September First

The Hospital Wing

Each of the group of friends were in much higher spirits the next morning. Dumbledore had given his word that he was looking out for all of the students and the hellish past few days had seemed to be behind them.

All apart from Sirius.

Lily, Adiya and Mary met the boys down in the common room brighter and earlier than they had ever seen them. Excuses had been made for the absence of the final member of the Marauders and they'd headed off to the Great Hall, picking up a load of breakfast goodies before they made their way to the hospital wing.

"Do you think she'll appreciate a good joke?"

Remus glanced at James in amusement, the spring back in his step and the grin back on his lips "Don't know Prongs; do you know of any good jokes?"

"I dunno y'know, now you've told us of your monthly transformations all those deer and dog related puns he and Sirius continually came out with were pretty funny," Adiya admitted as James commended her for her memory "Especially when James would act all easily startled toward the end of fifth."

As his cheekbones burned slightly James rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly "Actually that was an unfortunate side effect to getting used to beginning to become a stag," he admitted "Remember Peter went through that cheese obsession? And Sirius would get all excited when someone mentioned they were going on a walk?"

"Boy do I wish I had all this information back then," Adiya chuckled.

"So you mean to tell me that every time you'd jump at a slight noise in potions that was real?" Lily asked in amusement, James's blush growing as he ran his fingers through his already messy hair.

"Believe me it was the most fun I've had," Remus commented dodging a glaring James by diving into the hospital wing.

Daxia was sitting up in bed, a book lay unnoticed on her lap as her smile lit up her face when she noticed her friends piling into the room "What's the joke?" she asked, seeming to be back to her normal self.

"Aha! If you wanna know funny anecdotes about us learning to become our animal forms Daxia-"

"Whoa whoa whoa James Potter!" Daxia exclaimed cutting through her friend's sentence, her eyes lit up when she noticed the assorted goodies being dumped at the end of her bed "Wow guys," she mumbled looking through the pile "You do know I get breakfast in the hospital wing right?"

"Aaw she thinks all this is for her!" James laughed as he lounged across the very end of her bed; laying on his side with the pile of food in front of him "Should know all I think about is my stomach Lestrange!"

"Untrue but I won't embarrass you in front of all your friends," Daxia retorted sending an over the top wink toward a blushing Lily Evans "Where's Rover?" she questioned, glancing around the faces staring down at her. Ever since she disapproved of Sirius's ridiculous Animagi nickname (Padfoot? Seriously?) she had taken to calling him any popular dog name which sprung to mind instead.

"Slept in."

"Catching up on potions."

"Possibly snogging someone in an empty cupboard."

"Detention."

Arching her eyebrows she looked around the shrugging and glaring people lazing around her hospital bed, James was regarding her with a look of innocence she hadn't seen on his face since their very first September First "So he's avoiding me then," she shrugged (numerous awkward coughs ensued) reaching for one of the chocolate croissants clutched in James's hands "He was never good with emotional situations."