Standing There By You
Ch. 19- Stealth
Disclaimer: Let it be known... I hereby declare that by legal binding matters, any recognizable material belongs to the infamous J.K.Rowling.
a.k.a- it's not mine.
A/N: I'm soo sorry about the wait! I did say, however, that I couldn't work on it until Wednesday.. but nonetheless I am sorry. I was very busy studying for finals (not that it helped much, mind you) so I please ask for your forgiveness. First of all I have to thank Dulcis Caelum, thanks for the random questions! Alrities, here ya go...
One by one the first years walked up to the stool, followed by a loud shout of their destined house. The elder students watched with polite attentiveness, but the familiar routine had come to be rather boring.
Sirius groaned, looking longingly at the empty table. "When do you think the ceremony will be over?"
"I dunno," James responded, "but I hope they have-"
"Black, Regulus!"
James cut off as the familiar name was called. He craned his neck to have a better look at the raven-haired boy, before turning to look as Sirius curiously.
"Is he related?" asked James.
Sirius gave a short nod before muttering, "Brother."
"Oh great," Lily remarked sarcastically. "Another Black."
James opened his mouth to ask more, but Sirius quickly began another conversation. "Did you hear about the new captain for Bismarck?" he asked, staring determinedly at James and away from the sorting.
"Er," James was, at first, a bit puzzled at Sirius's sudden change of topic. After a couple of seconds, though, he caught on that Sirius wanted to avoid the subject.
"Oh, yes, I have. Heard it was supposed to be Johann, but they gave it to Mosely."
As Sirius nodded, Lily rolled her eyes incredulously. "You're talking about Quidditch when your own brother is being sorted!?"
"I really can't believe they did that," Sirius continued loudly, blatantly ignoring Lily. Demitri's a right old fool, if you ask me."
"Right," James nodded. "And what about-"
"I can't believe you," Lily scolded. "Aren't you even cur-"
"Slytherin!"
Lily's eyes widened and she nearly strained her neck when she whipped around to view the sorting. Seeing it was Regulus indeed that was sorted into Slytherin, she turned back to face Sirius.
The boy's face had flinched for a split second, but this act was barely noticeable as he returned to his conversation with James. He was obviously not surprised.
That evening, as the remainder of summer nights still lingered in the warm grounds, many students milled around, enjoying the last of the warm weather.
Peter yawned. The drowsy atmosphere left everyone feeling tired and bored- there wasn't much to do except stroll along the lake, or sit under a shaded tree.
James and Sirius- ones never to be bored for long- stopped when they reached the towering Whomping Willow.
"Hey, betcha can't touch the trunk," James challenged.
"Well I could get farther than you could," Sirius responded, accepting the dare. Boldly he held up his head and took several long strides toward the still tree.
Just as he reached within 3 meters, however, a branch whipped out from the side and smacked him across the shoulders.
"Argh!" Sirius cried, as he flew back to the same spot he had started. He hastily scrambled up and hurried to a safe distance away from the tree.
James laughed. "That was.. three steps in, eh Sirius?"
"Hey, I'd like to see you try," Sirius panted.
"Fine," he said. Remus feebly protested next to him, but James ignored him, stepping up to the willow. A few curious students began to gather around them, observing the scene with interest.
James darted up to the tree and ducked a few branches, before meeting the inevitable fate.
"Well I lasted longer than you," James informed his now laughing friend.
Students were beginning to catch on to the conquest, and different sorts of people had begun to test their own reflexes and speed. Most were met with a flailing arm of the Whomping Willow, but everyone scurried out of the way before anything... permanent happened.
Even Remus let loose and took a turn, and after much prodding, Peter did as well. The latter didn't go naught two steps before turning back, but the former got within a very reasonable distance.
"Let me try," a rather large fifth year called Davey Gudgeon pushed through the crowd. His fingers neared the trunk; it seemed he'd be the first to complete the task. His hand practically scraped the trunk, but his shout of triumph was barely heard before his was whisked away by an unexpected branch. The bellow of glory swiftly turned into a wail of terror as it swung him in the air, only visible as a blur.
Remus was very perplexed. The tree was flailing Davey mercilessly through the air, and he was torn between pressing the knot he had come familiar with, or hoping the tree would miraculously let him go. If he pressed the knot, people would wonder- they'd be very curious as to how he knew. If he let him go, who knew if-
"Mister Gudgeon!"
Everyone turned around to see Professor McGonagall approaching the group at a near run, one hand holding up her robes and the other holding out a wand. "Congelo acer!"
As soon as these words were shouted, the tree stopped and the wounded, horror struck fifth year fell to the ground with a thump.
"Never in my life," she exclaimed shrilly, hurrying through the path the crowd of students had cleared. She swiftly inspected the moaning boy, who appeared to be clutching his eye. Grasping his arm she lifted him onto his legs.
"Serves you right," she said, looking over his wounds. Upon seeing that he wasn't in any great harm, she turned to face the rest of the students. "You are all forbidden to go within ten meters of this tree, and anyone who disobeys will get two weeks detention!"
Trooping up to their dormitory, Lily, Grace and Julie found it to be- fortunately- empty. They had heard enough of Val and Angie's raves on the latest hairstyle to fulfill them for life, in fact Grace even mentioned once that she'd prefer one of Lily's studying rants- and this was saying a lot. While their... chipper dorm-mates were no where in sight, it was obvious they had only just left.
The odor of fresh coats of "Really Really Raspberry Red," was distinct, and many curlers and facial scrubs lay about. Grace shook her head in disgust as she stepped toward Angie's bed, (which was garnished with delicate pink laces and sheets, of course), and picked up a magazine that sat on top.
"What to wear, and what not to dare," she read aloud, looking slightly nauseated.
"You've got to be kidding me," Lily mumbled, perching onto her bed.
"Nope," Grace responded airily, as she flipped through the pages. "Oh, well this looks interesting."
"Hmm?" Julie said, walking over to stand beside Grace. Stifling a laugh, she read over Grace's shoulder. "The Ultimate Quiz," skimming the page, she added, "Oh look, it helps you discover things you never ever knew about yourself."
Grace gave a brisk nod, looking determined and serious. "Right then. Let's do it, ladies."
Professor Fides frowned as he looked over the boys' eager faces. "Hello," he greeted, absently shifting stacks of papers aside. "What can I do for-"
"Well have you thought of anything?" James interrupted eagerly. " 'Cause we tried, but we couldn't come up with anything good."
Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but James cut him off. "Okay, Sirius had some ideas. And they were good, really Sirius, but well... so do you have any ideas Professor?"
Professor Fides chuckled a bit at this, before responding to James. "Well, I've looked through a numerous amount of books, and.."
"And?" James and Sirius chorused anxiously.
The professor raised a brow at the amusing pair, before his expression turned somber. "I'm afraid," he said slowly, "that there's absolutely nothing legal you could do."
The boys' shoulders sank at this news. "Alright," James muttered. "Thanks for trying."
Professor Fides nodded, as the crestfallen boys turned to depart.
"If you were a plant, which would you be and why?"
Lily looked at Grace blankly. "What a stupid-"
"Tarattengula," Julie put in quickly. "Precious on the outside, madly evil on the inside."
Grace laughed. "Good one!"
Lily peered at them incredulously. "You're actually doing th-"
"Next question!"
"This sucks," Sirius complained, as he ambled down the hall beside his friend. "What do we do now?"
James shrugged. "He wasn't very much help, was he? And I'd gotten my hopes up."
"I know," said Sirius. "Well we can probably use one of those ideas I thought up over the summer; I'm particularly fond of the spaceship-"
"I mean," James continued, ignoring Sirius, "that was pretty lame. What, all he told us was,"
"There's absolutely nothing legal you could do," Sirius mimicked.
James stopped walking abruptly. Sirius turned to see a slow smile growing on James's face. "Nothing legal?"
Sirius grinned, catching on.
"To the restricted section, my friend?"
James nodded. "Indeed."
Grace scanned the next question. Looking up at Lily, she read, "What's your battle cry out of the following?"
"My batt-"
"Arrrrrggggghhhhhhhhh!"
"This is so incredibly-"
"Waikikikikikwai!"
"I can't believe-"
"ROOOOAAAAARRRRRRRR!"
"Are you seriou-"
"IIIIIINNNNNNNNJJJJUUUUUNNNNSSSSSSSS!"
After several moments of silence, she asked, "Do you honestly expect me to answer that?" Julie and Grace only responded with expectant looks. "Fine," Lily said, giving a defeated sigh. "Roar."
Grace and Julie barely contained their laughter.
Lily gave a reluctant smile. "Well what kind of Gryffindor would I be if I hadn't of chose that one?"
"Well this presents a problem."
James and Sirius stood at the Library entrance, looking around at the lingering students and librarian.
"Maybe we should've brought the invisibility cloak," Sirius said, turning towards James.
James gave a frustrated sigh. "You think?"
"Hey, we don't need the cloak," said Sirius excitedly. "I mean, we are the Marauders, after all."
"And what to you expect to do?" James asked wearily. "Fly over the bookshelf and dodge Madame Pince?"
"Well that's an idea," Sirius nodded. "But I was thinking more along the lines of using our cunning skills, actually."
"Our cunning skills?"
Sirius gave an affirmative nod, before taking a large stride toward some nearby book shelves. "Let's go, agent James."
"Agent James?" James mouthed silently, at Sirius's retreating figure. Sighing, he followed his friend.
"Okay, it says here this is the most important question," said Julie. "It determines your past, present, future, attitude on life, longevity, and opinions on debatable events."
"Finally a decent question," said Lily. "So what is it?"
Julie peered at the magazine. "What are you wearing?"
The three girls looked at one another wearily.
"Robes,"
"Robes,"
"Robes,"
"You are a panther," Sirius whispered, pressing his body close to the shelves as he shimmied along the aisle. "Fast and stealthy, cunning and brave."
"Sirius, are you-"
"Down, down, down!" Sirius hissed suddenly, ducking quickly and taking James with him.
Still holding the protesting James's head down, Sirius peered through a crack in the shelves. Releasing James, he whispered, "False alarm."
"Sirius!"
"Okay, now all we need to do is distract her," Sirius said, examining the distant figure of Madame Pince. "Oy, Tommy!"
A small be-freckled first year turned around quickly.
"C'mere," Sirius beckoned, motioning him to where they stood.
Thomas cautiously made his way over to Sirius. "Yes?"
"Okay Tommy," Sirius began.
"Er, it's Thomas," the boy corrected wearily.
"Huh?" Sirius looked over at him, before shaking his head. "Whatever you say Tommy. Now, we need you to do a favor for us."
The poor boy looked frightened out of his wits. "A f-favor?"
"Oh don't worry," said Sirius. "I'm sure the most you could get is a week of detentions."
"Let's see," Lily started. "If your best friend was a hamburger, your mom was French fries, and your grandma was a coke which would you consume first and why?"
Lily and Julie looked at one another disgusted. "Well that's a little-"
"Hamburger, I think," Grace answered, still contemplating the situation. "Yes, definitely hamburger."
Lily and Julie took a tentative step back. "Oookay, then."
"Alright, this is the best part," said Grace, snatching the magazine from Lily. "The results."
"Lily," scanning the paper, she read, "you need to settle down. You're much too rebellious and need to start focusing on more important matters, such as school. You're wardrobe proves you to be a highly interesting person, and matches your personality perfectly. You will live to be 81."
Lily raised a brow. "The accuracy is uncanny."
"Now mine," Grace continued, ignoring Lily. "You are much too shy and reserved. You need to expand your horizons and be outgoing- fly free! You're wardrobe proves you are dull and-"
"We're wearing the exact same thing!" Lily exclaimed, grabbing the magazine from Grace. "This magazine is a bunch of rubbish. I can't believe anybody would ever waste their time reading it. You've got to be completely dense to actually follow through- let alone go by what is says. Whatever idiots actually believe this thing don't..."
Lily trailed off as Julie and Grace meekly pointed behind her. Whirling around, she came face to face with a fuming Angie and Val.
"Erm...," she started weakly. Looking down at the magazine, she tentatively held it out to Val. "Here's your magazine."
Twenty minutes, three toppled book-shelves, seven screams from Madame Pince and Thomas respectively, and 45 seconds of sprinting for their lives later, James and Sirius stood in their dormitory with as many books as they could carry surrounding them.
"See," Sirius panted. "Stealth, cunning..."
James shook his head. "Right."
"Well we got the books didn't we?" said Sirius, grabbing a text and plopping onto his bed. "Now let's see what we've got."
A/N: Kind of a crazy chapter, eh? The Davey Gudgeon part was mentioned in PoA Ch. 10, by Professor Lupin, just to letcha know. Oh, and I've started up a livejournal, go under my bio under homepage and you'll find it. If people start looking there I'll add info on updates and maybe tid bits from up-coming chapters. Okie doke, I'm out, sorry again for the long wait!
Congelo Acer- (Latin) Freeze Tree
Lanette- Thanks for the suggestions, sorry if it was hard to read. Good luck on your next story, be sure to tell me when you put it up!
Suji- Hehe, I've already talked to you bunches, so not really much to say : ) Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it!
kj-11913- As always, review much appreciated! Thanks bundles : )
Eyes of Nevermore- hey, thanks for the fantabulous review! Your name seems familiar and it's bugging me... hm... oh well, thanks again, glad you liked the flamingos!!
Elven Dagger- Ok, I'm really really really glad you wrote that, because sometimes I worry that it is cliche. Thanks loads for the review, much appreciated : )
Nymphadora003- Lol, really glad you liked it : ) Thanks for the review, and good luck on your exams! (Well, you already took them by now, but... oh well)
FairyPrincess13- I already talked to you, but thanks again for reviewing!
MidnightPrincess- Yup, Sirius is an idiot- sometimes he has strokes of brilliance though. Very much agree with you on the movie, you should e-mail/ IM me sometime and we can talk about it : )
Luna Gypsy- Wow, thanks! I 100% love your reviews : ) I'm not going to do another chapter (just yet) on Petunia being freaked out, but perhaps later on in this novel of a fic!
ImperishableStars- Yes, I know how it is to push away studying/writing essays ::guilty smile:: but I only do it for wonderful people like you! It doesn't come out until the 10th?! Do you live in the States?
Dreamlessnights- Oh, goody, I love when people tell me quotes they like. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks mucho for the review : ) Oh, and I'm really glad you're planning to stick with me, thanks, that means a lot.
Molly- Ooh a trip, sounds fun! And yes, my beta and I have added ourselves into the story : ) Try and guess who we are... I'm serious for Sirius, and beta brings her pink bikini down to her mother's beach house. (Not literally, of course) Thanks for the review! Good luck on your story, btw, and I haven't ever heard of Liar's Market, so I think you'll be alright.
hprincess- Have fun on your Spanish conquest thingie! Wow, thanks for letting me know; it's really sweet that you're making sure I know you didn't abandon me : ) Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it!
Misty Cherry- Wow! Thanks for all of the awesome reviews : ) I'm really glad you liked it, and thanks for that whole site thingie! Aw.. you make me feel so special
Jess- I don't know.. is Sirius flirting with Grace? Thanks for the exam luckage.. hope it helped! hehe, thanks for the review : )
SuperHiperChit- Well, I already wrote you an e-mail, so not much else to say : ) I can't wait to beta your story, I'm sure it'll be magnificent!
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Jay Lupin- Yup, I agree the movies were terrible. So did ya like the story?
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Aerandir- Glad you liked.. oh, sappy crappy ::tear::
Hermione1989- Cuaron is crazy! I'm glad Rowling at least stopped some of the madness. Ok, about the broomstick.. let's just say James is a diehard Quidditch fan, and never goes anywhere without his broom, and some simple rules aren't going to stop him from smuggling it in. Thanks for all of the reviews!
Ninde Annare- Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like it, and thanks for all of the advice : ) Yup, some people need to mellow out, don't they? They called her mellow yellow... what if they did keep the Pink Flamingos? Wouldn't that be interesting? Anybody reading these responses please check out THE SERPENT'S SHADOW or WHY DO YOU STARE because they're awesome and very un-appreciated.
Akire135- Wow, thanks! I'm glad you like it.. I adore your reviews, too!