A/N: Here's the beginning of Third Year! Please enjoy!
Review responses:
Btw, before I get to reviews, for all those who recommended the Twilight books (I think it was just about everyone, actually) I'll be off to buy them when I next get paid :D Thanks for letting me know! Now, on with the show...
evershort: Ugh! Your so loucky! throw a snowball for me, won't you! :) Good, it's nice to hear someone wanting to live their life, instead of trying to grow up too fast, it's very refreshing! And they had to win the cup, it would've been cruel of me not to, don't ya think? I'm very glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the beginning of third year!
p.s: Hogsmeade = dates....woooooo! :D
MissCanada: Welcome to the story :) Thank you! Glad you liked it, especially Sirius and James! Hope you like this chapter just as much, and thank you for reading and reviewing!
Geniia: Thank you so much :D I know, I wish it could've gone on forever, but third year will be a blast, I'm sure :D They had to win the Quidditch cup too! Yeah, I think Lily is worming up a little, but at heart, lily is a wonderfully kind person, and I think after the Quidditch accident, her natural kindness kicked in. I mean, she's only disliking James because of Sev, because she cares for Sev dearly, she really is a kind hearted soul, just very stubborn and easy to anger, I reckon. I think I'll be sticking with canon as to when they get together, so yeah, seventh year, BUT that doesn't mean her feelings won't develop UNTIL seventh year, I have a feeling Lily will need a lot of time between developing feelings for James and actually agreeing to go out with him, so you might not have to wait that long for the romance to start ;) and Remus will definitely have a girl, though I'm not saying who or when ('cause I'm mean, lol) but I think you'll all be pleasantly suprised...or atleast I hope you will be :) I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, to be honest! Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the start of third year!
MissWendyBird: Thank you! Jonny is my favourite OC of mine, actually, so I'm glad you like him too :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)
nevillesgirlfriend: Wow! Words can't express how elated I was when I read your review! It was amazing! I've read a lot of fan fictions where Peter is portrayed as an unimportant, overlooked side kick of sorts, when in actual fact, he is one of the most imortant characters in the story, even if it is for the worst reasons. I figured he must have been a nice person at some point, for the others to trust him so deeply and feel so betrayed by him, and I can't tell you how excited I am to write about his downfall, and how and why he did what he did. I find it fascinating, and I truly hope I'll do it justice! Welcome to my story, and thank you for reading and leaving such a wonderful review. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story just as much!
000kayko00: Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter!
Vampfromthemountain: Here it is! XD I hope it was worth the wait! I'm glad you liked it, and thank you very much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy third year :D
Fairywolf: I hope by the time you read this you got my pm. I'm still shocked by it! my face was like :O...really! I can't wait for Hogsmeade either, dates and all! And, since dating will now become a more fixed thing, just what will James do to win fair Lily's heart? Oh, it's going to be fun :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing as always! And please enjoy the start of third year!
splatteredpaint: Thank you! Oh I love Roald Dahl with a passion, and I love those two too! I used to have them as my bedtimes stories when I was younger :D There'll be a lot more of the animagi coming up too, that I can promise! I haven't really focused much on the summers yet, I was actually waiting until they were a little older (and until the war escalated more, hint hint) however when I read your review, I added the first part in for you, i hope it's alright! Also, I should thank you even more, because the thing with Jonny wouldn't have come around if you hadn't of mentioned summer, and it's now led to a brand new plot line to come later on! So thank you! And thank you for reading, reviewing and also thanking me :D Please enjoy third year XD
Bookworm315: Thank you! and thank you for pointing out my mistakes, I wasn't feeling all to well, but I still couldn't believe how many there were! It's nice to know someones looking out for the mistakes and letting me know, I'd hate for them to ruin the story! I went back and corrected them (and left a little thank you to you too). Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter (typo free :) )
quirky-as-alice: I know, yay! I simply couldn't have them lose, I didn't have the heart to do it! Well, it says they finally became Animagi in fifth year, and in most respects, I'm sticking as close to canon as possible, so they'll be around 15 or 16 (depending on birthdays), but we'll be getting glimpses of their forms earlier than that, when they're practicing :D Thank you for reading and reviewing once again, and please enjoy the next chapter too :)
BloodMoonRising: Oh dear, that must have been awful! (well, maybe not the school part :D) but I know how frustrating it is to lose the power! I think right now where I live it's about 7 degrees, though I know sometimes drops below zero at night! But then again, I live so close to the Scottish border (I live in the North of England) that I'm pretty used to it by now! At least you have summer to look forward to, eh? I know I'd love to have an American summer! (well, from the south anyway) Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter (I'll keep my fingers crossed that you don't lose your power again too :) )
Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been J.K Rowling...I do live near where they shot some castle scenes for the films, but that's the closest link I have to HP...and I still didn't make any money...oh well...on with the show!
A/N 2: I'm thinking of starting a forum thing for the story, a place to discuss the stories, possible plots and various other things. Also, I'm in the middle of doing some fan art of my characters, and I'd love to hear what you all think, also, I'd love it if any of you were artistic and wanted to have a stab at a pic of James and Lily arguing, or Sirius and the Marauders goofing off :) Anyway, if I go ahead, I'll let you all know, and if anyone wants to join, I'd be more than happy to have you all :) Anyway, let me know what you think :)
The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years
Chapter Seventeen
Third Time's a Charm
"Boys! Dinner!"
James, Sirius and Remus stopped putting away their purchases from Diagon Alley and hurried down the stairs. The Potter house was rather big, with enough room to give James and his friends their own rooms. However for the past couple of nights the boys had taken to camping out on James' floor, going over various pranks to pull for when they returned to school. Peter had stayed for a couple of days, however was called back home by his father. They got the impression Peter's father was quite like Sirius' parents, however the difference was that the Black's now seemed to prefer Sirius to be out of the house (apparently the Black's had been hosting the Lestrange's for most of the holiday, and were too ashamed to have him around), rather than keep him in. Sirius had confided in the boys that his parents had been quite bad to him when he returned home, and that it was putting a strain on his and Regulus' relationship, which was the most he had talked about his home life ever. The sudden reversal in his parent's attitude had shocked James; he hadn't expected Sirius to suddenly tumble out of his fireplace asking if he could stay for the remainder of the holidays. Of course, Mr and Mrs Potter had welcomed Sirius straight away, and were extremely sympathetic when Sirius told them his parents had asked him to leave the house when the Lestrange's arrived. Not that Sirius minded, he seemed to be happier than ever to be at the Potter's.
The boys raced into the large dining room and sat down at their chosen seats, tucking into the sumptuous food Mrs Potter and the house-elf, Binky, had prepared. Mr Potter was still at work, Mrs Potter having given up her work as an Auror when James was born.
"Dad's working late again?" asked James through a mouthful of mashed potato.
Mrs Potter nodded, "After last week's attack the Auror office has been rather busy, plus the two Death Eaters that were caught still need to go to trial."
James nodded and returned to his meal. Last week's attack had been very bad. Two wizarding families had been completely wiped out, along with several Muggles. The worst of it was, it had happened in Upper Flagely, where Chris lived. Luckily, she lived on the other side of the village; however the attack had still shaken her up alot from what Holly had told them. If truth be told, the attack had frightened James too; yet another attack a little too close to him for his liking.
"Now are you sure we got everything in Diagon Alley today?" asked Mrs Potter.
"Pretty much, Merlin was going crazy when we ran out of owl treats."
"How could I forget, he kept me up for a week," chuckled Mrs Potter, "Now, I know you all had homework, is it all finished?"
James and Sirius looked each other at each other.
"Boys," said Mrs Potter sternly, "You go back to Hogwarts tomorrow."
"We'll do it on the train mum, promise," said James, adopting his most charming grin. Mrs Potter rolled her eyes, not one to be fooled.
"Why can't you be more like Remus? From what I've heard, he isn't a pick of bother."
"Are you kidding," laughed Sirius, "He's the mastermind behind our pranks, James and I just carry them out!"
Remus chuckled, "Guilty as charged."
Mrs Potter shook her head, smiling, "What am I going to do with you lot?"
"Buy us new broomsticks?" suggested James with a hopeful shrug.
"James you only got the one you have two years ago, you're not getting a new one until that one is useless." Mrs Potter stood up, gathering up her plate and cutlery.
"May I suggest a trip to the Whomping Willow?" whispered Sirius to a sniggering James and Remus.
"I heard that!" called Mrs Potter, who had taken the dishes into the kitchen.
The boys laughed, then turned as they heard a rushing sound in the living room, and watched an ash covered Holly step into the dining room.
"Hi guys, still terrorising Aunt Gwen?"
"But of course," smiled Sirius. Holly giggled and dusted some ash off her clothes.
"She's in the kitchen," said James, jerking his head towards the kitchen door. Holly nodded and hurried into the kitchen. James glanced at Sirius, whose eyes had followed James' cousin through to the kitchen and were now currently focused on the wooden door.
"Back off Sirius, we've already discussed this," warned James with a smirk.
"What?" asked Sirius innocently, "Can't I appreciate the female form?"
"Not when the female form is my little sister," sounded a voice from behind the boys.
"Hey Jonny," they chorused.
"How is our esteemed Head boy?" asked James.
"Godly, as always," grinned Jonny, "Did Holly tell you the good news?"
"You told us," frowned Sirius. Jonny had rushed straight over to the Potter home as soon as his Hogwarts letter had arrived.
Jonny laughed as Mrs Potter came racing into the dining room, looking extremely happy for some reason.
"Oh Jonathan sweetie, oh I'm so happy for you!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck.
"Told you I'd beat you to her," grinned Holly from the doorway.
James, Sirius and Remus exchanged confused looks.
"Mum, what's going on?" asked James.
Mrs Potter pulled away from Jonny, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Jonny clasped his hands in front of him, and grinned.
"I asked Olivia to marry me."
"What!" cried the three boys in unison, jaws dropping and eyes widening.
"I know I know," Jonny waved his hands at the boys, "I'm still in school, but as soon as we leave, we're getting married."
"Mate, that's brilliant!" beamed James, jumping up to shake his cousins hand.
"Congratulations," smiled Remus and Sirius politely.
"Now, where's my ten galleons," asked Holly, holding out her hand expectantly.
Jonny sighed, reaching into his pockets, "I have a wedding to pay for, how can you do this to your big bro?"
"Well next time believe me when I say I can beat you here using Floo powder," smirked Holly, pocketing the gold coins, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to owl Lils, Bridget and Chris with the news."
Holly hugged Mrs Potter and waved to the boys before heading back to the living room to return home.
"I'd better get back too," smiled Jonny, "Tell Uncle Harry I'll pop over later."
"Okay sweetie, and give Olivia our love," Mrs Potter hugged Jonny once more, before he also disappeared into the living room. Two whooshing sounds told the others they had left the living room.
"Well," said Mrs Potter, "Thank god we still have moments like this. I'm going to owl your father."
~**~
"For the love of God James, please try and behave yourself this year, I've lost count of how many owl's I've had because of your behaviour."
"I'll try mum, but I'm not promising anything," James winked. Mrs Potter sighed exasperatedly, and turned to hug Sirius and Remus, whom she'd become quite fond of in their fortnight spent at the Potter home, despite the mischief they'd gotten themselves into. Poor Binky still wasn't the same after finding those exploding bon bon's in her room.
"Remus, try and keep them in check, even if it's just a little," she pleaded.
"I'll try Mrs Potter," smiled Remus, "But they're pretty hard to control."
"I can imagine," she chuckled. She turned to Sirius.
"Just...try not to get caught."
James and Remus burst into laughter, and the three boys bade goodbye to Mrs Potter (Mr Potter had been called into the office again) and hopped aboard the train. They snaked their way through crowd towards the compartment they'd deemed their own during their first train ride and spotted Peter already settled inside.
"Hey Pete!" the boys called in unison. Peter jumped, his round face breaking into a grin.
"Hey guys, miss me?"
James chuckled. Peter had certainly come out of his shell alot since first year; however he still seemed to hero worship James and Sirius...not that James minded of course. It was always nice to be worshipped, and he was sure Sirius had no qualms about being idolized either.
"Course we did Pete, how was everything at home?" asked Remus, loading his trunk onto the shelf above the seats.
Peter shrugged, "Pretty quiet, dads never really in much, wish I could've stayed at James' longer though. What about you guys?"
"Jonny's engaged," said James promptly. He'd decided to deliver the news to Peter himself, rather than owl it. It made him even prouder to say the words aloud.
Peter's watery blue eyes widened, "Really? That's great!"
James positively beamed and sat down next to Peter, propping his legs up on the seat opposite.
"So," James leant back into his seat, "You guys excited for Hogsmeade?"
"Course," said Remus and Peter in unison, "You know, we could have gone there last year if we hadn't been so busy with the Animagi stuff..." James trailed off, noting the look of sheer horror on Sirius' face.
"Mate, you alright?"
Sirius shook his head, "My permission slip," he said hoarsely, "They didn't sign it."
"What!?" cried James, his eyes widening. Remus rolled his eyes and shoved James.
"He can owl his parents, don't worry."
"Oh...right," James turned a still worried face to Sirius, "Do you think they'll send it?"
Sirius shrugged, and looked as though Christmas has been cancelled, "They'd better," he muttered darkly, "I suppose I could find a way to sneak out," at this, Sirius dove into his coat pocket and pulled out a battered looking piece of parchment.
"Still keeping that list?" chuckled Remus.
Sirius scowled, "You'll be thanking me when you need to know the best way to sneak out of the castle."
Remus opened his mouth, and James was sure he was going to reprimand Sirius for wanting to sneak out of the castle, but was interrupted by Peter.
"So James, is this the year Lily's going to fall in love with you?" asked Peter.
Remus and Sirius sniggered at James' frown.
"Laugh all you want, when we're married with kids and you lot are all alone in the world you'll wishing you never made fun of me."
"Sure James, whatever you say," laughed Sirius, "Honestly though, this is the third year you've been after her, and the best thing she's done is almost smile at you."
"It's a start!"exclaimed James, "I don't see you guys making progress with any girls."
"On the contrary, I had three girlfriends over the summer before I came to your place...all Muggles of course, but hey...at least they never found out about each other."
Remus smacked Sirius upside the head as James and Peter roared with laughter, "That's mean."
Sirius shrugged, "Like I said, they never found out, no big deal."
"We're gonna have trouble with this one, aren't we," sighed James, fighting a grin.
"You're just figuring that out?" smirked Remus. James picked up an owl treat from Merlin's food bowl and chucked it at Remus, the four boys truly happy to be going back to their second home.
~**~
"Lily! Lily over here!"
Lily turned from saying goodbye to her parents, and spotted a golden haired girl hurrying through the crowd.
"Wow Chris, you've certainly grown alot!"
It was true. Chris now towered over Lily, certainly rivalling some of the boys around her. She flashed a dazzling grin and embraced her friend, "I eat my vegetable, Lils."
Lily laughed, and spotted Bridget hurrying towards them as fast as her short legs would carry her.
"Bridget!"
"Hi girls," greeted Bridget breathlessly, "Great to be back, isn't it?" Bridget hadn't changed much over the summer, though she seemed to have acquired a few hundred more freckles to her round face, and her hair seemed lighter than usual.
Lily chuckled and nodded, then clambered aboard the train, dragging her trunk behind her. The two girls headed towards their usual compartment just as the train jolted and began to move.
"So how were your summers? I'm sorry you guys can't owl me anymore, but Petunia's scared of them."
"It was good, hectic as usual," shrugged Chris, "Next year we're gonna have to meet up in Diagon Alley; shopping with my cousin's is a nightmare."
Chris spotted their compartment and the three girls squeezed into it.
"Mine was alright, Spain again of course," said Bridget, stowing her trunk away in the overhead compartment.
"Have you seen Holly?" asked Lily, handing Bridget her trunk to put away.
Chris frowned, "No, actually...you don't think she missed the train?"
Lily shook her head, "Doubt it, Jonny's Head boy; he'd have to be here on time."
At that moment, the compartment door slid open and a short, chestnut haired girl entered. Holly looked up, anger evident in her dark eyes.
"Bloody Slytherins," she hissed, flopping down onto her seat, not even bothering to put away her trunk.
"What did they do?" asked Lily in concern.
"Oh nothing, just being their usual, wonderful selves," she spat, "Laura Heckleton was bragging about that attack in Surrey a few weeks ago, says the her family are all backing Voldemort."
Chris shuddered at the mention of the name, but didn't oppose to hearing it, knowing both Lily and Holly felt no need not to.
"She's awful Holly, don't listen to her," soothed Lily. She was really beginning to see what James meant about the Slytherins, they were a horrible bunch.
"Anyway, how was your summer Lils?" asked Holly, pushing the Slytherins as far from her mind as she could. Dwelling on it would only make her angrier.
"Alright I guess, Petunia was awful as usual, but she was out with her friends from school mostly so I didn't have to put with her too much."
Holly shook her head sadly, "She's just jealous, that's all it is. Remember, if you ever need a break you're more than welcome at my place."
"Thanks," Lily grinned, "I bet your family are thrilled with Jonny's news."
Holly seemed to brighten up, and she nodded, "Ecstatic! Mum was a little worried because they're so young, but she can see how much they love each other, and Olivia's the best, like the older sister I wish I had instead of Jonny."
"So, are you all excited for our new subjects?" asked Bridget.
"Definitely, Arithmancy looks fascinating, doesn't it Holly?" said Lily happily.
Holly nodded, "And Care of Magical Creatures, that looks really interesting, Jonny say's you learn all sorts, and sometimes Hagrid helps out."
"Well I for one can't wait to start Muggle Studies, maybe then I'll know what the hell you guys are going on about sometimes," chuckled Chris, Bridget nodding vehemently.
"Half her family are Muggles and she still doesn't know what a television is," laughed Lily.
Chris pulled a face at Lily, then smiled, "I can't wait for Hogsmeade either, it's going to be brilliant."
Lily and Holly nodded in unison, both eager to visit the famous wizarding village. They'd heard alot about it from Jonny and his friends, and couldn't wait to get to see it themselves.
"Jonny say's Zonko's is amazing there, I bet the guys will have a field day," giggled Holly.
"It's going to be a nightmare, do you know how bad their pranks are going to get?" sighed Lily.
Chris nodded, "Entertainment though, isn't it?"
Lily shook her head and laughed, "I'm surprised you're not in the Potter/Black fan club you know".
"Oh they have one each now, the entire female population of Hogwarts has separated into Potter fans and Black fans," chortled Bridget. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Well that'll certainly help their egos."
"I think their egos are a lost cause, Lil," mused Chris with a grin.
The four girls reminisced on some of the truly big headed things James and Sirius had said, and spent the rest of the train ride discussing Hogsmeade and various other activities they had planned for the rest of the year.
~**~
The train jolted to a halt, and James quickly peeked out of the window, spying the large glittering Hogwarts castle in the distance. He grinned, and could have stood and stared all day, had Sirius not so kingly punched him in the arm and told him to get a move on.
The platform was as crowded as ever, the older students towering over the nervous looking first years. James positively beamed when he saw Hagrid calling the new students over to him, and gave a jovial wave to the giant of a man as he passed.
"Weathers not too bad this year," Remus mused as the four boys headed up the path towards the carriages that would take them to the castle, "It rained our first night here, didn't it?"
James nodded, kicking at a small stone as they walked, "Pete was wetting himself when it started to thunder," he gave the blushing boy and wicked grin, and joined in laughing with Sirius.
The boys approached the carriages, his gaze lingering on the empty space between the wooden shafts, where he assumed a horse would go, had the carriages not been able to pull themselves.
"Ever wonder what actually makes these things move?" Peter said from behind him, voicing his own thoughts.
Sirius snorted, and pushed past Peter, yanking the door of an available carriage open, "Magic, maybe? You're so dense, Pete."
"Just because you're in a mood about Hogsmeade doesn't mean you have to take it out on Peter," Remus reprimanded, climbing into the carriage after Sirius. The dark haired merely shot Remus and infuriatingly uncaring grin, and settled back into his seat.
The ride up to Hogwarts was fairly uneventful, and the boys spent their time discussing the feast, and whether Dumbledore would make his annual speech before or after the food arrived (Sirius sincerely hoped it was after).
The carriage jostled to a halt, and the four boys quickly exited the carriage, glancing up with matching grins at the large castle before him.
"Aahh, it's good to be back," James stretched his arms over his head and yawned, not having realised just how tired he actually was.
"Oi, James," James turned to see Sirius grinning manically at something. He followed his line of sight, and felt his own smirk appear.
Snivellus.
James glanced at his friend, who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. Beside them, Remus tried tugging on James' arm, whilst Peter watched in avid anticipation, his eyes wide and darting from James, to Sirius, to Snape.
"This is too good to miss," Sirius whispered, whipping out his wand, "I'm thinking, Jelly-legs, and maybe a stinging hex?"
James quickly shook his head, "No, I have a better idea," he waved his wand quickly, muttering an incantation under his breath. Sirius, Remus and Peter snapped their heads towards Snape just in time to see a small explosion somewhere in the vicinity of the skinny boy, a large puff of smoke blocking Snape from view.
The boys watched with excitement (or, in Remus' case, a mixture of said excitement carefully concealed with a disapproving glare) as they heard a loud yelp, presumably from Snape, and waited for the smoke to clear. Around Snape and the boys, several students had stopped, and were now pointing towards the Slytherin.
Laughter rippled throughout the crowd as Snape suddenly appeared, ashen faced with what appeared to be smudges of soot on his head, his normally greasy hair no longer hanging limply to his shoulders, but rather sticking up oddly, quite like James' after he'd gotten off a broom or purposefully messed it up.
James, Sirius and Peter didn't bother to contain their laughter, clutching onto each other for support. Remus, though his mouth was desperately twitching, did his best to keep a straight face, though it was obvious he was failing.
"And I suppose you thought this acceptable behaviour?"
The boys abruptly stopped laughing, and turned to see Professor McGonagall, arms crossed, eyebrow quirked and eyes flashing dangerously.
"Aren't you supposed to be fetching the first years, Professor," James said without really thinking. McGonagall exhaled loudly, a growl escaping her throat.
"Detention, all of you. Get to my office!"
"But...the feast!" Peter squeaked, clapping his hands over his mouth as soon as he'd said it. McGonagall seemed to double in height and in anger, her lips tightening to a thin white line.
"I DO NOT CARE IF YOU MISS THE FEAST MR PETTIGREW! I WILL NOT TOLERATE DUELLING, INSIDE OR OUT OF THIS CASTLE!"
Most of the surrounding students were now hurrying into the castle, probably worried they too would be reprimanded. The four boys hung their heads, but still didn't seem to be able to hide their amusement at what had happened, especially since Snape could still be heard cursing loudly.
"My office, boys," McGonagall said curtly, looking a little red since her outburst, "Now."
Sirius flashed McGonagall his most charming smile, and mock saluted his head of house.
"Right you are, Minerva," and before she could clip him around the ear for calling her by her first name (she looked very much like she wanted to) the four Gryffindors turned on their heels and hurried into the castle, shooting longing glances at the hall as they passed.
"Well, at least one good thing came from this," Sirius started as the four boys made their way through the school corridors. James, Remus and Peter each quirked an eyebrow.
"Well?" James said.
Sirius flashed a grin, and turned a corner, "Our first detention of the year was before the school feast, we've beaten out record!"
The sound of three hands clipping Sirius around the ear echoed through the corridor soon after.
~**~
"Now, I have only a few announcements for you before we begin our wonderful feast, firstly, may I please remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, as always. Secondly, the list of banned objects has been updated, for those who wish to see it," Dumbledore glanced at James and his friends, who had returned to the hall just as the sorting hat was being taken away, "It can be read in Mr Filch's office. Now...I think that is everything...let the feast begin."
The four house tables were suddenly laden with plates and trays piled high with almost every meal imaginable. Fat sausages steamed invitingly, plates of thick chips and juicy chicken legs could be seen every few feet, bowls of spaghetti bolognaise tantalized their taste buds, and every food imaginable for the most sumptuous Sunday dinner a child could need was spread out generously. Sirius (as always) was first to dig in, the chatter and clatter of students eating and catching up after their summers apart reached an enormous level.
"I can't believe you made us miss the sorting," Remus hissed, piling a helping of chips onto his plate.
"So, how are you and Regulus? I know you guys were a bit distant last year," said James, waving aside Remus' comment. Sirius glanced up from his food and spotted Regulus chatting happily with Crabbe and Grover. He felt his anger rise as he watched Snape and Avery lean over to him and start whispering.
"Alright I guess," he lied. In actual fact, things had been horrible. His parents had constantly praised Regulus on becoming a Slytherin, whilst making snide comments about Sirius, not even bothering to keep their voices down when they were talking about him. Worst of all, were their thoughts on the recent attacks, and the rising power Lord Voldemort seemed to be accumulating. His parents and almost all of his family seemed to think Voldemort had completely the right idea, and were ready to give him their full support. The two weeks he spent at the Potters were a Godsend, to say the least.
James watched Sirius for a moment, knowing that he wasn't telling the full truth. Sirius had never been very open with the boys, however at least he had confided in them his worries for his brother. However this year, he seemed different. This year, he seemed more closed off. James hoped it was merely a phase.
After dinner ended, James and his friends left for the Gryffindor common room, chuckling loudly as they watched Jonny try to handle a group of particularly loud Gryffindor first years.
The boys entered their usual dorm room, their belongings already brought up, freshly made beds and warm hot water bottles (it was a particularly cold September this year) awaiting them.
"Ahh, it's good to be home," sighed Sirius happily, flopping onto his bed. James nodded, and fell into his own bed, a wide grin plastered across his face. It really was good to be back.
"Hey Sirius, you need to write your mum a letter about your permission slip," Remus reminded from somewhere over by his bed. Sirius snapped his fingers, and dove into his trunk, fishing out a quill and a piece of parchment. He hastily scribbled down a note, read it once or twice, then, with a satisfied smile, folded the letter and glanced around the room.
"Wait...where's Merlin?" the dark haired boy asked, referring to James' owl. Normally, the mighty tawny owl would be waiting for him in the dormitory, before flying off for a night of hunting.
"Oh, he must have left already," James assumed, frowned, "Hang on, I'll go and ask Holly if Vespa's still there," James jumped to his feet, closely followed by Sirius, and hurried down the staircase.
Without thinking, the boys began to run up the staircase to the girl's dormitories. They were halfway up, when a loud wailing claxon sounded, and the stairs seemed to melt away beneath them.
"Bugger," Sirius muttered, before the two boys lost their footing and slid back down the staircase.
Landing in a crumpled heap, James and Sirius spied two pairs of legs, and looked up to see the amused faces of Remus and Peter staring down at them.
"Wait a moment, let me get my camera," Remus teased as the two boys sprang to their feet, blushing crimson.
"I should've known it'd be you two," James and Sirius whipped around to see Lily, Holly, Chris and Bridget all clambering to their feet, having slid down the slide. Lily quirked an eyebrow at the boys clearly amused by the pink tinges in their cheeks.
"Evans, the summers been good to you," James said, flashing his most charming grin. Lily's eyebrow quirked even higher, and was in severe danger of disappearing into her hairline, when Sirius began to speak.
"The same could be said for you, Knight...whoa!" Sirius clutched at his throat, eyes widening and cheeks flushing once again.
There was silence for a moment, until as one, James, Remus, Peter and the girls burst into fits of laughter. Apparently, it was now time for poor Sirius' voice to break.
"Oh – Merlin –," Chris clutched her side, "You sounded – worse than – a girl!"
Sirius scowled, and muttered something unintelligible. It took five minutes for his so called friends to finally calm down, and Bridget had the sense to ask why the boys had tried and failed to reach them.
"Sirius needs to send a letter," James jerked his thumb towards a still huffing Sirius, "Can he borrow Vespa?" he turned his attention to Holly.
Holly smirked at the grey eyed boy, "As long as he promises to speak up more often in that voice," once again the girls broke out into a fit of giggles, causing Sirius to redden even more.
"I'm kidding," Holly waved her hand, "Give me the letter, I'll send it off with her, she's still in the room," Sirius thrust the letter into Holly's hand, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, "We're going to bed...night Sirius," the girls continued to giggle all the way up the staircase (which had formed back into stairs) until the sound was drowned out by the slam of a door.
James turned to Sirius, eyes dancing with laughter.
"Probably the funniest thing I've ever heard," he remarked casually. Sirius swung at his friend, who dodged quickly and began to laugh.
"Bugger off! Just wait until it happens to you!"
Once again, the boys fell into fits of laughter, as the 'you' was punctuated with a rather large squeak. Oh, this year was certainly going to be a good one, if this was how it was to begin.
Love it? Hate it? Let me know :)
I'm not sure at what age boys suffer the humiliation of their voices breaking, but I seem to remember my male friends were about twelve, and, as James said, it was probably the funniest thing I've ever heard! Oh well, we get child birth, this is the least they can go through to make up for it :D
Grace ~
