“Good morning, Padfoot! Why, you look absolutely dashing today!” exclaimed a tall, black-haired boy cheerfully, smiling widely at another boy, still sleeping soundly in his four-poster.
“Whaddaya want, Prongs?” muttered Sirius, burying his head under the pillow.
James Potter, nicknamed Prongs, smiled even broader. “It’s time to get up! C’mon! Up you go!”
Sirius opened one sleepy eye, looking sceptically at his friend. “Is it your birthday today, Prongs?”
“No,” he answered. Then, dropping his cheerful manner for a far more businesslike one, he continued, “C’mon, Padfoot, get that lazy arse of yours out of that bed right now!”
Sirius shut his eyes closed again. “What for? It’s Sunday… And,” he added, “you know better than to wake me up early on Sunday mornings…”
James rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. Though I must say, you don’t look nearly as intimidating as you think with drool coming out of your mouth.”
He had finally gotten his attention. Still muttering darkly, Sirius sat up in his bed. “Fine. Happy now? I’m awake.”
“Very,” said James. “Now, Padfoot, what day is it today?”
Sirius yawned widely. “Prongs, it’s Sunday morning. And it’s me you’re talking to. You know my brain won’t start working properly till, like, four o’clock this afternoon. Or at least till I eat something.”
James grinned, extracting a plate full of pancakes. “I know. Here, eat.”
Halfway through his second bite, Sirius’s head snapped up. “Does this have to do with Evans?”
James shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Aha! I knew it!” he yelled triumphantly. “It’s amazing the effect pancakes can have on my mental abilities.”
James shook his head sadly. “I know. Actually, I think I know you too well.”
“Yeah, you do.” He took a few more bites before asking, “So… what about Evans? Is it her birthday?”
“No, it’s not, you dolt. I have to tell you something really really important.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Wait a moment. Let me guess. Evans came up to you, looked at you in the eye, took off her robes and said, ‘Take me, I’m yours’?”
James stared at his friend for a moment. “No. Though I promise you will be the first person to know about it, should this ever happen.”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “Should that ever happen, I’ll give you my new Comet 400.”
“Well, Padfoot, you can laugh all you want, but if I were you, I’d be outside flying on my Comet, because the time for you to give it to me might come sooner than you think,” said James stoically.
“The time for you to give me your Comet or the other way around? Because, you know, you don’t have a Comet,” commented Sirius.
“You said you were going to hand over your Comet if Lily said all that stuff you said, right? Well, I just said that this might happen sooner than you think.”
“Don’t try my nerves so early in the morning, Prongs. Just get out with it,” said the handsome wizard, stifling yet another yawn. “What did Evans tell you that puts you in such a good mood, Prongsie?”
James grinned. “Well, you’re not going to believe it, but when I told Lily about Slughorn’s project, and about, you know, pairing up together… she said yes!”
A few moments of silence followed this statement.
Then Sirius burst out laughing. “Right. Right. Like Evans would willingly agree to spend another month in your sole company. Huh-huh. Now why don’t you tell me what really happened?”
James stared at his best friend. “Padfoot, I’m not kidding! She really said yes!”
“I need to talk to Moony. He’s the sane one of the group,” muttered Sirius, as though afraid he was hearing things.
“What do you need to talk to Moony about?” asked a sandy-haired boy who had just entered the room, closely followed by a short, plump boy. “Moony’s curious.”
“I want to hear your opinion, oh wise Moony. I, alas, fear that our dear friend Prongs is delirious,” said Sirius lightly. “Why, I’m afraid he may have lost it completely this time.”
“How so, brother Padfoot?” asked Remus, half-smiling.
James jumped in at this point. “Simply because I told him that Lily and I are going to be working together on Slughorn’s project, and he doesn’t believe me.”
“See?” said Sirius, shaking his head sadly. “I told you he’s hallucinating.”
“I am not hallucinating! Moony, say something!” interjected James, now looking rather pissed off.
“Prongs, did you eat strawberries again? You know you’re allergic to them! Now, I know they looked really inviting on last night’s cupcakes, but really, Prongs, we’re talking about your health here,” said Remus kindly.
“His health? We’re talking about his sanity!” jumped in Sirius.
“Aargh!” yelled James. “I DIDN’T EAT ANYTHING, OKAY?!”
Sirius and Remus shared a look. “His hallucinations are due to lack of food, aren’t they?” asked Sirius quietly, while Remus nodded curtly.
“Guys, will you just listen to me?!” burst out James, who was really starting to lose his patience. “Ask her! Go ahead and ask her! I’m not kidding, she honestly agreed to work with me, okay?!”
“I can’t believe this. Evans willingly agreed to do Slughorn’s project with you?” asked Sirius yet again.
“Yes! I’ll admit, I can’t believe it, either. I mean, she did yell at me, and said I was “ and I quote “ ‘unbelievable’, but I don’t think she meant that as an offence. Do you?” asked James thoughtfully, removing his wire-rimmed glasses and polishing them carefully with the hem of his robe. “I mean, she was smiling while she said this…”
“Maybe she was smiling because she was already savouring the sweet taste of revenge… Maybe she was already planning the most painful way to torture you for this…” answered Sirius, shrugging.
James raised an eyebrow. “Is it that impossible that she could have been smiling because she was happy to work with me?”
Sirius and Remus exchanged a quick look, before answering simultaneously, “Yes.”
“Guys!” muttered James. “You’re my friends, remember? Your words at this point should be, ‘Oh, of course, Prongs, mate, we’re positive she really likes you!’.”
“But we’d be lying,” pointed out Remus, smiling slightly. “You asked us our opinion, Prongs, and we gave it to you.”
James turned to the last remaining Marauder, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Wormtail?”
The boy’s head snapped up immediately. “Yeah?”
“What do you think about this?”
“Um… uh… I… I agree with Moony,” he murmured quietly.
“Do you even know what we’re talking about?” asked James.
“No,” answered Peter, blushing. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“Well, Wormtail, why don’t you take a wild stab at this? What could we be talking about? It’s the very same thing Prongs talks to us about since fourth year… Any guesses?” asked Sirius.
“Um… Lily?” put in Peter shyly. Despite being part of such an outgoing group, Peter always seemed to prefer to be ignored rather than being at the centre of attention (something the others, especially James and Sirius, enjoyed immensely).
Sirius clapped his hands in delight. “Yes! Good job! How did you guess? Maybe because ever since Prongs realised Evans was a girl, we haven’t talked about anything else?”
“Oh, shut up, Padfoot,” said James. “I don’t talk only about Lily…”
Sirius nodded. “That’s right. You also ramble about her friends, her boyfriends, or any person you’ve seen hanging around her, because you have to be sure she’s free. And of all the things she likes or doesn’t like. Of all the things she does in her spare time, and all the things you’ve never seen her do. Of all””
James tsked. “Look, Padfoot, did I ever complain of you constantly singing Helen’s praises?” he asked. Helen Thomas was Sirius’s (first) steady girlfriend, and James’s cousin.
“Yes, everyday.”
“Well, it’s different. Hel’s my cousin, and even if I don’t hear the most sordid details of your relationship, I”” reasoned James.
“Yeah, yeah,” cut in Sirius, while Remus shook his head at their usual bickering, “you’re just using your being related to Helen to shut me up, even when I’m not about to tell you how wonderful it is when she starts kissing my””
“SHUT UP!” bellowed James, stuffing his hands in his ears. “I TOLD YOU I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THIS!”
Sirius grinned. “See? You won’t even let me finish. And before you get any ideas, Prongs “ and, knowing you, I know you have “ I was about to say ‘lips’, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” muttered James. He looked at his navy-blue watch, the very same watch that Lily herself had given James for his last birthday… though this was not exactly a painless memory, considering this exchanged had been followed by one of the numerous and violent fights that he and Lily had had. “Look, I have to go now. I promised Lily I’d meet her in the library to start working on that antidote. I’ll see you guys later.”
The three waved as James made his way out of the seventh years’ dormitory. Sirius gave a sidelong glance at Remus. “You really think Evans still can’t stand him?”
Remus laughed. “Yeah right. I think they’ll be snogging on the fourth floor before this month’s over.”
“Bet you a Galleon they start going out together by the end of next week,” said Sirius, holding out his hand.
“So soon? Make it five and you’re on,” answered Remus, shaking Sirius’s hand. “Lily’s too proud. It’ll take her more than a week to realise her feelings for Prongs, and definitely more than two to actually admit it to herself… and tell Prongs.”
Sirius looked at him thoughtfully. “Hm… you do have a point. But I stand by what I said before. I give them two weeks.”
Remus grinned. “I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but… it sure is fun winding him up like that, isn’t it?”
“Are you kidding me?” said Sirius. “I live for those moments. I love that guy.”
In the meantime, in the girls’ dormitory, a similar conversation was taking place. “So let me get this straight: you’re doing Slughorn’s project with James?” asked Helen, staring at Lily.
“Yes,” answered the redhead, for the hundredth time.
“Willingly?” continued the brunette.
“Yes,” responded wearily Lily, yet again.
“He didn’t put the Imperius Curse on you or anything?”
“No, Hel. God, why is everybody making such a big deal about this?”
“Um,” said Helen, pretending to be deep in thought, “maybe because you’ve always said you hate him, and now, first you two are paired up together for Sprout’s project, now for Slughorn’s… Lily, are we seeing a pattern here?”
“So what? We worked together with Harry and we found out we make a great couple”” Lily broke off as soon as she realised what she’d just said.
Helen raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I meant ‘team’. Not ‘couple’ as in boyfriend-and-girlfriend thing, obviously. We cooperate. We work well together.” She paused before adding, “Schoolwise, of course.”
“Right,” said Helen, a sly smile forming on her lips. “Like me and Sirius, huh?”
“Yeah.” Lily stopped. “No. No no no no no. No way. Like… like you and me. You know how we’ve always worked together on this kind of thing? Like that.”
“James is your new best friend?” asked Helen, raising another eyebrow.
“No, of course not. Look, Helen, why are you trying to confuse me here? It was a stupid slip of the tongue.” She stared at the brunette defiantly before adding, “Plus, the real reason I agreed to working with him was to do you a favour.”
“Really?” questioned Helen. “How so?”
“Well, James told me that Sirius had begged him to convince me to work with James, so that the two of you could spend more time together. Apparently, Sirius feared that if I weren’t to work with James, then I was going to pair up with you, leaving poor Sirius to work with James instead of his lovely girlfriend,” said Lily matter-of-factly.
Helen laughed. “You know, Lils, this is very interesting. Because, you see, when Slughorn assigned us the potions, Sirius came up to me, asking me to be his partner, because ever since Sprout’s project was over, James had been shut in their dormitory, pining for your attention. He told me James had begged him to pair up with me, in order to leave you, well, partnerless, and free for James.”
Lily shrugged. “Whatever. Who cares how things went? Everybody’s happy now, aren’t they? I mean, you and Sirius are working together, like you guys wanted to, and James and I are working together, just like we wanted”I meant, just like he wanted to. It’s a win-win situation here.”
“Yeah, it is,” said Helen, still grinning.
“Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat some more, but I have to go to the library. James and I decided to get started on this thing right away,” finished Lily, standing up and grabbing her copy of Advanced Potion Making.
“Oh yeah, we wouldn’t want to leave poor Jamsie waiting, would we?” asked Helen.
“Actually, the way I see it, the sooner I get started with this stupid antidote, the sooner I get done with it, the sooner I won’t have to see James’s face any more than I can bear.”
And with that, Lily ran out of the dormitory, leaving Helen still laughing silently behind her.
A/N: So, how did you like this first chapter? I know nothing really happens, but I needed the first chapter to be kind of an introduction, to remind everyone how Lessons had ended. However, we will be seeing a lot of James-Lily interaction from the next chapter on.
That said… Reviews, anyone?
A Cauldronful of Lessons by Hallie Black
Chapter Notes: A/N: Here it is, guys, just as you wanted! Lessons’s sequel, concerning the month James and Lily will have to spend together for Slughorn’s project!
For those who have not read Lessons yet, I would strongly suggest taking a look at it before reading this one, since it starts exactly where the other left off. Also, numerous references to it (and to Harry, in particular), will be made throughout this fic, which may be a bit confusing if you don’t know what we’re talking about.
That said, I hope you enjoy!