Standing There By You

Chapter 61- Uncouth Entertainment

Disclaimer: It isn't mine. Specifically taken from JKR's fifth book, etc.

A/N: Hello! I was overjoyed to see some of my very old reviewers return- I missed you all terribly- and some new readers too! This will be the last chapter of their fifth year while in Hogwarts, but they are headed toward a very interesting summer. Thanks for returning : )

…

"I hate decisions," Grace proclaimed, tossing a dozen pamphlets into the air and dramatically leaning backwards. She was currently lounging about their fairly occupied common room with Julie and Remus, sorting through the pamphlets Professor McGonagall had provided for their future career possibilities.

Remus grimaced, thinking of the potential paper cuts. "It isn't that bad," he attempted to persuade her.

Julie leaned over and snatched a pamphlet that had fallen onto Grace's nose. "I think it's kind of fun," she said, reading the title and giggling. "A Plimpy Pulverizer? What kind of a job is that?"

"It's pointless, that's what it is," Grace decided, rolling onto her stomach and propping a borrowed chair cushion underneath her chin. "I don't plan on continuing with one job my entire life, anyway. I'll take the opportunities as they come."

"Come on," Remus prompted, picking up a pamphlet and bopping her affectionately on the head. "You have to have something to tell McGonagall."

Julie shifted through the many parchments. "What are you going to tell her, Remus?"

Before he could respond, Grace crawled onto her knees and faced Julie. "He's going to be a writer," she asserted proudly. "He'll be a household name for generations to come."

"I don't know about that," Remus laughed, but a distinct look of excitement at the idea contrasted his diffidence.

"Well, here goes nothing," Grace said, gathering the pamphlets into a pile and closing her eyes. She stretched her hand out and blindly selected one from the middle. Opening her eyes, she read, "Become a life coach and help others trounce hurdles and stomp out their impediments, exposing them to a truly gratifying lifestyle. Wonderful," she said, flipping open the booklet and examining its contents. "Julie," She stared at her friend with an overly concerned expression. "Are you the person you truly want to be? Do everyday obstacles seem to be escalating to unmanageable proportions?"

Julie shook her head, grinning. "I will not be your test subject," she told her firmly.

Grace spun around to face Remus. "Are you neglecting your personal needs--,"

"Nope," Remus said simply, shaking his head. "And I'm not going to be your test subject either."

"I can't believe you two," Grace sighed disappointedly. "You badger me to my wit's end about finding a career, and then when I finally discover my true aspiration, my long-term determination, my--,"

"You picked a parchment with your eyes closed," Julie reminded her. "Besides, you would need someone really nettled, someone so bonkers they could teeter off edge at any moment--,"

The three students jumped when the Portrait slammed open and Lily stormed through, her eyes glowing angrily. Grace smile. "Perfect."

"Do you know what they were doing?" Lily demanded, not waiting for a response. "Walking down the Potions corridor, I find three first years scrambling down the hall and screaming their poor little heads off. A pair of gargoyles had been charmed to chase them across the school!"

Grace stood up, glancing between Lily and the pamphlet she held fanned out in her hand. "Breathe in… Breathe out…" she instructed gently, waving her hands in exuberant circles.

Lily stared at her friend, momentarily deterred from her rant. "What?"

"I'm your new life coach," Grace informed her. "I'm going to lead you toward a life of serenity and self-absolution."

"Splendid," Lily said distractedly, turning toward Remus. "Any ideas about the counter-spell? I have a few, but I'm not sure how to catch the gargoyles so I can re-freeze them."

Remus stood up, nodding. "I think the book they used is still in the dormitory."

"You knew they were planning this?"

"Calm voice, Lily," Grace guided gently.

Remus grimaced. "I- well, I might've overheard--,"

"Remus," Lily sighed, dropping her accusatory tone. "I'm not the only Prefect here," she reminded him wearily. "It would help very much if you could remember that."

"I know," Remus frowned, nodding. "I just-- Ah, I'll go get the book."

…

"I've been thinking," James said, twirling his wand between his fingers as he ascended the staircase that led to his dormitory. "And I'm pretty sure I've decided on a nickname." He grinned proudly. "Prongs."

Sirius tilted his head, considering. "Not bad."

"Not bad? It's brilliant. It establishes my masculinity while detailing the strong stag raging inside of me."

"Right," Sirius smirked, hopping up the last several stairs. "I still think you should call me Stealth Master."

James shook his head. "Don't count on it." The boys entered their dormitory and found Remus searching through a pile of books stacked on his desk. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Studying for O.W.L.s already?"

"Already?" Remus asked. "They're in a week." Remus smirked at his friend's casual shrug; he had woken up a few weeks ago to a light shining from James's desk, and the boy hunched over a mass of textbooks he must've borrowed from the library. He might have mounds of natural talent, but he needed to study like every other student that strived for excellence.

"James," Sirius said, "the Stealth Master has everything to do with my Animagus form; when I'm that great canine I can steal about, expertly unnoticed. Those paws are silent instruments of shrewdness-- here we go, I'll be The One with Padded Feet Who Carries Out Acts of Supreme--,"

"I think you need to shorten it," James suggested. "Padded Feet… Pad--,"

"Padfoot," Sirius decided. "I'm not plural."

James nodded. "It works." He tipped his head in Sirius's direction. "Monsieur Padfoot."

"Monsieur Prongs," Sirius returned lavishly, grinning. "Excellent."

"Oy, Monsieur Whatsyourfaces," Remus beckoned, earning disgusted looks from his comrades. "If neither of you are planning on studying anytime soon, would you mind giving me some tips on how to catch a pair of unruly gargoyles?"

James laughed. "Brilliant, aren't they? We can be sure those spawns of Slytherin will never again take the last crescent roll when Sirius and I are around. They thought they were so sneaky…"

"The roll was on their table," Remus protested, shaking his head. "Besides, Lily didn't think the prank was so 'brilliant'."

"Oh, she saw it then?" James asked, unable to conceal an eager grin. "I bet she was floored by my clever charming skills."

"Hardly," Remus assured him. "Anyway, the counter-spell?" he asked hopefully.

"Not necessary," said Sirius. "The spell will wear off on its own in fifteen hours or so. Those first years were looking a bit pudgy anyway, the exercise will do them good."

…

"Grace," Lily said tiredly, reluctantly shifting her concentration from the large textbook laid out before her to a long piece of parchment entitled My Obstacles and How to Conquer Them. "I want to help you with your newfound dream, I really do. I just can't manage it until after O.W.L.s are over; History of Magic is tomorrow and my review has barely reached the A.D.s."

"That's exactly why you need to embrace this serene opportunity. This would be the perfect outlet for your frustrations so that only your sense and intelligence are left by test day."

Lily sighed. "If I agree will you leave me be?"

"Certainly," said Grace happily. "First thing's first. We have to establish the chief obstacle that is preventing you from leading a harmonic lifestyle."

"You have to ask?" Lily said dryly.

"Ah, right," Grace said, picking up her quill and writing 'James Potter' in big print across the top of the list. She peered at Lily. "What is it about him exactly that vexes you so?"

"What isn't it about him that vexes me so?" Lily amended.

Grace clicked her tongue. "The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can get back do your studying…"

"His arrogance," Lily began, ticking off a finger. "His assumptive grin, his hair, his egocentric attitude, his disregard for anything and anyone beside himself and his precious sidekick--,"

"Hold on, hold on," Grace entreated, scribbling furiously. "I can only write so quickly." After she finished writing Lily's seemingly endless list of James Potter atrocities, she held the paper up and dangled it in front of Lily. "Burn it," she instructed.

Lily laughed. "Grace, we're in the library. I can't just burn--,"

"Madame Pince isn't even looking," Grace prompted. "Go on."

Lily looked torn between risking the wrath of Madame Pince and the further putting off of her studies. Giving an exasperated sigh, she asked, "You'll put it out right away?"

Grace nodded. "I have my wand ready to send it straight to ashes."

Looking like she was going to very much regret it, Lily waved her wand and whispered "Incendio".

Grace smiled proudly. "There," she said, keeping an eye on the tiny flame that swallowed up the bottom edge of the parchment as she reached for her wand. "Now don't you feel-- oh, ah..."

"Grace!" Lily hissed frantically. She watched as the once tiny flame licked the edge of a large textbook beneath it, inciting a rapid spread of flames across the parchment-littered table. Grace's eyes widened as the fire crept up the parchment she was still holding and, panicking, she whipped it as far away from her as possible. Unfortunately, this happened to be directly onto a cart of neatly piled novels and encyclopedias. Lily's mouth dropped open as she watched the cart immediately erupt into a mass of flames; before she could reach for her wand and conjure a flame-freezing spell, Madame Pince's piercing scream echoed across the library as the stricken lady came sprinting toward them.

Grace cringed. "Oops."

…

Julie spotted her two friends standing by the library entrance. She bounded toward them but came to a screeching halt when she took in their rather peculiar appearances. "Whoa," she said, gaping at her friends. "I… whoa."

Lily wrapped her hair around her hand, squeezing tightly. A shower of water droplets descended onto the ground, merely adding to the large puddle already accumulated around her feet.

Grace smiled meekly, wringing out her own robes. "The library got a little heated… heh," she explained to Julie. Turning to Lily, she said, "Madame Pince didn't seem too angry."

"Yes," Lily said dazedly. "After blasting the fire and us with surging streams of water and banning us from the library for eternity, I'd say she was rather pleasant."

Grace nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Everything really worked out all right--,"

"Grace!" Lily cried, her green eyes glowing dangerously against her pale, drenched skin. "I've been banned from the library the day before O.W.L.s begin! I've earned detention a month into next year and, and-- I'm soggy. Everything is not all right!"

"Yes," Grace said timidly, prodding Lily with an optimistic punch on the shoulder. "But… I bet you forgot about James, didn't you?"

"Ah," Julie squeaked, clutching Lily's wrists as they raised conveniently toward Grace's neck. "Listen Lily, I'm sure everything will work out… Grace was only trying to help."

"My life coach makes me want to kill myself," Lily said, crossing her arms.

Julie tried not to laugh. "You have to admit, Lily," she began, attempting to repair the situation. "James Potter does seem to give you an awful lot of unnecessary headaches. Grace might of went about it an… unusual way, but the idea of learning to ignore his antics isn't such a bad one."

Grace nodded vigorously. "Exactly."

Lily sighed, swinging her shoe across the tile and cringing when it made a distinct sloshing noise. "Okay," she said finally, exhaling. "You guys are right. I'm not going to let him bother me anymore, no matter what he does."

"Great," Julie smiled.

Grace beamed at her friend. "Wonderful."

"I'm going to go change out of these waterlogged robes," Lily said, stepping forward to climb the appropriate staircase. "I'll see you later… happy and Potter-carefree!"

"See you!" her friends called cheerfully.

"I give her a day before she implodes," Grace mumbled to Julie.

Julie shook her head. "She won't make it through the evening."

…

Much to their surprise, Lily did make it through the evening and even into the next day, although she had to practice extreme self-control on multiple occasions. It was significant and unexpected progress, and her friends were rather proud. They had gathered by the lake for a celebratory dip of their toes into the cool, inviting water, after a particularly draining Defense Against the Dark Arts examination.

"Mmm…" said Grace, letting her feet dangle in the water as she leaned backwards into the warm, soft grass. "I can practically taste summer."

"Five days until the holidays," Julie said wistfully. "These tests are torturous when it's so lovely outside."

Lily inhaled, reveling in the warmness. "At least…" she trailed off and her friends looked at her expectantly. Following her gaze to find what had caught her attention, they saw a crowd gathering a short distance from their spot on the bank of the lake. "What's going on?" she wondered aloud .

Grace shrugged, looking curious. She opened her mouth to ask several girls running past them if they knew what happening, but they were too hurried and giggly to notice. "James Potter and Severus Snape," someone informed them simply, their voice oddly nonchalant compared to the heavy commotion of the nearby scene. Turning around, the girls viewed Graham Young and Rosalie Diamond, Julie's fellow Envoys, approaching them. "What else is new?" the boy finished lightly.

Rosalie looked down at Julie. "Professor Fides asked me to tell everyone that he's holding a brief meeting before school lets out," said Rosalie. "Spread the word if you spot Brennan later."

"Oh, all right," Julie nodded. She waved goodbye as Rosalie departed; Graham looked as if he was going to follow her, but at the last moment he lingered behind, kneeling down next to Julie.

Dipping his fingertips into the cool water, he said, "It'll be a real relief once O.W.L.s are over, won't it?"

"Yes," Julie ardently agreed. "I can't wait for the holidays."

"What exactly is Potter doing?" Lily asked, pressing her hands onto the ground and lifting herself up to have a better view.

"Ah, ah," Grace chided, drawing Lily back into a sitting position. "You're not to be bothered with him, remember?"

"What?" Lily asked distractedly. "Oh… right."

"Any plans for the summer?" Graham asked casually, abandoning the water and plucking at the grass instead.

"No, nothing too out of the ordinary," Julie said, shrugging. "I stay in a town that isn't the most eventful of places. It's nice though; quiet."

"They're double-teaming him," Lily said under her breath, still straining to see what was happening. "Oh!" Her cheeks flushed red with anger. "Did you see what he just did?"

"Ah," Graham nodded. "Well maybe I'll write you. You know, liven things up a bit."

Julie smiled. "That would be greatly appreciated," she told him earnestly. Graham smiled back and released the blades of grass he had collected, brushing his hand on his robes and nodding his head toward Julie as he departed back toward the school.

"Lily…" Grace warned, standing up beside her friend. "Sit back down. Go on, you've made it so far…"

Julie stood up to join her friends. "Look, they're only teasing him… ooh," she cut off, cringing when James hurled a rather brutal hex at Severus.

"That's it!" Lily seethed, slipping out of her friends' hold on her and rushing toward the tumultuous affair.

"Lily…" Her friends watched as she adamantly stormed across the grounds, attempting fruitlessly to detain her.

"Leave him ALONE!"

Grace heaved a sigh, flopping back onto the ground in defeat. "That's it," she surrendered. "Being a life coach is not for me. I've always liked flowers and greenery; perhaps I'll take up gardening."

"Don't give up so quickly," Julie encouraged, keeping a worried eye on Lily. "Maybe you just need an easier client."

"Hmm…" Grace looked at her friend intently. "All right, Miss Taylor. If I'm going to help you lead a life of true bliss, we'll first have to concoct a plan to stop pesky Slytherins from doting upon you shamelessly."

Julie pulled her gaze away from the scene across the lake and looked at her friend confusedly. "We… what?"

"Any plans for the summer? Maybe I'll write you, liven it up a bit," Grace mimicked in a deep, suave voice, nudging her friend meaningfully.

"You're right," Julie said, nodding. "You should be a gardener."

-

"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"

"James," Remus cautioned softly, at last deserting his book.

"What?" James thundered. His eyes shone madly as a large, callous grin inched across his face. Severus squirmed furiously, as if he could somehow escape the invisible strings holding him upside-down.

"I do!" Peter shouted his opinion eagerly, rapping against the tree in laughter. He had been the recent victim of one of Severus's invented hexes; the present role reversal pleased him greatly. A multitude of onlookers joined in and savagely hooted their agreement.

Remus stood up to better gain James's attention. "Come on, James," he attempted vainly. "I… I think lunch should be starting soon. Let's go."

James's eyes met Severus's; he held the trapped boy's gaze tauntingly while he twirled his wand in deliberation, his blatant hatred reflected and countered. The excitement of the crowd and the fury raging inside of him defeated Remus's futile pleas by a long shot. "Sorry, Remus," said James, flicking his wand. "Majority rules."

"Ahh!" A piercing scream drowned out the raucous uproar of the surrounding students after James indeed fulfilled his promise. Severus crashed onto the ground as someone mumbled the counter-curse- James turned around to see it was Sirius who discreetly had. He needn't ask why, however, as the source of the scream came rushing behind them. "What-- Merlin--," Professor McGonagall sputtered, covering her eyes rather childishly as Severus nearly tripped over himself in his haste to pull back on any… missing apparel.

"We don't know what's wrong with him," said James sorrowfully, expertly masking the harsh tone he had previously employed. He subtly slipped his wand out of sight and into his pocket. "We tried to stop him--,"

"For the common good," Sirius added, shaking his head. "The students will have nightmares for weeks! O.W.L.s should be cancelled."

Professor McGonagall looked immensely flustered. "Mister Snape?" she said, hardly believing the boys' remarks and peering at the now (mercifully) fully-clothed boy.

Severus's normally pale complexion had for once gained color; he ducked his crimson face as he scrambled to stand up, stalking away before Professor McGonagall had a chance to question him further. Sirius shook his head. "He should not be allowed around children."

…

A/N: Sooo yep, that was 'Snape's Worst Memory' from OotP, but mostly from the perspective of the girls 'sitting, with their shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water'. When I first read that oh-so-wonderful chapter of J.K.R.'s I immediately thought, Whoa baby James would never actually go through with the last part of the prank… eek. But I guess if it truly is Snape's worst memory then it must've been pretty terrible… I mean, Remus said people got turned upside-down all the times in the halls, so it wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary if James hadn't of well, gone through with his ah… exposing promise.

P.S.- Sincerely sorry for any visuals this chapter might've spurred.

P.P.S.- I know this was short. The next one will be long and yummy though, no worries!