Disclaimer- If I owned this stuff, I'd be rich, an adult, buy myself a cat, and the expansion packs for Sims 2. But I'm poor, 14, my mum hates cats, and there's not enough memory on our PC for Sims 2 to work properly, let alone the expansion packs.

Chapter 14: Showtime

Previously:

They then fed James the vile mixture, watched the reaction, which involved James screaming blue murder and then moaning about marshmallows before dunking his head in a bowl of water which Remus swiftly conjured up when he saw the steam pouring out of his friend's ears. Now all they had to do was get back to the castle…

'Why did you do that?' James said snappishly. 'I was drunk. I liked being drunk. I spent money on being drunk. Why did you have to go and ruin it? And how?'

'Caroline,' said Sirius simply. Remus and Peter tactfully ignored the use of her Christian name.

'Hawling? But how…?'

'She was in school choir.'

'What?'

'Doesn't matter,' cut in Remus. 'I want to go back to school. I'm tired. I'm hungry. I'm cold. And this place smells. Let's go.'

The others, including Caroline, who had been looking longingly at the drinks behind the bar, agreed, and they made their way back to the passageway.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, James was put to bed, and the others went up to the girls' dorm again.

'OK. We've got costumes,' said Sarah, gesturing to the clothes laid out on the bed. Suzie nodded in agreement, and Sarah added, 'And the make-up is natural, so it's going to be as easy as cake.'

'That's not an expression,' interrupted Remus suspiciously, 'Do you mean "easy as pie" or something along the lines of "a piece of cake"?'

'Neither,' she frowned slightly. 'I said "easy as cake", and that's exactly what I meant.'

Lily sighed. They were now looking deep into each other's eyes, seemingly oblivious of any of the others. It sounded cheesy, but it was true. They weren't quite as blatant as Sirius and Caroline, but the flirting was definitely there.

'Well, thank you, Sarah. So we've got costumes, make-up, so now, we need the music. Fortunately, I have found a copy of it.'

Caroline snorted. 'What, just lying around? Sure, Lils.'

'Fine, I wrote it.'

There was a charm they had recently learned, which would have been very useful for the fifth-year divination students, trying to remember elusive dreams, as it took a memory, and wrote it down in full. It was, for obvious reasons, not allowed in tests. Lily had used this charm to write down the music.

'OK. Fine. We have the music. That's the important thing.'

She distributed the music, one copy to each person, and they started practicing. After a couple of weeks, with a practice each day, in which they all went to bed tired, James felt very left out, and the teachers for whatever subjects they had first thing started wondering if their lessons were really boring, they knew the piece, and could all sing it, or play it, perfectly.

The day was decided for the performance, the alarm clock was set up, one last practice was done, and they all decided to have an early night. It was showtime.

Remus Lupin woke up. What on earth was that sound?

'Hiough.' There it was again, and he could hear someone else's voice. A female voice.

'Hmm. That one wasn't quite as good. Not such a rich sound. 6 out of 10.'

'Hiough!'

'Oh, that one was good. Rich and full. 9 out of 10.'

He could tell what it was now. Someone was hiccoughing, and someone else was rating the hiccoughs. Therewas onlyone person he knew who would do that. He paused. No, there were four, and this voice was female, so…

'Caroline. Cease.'

The whole room erupted with laughter. He groaned. Hyper girls. He looked over at Sarah, who rolled her eyes.

'Lily got hiccoughs, and then Caroline started rating them.'

'God. Well, they'd better shut up, or they'll wake up James.'

'No, they won't. Before I let them in, I placed a sleeping charm on him.'

He smacked his forehead. 'Why didn't I think of that?'

'Because you're an idiot.'

'Thanks.'

'Any time.'

'We'd better get the others up,' said Remus, resigned to the fact that it was going to be a long day.

'Why do you sound so upset?' Sarah asked, head on one side, 'I would have thought it would have been fun to wake them up.' She grinned impishly. 'I'll help.'

Remus smiled, and was reminded why he liked her.

'All right then.'

He conjured up some ice, she conjured up a megaphone, and they set to work.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!'

'Well, I'd have to say that worked. He still asleep, Lily?' asked Sarah chirpily.

'Yes.'

'You scared her hiccoughs away,' scowled Caroline.

'Don't be a sourpuss.'

Caroline smiled.

'I get to sing.'

'Yes. Quite.'

Peter, Sirius and Remus changed into their suits, and got into position, next to the girls in their floaty clothes.

'Suits you, Sirius,' said Caroline.

'Should have seen me in my pyjamas,' he replied, winking.

'Another time, maybe.'

James woke up, and nearly gasped. There was Lily, in a beautiful green floaty skirt, and a white long-sleeved top, hands behind her back, sitting on the end of his bed. On the left side of her, there were Sarah, Remus and Caroline, in a line, Remus in a dinner jacket, which James didn't even know he owned, the girls in something along the lines of what Lily was wearing. At the foot of the bed, Sirius was sitting, with his drum kit, also wearing a dinner jacket, but it looked slightly more dishevelled than Remus', and on the other side, were Peter and Suzie, Suzie following the familiar pattern, Peter's dinner jacket looking a little too big for him, holding a violin and a flute respectively.

When they realised that he was awake, Sarah, Peter and Sirius started playing, and after a few bars introduction, Lily joined in.

'Look at me
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I can't understand
I get misty just holding your hand'

Remus, Caroline and Sarah joined in the melody, adding a little ornamentation to the main tune, sung by Lily, who, James noticed, had a particularly sweet voice.

'Walk my way
And a thousand violins begin to play
Or it might be the sound of your hello
That music I hear
I get misty the moment you're near'

This was her favourite song, wasn't it? It was, as well. James sniffed. It was very, very sweet of her. The song went into the middle eighth, and James suddenly thought that it wasn't just a lovely song, nor was it just what he sometimes felt. It was what Lily felt. He didn't know quite why he thought that, or if it was true, but he almost felt like tearing up.

There was a musical interlude, and luckily James didn't hear the swiftly hissed conversation between Remus and Sirius, because it would have really ruined the atmosphere for him.

'Sirius, what are you using as a drumstick? Is it what it looks like?'

'Yep. My wand.'

'Oh. OK. And the other one?'

'Your wand.' He tossed said item in the air. 'I'll be careful.'

'You don't know the meaning of the word.'

'I do.'

'Break it and die, Black, you mangy mongrel, break it and d- On my own
Would I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove
I'm too misty, and too much in love.'

Of course, this little sideshow did not escape the notice of the rest of the musicians, whose iron will was the only reason the whole lot of them didn't dissolve into insane giggles and ruin the entire thing.

Yes! I finally finished it! OK, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, at least as much as I enjoyed writing it, and look out for chapter 15, which will be coming soon. I have now successfully updated every single chapter, so please hang in there, and read them, because they are so much better. I was actually ashamed of them before, now I am so proud of them. Anyway, I'm rambling, so I have three requests for you:

Review this. Please. It will take two seconds. And it will make me feel so happy. If not about this chapter, then about football.

Read the previous chapters. They really are worth a re-read. Especially as half of them are completely unrecognisable, and I am now so proud of them.

Wait for chapter 15! It won't take as long as this one, promise!

Smile!

Larka : )