Chapter Twenty Six
“That’s the sixth girl who’s asked me to Hogsmeade for this bloody weekend,” James panted as he rejoined the Marauders; he’d been cornered by Emma Browning as they were walking from Potions to Transfiguration and, after he had rejected her as kindly as he could, he had been forced to sprint through six corridors in order to catch up with his friends; with smirks at him they had walked away and left him alone with her, knowing that McGonagall would never forgive them for being late. James knew this too which was why he was currently struggling to keep walking while yanking his jumper over his head. “Man I’m glad I’m so fit from Quidditch training but I swear I’m dripping with sweat.”
“I bet Emma Browning doesn’t mind,” Remus said as James glared at him, his glasses hanging from one ear now that he had finally wriggled out of his jumper.
“She’s being dim anyway because I’m sure someone told me that Jack likes her and he’s perfectly nice.” James hooked his glasses off his ear and put them back on again, adjusting them so that they were as close to straight as they were ever going to get.
“Which Jack? Webber?” Sirius asked and James nodded.
“Is that the one who hit that Bludger straight at you and broke your nose?” Peter asked.
“Yep. Good thing Madam Pomfrey fixed it so quickly.”
Sirius’ barks of laughter resounded through the corridor and he screwed his eyes up, wobbling as he walked. “God she was so flustered when you came in with blood pouring all down you! It was her first day and she had to deal with you and McGonagall cast that charm on you because she thought you’d scare her away! What a wonderful day!”
“Well not really Padfoot ‘cause after that Hufflepuff flattened us and we were pretty much out of the running for the Cup.”
“Well don’t worry James, no one would ever know. She returned it to exactly how it was before,” Peter giggled. They stopped outside McGonagall’s classroom and Sirius peered at James’ perfectly straight nose.
“I don’t know if that’s right Wormtail…” he muttered, “I mean I can definitely see at least two rather large bumps and a scar.”
“Can you two please stop staring at my nose?”
“Making you feel uncomfortable Prongs? Worried it’s not perfect?” Sirius teased.
“Padfoot you’re staring at my nose and you’re about four centimetres away, of course I feel uncomfortable.”
“You never did before,” he said with a pout.
“That was before though!” James said.
“Before what?” Peter asked.
“Don’t ask them Peter, they’ll only make up some ridiculous story,” Remus said quickly, “it wasn’t before anything; they’re just messing around.”
“Oh I see,” he muttered as they began to drift into the classroom and take their places.
‘I hate this Valentine’s rubbish,’ James scribbled on the side of his notes.
‘Me too Prongs, me too,’Sirius wrote. ‘It’s so unnecessary. Why should we have to have a set day for being romantic anyway? Surely that makes it less romantic?’
‘I think you just found the inherent flaw in this hell of a holiday Padfoot.’
‘Well I bloody well wish the girls would find it too! Why do they love it so much? Do they love it? Or do we just wander around going along with it because we think they love it and they just go along with it because we instigate it?’
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The Next Great Adventure (A Marauders Fan Fic)
Fanfiction(Companion piece to Dwelling on Dreams) James Potter has been Lily's enemy since the first day that they both started at Hogwarts. She has never been interested in his being his friend but, when they and their friends return for their fifth year at...
