Disclaimer: It's Jo's world; I'm just playing in it.

The Morning After- Part 2 of Breaking Plates

"Come on Sirius, just tell us what spell you used," A bespectacled boy groaned, as he, for the second time, awkwardly speared an egg, and it wobbled off the fork and onto his lap. "This is just cruel. Coloring our hair, our clothes—that's fine. Easily fixed. But what am I going to do in class? Say, oh I'm sorry Professor, my wand hand has been permanently stuck to my bleeding hair?"

"All the more reason to curb your primping habit in the future," The boy sitting across from him smirked and mimicked scrunching and ruffling his own hair. James dropped his fork, scooped up a piece of toast, and awkwardly chucked it at him. It missed Sirius and hit Remus instead. He glared at both of them and then proceeded to eat it. Because his hand was stuck to his right cheek and partially the right side of his mouth, the whole process was messy with the bread crumbling and butter smearing his face.

"Be grateful it's your hair, James. There are worse things it could have stuck to," Peter said sullenly. Sirius laughed and James tried to not smile. Peter's wand hand was currently hidden under the table, along with George, the stuffed dragon he slept with each night.

"Will it wear off? Is it some spell you made up?" Annoyingly, Sirius just shrugged. James groaned again and returned his attention on corralling his scrambled eggs. After yesterday's incident with Regulus, Sirius had completely shut down. Experience made the rest of the marauders wait for his eventual blow up, but it never came. Which was troubling. Trying to be nonchalant, James looked up and studied him. He seemed somewhat settled down. Yesterday he grit his teeth for hours in silence. Today his jaw was relaxed, only his mouth betrayed tightness. His eyes didn't have a manic gleam; they were just bloodshot. Sirius started to yawn and caught him staring.

"What, already plotting revenge?"

Nope, just making sure you aren't. James forced a grin and a thought came to him.

"Not exactly. With Remus and Peter as my witnesses, I've decided that until you reveal the spell, I shall take a vow of silence! No more will I amuse you with my questions or conversation!" All three boys paused from their breakfast and stared at James. Remus raised an eyebrow. Sirius laughed.

"How long did he make it for last time, Wormtail?"

"About 5 mintues!" Peter's voice cracked at the end, either due to it being the morning or his excitement, James wasn't quite sure.

"Okay then," Sirius clapped his hands, "how about this: if dear Prongs lasts double his record, I'll give you the counter spell! And no, Remus, you can't just cast silencio on him."

"Deal! Starting now, that is." James hastily spoke before both Peter and Remus could answer, and made a show of locking his lips and throwing the key away. Remus sighed and shook his head before starting on his bacon. Peter started timing it with his watch, completely disregarding food in his anxiousness for James to hold out. James and Sirius were locked in a staring contest of sorts when suddenly Sirius smirked.

"Since Remus usually doesn't speak till after our first class, I think I am going to have a lil' chat with one of my new best mates," Sirius pushed back his chair, stood up, and began walking near the end of the Gryffindor table.

James turned around to watch him go curiously. As Sirius drew closer to a particular group of girls, his curiosity turned into panic. When Sirius stopped, James stiffened. He watched him drape his arm around her shoulders, and slide into the seat next to her. James blinked. The redheaded girl whipped around to Sirius, threw her head back, and laughed. She leaned into him. Sirius whispered something into her ear and suddenly, James met her gaze. His stomach lurched. He became acutely aware of the scrambled eggs in his lap, his hand in his hair, and could hear her words, "arrogant toerag," once again. He flushed. She smiled (At them? At him?) before facing Sirius and laughing again.

"Well. That is unexpected," Remus noted, and for the first time that morning, chuckled.

"Yes," James said, unable to look away from his best friend and his so called new best mate, Lily.

"Prongs! You were so close; you made it to 7 minutes!" Peter looked up from his watch and groaned. "I'm going to have to take George with me to—oh!"

Sirius peered back at the boys and winked.

"New plan. I'm going to beat the counter spell out of him," James said firmly. Remus clapped him on the shoulder.

"Now or later?" He teased. Sirius pulled the hair tie out of Lily's hair and held it above his head. Her long hair tumbled out of her bun as she tried reaching for it.

"Later."

A/N: Thanks so much to all how have read and reviewed! I always meant to write a second part to this one, but forgot about it till I saw part of it drafted on my computer today, and I got drawn back in. I also went back and edited the first part.