The Order of Mischief I (Marauders)

1.12

"Play 'American Pie'!" Anya pleaded to Sirius, irritating him as they sat in the corner of the abandoned Charms classroom. It was her new favourite song, especially as her father had gifted her the album towards the end of October. The music played quietly in the background for the rest of the group, but loud enough for Black and Zion, as she handed a vinyl disc to him.

"Anya, my goodness!" Kylennia scolded her in her thick but posh British accent, "Stop fussing over the music and get some work done."

Anya ignored her best friend as she hummed to the song. A small group of students had gathered together to complete their essays and catch up on their notes, especially as Remus had missed a couple days of classes. They agreed to meet after their lessons on a Tuesday evening, regardless of their houses, hiding in the room before dinner would be served.

"Get your pretty little butt over here, princess, so we can sort this mess out," James called out, comparing her notes to his. She groaned in rebellion before walking towards him and slumping down beside him. He ignored her reluctant attitude and started whispering to her about her essay for the potions class. They had just finished making their sleeping draughts and she had half the sane mind to make Potter write her essay for her. She wrote half of her essay, leaving the section about the uses of the potion for a later hour, or day, but James was keen to make sure she finished it soon.

Remus was tucked away in the corner of the room, scribbling away on his pieces of parchments. Frequently, he would look up and observe his friends, occasionally how he befriended them all in the first place. Most of them gathered in their own social circles and forced their friends to socialise with their frequent academic partners. The children were not particularly close with each other, but they got along well enough.

Sahara Zion sat alongside her roommates, Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon, with their new friend and housemate, Mary Macdonald, in their midst. Lily Evans, another roommate of Sahara's, was too busy avoiding the Gryffindor boys because of their habit of picking fights with Severus Snape, so she was not there. The girls were seated in a circle, with Peter Pettigrew and a Hufflepuff boy called Sebastian Wolfe, who was a year older than them. Eralia and Nahara quickly sat on the floor beside Sahara. Their friends were nowhere to be seen, most likely too busy revising in the library. But they had no work to do, they were simply hanging around them to catch up with their cousins. There were Ravenclaws in the room, near Sirius - most of whom were either sitting in numbing silence, while the others were too busy playing around and talking. Kylennia and Pandora were too busy making notes quietly, whispering to one another every once in a while. While Phoebe loudly conversed with the black-haired boy. The people in the room would happily admit that the noise made by Phoebe and Anya was better when they were apart than when they were together - the best friends never knew how to shut up, much like how Sirius and James often were whenever they were happy.

"Dammit!" Mary exclaimed, loudly. "Why can't these quills just come with their own ink? I am getting tired of how often I have to dip it into the inkwell."

Anya looked up at Phoebe and smiled, both of them nodding to each other before returning to their work. James had gotten used to his partner's tendency to be easily distracted as he continued reviewing her essay, making corrections where needed. Sirius, however, called them out for the way they looked at each other, "You both honestly seem creepy. How the hell do you have conversations without words with each other?"

"Same way we and everyone else here does," James replied, not looking up from their work as he handed her parchment to her and left her to add more information to the essay. Anya tightened her fists and released the tension, only to repeat the action again. Her jaws were sharp as she clenched her teeth and she fidgeted with her quill, spinning it in her fingers. He noticed her awkward mannerisms and recognised it as the slightly worried and thoughtful way in which she behaved when thinking or straining to complete a task. He wanted to help her but there was nothing he could say or do to help, without distracting her slightly.