“He agreed to help “”
“But he didn’t really mean it. Besides, this is crossing a line. Trust me, he won’t do it.”
“I’ve known him my whole life “”
“But I share a dormitory with him. You learn these things. He doesn’t like her. He won’t do it.”
“But this is our only shot “”
“No, it’s not.”
“It’s not?”
“No. I have a plan.”
“Really? What?”
He told her.
“Remus, that’s brilliant!”
“I know! Can you make it work?”
“I’m a Black. I can make anything work.”
“Quidditch practice tonight, Joce’,” James reminded her at dinner.
“I know, I know,” she replied impatiently. “But honestly James, what’s up with the night practices anyway, I can’t see a thing!”
“You’re not supposed to, that’s the point!” James insisted.
“What, you want us to play half-blind?”
“If you can play in the dark, you can play in any condition!” decreed James.
“Well, don’t blame me when I can’t see a Bludger and it goes soaring straight into your skull! Not that it’ll do much damage, your head’s so thick,” she added acidly.
“So there are advantages to being an idiot after all! Good news for you, Prongs!” said Sirius, clapping James on the back.
James glared at him.
“Excuse me for wanting to win the Cup “!”
“There are more important things in life than Quidditch,” said Jocelyn dismissively.
James gaped at her.
“If you think that, you shouldn’t be on the team!” he said severely.
“And if you don’t think that, you shouldn’t cut me,” she snapped back. “The team’s complete rubbish without me, as you bloody well know!”
“Can’t argue with that,” agreed Sirius.
“What?” James was outraged. “A team I’m on can’t be rubbish! The team’s complete rubbish without me!”
“And you wonder why Lily calls you arrogant,” Jocelyn muttered, and returned to her porridge.
The first Hogsmeade weekend had been announced to be at the beginning of October, just after the full moon. Due to several conflicting interests in the form of clubs, teams, and societies, it was announced to be on Sunday this month, instead of Saturday.
“So I suggest you all get your homework done before you go,” said Professor McGonagall, glaring at all of them, particularly the Marauders, severely.
“Are you going to ask someone to go with you?” Jocelyn asked James after Quidditch practice that evening.
“Yeah,” he answered. “Sirius, Remus, and Peter.”
Jocelyn rolled her eyes.
“No, I mean a date!”
“Why, you want to go with me?” he questioned.
Jocelyn inwardly rolled her eyes again, but answered, “Oh, well, all right then.”
“As friends,” James clarified, to be sure there was no misunderstanding.
“Well yes, of course,” said Jocelyn impatiently, rolling her eyes for the third time. James really was thick. No wonder Lily wouldn’t give him a chance! Jocelyn owned to herself that she wouldn’t want to be romantically involved with a boy like James. But, of course, she wasn’t Lily. Lily ought to be; it was right. They were all doing the right thing, she told herself firmly. Now if only she could get the other half of the plan to work….
“Lily!” cried Jocelyn happily as soon as her friend came in from patrol duty that night.
“Jocelyn,” Lily acknowledged, curtly and warily.
“How was patrol duty?” Jocelyn asked.
“You know better then to ask me that, Jocelyn Black!” snapped Lily tetchily. “I’m doing it with bloody James Potter, how do you think it was?”
“Well, seeing as how I happen to be rather fond of James “” Jocelyn began.
“Oh shove off! It’s different for you! He doesn’t fancy you!”
“Oh, and if he did I wouldn’t be fond of him? Honestly Lily, James Potter has been nothing but “”
“A bigheaded, arrogant, bullying git!” Lily finished angrily.
“No he hasn’t! He’s been nothing but a gentleman!”
“What?” shrieked Lily. “A gentleman? James Potter?”
“You heard me.”
“I always suspected you were mad, but now you just proved me right! I could see if you were talking about Remus, I could even see if you were talking about Sirius Black, but James Potter?!? Are you daft?”
Inwardly Jocelyn smiled. Outwardly she shrugged.
“You know what?” she told Lily. “You’re right. You are absolutely right.”
Lily blinked.
“I am?” she questioned, surprised.
“Yes,” Jocelyn said calmly. “I don’t know what I was thinking. James Potter, a gentleman! Ha! Now Sirius, that’s a gentleman! A really decent bloke, that.”
“That’s true…” Lily agreed slowly, frowning.
“Well, I’m really tired,” sighed Jocelyn. “Goodnight, Lils.”
“Goodnight,” Lily answered. She frowned, thinking about Jocelyn’s words, and it was a long time before she went to bed.
“Well, that was easy, eh Padfoot?” questioned James as they left Transfiguration class the Friday before Hogsmeade.
“Simplest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Sirius carelessly. “Turning chairs into dogs, what a stupid task, anyone could do it!”
Jocelyn snorted.
“Why were your dog’s legs all shiny?” she asked him slyly.
“They were supposed to be that way; part of his markings, and all that,” said Sirius, waving his hand impatiently. It annoyed him that Jocelyn had noticed that he hadn’t been able to transfigure the metal chair legs all the way. “I’m ready to take my N.E.W.T.s now, they’ll be a piece of cake!”
Lily rolled her eyes.
“You’re the only person here who rivals Potter in arrogance, Black,” she said nastily. “I hope you fail all of them!”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Sirius assured her in a low growl.
Jocelyn and James looked between them, clearly uncomfortable, as the four turned into the Charms corridor. Remus wasn’t there, as it was full moon. He would return to them the next morning.
“Ah, hello Peter,” James greeted as Peter came stumbling up to them. “Had a good Muggle Studies class, did you?”
“Dreadful!” squeaked Peter nervously. “I couldn’t remember a thing I’d read in the chapter on lektracey!”
“Probably because you never read the chapter,” muttered Sirius irritably. He was still angry, both at Jocelyn’s slight on his transfigured dog, and Lily’s comment.
Lily was frowning at Peter.
“What’s ‘lektracey’?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t know, that’s what I’ve been telling you!” said Peter touchily. “But it’s supposed to be really important to Muggles, at least, I think that’s what Professor “”
“Ohhh, you mean electricity!” exclaimed Lily, comprehension dawning across her face. “Yeah, that is really important, Muggles use it to light up rooms, and get news, and cool their houses, and heat up food and things. I know all about that. I’ll help you with your homework tonight, if you want.”
Peter beamed at her.
“Thanks, that’d be really nice.”
James scowled, obviously wishing, for once, that he was bad at something.
Sirius sat alone in the common room that night, as James and Jocelyn were at Quidditch practice, and Peter had detention. He was bent over what appeared to be a map, and scribbling notes on a piece of parchment, when Lily came down from her dormitory. She walked up to him, her expression unreadable. He felt annoyed. Why couldn’t she leave him alone?
“Hello, Lily,” he said unenthusiastically.
Lily didn’t bother returning his greeting, but instead got right to the point.
“Sirius, d’you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?”
Sirius’s jaw dropped. What? Had Lily Evans really just asked him, Sirius Black, to go to Hogsmeade with her?
Wrong, wrong! he told himself. This is all wrong!
“Er “” he said awkwardly.
I don’t even like her! he thought. I can’t stand her!
“Er “ don’t you think this is a bit sudden, Lily?” he managed finally.
She rolled her eyes, which normally would have annoyed him, but didn’t affect him at the moment because he was so numb from shock.
“Just as friends, of course,” she said obviously.
But we’re not friends! thought Sirius desperately.
“Er “ all right, then,” he said, almost automatically. Horror immediately flooded his mind. What had he just said?
“Excellent! Meet you here Sunday, then?”
“All right,” he said again.
Lily went out the portrait hole, passing Jocelyn who was on her way in.
“Hello, Sirius,” greeted Jocelyn.
Sirius turned to her, his expression frozen in shock and horror.
“What’s up?” she questioned.
“I just agreed to go to Hogsmeade with Lily Evans,” he said numbly.
For a moment Jocelyn stared at him. Then, without warning, she burst into hysterical giggles.
A/N: Well, what do you think? Review!