Partners in Crime || PJOxHP || Marauders' Era

Grover

Professor McGonagall promised the four of them- Sirius, Jessica, Lily and James- that they were going to have detention until the end of third year. Malfoy had to be taken to the Hospital Wing and gods, was he hurt. 

Madam Pomfrey informed that he had cracked at least a dozen ribs, and that his jaw was apparently fractured. Professor Slughorn was so taken aback by the news that he swore to never let Sirius, Jessica or James become a Prefect, which the three were fine with.

"I don't regret it at all," Sirius said, as the four walked back from the Hospital Wing. They had been sent forcibly by Professor McGonagall to give Malfoy some flowers. 

"Like the famous Chinese general said," James said boldly, "Lucius' 'strong like Rambo, looks like a hero, but his brain's like a potato.'"

Jessica frowned. "What-"

"I've been learning Chinese."

"I think you've been learning it wrong, 'Rambo'," Sirius said. 

"I can still read better than anyone in this school," James said haughtily. 

"Bet not," Lily said. "Alice's got a distant Asian cousin- she can read Chinese better than you, Potter." She sighed, and Jessica knew that Lily was sad about the fact that she would have to do detention with an 'arrogant toerag'.

They walked through the portrait door. Remus, Peter, Marlene and Alice were sitting by the fire in the empty Common Room... it seemed as though everyone else had gone to the Dueling Championship. Only they had been prohibited from the Championship for the year. They sat down by the chairs and Lily got herself a glass of water.

"Do we have homework?" Lily asked.

"More like, detention," Sirius sighed. "I probably shouldn't have punched him too many times..."

"No, that malakas deserved it," Jessica said. "But detention's no fun either." They all sighed together.

Alice stood up. She walked next to Remus and extended a hand to him. "You helped us when we were in need," she said. "So I think we should make it official..." she raised an eyebrow at him. "Friends?"

Lily coughed into her water. "What?"  

Jessica considered the thought- the four girls had become one tough group, but James and his friends had been there for Lily even though they had hated her.... that meant something. She stood up and smiled at James. "Come on," she said, extending her hand too. "Least we can do is shake on it."

James stood up too, smiling. "Alright. Friends as long as you don't bully us."

Jessica grinned. "As long as you don't poke your nose into our business." They shook their hands. Lily shook Peter's hand hesitantly as Marlene shook Sirius'. 

"Y'all want to get dinner together?" Remus asked. "I'm starving."

"Famished," Jessica replied, and the eight walked out of the portrait together for the first time- something that the whole school will talk about later when they came into the Great Hall to see two groups that had almost killed each other not two months ago laughing and cheering.

*** 

Professor Sinistra walked around the Astronomy classroom as the students peered through their telescopes at the large gas giant. "When you look at Jupiter, what you see are clouds of ammonia crystals alternating between darker and lighter colors, as you can see. If you look carefully at the lower left side, you'll see a reddish spot, called the Great Red Spot. It's the largest of many vortexes, caused by interaction between the varying circulation patterns of the gases carrying the clouds of different colors..."