Turn back time - Hermione Granger in the Marauders era

Chapter 22 - The bet

The weeks passed with no sign of Mary. Things weren't the same without her. Everything was different and Hermione missed her so much. It was almost as If Mary was the one who had died.

Hermione, Marlene and Lily wrote to Mary nearly every other day. But Mary replied to each of them only two or three times in the three weeks that she had gone. Apparently she hadnt been taking it very well. But they hadn't been anticipating the change in her character when she finally came back to Hogwarts.

Everyone treated her kindly, and talked to her in soft tones. Even James asked how she was doing and was there anyway for him to help. Mary answered everyone nonchalantly, even Hermione, Lily and Marlene. If anything, the kindness of everyone name Mary feel worse. Hermione noticed how much quieter she was now, and how she never raised her hand in class, and how she just seemed not to care anymore. It was a huge effort to get her to laugh, or even give a true smile. Dumbledore told them this was to be expected, it was a hard blow and it could take a few more weeks for her to recover. But it was getting difficult for Hermione, Lily and Marlene too. They constantly had to remind themselves that she was still Mary their best friend. She was in pain, and so her friends did everything they could for her. Eventually, the pain lessened slightly, or maybe Mary was just getting used to it. But her sudden outbursts of tears didn't happen anymore and now she could smile without immediately being caught off by the memory of her parents. With relief, her friends joked more often and their conversations were lighter and less forced. Finally, Mary was experiencing the feeling of happiness again.

And then life continued. Hogwarts carried on much the same. The teachers pushed more and more homework on them, the feasts were still delicious, the friends stayed strong and firm. Lily and James argued. Lupin avoided Hermione subtly. Sirius said nothing to her. Marlene and Mary gossiped, especially when Marlene started dating Malec in the year above. They did well in class. They talked. They laughed. They wandered on.

Hermione, Lily, Mary and Marlene strolled back to their dormitory after potions, happily chatting away over something or other. Their conversation was suddenly caught off by an angry shout from around the corner. Immediately, the four of them rushed towards the shouting student. A familiar sight met their eyes. James and Sirius stood laughing at a fifth year Slytherin who hung from the ceiling upside down.

"Potter! What in Merlin's underpants are you doing?" Lily shrieked.

James immediately let his wand drop to the floor as he mumbled a curse word.

"Merlin's underpants? Ha, that gives me an idea." Sirius laughed, waving his wand and muttering a spell. In a second, the Slytherin's trousers had been whipped off onto the ground. The boy shouted in outrage. By now, several people had gathered around, but thankfully no more Slytherins.

"Black!" Lily shouted.

Sirius gave a bark like chuckle. "Yeah Evans?"

"Seriously, Padfoot." James mumbled quietly, looking sheepish.

"Put him down! What's he done to you?" Lily spat.

"He said the M word, he deserves it!" Sirius snapped back.

Lily seemed a little surprised, but she recovered herself quickly.

"Just put him down, for Merlins sake."

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but James elbowed him harshly. A faint smug smile played on Lily's lips for a second. James picked up his wand from the floor and muttered the counter curse quickly. The boy scrambled to his knees, picked up his trousers and fled the dungeons, shouting multiple curse words behind him. Several people watching laughed or made dissaproving noises at him.

"Why do you have to be such a bully, Potter?" Lily spat tiresomely but furiously.

For once he was silent, and looked down at the ground below him. "If it really bothers you that much, then I'll stop."

Lily raised her eyebrows disbelievingly. "Now that I'd love to see."

"Bring it, Evans. I'll bet you."

"Okay. I bet you 20 Galleons that you can't last until the end of the school year without jinxing any student outside of class!"

"I can do that, but I don't want the Galleons." James replied, staring at Lily intently.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you win the bet, I'll go out with you."

Hermione, Marlene, Mary and Sirius gasped simultaneously.

"You're kidding?!" Marlene said.

Lily shrugged. "He won't do it anyway."

James beamed from ear to ear. "Let's shake on it." He said smugly.

Lily stepped forward. She took James's strong, soft hand and gripped it lightly. "If you do not bully anyone in the next three months until school ends, then I swear that I will go out with you. But if you loose -"

"Which I won't." James interrupted.

"Then you'll never pester me or my friends again. Deal?"

James beamed. "Deal." He said happily.

They released hands and Lily followed a very surprised Hermione, Marlene and Mary back to their Dormitory. That evening, they whispered teasingly of the bet.

"You know what I think? I think you want to go out with Potter!" Mary said loudly.

"Shut up. No I don't!"

"Yeeahhhh you doooo! Just admit it; He's growing on you." Marlene added.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I don't have to listen to this."

"Oh don't get all grumpy, he's growing on you just as much as Hermione is growing on Black." Marlene said.

"What? Where did I even come into this?" Hermione interrupted.

"Come on! We all know Black and you are a relationship waiting to happen!" Mary said as Marlene nodded in agreement.

"As if! What do you mean 'we all know'?"

"The whole year is expecting it to happen! And I've noticed Black staring at you."

"No they're not! Besides, they'll be disappointed in that case. There is no way in living hell that me and Black are going out."

"Everyone expects you two to get together as much as we all want Lily and James together!"

"What?" Hermione and Lily said in unison, as the two other friends giggled.

"Never going to happen." Hermione added.

Mary and Marlene shrugged knowingly at them and then diverted the conversation back to just James and Lily and their possible aspects of dating. Even so, Hermione and Lily both fell asleep completely sure that their friends predictions were ridiculous. But how wrong they were.

AN: Can't believe how many notifications I get a day from Wattpad! Thank you all so much! Especially The_Anger_Inside and ritachew123!! Your comments mean a lot to me <3