Finding My Perfect Ending 》Snirius/Snack

Chapter 3 - Sick Pleasure

"Fuck, that mandrake was strong," James whined, rubbing his very reddish cheeks in frustration. Sirius, Remus and Peter were all snickering behind him as they were leaving the herbology class together.

Professor Slughorn had requested a large number of mandrakes for his seventh year classes and since the fifth-year students were headed back to review their old lessons in preparation for the O.W.Ls, Professor Sprout thought it would be a great opportunity to get the students to help her prepare the ingredients while also refreshing their memories on the topic. It came as no surprise that most students had difficulty responding to the questions posed by Professor Sprout; it had been quite a few years since they'd last studied about mandrakes, which was during their second year.

And of course, as per usual, the Marauders couldn't adhere to the most basic instruction without stirring up chaos. James and Sirius were more interested in chasing one another with a mandrake than finishing their task, ignoring everyone else’s pleas for haste - including the Professor's. The mischievous duo delayed their task by 15 minutes, making sure everyone had plenty of time to hear the mandrake's shrill scream before it was ready. By the end of this escapade, everyone's ears were numbed.

Professor Pomfrey assured the students that only temporary discomfort was to be expected, but advised them to seek medical attention at the Hospital Wing in case of persistent pain. The Marauders seemed to have been unaffected, yet some of their peers were seen rubbing their ears viciously as they trudged towards the infirmary.

"Man that was fun," said Sirius.

Remus shot a worried glance at two Hufflepuff classmates who were slowly making their way side by side towards the Hospital Wing. They were both holding their ears in agony. "I hope they're okay," he muttered.

Sirius cast a glance at the two students and shrugged, "They seem alright," he remarked before latching one arm around Remus' and the other around James', walking in tandem with them. Peter followed behind them, stray from the others. The quartet marched to the Great Hall to get their lunch.

They were running a bit late, so by the time they arrived, the Gryffindor's table was already quite crowded. Sirius withdrew his arms from James and Remus's shoulders and strode over to a group of second-years. He thrust his hands into his pockets and fixed them with a bored stare, tapping his foot on the ground as if waiting for something. The second-year students exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. Within moments, all four boys stood up and went off to find separate seats for themselves.

"Nice one, Padfoot," James said as he sat on one of the seats.

They all took their seats and began helping themselves with the food. Sirius scanned the Slytherin's table, searching for a particular figure. When he found Severus seated beside Avery, he smirked. He couldn't resist glancing over at the Slytherin table every five minutes to make sure he didn't lose sight of him. Severus was tucking into his pasta with his nose almost touching the plate. His posture was so poor that if he leaned in an inch closer, his greasy nose would be covered in tomato sauce.

Sirius snickered as his mind conjured up the image. James, Remus and Peter all twisted around to face him, inquisitive expressions on their faces. "What's so funny?" asked Peter curiously.

"Nothing," he shrugged and returned to his dinner, but kept Severus in his gaze. It was remarkable how he managed to be so inconspicuous, like he wasn't even there at all.

Sirius' concentration was broken when James placed a mystery green potion on the table. "What's this?" Peter queried, perplexed.

"Enlargement potion. Stole it from Slughorn's storage."

Remus held the bottle up and looked at it curiously. "Enlargement potion? What do we need it for?" he questioned, gently shaking the container to observe the liquid inside stirring.