CHAPTER SEVENTY
The days turned into weeks which spanned to months, and Jane slowly let herself forget about the attack on Hogsmeade. And once again, she went back to her normal routines. She did normal things like worry about schoolwork and help the Quidditch team smash Hufflepuff into smithers.
Jane never asked, and no one ever said anything to her, but she knew that Sirius had told the rest of the boys. And she found that she didn't mind all that much. She was finally happy knowing that she wasn't keeping anything from them anymore. There were no more secrets. Or at least, so far as she knew.
However, sometime in early March, the boys had finally completed their final potion, and they were now fully functioning Animagi. And Jane still had no idea about it.
When the time came for the students to decide whether they were staying or not for the Easter holidays, Jane was fully prepared to sign up for staying at Hogwarts. James, however, wasn't having it.
"You can't stay at school for the holidays," he said to her one Monday afternoon as she walked to Ancient Runes. "It's boring."
"You stayed here over Christmas," Jane pointed out.
"I told you," James said, "my parents were out of the country."
"Well, I don't want to go home. I told my dad that I wouldn't, and I'm not going to," she said.
"Well, you can come to my house," James said.
Jane shook her head.
"I told my dad I'd stay at school," she said.
"Who cares?" James said.
"I still have a little bit of respect for my parents left," Jane said, walking into the classroom.
James followed her and sat down beside her.
"James, get out of here before you get into trouble," Jane said, pulling her book from her bag and placing it on her desk.
"Just come to my house," he said, ignoring her. "You can't spend your birthday alone."
Jane thought for a second and gave him a bemused expression.
"I'm pretty sure my birthday's two days before Easter holidays," she said.
"Huh?" James said, thinking for a second. "It is, isn't it?"
Jane nodded and pulled out her quill and inkwell, sitting them beside her book.
"Well, come anyway," he said. "It'll be fun. We can draw on Sirius' face while he sleeps."
Jane laughed at the thought as she took out some parchment.
"Come on, what's your dad gonna do?" James asked.
"I don't know, James," she said. "I just—"
"It'd make Mum happy," James said, knowing that Jane had a soft spot for his mother.
"That's no fair!" Jane said. "You can't pull the It'll-Make-My-Mum-Happy card!"
"Yes, I can. I'm not above guilting you into doing things," James said as though she should've already known that.
Jane shook her head.
"Come on. She'll drag us to another Easter party. Nothing would make her happier than helping you pick out dress robes. You're like the daughter she never had," James said.
"You're really laying it on thick, aren't you?" Jane said as Professor Babbling walked in.
"I'll milk it for all it's worth," James said in a very matter-of-fact voice.
Professor Babbling started into her lecture and walked between the rows of desks. Jane sighed in a resigned way.
"Oh, all right," she said.
James smiled and leaned back in the chair happily. Professor Babbling walked past the desk he was in and did a double-take, stopping in her lecture.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm James Potter," he said, grinning.
"Do you take this class?" Professor Babbling asked.
James shook his head. It was silent for a second while Professor Babbling gave him a bemused look.
"Well," she said in a lingering voice. "Get out!"
"Right, sorry," James said, earning a couple of giggles from two Ravenclaw girls sitting behind him and Jane.
James smirked at the girls, ruffling his hair. Jane let out a sardonic laugh, rolling her eyes, and James winked at her, causing her to smile before he left.
"What an idiot," Jane thought out loud before Professor Babbling started her lecture back up.
One of the Ravenclaw girls moved to sit next to her.
"Hi," the girl said.
"Hi," Jane replied.
"I'm—"
"Lena Howard," Jane finished for her. "I know; we've had classes together since first year."
"Right," Lena said. "Well, anyway, you're good friends with Potter, right?"
Jane resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew where this conversation was going. It was the same place they all went.
"He's not seeing anyone, is he?" Lena asked.
"Nope," Jane said, popping the 'p' and starting to take down some notes from the lecture.
"And you wouldn't mind if I maybe went after him then?"
Jane arched an eyebrow.
"Why would I care?" Jane asked.
"I dunno. I just thought that maybe you two—"
"We never dated," Jane interrupted. "He's all yours. Take him."
Lena smiled and walked back to her regular seat beside Helen McDowell.
As Jane took notes, she thought vaguely of how ironic it was that no girl had ever asked her if Remus was single. James, while he flirted shamelessly, didn't really have his sights set on anyone other than Lily, and Sirius (who, Jane had unwillingly found out from James, had already shagged two girls) never stayed with the same girl for over a month, and was definitely never exclusive with anyone. However, it was always those two that girls seemed interested in. The ironic thing was that Remus was probably the only one that had good potential for a boyfriend.
Jane shook her head, not caring to venture into the mindset of other girls. She could hardly figure out her own thoughts half the time.