I FINALLY DID IT, I POSTED ON TIME! :D
So for the first time in this chapter we have Anjanette's POV so I hope you like that :) And this is the start of the Great Prank War, with one of my personal favorites XD Overall, I think you're going to like this one ;)
Kam, it's so good to hear from you again! I was afraid for a while that something might have happened. But don't worry about getting behind, such is life. I'm just glad to see you're alright :D
And with that, dearies, I shall leave you. See you in two weeks! :D Love ya!
~SXS
FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMER, SEE FIRST CHAPTER AN.
Anjanette had breakfast with her Gryffindor friends the morning of the first day of classes. September 1st had fallen on a Friday and therefore the students had had the weekend to get settled before the term officially started. When Professor Flitwick came around to give out the schedule cards, he was confused at first as to where she was, but found her after a moment by spotting her unusual hair color.
"I see you're choosing to dine with the Gryffindors today," he said, handing her the card.
"Yes, sir," she answered simply.
"Perhaps next time I'll just come here with your schedule instead of looking for you at your House table." She wasn't sure whether he sounded more annoyed or offended that she had deserted the Ravenclaw table. With a little huff he bustled back to the staff table.
On her card, she found that since she was taking Potions at a different time from the rest of the Ravenclaws in her year, she had to take Charms with the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs to make up for it. She was glad for this, as it meant that she would be able to sit with the boys again like the year before.
After breakfast, Transfiguration, and History of Magic, Anjanette found herself separating from the rest of the Ravenclaws of her year and heading down to the dungeons for her Remedial Potions. Soon she was surrounded by the new first years of her House as well as the Slytherins. Immediately, she recognized Sirius's brother from the other night. As she didn't know any of the Ravenclaw first years yet and most of the Slyhterins wouldn't appreciate her sitting with them, she thought he would be her best bet for a partner.
As they filed into the room, Anjanette stuck close to the boy and slid into the chair next to him. He smiled and gave her a small nod which she returned and Slughorn began to speak.
"Good morning, class. As only 51 percent of you know me already, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Horace Slughorn and I am your Potions professor. And for that 51 percent of you who know me already, hello again.
"I say 51 because 50 percent know me as your Head of House, and the other one percent is a second year student by the name of Anjanette Harker who needs to catch up a little on her Potions work. I trust that this year will be more successful for you, Miss Harker?"
Anjanette was only slightly embarrassed but kept her face impassive as she said, "Yes, sir. I'll try my hardest."
"Very well, very well. Now then, your instructions will be written on the front board when you come in as well as a list of ingredients. Shake hands and get to know your partner as you will be working with him or her for the rest of the year. And now, we shall begin the simple wart removing potion. If you'd please open up your books and get your supplies together you may begin. When you are finished, please bring me a sample." Slughorn then sat back in his chair and observed.
There was a shuffling of books and cauldrons as the students prepared themselves. Soon they were cutting and measuring ingredients, everyone working intently on their potions.
Anjanette got her things ready and took a deep breath. She had to do well this year or she would be in Remedial again. Once wasn't so bad as she still blended in quite nicely with the first years of her House (though that was ruined by Slughorn's announcement). But any longer than that and she would start to look noticeably older. She might not even be able to graduate.
Suddenly, Sirius's brother tapped her on the shoulder, breaking into her thoughts. "Hello?" he said.
"Hi." She looked back at him and he took her in. She had a pretty face, but it was made somewhat disconcerting with her emotionless violet eyes.
"I'm Regulus Black." This close to him Anjanette could see the differences between him and Sirius. Where Sirius had blue-gray eyes, Regulus's were a bright royal blue. His hair was also closer to a dark brown rather than jet black, and his face was just a little bit sharper.
"Anjanette Harker. Though that's already been established." Regulus chuckled a little and fell silent. "I know your brother."
"Really? Oh, you're that Anjanette. I took letters back and forth between you two for the summer. That snow globe you sent him is really spectacular."
"Thanks." Another silent pause. Then Anjanette said, "We should probably start this thing."
Regulus nodded and the two of them set to work. Surprisingly, Anjanette found it much easier to make this particular brew this time than the last time. Though the last time she hadn't had someone to help her along the way. Regulus seemed to have a certain natural knack for Potions and corrected her mistakes before they could be made.
"You really are bad at this, aren't you?" he asked halfway through the period.
"That's why I'm here."
By the end of class, the two of them had made a decent looking potion which they handed in to Slughorn together. He tested it as she remembered he had the year before, and his skin did not set on fire like last time.
"Excellent, excellent! And no need to call Madam Pomfrey this time, Miss Harker. Wonderful improvement." Slughorn clapped his approval.
"Thank you, sir," she said with a little bow of her head. "But it was really Regulus. He helped a lot."
"Yes, well, your talent runs in the family then, Mr. Black. Your brother is also rather adept in this subject. You should consider yourself lucky you just happened to sit with him today, Miss Harker." And Anjanette had a strange gut feeling that he was very right.
.:~I~S~S~:
At lunch, Regulus started over towards the Slytherin table, looking for anywhere he might be able to sit. His roommates hadn't really talked to him, or even each other, and he hadn't attempted to make friends with anyone else. He thought maybe he could try sitting next to that Snape kid but then changed his mind remembering how cold he had been.
Finally he decided to sit himself at the edge of the bench alone, and hope that maybe in a few days he would develop at least an acquaintanceship with someone. But just before he could start loading up his plate with food, someone called his name.
"Hey, Reg!" He looked up, knowing only one person called him that, and saw Sirius waving him over to their table. Regulus hesitated, debating whether he should go or not because he didn't want to be a fifth wheel with Sirius and his friends. But then he noticed Anjanette sitting with them as well which he felt evened things out a bit. He got up and went over to the Gryffindor table, feeling the eyes of the other Slytherins on him as he went.
"Hello Regulus," Remus smiled when he got closer. Anjanette did the same and James and Peter nodded.
"How's your first day of classes going, little brother?" Sirius asked when Regulus sat down next to him.
"Pretty well, so far. I levitated a feather and Anjanette and I made a potion together," he said.
"So you two are in the same class then," Sirius said. "That's cool." For the rest of their lunch, Sirius and his friends made much more of an effort to talk to him. He was actually rather enjoying it but every now and then he glanced over to his own House table. The Slytherins were eying him and he could only guess what they were thinking. He tried not to let it bother him.
.:~I~S~S~:.
When the Gryffindor boys got to the Transfiguration room after lunch, they found empty desks towards the back of the class. Professor McGonagall was just beginning her introduction.
"This year we'll be getting into a deeper level of Transfiguration. And we'll be learning about the theory and history of certain kinds of Transfiguration that we won't actually cover the practice of.
"For example, perhaps the hardest of all types of Transfiguration is the Animagus transformation. This is a very dangerous and extremely complicated transformation, and not something that we study in Hogwarts. If you should like to become an Animagus you must be of N.E.W.T. Level Transfiguration and Charms when you leave the school, and you must go through an application process with the Ministry, as all Animagi are to be registered as such for security purposes. But if you do decide to become an Animagus, there are many benefits." Suddenly, McGonagall was shrinking before their eyes, rapidly becoming hairy, and her ears moved to the top of her head. Their teacher had become a tabby cat with markings around the eyes in the same shape as her square spectacles. The class erupted in applause and McGonagall was already shooting back to her real size.
Sirius, to Remus's and surely everyone else's surprise, raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Black?"
"What exactly do you have to do to become an Animgaus?" he asked.
McGonagall let a small smile spread over her thin lips, pleased that Sirius was taking a more active interest in the subject. "The entire process involves potions, wandless magic, a small amount of Herbology, and great focus. It can take up to three years, even for someone proficient in Transfiguration and Charms. If any step is not done precisely correct than you can potentially become partially or fully animal, permanently."
Sirius's quill had been scribbling through her entire answer and Remus leaned over to see that he had in fact been taking notes on everything she was saying.
"What are you doing?" Remus whispered.
"Taking an interest in Transfiguration," Sirius replied easily, but he didn't look into Remus's eyes.
"Sirius...this doesn't have anything to do with your 'idea' does it?" But before the dark-haired boy could reply, McGonagall cleared her throat.
"Mr. Lupin, it is not every day that Sirius Black pays full attention in my class. Please don't ruin it."
Remus flushed. "Sorry, Professor." McGonagall nodded and then continued her lecture. Sirius stayed alert throughout class, writing things down periodically. Remus let his worries fall to the back of his mind, but he made a mental note to keep a close eye on Sirius's 'interests' from now on.
.:~I~S~S~:.
Before they knew it, the first full moon had come upon them. Sirius and Remus hadn't planned any sort of special performance for this month. The werewolf was simply going to tell James and Peter that he needed to visit his great aunt who was very sick and could die any day. Ordinarily he wouldn't have made such an excuse, being a bit superstitious and not wanting to jinx anyone in his family. But as far as he knew he had no great aunt and felt it was completely safe to use her as his excuse for the month.
Sirius was excited for this full moon, though he felt incredibly guilty for even thinking this. But he couldn't help it. He was finally going to put his full moon insomnia (something that he hadn't been able to shake since New Years) to good use and research his idea to help Remus. It was his only opportunity to work without the other boy trying to figure out what he was doing. He had already risked suspicion enough by asking about it during Transfiguration.
Remus had told James and Peter ahead of time where he was going and when he 'packed up' to leave, Sirius offered to help him out with his bag.
"R-Really, Siri, I'm fine," he said, though it was all part of their act.
"No, you're all stressed out because you're worried about your aunt. I'll use the cloak and no one will see me."
"Hey, I didn't say you could use my cloak," James said.
"But Jamsie! You wouldn't want me to get in trouble would you?" Sirius batted his eyelashes at the messy-haired boy who rolled his eyes.
"You're such a pouf, Black. Fine, take it." He pulled the cloak out of his trunk and tossed it at Sirius.
"Thank you. And I am not a pouf, I'm just incredibly charming." Sirius flicked a hand through his hair.
"C-Come on, you idiot. I-I'm going to b-be late," Remus said, trying hard to hold back the shivering threatening to take over his body.
"Righto, Remy!" Sirius took Remus's bag and draped the cloak over his arm for later. Then the two of them left the dorm room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Remus slumped against Sirius. The dark-haired boy took his friend's arm and draped it over his shoulder, the familiar shaking radiating into his own body as they made their way down the stairs together.
When they reached Madam Pomphrey, she took Remus's bag on her arm and put an arm around the boy himself. "Bye, Moony," Sirius said as he shuffled shakily into the hospital wing. He gave a weak smile to Sirius over his shoulder before sitting on one of the beds inside.
"Hurry and get back to bed," Madam Pomphrey commanded, but not in her usually sharp tone. Sirius just nodded and turned back the way he came. When he was out of the Healer's sight, however, he put on the cloak and made a beeline for the library.
"Alohomora!" he said to the door and it clicked open. Once inside, he took the cloak off and cast, "Lumos!" It was unnerving to be in the library at night. Even more this time than it had been the year before because he was now alone.
"Hello? If there's anyone there, I'm here. And I'm not afraid to hex you!" He pointed his wand around, trying to look threatening but knowing he didn't. Silence answered him but he was still afraid. He had to get his information and get out of there.
Sirius decided to start with the Restricted Section. He wanted to double check on the animal theory and figured any books with in depth information about werewolves would be in there. He went in between the shelves with caution even though he knew nothing had happened the last time they entered.
In the wandlight, he could barely read the titles on the spines of the books. Finally something caught his eye: Creatures of the Night. It sounded like something that his parents would read, which annoyed him to no end, but he kept telling himself that this was for Remus.
He pulled the book off the shelf and went to a desk. It was so old that he thought it might fall apart when he opened it. A dark cloud rose out of the middle of the pages, though it didn't look like dust. Swallowing hard, he carefully turned to the index and found the section on werewolves.
"Werewolves are vicious and vile on the night they transform," he read aloud, the sound of his own voice making him a bit more comfortable. He could hardly think of Remus being either of those things but he hadn't actually seen the wolf as of yet. He tried not to let his mind develop the details. "No cure or form of help has been devised, but it is believed by many that the presence of other animals may calm the wolf and prevent it from biting at itself or others. Brilliant!"
With the theory doubly proven, he put the book back and looked for another, this time on transfiguration. Since he knew that what he was thinking of was illegal for anyone school-aged, and just very advanced in general, he figured that only a book from the Restricted Section would do.
Finally he found a book called Anything Can Become Anything. It sounded plausible so he brought it to the desk. He opened to the index, scanned for what he was looking for, and flipped to that page. This book was in much better condition than the last one and didn't have the taint of Dark magic.
Sirius skimmed the pages of the section he had turned to but the book didn't have as much detail as he'd been hoping. As he stood to put the book away and get another, however, he let out a yawn. It was harder to stay awake than he had thought it would be. Feeling that he wouldn't be able to concentrate much longer, he decided to put off his research until the next month. He slipped the book back into its slot on the shelf and got back under James's cloak to leave the library, making sure to relock the door on the way out. James and Peter were asleep when he got back and he snuggled into bed contentedly.
In his dreams, he and Remus were running through a field with a wolf, not away from it.
.:~I~S~S~:.
The next morning Sirius woke up at almost noon and the room was empty. His stomach growled and he knew that lunch was probably waiting for him in the Great Hall. He got out of bed and dressed quickly, running down the stairs holding his shoes until he reached the bottom. He quickly slipped them on before heading out of the portrait hole.
As he ran down the moving staircase, he heard people snickering, and even caught a few glances in his direction. He looked down to make sure that he was wearing his trousers and everything else that he should be. No wardrobe malfunctions seemed present. He popped into the first bathroom he found and looked in the mirror to make sure that there was nothing wrong with his face or hair, but everything seemed in order. "Weird..." he whispered to himself and left, heading towards food again.
As he continued, however, there was still a snickering sound following behind him. When he looked at the people who were laughing they quickly looked away, but their smiles didn't disappear. Now he knew something was wrong, but he just couldn't tell what.
In the Great Hall, he figured that James and Peter would probably be able to figure out what was going on. They were sitting at the Gyffindor table and Sirius went directly over to them. The two of them looked as if they were desperately trying to hold back grins.
"Morning, mate. Or rather afternoon," James said with a snort he tried to hide.
"Hello...Is there something I missed?" Sirius asked. "Everyone seems to be laughing today for no reason."
"No idea what you're talking about," Peter said, and giggled a little. "It's not like they're laughing at you because they're definitely not." James glared at him and elbowed him hard in the ribs. Sirius raised his eyebrows at the two of them.
Just then Regulus jogged over, looking concerned. When he reached his brother, he leaned in as if he were going to tell him in a secret. "Sirius, are you having...What did you eat for dinner last night?" he asked awkwardly and James and Peter couldn't hold back their hysterics anymore. James pounded the table with his fist and Peter fell off the bench onto the floor.
Sirius was bewildered, but he kept his focus on Regulus. "What are you talking about?"
The younger boy bit his lip. "Well...you didn't really try to hold back..."
Sirius stood up and looked himself up and down again. He spun in a circle trying to see if there was anything on his back. And the more he moved about, the more people started to chuckle until the entirety of the Gryffindor table was laughing. Even Regulus was starting to grin.
"Alright, Potter, what's going on?" Sirius demanded.
"P-Payback," James said clutching his stomach and trying to stop laughing long enough to talk normally. "Revenge for the prank you pulled on me last year. I told you this was war!"
"But what did you do? I don't see or hear anything that could be considered prank-worthy!" Sirius continued to spin and caused more laughs to erupt from his peers.
"Undo...Undo the deafening charm...James!" Peter squeaked out between laughs.
"Alright. Finite Incantatem!" James cast at Sirius's head. "Okay, mate. Why don't you check again to see if there's anything wrong with you?"
"I really don't see the point-" Sirius started circling again, but this time he heard what everyone else had been laughing about.
His shoes were farting.
"Why you no good little prat!" Sirius cried and launched himself at James. The bespectacled boy laughed and jumped out of the way, causing Sirius to crash into the table and skid into plates of food.
James's eyes suddenly went wide, seeing that things had gone too far. "Uh oh." Sirius pushed himself up and brushed off the worst of the food that was now on the front of his shirt.
"Alright, Jamsie old boy. If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get." No battle could commence at that moment, however, because McGonagall was upon them within another second, chastising and taking points from Gryffindor for the destruction. Anjanette chose to enter the Hall at that moment and witnessed most of the scolding the Transfiguration teacher provided.
When McGonagall was done, she walked away muttering, "Honestly, those marauders," and left the boys to their lunch. Anjanette walked over and took in the state of the table, Sirius's shirt, and his indignant expression. Casting a quick cleaning charm on the dark-haired boy, she asked, "What did I miss?"
.:~I~S~S~:.
After lunch, and finally convincing James to fix his shoes, Sirius went to the hospital wing on the pretense that he had an ache in his ear. James and Peter offered to come with him but he quickly declined, saying that he wouldn't be long.
He was surprised when he got there to find Remus already awake, even though it was only the afternoon. But although his eyes were open, he was lying on his back in the bed and there was a large bandage on his shoulder.
"Hey, Moony." Sirius came to the side of the bed and rested his hands there.
"Hi, Siri," Remus said weakly.
"He's been waking up much sooner lately," Madam Pomfrey said, going behind Sirius to the bedside table to put down a bottle of pain potion. "I don't know whether it's a good sign or not. On the one hand, coming back to consciousness sooner means I can assess how he's feeling sooner, but it might be bad if he's not getting the full amount of rest that his body needs. He may be awake but he's not very strong."
Sirius pursed his lips, looking at Remus with worry. He didn't want to do anything that might prevent his friend from recovering. "Maybe I should go so you can sleep."
"No wait! Stay, please." Remus put a hand on top of Sirius's and squeezed with as much power as he could muster, looking into his eyes with pleading amber orbs then suddenly looking away. "Sorry. Just...lonely. Awake and can't leave worse than unconscious." It was strange to hear the most loquacious of their circle of friends speaking in such choppy sentences. He almost laughed but didn't want to upset him. It seemed waking up earlier was affecting his mind's rest as well as his body's.
Remus was embarrassed by his actions but he didn't have the strength to take his arm back so his hand stayed where it landed. Much as he concentrated on even shifting it over slightly, he seemed to have used up what little energy he had just to get it there in the first place. He and Sirius looked at their hands in an awkward silence.
"Okay," Sirius finally said. "But only for a little." He thought about moving his hand away, but found that he actually didn't mind it too much, once he got past the initial awkwardness. After all, the two of them had hugged a few times before and even shared a bed. What was the big deal about their hands touching? He and Regulus sometimes held hands when they were younger, when one of them had a nightmare.
Sirius flipped his hand over so that their palms were touching and he grasped Remus's hand lightly. The werewolf curled his fingers up slightly but couldn't manage much more than that. Seeing Remus even weaker than he had been in previous months made Sirius's heart ache. He wished that he could go back to the library and research his idea again, but he knew he couldn't risk it until the next moon or Remus would definitely try to stop him.
Remus was surprised when Sirius actually held his hand properly, but he found that he rather liked the feeling. It was comforting, and he could imagine that this was his mother or father's hand, that he was in his own bed at home. He let his shoulders relax more, wincing when the bandaged one moved, and let his eyes close slightly.
"So do you want to hear what happened today?" Sirius asked, breaking Remus's dream of home with the voice that didn't belong there. Though perhaps it would eventually, if Sirius kept coming over for the holidays. Remus gave him a small nod and a smile. "James pulled a prank on me. He must have charmed my shoes last night when we left or something because when I was walking in them this morning they were farting."
Remus chuckled and looked up at him. "Couldn't hear?"
"He cast a deafening charm on me," Sirius said, still annoyed but also somewhat impressed. "A rather specific one, though, since I could hear everything else but the shoes. I'll be Anjanette was in on it. He couldn't possibly come up with something so effective on his own, right?"
"He could. He's not too bad in Charms," Remus said. "Besides, she and James? No."
Sirius tilted his head in thought. "Yeah, you're right. James doesn't understand her at all. He wouldn't try to talk to her on his own."
Remus grinned and quirked his eyebrows. "Looks like war though."
"That's right. We've got to work together because Peter is teamed up with him. All we have to do is think of something that's so awesome that he can't top it."
"We'll think of something," Remus said, seeming to find a bit more of his voice. They chatted for a little while longer before Sirius said he should go.
"Do you want me to bring you anything? I can go grab some you-know-what from you-know-where." Remus knew he was talking about chocolate and he shook his head as best as he could.
"No. I don't want you risking it. We only have to wait another year before we can go legally into Hogsmeade. I'll live without chocolate until then," he said, lowering his voice so Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear. "I've got everything else I need here. Thank you though."
"Alright. I guess I'll see you later, Moony." Sirius let go of Remus's hand and waved goodbye before heading up to their room in the Gryffindor Tower. As he opened the door to their dorm, he heard fragments of a conversation between James and Peter.
"I just say it because he's always gone."
"Why would he lie though?"
"What are you two talking about?" Sirius asked, though he had a bed feeling he already knew.
"Nothing," James said quickly at the same time that Peter said, "We're wondering why Remus is always disappearing." The bespectacled boy glared at his pudgy friend. "What? We were!"
"I didn't want him to know that!"
"What do you mean disappearing?" Sirius asked, deciding it best to play dumb.
"I mean the fact that it seems like he's always suddenly ill or some relative is and he has to go see them. He missed at least two weeks' worth of classes last year in all the times he left," James explained.
"Plus he always looks beaten up when he gets back," Peter added.
Sirius chuckled a little, though it was weak. "So he's a bit unhealthy. It obviously runs in the family since they're always sick too."
"Maybe..." James said, though he still sounded suspicious. "Are you sure you don't know anything about it?"
"Why would I know anything about it?" Sirius asked.
"Because you two are closer. And you tend to go with him to the hospital wing or down to the Entrance Hall every time he has to leave."
Sirius hoped that he didn't look nervous or hadn't paled because he definitely had a knot in his stomach. He should have known that they couldn't pull the wool over James's eyes forever. Peter maybe, but James was more observant than they tended to think.
"I don't know anything about it. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you because it wouldn't be my information to tell." James gave him an even more skeptical look, and Sirius thought he might have said too much, but luckily he sat back in his bed.
"Alright, if you say so." Sirius let out a gush of air, glad they had dodged that bullet. Not only did he now need to think of a way to get back at James for his farting shoes, he also needed to think of ways to get rid of his and Peter's suspicions about Remus's condition.
.:~I~S~S~:.
On the last Saturday in September, Quidditch tryouts were held. There were three places open on the Gyrffindor team, and Sirius and James were determined that they get two of them. Remus and Peter came down with them to the pitch to cheer them on. The two pureblood boys split from their friends at the locker rooms to change into Quidditch robes, while Remus and Peter went up into the stands.
"Too bad we can't all be on the team," Peter sighed, looked out at the pitch dreamily. "I would try out but I know I don't stand a chance against any of the blokes out there."
"I'd rather stay on the ground, thanks," Remus said. "Flying is just not my thing. It was a nightmare trying to get though the lessons last year."
"Yeah, you were pretty bad," Peter said. "No offense."
"None taken. Jerk." Peter looked insulted but Remus grinned, causing Peter to smile in return. They turned their attention out to the pitch where Sirius and James were standing in their new robes with brooms in hand. James had brought the new broom his parents had gotten him for Christmas the year before and Sirius was borrowing one from the school.
"Alright, boys," said the Captain, even though there were both boys and girls standing before him. "We're looking for two Chasers and a Keeper today. First up for Chaser is Black."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Sirius said with a salute and he mounted his broom at the center of the pitch.
"Let's have Burbage as Keeper for this. And how about Potter as a teammate for Black." A blonde girl flew up to the goal posts and waited. James went over to Sirius and they high fived. "Alright, Black, Potter. Just like a real game. You're going to dodge past us and try to score as many goals as you can. Ready?" Sirius gripped his broom handle tightly. "Go!"
The Quaffle was thrown and he shot up into the air, the freedom of flying overwhelming him. He snatched up the ball and zoomed toward the goal post. On the way he had to swerve around an older girl, who almost grabbed it out of his hand. He shouted to, "James!" and threw him the Quaffle. James swooped and caught it, then dipped down and came back up right by the goal posts to score perfectly. Charity Burbage tried to grab it, but it went right over her head and through the middle post.
"Go Sirius! Go James!" Remus and Peter cheered and their friends bowed towards the stands.
"Alright, go again," the Captain said and they reset for another round. They had the same results, Sirius and James on the same wavelength of thought as they passed and scored. They weaved in and out of the other players with grace and by the time they touched down at the end, every other recruit was glaring at them.
"That was excellent, boys!" The Captain clapped them both on the back. "You may sit in the stands and wait for the results. Burbage, you're up for Chaser with Longbottom. Let's have McKinnon for Keeper this time." Sirius and James, both out of breath, made their way up into the bleachers to Remus and Peter.
"That was incredible!" Peter exclaimed as they sat down. "You looked so cool!"
"Don't flatter them too much, Peter. Their heads are likely to explode," Remus said. Sirius swatted playfully at him.
The boys watched the remaining students try but none of them seemed able to live up to James and Sirius's natural flying ability and perfectly in sync minds. Finally when all of them were finished, the Captain called everyone down to the pitch for the results.
"Alright, boys. Everyone did a fantastic job today, but unfortunately we can only pick three. Therefore, our two new Chasers will be Black and Potter, and our Keeper is McLaggen." The rejected recruits put on fake smiles as they congratulated James and Sirius who were grinning from ear to ear. If they were saying nasty things behind their backs, they didn't hear, nor did they care.
"Congratulations, you two," a new voice came up from behind them and they turned to see Anjanette with Regulus tailing behind.
"I didn't think you'd come down to watch. Impressed, little brother?" Sirius asked while flexing his muscles. Regulus joined Remus in an eye rolling.
"But I didn't see you in the stands. Why did you come down when it's already over?" James said.
Anjanette met him with one of her rare grins. "I needed to meet my competition."
"Competition?" Sirius and James said simultaneously.
"Seeker," she said and pointed her thumb at herself.
James let out an exasperated groan. "Great. And here I thought Ravenclaw would be an easy win."
