they came to an abrupt halt as they were met face to face with a pack of Slytherins- lead by Lucius Malfoy. This meant one thing.
Trouble.
Lucius Malfoy was the one person James truly and utterly despised. A boy who, had he been raised by a different family, would probably have been quite good looking- but the dark upbringing had given him dark morals and values- and a life of wealth had produced a boy who looked down on everyone he met.
His white blonde hair washed back against his head and fell just past his extruding cheek bones- giving him a pale heart shaped face. His blue eyes, which were once perhaps happy ,only gave way the awful truth of his character.
Once his family had been friends with the Potters and were still with the Blacks, but as the upper class families of the wizarding world were forced to choose sides James and Lucius became enemies.
James despised him, every thing about him, the look of pure arrogance that covered his face constantly made James sick and the way he treated his fellow wizards made James want to do nothing more then beat him into place.
But it was his treating of muggle born wizards that James hated most. His ability to torment them so easily and his belief in being better than them purely based on blood forced James to hex him every time they crossed paths- especially when Lily was involved.
"Well, well, Potter you must be impressed with yourself" Lucius spat at James his voice laced with pure resentment.
It was quite possible that James, Sirius and Remus were the only students that were not intimidated by his Slytherin crowd.
"How did you pick it Malfoy? You are ever so intelligent!" James replied sarcastically
"How I wish I was like you…" Sirius added in with a tone of mock yearning
Remus nudged both his friends with his elbow- He didn't want any fighting, not in the corridors and not today.
"Ah… Black still living in Potters shadow are we?" Lucius spat back at him digging his hand into his pocket in search for his wand
Remus knew one thing for certain. In this life- nobody ever made James Potter or Sirius Black do something they didn't want to do. Once either of them had their minds set on something- there was no stopping them. You could sooner make the rain fall upwards.
"Oh Malfoy you don't want to do that…" Sirius told him sharply
"Really Black? I think I do…"
Before Remus could even blink all the boys were fishing in their robes for their wands. In his mind Remus could see the scene playing out in front of him. He knew exactly where it would end up and it soon became a choice between detention and his best friends.
He thought for a moment of the many detentions he had shared with them after one of their many pranks they found so amusing; he thought of the many times they had spent in the shrieking shack with him, keeping him in check while he was trapped in the body of a monster.
In the truth of it all, it was not even a choice. Time seemed to be moving quicker in his mind as Remus looked to his best friends. Both boys standing at least six foot tall their handsome faces set on their target. Both boys- he thought- were better than him and he occasionally wondered how he had managed to score and keep their friendship.
But that didn't matter now- he knew neither of them would ever think about any of this before raising their wands for him- no matter what the reasons or the danger that came to follow- if he needed them their wands were drawn and they were fighting beside him-every time without fail.
To James and Sirius a mate was a mate… but a best friend was someone you would die for. So detention was just another memory of them all together.
As time caught up with him- the tawny haired werewolf reached into his robes and drew his wand to the same height as his friends, not needing to look at them for approval or to make sure they were still there; They always were and always would be.
He smiled remembering back to when James had said this back when they had shared their dormitory for the first time. Marauder was not just a word to them.
"The Pathetic Marauders…always ready for a fight" came a greasy voice from the middle of the crowed as n equally greasy boy pushed his way forward.
Sirius had not even noticed Snapes' presence until he had spoken-this was going to be more fun than he thought.
Severus Snape was an oily sixth year whom Sirius and James took great pleasure in tormenting. He looked like a plant that had been left in a dark room and eventually wilted out of desperation for sunlight. His snide comments and loathing of muggle borns often scored him continuos trips to the hospital wing.
"I beg you to remember what happened the last time Severus…" Remus told Snape calmly "I'll think you'll find that Madame Pomfrey will dislike having to saw the antlers off again…"
"Always trying to get Potter and Black out of their own messes aren't you Lupin?" Snape shot at him
"Actually Snape I'm doing this for your benefit… I would like nothing more than to see you lying on this floor" Remus insisted
"And Moony as we have proven on many occasions we can arrange that…" James promised him
"Just try it Potter, I'm not alone anymore" Snape warned him as he stepped forward and for the first time met James's glare.
"I would like nothing more" James snarled
Silence passed over the two groups of boys, their glares growing stronger with each second. Wands at the ready- each boy silently dared their opponent to cast the first spell.
As if on cue a voice broke the silence and tension- a voice that belonged to a very angry Lily Evans.
"Boys wands down! Now! Disgraceful… in the middle of the corridor! No maturity. Potter, Black, Malfoy and Snape… I'm not surprised. And Remus? We're prefects you should know better…"
After Lily's outburst each boy began to lower their wand, James however kept his pointed directly at Snape.
"Potter that means you!" she snapped
James knew it would be Lily- even before she had opened her mouth. He could tell by her footsteps and her breathing. He had everything about Lily Evans figured out right down to the last detail.
She was amazing- no, that wasn't the right word- what was better than amazing? He often thought about this and he could never quite figure out the word for Lily Evans- but whatever it was she was it.
While most people would not even have been able to get his attention while it was fixed on Snape, she had the ability to make all his thoughts turn to mush. If somebody wanted him to do something, they would only have to get Lily to ask. He was unable to refuse her anything. This was no different.
Slowly he began to lower his wand.
"Oh Potter how sad… taking orders from a mudblood?"
It was the same girl that got him into so much trouble. The use of that word in any case made James furious- but when used in relation to Lily- it made him crazy.
"Say that one more time and I swear I'll they'll be scrubbing your body of the ceiling for weeks…" James snarled- his wand instantly up and pointing at Snapes chest
Severus however seemed unaltered and smirked at James's fury.
"It's sad really…" he drawled to his friends "You could do so much better than a dirty little mudblood like her."
Within seconds James had Snape slammed up against the wall, his wand pressed dangerously hard against his throat.
"What did I just say?" he whispered
The fear could be seen in Snape's eyes- though he tried his best to cover it.
James shoved him again- feeling the Slytherins bones jolt in his skinny little body.
"What did I just say?" he repeated in a deadly low voice "Don't you ever talk about her like that, never you hear me? Never? She is one hundred time the witch you will ever be! Don't even look at her!"
"What you gonna do Potter?" Snape smirked "hex me?"
"You don't even want to imagine what I will do to you if I hear you talking about her like that again" James promised him, his hands shaking with fury
He had not even noticed that both Remus and Sirius were holding him back or that all the Slytherins had wands drawn again- pointing at his head.
"Shut it Potter!" Lily snapped "Wands down…. all of you! I don't need your protection"
James shoved Snape away from him and turned to look at Lily
"You may not need it but its there anyway…" he promised her
"Well get rid of it." She spat at him "It just embarrasses both you and me. Now all of you back off and get to your classes…"
The two groups of boys stood staring at one another, showing no signs of moving
"Now!" Lily barked
Slowly each student drifted off until it was just the Marauders, Snape, Lily and Lucius. Lily began to depart and James took to follow suit, as they rounded the end of the corridor Lucius shouted from the other end.
"Your just as bad as your filthy little girl friend Potter!"
Before James had even thought it through- the curse had escaped his lips
"Stuperfy!"
As both boys lay stunned on the ground, James briefly admired his handy work and shot a grin at a glaring Lily, before continuing on his way to McGonagall's office to receive the detention he knew she was going to give him.
"So he actually stunned them?" Charli asked enthusiastically from the couch in Gryffindor common room.
"Yeah…. Both of them were on the floor!" Lily told her
"Then what's the problem?" Charli asked
"What's the problem?" Lily demanded her voice growing more high pitched with each word "What's the problem?"
"Lily the boy-who might I add is incredibly sexy…" at this Lily threw a cushion at Charli which hit her square in the chest. The dark haired girl rolled her eyes and continued
"As I was saying… he is incredibly sexy and fancies you a lot… hexed two of the biggest prats known to man in an attempt to defend you?" she sighed loudly "If you ask me he did a good thing… those two deserve what they got!"
"Maybe so… but James Potter was not the one to do it! Those two should have been dealt with by teachers" Lily insisted "Potter has this inability to follow the rules and takes things that don't concern him into his own hands. Besides, hexing them was just as immature as what they said! Sirius and Remus were no better either…"
"Well Sirius Black can hex anybody for me any day…" Charli told her
"I swear to god! Do you ever think about anything else?" prompted Jenny, from behind her book on the adjacent couch.
"What? I bet his arms look really good when he is using his wand" Charli told her innocently
The four girls all cracked up at once- laughing hysterically at what Charli had said.
"Man girl you got it bad…" Lily managed to get out through her laughing fit.
"Yeah I'm almost embarrassed to be seen with you…." Jenny told her "almost…" she added when Charli turned to glare at her
"I'm not that bad" Charli exclaimed in her defence "I don't really like him I just like to look" each of her friends gave her the of course you don't look with raised eyebrows "Really I don't!" she added
"Mhm…" Lily murmured with a grin
A few moments passed in silence and once again they were all laughing. Charli took this as a good sign and began to throw cushions all around- hitting her friends when she could. After several minutes of this a full scale pillow fight had begun between the girls.
They were so involved in the fight that none of them noticed when the Marauders enter through the portrait hole, except James still waiting in McGonagall's office.
Stumbling in on the scene that faced them- each boy had a different reaction.
Peter seamed overwhelmed- seeing girls in their natural state was not a common thing for him, in fact if it were not for his friends- it was quite possible he would not have even heard one speak.
Remus smiled warmly- he liked these girls individually- each of them for different reasons and he was pretty sure they all liked him- Not how they liked James or Sirius- but these girls wanted to talk to him as a good friend and that was enough for now. His friends mucking around like three year olds was enough to make him smile.
Sirius however was intently watching the four girls run around and smack each other with pillows. Four energetic girls getting sweaty and worked up. Good…. Very good. Especially when Charli Kent was one of them.
"Can we join in?" he asked
The sound of somebody else in the room startled the girls. They immediately attempted to regain themselves, Sam not noticing the problem of the boys finding them like this was caught up in a hit- when Jenny knocked her off the couch- sending her flying into Sirius arms. He caught her with ease- but it was followed by a long awkward silence as his hands well placed gently on her stomach
"Oh…sorry" he muttered quickly, pushing her up to her feet as she pulled a feather from her hair
"Why? I fell on you…" Sam pointed out
"I wish I had fallen on you…" Charli murmured longingly from the couch.
"Yeah… I guess… no problem" Sirius said quickly
"Thank you…" she told him before siting down on the floor
Sam was right… he had done nothing wrong. Then why had he been so shaken? He had had girls in his arms before and he was always in complete control. It wasn't like he had dropped her and she hadn't been angry about anything. Weird. He dismissed his thoughts due to the look Remus was giving him.
"Anyway you didn't answer our question, can we join in?" Sirius countered with a hinting grin
"Oh sorry Black… Funs over" Charli told him taking her seat on the couch
"Well we can make our own fun…" Sirius continued with a seductive smirk
"Only in your dreams…"
"Yeah… they're usually a lot of fun…" he added with a wink
She hit him playful making him fall down onto the couch. Charli sat up immediately, jumping at the chance to sit with him. The rest of the friends lazily sprawled themselves out in front of the fire, soaking up the warmth and sighing comfortably.
"Sam why are you sitting on floor?" inquired Remus gazing down at the blonde sixth year who was lying back down on the bright red rug
"Everything makes more sense from the floor…" she answered lazily without looking up
"Right…."
"Where's James?" Charli asked, looking up from Sirius's eyes for the briefest of moments
"Still in McGonagall's office" Remus informed her
"Ah! I love the smell of month long detention in the evening!" Jenny gloated from her seat on the couch
"Actually when we left them, they were rather wrapt in a conversation about next weeks Quidditch match…" Remus corrected her
Jenny rolled her eyes and picked up her book from the table beside her, propping it open against the arm of the couch.
"So, now exams are over we've only got one thing to look forward to" Sirius exclaimed through a stifled yawn
"What's that?" Lily asked
Sirius turned to stare as her as if she was insane.
"Slughorns end of exams party!" he almost yelled, his voice brimming with excitement and his grey eyes flashing boyishly.
Of course. Lily had almost forgotten about the cheery potion masters end of exam party. It was the one social event most students set their eyes upon and if you managed to scrape an invitation from the bubbly Slytherin head teacher- you were very lucky indeed. Though the aspect of relaxing after the stress of exams was rather promising to the young redhead, there was just one problem….
Every guest who was invited- needed to bring a date.
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