A/N: The next chapter is where it sadly starts to get sort of… dark… if you get what I mean…

-CONVERSATION OF THE CHAPTER-

ME: Hello Professor Slughorn.

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Hello. How are you today?

ME: Great thanks and you?

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Brilliant. I would like to ask you if you would like to join my Slug Club. You'd be a great addition! Someone from the 'Real World'!

ME: Umm. I'm sorry. I can't.

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Why ever not?

ME: I… already got to a Slug Club in the real world…

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Oh that's a shame.

ME: Yeah it is. Maybe you should ask someone else.

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Yes maybe I should.

ME: You better get going then. Lots of students to ask with so little time!

PROFESSOR SLUGHORN: Yes! I better be off. Good bye.

ME: Bye!

*Professor Slughorn disappears*

ME: Thank Merlin I got out of that. Can you imagine what it would be like? Though it was sort of a compliment that he asked me… ON WITH THE STORY!

21

The Christmas Holidays ended. All the students returned to school and lessons begun again. For James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Snape, Rookwood, Rabastan, Rodolphus, Malfoy, Narcissa, Dolohov, Avery, Mulciber, 2 months of detention started and for Gracie and Bellatrix, 2 months and 1 week. Each night from 7 to 9, they were split into groups and they were supervised by a different member of staff each time. Each night, each group was sent to do something. They had to take it in turns to do something different, clean the trophies in the trophy room or helping with the plants in the Herbology greenhouses or clean the cauldrons used in Potions or tidy the Professor's offices and classrooms or clean the bathrooms or clean the corridors or write lines.

Each and every single one was a boring and tiring task to do.

James, Sirius and Gracie were not very happy when they found out they were stuck with Snape and Malfoy that night in detention cleaning cauldrons under Professor Slughorn eyes.

'Now, hand over your wands. No magic or talking is allowed.' Slughorn said, holding his hand out.

The 5 of them reluctantly dug into their pockets and passed their wands over to Slughorn.

'Right, cleaning supplies are all set out over there. Cauldrons are piled in the corner. Off to work.' Slughorn beamed at them.

They trudged over to the cleaning items.

James pulled on soon rubber gloves and grabbed a sponge.

'I feel weird wearing this,' Gracie muttered, staring at her bright orange gloves in horror. 'They feel weird.'

James and Sirius nodded in agreement.

They went over to the stack of cauldron and lifted some down and began to clean, setting their territory at the very back of room, a good distance from Malfoy's and Snape's. Also out of site from Slughorn so they could talk.

'I can't believe we're doing this.' Sirius groaned, scrubbing a very old cauldron.

'You're lucky. You have less than half of your detentions left. I don't.' Gracie grimaced, stopping cleaning and resting her arm for a minute.

'They'll probably make you and Bellatrix do detention together.' Sirius said.

'No! I don't want to go—' Gracie shuddered.

'They might not. The Professor's aren't stupid. You two would just end up fighting. They want you to stop fighting.' James said.

'That's a shame isn't it?' Gracie mumbled, starting to clean on a new cauldron.

'I asked for the 5 of you to come and clean the cauldrons in the dungeons today so I could ask you something.'

James looked up at Slughorn in confusion.

'I would like to ask you if you would all like to join the Slug Club. It's a club that meets every month for dinners and I have special guests come in. obviously, not everyone is in this club as I only invite gifted students to join. It would be a pleasure to have you join along with Miss Black and Miss Evans.'

Gracie snorted.

'Dress all fancy once a month and have to be near him for hours? No thanks.' She muttered.

'I'd love to join Professor.' Snape said proudly.

'That's great Severus. You are going to become a great Potions master in the future! I can just tell! And am I correct you are friends with Miss Evans?' without waiting for an answer, Slughorn carried on speaking. 'A great Potions maker as well. I was so surprised when I heard she was a Muggle-Born, not that I am prejudiced against Muggle-Borns… could you ask her as well for me?'

Snape simply nodded in response.

'Ahh Lucius! How is your father doing?' Slughorn asked cheerfully.

'He's doing fine thank you.' Malfoy said politely.

'Suck ups.' James whispered.

Sirius and Gracie nodded in agreement next to him.

'I would love for you to come and join as well and Narcissa. Would you ask her for me? Tell your father I said hello.'

'I would love to join Professor. I will pass on the message to Narcissa about the club and to my father.' Malfoy said.

'How wonderful! What about you Sirius? I would love to have the complete collection of the Black's. Such a shame you were sorted into Gryffindor… I would've loved to have the whole set.' Slughorn said happily, oblivious to Sirius's anger at what he was saying.

'Yes such a shame.' Sirius said through gritted teeth.

'So would you come?'

Sirius was silent.

'He can't Sir,' Gracie interrupted quickly. 'See in Gryffindor, we have our own… clubs and we really wouldn't have time. And next year we're trying out for Quidditch…'

'Oh really?' Slughorn said doubtfully.

'Yes. And homework is piling up, exams are soon we need to study and of course Sirius, Remus, James and I love to go to the library and read extra defence books as we teach are selves. I'm sure Professor Servark told you about that. We like to learn as much as possible Sir. We're very keen on leaning.' Gracie lied brilliantly.

'Ah, what a shame,'

Gracie received high fives from both James and Sirius when Slughorn wasn't looking.

Snape and Malfoy were glaring at them from behind their cauldrons.

'Grace you would've been a great member, you're very good at duelling and your brothers, Fred and George (A/N: I couldn't resist. It was too tempting…). Don't you also have a sister? Maria? I heard she was dating that Adam Wheeze. Your parents were very talented as well…'

'Why thank you Sir.' Gracie said through gritted teeth.

'And you James! Is your father still working as an Auror?' Slughorn asked.

'Yes.' He answered slowly.

'Ah, Charlus was always a great wizard, along with Dorea your mother. They're getting a bit old now aren't they? Maybe your father should look into retiring… maybe I should! Hmm… you should all be going back to work now. You haven't got long left. Severus, Lucius I'll send you details of the next meeting in the post soon.'

'Okay Sir.' Snape answered.

They got back to work in silence.

James was particularly angry at what Slughorn had said. His father was perfectly capable.

James seemed to be venting his angry out by scrubbing the cauldrons fast. She was obviously angry that Slughorn had got her two brothers, sister's and her sister's boyfriends names wrong.

Sirius also looked crossed about Slughorn's comments. Slughorn had openly spoken about how it was a shame Sirius was in Gryffindor and he should be in Slytherin, to follow in his family's footsteps.

'Ah! It's nine o'clock! Time goes fast when you're having fun! Just tidy everything away and collect your wands and you're free to go!' Slughorn beamed.

They put the cauldrons away quickly and took their wands from Slughorn, please to get out of his presence.

'Thank everyone that was over!' Gracie yelled once they were out of ear shot.

They laughed at her and climbed up the stairs to go back to the common room.

'I wonder how Peter's and Remus's detention went.' James asked.

'Probably went better than ours…' Sirius muttered.

'Actually… it might of not.' Gracie said.

'What do you mean?' James asked quickly.

Had Gracie done something?

'I haven't done anything.' Gracie said, raising her arms up in surrender.

James nearly sighed in relief.

Wait… is Gracie a mind reader?

'No I'm not a mind reader.' Gracie grinned.

'What? How?' Sirius asked stunned. It seemed Sirius had been thinking the same as hi.

'It was fairly obvious what you were both thinking.' She shrugged.

'So what did you do?' Sirius asked.

'I repeat I haven't done anything.' Gracie said.

'You really expect us to believe that?' James said, guesting to him and Sirius.

'Well yeah. It's the truth. So… shouldn't you believe it?' she asked awkwardly.

'Erm… yeah. I think?' Sirius said, his words showing how confused he was.

Gracie sighed and shook her head amused.

'What I meant is that Remus and Peter are stuck with Mulciber, Avery and Narcissa-'

'That's terrible.' James said.

'Cleaning bathrooms-'

'Ooh! Narcissa face when she found out she would have to clean a toilet! I'd give anythingto see that.' Sirius said wishfully.

'That would be pretty funny.' James agreed.

Gracie giggled. 'Oh! I'm not cleaning! I can't break a nail! Wait till my father hears about this!' (A/N: Had to… Sorry, it's tempting!)

The way Gracie said it in a really posh accent (that was nowhere near like Narcissi's) made them burst out into laughter.

'You know that's what she would probably actually say!' Sirius said.

'What can I say?' Gracie flipped her hair over her shoulder. 'I'm a mind reader.'

'WHAT?' he and Sirius bellowed.

'Your- your- faces?' she said in between laughter.

'That was not funny. You scared me then.' Sirius said, signs of relief covering his face.

'It was. To me anyway.' Gracie grinned.

'So Remus and Peter had to clean the bathrooms for detention? I'm sorry rubbing what we did in their face when we get to the common room.' Sirius said.

'You're going to rubber it in more when you hear what I have to say next.' Gracie smiled slightly.

'Say what?' James asked.

'Servark was watching them.' She said, watching their faces carefully for their reactions.

'No way.' James said quietly.

'Yah way.' She replied.

'I sort of feel for them. But I feel a tiny bit mean, so I'm going to rub it in their faces.' Sirius smirked.

'How do you know this anyway?' James mumbled.

'I have my ways. And no I'm not telling you. Twirling Toadstools.' Gracie said, making the Fat Lady swing open to admit them entrance.

'Peter! Remus! How was detention?' Sirius said loudly, spotting Remus and Peter sitting down and making his way over.

'Fine. You?' Remus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Brilliant!' Sirius said cheerfully.

Remus glared at Sirius.

'Was Professor Servark nice?' Sirius asked, squeezing himself between Remus and Peter who were in the same sofa.

'Yes, as nice as anyone could possibly be. The nice person I've met, the nicest person in Britain, the nicest person in the world, the nicest person-'

'We get it Remus.' James cut it, flopping down on a chair.

'So has Sirius's snoring been bothering you guys?' Gracie asked, looking in Sirius's direction.

Sirius huffed and when Remus, Peter and James said no, grinned victoriously at her.

'Well if he does. Just give us a call. I only charge 1 sickle a through and if you want to keep the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans afterwards, that would be-'

'No!' Sirius shouted, both of his hands clutching his forehead.

They laughed at the look of horror on Sirius's face.

'Please no! Not the Beans! Don't throw the beans at my head!'