James' Distraction

Chapter Seven

Later in the day was the Christmas dinner. Professor Slughorn waved a cheery welcome to Lily, his favourite pupil. He waved to the boys too, but didn't shake their hands like last year. The memory of Sirius discreetly putting a frog up his sleeve at last year's dinner while they shook hands was still too vivid. The boys sat down and waited rather impatiently for the food to arrive onto the plates. After about ten minutes the food appeared onto the platters, and Dumbledore stood up. "Eat!" As soon as the word had left his mouth the Sirius was stacking his plate as high as he could. Remus took a sensible amount of food and started to eat, Peter timidly poked at the potatoes before taking two, and James took a bit of everything. Across and down the table was Lily. She had filled her plate and was about to start cutting her food when James flicked his wand and the cutlery started cutting it by themselves. A bit shocked, she looked up and down the table, saw no one else's knife and fork were carving their turkey independently, looked back at her plate and accepted the help. Once the cutlery had finished it's job they clinked together and floated back into Lily's hands, ready for her to eat.

"Phewww that was big," Sirius said, his belt undone to ease the pressure on his so called 'turkey baby'. Peter was napping, but James laughed and Remus spluttered through the cupcake he was eating. "Really Remus how do you do it?" Sirius asked. "I'm full to the brim and that must be your sixth cupcake!"
"Actually it's my eighth" Remus corrected him, and carried on,"the full moon was only a week before Christmas, I'm still starving." Sirius snorted and threw his belt at Remus, who ducked and threw his balled up socks at Sirius. James slipped out of the room while the two threw various items of clothing at each other, and quickly slunk down the stairs. A comfy armchair was free, so he sank into it and closed his eyes. Shortly after a creaking signalled the Fat Lady opening, and he quickly whispered "Accio book!" 'Quidditch Through The Ages' appeared in his lap, and he opened it just as a group of girls entered the common room. His eyes slid upwards to see Lily, and he caught sight of her ginger hair and smiled. As she got closer to him he calmly said,"Merry Christmas Evans"
"Merry Christmas Potter. By the way, did you know your book is upside down?"
James looked down and saw an upside diagram of a Quidditch pitch. He could feel himself turn red, but Lily walked past and climbed up to her dorm, so he walked back upstairs and rejoined Sirius and Remus, who had now started to throw snowballs they'd summoned from outside. He couldn't decide how this Christmas had gone really. As his bed was right in front of him he decided to sit down and think about it, but he had barely sat down before one of Sirius' flying snowballs hit him in the face, and he joined in the fight.