Standing There By You
Ch. 35- Several Sticky Situations
Disclaimer: How many chapters do you think necessary before I don't need one of these anymore? I suppose I should play it safe... Didn't own it, still don't own it, never will own it.
A/N: Yikes, sorry about the long waiting period. I went to Pennsylvania over the weekend, and tennis just about killed me this week. Sadly, I've yet to even crack open my summer reading, so that may hinder the rest of this summer's future updates. Please don't be angry if I let an occasional week pass between updates, but sometimes there just isn't enough time for everything. Psht. Real life, who needs it.
Sirius shook with laughter, pounding his fist with one hand against the bricks and with the other he supported himself from falling.
"Shut up," Remus grumbled, grinning good naturedly.
Sirius sobered up some, placing his hands on his knees and turning to face Remus. "You broke her ankle?" he chortled, wiping away tears of laughter.
Remus's grin swiftly changed into a frown. "Twice," he informed him sullenly.
"It's all right, mate," James said, clapping his friend on the back. "All that matters is that you got a date to Hogsmeade."
"You takin' anyone, James?" Sirius asked, pushing himself off of the wall with his elbows.
James nodded. "That Tanner girl from Ravenclaw. She was on my Defense team last year."
"Ah, right," Sirius inclined his head, "So-"
He cut off as two blurs whizzed passed him, the only sound they emitted coming out as a high pitched sort of buzz. They kept on going, soaring right past them and into the corridor straight around the corner, landing into the wall with a loud smack.
James looked around with bulged eyes. "What was that?"
"You don't think it was a Hinkypunk, do you?" Peter asked worriedly, shifting behind a near corner.
Sirius shrugged and the boys (excluding Peter, who was certain it was a pair of Hinkypunks) took several strides in the other direction, to see what had flown passed them.
"Whoa..." the brunette said dizzily, taking an unbalanced step off the ground. A large bump where her head had made contact with the wall was quickly rising, and her brown hair lay ruffled messily around it. Straightening out her fuzzy purple sweater, she looked up and waved a tinkling wave at the boys before her.
"Val," a voice whined underneath her. Angie lay crumpled on the ground, an escaped pink high-healed shoe strewn on the floor and her bright pink skirt twisted in the wrong direction. Val gave the boys another quick smile before turning to help her up. The girl stumbled up dizzily, her eyes still fixed in a cross-eyed state. Val bit her lip when she saw this, and smacked the back of her head to rid of the ungraceful expression.
Angie teetered a bit at the whack, but then leaned against the wall and steadied herself . "Oh," she gasped, looking down at her hands. "I broke a fingernail!"
"Never mind that, Angie," Val whispered, poking her elbow into the girl's stomach. Her friend scowled and rubbed her stomach pitifully, before lifting her head and seeing the Marauders. A dazzling grin soon replaced her scowl.
"Are you... all right?" Sirius asked slowly.
"Uh-huh," Val said dreamily. She pulled the usual eyelash batting routine, tilting her head to this side and that, (like she'd seen the supermodels do, of course).
After awhile Sirius moved his head to tilt in accordance to hers. "Are," tilt, "you," tilt, "sure," tilt, "you're," tilt, "all right?"
"Totally," she sighed.
James raised an eyebrow and turned his head to the other girl. "Why were you running so fast?"
"Weeell," Angie began slowly, taking an uneven step toward the inquiring boy. She looked back at Val and giggled. "We just wanted to ask you to Hogsmeade, before anyone else does."
"Oh, rotten luck, ladies," Sirius said, shaking his head and grinning apologetically. "We're already taken."
The girls' expressions fell, as they turned towards one another with matching looks of gloom. They ducked their heads and gathered their fallen possessions, both emitting pouting whines as they reached for each object.
"Eh, perk up ladies!" Sirius exclaimed, draping an arm around each of their shoulders. Val responded by going dangerously limp, and Angie by shrugging his arm off and pulling on James's instead. "There'll always be other Hogsmeade trips, after all."
Both girls nodded fervently in agreement. "Right then, we'll see you later," Sirius said, releasing his arm from her shoulders and sending them a charming grin.
Next to him, James tried retrieving his as well, but Angie clutched onto his other hand hurriedly, disabling him to do so. James frowned and looked to Sirius for help, tugging his arm harder with each yank. "Oh- okay," Sirius cut in, wrenching off Angie's hand with all his might. She reluctantly let go, and James cringed at the marks her long nails had left upon him.
"Bye then!" Val called, grasping Angie's hand and pulling her across the hallway.
"Bye," James and Sirius responded cheekily, turning back to their other friends as the girls giggled their way down the corridor. Sirius winked. "This year should be entertaining."
"It shall," James agreed, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they followed the girls' lead and continued down the hallway. He turned around. "Coming, Remus?"
Remus nodded as he yanked Peter from behind the corner, tiredly explaining there weren't any Hinkypunks, there were never any Hinkypunks, and there never will be any Hinkypunks in the Hogwart's hallways.
Julie fell back onto her bed with a heavy sigh, holding her hands out above her for a dramatic effect. She watched as Grace sat perched on top of a dresser, tapping her feet impatiently; an uneven beat against the rich mahogany.
Julie felt the side of the bed sink beneath her and looked up to see Lily had flopped on beside her. "What's the matter?" Lily asked, peering at Julie from above the pillow she was hugging tight.
"Oh, hurry and close the bed curtains," Julie instructed, her eyes wide with a foreboding sense. "The fumes," she whispered, "they'll get in."
Lily smiled and quickly and complied her order. It was true, due to their roommates recent discovery of The Shopping Network, the room had been filled with an odor that only an over usage of hairspray could supply. They insisted the 'Muggle stuff' was much more effective than any magic.
"Oh would you hurry up," Grace's exasperated voice shouted from her spot on the dresser. "You've been in there for hours."
Lily smirked as she leaned over and whispered loudly to Julie. "I think someone's nervous..."
Julie stifled a giggle and made to respond, when an angry face appeared through a crack in the curtain. "I am not," Grace said indignantly, placing a hand on her hip as she drew the curtain further.
"Right," Lily said, replacing her pillow and setting it behind her head. "How did you know we were talking about you?"
Before she had a chance to answer, Julie continued, "And you just yelled at them to hurry up," she smiled against Grace's glare. "You never tell them to hurry up. Do you want to look special?"
"I don't-"
"No, no, close the curtains!" Lily shouted, interrupting Grace's protest as the girl lifted the thick surrounding material to better tell them off. "You're letting in the fumes!"
Grace rolled her eyes. "There are no fumes," she began, "I think-"
Lily and Julie interrupted her once again by dragging her onto the bed and shutting the curtains closed behind her. "They're getting to your head, dear," Lily informed her, smiling endearingly and patting the top of her head.
Grace brushed off her hand. "For your information," she said, propping herself up with an elbow and curling her feet beneath her, "I am as cool as a cucumber. It's just a regular trip to Hogsmeade, after all."
"Right," Julie laughed, "And..." she trailed off her playful taunting, and sniffed the air around her. Leaning closer to Grace, she sniffed the top of her head, and then fell back and pointed her finger accusingly. "You used the fumes!" she exclaimed, grinning madly at Grace's expression.
Grace scooted away from her. "No I didn't," she muttered unconvincingly.
"No!" Lily cried, hanging her head to hide her laughter. "We've lost her," she wailed, "she's become one of them."
"I have not," Grace defended. "I just- the bottle was sitting right there, and I was waiting- and I just wanted to see-"
"You're right," Julie shook her head dismally, "we've lost her."
Grace hit them both with a large pillow that lay beneath her, before hopping off the bed and storming across the room.
Lily and Julie's chortles went on for quite awhile, but gradually descended as Grace sat facing the other direction in a huff.
"Oh, you know we're just joking," Lily said, still smiling as she leaned off the bed.
Grace didn't respond. Julie looked hesitantly over at Lily, frowning. "Grace?" she tried again. The stubborn girl still didn't answer, facing the other direction in a fury. "Oh don't be angry," she coaxed. "You know we're only playing with you."
Only silence followed, so Lily and Julie collectively stepped off the bed and walked up to her, peeking at the infuriated girl's back as they inched closer. "Grace..." Lily said wearily. "Are you-"
Lily cut off and shrieked as Grace twirled around, armed with two economy sized hair-spray bottles and her lips set into a manic grin.
"N-now Grace," Julie stammered, backing away slowly from the offending expression. "Don't do anything you'll regret..."
"Yeah," Lily nodded her head with vigor, stumbling slightly as she backed into a bedpost. "We were only joking... ha.. ha.." she laughed meekly.
Grace turned the bottles up and gave a spritz of warning. "I'd run if I were you."
Sirius leaped off his bed and onto the one beside his. "Ready yet?" he asked impatiently, tapping his wrist where a watch would lay. "Don't want to keep the ladies waiting," he sang.
Remus nodded and smoothed the front of his robes. "Yeah," he replied, taking a breath and shaking his head with confidence. "Ready."
"Don't be nervous, mate," Sirius said, ruffling his friend's hair roughly in encouragement. Remus groaned and hurried to a mirror to flatten it out, as Sirius continued talking. "Remember what I told you- the three E's: Endangered species, Enchiladas, and Elastic.
Remus smirked. "Right," he said dryly, "I'll be sure to use them."
"What?" Sirius crossed his arms indignantly. "It even says so in Witch Weekly's."
Remus looked away from his reflection, James peered up from tying his shoe, and Peter stopped eating his Cauldron Cake. Almost as if rehearsed, three identical smirks turned the corner of their lips.
"You read Witch Weekly's?" James asked, the smile stretching into a full out grin.
Sirius's eyes widened. "Well no- it's just, you see my cousin-" he cut off and glared at his friends laughing expressions. "Oh shove off," he grumbled. "Either way, it works. Those were the top three things girls like to talk about, and I'm just trying to help-"
"All right, all right," Remus cut him off, smiling still as he stepped through the door. "Let's go, I don't want to be late."
The four boys trooped out of their dormitory and into the entrance hall, where everyone always gathered before a Hogsmeade trip.
"Well this actually works out," James commented as they turned into the crowded corridor. "This way when you come over, you and my mum can swap recipes-"
"Shut it," said Sirius, ignoring his friends and craning his neck to see through the mass of students. There's Abbi now," he said, "I'll go get her and meet you blokes back here."
James nodded and set off to find his date as well. Peter stood beside Remus as they walked off, but thankfully sauntered down the hall to find Anthony Piatt -a Hufflepuff he had become aquatinted with in Herbology- as Grace met Remus's eyes and made to approach him.
She smiled brightly. "Hello," she said, stepping up to stand beside him.
"Hi," Remus responded, flattening his robes nervously for the thousandth time that day.
Up ahead, Filch opened the grand doors with a heavy creak, sending an early winter breeze throughout the corridor, and shivers down the thin-robed students' backs.
Grace pulled her robes around her and turned to Remus. "Ready, then?"
Remus nodded and the pair joined the crowd as they filed out of Hogwarts.
"James," Sirius hissed, scrambling next to his friend. "You don't see her, do you?"
James turned to raise a questioning brow at his frantic friend. "Who?"
"Abbi," he whispered furiously, his eyes shifting this way and that. He paused in his alarming glances and turned to face James. "Where's your date?"
"Friend said she was sick," James informed him. "That's all right, I don't think she'd want to spend as much time in Zonko's as I do anyway, and we're running short on supplies again."
"Good," Sirius nodded. "Make sure you-"
"Sirius!" an animate girl bounded up to them, her brunette curls bouncing everywhere and flopping into her face.
Sirius cringed. "Oh great," he muttered, cradling his head in his hands.
James peered thoughtfully at the approaching girl. "She doesn't look that-"
"Hi!" Abigail Athens greeted cheerfully, grinning at the two boys. She looked over at Sirius. "Where did you go? I thought you were right behind me but you weren't, I think it might've been because I wore my black shoes instead of the brown, well it's not really a brown, more of a suede of sorts, but anyway the brown-suede ones are much faster and I would've worn them but my mum says they're bad for your feet, which can ultimately lead to bad posture, and did you know that bad posture can cause several rare and horrible diseases? Well they're Muggle, so I suppose we don't have to worry about it but-"
"Wow." James shook his head, watching in amazement as the girl remained in her endless chatter, oblivious to her surroundings and still rambling about Merlin knows what.
"I told you," Sirius said pitifully. The boys didn't even bother to keep their voices down- Abbi seemed lost in her own conversation anyway.
"-And I just couldn't believe it when my friend told me the prong of a fork is actually called a tang, but I guess that's how the machete swings, eh?"
Sirius didn't respond, only looking around at his surroundings blankly and frowning at his cursed misfortune. James jabbed him in the ribs and he looked up, seeing Abbi's expectant face. "Oh... er, tang, wow, that's very interesting. Yeah, machete. Could use one of those right about now..."
The rambling girl didn't hear Sirius's last comment, so jovially grabbed his arm and dragged him down the road, needless to say talking his ear off all the while. "You weren't this... talkative when I asked you out," Sirius's confused voice floated down the road.
"Oh right," Abbi replied, "that was the day I was struck with a horrid bout of laryngitis. Did you know that's the most common..."
"So... You like Quidditch?" Grace began, in attempts of filling the silence before it had a chance to arrive.
"Yeah," Remus nodded, grateful for a start of conversation. "I play over James's in the summer; usually I'm chaser with Peter."
Grace's eyes widened. "James has a Quidditch Pitch?"
"Uh-huh," Remus responded. Grace looked wistful and shook her head, leading to a lazy lapse of silence.
Remus looked down at the browning leaves he was shuffling through as they passed the Quidditch Pitch, racking his brain for anything that would spark an interesting conversation.
E number one: Endangered Species. It'll melt any girl's heart once she finds out you're concerned for the greater good, and will be a surefire way to rack up points.
Remus grumbled aloud as Sirius's voice floated its way into his mind, and shoved it aside quickly, concentrating on commencing a more appropriate topic.
The seconds seemed to turn to minutes though, and dragged on as they walked in ringing silence. He grew a bit panicked as neither said anything for quite awhile, and wondered if Grace was bored with him yet, or having the same problem as he. Just as another scrutinizing second passed by, he hastily spoke up. "A real pity about those er- endangered species, eh?"
"And maybe if I went to Florida I could see my Grandparents because they have a spectacular farm with horses and roosters and cows and pigs and dogs and cats..."
Sirius blinked. "Hey," he cut in, causing Abbi to jolt at the unexpected interruption of her infinite soliloquy.
She looked back at him oddly, almost as if angry he'd interrupted her speech. "Yes?"
Sirius grinned at her and swung an arm around her shoulder. "What'd you say we walk in silence for awhile, you know, just enjoy our surroundings."
Abbi nodded slowly. "Okay..." she agreed, shrugging slightly and snuggling closer at the hint of another gust of wind. They walked in blessed silence for a few moments or so, and Sirius heaved a sigh of relief as she managed to keep her mouth shut for a record amount of time.
"Hey Abbi," James's voice called out of nowhere, and suddenly his head popped in-between the two. He grinned at his friend, and then turned to the noiseless girl inquiringly. "I was just wondering... Do you have any preferred means of Magical Transport?"
The girl's eyes widened with excitement. "Of course I do! My mum works for the Floo Network Authority, and she's got the inside scoop on broom regulatory control and apparation test centers, which is just brilliant in itself, but did you know they banned Magic Carpets because..."
"Wanker," Sirius grumbled, smacking James's smiling face away.
James only grinned in return and patted the couple on their backs, before stepping away slowly and tipping his head in farewell. "I'll see you two kids later," he winked, speaking loudly to be heard over Abbi's babbling. "Don't have too much fun, now." He ran off quickly before Sirius had a chance to cause him any bodily harm.
"Do you want to grab a booth in The Three Broomsticks?" Grace asked, as they passed by the familiar pub. Remus nodded his reply, and they entered the warm and inviting atmosphere through the wooden doorframe.
"So..." Remus began hesitantly, as they followed Rosmerta into a booth near the corner. "Do you like Enchiladas?"
Grace paused in lowering herself onto the seat, looking at Remus strangely. After a few moments she shook her head yes and sat back down. "Sure... My Mum makes them all the time."
"There's lots of different kinds of enchiladas," he continued, his voice strained. "There's apple, and beef, and chicken, and sausage-"
Grace nodded slowly. "Yeah... I usually just eat cheese."
"You smell awful!"
Lily skidded around and was met by James's face, which was currently pulled into a grotesque expression. Sighing at the sight of him, she said, "Go away, Potter. I'm having an enjoyable Hogsmeade trip and I don't need you to ruin it."
"No, honestly," James said, wrinkling his noise and leaning away from her and Julie. "What is that? And why is your hair all sticky?"
Julie flushed and patted the remnants of the hairspray attack self-consciously, as Lily rolled her eyes and turned away from the imploring boy. "None of your business." Directing her conversation to Julie, she asked, "Do you want to stop by Flourish and Blotts first, or The Three Broomsticks?"
"How can you breathe?" he persisted. "I don't think you should've came to Hogsmeade, you're polluting the air and probably sickening the people around you."
"You're sickening me," Lily shot back, taking a deep breath and attempting to calm herself before lashing out any further.
"Come on Lily," Julie swayed, her voice soft. "Let's just get some butterbeer."
James grimaced. "I'll run ahead and tell them to open the windows."
Grace and Remus talked on and off, about little things such as favorite classes and quidditch teams. Just as Grace finished telling him why the Wombats should win the cup, Rosmerta arrived with their butterbeers.
"Thanks," Remus said, reaching across the table for his drink and pushing the other towards Grace.
The girl took a sip of the pleasant beverage, savoring the heavenly liquid as it slid down her throat. Remus did the same, and set his mug down with a clank after several sips. He sighed at the repeated lull in conversation.
Lifting his head to look at Grace, he began, "You know, elastic-"
Remus got cut off, however, as the contents of Grace's drink came spraying all over his robes. Grace clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to suppress the laughter that had come bursting out; she ducked her head as her amused hilarity heightened, and the uncontrollable laughter continued.
Remus donned a pitiful look of confusion. "What?"
"I knew it!" Grace managed to exclaim amidst the chortles. Finally she gulped down her laughter and sobered up some, taking a breath to bring herself back to normal. "Sorry, I just- I didn't imagine you as someone that'd read Witch Weekly's..."
Remus flushed. "No, oh no, I just- Sirius told me and I-"
"That was a good issue," Grace smiled, "Did you catch the spring one?"
"I don't read it," Remus insisted, still blushing to his sandy roots. "Honestly, I- Sirius just told me about it before we left, I wasn't going to use them... But well, I didn't really know what else to talk about."
Grace nodded, a smile still spanned across her pretty features. "Well you know, I'm actually relieved," she said, sighing as she propped her chin up with her hand. "I thought you were nutters with the whole 'enchilada' conversation."
Remus laughed, letting out some of the tension he had bottled up inside and relaxing in his seat. "Yeah, I guess I'm relieved too," he agreed after a few seconds of comfortable silence. "I had no idea where I was going with that elastic thing."
"I wonder what happened to Rosmerta," Lily said, peaking above their booth and around the restaurant. "Do you think she's forgotten about us?"
Julie bit her lip, glancing around as well. "Oh look, she's got a huge order from that Intramural Quidditch Team over there," she said, pointing to the spot where a dozen sweaty and rowdy kids had entered. "I'll just go up to the bar and get our order, looks like she's got a bit much on her plate."
Lily nodded as she watched her friend rise out of her seat and walk across the crowded pub. Julie edged past a table of Goblins, and made her way slowly through a walking group of a rather frightening species she couldn't quite place. She had nearly met her destination without any turbulence, when a hastily scrambling boy brushed past her, bumping her shoulder on his path to the bar.
"Get me away from her," Sirius wailed, scurrying past everyone and in front of James. "I can't take it anymore!"
Abbi came chirping behind him. "And once my sister had a pet hamster- funny little creatures they are, with little squiggling tails and beady eyes- and she named it Chip, you'll never guess why-"
Sirius whimpered and turned away from the girl. "James... do something..."
"You should've seen her face! My Great Aunt Edna was appalled when she found out who it was, but when she realized what she didn't know in the first place, she knew it wasn't-"
"She's not my date," James told him, motioning his butterbeer at Sirius. "She's yours. You do something."
"But what could I-" An enlightened expression suddenly crossed Sirius's face as he perked up and straightened from his slumped position. A coy glint passed in his eyes, first forming his lips into a roughish smile and then puckering them with a wink. "Yeah... I can think of something that'll shut her up."
Sirius whipped around rapidly, and without warning grabbed the girl and swiftly pressed his lips against hers. This sent the girl into an abrupt state of shock, but rather unfortunately... it didn't shut up his date.
"Sirius!" Abbi screeched, her hand flying to her mouth as she witnessed the perplexing scene before her.
Julie shrieked, gasping for breath as she shoved Sirius off with all of her might and dizzily staggering back in shock. Before anyone had a chance to react, she had stumbled right into a full tray of butterbeers, sending both her and the glasses shattering to the ground.
It seemed half of the pub immediately rushed to the scene, Lily leading them as she hurried to her fallen friend and shook the girl's shoulders with rash concern. "Julie," she called hastily to the girl, waving her hand above her head to see if she had knocked herself unconscious.
After receiving a rather hard kick in the heel from Abbi, Sirius joined the group of onlookers just as Grace and Remus pushed their way through the small crowd as well. "Julie?" Grace questioned loudly, kneeling beside her to see how bad the injury was. When she still didn't stir, Grace prodded her shoulders and yanked on her robes. "Julie?"
Julie's eyes blinked open, as she lifted her head slightly and looked at her friends and curious customers above her with a dazed and befuddled expression. "Are you all right?" Lily queried. She knit her eyebrows, concerned. "Say something."
Blinking her eyes twice more to clear her blurry gaze, she stared torpidly at the group, opening and closing her mouth several times, but not once uttering a response. Finally, her stance faltered and she leaned back onto the ground. Eyes wide, she breathed, "Bloody Hell."
Above her Sirius stood up and pounded his fist against James's shouder with an accomplished grin. "You see that, mate?" he asked proudly, patting his own lips with fond appreciation. "What a reaction; and that was barely a snog!".
After that much needed ego boost, Sirius headed out with James and Peter with the rest of the Hogwarts students, as it was nearing five o' clock. Abbi whined and chattered at his heels all the while- her vocal chords straining under the maxium endurance she was now putting them through. She finally ceased her complaining when Sirius promised another date that next night, and this time he wouldn't kiss any other girls. The bubbly girl happily agreed.
The group mercifully left Remus and Grace behind, and now that the boy felt no need to start conversations about Mexican food, the atmosphere of it all relaxed. The walk back to Hogwarts seemed much faster as they held light and steadfast discussions, a rather large contrast to the nerve-racking trek there.
"Is your ankle healing all right?" Remus asked, as they gradually continued down the path.
"Yeah," Grace smiled, looking away from Remus as a group of excited third years raced by. Turning back to him, she lifted the hem of her robe and stuck out her foot as best she could, considering they were still walking. "See? It's not even swollen anymore."
Remus's lips tweaked into a smile as he viewed her unique attire. "I like your purple socks," he told her.
She dropped her robes and grinned up at Remus. "Thank you." Fluffing her purple laced raven locks in an extravagant motion, she informed him, "They match my hair, you see. And it's-"
"Your favorite color," Remus finished for her.
Grace lifted her head and stared back at him with a look of pleasant surprise. "How did you know that?"
"You told me," he said, his eyes twinkling slightly with reminiscence. "Right after you chased me around the lake. It was first year, remember? You were a just a tad angry that I'd charmed your hair that violent shade purple."
Grace laughed in response, her eyes darting to the surrounding grounds and the path she had pursued her fellow terrified classmate. "Yeah," she said, fingering a purple lock. "I remember."
Remus nodded, still smiling at the memory as he returned his gaze to the path before him. "But," Grace spoke up again, her purple lock now twisted so far up her finger it had nowhere left to coil, "I didn't just keep them all these years because it's my favorite color, you know."
Remus knit his brows and turned to her with upstanding curiousity. "You didn't?"
"Nope," Grace replied, shaking her head. A small smile creeped across her face as her eyes remained on the road ahead of her. "It was mostly because of the person that gave them to me."
A/N: Okay... I'm sorry this chapter isn't really up to standard, but I had loads of trouble with it. R/G's first date might've been a little lame, but I promise there'll be better ones in the future. Thanks for reading anyway, oh, and if anyone can't recall the purple-hair chase down, check out chapter six.
Lanette- Yup, Grace is very determined. Couldn't have her any other way ; ) I'm glad you're so happy about the frequent updates, it makes me happy you're happy. Thanks for the review!
Misakichi1- You know, I wouldn't mind a bit of fluff either... hehe, thanks loads for the review, I really appreciate it!
Padfootz- I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the info from chapter three, and thanks for the review!
RSB- Remus is a very good boy, you don't have to worry about the 'after chapter common room scene'. Sirius, yes, Remus, no.
Siriusismine- Thanks! That made me feel great, I'm really glad you liked it : ) Gwah!! I can't believe you!! You crazy goose, you've been deceiving me all this time. Well... not really deceiving I suppose, since I never really asked, but... gwah! Hehe... thanks so much for reading! (Can you tell which parts I wrote in your response before I found out?)
Espergirl04- Of course the common room, lol. I'm glad I can provide you a break from your extensive studies.. what are you working on? Some sort of cure for a rare and horrible disease? If that's the case, why are you reading my story and not discovering that cure! Ack, my story has burdened mankind. Um.. okay, I'm in a strange mood right now, don't mind me.
Whitepaw- Hey, you're new! Lol, you probably knew that, but... well anyway, I really love seeing new reviewers, and I hope to see you again very soon! Thanks for the review ; )
L.M. Robertson- Wow, glad you liked it so much! Just the reaction I was hoping for, hehe. Thanks mucho for the incredible review : )
Ieyre- Can you feel the looove tonight? Every time I look at your review I get that song from Lion King stuck in my head : ) Er... well anyway, thanks loads, much appreciated!
Jess- Hehe, I'm very glad you enjoyed it so much, thanks for the review : )
MidnightPrincess- Ay, sorry about the faking out. Was it when Grace touched his shoulder and suffocation seemed a very near and real possibility? Well you see, if he was near suffocation, he couldn't of very well participated in any kissing, without fainting anyway. And we don't want that, now do we? Sorry for the fakage, thanks for the review!
Ninde Annare- Yup, conversing is the first step to a beautiful relationship. : ) Thanks loads for the review!
Oksana- Lol, glad you think so! Thanks for the review : )
Sarah Warder- Yes! I used a British word correctly, hooray : ) Thanks so much for your long and wonderful review, I'm really glad you liked it so much! My spleen? Ack...
Imperishable Stars- Hehe, glad you liked that part : ) I'm also happy you're happy I didn't rush it, and that you think it was very believable... thanks!
Dulcis- Sorry I scared you, asterisk. Hehe, yes, I fixed the French. Hooray! You're a wonderful Hermione, and I'm proud to be madly in love with you. ; ) Thanks for the review, you know I love 'em.
Pline- I think you last read chapter 33? Because since then you should not feel sorry for Remus, hehe. Aside from the fact that he broke her ankle... but that's all right. Well, thanks for the review, much appreciated!
Sapphire039- Ack, babysitting crazy kids does not sound fun. Thanks for taking the time to review anyway, it really means a lot to me ; )
Dreamlessnights- Hehe, glad I could make you laugh out loud! (Literally) Thanks mucho for the two reviews, I really appreciate 'em!
MissBlueAngel- I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for your ideas ; ) Hmm.. fanfiction must've not sent out all the author alerts or something, ah well. Thanks for the review!
Zayne- What's wrong with James? James, oh James. Sadly it is only the beginning of his vainness. : ) Fun stuff. Thanks for the review!
Charmed4ever- Yes, very tough ; ) Your review was awesome, it made me feel positively giddy, thanks mucho!
Luna Gypsy- Ah, I missed you : ( Glad you're back, though! Thanks as always for the kinds words of encouragement, always appreciated!
Oliverwoodschic- I'm glad you're glad! I tried to update as soon as I could, thanks a lot for the review!
tenniStar514- Hello! Thanks so much for taking the time to review my story, and that's okay about the little mix-up. I was a tad confused though, when you were talking about Remus and Grace one moment and then Sirius and... Emia I think it was? Well anyhoo, thanks mucho for the (2) reviews, I'm glad you liked it!
Jounin-Elite- Hey, you know, I can't just exactly jump into Lily and James's relationship, seeing as it's completely non-existent for at least another year or so. And you use a s instead of a z when you're talking informal, with your friends. Which Remus was. : p I dunno, I took Spanish.
Amy Lampion- Yay! I know, I'm excited too. And annoying ; p You're much-too-kind words make me feel awesome, and for that I thank you.
Windowseat Wonderer- I'm really glad you liked the Remus/Grace and awkwardness, I'm happy I could portray it the way you would believe it to be. Yes, Voldemort's in power... yikes. Thanks a lot for your review, I really loved it, and I'm so glad you're back!
Dance-flirt- Hihihello, thanks for the amusing review! I enjoyed it as always, and by the way, Roper rocks Ebert any day. ; ) Oh, and... How'd you like your 286 words?
RhetoricalQuestion8- I'm really glad you liked it so much, thanks for the awesome review! Your penname suits you well, because you asked me a question and then thanked me for it before I answered.. hehe that made me laugh. But I really am trying to portray Julie's character better, that's my biggest downfall. I'm shooting to have her well defined by the start of fifth year (it's fourth now) Thanks again!
Hermione1989- Hello! It's okay that you haven't reviewed in awhile, I know how hard it is to keep up with all these different stories. Thanks for the review, and good luck with your chapters!
Romulan Empress- Wow, Europe. That's awesome, wish I could travel there. Glad you like the romance, it's tough to write. Thanks loads for taking time out of your trip to review, hope you have fun!
Just thought you'd like to know all of your names have made their way into my Custom Dictionary. My spellcheck was going crazy.
If anyone has suggestions for a good summer reading book I could read, (At least 250 pages and not a Major Motion Picture) I'd very much appreciate it!