Ch. 3: currently untitled
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, and, of course, everything you don't!
This Chapter is dedicated to Moony4Moony. And special thanks to PsychoLeopard for the review!
…
"Heya, Wormtail," Sirius said jovially as he stepped into a compartment, greeting the Marauder that sat there alone. Last, but not least, Sirius thought as he took a quick look at his friend. He was a short boy, with beady, dark eyes and blondish hair. He was a little plump, it was no secret, and he had gotten teased in the past. But James, Remus, and himself had always treated him just the same.
"Hi, Padfoot!" Peter Pettigrew responded happily, grinning. "Alright?" Sirius threw James's and his trunks on the shelf that was barely above his head, lifting them with a heave. Once the task was complete, he plopped himself down onto the bench across from Peter.
Sirius returned the smile and responded. "Not so much. I think I've just lost my best friend to the dark side," he said seriously, the smile vanishing. Stupid Prongs, he thought, you and your Head Boy badge… we won't be able to do anything this year. Not really, anyway…
"I know what you mean. What was Dumbledore thinkin', eh?" Peter responded, leaning back into the bench, obviously very comfortable. "We're not going to be able to have any fun now."
"Rubbish," Sirius retorted sharply. "That's complete rubbish. I'll make some fun, and if I have to Imperius Prongs to make it happen, so be it." He grinned innocently. He would never perform an Unforgivable, never in his life; especially not on his best friend. Peter laughed.
Seconds later, he asked, "So where are they now?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, putting his hand to his forehead and falling down onto the bench dramatically. One arm and leg hung off the seat lazily. "Prefect meeting," he replied, not looking anywhere but the inside of his eyelids.
"Lunacy." Peter said. Sirius knew he had rolled his eyes without looking at him. "Do you know who's Head Girl?"
"Don't be thick, Wormtail. Of course it's Evans," Sirius responded. Who else would it be? He thought.
"I thought so," Peter said. Sirius knew he was lying, but let it slide. Good ol' Wormtail… He peered out his left eye and studied Peter for a second. There was quiet around them, except for the sounds of students outside their compartment.
"How do you think it's going?" Peter voiced. Sirius caught the nervous tone and a laugh, which sounded somewhat like a bark, escaped his lips. He turned his head back to Peter and sat up.
"In all honestly, Wormtail, I'm surprised we haven't heard their screams all the way down here. I mean, knowing Evans… I'd be shocked if the front half of the train doesn't blow up within the next two minutes."
…
"Think she'll make it?" Alice asked Frank. She was leaning against him, and he had his arms around her, holding her tight.
Frank laughed gently. "No way in hell."
…
Lily trotted through the door to Compartment B. As the door slid open before her, she heard the voices inside hush quickly. She stepped inside, smiling around at the twenty-some faces that were sitting around her, their eyes watching her intently, curiously… some, loathingly. There were a few she didn't know—obviously they were the newly appointed, fifth-year prefects. Lily remembered when she had first gotten her badge…
Just then, her reminisce was interrupted by none other than James Potter walking in, no, not walking, strutting in. She saw him smile his famous smirk and rub his hand through his hair. Git he hasn't changed one bit, she thought, but found herself smiling shortly thereafter. What the…? Smiling? Why am I smiling at him? Stupid, idiotic, haughty…
She wiped the smile off her face quicker than the blink of an eye and started to speak. "Firstly, are we all here?" She looked around. "Hufflepuff?" She counted six sweet-looking teenagers, all of whom smiled politely. "Ravenclaw?" They all raised their hands promptly. Good ol' Ravenclaws, always making things so much easier…Lily thought, appreciating them greatly.
"Alright, Gryffindors?" Lily spotted Remus Lupin out of the five red-and-gold-clad students immediately, who had been her Prefect counterpart from fifth until sixth year. He nodded at them slightly, looking nervous. So he knew, Lily thought scathingly. He knew and he never told me. So rude…
Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, she counted six more people. "And I count six Slytherins for the lot. Hello, everybody. My name is Lily Evans for those of you who don't know me. I'm a Gryffindor, and your Head Girl this year."
"James Potter, Gryffindor, Head Boy, at your service," James announced to the small crowd of people. Lily saw two Ravenclaw girls giggle slightly and whisper behind their hands to one another. All the Hufflepuff prefects grinned up at him. Lily rolled her eyes. She swore she saw James wink at them slightly.
"Ahem," She cleared her throat, cutting off the giggles immediately. She caught herself glaring at the girls around her. Have they lost their minds? He's just a huge jerk behind that good-looking façade.
Lily didn't, couldn't, deny it. James was good-looking. Very much so, at that, but Lily had always thought he was uglier than a boil-ridden toad, with his going around and pranking everything in sight, picking on innocent students for no reason. But then, he had turned down being Head Boy for me…
"Right, then." Lily shook her head and pushed those thoughts out of her mind very quickly. She didn't want to even think about that right now. There were more pressing matters at hand. "My congratulations go out to the fifth years. Welcome back, to the rest of you."
"Feel free to let your minds wander, for those of you who already know all of this, while we explain duties to the newbies," James interjected suddenly, looking around at the students in sixth and seventh year.
"Ah, yeah," Lily said. James was acting like he even knew what was going on. GIT! GIT, GIT, GIT, GIT, GIT! "You don't have to listen to me, I'm only Head Girl and giving you your duties this year." Lily said, staring pointedly at James.
"Sorry," he said quickly. Lily saw his ears flush pink as he bit his lip. He looked away. Serves him right. Now I bet none of the Slytherins will listen to me after that…
She stole a glance at Remus. He had arms propped on his knees, with one hand over his eyes. She wondered why he looked so… So what? Lily thought, wondering…
…
"Alright, let's just get on with this meeting. Your duties include patrolling the train today hallways after hours at Hogwarts. James and I will" Did she just call me James? "have a schedule to give to you by tomorrow evening. You cannot miss a patrolling, or the privilege of being able to stay up after hours will be taken from you. Other duties include taking and giving points from and to the Houses. Do not abuse this privilege, because it can be stripped of you, along with your badge, without a single warning. You will be expected to attend Prefect meetings once every month, a schedule of which we will have given out to you with the patrolling schedule. Oh, and you have the great privilege of giving out the password to your common room to everyone in your house… you can decide how do to that amongst yourselves."
James had listened to Lily talking intently, and, try as he might, could barely keep the grin from spreading across his face. She called me James. After six years of 'Potter,' I'm finally—
"James?" he heard Lily say next to him. "James!"
"Sorry, what?" he asked absentmindedly, turning to her and staring into those bright green orbs. They were intoxicating. The grin still plastered on his face. He couldn't help it. She called him James.
"I said," Lily responded. He caught the annoyance in her voice, but ignored it. "Is there anything I forgot?"
James thought for a second, remembering the letter he had received from Dumbledore with instructions... Patrolling, points, SHE CALLED ME JAMES, monthly meetings, and passwords… "Nope," he replied shortly. "That's just about everything."
She smiled at him, seemingly satisfied. This day is brilliant! First my real name, then smiles all around. She's even more beautiful when she smiles... He felt intoxicated; his brain was fuzzy and he got the feeling he got when he did loops on his broom during Quidditch practice. I wonder if she even knows how gorgeous she is. I wonder if she knows what she does to me.
"Right then," Lily's voice made him snap out of his own head. He listened carefully. "Any questions?"
James stared around the room. Everyone seemed to be looking around at one another or shaking their heads. He saw the same to Ravenclaws smile when his eyes passed over them. What's their problem? He asked himself, quirking an eyebrow. His gaze flowed over the crowd, and they rested on a greasy-haired boy with a hooked nose that he hadn't noticed before. His hand was in the air.
James glared in the direction of the boy, his eyebrows slanted slightly with disgust and, almost, happiness. Excellent, he commented vindictively. An icy shiver ran through his body, and he seemed to swell up with loathing. He felt a smile start to twitch at his lips. Snivellus.
James' hand itched to reach into his pocket, but then remembered who was standing next to him. What, exactly, is the point of hexing greasy old Snivellus? Lily hates it. And, just because he is the bane of my existence, James thought dramatically, doesn't mean I have to prove that I'm better than him…
"Yes?" Lily's voice rang out from beside him. The cold that had rushed through him slowly ebbed away at the sound of her voice.
"We were all wondering," Severus Snape started, his voice as greasy and ugly as his hair. James saw the smirk. "how a Mudblood and a Blood Traitor like you became the Heads this year?"
James's wand was out faster than he could think, and he had strode the short length of the compartment to Snape. The gap was closed in a second, and James could feel his heart pounding against his chest, all the emotions that had vanished before were now alive. His blood was on fire with hate. His wand was pressed against Snape's chest, hard. How dare he.
James could feel the curse on the tip of his tongue. It was there, right there, but why couldn't he say it? Why… can't…
James glowered down at Snivellus, who looked back with just as much loathing as James felt. But somehow, somehow, his hand started to fall down, lower… lower…
And he pocketed it. Suddenly strung with a new perspective, he turned around and strode over to where Lily stood. He grabbed a piece of parchment from the table and looked at Remus for a quill. Remus looked shocked, but then smiled as he handed it over. Soon, James had an inkbottle from a Hufflepuff boy (who seemed to have realized what he was doing and dug into his bag hastily for one) and was scratching away.
…
What the—Lily thought, staring curiously at James, who had started writing on a bit of parchment. She stared at him. He didn't just hex Snape into oblivion…Am I dreaming? She had had her wand out, prepared for the strike that she knew was about to come. But it never did. Instead, he had gotten out a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink and started writing. Writing what?
She walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. She was shocked. Utterly, totally completely shocked. Is this really James Potter, the James Potter, who would hex you just as soon as look at you, just because he was bored, or feeling the need to show off. And he gave up a fight to write a note to… Professor Slughorn?
She saw James look up. She saw the furious tint in his eye as he said, "You're all dismissed" in a very indifferent tone. It seemed that he was actually abstaining from cursing Snape with every fiber of his moral being and doing the adult thing to do. Lily could almost feel the hatred pulsating off of him, and when she heard his voice she caught the regret. James Potter just backed away from a potential fight. Now that is something you don't see every day.
Within seconds, all the prefects were out of the compartment. Remus stopped at the door and turned around like he was about to say something. He opened his mouth and shut it again. James looked at him and nodded, which the fellow Marauder returned with a smile. What was exchanged between them, Lily did not know, but she decided not to ask. James seemed to be calming down, but she could tell he was still slightly mad.
There was a long silence between the two. Lily couldn't think of anything to say. He seems different, almost. She wondered why he didn't hex Snape? He always does when he called Lily a Mudblood and James and even his best friend Sirius 'Blood Traitors.' Why didn't he? His wand was there, he easily could've just…
But you would've been mad, Lily, that's exactly why he restrained himself and you know it.
…
The silence was beginning to get deafening. James finished his writing a minute ago and was now staring out the window determinedly. He didn't know what to say to Lily now. He could not believe that he had just turned down an opportunity to curse Severus Snape for insulting Lily and himself. But in all honesty, James didn't feel the need to. Was there a point, really, to jinx him, if he had never learned the lesson afterward in the past?
So I wrote to Slughorn, James told himself, trying and succeeding to be proud of himself. I wrote to Slughorn and now perhaps Snivelly will get his badge ripped away, the dirty rotten—
"Potter?" Lily's voice resonated in the huge compartment. He turned his head slowly. Back to Potter. Great. His sarcastic thoughts were pushed away and he responded.
"Yeah?" He looked at her, his face almost expressionless. What's she going to do?
"I… well, I just wanted to say that if you keep that up I guess I won't mind working with you for the rest of the year." She smiled slightly, looking awkward but determined with her chin held high and one eyebrow slightly raised. "And, I guess, if we have to work as Head Boy and Girl together then we're going to have to set aside our differences… so… friends?" She held out her hand.
James could hardly believe what he was hearing. Did Lily Evans just ask to be his friend? The Lily Evans, who was so beautiful it hurt, who made his heart jump every time she was in the same room as him, who disliked him so much she would have rather had a chat with the Giant Squid than him…. Was actually offering to be his friend? James returned the smile and nodded.
"Definitely." He took her proffered hand and shook it. They let go rather quickly, though. James couldn't believe his luck. He looked down at the floor in front of him and then back out the window. Lily seemed to take this as an opportunity to go back to the Heads' compartment, and headed for the door.
James didn't know what made him say it, but the words were out of his mouth sooner than he could think them through. "Thanks, Lily. That means a lot."
He looked up at her and met her brilliant green eyes with his own hazel ones. He bit the inside of his lip slightly. She's so beautiful…Wait a second. What did I just say? That means a lot… I don't want to scare her off! The hand that wasn't resting on his lap flew to the back of his head, rubbing his hair slightly. He could feel the heat on his neck. James, you IDIOT, now she's going to be all mad or scared or something, oh you prat, you're daft, how could you say that without even thinking?
He felt angry with himself, but Lily didn't seem to notice the comment at all. "Uh, yeah," she said certainly. "Anytime, I guess."
James was on his feet. He felt weird, like whatever he said would have no bearing on their newfound friendship, and opportunity knocked.
"Why do you let them say those things, Lily?" he asked carefully, knowing he might be treading on eggshells.
Then Lily did something that surprised James greatly. She laughed. Oh, how he loved the sound, especially when it wasn't vindictive or icy or even meant to be about him. He was confused, though, and held back a smile. Her's is so contagious. I could be grinning my ears off right now. But why is she laughing, I mean, Snape's a great ugly git, and he just called her… that!
"C'mon, don't be thick," said Lily after she stopped laughing. James was slightly insulted at being called dense, but noticed that the smile remained on her face. "It's Severus Snape saying those things. I know he just says it to make himself feel better." She paused, where she opened her mouth as if she were about to say something. Apparently deciding against it, she turned on her heel and made to open the compartment door.
"I'm sorry."
…
Did Lily just hear right? Do I need to clean my ears? Did James Potter really just apologize to her, Lily Evans?
"What for?" said Lily, taken aback. She stared at him, open-mouthed, wondering what he had done. She tried to recall if she had yelled at him previously… but she hadn't, no, she had not. She looked at him curiously.
The pause was short and almost… relieving? James responded shortly, however, with a shrug. He turned back to the window.
"For everything," said James. She could not see his face. She could only imagine what was going through his mind at that moment. But then she realized…
Everything. Breaking rules at every possible moment, pranking random and almost always completely innocent people, asking her out so often she felt like she wanted to explode from the sheer annoyance of it. If that's not everything, than I have no idea what he's on about.
Wow, he seems so… different? I guess that's a good enough word. More mature, I guess. I haven't seen him pranking anyone yet… but then again, we are still only on the train. He seems like he's changed. Perhaps I never really got to know the real James Potter. Or perhaps receiving the Head Boy badge made him think about his actions and make him grow up a bit. I'm going with the latter. I can't believe he just said that. I mean, is this really him, or am I in some sort of strange dream…?
He had turned around, he noticed, and was looking very nervous. Her face flushed. She realized she hadn't said a word for at least a minute. She just stood there, completely still, her mouth opening and closing every so often.
"I'm sorry, I must look like some sort of deranged goldfish just standing here gaping." She smiled, trying to lift the tension in the room. James gave her a smirk and chuckled slightly. "But your apology had been fully accepted, I assure you. We, uh, might as well go patrol for a bit, don't you think?"
"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we'd better. But I have to drop in on my friends for a bit, d'you mind…?" He looked anxious, and happy, exuberant even, as if he was dying to scream but couldn't. Lily understood the feeling all too well.
"No, no, not at all. I have to do the same thing, actually. So, I'll meet you in the Head's compartment in about, uh, twenty minutes?" Lily asked, consulting her watch and making a mental note of when to be back. James nodded and they walked out into the corridor together and soon went their separate ways.
…
As soon as James dropped Lily off at the compartment containing Alice Webster and Frank Longbottom, he hurried toward the center of the train, glancing in every compartment for any sign of the Marauders. There was a smile plastered on his face that just didn't seem to go away; not that James wanted it to or anything. Suddenly, he heard a small explosion to his left and stopped. He looked inside and grinned.
Opening the compartment door, he stepped in to see Sirius and Peter engaged in a heated game of Exploding Snap, with Remus watching intently next to Sirius. All three of them were lightly covered in black soot. A book lay forgotten next to the prefect, the back cover black with burns as if he had thrown it before his face to protect himself from the scene. It was probably a particularly nasty one, but James decided he didn't want to ask.
Nobody seemed to notice he was even there. Remus cheered and laugehd loudly as one of Sirius's cards made a scene exploding right in front of him, singing the side of his face lightly and leaving a dark mark across his cheek. James laughed right out loud as Sirius punched Remus on the arm, who punched him back indignantly. So like them…
"PRONGSIE!" Sirius exclaimed jocularly, standing up and striding over to him. His and Peter's game was soon forgotten and a few of the cards exploded in Peter's hand. Nobody seemed to notice. James could feel the grin permanently plastered on his face. Lily… and me… friends! This is the greatest day of all my almost 17 years… He could hardly breathe. He was exuberant, practically radiating happiness as Sirius grabbed his shoulders and gently shoved him onto a comfortable seat. The grin just wouldn't go away.
"What happened, mate? How'd it go?" Sirius asked. His mood seemed unchanged as James watched him happily, sitting across from him on the edge of his seat, looking excited. Peter sat next to him, wearing the same interested expression as Remus, who shifted slightly to look at James.
The words flew out of James's mouth, and soon he was telling Sirius in depth of what had happened in the last half hour, feeling slightly embarrassed and still happy all the same. Sirius had varying expressions that distracted him slightly, but many chortles and some fake tears later, James concluded his story (deciding to leave out the apology that he had said before) with a sentence that made all his friends gasp in shock.
"And then she said, 'If we're going to be Head Boy and Girl together, then we're going to have to set aside our differences… so… friends?'"
…
"And then I said, 'If we're going to be Head Boy and Girl together, then we're going to have to set aside our differences… so… friends?'"
Lily was explaining her story to an interested Frank and Alice. They were sitting across from her, watching and listening with varied expressions. Alice had her elbows propped up on her knees and was watching her intently; Frank, on the other hand, looked incredibly amused.
"You do realize what you just did, right, Lily?" he said lightheartedly, smiling. "You're now friends with James Potter."
Lily sighed dramatically. "I know, I know, but I had to do it, otherwise we'd just be bickering all year."
Frank smiled again. "Well, as long as you don't regret it."
Lily perked up slightly, a mixed look of happiness and yet, confusion forming on her face. "See, I don't think I will. Because that wasn't the end of our conversation. Guess what he did?" she bit her lip, excited to finally tell someone what had happened a short while ago.
"What, what?" Alice asked, hopping up once and getting herself more comfortable, but her eyes never left Lily's. "What did he do!"
"He… get this, and I'm really not joking… apologized, to me, for quote, everything," said Lily, smiling. "It was almost… sweet, of him, really. He was so sincere, too. It was pretty… intense." Nice word choice, Lily. They probably won't get it at all…
"He apologized?" Alice said loudly, her mouth gaping open. "James Potter apologized to you?"
Lily nodded.
"My God, either he has grown up a lot or he has got it bad…" Alice said, more to herself. Lily blushed slightly.
"Or both." Frank said. He had looked thoughtful ever since Lily had told them the news and sat quietly, just listening. "Listen, Lils, I don't mean this to be a joke or anything like that. I have known James for the last six years of my life. He's a great guy, I know personally, and I don't care what you're going to say against that," he said honestly, raising his hand to silence her. She had opened her mouth to talk. She listened intently. What is he getting at?
"Anyway, the point is, he only apologizes when he knows he's screwed up. So…don't… don't be rash, k? He's—"
But what, exactly, he was, Lily never found out, for at that exact moment, James popped his head into the compartment they were sitting in. They all turned about to look at him.
"Ready, Lily?" he asked. He looked calm, but happy, and Lily didn't know what to make of it. So she rose to her feet gently and waved a good-bye to Frank and Alice.
"Yeah. Hey, if you see Emmeline, tell her I say hello!" Lily said over her shoulder as an afterthought, thinking of her dorm mate, Emmeline Vance. Emmeline was a stately looking Gryffindor, and had been a good friend of hers since second year. She hadn't seen her yet, and Lily didn't know if she would. She only hoped that they would meet up on the grain, but she knew she wasn't guaranteed anything until later that night. Emmeline was close friends with a lot of Ravenclaws, and she rarely saw her without one of them.
"Sorry I'm late," James told her mechanically as soon as they were out in the hallway. They started walking together. Lily had her hands clasped behind her back comfortably, and James looked just as cozy with his hands in his pockets. He strutted slightly alongside her, but she didn't really care. "Padfoo—I mean, Sirius wouldn't let me go."
"Ah, yes, I have noticed how attached he is to you," said Lily, smiling slightly.
They walked together for some time, just talking, separating fights and solving conflicts, and calming overexcited students down. They took some time trying to convince a scared, mousy-looking first year that there weren't any flesh-eating monsters at Hogwarts, like a rude Slytherin second-year had convinced him. Lily could tell he was Muggle-born, like herself, and remembered when she was his age.
And how long it's been since then, she thought, reminiscing.
"Lily?" James' voice rang through her ears and she was sucked out of her memories of Alice way back in first year. "Lily!"
"Sorry, what?"
"Nothing, it's just that you were completely zoning on me for a second—"
James never got to finish his sentence, though. They could hear loud voices down the corridor some ways. Lily sighed. She looked at James and they both set off in a run. Lily was surprised at how fast he was, but kept pace with him nonetheless. They soon reached the source of the screaming. Lily rolled her eyes.
…
Padfoot, James thought exasperatedly. He watched the scene before him. There was a crowd around two dark-haired boys, one of which was in the air. Snape was floating upside-down, his foot barely scraping the ceiling. James knew it was Sirius pointing his wand at him, and pushed his way through the crowd anxiously. James was suddenly reminded of a scene way back in fifth year with a wince…
Deciding that now was not the time to be reminiscing, he pulled out his wand quicker than he could blink, and pointed it at Sirius, who was standing with his back to him.
"Padfoot," James said seriously from behind him. Sirius jumped slightly and turned his handsome face around. James could only see half of his expression, but could tell that he was furious. "Put him down."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Prongs. You see, Snivellus, here," Sirius gave a jerk of his wand, and Snape hit the ceiling with a loud, sickening crunch. James heard Lily gasp next to him. "thought that it would be a funny little something to sneak up on me and bloody me up."
Sirius turned around completely, allowing James and Lily to see the damage. From his left shoulder to the right side of his stomach, Sirius was bleeding freely from a large, deep slice. James' happiness ebbed away as he looked at Sirius. He showed no sign of pain, but James knew he was hurting bad. He looked pale, almost sickly green as he watched James with glaring eyes. Snape fell from the ceiling and hit the floor with a second crunch. James saw him scramble for his wand, and, being quicker than him, yelled, "Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand flew from his hand and landed in James'. Snape stood furiously, his eyes glaring with a malicious sparkle. James had rarely seen him this angry.
"Give it back, Potter," he said quietly, glowering at, not him, but Sirius. Their eyes never left each other.
"Sorry, but I really don't think that's a good idea," said James, holding it tightly in his left hand. "You're just itching for a good fight, aren't you Snivellus?"
James couldn't stop himself. Snape had, after all, just made his best friend bleed, completely mercilessly.
Lily elbowed her way past him. "What happened?" she called out to the witnesses around them. James waited for an answer.
One small third-year Hufflepuff girl stepped forward started explaining what happened to Lily, her eyes big and brown as she pointed at Snape with a strange expression. She was obviously very frightened of Snape, after seeing what had happened. She had a spot of blood on her uniform, James took note. He could not believe what had happened. An unprovoked attack, that was incredibly low…
James rushed over to Sirius, who looked like he was about to buckle. Remus and Peter were at his side, holding him up as best they could, Remus trying to fumble for his wand. Remus looked scared and as sick as James felt. Sirius was pale—very pale. It scared James. He had never seen anything like this, not in all his years at Hogwarts. Sirius looked like he was about to pass out. The wound was deep, and red, and Sirius dropped his façade and let his face contort into pain. He was breathing hard.
James healed the wound with a swish of his wand—the cut was now gone, but the blood was, too. James had no idea what to do. He looked at Remus, and they took him into their nearby compartment and told Peter to stay with him. He and Remus then stepped out into the corridor, their wands raised.
Lily, however, seemed to have taken care of everything. Snape was now bound by invisible ropes on the ground, his waxy skin flushing slightly pink as Lily glowered down at him.
"Everything okay, Lils?" James asked. He felt like he was in shock, and gulped a few times to keep his lunch down. He prayed Sirius would be alright with Peter for a while.
"Oh, brilliant," she replied, a smirk on her face. "This young girl just told me what happened… and what a curious story it is. I'll tell you on our way to the Prefects' compartment. Shall we?"
James nodded and looked at Remus, who inclined his head. "Mobilicorpus," James said, and soon Snape was being lifted off the ground and was floating in the air. The three headed in the opposite direction of where they were and Lily started talking immediately.
"Apparently Sirius was just walking down the corridor, minding his own, when he saw Snape and gave him a look. Of deep contempt, but with a smirk, that third-year said. And so, Snape pulled out his wand and muttered something, and in a flash, Snape was in the air and Sirius was bleeding." Lily explained slowly. They soon reached the Prefects' compartment and James threw Snape onto the floor mercilessly. Remus looked almost sorry for him, but then his face changed to a look of revenge, and said nothing. He was still fuming about Sirius, and could only pray that he was alright.
"Excellent. Well, Snape, who'd a thought you knew such Dark magic? Yeah, I know the spell, Snivelly. And I'm not surprised you used it unprovoked. We'll be talking with Slughorn and Dumbledore, mark my words. You'll have lost your badge faster than you can say 'Prefect.'" James said venomously, glaring down at Snape with every bit of remorse and loathing he could muster. Soon (but not without a swift kick to Snape's shin), the three were out in the corridor and back on their way to see Sirius.
James was so concerned, he couldn't take it anymore, and broke out into a run. He was breathing fast and pushing after people. You'd better be okay, Sirius, or I'll kill you.
…
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to write, but it's a little longer (and slightly more rushed) than the last 2, eh? Anyway… Well, please review! I will bring Kudos for you all if you do!