Embers of Discord

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sirius-

My eyelids heavy with the weight of monotony, wages a silent battle against my will to stay awake.

Transfiguration has become quite the farce at this point. Half of the class is dozing off, while the other half barely pays any attention to Professor McGonagall's lesson—except for a few prodigies like Remus, who hang on to every word she utters.

I nudge Moony on the elbow, peering down at his parchment- "Done with taking meticulous notes?"

"Are you done with your beauty sleep, Padfoot?" he retorts.

"At least I have beauty."

"Your beauty only matters to your admirers."

"Well, at least I have got admirers."

"Moony has an admirer too"- Peter pipes in the conversation-"He's awfully close to that Ruhani"-

'Oh, Wormy, she's not his admirer, he is the one rooting for her'-I draw, holding back a chuckle. 

'Go stick your head up your arse.'- Remus huffs in annoyance. 

I turn to James, feigning concern as I furrow my brows. "Did you hear that? Our Moony is picking up obscene language."

James grins. "Good, he needs to man up."

I chuckle, loud enough that Moony can hear me. 

Suddenly, McGonagall's voice cuts through our conversation. "Mr. Black, do you derive great satisfaction from disrupting my class?"

"Minnie, I was merely entranced by the melody of your voice," I say with an enchanting smile.

She arches an eyebrow, walking over to my desk -'Tell me, Mr. Black, what non-verbal spell was I discussing?'

I lean back on my chair, grinning-'Ah, Minnie, I believe it was the Conjuring Spell.'

'And what is the incantation for the spell?'

'Conjunctivitus'

'Could you tell me what light it produces?'

'It doesn't produce any specific light. 

'What is the motion of the wand for this spell?' 

'Give a guy a break, Minnie.' I wink at her. 

"I mentioned what it was," she says, clearly irritated. "But perhaps you were too busy chatting with your classmates to listen to what I was saying. Also, I didn't notice your Transfiguration homework anywhere," she adds, glancing at the stack of papers on her desk.

Busted.

"Oh, Professor, I left my copy in my dorm,"- I respond nonchalantly. 

"And what is it doing there?" she questions.

"Having more fun than me," I retort.

Prongs and Peter whistle as Minnie raps her wand on my desk. "Quiet! Mr. Black, are you going to behave?"

I grin. "Only if you do, Minnie."

Professor McGonagall shakes her head disapprovingly.

"Do you really have to cause a disturbance in every class?" Lily Evans rolls her eyes at me.

"I don't disturb—"

Prongs shoves my head backwards, attempting to get a better view of Lily. "Hello, my future wife. Didn't see you there."

Lily groans, slamming her head on the desk. "I'm not your future wife!! Just quit it!"

James, being James, doesn't stop his flirtatious banter. "I most certainly will if you go on a date with me. Say, it's a beautiful day with a beautiful girl—"

"Prongs, mate, just stop it," Remus pleads with apologetic eyes to the rest of the class.

"—walking in Hogsmeade with me, don't you think?"

"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall appears to be on the verge of losing her sanity. "Twenty points off Gryffindor! Your constant interruptions will not be tolerated in my class."

Lily glares at James. "Now you've done it."

James looks horrified. "Oh, no."

But then he straightens up, looking at the professor as if his life depends on her hands.
 "Dearest Professor, if I were to conjure a flower for my future wife here, could you perhaps revive the deducted points?"

"No," the teacher snaps- "But I have a feeling you will do it anyway."

"Damn right you will," he retorts, twirling his wand in a graceful manner, conjuring a delicate pink rose on his desk.

With a mischievous smile, he trots over to Lily, who turns as pink as the flower, and carefully tucks the rose behind her ear.

The entire class erupts in laughter while Lily looks like she wants to vanish into thin air.

I chuckle quietly to Remus. "He's never going to let go of his Romeo antics, is he?"

Remus joins in the laughter. "No, but that bloke is undeniably brilliant."

Under her breath, McGonagall mutters, "I'm getting too old for this."

Amidst the amusement, a melodious giggle catches my attention, and I turn around to locate its source.

Ahava, trying to contain her uncontrollable laughter, catches my gaze, and she flashes me her sparkling eyes along with her imperfect yet perfect smile.

I find myself momentarily captivated by her.

"You're laughing, seriously?" Lily scowls at Ahava.

Ahava replies smugly, "Well, he is funny, and maybe you... should go out with him."

James, unable to resist the opportunity, raises his fists in triumph. "See, Lily-flower, even Ahava agrees with me."

He playfully sends a flying kiss in Lily's direction. "Thanks, lovely."

Ahava looks at him with an amused expression, still giggling.

I can't help but wonder if there's a chance she might like Prongs more than me. 

Well, I hope not.