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P.S - The switching of the P. will be James - Other - James -Other (alternating every chapter, so next chapter will be in James's POV) (:
Remus P.O.V
Should I do the Potions essay, or practice transfiguring a pillow into a chair? Maybe I should eat chocolate. After all, it was nearing my time and -
The door burst open and I started; James came in, huffing, puffing, and all red in the face. For someone who was Quidditch captain, he seemed remarkably out of shape. I decided to address this, after my heart rate had calmed down to a gentle thud.
"What's with your face?" I ask bluntly, then grimace at my choice of words.
James glared at me and raised a hand tentatively to his face. "What's - wrong with it - Moony?" he panted.
"I just meant that you look too out of breath for a Quidditch captain," I said, watching as his face slowly drained the red shade.
"I ran from the first floor corridor to the bloody dormitory - of course I'd be out of breath. I'm not Ivan the Invincible!" he said loudly, leaving the door and walking towards his bed.
I will bet five Galleons that he was running from either a) Lily's wand b) One of Sirius's escaped fireworks, or c) Jerry Hunter.
"Why were you running? Is this part of your new Quidditch practice regime," I joked.
"No," James said coolly, now sitting on his bed, "Puddlemere United lost, but I did not, I repeat, did not bet twice the odds. He's mental if he thinks I'm paying him twenty Galleons. I'm going to need dress robes."
I'd like those coins by next Hogsmeade visit.
But I did a double take, and got up from my bed to lean against the bedpost. "Why would you need dress robes?"
"You mean we," James corrected. I set my mouth in a thin line and raised my eyebrow.
"There's a ball the Heads are planning," James started, but my eyes probably stopped him right in his greasy tracks.
"A ball?" I whispered.
"You and Sirius say that like it's Voldemort or something," James scoffed.
"A ball," I repeat again, deadpanned.
"Yes. Lily -"
"Ah," I say brightly, "say no more." Of course, wherever Lily is, James won't be far behind.
James frowned and said, "Well, she didn't say exactly she was going, but if she's going then we have to go!"
"Why do we have to go? I'm not the one who fancies Lily."
"Why do you and Sirius always have to go against me?"
"What are you talking about," I said wearily. I decided to finish do my Potions essay and I rummage my trunk for a parchment and quill.
"None of you can understand why I can't go by myself -"
"So you're going to ask Lily?" I cut in.
"Actually," he said uncertainly, and I groan quietly. "The witches are supposed to ask the wizards."
This made me smile. Then my smile twitched, and my teeth showed, and soon I couldn't hold back the tickle in throat so I let it free, and soon I was laughing and holding my stomach - and I couldn't see where everything came from, or how it all came out in such free falling tears of mirth.
"I am mightily offended, Moony!" James pouted.
"Why is Moony throwing a temper tantrum on the floor?" Sirius asked, having come in just moments before.
"He's laughing," James told him sourly.
"Why?"
"He - ha-ha - thinks that - ha-ha! - Lily willaskhimtotheball!" I say quickly, chuckling, sitting on my arse, after pounding on the floor in my cruel glee.
Sirius looked at James with pity. "You don't think Evans is going to ask you? And we've been through this before, Prongs, you don't even know if she's going."
James ruffled his dark hair. A few ends were sticking in the back, but the overall effect wasn't that far out of normal.
"I don't know what I'm going to do. But I do know that Lily probably will go, and McDaniel will surely go, and Lily used to fancy him, and I reckon they might, y'know…"
"So you're going to spy on her?" I ask, my laughter abruptly subsided.
"No. I'm going to sabotage McDaniel." I didn't say anything, because no matter what I say, no matter what spells I use, nothing will keep him from his vision. As a prefect, I'm a little bit too lenient where my friends are concerned, and I fail dismally anyway, so why bother? All of their pranks are relatively harmless…
"So let me get this straight," Peter said. I looked at him, shocked.
"Were you always there, Peter?"
"I was sleeping, and then I heard James come in and I sort of eavesdropped."
"Oh," I said lamely. I need to be more aware of Peter, I think I've been neglecting him.
"Anyway," Peter said, turning his watery eyes to the Quidditch captain who looked disgruntled. "You think Lily will go to the ball. You're assuming she is, so you're assuming that if she goes she will ask McDaniel because she used to fancy him and you want to sabotage him so that Lily hates you, forgets about McDaniel, and asks you to go to the ball with her. Meanwhile, you want to woo her if she does ask you even though she won't because she will hate you because she will know you attacked McDaniel. Plus," he said, looking thoughtful. "You want us to go because you won't tell us why but we all know the reason is because you're pathetic and need moral support from your best mates and you're too proud to admit it," Peter finished, looking satisfied. I was impressed.
Sirius looked at Prongs intently, and said haughtily, "What a bunch of shit. Do you realize that none of that made any sense? I can't even call that a plan, it's more like a messy list of assumptions, pranks, and naivety."
"Okay, so it isn't perfect," James snapped. "It made sense when I was talking to her."
"How about, you want to go to the ball with Lily, you want McDaniel out of the way, and you want us to go because a one-man show is boring?" I said crisply.
James pointed at me eagerly, and said happily, "That sounds better!"
Peter smirked and said, "Now we need a plan. To get rid of McDaniel," he said when we looked confused.
"But we don't even know that Lily fancies him. And he just made Ravenclaw Chaser - it would be cruel to jeopardize their chances for their match in two weeks," I said. Poor McDaniel.
"We face Ravenclaw in two weeks so I really don't give a Hippogriff's arse. And the ball is in three weeks, so why not kill two toads with one stone?" James said smoothly.
"Take him out for three weeks? We're talking about a major prank, Prongs," Sirius warned him, but the look on his face suggested something like Puddlemere United won the Quidditch World Cup.
"This will make up for anything we haven't done the last few months," James told him, his smile wide as a cat.
"Lily will hate you," Peter reminded James. I watch James look unconcerned, but I knew he would turn the earth and the stars to make sure Lily didn't find out.
"Are you in?" James asked me, looking expectant.
"I'll think about," I said, just to keep him off for a few days. I popped a treacle tart in my mouth.
"Think fast," James said. "We're starting tomorrow."
I nearly choked.
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