Sirius

We summon the breakfast plates and Prongs's abandoned cloak, then walk back to the castle. Moony keeps shooting me pleased smiles. (Delighted is a good look on Moony. And I'm the one who caused it.) Meanwhile, Prongs and I are joking around, plotting pranks.

It's our last year, after all, and I want to go out with a bang. Or, you know, with something, at least. All year Prongs has been resistant to pulling any kind of prank at all, hesitant to risk getting back on Evans's bad side.

I'd love to borrow some fire crabs from Care of Magical Creatures and set them loose in the Slytherin common room. Or... a chimaera would be awesome, but even I don't think we could pull that one off.

But these days, I try to be more careful about what kinds of pranks I suggest. Ever since that incident fifth year. When Moony found out how close Snivellus got to dying that night, when he found out I'd suggested it…

Moony was furious with me. For revealing his secret. For endangering Snivellus's life. For nearly making him a murderer.

He wouldn't talk to me for weeks. Moony. Moony never gets angry. But he certainly was then.

So now I try to censor my more destructive pranks. Could someone die? If so, I don't suggest it. Sometimes, when I'm worked up, I don't catch myself in time. But I try. I never want to see Moony upset like that again.

I still think the fire crabs would be hilarious. And it's unlikely anyone would die… serious injuries, sure, but probably no deaths. And they're Slytherins, so it's no big loss.

But it's just not worth the risk. Even if he weren't angry, Moony would be disappointed in me. And that sounds pretty awful too.

Which probably rules out any exam week pranks… don't think Moony would be too happy about those. Ugh. You know what would have been amazing? Putting a caterwauling charm on the entrance to their common room, the night before one of our NEWTs. Someone get back from some late night revision? Suddenly everyone's awake, courtesy of all the shrieking. Ah well.

Maybe after exams? Moony'll probably let us get away with that.

So that's the version I suggest.

Prongs smirks. "Ooh nice one. I dunno if walls can be immobilized, but if they can, that's another idea. Stop them from getting into their common room altogether."

"That's good," I say. "Ooh, or what if we made little chocolates, we could fill them with something gross…"

Prongs is nodding. "Something gross, sure. Or maybe fill them with a potion? Something that doesn't take effect immediately. If it's too quick we won't get many people eating them…"

"Oh absolutely, that's loads better. You know those hard candies that take a while to melt? Maybe we can put something in them? Then the potion won't take effect until the candy around it melts..."

"Hmm, don't think that'll work, Pads. They'll still melt at different times, so anyone who figures things out in time can spit it out."

"Drat. Ok what about a potion it takes a while to notice? Or that messes with their ability to notice? Like a forgetfulness potion."

"Ooh, nice," Prongs says. "It'll be obvious once enough people are forgetting things, but I bet it'll take a bit."

I bump my arm against Moony's. "Whatcha say, you in? A little light mischief?"

Moony rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "Yeah, alright."

We're halfway down the Great Hall now. Prongs is steering us towards the far end of the table, where Wormtail and Evans are chatting.

Immediately I feel irritated. I barely got any time with him, and now I have to share him again. I'm supposed to be his best friend. She's taken my spot and soon there won't be room for me anymore. Not in any real way. And what's with Wormtail getting all friendly with her? I scowl.

Moony glances over, looking concerned.

But however irritated I feel, I'm even more scared. I wish so much that she'd just disappear, that we could go back a year to when none of this mess had ever happened. But I don't have that kind of influence. It doesn't matter how intolerably hard this is; he's not getting rid of her.

And eventually...

Married people don't have friends. Not that I've observed anyway. Oh, they say they do. They have stuffy parties with stuffy acquaintances, and at the end of the night they go home and gossip and complain about everyone they talked to. And they call that having friends. It's not.

If Prongs gets married, if he turns into one of those people…

Married people don't have friendships like ours. So I guess he's going to have to lose me along the way. I don't want to be lost.

How can he want that?

Prongs sits down next to Evans, gesturing for me to sit on his other side.