Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All the characters (save Kathy) belong to J.K.Rowling along with settings, objects and anything else you recognize from the Harry Potter series. All the dates are correct according to hp.lexicon and wikipedia (I hope).

Sorry it has taken me so long to finishe this chapter and put it up, but I had eally bad writer's block and had no idea how to finish the chapter. I hope you all like how I have finished it, and your comments would be apprecitaed as I am not sure about it. Maybe a little too dramatic? Please tell me! Thanks!

ENJOY!

Until The Clock Strikes Twelve – Chapter Six

When Lily, Kathy, Remus and Peter arrived in the common room they were surprised (well Remus and Peter were) to find Sirius and James sitting in front to the fire laughing and joking while eating Fizzing Whizbees and playing Exploding Snap.

Lily, being Lily and a girl, was still slightly annoyed at James over protection and decided that the only way to stop him jumping down the throat of any boy she hugged or even talked too was to ignore him. Not the most sensible or mature things, but then maybe a taste of his own medicine just might deflate his ego, even the tiniest bit despite what Kathy had said earlier. While Remus and Peter went to join the two boys Lily led Kathy over to the far corner of the common room.

"Why aren't we sitting with the boys?" Kathy asked curiously as she took a seat opposite her best friend. "Does it have something to do with Potter?"

"Maybe." Lily smiled pulling out a couple of rolls of parchment, both of which were covered in notes about the later New Years Celebration that was to take place in the Gryffindor common room that night. As Head Girl, she hold told the prefects that she would help organise the evening events, something the prefects had been very happy about. After all Lily was a slight perfectionist what would mean that with her help the evening would run smoothly with hopefully, very little trouble. Flicking her wand Lily summoned a large box out of her dormitory. It zoomed into the room, narrowly missing Peter's head, who swore loudly as he felt it skim past him, before landing gently on the table in front of Lily.

"Are you still mad at him for being over protective?"

"Maybe."

"That's a yes then."

Lily nodded. Kathy sighed. She really would try everything to try and deflate Potter's ego even further wouldn't she?

"Want any help?" Kat asked looking from the long list to the box of decorations.

"Please. Can you check and see if the things are in the box as I call them off the list?"

"Sure thing Lily!" Kat said with a small salute before pulling the box towards her.

"Dr. Droobles Best Balloons. 6 packets."

"Check! Though his gum is better…"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Super Streams. 20 packets."

"Check."

"Zonko's Party Popper's. 4 packs of 100."

"Check. Did you actually by these? I thought you wouldn't be seen dead in Zonko's."

"Remus got them for me."

"Oh. Remus got them for you did he?" Kath said very loudly, shooting a look over at James. James looked up sharply and turned to look at Kathy, then at Lily and then at Remus. Lily meanwhile was burying her head in her arms, rather embarrassed by her friend's antics.

"And what did you have to do to get him to get them for you eh Lily?" she asked wriggling her eyebrows and giving James another look.

James now looked truly upset. Had everything Lily and Remus told him this morning a lie? Was there really something going on? He looked at Remus, who looked very confused at what Kathy was saying. He gave James an 'I-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-is-going-on' look. Okay then, James thought. Maybe Kathy was just being an idiot, it wouldn't surprise him really.

"OUCH!" Kat screeched, grabbing her leg and giving Lily a glare worthy of the name of Black. "Why did you kick me?"

"Because Katharine Eleanor Steele." Kathy grimaced at the use of her full name, "You are being annoying and making something sound like it shouldn't. Remus is a prefect. So I asked him to get the Party Poppers." Then lowering her voice added. "Do you want to win your bets or what?"

"Of course I do."

"Well stop all of this then."

Kathy sighed. "Don't you get it? I'm trying to make Black think he will win the bets. Just imagine his face when he losses after thinking he was going to win for sure."

Lily rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean you have to pull Remus into this. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Sorry." Kathy muttered. "And check. The Zonko's Party Popper's are in here."

"Good."

As the two girls carried on with their checking the boys had begun to play Exploding Snap again.

"So what was that about?" James asked, trying to make his voice sound as casual as possible. However Sirius could hear the slight strain in it, and was sure Remus could too.

"Honestly Prongs. I have no idea."

"Well they're going through decorations or tonight." Sirius said straining his neck to look around a small group of third years.

"Oh."

"Oh what?"

"Well Lily asked me to get her some things from Zonko's the other week."

"Oh…"

"And Steele was making it sound worse than it was?" Sirius asked.

"That's what she's best at." Remus shrugged. "Now then. Can we get back to our game before it ARRGHHH!"

"Snaps?" Peter asked as the pack of cards exploded and Remus jumped several feet in the air.

"Yeah…" Remus nodded eyes wide with shock as Sirius and James burst into fits of laughter.

"Your face Moony." Sirius choked, "Anyone would think were being attack by a werewolf."

Everyone stopped laughing immediately. James and Peter looked between the two friends as the silence grew. Sirius looked stunned at what he had just said; Remus's face as usual was hard to read. However to everyone's surprise his face broke into a smile and he began to laugh. He laughed harder and harder until he was clinging to his sides for support.

"What the..?" Sirius turned his head to look at James, hoping to see what was so funny. But his face looked how Sirius felt, astonished and bewildered. He glanced at peter who merely shrugged. "Moony? Are you okay?"

Remus snorted and dipped his head in response.

"So what's so funny?" Sirius asked his voice still full of bemusement.

"You're face!" Remus stifled though his laughter. "The look of pure horror on your face when you said that werewolf thing! It was hilarious."

"I still don't get it." Sirius asked thickly.

Remus sat up and ran his fingers through his hair as he composed himself. "It was just the dismay on your face when you said 'Anyone would think were being attack by a werewolf.' As if you thought I would burst into tears and have a tantrum because of what you'd said."

"Oh…"

"Gawd. You lot can be right down thick sometimes you know that?"

"Thanks."

"My pleasure James."

"OI! POTTER!"

The four boys turned to look in Kathy's direction.

"WHAT!?"

"NO NEED TO SHOUT POTTER!"

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK STEELE!"

"SHUT IT BLACK. NO ONE ASKED YOU!"

Sirius opened his mouth to retort but James held out his arm to silence his friend. "Don't provoke her. You know what she's like once you get her anger going." Raising his voice slightly he looked back at Kathy. "You hollered Miss Steele?"

"Yes I did actually. Lily wants a word."

"Whee whoo." Sirius wolf whistled which resultedin receiving a punch from James who stood up and meandered his way over to the two girls.

"How may I be of assistance?" he asked with a small stoop.

Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes. He really did know how to push her buttons, didn't he?

"Well firstly, please stop with all the 'hat's off and bowing'. It's rather annoying. Secondly, please say you have the Dr. Flibster's Fireworks you promised me? I mean. You can't have New Years without all the fireworks can you?"

"Or the romance…" Kat sighed mockingly leaning her head on one hand and looking up to the ceiling as if in a daydream.

Lily kicked her under the table. "Well Potter?"

"What? Oh…. yeah sure." He nodded and ran off towards his dorm to collect them. As he reached his dorm he slowed down, thinking about Kathy and her strange frolics in the common room. Was she trying to suggest something about Lily to him? Had she been trying to make him feel jealous about Lily with her words about Remus? James sighed heavily as he began to dig around under his bed for his stock of fireworks. After Lily's reactions had been rather violent for her, well at least towards Kathy. He was used to Lily kicking him under the table. Like when he used to try and stroke her leg with his foot, that really rather childish that, James thought as he looked back.

Picking up the box he stood and began to wonder back downstairs. Thinking about it, he had been really childish and petty to Lily hadn't he? And, he supposed, he too would be rather annoyed if the same person asked him out over 3 times a day. If that same person openly embarrassed him by singing love songs to him from the teachers table during the opening, Halloween, Christmas, New Year and closing feasts for the past 4 years. Yes. He really had been quite a jerk. After all, who want the words 'I LOVE LILY EVANS FOREVER' coming out the back of someone's broomstick during a Quidditch match? Not him.

"Here you go Lily." James smiled, giving her the large box. "Just make sure they don't get damp. Otherwise they'll explode and I don't have anymore left, and neither does Sirius."

Lily nodded. "Thanks James."

The rest of New Years Eve passed like any normal holiday would. Everyone in the common room helped Lily and the Prefects to put up the decorations ready for the night's party.

Peter and Remus made a trip to the Kitchens to ask the house-elves for an order of food for that night. Something they were more than happy to do. In the end, Remus and peter came back with a very long list of food that elves had said they would prepare.

Sirius and Kathy meanwhile were living up a life long tradition. They were competing. Competing to see who could make their side of the common room the most festive. Kathy who had most of the decorations was winning, until Sirius thought it would be a great idea to use Kath's lacy underwear as bunting.

Kathy, seeing what Sirius had done abandened her side to try and save herself some dignity by removing her underwear from the walls leaving Sirius the chance to raid Kathy's decoration stores and redecorate his side, thus winning the competition. Kathy was not impressed

Then to make matters worse, James who had been put in charge of moving furniture to the edge of the floor so there was room to dance bumped into Sirius sending him flying into Kathy.

The next thing anyone knew, Kat and Sirius were having a duel in the middle of the common room… again. Lily was not impressed.

"Watch where you going idiot." Kathy told Sirius as she pushed him off her.

"You watch where you're going Steele."

"Me? You're the one who walked into me?"

"Not my fault I didn't notice you. I only notice pretty girls."

FLASH!

Sirius was on the other side of room, slumped against a wall his nose bleeding. Slowly he got to his feet, his eyes ablaze.

"Bad idea Steele. Reducto!"

FLASH!

Kath was blasted off her feet and landed rather uncomfortably across one of the chairs James had been moving. Without even jumping to her feet she swished her wand.

"Waddiwasi!"

A Fizzing Whizbee that the boys had been eating earlier launched itself at Sirius and zoomed into his ear. Leting out a yell of pain Sirius shook his head until the sweet fell to the ground. Letting out a low growl Sirius raised his wand and flicked it, an evil grin on his face.

Katharine was upside down, as if something was tied to her ankle holding her up. She screamed, clinging to her skirt to stop it falling and revealing her underwear to the whole common room.

"Come on Steele. Everyone's already seen you're underwear today." Sirius taunted. "What's the difference if this time you're actually wearing them?"

"Let me down!"

"Really?"

"YES!"

"Okay."

Kat fell; a large crack was heard as she fit the stone floor. A sharp in take of breath came form the watching Gryffindor's. However Kathy stood her whole body shaking as she cradled her broken arm. "You bastard. You bastard." She sobbed, her eyes glistening with tears.

Sirius was stood still, not sure what to do. He hadn't meant to hurt Kathy that badly. He hadn't meant for her arm to break.

"I'm sorry Kat. I really am."

"No you're not. NO YOU'RE BLOODY NOT." She shouted, the tears now splashing down her front. She ran passing Sirius without a backwards glance out of the common room.

"Happy now Black?" Lily asked icily as she followed her best friend out of the common room. "Oh and one thing Black."

"What?"

"Furnunculus"

Thank you everyone! Please, please , please review. And I will try to get the next chapter up as quickly as possible. However no promises. I have a lot of exams to revise for and coursework to do for my A-Levels.

XD