September 2nd, 1975
11:53 am
Hogwarts grounds

"This is just excellent . . . first Herbology lesson of the year, and I've already botched it up!"

Jeanine Keila - an absolute perfectionist - sniffled fretfully as the fifth-year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors crossed the stretch of muddy ground from the Herbology greenhouses to the castle doors.

"How was I supposed to know that fluxweed is to be picked at the full moon? I thought the lesson required us to . . ." Her friends scrambled to catch up with her, as her long legs carried her twice as far as everyone else.

Lily interrupted. "Nina, the lesson required us to pick the fluxweed flowers. We were supposed to soak the petals in an inch of water to retain the natural liquidity so Professor Slughorn can dry and powder them at a later date. As for the plants themselves, Professor Sprout clearly said we were to leave them in their pots and that we would be repotting them some time after the full moon."

She cast the Ravenclaw a sympathetic look and shook her head. "You must have heard her incorrectly."

Alice followed silently. Her evening blue eyes scanned the ground for patches of mud, avoiding them, keeping her shoes as clean as she could manage. Her lips were pressed into a hard line.

After five years of close friendship, Alice knew better than to open her mouth at a moment like this. Lily herself had forgotten to use bicorn hide gloves to handle the fluxweed and had nearly withered the delicate leaves of the plant with her rough dragon hide gloves. Only after Charlie Bishop pointed this out to her did she exchange the gloves in time. Her lanky Herbology partner had chuckled lightly at the mishap, but Lily most certainly had not.

Now, though her intentions were undoubtedly benevolent, Alice was sure Lily subconsciously felt she could regain her academic upper hand by correcting Jeanine's mistake. Alice always felt more than a little annoyed at Lily's need to feel superior in academics, but supposed that - as a Muggle-born - Lily needed a way to prove herself as a witch. Though Alice didn't approve of her methods, she was certain that letting Lily have these moments of glory was ultimately better for their friendship. Lily was not aware she often acted this way, and Alice had little heart to tell her. For the vast majority of her interactions, Lily was a kind, generous individual and at moments like these, she probably believed she was simply helping a classmate. Alice wouldn't be the one to tell her that she needed to put a sock in it.

Sensing Jeanine's self-pity worsening, however, Alice steered the subject from Herbology.

"What class does Ravenclaw have after lunch? We have Charms with Hufflepuff which means - oh . . . you'll be with Slytherin, then." Alice realized too late that this would probably only make Jeanine feel worse. The three girls crossed the threshold into the school's entrance hall and immediately pushed through the double doors opening into the Great Hall.

"We have Defence with them next," Jeanine explained. "We usually test higher than they do, at least in the written portions. Some of them are quite good at the practical, but I'd say we perform better overall." Her voice swelled with pride in her house, though surprisingly little distaste for Slytherin. A smile found its way to her lips, and she seemed to have forgotten about the fluxweed.

I guess she also forgot that humiliating loss to Slytherin last term, Alice mused.

Same day
12:14 pm
Great Hall

Sighing heavily, James pushed mashed potatoes around on his plate before dropping his fork altogether. He rested his chin in his hand and sighed again, a little louder this time. Sirius sat opposite him, chewing enthusiastically on a piece of steak, absolutely unaware of James' not-so-subtle attempt to get his attention. Remus and Peter glanced back and forth between the two before Remus gently placed his fork and knife on his plate and, resting his elbows on the table, raised his eyebrows at the bespectacled boy sitting across from him.

"Yes, Prongs? You clearly have something to say. Out with it."

James nodded in Sirius' direction. The table fell silent. Sirius looked up, realizing his three mates were waiting for acknowledgement. He grinned innocently, swallowed, and choked, "Erm - sure, mate. What is it?"

James stared longingly at the redheaded Prefect at the next table, laughing as she conversed with Amba and Mary. "She's perfect," he crooned. Sighing once more, James latched his hazel eyes onto her from afar. His friends' eyes followed his gaze.

Sirius' face screwed into an expression of confusion. "Who, Evans? Ha . . . very funny, mate. With all this misdirected attention, I think you're making Moony feel inadequate." Remus rolled his eyes, and Sirius added, "No worries, Moony. I'm sure Prongs thinks you're perfect, too." He chuckled to himself, and promptly returned to his steak.

"What do you think of her, Wormtail?" Leaving Peter no time to reply, James continued, "I've only just realized how amazing she is. Look at her - she's cute, far smarter than anyone else in our year - " Remus snorted, while James continued to list Lily's attributes, " - she's charming, witty . . . a bit too much of a rule follower, but that shouldn't be hard to change. Her sneeze sounds just like a snitch, you know - that must be a sign, right? And she has eyes like green diamonds . . ."

Only Peter listened to James' admiration of Lily with real interest. Sirius was far too engrossed in his lunch to pay much attention, and Remus' face was etched with incredulity. After a few moments, he cut James short.

"Prongs, what are you saying? Do you fancy her? Properly fancy her?" If he did, this had certainly come out of nowhere. James had been infatuated with Evette Devlin from Ravenclaw since their first ride on the Hogwarts Express.

In the face of such a forthright question, James was not entirely certain how to answer. He did fancy Evans, didn't he? He silently weighed the choice of telling his friends the truth against the likelihood that embarrassment would ensue against the additional consideration of how likely his winning Evans over would be. There was no sense admitting a crush that would not play out. Finally, he decided his chances were good enough that he could risk admitting to his friends a secret they, of course, had already guessed.

"So what if I do? I've got a shot, don't I? Last term, I heard a rumor that she's had a crush on me since second year . . . although that may have been Lucy from Slytherin," James paused, trying his hardest to remember if he'd heard Lily or Lucy. "Erm, well, it doesn't matter. The point is - "

"The point is," Remus broke in cautiously, "that Lily has no interest in you."

"But - "

"But, nothing, Prongs. I know for a fact she's not interested. Besides, she's far too invested in academics, as well as her Prefect duties, to go messing around with the wreck of a boyfriend you would undoubtedly be. Think of her future, James. You can hardly remember a girl's name long enough to finish a date, much less put in the commitment necessary to cultivate an entire relationship, especially with a girl like Lily." Remus shook his head, softening his voice. "No worries, Prongs. You'll be over this nonsensical crush in a matter of hours. Right, Sirius?" Sirius simply shrugged his shoulders, mouth full of potatoes.

"Meadowes was perfectly happy," James muttered under his breath, his mood dampening significantly.

"You dated Dorcas for five minutes, Prongs! And in that time, you managed not only to forget her name, but to insult her Quidditch skills AND kiss another girl!"

"Yeah, but she said she'd never been happier," James countered stubbornly. He was quite sick of Remus' always ruining his fun. And besides, what did Remus know about dating him?

"Well, yes, after she broke up with you . . ." Peter corrected, his voice only a half joke. He hated getting in the middle of his friends' fights, but the urge to rectify false information proved too great. He'd thought maybe he could make his friends laugh. He shrunk back down in his seat, muttering to Sirius to "pass the rolls, please", which Sirius did, shoving one into his mouth before handing the basket to Peter.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh, alright, Prongs. I give up. Go, try to convince Lily to fall for you. You're only harming yourself, you know. But don't come crying to me when she rejects you - which she will, by the way." Although his tone was sharp, Remus - and James - knew well enough that if James did, in fact, have his heart broken, Remus would be the first person to notice and the first person to try to make things right for his best mate, no matter how much James may have deserved it.

Feeling obliged to correct the situation yet again, Peter finally spoke up in James' defence. "Well, I think James and Lily would make a lovely couple." He grinned hopefully at James, who nodded in agreement.

"See! Wormtail believes in me! Where's your faith, Moony?"

Remus simply shook his head and continued with his lunch.

Same day
Meanwhile
Great Hall

One table over, Lily, Alice, and Jeanine had joined a large group at the Ravenclaw table. Jeanine and Lily were talking to Amba Bhatti and Mary, trying to convince Mary that her schedule was manageable. "At least you have an hour before Astronomy…that's enough time for a quick nap, isn't it?" Lily said cheerfully. Amba nodded, and Jeanine glanced between the two nervously. She hated seeing anyone upset, especially Mary, who was one of the sweetest girls in the world. Mary looked unconvinced.

Beside them, Alice participated half-heartedly in conversation with Dorcas, her close friend Vivianne Rowley from Ravenclaw and Mariette Pearson, one of the only tolerable Slytherins in their year. She and Mariette silently ate lunch as Vivianne began asking Dorcas about the upcoming Quidditch season. Alice and Mariette exchanged looks. Neither cared as passionately for Quidditch as the two friends beside them.

"I don't mean to sound arrogant, but I have a feeling Gryffindor will absolutely dominate this year. Depending on the replacement players who haven't been recruited yet, our team may still be the youngest on average, but Slytherin is a mess. They'll be fighting between each other more often than against the opposing teams. Hufflepuff's got a weak Keeper, and Anderson and McKinnon will be too busy snogging to do Ravenclaws defence much good." Dorcas gestured emphatically with each point. The sport filled every pore, fibre, and breath of her body. Quidditch was the reason for her sun-kissed skin, perpetually untidy wind-whipped hair, and constantly aching muscles.

Vivianne disagreed with the Gryffindor keeper's assessment. Though Vivianne wasn't currently on the team, the bronze-skinned Ravenclaw was almost as passionate about Quidditch as the Gryffindor across from her and planned to try out for the team - after the OWLs, of course.

"Ravenclaw is stronger than it's been in a long time, and from what I've heard, we have some good players trying out to fill in the extra Chaser position. I would expect a pretty good fight from us this year. Besides, as long as one of us beats Slytherin…"

At that, Mariette turned away from the conversation, rolling her eyes at Alice, who laughed in agreement. The Slytherin ran a hand through her tight, brown curls and regarded Alice with curious, pale blue eyes.

"Well, aside from Quidditch . . . " Alice murmured, grinning.

Laughing, Mariette nodded. "Anything else, please. How's your day been so far?" She grabbed a roll from the basket in front of her and picked off a bite, popping it into her mouth as she waited for Alice to respond.

The two girls had become friends almost immediately after starting at Hogwarts. Alice had come to Hogwarts believing firmly in the stereotype that all Slytherins from rich, pureblood families were vehement blood purists. She'd been happily surprised when the first Slytherin she met - who happened to be from a rich, pureblood family - defied her expectations. Charms partners their first year, Alice and Mariette had found they had one very important thing in common: they both had seemingly flawless older siblings at Hogwarts, and though they loved them, both girls felt they fell under their siblings' shadows.

"It's been strange," Alice mused. "I miss Michael terribly - really I do - but you know, it's nice to finally be the only Emerson at Hogwarts." She gave Mariette a teasing grin, as she slurped a spoonful of warm broth.

The other girl laughed. "It is, is it? Well I wouldn't know, would I? Being the younger sister and all to the Head Girl-slash- Slytherin Quidditch captain." She paused. "I love my sister, don't get me wrong, but I'll be glad when she's graduated. Being the only Pearson at Hogwarts sounds nice."

Although she had the third highest marks in her class, Mariette often felt overshadowed by everyone - her classmates, her housemates, and mostly, her seemingly perfect older sister. Academics were the only thing Mariette was better at; Isabella may be a great Quidditch player and have a ton of friends, but her marks were never more than slightly above average. Mariette, however, made perfect marks in almost every class and tried not to be bitter about the rest, as she knew first-hand how often bitterness scarred those who fell prey to it.

The girls continued to commiserate about their older siblings while Vivianne and Dorcas debated Quidditch, until all four heard Mary exclaim, "Oh, it's useless! I'll never pass the OWLS this year, never! All I'm good at is knitting. I might as well just sell my stuff on the streets!" The table burst into laughter, and Mary, becoming pink faced as she realized the double meaning in her words, giggled along with them, feeling embarrassed but with significantly lifted spirits.

Same day
2:20 pm
Transfiguration

By this point in the day, all ten fifth-year Gryffindors had noticed the peculiarity of this year's Transfiguration class. Normally, Slytherin shared this class with them. This year, it seemed, they were on their own. When Alice and Lily entered the classroom, McGonagall was sitting at her desk reading Transfiguration Today , absently Transfiguring an object on her desk into a multitude of different things and paying little attention to the students arriving for class.

The group stood in an awkward bunch just inside the door, until finally Alice asked, "Professor, where do we sit?" A seating chart was notably absent from the bewitched chalk board behind the professor's desk.

"Anywhere is fine, Miss Emerson," McGonagall replied, peeking over Transfiguration Today.

Mary, who had just entered, huffing and pink as a Pygmy Puff, glanced around the room and asked, "Where are the Slytherins?"

"Herbology, I believe," McGonagall answered, turning the page in her magazine and transfiguring the ten-gallon hat on her desk into a spinning globe.

The large room seemed somehow cosier now than only eleven people filled it, rather than twenty-one. The fifth-years scattered throughout the room, striking up hushed conversations until half past, when McGonagall put down her magazine, stood up, and addressed the class.

"Gryffindors, please, settle down now. Thank you. I trust every one of you has enjoyed a delightful summer. Hopefully it has not escaped your notice that Slytherin house will not be joining us this year. I had far less NEWT students than I had anticipated for the term, and since Hufflepuff and Gryffindor had the lowest marks last year, I have decided to give each of the OWL level classes from these houses some more personalized attention."

She added, "In case it interests any of you, Slytherin and Ravenclaw will be Transfiguring together this year."

As McGonagall turned to reach for the textbook her on desk, Lily and James raised their hands. Without waiting to be called on, both exclaimed -

"We don't have class with Slytherin?"

"We had the lowest marks last term?"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow, and coolly addressed each student. "No, Mr Potter. No class with Slytherin. That's what I just said, if you'll kindly pay attention. And, no to you as well, Miss Evans. Gryffindor's scores were slightly higher than Hufflepuff's, but in any case, there is still much room for improvement. Now, shall we get started?"

Promptly whispering the ends of conversations, each student turned around and faced the front of the room. Noticing that James and Sirius were seated next to each other, as were Dorcas and Amba, Lily and Alice, Remus and Peter, and Sam Trent and Mary, McGonagall frowned with disapproval.

"This just won't do," she muttered to herself. Raising her voice, McGonagall walked through the aisles of seats and addressed the class again. "I have decided," she began, trapping the class under her gaze, "that a seating chart may be pertinent after all. I will split you into new pairs. Each pair will consist of one boy and one lady, who I hope will keep these young men in check." Her lips twitched with amusement and she winked amicably at the class, which giggled in unison, unbothered by the change in seating.

James turned to Sirius, whose devilish grin confirmed his own excitement. James had been hoping to be seated next to Lily in order to get to know her better. Sirius, on the other hand, would not have minded sitting next to Dorcas; the tall dark-haired Keeper knew more about Quidditch than most of the girls Sirius had ever met, except, perhaps, his cousin Andromeda. As one of the Gryffindor beaters, Sirius knew the two of them could spend many Transfiguration classes secretly scheming for upcoming games.

McGonagall stepped back, revealing the hastily scribbled seating chart.

As the students moved into their new seats, James smiled amicably, albeit slightly disappointed, at Alice. He didn't mind sitting next to her; they had been friends since first year. He ran his fingers through his hair and reminded himself that she was, after all, Lily's best friend. If he couldn't sit next to the fiery, redheaded Prefect, her best mate would be the second best thing.

Sirius moved to the back of the class and plopped into the seat next to Mary, who offered a warm pudgy hand full of Bertie Bott's. Pushing black hair out from in front of his eyes, Sirius took the beans, returning Mary's smile of goodwill. She wasn't Dorcas, but if she kept brining snacks, she was as good as.

Satisfied with the dynamic of the class, McGonagall pulled herself into her characteristic, straight-backed posture and raised her voice to address the class once more. "As you all know, at the conclusion of this year, each of you will be taking the Ordinary Wizarding Levels for each of your seven core classes. The Transfiguration OWLs exam will consist of two parts: a written portion, and a practical portion. We will be reviewing the fundamental laws of Transfiguration and the rest of the basics from your first four years at Hogwarts. In addition, we will also cover some of the more advanced types of Transfiguration that you may encounter in your careers after graduation," she glanced between James and Sirius as she added, "such as Animagi, the term for people who can voluntarily transform into animals."

Same day
Meanwhile
Herbology greenhouse #5

A low snarl brewed in the back of his throat as Severus Snape found himself, once again, wishing Slytherin had Herbology with Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff. Even if it meant he'd have to tolerate the insufferable antics of Potter and Black, he'd have done it just to have Lily as his partner instead of the clumsy, pixie of a girl he had to work with now. Charis Amity was a relatively tolerable person normally, but she had no aptitude for Herbology, he'd come to find out, despite Hufflepuff's reputation for excelling in the subject. Seething, though externally aloof, Severus raised his hand for the fourth time this lesson; Professor Sprout handed him another fluxweed plant without asking what it was he needed. She gave him a sympathetic look and then smiled reassuringly at Charis.

"You'll get the hang of it, dear," Professor Sprout chirped. "It just takes a little patience." She gave Severus an affectionate pat on the back and scurried off with a yelp as a particularly overgrown fluxweed plant became ensnared in Dedalus Diggle's long orange hair.

Severus scowled and handed the pot to Charis. Her face was red and her earthy green eyes were wide with embarrassment. "I am SO sorry, Severus," her apology rushed out of her like air from a deflated balloon. "I don't know what - "

The gaunt Slytherin hushed her with an upheld hand. "It's fine, Charis," he conceded stiffly. "Just try again, and for God's sake, read the instructions more carefully this time before Sprout runs out of fluxweeds." She nodded jerkily, small beads of sweat forming on her quizzical brow.

"Another mistake? You must be loving this, Snape." A jarring, nasally voice commanded Severus' attention. The thin, boyish figure of Lucy Jarvis shoved into his side, laughing as she gestured across the table toward Charis. "It would be just your luck to be paired with the only Hufflepuff that is hopeless at Herbology." The sharp lilts in her voice weren't far from cackles, and Severus' scowl deepened at the taunts of his housemate. Charis glanced up at Lucy, her face a mixture of embarrassment and irritation.

"Sod off, Jarvis," Snape replied peevishly, his voice just loud enough for her to hear. He wished he felt proud of Charis' persistance, especially since he knew the girl beside him - as well as most in Slytherin - would have simply given up after the second try, but instead, he found himself only annoyed at the Hufflepuff's incompetence. Why couldn't the stupid girl read the directions and follow them precisely? What was so bloody difficult about that?

He felt the urge to nudge her small, vulnerable body out of the way and finish the lesson himself. Furthermore, he wished Lucy Jarvis would mind her own bloody business and quit insipidly giggling next to him. He wanted the Slytherin on his right side - Gabriel Wilson, with his ridiculous curly blond hair and round cherubic face - to stop looking down his nose at him, calculating every move he made as though he were observing him under a microscope. Severus wanted most of all for this class to end, so he could escape to the library to start on the Potions homework with Lily.

He drummed his thin, trembling fingers on the table, and watched Charis fail, once again, from across the table. She looked up to meet his gaze, and his impatient, angry black eyes bored into hers. For a moment, Severus contemplated a demeaning criticism about her inadequacy, but before he could speak, Lucy had already seized the opportunity.

"Again?!" Her voice was incredulous, mocking the small blond Hufflepuff across the table. "Is being stupid the only thing you're good at?"

Severus watched Charis' face, and his breath caught slightly when he saw the hurt in her green eyes. It was the first day of class, and already she was cracking under pressure. He saw an unseemly degree of pain on her face, and a distinct sense of shame nearly parted his lips to call Lucy off.

Kevin Bethney, the large, normally rather gentle Hufflepuff partnered with Lucy fixed her with a fierce glare. His thin lips drew back so that they were almost non-existent. "Lucy," his voice was low, a soft, commanding rumble barely above a whisper. "That's enough. Leave her be. Please, mind your own work."

The red head next to Severus - an unsatisfactory proxy for the ginger haired girl he wished he was next to - let out a sharp, offended gasp. Her face turned a furious shade of crimson as she stood suddenly from her chair, pointing her wand at the boy in front of her. "You dare tell me what to do?" she snarled, her voice cracking in rage. Kevin, of course, looked appropriately frightened at her dramatic outburst. He stood from his seat and slowly stepped backward. Severus would have been more impressed if he hadn't known Lucy was incapable of following through with her empty threats. She could hardly transfigure a teacup, much less hex a Hufflepuff.

Lucy's face, contorted in rage, twisted into a mask of sickening glee as she fed on the fear of her Herbology partner. Only when she felt Professor Sprout's wand at the back of her neck did her grin falter, and her arm begin to tremble, just slightly enough for Severus to catch it.

"That is quite enough, Miss Jarvis," Sprout barked. Professors were not supposed to hold their wands to students, strictly speaking, but in a case like this . . . with a student as unhinged as Lucy Jarvis . . . Her voice became even and controlled as she continued, "twenty points from Slytherin for your misconduct, and a detention at Professor Slughorn's discretion. Now, lower your wand and hand it to me. You may retrieve it this evening from Professor Slughorn."

Same day
11:15 pm
Gryffindor common room

Mary tapped her quill on the table, leaving small ink splatters on the piece of scrap parchment she was using for notes. Dorcas and Alice worked unusually diligently across from her, both glancing periodically at the open books in front of them. Mary could see the dark night sky through the windows behind her two friends, though the sky was too cloudy for her to see stars. The frizzy-haired blond laid down her quill and started to pick the dirt from underneath the nails of her thick fingers, finding it a momentary distraction from the horrendously boring Potions homework in front of her. The assignment wasn't due until next week, but Alice and Dorcas had enthusiastically begun the task of researching ingredients for the different potions they would have to brew.

When her fingernails were clean and the tip of her quill dry, Mary sighed and watched her friends work. Dorcas always tackled homework with vigour since her spot on the Quidditch team meant she had to keep her marks high. But Alice . . . Alice was rubbish at Potions and, come to think of it, Mary had never seen her work on Potions homework with so much focus.

"Alice," Mary piped, "what are you doing?"

"Potions."

"Well, yes, but you hate Potions." Mary's characteristically blotchy cheeks burned redder with confusion. She wasn't missing something, was she?

Alice glanced at Dorcas and, resting her quill in the crease of an open book, told Mary the truth. "Well, I sort of just wanted to get it over with so I could research something else." The confusion on Mary's face was unwavering. Alice continued, "It's a stupid thing really, but it's been bothering me all day." She lowered her voice. "I keep wondering why Sirius spent so much time at James' this summer."

Mary's face lit up, and Dorcas put down her quill with a resigned sigh. She had been wondering the same thing. It wasn't unusual for all of the students in their year to know at least a little of each other's lives outside of school, and students in both the same house and year could practically tell each other's life stories.

Gryffindor House was particularly close with very few secrets between its students. And the fact of the matter was that Sirius' being at James' house was unusual, since he came back from summer hols every year groaning about the interminable hours spent wasting away at his parent's home in London. That he had actually enjoyed his summer, particularly in the company of James, was a notable occurrence.

"Maybe his parents kicked him out," Dorcas whispered. "I mean, he isn't exactly flaunting their purist nonsense like his brother."

"But surely he wouldn't be so happy about it?" Mary implored. "He'd be at least a little upset."

Alice shook her head. "I think he ran away, and - " Her sentence was cut short by a loud creak on the boys' staircase. The three looked up to see James grinning in their direction.

"Actually," he explained, as he pulled up a chair and joined their table. Mary's face instantly flushed pink with embarrassment, and Alice and Dorcas measured James' tone and reaction, making sure he hadn't been offended by their talking about him. Evidently, he hadn't been. "My parents invited him to stay. His parents didn't know mine very well, but had heard they were purebloods, so with a bit of convincing, my mum and dad agreed to pretend to believe in the whole 'purity of blood' rubbish. They were quite believable, actually, and Sirius' parents agreed to let him stay with me for the summer. It was all so simple, really; I'm surprised we didn't think of it sooner."

Almost on cue, Sirius came stumbling through the common room door, carrying a large box loaded with food from the kitchens. The Invisibility cloak that he, Remus, James, and Peter occasionally used to get around Hogwarts undetected was draped over top. He smiled at the group at the table, and took a few brisk strides in their direction. Setting the box down with a huff, he pulled the cloak off. "Alright, Prongs?" He nodded to the girls, winking at Alice, who snorted and rolled her eyes, a friendly grin across her face.

"How much food can you four possibly eat?" she asked, taking in the abundance of food crammed into the box. "That must be enough to last you lot at least a week."

"Actually," Sirius countered, "it's enough to last one person a month." He smirked at James, and they both pulled their wands from their pockets. James rummaged through his other pocket and supplied a couple of small vials.

The girls eyed them suspiciously. "What are you up to?" Dorcas demanded, leaning her elbows on the table. Predictably, Mary looked concerned. A small smirk crossed Alice's features - she was almost certain this had something to do with...

"An entire day has gone by and we have yet to welcome Snape back properly," Sirius said, pulling items of food out. He lowered his voice, as though he was sharing a grave secret. "We're going to put some of these innocent little potions into this food, and then send it back to the house elves. They know what to do from there." He stood up grinning triumphantly. "Grand, isn't it?"

The girls looked confused, and James added, "They'll prepare this food just for him and send it up to him during meals. Don't worry, Mary, no one else will be affected." He and Sirius began to pick up various items of food and levitate small drops of the potions through the air, muttering incantations to bind the potions into the food. The girls watched them work silently for a few minutes. Lily and Amba were in a late night Arithmancy class, Peter and Remus were getting a bit of sleep in before Astronomy, and Sam was out of the tower, as usual.

Finally, Mary squared her shoulders and said, "I don't think that's a very nice thing to do, James Potter. You should be ashamed of yourself. What if he gets hurt?" James laughed, and Sirius walked around the table to give Mary a quick squeeze and a small peck on the top of her head.

Dorcas merely smirked. Before James could say anything to his defence, Alice fixed Mary with an almost pitying expression and explained, "Mary, has Severus Snape ever done anything nice for you?"

When she didn't answer, she continued, "Has he ever said anything nice to you?"

"Well, no, bu-"

"How does he normally treat people?"

Mary was silent for a moment, before whispering, "He's a bit mean, I suppose." She didn't add, though she was thinking it, that there were several other students in Slytherin that were meaner than he was.

"Exactly," Alice nodded and turned to James and Sirius. "Does Remus know about this?"

Sirius smirked. "Well . . . no. We didn't think he'd be a good sport about it."

"I still think it sounds a little bit cruel," Mary interjected, refusing to be ignored. Her cheeks were their usual shade of crimson, and her yellow hair seemed frizzier with irritation. James sat in the chair beside her and gestured for her to turn toward him. With a bit of exasperated reluctance, she did, and he fixed his hands on her pudgy shoulders.

"Come on, Mary. We've all had our sour moments with that greasy git. This isn't anything he doesn't deserve. We aren't trying to poison the bloke or anything. We're just having a little fun, that's all. Trust us. When have we ever gone too far?" The tall girl relaxed in his grip, a small smile slowly cracking across her lips.

"I suppose never," she confessed. She shrugged James' hands off with a giggle. "You boys are just too much." Her shoulders twitched slightly as she turned back toward the two girls sitting across from her, still a little bit conflicted about James' and Sirius' prank.

Alice and Dorcas smiled at the two boys and returned to their homework.