The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Pre-Tourney Nerves

Pre-Tourney Nerves

"You're going to do spiffing, Potter!" called a pretty second-year Ravenclaw girl, grinning and waving at James as he walked from Charms to Transfiguration. He felt his face flush.

"Who was that?" asked Sirius, spinning on his heels to walk backwards and watch her go.

"Dunno," James mumbled.

Sirius was grinning, "Well she was good looking."

"That was Brianne Hough," said Lily, "She's in Severus's Herbology class. He said she's really brilliant."

Remus looked 'round at Lily, "Are you talking to Severus again then?" he asked.

Lily shrugged, "Only in passing. He's busy."

"Busy with what? Being a git?" asked Sirius, turning forward as Brianne Hough was out of sight now anyway. Just in time, too, he'd been about to tumble over a disappearing step on the staircase. "Whoops!" he caught the bannister and swung himself over the step neatly. "Way to go, warning me about it, guys."

"I was rather interested in what would happen if you stepped in it," said James, smirking.

"Why you --" Sirius leaped onto James's back as though to wrestle him to the floor, knocking James off balance. He slammed sideways, nearly knocking Lily over, but caught himself and ended up with Sirius simply piggy-backing him the rest of the way down to the Transfiguration classroom as they frolicked ahead of the others.

Peter looked rather glad that Sirius didn't jump on him that way.

"I didn't know you and Snape were still talking after that fight in the corridor outside the common room," Remus continued the conversation, looking at Lily with concern. "When did that start up again?"

"Dunno," Lily answered, shrugging. "Just did, I s'pose. He caught me up one morning on the way to Potions, just after you and I split up, actually, and we talked a bit. He offered to trade tables with me if I didn't want to sit with you after our break up."

"Did he?" Remus said, sort of impressed, "Well that was nice of him."

"We were potions partners in first year," Lily said. "I don't know if he and Evan Rosier get along much, either, it doesn't seem like they do. Evan's always so harsh toward him. But then again all the Slytherins seem rather harsh with one another. Have you noticed?"

"I think it's part of their Slytherin-ness," Remus answered.

Professor McGonagall was waiting at the doorway for them, herding Peter in as Remus and Lily approached. "Hurry along, hurry along," she urged them and they stepped into the class to find that they were joined by the Principal of Ilvermorny and several of the students as well. James and Sirius were already seated and poking at one another with their wands, which were making small hissing sounds as they battled with them. The other three hastened to take a seat (Peter saw what James and Sirius were doing, and was sure to sit on the side opposite them so to avoid being a target for their game).

Being the end of term, and the exams coming up shortly, it was mostly a class of revision, which the Ilvermorny students found quite interesting - especially the part where McGonagall demonstrated her ability to turn into a cat and talked about animagi. Randy Temple, the Principal, clapped boisterously as she cracked back to being human. "Brilliant," he called. "Positively brilliant, Minerva."

James looked at Sirius and grinned. "Maybe one of us will be a cat," he whispered.

"Maybe," Sirius answered, though he rather hoped it wasn't him if they were.