Chapter 23: Delegation

"Double Transfiguration and Double Potions!" Sirius exclaimed with a groan, "With a Defence and a Herbology thrown in for good measure who's in charge of these schedules?" He scanned the other columns, "That's just evil! Double Potions last thing on a Friday and then first thing on a Monday, Double Transfiguration first thing on a Friday and last thing on a Monday! There's going to be so much weekend homework, I was looking forward to an extra two days off."

"It is seventh year Sirius." Lily said reading her own schedule, if you look closely you'll see that our free periods are spaced out a lot more as well."

"Yeah no more sleeping in on a Monday." James said remembering last year and the lie in they got after the weekend.

Remus looked over at Peter's schedule, "You've got a few more free periods then usual." He commented. He knew Peter only took six subjects instead of everyone else's seven but even for six subjects Peter's schedule looked a little bare.

Sirius looked over and quickly counted up the subjects, "What happened to Transfiguration and Charms?"

Peter shifted uncomfortably and didn't meet anyone's gaze, "Professor McGonagal had a talk with me this morning and said my grades weren't up to scratch to continue in the advance classes."

Sirius looked mortified, "You've helped in the creation of the Map and became an Animagus what makes her think that you aren't capable of studying at NEWT level?"

"The fact that both things are quiet possibly illegal?" Marlene noted under her breath.

"What map?" Lily asked and Marlene went over the last sentence in her head, now that she thought about it properly she also wondered: 'what map?'.

James smiled at a passing third year and whispered to the girls. "Nothing important it's just a map. A map is a muggle article that represents the surface of the world or a specific portion of the world." He sounded as though he had swallowed a dictionary or at least a Muggle Studies text book.

"Marlene has a small point." Peter squeaked nervously, "Remus did most of the work on the... thing-that-shall-never-be-mentioned-when-Marlene-and-Lily-are-about" Peter spoke slowly, correctly interpreting the twin glares from Sirius and James. The Marauder's Map was not something to talk about in front of the girls. However his hyphenated rendition of the magical object earned him another set of glares this time from the said girls. He swallowed and continued. "And Prongs and Padfoot had to help me in so many ways with becoming an Animagus."

James took the schedule out of the boys hands a looked down it at, "At most you're doing three lessons a day. I mean look at today's." He ran his finger along the Friday column and read it aloud. "Double freebie, break, Defence, Herbology, another freebie, Lunch then double Potions. Wednesday's the best though you don't have to get up till 4th period and even then it's double Creatures."

Sirius smiled at the thought of all that leisure time and slapped Peter on the back; "Look at this way Wormtail if we ever need out of lesson we can just whip up a Polyjuice Potion and switch with you."

"You can't just whip up a Polyjuice Potion." Lily, Remus and James all said at the same time. Lily glanced at James surprised, she was used to her and Remus reprimanding the boys (and girl) at their lack of knowledge but for James to join in – and to know a fact about Potions was a feat in itself.

Sirius and Marlene shared a look and tried to hide their grins, they both excused themselves and left to spend some minutes alone before Transfiguration and the start of what looked to be many NEWT lectures.

Lily nudged James, "Come on we need to find the prefects and get copies of their schedules, Remus' is easy. It's basically mine except you just substitute Runes with Creatures."

James nodded and Remus smiled, "No more slacking off in a free period James, with that new badge comes responsibility you now have to patrol the corridors during your 'freebies'"

James gasped in mock horror placing an animated hand to his forehead. Peter giggle in delight as Lily groaned and dragged the drama queen down the tables to find the remaining twenty-two prefects.

Marlene stretched out on Lily's four-poster and giggled at her friends gaze. She smiled her innocent smiled, "What's the point of getting your own room if I'm not allowed to come in and annoy you? I give you a week then you'll be begging us to un-transfigure the new pool table we've just put in place of your old bed." She teased.

Lily smiled and shook her head returning to her desk where she was getting a head start on the Transfiguration homework McGonagal had given them. Marlene had hers spread out over the bed but had abandoned it in favour of exploring the Head-Girls new room. It was smaller than their dorm at the top of the stairs but included the usual bed, as well as a desk, chair, a wardrobe and had a simple bathroom attached to it. It was situated at the foot of the stairs so that the Head-Boy had easy access to it in case of an emergency. Marlene gazed longingly at the bathroom.

Lily saw the look and smiled, she had already decided to let Marlene share her bathroom before they had even got to Hogwarts. "I suppose now that I'm gone, Rebecca and Mary are taking even longer in the bathroom."

Marlene nodded, "Even more so now that Rebecca is dating that Bagcroft Prefect."

Lily was surprised at this bit of gossip. "Since when?"

"Summer holidays I think they bumped into each other in a shop in Dublin. Started chatting without embarrassing school friends and found they had a lot in common, including both living near Dublin."

Lily smiled. "Anyway what I was going to say is that because there's only me and I don't take long and you don't take long I mean you don't even bother with make-up unless you're hiding something from your parents." Marlene blushed and subconsciously rubbed a small red mark on her collar bone. "So you can use my bathroom in the morning."

Marlene smiled and jumped up from the bed. Bounding over to the desk, she embraced her friend. "Thank you."

Lily grinned; "Anyone would think I've just allowed you to stay here." Marlene's eyes widened and Lily laughed, "I'll go crazy if I have to spent my days in here alone, I'm sure we can conjure up a spare bed on our study nights."

Marlene shared her laugh and went back over to her Transfiguration homework. Unbeknown to Lily she had nearly finished, she just need to write her conclusion.

"It feels weird coming back to Hogwarts only to have one day of classes then the weekend." Sirius commented as they arrived for breakfast late on Saturday morning.

"Speak for yourself mate, that new Defence Professor gave us so much homework he's rivalling with McGonagal and Slughorn. Even Sprout gave us homework and all of it is for Monday!" James exclaimed sinking onto the bench and inadvertently placing his head in his cereal bowl – fortunately it was empty.

"Sprout's is for Tuesday last thing." Remus commented, making a note in his homework diary. He had already completed all four pieces of homework and after breakfast was looking forward to a nice long nap in the hospital wing.

James looked at his pale friend. "We'll meet you down there, it might take us a while to sneak out."

Remus looked at him, "You don't have to come, you have responsibilities."

James groaned, "I wish everyone would stop with this responsibility thing, am I not allowed to have fun and let my antlers down once in a while?" This was said quietly but there was an edge of exasperation to his voice.

Sirius smiled and patted his friend on the back sympathetically.

"James have you and the other captains worked out a Quidditch schedule yet?" Lily asked buttering her piece of toast. James groaned as even more responsibility weighed down on him. Lily stared at him and took matters into her own hands. "I've got one wonderful word for you James. I promise you it will save your life this year." James looked at her expectantly. "Delegation."

James grinned and turned to his friends. "Peter make me a sandwich, Sirius do my Potions homework, Remus do all my other homework."

Lily rolled her eyes and slid up the bench to avoid being hit by the two bits of toast Remus and Sirius just flicked at the cocky Head-Boy. Peter however looked delighted to serve and handed James a freshly made Ketchup Sandwich.

James accepted the sandwich happily and looked forward to using his new powers of delegation he turned to Marlene who was busy reading a letter.

"Marl can you speak to Black about Quidditch for me please?"

Marlene was so engrossed in her letter that she didn't hear what James was asking her, not looking up from her letter she turned her head in the direction of Sirius. "Hey hun, pass the Mayo."

Sirius passed her the mayonnaise and watched in horror as she put some in her porridge, she then reached for a sausage and dunked it in the said porridge.

"Marlene!" James shouted snapping her out of her letter and stopping her from eating the porridge and mayonnaise covered sausage.

She glared at him and put both the sausage and letter down on the table. "What?" She said and James saw a rare glint of anger in her usually calm demeanour.

"Don't worry babes, James was worried." Sirius said and pointedly looked down at the offending sausage, Marlene blushed. Sirius had the same effect on her that James had on Lily.

"Sorry." She said dropping the sausage in her porridge bowl and pushing it away. She then picked up the letter and tucked it in her jeans pocket. "It's my brother. He always knows how to rile me up."

Sirius nodded in understanding and pulled her into a soothing hug. "James was delegating to you." He said quietly.

"No I'm not making you a sandwich nor am I doing your Defence homework."

James smiled and shook his head, "That their job." He pointed at Peter, Remus and Sirius and earned himself another few bits of toast in his hair. "I actually asked if you could speak to Slytherin Black and see if you could get his Quidditch Schedule off him but if your brother..."

Marlene shook her head this seemed like a good opportunity to kill two Hippogriffs with one stone. "I'll do it it's fine, do you want me to ask the others for theirs as well?"

"That would be fantastic thank you." James smiled relieved. Lily was right that word was going to save his life this year.

She caught Regulus just as he was heading for his common room. Grabbing him and pulling him unceremoniously into an empty classroom she waved her brother's letter in his face. "Have you read this?" She exclaimed.

Regulus smirked, "No, not even my excellently trained Seeker eyes can't read off a piece of parchment that's being waved vigorously in front of my face."

Scowling Marlene shoved the letter into his chest and went and sat on a desk, swinging her legs impatiently.

Regulus chuckled as he read her brothers words. "He sure knows how to annoy you. How are you going to respond?"

Marlene stopped the swinging of her legs and smiled her smile, Regulus felt slightly unnerved. "I'm obviously refusing the proposal. I have a boyfriend and I don' think he'll take it to kindly if I get dragged into a magical wedding arrangement however in order to stop these insensate requests I'm going to say that we have become friends. What they don't know can't hurt them."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of Legilimency?"

Marlene shrugged. "I live with my brother I've been lying and dodging his questions all summer."

"Not when it's the Dark Lord." He muttered but shrugged all the same and gestured that he accepted her answer even if he wasn't happy with it.

"Great. One Hippogriff down, one to go. Good ol' Big-Head-Boy wants your Quidditch Schedules so he can sneak in and steal all your moves."

Regulus rolled his eyes. "I've delegated the task to one of my lackeys." Marlene cracked an unbelieving smile, "I'll give it to his royal pain later this afternoon."

"Thanks Regulus." The first-name usage surprised him. He wasn't sure if she knew that she had just unintentionally saved his life, figuratively speaking of course.

He cleared his throat stopping any attempts she had of leaving. "Why? Why are you willingly doing this, even as just friends we're going to have to keep up appearances."

Marlene sighed and turned her dark eyes to him. Dark eyes that reminded him of his cousin. "I'm doing it to save you." She said in a near whisper before leaving him in the classroom with just his thoughts.

A/N: I don't know if anyone noticed but last chapter I changed the summary a bit. (OK a lot) this is why, I am going to delve a little bit into Regulus and his betrayal to Voldemort, I had already planned this ages ago and have plans drawn up for what happens after Hogwarts. However I'm still not happy with it so the summary could change in the near future any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Anyway enjoy please as usual review :D