"Shit, shit, shit!" huffed Demi as she pulled out her wand to erase a portion of her work. The four Gryffindor girls were sitting in the library at lunch on Tuesday attempting to finish their History of Magic essays which were due later on that day.
"I told you to do it during the summer," said Lily, as she looked at her friends scrambling to write a long, winded conclusion.
"We did most of it" said Alice, casting Lily an envious look, before turning her attention back to her parchment. For the next several minutes, the three other girls scrawled down random facts and concluded their essays. When the bell finally told, they packed away their belongings and headed to their first ever defence class of the year.
Running to the third floor corridor they nearly smashed into the rest of the class, who were waiting outside the door excitedly. The girls were pumped up too, defence against the dark arts was one of the most interesting subjects.
Suddenly the door swung open on its hinges and a voice from within uttered a single word; "enter." Slowly and hesitantly, the students filed into the seemingly empty room, each of them attempting to make no noise whatsoever. It was only when Alice knocked over a chair, that the professor suddenly appeared, "Sit down."
His robes looked as though he were soaked in blood. The red against his pasty skin made him look even paler. He had dark, brown eyes, not even filled with the warmth of Demi's. "My name is Professor Pavor, and I will be taking over the Defence classes this year. Any questions?"
Remus raised his hand tentatively, "will you be staying here for more than a year, sir?"
"Perhaps," he spat, training his dark, opaque eyes towards Remus.
"What did Remus do to him?" whispered Demi, in Sirius' ear. Sirius half-shrugged before they both turned their heads back to the front of the class.
"No what was I saying before being so rudely interrupted?" said Professor Pavor, looking at the rest of the class.
"Sir, you asked us if we had any questions, Remus didn't interrupt you" said Sirius, looking at the teacher confused.
"Silence." With that, he tapped his wand on the projector in the front of the room. The light turned on and the screen was plastered with various photos of dark creatures from inferi to vampires. "This year, you will be focusing on the dark part of this course. You will be taught to train yourselves from the dangers various dark creature pose. We will start from chapter one, the lighter and more simplistic animals to the last chapter, which focuses on the animals that the Ministry has deemed 'xxxxx'."
Severus, who was seated next to Lily, immediately pulled out an ink, quill, and parchment to write the lessons down. Sirius and James exchanged looks.
"Slimy little git isn't he?" asked Sirius.
"Without a doubt," James smirked.
"Shh, or he'll have both your heads on stakes," said Remus, sitting in front of Demi and Sirius.
Professor Pavor swept up to the table and eyed Remus once more, "I believe I am the teacher in this classroom, Mr . . . .?"
"Lupin. Remus Lupin sir" said Remus, shifting around awkwardly in his seat. Kiara immediately put a hand around Remus' forearm to stop him from fidgeting.
"Lupin. One week of detention should be sufficient enough for me to get my point across, I believe. Every night from 7 to 8 o clock. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes sir," said Remus, looking down at his lap.
The remainder of the lesson was spent writing the outline of the curse material. After 45 minutes, the bell rang and the third years packed away their items and swiftly (in Remus' case eagerly) left the class.
"Can you believe him? Bullying Remus like that?' asked Kiara, as Arnold met up with the rest of the group.
"Yeah, he's completely unfair," said Demi, walking next to Remus, "are you okay?" she added.
"Yeah, I'm fine" he replied somewhat downheartedly. The rest of the ay passed in complete monotony and before they knew it, it was time for dinner.
"So, how are you and Arnold?" asked Lily as she poured her food.
"Well, it's fine in the sense that I like him, but it's nothing like what Demi's got" Kiaria replied, looking over the able at Demi, who was perched between James and Sirius.
"What is it that you've got exactly?" asked the two boys murderously.
"Nothing, relax. You're making it sound like we've done stuff" said Demi, eyeing her friends over the table. Her comment made James and Sirius flip out even more.
"Wait, has he …" asked James, as Sirius raked his eyes over her body.
"Oh god no," Demi sighed, slamming her head on the table. "You're getting to be a bit much alright? Can you please just back off?"
"Well," began Sirius but James cut him off, "we'll try, we're just looking out for you, that's all."
"Well, I've got this, so don't worry about me. How would you like it if I kept on prying into your relationship with . . . I'm sorry who are we on?"
"Alexis Hutcherson" Sirius replied.
"What happened to the brunette one?" chirped James, pulling up beside Sirius and Demi.
"It didn't work out," Sirius said.
"That's like, the seventh failed relationship you've had, including all the girls from last year" responded Demi.
Sirius shrugged at her and poured some more food. Suddenly he saw a shadow pass over him, causing him to turn and see . . .
Demi and Lockhart kissing.
His face went from its normal colour to red in record time. He immediately stood up and marched out of the hall, and as he passed the Hufflepuff table, bent down and kissed a blond haired girl, causing her to promptly reduce to giggles. He them made his way out of the hall, pushing the oak doors open with such force, they practically flew open
The other boys and Alice and Kiaria caught one another' eyes before they looked over at Demi and Lockhart who hadn't really noticed the event.
"When's tryouts?" asked Lockhart, referring to the Gryffindor tryouts.
"Saturday" she replied, "yours?"
"This Sunday" he said, "you remember what I told you, 'fame is a fickle friend' and you were quite famous last year, among school staff and students" and with that he walked towards his table, and sat down between his friends.
"What's that about?" asked Remus and James.
"He's trying to get me to drop out of Quidditch tryouts. HE thinks it'll cause a problem in our relationship or something," she said, as she poured some more pumpkin juice in her goblet.
"What?!" exclaimed the others.
"You're the best seeker we've ever had. Mum and Dad even said so" said James, practically ripping his hair out.
"You've done more last year that the all the other seekers of the other houses combined," complimented Kiaria, who had tried out last year, but failed to get her coveted spot as chaser.
"Don't worry, I'm still going to try out, he can't boss me around" she laughed, as she took a sip. She looked at the giant clock on the wall behind the teachers and said, "I should go back to the dorm, I need to get a head-start on that transfiguration essay, it'll make me fall asleep." She stood up and walked out of the hall as well.
The others continued dinner as if the two most hilarious group mates hadn't left them midway. James decided to turn around the conversation. "Who's got their Hogsmeade permission slip signed?' he asked. Everyone nodded. "Hey Remus, Peter, want to go down to Zonko's?"
"Yeah, when's the next trip?" asked Peter.
"On the 17th of September," replied Lily.
"You're going as well Evans?' asked James, his hand automatically going to ruffle his hair. A habit he had picked up during the summer, while he watched his father do the same thing whenever he got off his broom.
"Yes," she said as a matter of fact-ly, "I am."
"Wanna go out with me?" James asked conversationally.
"Potter, let's grab ahold of reality and take it for a little spin, shall we? I will never, ever, ever, go out with you. I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last bucket of water on earth and my head were on fire," she replied icily.
"Well, obviously you wouldn't need me, you could just use the Aguamenti charm?" he said confused.
"You idiot," she said, as she stood up and marched out of the hall.
James turned around to his mates and said, with a huge smile, "so there's a chance."
The others shook their heads, bemused at their friend's spirit.
Later that night . . .
"Mate you got up and left, I think that is a big enough hint that you like her," said Frank exasperatedly. The four Gryffindor boys, Alice, and Kiaria were sitting up in the common room waiting for Remus to return from his detention. In order to pass time, they were talking about Sirius' behavior at dinner that night.
Just as Sirius stood up Remus pushed open the door, and sat down next Sirius, who was very angry and anxious to change the topic. "How's detention?" he spat.
Remus knew well enough that Sirius was not angry at him, but at the conversation that had just occurred. "He made me clean out the cupboards along the back of the class," said Remus. "I can't uncurl my hands from all the scrubbing," he said showing them his temporary disability.
"Mate, I know what that's like," said Sirius, who pulled out his wand. "relaxare musculi" he said tapping Remus' hands with his wand.
Remus' hands immediately relaxed and he waved them around, "thanks mate. How'd you know to do that?"
"Walburga had me clean out the entire house after I listened to-" he stopped as they heard footsteps coming down from the girl's dormitory. They all held in their breath until Demi's head of blue frizzy hair emerged from behind the wall.
"Hi guys!" she said walking over and sitting on Sirius' other side.
Sirius could tell she had just woken up, her striped pajamas were all wrinkled and her usually frizzy hair was even frizzier on one side. Although she looked completely disheveled, he though she'd never looked prettier.
"You were talking about your mum," she said, egging him on with his story.
"Oh, yeah right. So Walburga and Orion caught me listening into their conversation with You-Know-Who, and made me spend the rest of the summer cleaning out the house. I never thought it was so big" he added as an afterthought.
"Hold on, Voldyshorts was at your house again?" Demi asked.
"Yeah, told me to send on his greetings" he replied solemnly.
"Oh, well I'll be sure to return them," she laughed.
"Really? He still doesn't get to you?" asked James, who knew well enough what Voldemort was up to.
"Not the slightest," she replied. The others knew about their friend's past with the evil wizard, and were hesitant to even bring up the war itself.
"So, they made me clean the goddamn house, and now they've Regulus up on a bloody pedestal, it's like I don't even exist," he cried dramatically as he threw himself onto Demi and buried his head in her hair, feigning tears.
They all laughed as Sirius' head reappeared, "you smell nice."
"Excuse me?" Demi laughed.
"Like," he took another whiff, "Christmas."
"I smell of Candy Canes, I don't think there's such a scent as Christmas," she laughed.
"Yeah, but it's festive, isn't it love?" he said.
"Yeah, whatever. I thought about sending you your birthday present but then I thought better of it. What with your family being tossers, and all," she said. "Hold on, accio."
A small little package flew down from the girl's dormitory and landed on her lap. She picked it up and said, "For you."
Tearing the paper to shreds, Sirius found a ring, emblazoned with the Gryffindor crest. "It's amazing, thank you love" he said.
"Anytime, love" she laughed. "Gonna put it on or not?" she asked.
"You can put it on for me," he said stretching out his right hand and tossing her the ring with the other. She got down on one knee in front of him, making the others laugh. "Will you, my beloved Sirius Black, marry me?" she said laughing.
"I do, love" he said pretending to blush, making them all laugh harder.
"Will you accept this ring as a token of my undying devotion and love towards you?" she asked.
"I do" he said, and she slid the ring on his finger.
"Wow, getting married is tiring" she said, getting up from the floor and stretching. "Goodnight," she said stifling a yawn.
"Hold on," said Sirius standing up, "you got down on one knee. The least I can do is-" he bent down quickly and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder. "Carry you to your stairs." They made their way to the base of them, Demi ruffling up Sirius' hair as they went. He planted her down on the ground and said, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, my love" she said melodramatically. They heard her go up and the door at the top shut. Sirius stood at the base for a moment before returning to his seat on the sofa.
"That's so sweet of her, isn't it?" said Alice, motioning to the ring.
"Oh, shut up," he said. Without further so, the others lowly drifted up to their dorms and fell asleep. Well everyone except one duo who were secretly hoping that they might, one day, end up married.