Chapter 9: Charms

Spring had just began to seep through the grounds. The snow had nearly melted save for some icy patches between the trees. Flowers had sprung up in every corner and the sun was shining above them yet James Potter wasn't very happy.

"I can't believe she's still ignoring me." James huffed falling back onto his bed. "All I did was tell her that she would be lucky to have me."

"That's not exactly how I would impress a girl mate." Sirius said. "But hey what do I know? What do you say Peter?"

"I don't know." Peter shrugged. "I think Lily Evans just hates him."

"Not helping, Pete." James said picking a flower from the ground, a lily if you must. ""Remus would know. Why did he have to get sick again - and now of all days?"

"Whatever Pomprey's giving him is obviously not working. He gets sick all the time." Peter added. "I remember once I got wizarding Pox and my mum gave me one drop of my grandma's herbal essence soup and it was gone. Maybe I should ask her to send some for Remus, it might just do the trick-"

James grinned suddenly. "Maybe she's just playing a game. She likes me but doesn't want to make it look like she does! You know what I think that just might be it!"

"I don't think that's-" Peter started but let it go. He knew once James made up his mind there was no changing it.

James turned to Sirius. "It has to be. I've showered, brushed my hair, done a million spells that first years can't even do but she still won't even pretend to notice I'm there. She can at least pretend to look at me but no instead she's always with Snivelly."

"And Mary." Sirius pointed out.

"Fine she's always with Snivellus and Mary." James looked up, eyes wide. "And Mary!"

"Where are you going James?" Sirius asked as his best friend sprinted across the lawn.

"To find Mary!"

"This is not going to end well is it?" Sirius asked turning to Peter who shook his head "Nope."

"We should follow him," Peter suggested as James stepped out the room muttering gotta find Mary. "Keep him out of trouble."

"Yeah." Sirius agreed, "HEY JAMES WAIT UP! WAIT FOR US MATE! JAMESIE!"

They found James standing by a tree from which Mary MacDonald was lounging on the topmost branch upside down, her black ponytail hanging below her like a drape. Dorcas Meadowes was laying on the ground counting the numbers of leaves on the tree that had grown back.

"Lily's not here." Mary said jumping down squarely in front of James. "And she said and I quote 'I hope I never have to see his inflated balloon sized egotistical head!'"

"That's new." James shrugged, grinning. "Did she come up with that herself?"

"Funny." Mary said icily folding her arms. "She doesn't want to talk to you James and you know James maybe if you actually knew her- and took the time to understand her she wouldn't dislike you so much"

"Oh so she just dislikes me then?" James laughed "And here I thought she hated me. You hear that Pete? Sirius? Lily only dislikes me!"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Lily's right, you are terrible. Why did you have to do that to Severus? What did he ever do to you?"

"Snivelly deserved it." James defended. "You should have heard what he said to me and Sirius on the train."

"I don't care what he said." Mary frowned.

"He said Gryffindors were brawny and dumb Mary!" James protested looking towards Dorcas for support but the blond girl didn't say anything.

"And maybe he was right about one of them!" Mary smirked looking at James pointedly.

"Mary," Dorcas said uneasily speaking for the first time "We have to go meet Michael remember?

"Not now Dorcas." Mary told her. "You go on-I'll be there in a bit."

Dorcas looked uneasy leaving her friend with the boys but she hurried away anyways glancing back ever so slightly as she did.

She turned around to where Sirius and Peter stood. "And you guys we're in on it too right? How would you like to be made fun of in front of the entire school?"

"Now Mary-" James started.

Mary rolled her eyes and started walking away. "No James I will not help you with Lily."

"He doesn't need your help anyways Mary. We don't need your help to find Lily Evans anyways. Now go after your fat friend and Lily Evans." Sirius said defending his friend.

Mary whipped her head around angrily. "Don't call her that! Her name is Dorcas Meadowes and unlike you she's got a brain underneath all that hair which I can't say the same is true for you!" she looked at James angrily once more and stomped away.

"Bit of a temper she's got eh?" Sirius said. "She's just jealous of this Black heir hair." He turned to where she had left from. "YEAH AND YOU WISH YOU HAD MY HAIR!"

"So he says five seconds after she's gone." James snickered with Peter.

"Bugger off." Sirius said. "At least we've established that I'm the one with better hair."

"Hey!" James protested "That is not what she said."

"That's what she said."

"That's what you think she meant." Peter added slyly.

"I'm definitely the one with better hair." James said. "I don't have to wake up and comb it."

"I don't comb my hair." Sirius defended.

"Oh right-" Peter said. "Because running your wet hands through your hair doesn't count."

"Or hiding Sleakezy's gel under your bed..."

"I told you it was a present for Remus!"

James couldn't keep his eyes off Lily for the rest of the class period. She was sitting there with Snivelly laughing as they took turns changing their quills to needles.

"Pinpocksmy!" Eric Walker pointed his wand to his quill. There was a loud swish and in its place lay a single shiny needle. Sirius looked down at Eric's handiwork proudly. "I taught him how to do that." He told no one in particular.

"Did not." Eric said. "I taught you."

"One does not simply teach Sirius Black." Sirius said in his most pureblood Black voice.

"McGonagall would beg to differ." Eric said wittily.

James sighed, tearing his eyes away from Lily and blocking out both Eric and Sirius focusing instead on the two girls in front of him.

"A right flick and stop!" Marlene McKinnon prodded Dorcas Meadowes who had shut her eyes trying very hard as though she could make her feather change through the sheer force of will.

"Turning another color won't make the feather change." Marlene added and Dorcas sighed breathing, heavily. "I'm never going to be able to do this Marlene. Maybe I don't have any magic in me. After all my parents don't."

James stifled a laugh that stopped as soon as it had come.

"Something funny, James?" Marlene was glaring at him. James knew better than to get on Marlene's bad side.

James shook his head quickly before turning to Marlene's blond friend. "Well I mean you're a witch, how can you not have magic?"

"My parents aren't- I mean they're muggles so maybe I'm really not a witch?" Her friend said nervously looking between James and Marlene. "I can't even make my feather change! See it looks exactly the same as it was before! If I can't do this then what does that make me?"

"I'd call that being a squib." James said nodding. "My dad had this friend who was a squib-real unpleasant fellow-"

"Not helping, James." Marlene gritted her teeth as Professor McGonagall made her way towards them.

"Professor, what is a squib?"

"Dorcas!" Marlene turned to her friend "You can't just ask anyone that!"

"Why," Professor McGonagall looked baffled. "I'd say it's a person that possess no magic my dear. Why do you ask Ms. Meadowes?"

"Am I squib then professor?" Dorcas asked looking down. "I can't make my feather change."

"No my dear," Professor McGonagall said peering down at the ordinary unchanged feather. "you're a witch just like Ms. McKinnon here," he smiled at her. "Let's trying changing your technique a bit, maybe holding your wand, here like this-"

"It also helps if you visualize it." James heard Marlene whisper to Dorcas. "I pretend that the air is a canvas and the wand is the paintbrush, all you need is to get movement right, then everything else comes naturally."

Dorcas nodded. "a paintbrush..Pinpocksmy!" She shut her eyes, concentrating and her feather turned a pale silver this time, yet had not quite achieved the shape of a pin.

"There," James announced proudly staring at her silver feather like he was the reason for the change. "You're not a squib after all."

"Stuff it, James." Marlene turned to her friend. "That was great! Just keep on trying, you'll get the hang of it."

"Excellent work, Ms. Meadows!" Professor McGonagall agreed, moving on to a struggling Lily.

"Aww Mars-" James paused as he heard Lily complain to Severus about how hard it was to turn her feather.

"Look at mine. "James said quickly presenting his needle. "I can show you how I did it."

"No thanks." Lily sniffed. "Severus and I are perfectly fine on our own."

"I wasn't offering to help him." James added pointedly. Severus rolled his eyes and turned back to Lily. "Look the key is focusing on the object you want to change..."

James turned away feeling quite dejected. Lily Evan's was playing a game. He just knew it.

"Marlene look!" Dorcas cried suddenly. James could see her feather was no longer a feather. A tiny, but precise needle lay in its place. Marlene and Dorcas squealed causing everyone's attention to drift to them. Lily too looked at them hopefully and stared back at her feather determinedly.

"Third time's a charm." Dorcas said to James who only looked back at Lily. "Yeah."