CHAPTER SEVEN
The next day was kind of a blur. Jane could tell that Lily really did want to talk to her, but Lily was trying to prove to everyone that she could, in fact, hold a grudge for more than a day if she so chose. This didn't really bother Jane; she knew Lily would forget to be mad at her at some point, and things would go back to normal between them. And even if Jane wanted to be bothered by this silly point Lily was trying to prove, she didn't have the time to be. The professors had given them so much homework, that Jane estimated that she'd finish it around the time she was twenty.
After their last class, Jane and Remus made their way to the library and began on their Transfiguration essays.
"I can't believe she wants two and a half feet!" Jane complained. "It's ridiculous!"
"You say that about all of McGonagall's essays, no matter what length they are," Remus pointed out.
"Yes, well, I just really hate essays. If I ever have to tell Sarah about Transfiguration, I'm referring to it as English class," Jane said.
Remus laughed. Suddenly, Jane dropped her quill looking up as though she'd just remembered something very important.
"What is it?" Remus asked.
"Sarah. I told her that I'd write to her when I got to school. I forgot to last night!"
"Just write to her now," Remus suggested.
Jane pulled out a bare bit of parchment and began to write.
Dear Sarah,
I'm so sorry that I didn't write last night. I was just really tired from the long train ride, and I forgot. But I made it here safely. Lily's pretending to be mad at me, but she'll get over it. James played a little prank on her friend, and I thought it was funny. Apparently, she didn't feel the same. How was your first day back? Did Sean miss you?
Your bestest friend,
Jane
"Have you got an envelope?" she asked Remus.
"Whose Sean?" came a familiar voice from directly behind her. Jane nearly jumped out of her seat.
"Sirius! Don't do that!" she said, earning a shush from the librarian. Sirius only chuckled a bit and sat down in the open chair beside her. James and Peter joined them at the table.
"So, who's Sean?" Sirius asked again as Remus handed Jane a crumpled envelope that had obviously been residing at the bottom of his schoolbag for quite some time. Jane tried smoothing it out on the table.
"If you must know, he's a boy that Sarah goes to school with, and she really likes him. I was supposed to meet him over holiday, but he and his family went to Wales or something," Jane said, remembering the boy that Sarah had so often mentioned in her letters the prior term.
"Well, that's just so sweet," James said teasingly.
"Hey, when are you two going to be done?" Sirius asked.
They were obviously bored and wanted Remus or Jane to join them, as though that would magically open up something fun to do. Or at least that was what Jane thought because that was a normal occurrence for them.
"Probably never," grumbled Jane dramatically, glaring at the books piled on the table as though they were the source of her homework problems and not her professors.
Remus rolled his eyes at her. Jane always complained a bit too much about homework. Overall, she was a good student, but that didn't stop her from complaining about school. It sometimes annoyed Lily and Remus to listen to her rant. She seemed oblivious to their annoyance though.
"This essay's due Wednesday," Remus said.
"So? Do it tomorrow; that's what we're doing," James said.
"If I put it off, I won't do it," Jane said.
"Look, if we do it tomorrow, we can all work together on it," Sirius said, trying to persuade them to stop their work.
Jane thought for a second and then looked at Remus. He shrugged.
"They do have good marks in there," was all he said.
Jane knew that once Remus said that, they'd be getting no work done. It almost shocked her that Remus even agreed; he was usually so uptight about his schoolwork. But what he had said was right; James and Sirius were the best students McGonagall probably ever had in her class. They were naturally gifted in ways that made Jane green with envy.
"Oh, all right," she said, rolling up her parchment. "But I'm going to the Owlery first."
"Oh, fine, but make it quick," Sirius said eagerly, drumming his hands on the table before standing.
They set off for the Owlery. Jane almost slipped going up the icy stairs, but Remus and Peter caught her, steadying her.
"Walk much, Hensworth?"
Jane glared at the boy who made the snide remark as he passed them on the stairs.
"Bugger off, Avery," Sirius said.
"What's your mum say about you being a blood traitor, Black? Or do you pretend not to be when you're at home?"
"I see you don't have your goons with you today," Jane said.
"And I see you don't know your place," Avery said as though Jane wasn't permitted to speak to him. "Maybe someone should teach you a lesson," he said threateningly, taking a step towards her, wand already in hand.
"Expelliarmus!" Remus said, and Avery's wand flew out of his hand. Sirius caught it and threw it off the steps and onto the ground far below. Avery looked shocked as he ran down the stairs to retrieve his wand.
"Good luck finding it," Sirius called after him.
"Thanks, guys," Jane said.
"Oh, Janie, what would you do without us?" Sirius said.
"Probably get my essay done today," she said, walking into the tower.
"Oh, get over it," James said.
"Yeah," said Sirius, "we've got something to show you!"
Jane perked up at this.
"What is it?"
"A surprise. Now, hurry up; it's freezing!" James said, pulling his robes tighter around him.
"It's the middle of winter; where's your cloak?" Jane asked as she tied the letter to a barn owl. James rolled his eyes.
"Well if you must know, Mum, I left it in the dorm."
"Can we go now?" Sirius asked in a rather bored tone.
"Yes, yes, all right," Jane said as she sent the owl off.
Then, the five set out to see whatever it was that was so exciting.
"So, you know that painting of the fruit under the ground floor?" James asked Remus and Jane.
"No," they both said simultaneously.
"Near the Hufflepuff common room?"
"I'm not in Hufflepuff; why would I know where their common room is?" Jane asked. James rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, we were walking down that corridor, you know, just kind of roaming the castle, and Peter sort of ran into a suit of armour. And when he was trying to catch his balance, he sort of brushed up against the painting and guess what?"
"Oh, just tell us," Jane said, not wanting to play a guessing game because she was certain to not guess correctly.
"The pear laughed."
"The pear laughed?" Remus repeated, clearly not believing them.
"Yeah, and then it turned into a doorknob!" Peter said excitedly.
"Look, I don't know what kind of trick you're trying to pull—"
"It's not a joke," Sirius said, cutting Jane off. "It really happened!"
Jane huffed at him.
"Anyway, you won't believe what's behind the painting," James said.
They walked down a flight of stairs and down a long corridor.
"There it is," Sirius said, pointing to the painting of a bowl of fruit.
Jane and Remus watched as James proceeded to tickle the pear. It acted precisely as James and Peter said it had, laughing and squirming before turning into a green doorknob. James opened the painting to reveal another part of the castle that Jane had never seen before.
"In ya go," Sirius said, pushing Jane and Remus forward. Jane just stared in amazement for a while at the little house elves hard at work.
"We present to you, the kitchens!" James said.
"Wow!" was all Jane could say.
Food. Food was everywhere, and the smell was to die for. Jane's mouth was already watering.
"Hungry?" Sirius asked her and Remus. "What would you like? They'll bring you anything."
"Hmmm, how about—"
"Chocolate cake," Remus said before Jane could finish.
Almost instantly, a tray with an entire chocolate cake was being brought to them. The kitchens impressed Jane a lot, and she was almost sorry that she had delayed them with Sarah's letter. The five of them, sat around, eating the chocolate cake and whatever else their hearts desired until they were so full that Jane thought she might be sick from the sugar.
Unsurprisingly, when dinner rolled around, they decided to skip. They sat in front of the fireplace. Remus sat in one of the armchairs, reading. Sirius sat in the other. And Jane was sprawled out on the couch with her feet propped up in Peter's lap and her head resting in James' as he absentmindedly played with a lock of her hair. That was how she fell asleep. Happy, cosy, and full of junk food.