When you fall for your best friend
James and I – we go way back! We were neighbours up until graduating from Hogwarts. 10 of those years, we were the best of friends. I guess you could say that I've always loved him, but the feelings really started to kick in during our 2nd year at Hogwarts. I was 12-years-old and ruling the roost with my girl, Janice against the infamous Marauders! Life was sweet up until that time.
There was this one night, when the boys had planned to get a midnight snack from the kitchen. Apparently the if you tickled the pear on the fruit basket portrait there'd be a secret passage way leading in. We decided to intercept them. Pranking the pranksters was always the best of fun. They'd have to use the invisibility cloak for this one so, of course, it was only James and Sirius going out. When it came to stealth, Janice and I were right behind James' invisibility cloak. We carefully snuck past Remus and Peter in the common room. Once we were out of Griffyndor Tower, to we pointed to our eyes. "Felis oculos," we whispered.
Learning the cat's eyes transfiguration spell had taken us a month, but it had been worth it. The hallways were still lit at night, but it was usually barely enough to see. For light I was guessing that James and Sirius would be using lumos. They'd have to go past that new teacher's office on their way to the portrait – Professor Magonagall. It was perfect. We ensured that there was no light to illuminate us, sticking to the shadows. Then, when the opportune moment had come, we quickly snagged James' invisibility cloak, wrapped ourselves in it and quietly ran from their clawing hands. "Alohamora!" I whispered to Magonagall's door.
"Flippendo!" yelled Janice.
Even if we couldn't open it, she would. We quickly headed out of the way leaving poor James and Sirius exposed. It was just our luck that Remus and Peter had come to investigate getting themselves caught too. "I thought I saw Janice and Kerry sneak out," Remus tried to explain.
"Mister Lupin!" she exclaimed, "I have heard nothing but good things about you! I'm am very disappointed!"
He bowed his head in shame and I felt a little guilty. "Hey!" yelled Sirius, "But we saw them too!"
Professor Magonagall peered around with narrowed eyes. Janice and I took this as our cue to leave. We hid away until the commotion died down, ensuring that no one would be around to catch us during our next act. Just to put a cherry on top, Janice and I stole their gig and managed to get midnight snacks for ourselves. Hard work was never so satisfying!
The next day, I returned James' invisibility cloak. "Thanks James!"
He rolled his eyes. "We knew it was you two!"
"Here, payment!" I told him with a chuckle tossing him pumpkin pastry.
"Kerry!" complained Sirius, "Why did you have to go and rig up our plans? We're on detention now, even Remus!"
"Oh right!"
I turned to Remus also tossing him a pumpkin pastry along with the bag of Bertie Botts every-flavour beans that I had. "Sorry about that!" I told him, "Really!"
"Oh, it's fine," he told me, "I shouldn't have gone out anyway. Thanks!"
"Hey!" called out Sirius, "How about some payment for stealing my idea?"
I rolled my eyes and chucked him a pastry too as well as Peter. "Sorry Sirius, baby," I cooed mockingly, "There's only room for two in this school's list of top pranksters."
"Fine, fine," agreed Sirius strangling hold of James by the neck, "Me and James!"
"Hey!" yelped James.
"Save me Kerry!" he pleaded trying to look innocent.
"Him and his brown, brown eyes," I thought growling down the heat rising in my face.
I bashed Sirius on the head and laughed, "I win this round James!"
James held up his hands. "Alright, alright!" he told me, "We surrender!"
"Hey! We're not giving up that easily!" exclaimed Sirius with shock and dismay.
"Come on let's go!" said James ignoring Sirius' protests.
As they left, James looked back giving me his infamous grin and a wave. I ignored the – budump, budump – that was ringing through my ears, put on one of my roguish, tomboy grins and chucked him one of my chocolate frogs. He loved those. Once they were gone, I looked over at my silent comrade. She was holding her completely red face in her hands. "Hey! That's no way to react! We've got an image to hold up you know?!"