𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀.

thirteen.

   Sirius eyed Jovie with a frown as she tightened Regulus' hat on her head. Or her hat. He didn't know, he was still confused on the matter.

   Remus tied the girl's scarf as James urged her to hurry into her coat. Sirius watched as Jovie grinned up at Remus, the boy patting her cheek before helping her with her coat.

   He didn't like that for some reason.

   Peter nudged his friend, "why're you frowning? This was your idea."

   Sirius nodded, a smile now pulling his lips, "yeah sorry, let's go."

   They began towards the door with Remus and Jovie, pausing to find James was not following behind them. The brunette was standing by Lily's bed, staring starstruck at her nightstand. "She- she put my flowers in a vase."

   Jovie smiled, "yeah, it's our best one too."

   This caused a criminally wide grin to break out on the boy's face, his eyes softening as he looked at Lily. After a moment he sighed, turning back to his friends. "This is already the best night ever."

   With that they hurried from the room, making their way to the end of the girl's hall, a stained glass window there. James slowly pushed it open, grinning as he stuck his hand out. "Accio broom."

   A broom suddenly zapped to his hand.

   Jovie raised a suspicious brow though she couldn't suppress her grin, "you guys are really good at sneaking out."

   Remus and Peter exchanged glances, "we've got a lot of experience."

   Sirius rolled his eyes at his friends, "we're wasting time guys."

   They all summoned their brooms, mounting them and hovering outside the window. Sirius steered his broom to the ledge as he grinned at Jovie, "hop on."

   She smiled, pulling herself to the window sill and slowly climbing onto the back of her friend's broom. She wrapped her arms securely around his waist, shivering as the wind blew by.

   Peter grinned, "let's race, last one there has to test our new prank."

   James and Sirius immediately took off at those words, zipping through the night sky as snow fell. Jovie nearly toppled off the broom as she tightened her arms around Sirius, burying her face into his shoulder.

   Sirius could feel heat rise to his cheeks, pushing the broom to go even faster. James caught up, smirking, "I'm not gonna lose, Orion."

   The black haired boy was caught off guard by the use of his middle name, he glared at James hearing Remus' voice behind him.

   "Watch out you idiot!"

   Jovie pulled her eyes up, her jaw going slack at the sight of a tree mere feet away from them. "Sirius, eyes forward!"

   Sirius looked up, his eyes widening as he quickly steered his broom to the side, losing control and sending them crashing to the ground. They landed roughly in a pile of snow, Remus, James, and Peter landing quickly to check on them.

   Sirius slowly sat up, turning to Jovie who was seated in the five inch deep snow beside him. She had snow on top of her head, her cheeks burning red from the cold temperature.

   This made Sirius grin, "cold, Jo?"

   She looked at him confused before letting her eyes trail to where his hands were making a snowball. She shot up, letting out a shriek of giggles as the snow planted on her back. She dodged another flying snowball, taking refuge behind Remus.

   The boy looked up, "what's wrong-"

   He was cut off by a snowball to the face.

   James had already gathered his amo, "this means war."

   The group launched into a full blown snowball fight, Jovie teaming with Peter as they hid behind a bush, Jovie making snowballs as Peter took them and fired at his friends.

   After about an hour everyone had grown tired.

   Remus frowned, "now we're all going to get sick."

   This seemed to damper everyone's mood before James sprung up, seemingly remembering something. "Let's go take a bath in the prefect bathroom! Nobody'll be in there this time of night, right?"

   Sirius grinned, "you're a bloody genius."

* * *

   Jovie looked in awe at the ginormous bath tub in front of her. The bathroom was beautiful really. A huge stained glass window with a portrait of a mermaid and nice tile floors. Not to mention the gigantic bath tub.

   James quickly stripped off his clothes until he was left with nothing but a tank and his boxers. Taking off into a sprint, he launched himself into the bath, creating a huge splash that made the mermaid give him a look of disapproval.

   Peter was next to send himself flying in, Sirius quickly pulling off his pants. Remus sighed as he gathered his friend's and his own clothes, putting them into a pile.

   Jovie stood in her tank and cotton shorts, leaning over the water. She hadn't taken a bath in forever. Not since she was probably seven or eight.

   Remus and Sirius exchanged mischievous glances behind her. As if communicating through telepathy, they ran and scooped up the blonde causing Jovie to let out a shriek as they held her by her arms and legs.

   She tried to hold back her laughs, "this- this isn't funny!"

   The two boys began to swing her between them as Sirius counted off, "one...two...three!"

   They launched her high into the air, Jovie screaming as she fell before she was engulfed in warm water. She quickly sat up, her curly hair now sticking to her face and neck, "Sirius! Remus!"

   James shook his wet hair like a dog as he laughed, "your turn!"

   He grabbed Remus' ankle, the boy not so gracefully falling into the water. Sirius grinned as he jumped in behind him, the mermaid just ignoring them at this point.

   After revenge was taken, Remus and Sirius being dunked underwater several times, they all had a splash fight before calming down.

   Jovie sighed, pulling her hair up, "what time is it?"

   Remus shrugged from where he was sitting on the edge of the bath, letting himself dry out. "Probably around six, people will start getting up soon."

   Peter was seated beside him, "do we have to go?"

   James, who was floating on his back in the middle of the bath, abruptly stopped, "no way! We're having too much fun!"

   Sirius nodded, slinging his arm over Jovie's shoulder and almost drowning her in the process, "this is probably the last time we'll all get to hang out for a while since Christmas break starts next week."

   Jovie frowned at this, thinking back to the letter she had received from her parents. She shook away the thought, grinning instead, "I say we stay a little longer, savor our time, you know?"

   James pumped his fists, "yes!"

   In the process he threw water on the half-way dry Peter, the boy glaring at him . "James bloody Potter, you idiot!" He jumped down from the side of the bath, stalking over to the controls. He pressed a few buttons, nothing happening for a moment.

   Then, the water turned freezing cold, his three friend's scrambling to get out of the bath.

   Jovie sat on the side, wringing out her hair now, "really?"

   Peter smirked, "Prongsy had it coming."