Well, hello again dear readers!
I'm SO glad that spring is finally here in Scandinavia. It's not as dark or cold anymore plus that the ice is gone. But...we got quite a lot of rain going on instead! Enjoy the chapter ^_^
Moving on slippery grounds.
The boggart lesson went a bit faster after everyone had gotten their riddikulus spell right. Even Peter had managed to turn a realistic version of Lord Voldemort into a toy clown. Remus walked towards the refreshment table with a small smile at his face. He found it a bit amusing that something his friend found funny was terrifying for someone else. 'I guess that just shows how different we are. Our fears are just as unique as our personalities' concluded the male.
Something to his right then caught his attention. His partner was about to face her boggart. The Gryffindor wondered what that could be. 'Maybe it's a troll. Or maybe the Loch Ness monster. I'm pretty sure she's living close to Loch Ness' guessed the guy. His face paled when he saw the boggart take a shape that was all too familiar. Alice was facing a large, black wild dog with ominous orange eyes. Her left hand trembled a little while her face was chalk white. "Riddikulus!" yelled the female as she pointed at the wild canine. The wild dog suddenly transformed itself into a yellow puffskein that bounced off the floor. The teenager felt uneasy upon the sight of her boggart. After all, it looked so similar to Sirius' animagi form. 'Have she seen us during our outings? We haven't run into anyone since year five' recalled the auburn-haired male.
"Great job everyone! It's time for a break. We'll have the duels afterwards. Remember to come back here at 5 PM for the dancing lessons. The dressing code is formal casual. At least that was what the dance instructor told me" informed Harvey. Everyone nodded before they went towards the refreshments table. "Something on your mind Moony?" inquired the Potter. "Hm…I'm just thinking about our roamings every month. Have we ran into anyone or been spotted by someone lately?" asked the male. "I don't think so. We've been a bit more careful after our fifth year. Why do you ask?" replied his friends. "It's just that my partner had a familiar boggart. It looked a lot like Sirius" muttered Remus. His friend suddenly snorted water out of his nose.
"Really? I better let him know" laughed the male. "No, you shouldn't! I wasn't talking about Sirius. I meant Padfoot" whispered the guy. The other Gryffindor got a more serious look in his eyes. "Are you SURE it was Padfoot you saw?" inquired the guy. "It was very similar at the very least. Bigger than average with black wild hair plus orange eyes" answered the brunette. His friend nodded before he drank some of the water. "I doubt she know it's him though. Blondie is in Ravenclaw after all" stated the inky-haired male. "But why-". He then realized what his friend meant. The Ravenclaw tower was at the west wing. In contrast, the Gryffindor tower was at the north wing. Chances were quite slim that she had seen them enter the castle. A wave of relief went through his body. It seemed that the Marauders secret would remain that way. Unless Snape decided to change his mind that was.
"All right, let's line up! I want you to form three long lines with the partners facing each other. There should be at least five feet space between each line, preferably ten. I want two lines to start here at the front. The third one is going to be at the middle at the room" instructed Harvey. James spotted his female partner lining up at the middle of the room. He decided to follow her lead. "Ready to spellbind me?" joked the male. His bony right hand removed his wand from his jeans pocket. "I am" replied Lily with a neutral voice. He could see that her bright grass-green eyes were locked at his frame. There was no doubt. She was dead serious.
"The fifth years are going to concentrate at the spells expelliarmus, petrificus totalis plus stupefy. You can add one or two more spells when you get comfortable. Everyone in year six are going to use the same spells. Keep them non-verbal. Seventh year students are doing the same. In addition, you will add one or two more spells when you feel secure. I need to give you all a warning. Spells that causes more severe injuries than broken fingers have to wash hospital bed pans. Great confidence in their spells or dueling are rewarded with house points" stated the older man.
Some of the students looked a bit displeased when they heard about the limitation. Others were excited since they could practise without fear. The Gryffindor looked at his partner. He was fairly confident with stupefy as well as petrificus totalis. After all, the teenager was used to hex others with it. Expelliarmus was a bit trickier since it was a fairly new spell to him. "Right. Those with the back facing the east wall will begin. Let's start…NOW!" exclaimed the older man.
The redhead wasted no time as her wand hand went like a whip towards the guy. He was barely able to dodge before he lifted his wand. 'STUPEFY!' shouted the inky-haired guy mentally as he pointed at her legs. She stepped aside quite fast while she prepared her second spell. SCHNIP! Hazel eyes widened as they realized that the wand had been sent flying towards the back of the room. It then landed at the floor with a small "clank" seconds later. "Nice job there Lily. Just let me fetch my wand" told James with a sincere smile. He went to pick up his wand while the witch picked her next spell. She was not as confident as her partner with stupefy. Disarming people on the other hand...
Her eyes widened when she saw the male lift his wand. 'PROTEGO!' shouted the female inside her mind while she extended her wand. The spell was barely able to do its job. Her partner was unsurprinsgly fast. 'He's not bad…I'll give him that. Petrificus totalis!' thought Lily as she countered his spell. Her fellow Gryffindor spun to the right while he heightened his spell arm. What happened next was unknown to the girl. All she remembered was that she flied backwards at the floor with her legs locked together. The guy fell to the floor with a solid "thump". He was as stiff as a board.
"All right you two. Just give me a moment to fix this" told professor Flitwick. He approached the female first. The teacher pointed his wand at her legs, which became mobile again after two seconds. The older man then went towards her partner. One wand flick later, the guy was able to move. "There we go. Take it a little easier next time" advised the teacher. "I'll try. Thanks professor" muttered the inky-haired male. 'I suppose I have to use a little less-'. His train of thoughts was interrupted a seocnd later. The redhead already shot a new spell towards him. 'Protego!' exclaimed the male. He lifted his wand the same way the instructor had lifted his. A shield formed around him immediately while the spell wore off. Suddenly, the Gryffindor felt down to the floor again. "Sorry! I didn't think my expelliarmus would be that strong" confessed the girl. She was approaching him with a worried look at her face.
"Expelliarmus huh? You're REALLY dangerous with that wand" muttered the male as she undid the spell. "Well…thanks I suppose. But I have to be. Nobody else will defend me. Especially if you-know-who or his followers attack my family" told Lily. "What do you mean? I'm sure your friends and family would protect you" stated James. "They would. However, I'm the only witch in my family. You and Sirius are both full-blooded wizards. Remus has his father plus his distant relatives. I don't have any other witches or wizards in my family to rely upon" informed the female. Her otherwise bright grass-green eyes were looking downcast.
'Oh Merlin. I forgot that' remembered the guy as he sat up. He was borne in a family with quite skilled wizards and witches. All of his relatives were capable of protecting themselves. Sirius could probably not rely upon his family for protection. Save for Andromeda perhaps. All of the Blacks were capable to defend themselves though. Not that they needed to since they were probably pro-Voldemort or Death Eaters. His cousin Bellatrix was likely a part of the Death Eaters by now.
'Maybe I should give her a pep-talk. Better choose my words carefully here' decided the Gryffindor. He gathered all the courage he could muster while looking straight into her eyes. "Listen Lily. Your family may not be able to do magic like you can. However, I'm sure that your skills will be good enough to protect them. You're one of the best witches in our year. That makes you one of the best students in the castle. Don't forget that in case You-know-who targets your family" told the inky-haired male. Her eyes widened while her peachy-pink skin turned light red. "Thank you James. I appreciate to hear that" said the teenager with a low voice. A shrill sound then rang through the Great Hall. "Time to end the lesson guys! I'm now going to hand out the house points. Slytherin gets 25 points. Ravenclaw as well as Gryffindor are given 30 points each. Hufflepuff has earned themselves 35 points. You all did an excellent job. Keep practicing, and I'm sure you'll become great duelists. Bye for now" told Harvey with a smile. Everyone applauded before they left the Great Hall. It was time to get ready for the dance lesson.
"Jeezes. I don't have much makeup here" muttered Mathilda as she looked into her makeup bag at the female prefect bathroom. She had decided to team up with her female friend to get dressed up. The dress code for the dance lesson was "formal casual". This meant the girls had to wear a dress or a skirt. The boys however, were not allowed to wear jeans or sweatpants. "I suspect that McGonagall wrote the "no jeans" part. She doesn't like those at all" laughed the other girl. She pulled her dress out of her trunk. It was a sleeveless 60's style dress in a pale silvery-purple colour. The dress ended a couple inches above her knees. "Nice dress you got there Goldie" commented Annie. She pulled out a silver coloured belt from her bag. "Thanks Silver. I think my partner will appreciate it. Green is the colour of his house after all" told the female. Said piece of jewelry was a golden-coloured chain with a broomstick pendant. It was a great match with the long-sleeved emerald green dress.
"Time for makeup I suppose. I can do your face while you help me with the eyes" offered the girl. She walked into the toilet stall to change clothes. "Sure" replied the Hufflepuff as she began to style hair. Her friend then walked out of the toilet two minutes later. Her ash blonde hair was put up in a high ponytail with wavy ends. "Looking good there Alice! Remus is a lucky guy. Just give me a moment to find my magical cream" told Mathilda. She pulled out a magical cream bought at Diagon Alley. The cream would make your skin appear less flawed. The only downside was that the effect only lasted for five to six hours. "Close your eyes" instructed the girl. Her friend did as she was told, and the golden-blonde female put on the cream. It did not take long until the cream had blended into the skin.
"Thanks Goldie. I'll do your eyes now. Do you want bronze or light golden yellow for your eyes?" inquired the Ravenclaw. "Golden yellow. You can add a little bronze in my sockets if you wish" replied the female. She then closed her eyes while her friend put on some eye shadow. It was muggle makeup since the eyelids were rather sensitive. Not to mention that eye damage was serious business. "There! I think we're ready to go now" stated the ash blonde girl with a grin. Her eyelids were covered pale silver eye shadow. There was a hint of brown in the sockets. The lips had pale pink lipstick with a little shimmer. "Thanks Silver. Where are you meeting Remus?" asked the girl in the green dress. "I'm meeting him near the grand staircase near the Great hall" replied her friend.
'OK Lily. He should be here somewhere' thought the female as she looked around. James said he would meet her at 5:50 sharp outside the prefect bathroom. She glanced at her dress. It was a golden yellow short-sleeved dress. The dress ended two inches above her knees. However, the neckline was a bit higher than most dresses. Lily had put on a pair of emerald green ear studs while her hair was tied back in a simple knot. "There you are! Hey Lily" called a familiar voice. The girl turned and saw her dance partner arrive. He looked quite handsome. James was in a pair of black slacks with a deep red shirt at the top. She noticed that his hair was a little less unruly than usual while the lack of glasses made him look a bit…boyish in some way.
"Nice to see you Lily. You're looking fantastic" complimented the male. She felt a quick rush of heat go through her body. "Thank you. Your shirt really suits you. I like the colour" told the redhead. She hoped her makeup would cover her slightly pink cheeks. "Me too. Let's go down to the Great hall. Remus and Sirius are picking up their partners there" told the inky-haired guy. The duo walked down the staircase with the other students. 'Should I offer my hand? I wonder if that's the polite thing to do. But we're going to dance later anyways. Maybe I should wait' thought the guy. He glanced down at her hands. They were slim with milky-white skin. Her skin looked smooth and was probably soft to touch. The thought made his heart beat a little faster. Since when did the thought of holding a girls hand make him feel like this? 'Maybe I'm just growing up' concluded the Gryffindor. He spotted Sirius as well as Remus standing next to the entrance. The former guy was wearing a bright blue shirt that made his eyes pop. His legs were covered with a pair of black slacks. His other friend had chosen brown slacks and a light spring green shirt. The shirt made his complexion a bit brighter.
"Hello. Looking forward to the dance lesson?" inquired the guy. "You bet I am. My partner is going to get a waltz or three that she won't forget" promised the Black with a smirk. "Who is your partner?" asked female, curious who he had paired up with. "Catelyn Nelson from Hufflepuff. Speak of the devil, there she is" told the guy. A somewhat tall girl with wavy brown hair approached them. She wore a cobalt blue sleeveless dress that ended right above her knees. "Hello Sirius! Ready to rock and roll?" asked Catelyn. "I am. See you guys later" said the Gryffindor as he left them. "Who are you going with Remus? I thought you said you were going with a Ravenclaw" told the male. "I am. Her name is Alice. She's in our charms class" informed the guy. "Good for you! I think a brainy Ravenclaw should be just the right option" stated James. He was happy that his friend had found a date. Furthermore, most of Ravenclaw girls were usually nice. Unless they were of the gossipy type. Hhowever, his friend would probably not date someone who was like that.
"Hello Remus" greeted a voice right next to Lily. It turned out to be a petite blonde girl that wore a pale lilac dress. "Hello Alice. You-you're looking quite nice" told the auburn-haired guy. 'That's weird. First time I've seen him turn pale in front of a girl' thought the guy. His friend was not shy around girls, but he rarely paled. She had not vomited or mentioned his condition either. The Gryffindor doubted that she knew it despite that most Ravenclaws were supposed to be rather clever. 'Hold on…that dress has the EXACT same colour as a winter full moon! No wonder he looks like Peeves' cousin!' concluded the male. Her pallid complexion combined with her ash blonde hair did not help either.
Annie turned towards James. "Oh, I saw the match you had against us a couple months ago. You guys did really well" told the female. It shook the inky-haired guy out of his thoughts. "Oh. Thanks I suppose. I'm a little surprised since most of the Ravenclaws gave me icy stares afterwards. First time that has happened" admitted the guy. "Don't worry. I kind of got even with that" told the girl with a cryptic smile. "THE LESSON IS ABOUT TO START! PLEASE FIND A PLACE AT THE FLOOR!" yelled McGonagall's magically enhanced voice. James had no time to think about the reply...their dance lesson was about to start.
And there we are! Only a little more to go until the story is finished. Constructive criticism and praise are appreciated ^_^