A/N: Your reviews are my favourite! Thank you all.

Chapter Thirteen: Is it a date, or can I come along?

Who gives three evenings of writing lines for skipping one measly Care of Magical Creatures lesson? Minerva was having a laugh.

"But Miss," I complained the next day at the end of Transfiguration. "I already know how to shovel Hippogriff dung, I just didn't think it was that important."

"That is neither here nor there, Miss Hopkirk. I'd rather hoped you would have grown out of your immature approach to the importance of attending lessons after you didn't receive the required marks to continue Charms and Potions at NEWT. I had thought your ambition was to become an Auror – you do have quite the flair for Defence Against the Dark Arts. In fact, the only Professor who hasn't yet submitted a complaint about you this term has been Professor Prewett," McGonagall said stoutly.

Well, yeah – because he was perfect and not a total killjoy like the rest of them.

"Now, you can still become an Auror even without Charms and Potions – though you will have to work even harder to achieve Outstanding marks in all of your subjects if you expect to be accepted into the Auror Training program," she continued to preach. I fought back a sigh because as silly as Minerva was being, she did have quite a terrifying glare when she was angry.

The most annoying thing was – I didn't want to be an Auror. I'd only said that during our Career meetings last year because I thought she might look down on me if I said I wanted to open a pub and follow The Ghouls after I got out of Hogwarts. And then, she'd very annoyingly written to my parents and then they kept harping on about me becoming an Auror and I really didn't have the heart to disappoint them all. I was happy that I didn't take Potions and Charms anymore – I thought that would've convinced everyone that the Auror profession was not for me.

"But those lines, Professor!" I groaned. "They're so asinine."

She chuckled. "You have quite the vocabulary for someone who insists on acting as if they are stupid," she said, eyeing me over the top of her spectacles.

Well that was nice, wasn't it?

Eventually, I called it quits, knowing that I'd never be able to cajole McGonagall into lessening my sentence. I did suspect that it wasn't entirely up to her though, because in addition to writing 'I will not skip compulsory lessons,' I was also informed that I needed to write, 'I will not laugh at my Professor's inability to walk without a limp'. I always knew Kettleburn had it out for me. It was truly unreasonable to expect me not to laugh – he only had one leg for Godric's sake – apparently he'd lost the other one when he tried to hug an over-enthusiastic Horntail in Hungary over the summer.

"You know," I said as I met up with Lily and Dorcas outside the classroom. "You would think the whole bloody school was out to get me this week."

Dorcas rolled her eyes. "I did tell you not to skive!"

"And that was very selfless but clueless of you," I replied stingingly.

"You are impossible, Kate!" she snapped. "Even worse than usual. Just because Sirius dumped you – it doesn't mean you get to take it out on me!"

I glared at her coldly. "He did not dump me."

She looked regretful, biting her lip and studying my face – but didn't reply. Eventually, I sighed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Dor – you know me, I think the world revolves around me and I forget sometimes that other people have problems of their own."

She looked a bit confused and raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lily. "Um, thanks?"

"You're welcome," I said patting her arm. "I am sorry, though. I'll try to be less rude."

Lily snorted. "Empty promises, Kate."

I shot her a look – usually she was the only one who took my side, but she glared back at me expectantly.

"Did you need an apology too, Lily?"

"Well, you did kick me this morning just because I took a few extra minutes in the shower."

I stared at her in exasperation and saw that she and Dorcas were grinning like two loons, so I sighed.

"Fine, I'm very sorry for being such a horrid, miserable girl and taking it out on the two of you."

"See?" Lily said, throwing an arm around me and hugging me to her side. "Was that so difficult?"

We sat down at our three-seat bench in Defence Against the Dark Arts and while my friends moaned about how difficult their Charms homework was, I just watched Professor Prewett bending over a trunk behind his desk. He had quite a nice bum, as Professor bums went. I was leaning to the side trying to get a better look, when the Marauders entered the room – as usual waiting to be last. Sometimes I wondered if they just hung around waiting outside the classroom until the last moment so they'd look like they were cool and disinterested, but even if that were the case, they still received an undue amount of attention whenever they entered a room. James and Peter waved at us but didn't say much, just headed to their desk at the back. James had stopped glaring at Lily now that he was going out with Rolanda – but I could still tell that he was depressed by her continued indifference toward him. Peter had also apparently forgiven me for the whole Jenny debacle, because she hadn't yelled at him in almost two days. It was very kind of Fringy not to wait for my apology before forgiving her poor fella.

Sirius and Remus were talking about something: motorcycles - those two-wheeled cars Sirius had an unhealthy lust for, and Remus just grinned as he walked past me. I looked at him a bit unemotionally, because even though he'd informed me already that he was going to let Sirius off the hook, I wished he had strung it out longer. Only the surly ponce stopped by our desk, knocking lightly on the wood and looked at me.

"Hey Kate."

I stared ahead, focusing on Professor Prewett, who had now straightened up and was holding his back as he stretched. You could practically see the muscles in his back ripple.

"Kate, can't we talk, please? Just give me five minutes."

"Do you hear something?" I said to Lily and she shrugged, looking to the front – probably to check out Gideon herself.

"Dorcas, do you hear anything?" I said, turning to her. Dorcas crinkled her brow at me, looked up at Sirius and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Kate, don't be childish," she said gently – even though she was being a cow.

"Come on Kate – you can't keep this up forever," Sirius groaned.

Now that Prewett had turned to face us, I had nothing much to look at, so I did the unthinkable and opened up my textbook.

"You are so bloody unreasonable," Sirius spat, huffing and walking off towards his friends like the drama queen he claimed he wasn't.

"Afternoon everyone! Cracking lesson today, if I do say so myself," Gideon began, throwing out a wicked grin. "Patronuses!"

There were a few twitters of excitement, and even I sat up a little straighter. I'd wanted to learn to make a Patronus ever since I'd seen my Dad cast one when Mafalda and I had been young. There had been a rogue Dementor in Diagon Alley when we were buying my first set of school things, and since my Dad worked in the Magical Law Enforcement department at the Ministry – with the Wizengamot, not as an Auror or anything – he'd cast a Patronus that took the form of a great eagle and shooed it away before contacting the Aurors.

"So," Prewett said, grinning at the response. "Normally, I might have just pushed the desks aside and got you to jump right in, but Professor Dumbledore has kindly reminded me that teaching the theory is necessary for exam prep." He almost rolled his eyes but then turned it into a weird blink before clearing his throat.

"We won't tell if you won't, Sir," Sirius called out and the class burst into laughter.

Ha-ha, yes - how amusing he was.

"Ah, tempting Black – but if you've ever been on the Headmaster's bad side you'll know it's not the best place to be – personally, he quite terrifies me." Prewett was nevertheless grinning as if Dumbledore didn't scare him at all.

"Yeah, us too," James grinned and the class chuckled again.

I rolled my eyes – honestly they could say anything and the idiots would laugh. They hardly had to make an effort. It was very unfair for those of us who had spent years sharpening their wit.

"Right, so I suppose – turn to the Patronus page in your textbooks," Prewett said walking over to the board and waving his wand so that a long list of instructions appeared.

"Which one is that?" a cranky Slytherin asked.

"Ah…" Prewett grinned and saw that Dorcas had her hand in the air. "Dorcas will tell us, won't she?"

She looked breathless as he nodded to her and she smiled and said, "Page 247, Sir."

"Excellent, and I suppose I should probably get you to read through the paragraph, right?" He looked to Lily, who rolled her eyes and grinned at him.

"Yes Sir, I believe that would be an appropriate teaching method."

"What would I do without you all?" he said charmingly and Lily and Dorcas giggled while the rest of the class chortled. Even I joined in this time – you really couldn't help but laugh with Professor Prewett because even though he pretended to be clueless, he was really just poking fun at the whole educational system, which I found to be highly admirable, along with breathtakingly sexy.

And then, I stopped laughing abruptly because there was a knock on the door and I saw that Lizzy was looking in the window. Her hair looked particularly nice today – she'd had a blunt fringe cut and she wasn't wearing the rest of it in a plait or ponytail for once, and it framed her face in a disgustingly attractive way. Her eyes looked enormous and despite what I might have said in the privacy of my dormitory – they were annoyingly lovely and blue. I scowled and glared down at my textbook. The room had fallen unusually silent and the air felt think with tension – I could feel several eyes dart to me, but I ignored them.

"Miss Cole! To what do we owe the pleasure? Come to seek revenge on Katherine?" Prewett said, winking at me.

I stared back coolly as Lizzy blushed and suddenly, I wasn't quite as enamoured with the Defence Professor as usual.

"Trust me, Professor – I'm not scared," I said, glaring at Lizzy. A few of my classmates let out a quiet hum of 'Ooohs,' but I did not move my eyes from the trembling Fifth Year. Her face turned even redder and she hid behind her unfairly interesting hair as she turned back to Prewett.

"Um..." Prewett looked a bit lost for words at this, watching my face for a second, but then shook it off and nodded kindly at the stupid, blushing girl. "Well, Miss Cole?"

"Er, Sir – Professor McGonagall sent me to find out what you wanted me to do for my, um, detention," she said, tucking some hair behind her ear and then wincing and letting it fall over her face again. Her eyes darted to someone behind me and I didn't have to be a Legilimens to know it was Sirius.

"Did I give you a detention?" Prewett asked puzzledly. "What for?"

"Um, I didn't hand in three homeworks," she muttered embarrassedly. What a loser reason to get detention. I let out a tiny scoff and heard a few people chuckle. Lily elbowed me lightly, but didn't comment.

"Ah yes – very naughty of you. Well – I suppose you'll have to do detention, won't you? Katherine, you get in trouble a lot – what was your last punishment?"

I glared at him and again, he looked taken aback. "Why are you asking me Sir? Black and Potter get twice as many detentions as I do."

He nodded; still looking confused, but strode down the aisle to where James and Sirius sat near the back. I didn't look, even though I knew everyone else would be.

"Well, Sirius – what was your last detention?"

There was a pause. "Hmm…I think it was fixing and mopping up Moaning Myrtle's bog," Sirius replied to a few chuckles.

"Disgusting. And you, James?"

"Well, ah – I had to scrub out the bedpans in the Hospital Wing after that awful stomach bug went around last month," James said. "Exhilarating stuff."

"Indeed," I heard Prewett say and then after a few footsteps, I felt his gentle hand on my shoulder. "Well, Katherine? Care to contribute now?"

I shrugged, feeling cornered. "Trophy polishing a couple of weeks ago. And McGonagall and Kettleburn are having me do lines three times this week."

"And there you are Lizzy – which detention strikes your fancy? Bog fixing, bedpan scrubbing, or lines?" Prewett asked, squeezing my shoulder as he passed me and headed back into view beside a practically shaking Lizzy. She couldn't seem to look away from me and all I did was stare back evenly. Let her divert her eyes first – I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of getting to me.

"Er – I suppose lines, Professor," she muttered, still blinking back at me.

"A wise choice. Tell Professor McGonagall that you will be joining Katherine in detention tomorrow evening. I suppose – 'I will not…not do my homework,' will do."

She nodded, cast her eyes over my head once more and scurried from the room.

"Well Professor," I said as he turned back to the class. "Just so you know, you've completely ruined my life."

"Oh buck up Katherine – life isn't as hard as you make it out to be! Now – Patronuses!"

A peacock. A bloody peacock – that's what my stupid Patronus turned out to be. Six years of expecting it to be a lion or a dragon or something impressive like that – it was a peacock. As the class shook with laughter, even Professor Prewett couldn't hold back his smile.

"Well Katherine, you have to admit that it's quite appropriate – you are rather showy."

I scowled and he chuckled, patting me on the back and moved on to where a very pretty looking deer had sprung from Lily's wand. Her eyes grew large and bewildered as it sprung over to where James had shot out a similar deer – except with antlers. He didn't look surprised at the form of his patronus as Prewett clapped and said, "Ah! We have a stag and a doe – how charming. Well done, Potter," he said, elbowing James. Lily scowled as hard as I had, at that.

And then Dorcas made a doe too! She blushed crimson and I noticed that Lily was looking at her oddly. Perhaps she wasn't as clueless about Dorcas' affection for James as I'd thought. Prewett cleared his throat as Dorcas' doe ran through Lily and James' patronuses and all three of the silvery forms turned to wisps.

"A popular form apparently," he muttered before clapping Sirius on the back. "And I would expect nothing different from you, Sirius." A stupidly adorable big dog had erupted from his wand and the ponce exchanged a look with Professor Prewett who, from this day forward, I will refer to as Ponce Senior. Remus was beside me now, watching as Sirius' dog chased after Peter's little rat and he patted me on the back.

"Don't worry – it was a very pretty peacock.

"What's yours?" I grumbled.

He shrugged and waved his wand, concentrating hard and a huge, four-legged thing sprung from it, scampered in between the dog and rat and then sprung for the windows dissolving as it hit the glass. The room was silent for a second, everyone probably wondering, like me, what on earth Remus' patronus had been. His face was dark and his eyes drifted to his friends who looked equally solemn.

"Ah! One of those ancient Dire Wolves! Very unusual Remus," Prewett said, patting Remus on the shoulder and everyone turned to chat together about how huge it had been.

"Careful Remus," the Professor cautioned quietly before he strode to the front of the room.

"You're a wolf?" I said, raising my eyebrow at him. "I thought for sure you'd be a kitten."

"Oh shut it Peacock," Remus said, giving me a small smile as he headed back to his desk with the same grim expression on his face.

"Now! It's easy enough to make a Patronus in the light of a happy and relaxed classroom under the watchful eye of a very handsome Professor – but ordinarily, the circumstances in which you'd need to produce a patronus would be much more difficult. And since it would be highly irresponsible for me to invite a Dementor to the castle – I will just be trying to recreate a similar effect so that you may try again. But that's for next week," Ponce Senior said as the bell rang. "Essay on the Patronus Charm please – let's all try and make sure you get more than five words on to an inch of parchment for this one please? Fifteen inches sounds like a good number. See you all soon!"

As we headed out into the corridor to go to our Free, I noticed that Lily and Dorcas were arguing in hushed voices beside me.

"Honestly Dorcas! A doe? You don't really fancy that arrogant, self-obsessed idiot do you? I thought you were better than that!" Lily snapped, fiddling with the strap on her bag.

Dorcas looked, if possible, more annoyed.

"Oh you can talk! Yours was a doe too – and I know for a fact that Archie's isn't a stag because he was gloating about it being a eagle when he ate lunch with us yesterday."

Lily reddened and spluttered a bit.

"Well – it's obvious – that er…Potter's is a stag because mine is a doe!"

I winced. Bit arrogant for someone who is constantly calling other people arrogant, Lily.

"That is! Well – that is just absurd. Maybe his is a stag because mine is a doe!" Dorcas hissed.

I held back a laugh but Lily didn't bother.

"Oh yeah, that's likely."

"Well," I interrupted as they glared at each other. They were both being very silly. Lily shouldn't have been yelling because she didn't fancy James and even if she'd been harsh, Dorcas shouldn't have been mad because Lily was probably right – if James' patronus was based on any girl, it was probably Lily.

"Where do you want to spend our Free?"

"I'm going to the dormitory!" Dorcas snapped, still scowling at Lily.

"Well, I'm going to the Common Room!" she retorted and then they both stared at me as if I was supposed to choose one of them over the other. I blinked between the two of them and then someone caught my eye and I yelped, "Remus!" and rushed away. They didn't follow me and I fell into step with him as he headed off down the hallway.

"Where are you off to?"

"Library. Emmeline has Care of Magical Creatures off today because Kettleburn is still recovering from some burns off a Fire Crab and she wanted me to help her with her Charms homework."

Ah! So many feelings all at once! Kettleburn was burnt – Remus was off to see Emmeline, and oh bollocks I'd have to spend another Free in the Library to avoid my friends' drama.

"Is it a date, or can I come along?"

He raised his eyebrow. "You want to come?"

"Lily and Dorcas are acting mental and I want to avoid them at all costs. I've got enough on my mind with sodding Sirius."

He looked at me for another few moments, but finally just shrugged and nodded. I sighed, wishing that I had mates who actually enjoyed doing things other than studying, but was glad to have Remus' company anyway. It didn't hurt that I could keep an eye on the whole Girl Two situation – I hoped Emmeline wouldn't think I was imposing.

She was in the Library already, at one of the tables by the window. It was more in the open than the secluded tables I usually forced my friends to sit in, but the desks were much larger and at least I'd be able to look out the window when I got bored. The sun was shining on to Emmeline's hair and it made the chestnut seem almost gold. Why did everyone have more interesting hair than me? She looked up and waved and I felt Remus nudge me.

"Look," he said as we started to walk over. "Don't overanalyze this – but can you, um, just not embarrass me?"

"Moi?" I asked in surprise and smiled at the withering look he shot me. I patted his arm.

"I promise Remus."

"Hey Kate! What are you doing here?" Emmeline asked. When Remus leaned under the table to pull his books out of his bag, she shot me a look of slightly annoyed confusion. I grimaced at her guiltily.

When Remus sat up, he rolled his eyes. "Kate is a bit of a lost puppy at the moment. Her mates are having a row and, of course, she doesn't want to be involved. Oh, and she and Sirius are fighting too."

"Correction – we're broken up," I said, throwing Emmeline another look of apology. Urgh – maybe I ought to suck it up and go and force my friends to make up. Her expression seemed to change though – her brow wrinkled.

"You and Sirius split up?"

"Yeah, for good this time," I said, pulling WME out of my bag.

Remus laughed. "You could work on the essay, you know?"

"Just pretend I'm not here. Emmeline – you needed help with your Charms right?"

Her eyebrows were still pulled together but she turned to Remus and broke into a large smile. "Yeah Remus – I heard you're a whiz at Charms."

He looked embarrassed and just shrugged. I looked down at my book to avoid staring as the two of them began to work. Emmeline was playing the coy flirt and Remus, the bashful bloke, and it was really all working out exactly according to plan.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Update will hopefully be up tomorrow or the day after. Also - Bottle-Specs readers - I have a bit of a surprise coming for you guys in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out ;)