Fireworks&Friendship
Lily's POV
I'm just gathering my things, preparing to leave Transfiguration (boy, is McGonagall strict) when I feel someone tap my shoulder. Turning around I see James Potter grinning widely at me.
I pointedly roll my eyes. "What do you want, Potter?" I mutter wondering why he can't just leave me alone.
"Jeez, Evans," he says faking a hurt voice. "Can't I just come over to say hi? I want to be friends with a fellow Gryffindor. What is it about me that you don't like?"
I snort noisily upon hearing him. So this is what the problem was! Poor wee Potter can't stand not being adored and pampered by everyone around him.
"Where should I start?" I ask him ironically and head towards the door. He catches up with me and grabs my arm.
"You like Remus!" He points out in a desperate tone.
"That's because Remus isn't an arrogant, self-centered idiot!" I snap back.
"Thanks, Lily!" Remus grins at me over my shoulder and I give him an apologetic smile.
"Well if that's the best compliment you can manage to give your friend, then I see why-" Potter starts babbling.
I can't stand it anymore! This whole 'hey' Evans, lets be friends' attitude. We're only on our second day at Hogwarts and everyone seems to genuinely admire him. What is wrong with people? Can't they see how much of an idiot he is? No wonder he's out of his comfort zone when he notices he's being disliked.
"What can I do to get rid of you?" I mutter throutly annoyed and pissed off by his constant bragging and excessive self-esteem.
He grins mischievously and opens his mouth to reply but I already know what he's going to say, so I decide it's better to cut him off while I still can.
"If accepting your friendship is all it takes, then fine! I'll give you exactly one chance! Don't screw it up!" I glare angrily at him, then make my way out of the classroom and towards the dungeons for Potions, not looking back and hoping I won't regret this.
Sirius's POV
"Honestly, James, mate! Sometimes I just don't get you!" I mumble as we turn a corner, heading for Potions. "Why does she matter so much to you?"
Peter giggles and nudges him and we both earn an angry glare.
"She doesn't! I just can't stand the thought that someone who's not a Slytherin doesn't like me! I mean, what's not likable at me?" He asks himself, actually concerned.
I just can't restrain myself much longer and burst out laughing, creating a chain reaction as Peter and Remus join in. For a few moments, James pouts at us, then he too explodes into pearls of incontrollable laughter.
When I finally catch my breath I say merrily. "Well you can be a bit of a prat sometimes...but don't worry...we still love you.." I give him a friendly pat on the back.
"Thanks, bro!" He pats me back.
Wiping his eyes, Remus clears his throat. "Umm...guys, I hate to ruin your fun, but we'd better not be late for class..."
My belly still hurts from all that laughter, but uneasiness takes over me. We can't miss the first class of Potions! I see that James and Peter too are looking slightly panicky.
I turn to head backwards and find that the door we've come through is blocked. We all push against it, but it doesn't budge.
"Great!" Remus mutters. "We're stuck in an unknown corridor, we're gonna be late and our only exit's blocked!"
Suddenly a brilliant idea flashes through my mind. I feel like giving myself a clap on the back for my ingeniousity.
"I really don't like your smile, Sirius..." Remus groans.
"I love your smile, Sirius!" James grins.
"Oh, stop it, you, that's too flattering!" I say , pretending to blush.
Remus's POV
How have I ended up associated with these idiots, I ask myself as Sirius and James plant fireworks every few meters. Peter keeps jumping around them, mumbling about how brilliant they are and trying to help, but always ending up screwing something up.
I sit on a windowsill gnawing at some chocolate. I feel worse with every passing moment. I'm betraying Dumbledore's trust. After letting me attend this school, how have I replayed him? By hanging out with a couple of troublemakers. The fact that they're fun and great people and I genuinely like them doesn't compensate it one bit.
"Come on, Remus! Give us a hand!" James shouts. "Peter's being useless..."
I roll my eyes. "You can do whatever you like, guys. But I'm not getting myself expelled because of you."
"Don't you get it? Nobody can prove it was us! We aren't even supposed to know about this place! Eventually, someone will find us and-"
"Lets hope it's not a teacher, right, James?" I snap, crumpling the chocolate wrapper angrily. "And I won't even ask where you got those fireworks from, Sirius!" I point an accusing finger at him.
Sirius just shrugs and smiles. "Believe me, it's better if you don't know!"
Lily's POV
If I'm late because of Potter, he's dead! But when I get to the dungeon, the teacher hasn't arrived. We share this class with the Slytherins. I look for Severus. I need someone with whom to complain about Potter. Plus, I've got the feeling that he's been avoiding me. I see him talking in whispers with Macnair. I drop my bag on an empty desk and wave over. "Hey, Sev!"
He look up and gives me a strange look, then whispers something to Macnair and comes over wearing a quite forced smile.
"What's the matter, Sev? Are you avoiding me?" I ask hurt and he shakes his head. "Course not. It's just that..." he runs a hand through his hair and it strangely reminds me of Potter. I quickly glance around the room, wondering where him and his gang might be. Then I almost slap myself for thinking of those losers.
"Well, we Slytherins aren't supposed to be on good terms with Gryffindors..." he says quickly looking at the floor.
I can't believe that. I stare in awe at him for a moment, then as if coming out of a trance, I whip out my wand and shout 'Levicorpus'. Stunned he spins into the air and everyone in class glances surprised at me.
"I thought we were friends, Sev! But if your House matters that much, so be it!" I spit in his face then lower my wand. He crashes to the ground nosily.
Suddenly, someone starts applauding from behind. I turn around quickly to see Slughorn, the Potions master grinning widely at me. Oh, crap! Can't believe I've already gotten into trouble!
But he does the last thing I expect him to. "Wonderful jinx you performed there, Miss-"
"Evans," I say quietly, regretting I'd lost my temper like that. But Sev still deserved it.
Slughorn looks curiously at me. "You can't be related to Harrison Evans, the most renamed Healer of the past century?"
I feel rather uncomfortable and wish he'd just give me my detention already.
"No, I don't think so...I'm Muggle-Born..."
Several Slytherins snigger and I get why Sev didn't want the others to know we're friends...or at least were. I'm not sure about him anymore.
But Slughorn doesn't seem to notice them and instead nods appreciatively.
"Well you seem a rather promising talent nevertheless, Miss Evans. Let's see what you can pull off in Potions!"
He walks away, leaving me in a daze. I hadn't expected to be praised for cursing my best friend.
Snape's POV
I avoid everyone's eye as I grind my ingredients. I can already imagine what Macnair will take back to the rest. That I've been beaten up by a Mudblood. Plus, I need to make up with Lily. I hate being on bad terms with her. She has no idea how much she means to me. Yet I cannot sacrifice my reputation. I don't know how to tell her that without pissing her off.
I rip a small piece of parchment and scribble on it 'Stir counter-clockwise...gives more flavour. Ps: meet me in the schoolyard at lunch.' Checking and double-checking that no one can notice what I'm doing I enchant the note to travel to Lily.
James's POV
"Heyy, anyone! Help! Someone locked us in here!" I shout, pounding on the door until my fists hurt. Sirius has already given up and is triple-checking the fireworks.
"Thanks for your assistance, guys!" I shout, looking pointedly at Remus. What has gotten into him today?
"Is someone in there?" I hear a familiar female voice from the other side of the door.
"Evans!" I exclaim. "So sorry you had to catch me in this awkward situation..." I mumble embarrassed. I hear her snort.
"This is why you haven't turned up for class, Potter?" She says in a patronizing voice. "Been hiding out with your minions in a secret corridor?"
I hear Sirius trying to hold back a bark and give him the evilest stare I can manage.
"We got lost and now we're stuck here...come on, give us a hand..." I can't believe I actually pleading her for help.
She starts laughing. "My, my, Potter...seems like you're at my mercy."
No, no, I can't allow that! "If you don't want to help your dear friends, then you can go on..." I shout.
I guess she must have sensed the desperation in my voice because she gives another shrill laugh and whispers 'Alohomora'. The door swings open and we're standing face to face, her face red from laughing and mine from embarrassment. I've made a fool of myself in front of her!
"You owe me one, Potter!" She grins and skips away more cheerfully than I've ever seen her. I hump annoyed, but I quickly shake myself out of it . The others are watching me for crying out loud!
We walk away briskly from the place of crime. I nudge Sirius on our way back to the Great Hall for lunch. "Got the trigger?"
He nods mischievously showing me the button in his hand. "As soon as I push this thing, them fireworks go off and no one can suspect us!" He says happily a bit too loud.
Remus shushes him quickly. "Shut up, will ya!"
I'm not looking where I'm going so I bump straight into someone. I mumble an apology and as I look up I see a sight worthy of chilly your blood. The others too stop in their tracks.
McGonagall pursing her lips into an unbelievable straight line stares me in the eye.
"I'm waiting for you to explain why you didn't bother to show up for Professor Slughorn's class, Potter!" She snaps.
"We got lost, Professor. Took a wrong turn and ended up in a blocked corridor. Ask Miss Evans!" I say coolly.
For a second she actually seems to believe me, but then she regains her stiffness. "Be as that may, you should have gone directly to the Potions master and announced as soon as you got out. I have no proof of what you were actually doing in that time. I'm keeping an eye on you and you've all earned yourselves a detention. And in your second day at Hogwarts too!"
She turns to walk away, but then seems to change her mind and come back. "And I'm most disappointed in you, Mr. Lupin!" We all turn around to face Remus whose face is now redder than Evans's hair (why did I just make that comparison?). "This is a fine way to repay Dumbledore!"
I half-expect him to tell on us, just to prove he had nothing too do with this (I still don't get what McGonagall is trying to convey to him; I feel as if I'm missing out on something), but he just stares at the floor and mumbles a 'Sorry, Professor'
I exchange a look with Sirius, trying to see whether it'd be wise to question Remus right now. Sirius shakes his head ever so slightly.
"Well look at that! We get punished for telling the truth! Also, great, now we can't activate the fireworks because she'll immediately suspect us!" Sirius points out and I have to agree with him. This school is weird.
