A/N: It was really difficult to write this chapter, as I had no idea what I wanted to do with it, and my newest story kept distracting me. ^_^ Sorry Chaos and Tragedy. It was also difficult because I freakin' hate the Siren/James ship, but it causes angst later on... . So, YAY! Kinda...
Sorry that you're grounded, Puzzle! I hope this chappie cheers you up!
Disclaimer: ^_^ I am the great and famous, J.K. Rowling!...Okay, no I'm not. I don't own the entire Wizarding World, but I do own a recently bought cylinder of WorldTable Chocolate Nut Crunch Caramel Clusters. 3 Yumm!
Dedication: Of course, to XToxicLullabyX. My very weird best friend that I seldom insult... Dunno why that is. The Prude.
Also dedicated to Sirenity Cortez's inspiration, Hannah Montanna! Er... Chaos, I mean.
Now, without further ado:
Chapter Five
On a sunny Saturday morning, Sirenity Cortez groaned as the sunlight hit her eyes. She'd forgotten to draw the curtains closed again, and therefore the bright morning beams had awoken her on a Saturday morning. She could be sleeping, right now!
"Good morning, Siren!" chirped her sister. Jayden was awake? And chirpy?
"Are you ready for your big date?" Alice Prewett was now hovering over her bed, her round face and big brown eyes simply lit with excitement.
Rolling away from the curious girl, Siren attempted to crawl further beneath the covers. Just as she sighed happily, about to drift off to sleep, her blankets vanished from around her.
"Hey!"
"Up-si-daisy, sister. I did not whip Jamesie into shape just for you to sleep the date away," called Jayden as she twirled her wand in the air. Siren's entire wardrobe was hovering before the redhead, as she selected a suitable outfit for her sister.
"What do you mean?" Siren's curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she stood in order to question Jayden.
"Oh, this one's really pretty!" exclaimed Jay as she held the shirt up to Sirenity's pajama-clad body. "And it brings out your eyes, too!"
"I hate the color green," grumbled Siren.
"But it looks lovely on you!"
"I'm not wearing it."
"Fine," Jayden growled, "but don't come crying when James says he prefers the color green to any other! You'll be sorry."
"I don't care what color James prefers. It's not like we're in love or anything! And I will not have some male dictate what I do and do not wear! That's just stupid." Siren's tirade ended as she slammed shut the door to the bathroom.
"I didn't know you'd had breakfast yet," called Jayden toward the door as she threw the aforementioned green shirt in a pile of discarded clothing. "I wish you'd shared those Bitch-Flakes, though!"
The door opened a bit to reveal Siren's hand displaying a very rude gesture aimed at Jayden.
-X-X-X-X-X-
"So, are you nervous?" asked Kismet of Siren as they met in the Entrance Hall an hour later.
"Nervous? About what," wondered Sirenity. Her eyes shone with confusion.
"The date, stupid," replied Jayden as if it were obvious. Which, it was.
"No, I'm not nervous about a stupid date," replied Siren. "I've already gotten the boy's attention. The rest is just being myself. . .And don't call me stupid."
Jayden smiled slightly as she saw James descend the staircase with the Marauders in tow. "Hey, Captain," she called as she sprung to a salute. Sirius joined her in a second, running to stand at attention as well.
"At ease, Soldiers of Idiocy," James grinned as he turned from his teammates. "Wow, Sirenity. You look-"
"Fantastic?" quipped Jayden.
"Beautiful?" added Sirius, following Jayden's lead.
"Amazing?" Jayden said, so as not to be outdone by Sirius.
"Mesmerizing?"
"Exotic?"
"Breath-taking?"
"I was going to say great, but all the above pretty much cover it," said James as he smirked at the others. He slipped one arm around Siren's waist, and they left the castle.
"Well, there goes my entertainment for the day," Jayden shook her head sadly. Parting from Siren was normally like a breath of fresh air. This time, however, she wished her sister and James would come back. Shaking her head again, this time to clear it, she turned to Kismet.
"Oh, no worries, love," said Kismet as she threw an arm around Jay's shoulders, "You still have me!"
"Oh great," smiled Jayden, "What about Blondie?"
"Well, you have him, too then. Unless you want me to tell him to bug off?"
"Nah, I need someone to make fun of, since Siren's not here."
-X-X-X-X-X-
"Where are we going now?" asked an irate Draco as Kismet and Jayden pulled him from Honeyduke's. They'd been exploring the town for over two hours, much to the girls' delight. Draco, however, had been visiting the villiage for the better part of three years, and he was extremely bored.
"Uh... How about the Three Broomsticks? I love Quidditch shops!" exclaimed Jayden.
"It's not a Quidditch shop," corrected Draco, "It's a restaurant."
"Lame," said Kismet, attempting to pull Draco and Jayden farther down the street.
"No, wait, Kiss! I see Siren and James!" exclaimed Jayden as she tugged at Draco's other arm.
"Stop it, you idiots! You're going to hurt something!"
"Don't be such a baby, Blondie. Come on! Let's go inside!"
Jayden finally succeeded in dragging the two into the shop and they chose a table not far from Siren and James. They each ordered butterbeers from a curvy barmaid and watched the interaction between the aforementioned two on a date.
"What do you think they're saying," whispered Jayden to Kismet.
"Who cares? Why are you watching them so closely?" asked a disinterested Kismet.
"Because! I'm the one that set them up!"
"You did? I thought James asked her."
"Well, he wouldn't have if I hadn't told him to!"
Their drinks arrived at that moment, as did the other three Marauders.
"Evening, ladies," said Sirius as he slid into the booth beside Jayden.
"It's two in the afternoon, Black," grumbled Kismet.
"Technicalities aside, how are you on this fine afternoon?" Sirius winked at Kismet's grimace, earning an immediate growl from the direction of Draco. Both Jayden's and Remus's eyebrows shot up, but no one acknowledged the gesture.
"Er, right," said Remus as he attempted to save the conversation. "Let's order food!"
-X-X-X-X-X-
"Hey," said Sirenity softly to James as she glanced over a few tables away, "Is that Kiss and Jay? With Blondie and the Marauders?"
"Sure looks like it," mused James as he too glanced, "Wonder what all that's about."
"I have no idea. So, James. How's being Quidditch captain?"
And he was off. Sirenity Cortez knew how to play the dating game; it was simple, really. Simply ask an innocent question about something they're interested in, and they talk to themselves for close to an hour. Agree and laugh in the correct places, and you won't even have to listen.
On a few occasions, her focus slipped to the table where her friends sat. She wished Jayden and Kiss were here with her, she was getting slightly bored.
During a pause in the conversation, Sirenity innocently asked, "So, are you really at war with Jayden?"
"What?" James looked bewildered.
Siren assumed he wasn't expecting that question and barreled on: "I mean the prank-war. Are you really going to do it?"
"Well, yeah. She has to learn not to mess with the best," said James easily as he folded his hands behind his back, the perfect picture of arrogance.
Siren smirked, "Well, you'll have a tough time beating us, then."
"Us?"
"Of course," replied Siren, "Jay's my sister, and Kismet's our best friend. Why wouldn't we support her?"
James's expression flitted from shock to wonder to confusion, "But we're dating. Shouldn't you be supporting my side?"
"Nope," grinned Siren. "'Sisters before misters'."
"So, that's it then? We're on opposing sides?" asked James sadly. Sirenity immediately felt bad.
Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Only for the pranks. Any other free time we have," she paused, her lips hovering mere millimeters from his, "will be spent together."
Smirking slightly, James closed his eyes and whispered, "That sounds fine to me."
Leaning in finally, the two pressed their lips together for a short time.
After breaking away from James, Siren looked around the room for her friends. Surprisingly, they were all still there, except for Jayden.
-X-X-X-X-X-
"There you are, fire-crotch," called Kismet as she hastened to catch up with her red-haired friend. "Why'd you leave?"
"Oh you know," muttered Jayden as she glowered at everyone who passed her. "Just needed air."
"Uh huh," replied Kismet in a completely disbelieving tone. "Draco took off shortly after you did."
Jayden looked up at the brunette beside her, glancing at her expression, "Why so sour about it? Blondie's gone for the afternoon. Sounds great to me!"
"I guess," sighed Kismet. "But now who's going to stop creepy guys from hitting on us?"
Staring at Jayden, Kismet realized her friend didn't seem too upset by the idea of males hitting on her. She had a determined gleam in her eyes, which were now scanning the area around them. For a moment, Kiss thought she was watching for potential danger.
However, she was very much mistaken.
"Hey, who's that," asked Jayden, pointing at a tall, light brown-haired male.
"Uh, how am I supposed to know?"
Not waiting for further information, Jayden boldly strode to the unexpecting boy. Channeling Siren's confidence, she addressed him, "Hey. I'm Jayden." She extended her hand while flashing a flirtatious smile.
Watching the scene play before her eyes, Kismet had to pinch herself in order to awaken from her daze. Nope, not dreaming, she thought, Jayden's flirting.
Before long, her friend rejoined her beside Zonko's Joke Shop, smiling brightly-with one exception. The grin didn't reach her eyes.
"His name is Jason," said Jayden dreamily. "He asked me to go flying with him tonight, after we get back."
"What House is he?"
"Ravenclaw."
"Oh. Work-a-holic."
"Yeah, well," Jayden said, shrugging.
The two continued down the road to the end of town. Turning around, Jayden suggested they head back to the castle to get a jump start on homework.
-X-X-X-X-X-
"Well?" asked an interested Kismet, "What happened after the kiss?"
Jayden's stomach flipped as she remembered glancing over to check on Siren, only to see her sister's lips locked onto James's.
Hastily jumping into the conversation, Jayden added, "Come on, Kiss. She doesn't have to-"
"No, no," said Siren happily, "I want to tell you guys all about James! He's attentive, sensitive to my emotions, caring, a gentleman..."
Jayden inaudibly groaned, shoving her hands deep inside her muggle jacket pockets. She stared above them at the greying skye as they walked up the steps to the school. Just as they entered, Jayden knew something was wrong.
"Hey, guys?"
"Yeah?" asked Siren.
"What's that?" Jayden asked, jerking her finger toward the ceiling.
Both turned to look above them where Jayden was pointing. There, hovering mere meters above the girls, was a huge puddle of mud.
Suddenly, the girls' clothes disappeared.
"What the hell?" screamed Kismet, turning red in anger. "Where are my damn clothes!"
Just as the others were realizing what Kismet was yelling about, the floating mud puddle crashed down around them, covering every inch of their bodies in watered-down dirt.
"Holy crap!" exclaimed Sirenity as she attempted to brush off the muck, accidentally flinging mud onto both her friends who stood on either side.
Jayden chuckled softly, remembering an American muggle joke, "Hey, left nut?"
Grinning in response, Kismet followed suit, "Yeah, right nut?"
"Wanna squeeze the meat in the middle?"
With an excited scream of laughter, Kiss and Jay shoved Siren down onto the floor, flinging mud at her. Not one to stand for a team-up, Siren began to retaliate. Soon, each girl was on her own, fighting for dear life against the other two.
-X-X-X-X-X-
Professor McGonagall saw the mess before her colleague and Headmaster. Placing a hand over her heart, she gasped, "Albus! What is this?"
"It seems as if our American students are sharing a certain bit of their culture with us," Dumbledore smiled slightly.
Stepping onto the scene, Professor McGonagall silently fumed. Two of the rule-breakers were Gryffindor girls, her very own House!
"Ladies!" she all but screamed. Movement immediately ceased, so the Deputy Headmistress continued, "What is the meaning of this!"
"Professor, I swear," began Jayden pleadingly, "We've-we've been framed!"
Siren nodded enthusiastically along with her sister, as Kismet stared blankly at Professor McGonagall.
"Very well, Miss Millsap. You have a chance to redeem yourselves. Let us discuss this in my office." Turning in a billow of light blue robes, Headmaster Dumbledore led the way.
The girls siphoned off most of the mud with their wands, and summoned three sets of robes from their dormitories. Just as Kiss was pulling on her clothes, she heard a voice behind her, attempting to sound seductive.
"Hel-lo," said Lucius in a drawl.
"Hell no," replied Kismet as she turned to walk away, dripping mud the entire way.
Shoulders shaking in laughter, Jayden and Sirenity shared an amused glance before following their friend to the Headmaster's office.
-X-X-X-X-X-
The girls had each received two weeks' worth of detention, since they refused to give up the Marauders' hand in the prank, as they wanted real revenge. After they'd spoken to Dumbledore and McGonagall, they'd all raced to Gryffindor Tower for three showers. Kismet refused to go much longer without hot water soaking off the remainder of the mud. However, they ran into a very remorseful Remus in the common room.
"Jayden," he began, "I feel horrible about the prank. James and Sirius were the main culprits, and Peter and I-"
"James?" exclaimed Siren. "Oh, it's on."
"Wonder how he had time to pull the prank so soon after we got back from Hogsmeade..." mumbled Kismet. Jayden spared her a glance, but soon sighed and turned her attention back to Remus.
"What is it, Lupin?" Remus winced as Jayden continued, "I want a freakin' shower."
"Well, I feel awful about it, and I wanted to make it up to you," he mumbled after casting a hopeful glance at Jayden. "The password to the Prefects' bathroom is humdinger." Remus then walked away.
"Wait," said Jayden as she turned him around. She threw her arms around him and smirked, "There. Now we're even."
"Until the next prank, that is," finished Kismet as the three all but ran from the room.
Upon entering the Prefects' bathroom, the three girls gasped.
"Oh my Bob!" exclaimed Siren, "It's like the size of a pool!"
"Holy crap," said Kismet.
"Wait," said Jayden, realizing a problem. "Uh, sorry girls, but I don't think I'm comfortable with you two enough to bathe together. I mean, stripping to undies is fine, but I'm not getting naked in your presence!"
"Oh I know!" said Siren as she brightened. "Let's each take one side of the pool for ourselves, and we'll close our eyes and sink into the water..."
The others groaned and closed their eyes, Kismet taking extra precaution and turning around as well.
"This is so effing awkward!" yelled Jayden as she sunk into the foam-filled bath. However, the minute her tired limbs hit the warm, soothing water, she immediately relaxed.
"So, the guys pranked us." Kismet didn't believe in beating around the bush. "It's our turn. What do we do?"
The minutes passed slowly as each girl thought hard about their impending reaction. Then, Jayden sat up.
"I've got it!"
-X-X-X-X-X-
A/N: I'm currently working on a new project titled The Pride of Prongs. It was inspired by the Wizard Wrock opera written by Padfoot and Prongs, called To the Shrieking Shack. It really is a good listen, you should go hear it. It's located on Myspace under music. Just search for Padfoot and Prongs's profile page.
Oh! And a huge thanks to Tragedy and Chaos for helping me with ideas for this thing! I'd never be able to write it without them...
-Flashback-
Tragedy: Hey! You should do something with that one thing from the last chapter!
Me: What thing?
Tragedy: You know, that scene where *insert descriptive words here*.
Me: What? Really? I wrote that? That's funny!
Tragedy: *worried look*
-X-X-X-X-X-
Chaos: Did you remember what we said to include in the next chapter?
Me: Who said? What next chapter?
Chaos: You know, that one thing *insert descriptive words here*.
Me: We said that?
Chaos: Yes...
Me: Oh.
Chaos: Tragedy's right. You need a doctor.