Mischief Managed Year Two Part One: The Poisoned Truth

Chapter Fifty- A Date to the Dance

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"We only have two more weeks! And Dumbledore won't even let us stay at the dance very long even if we do find dates," Sirius complained loudly from the spot they claimed in the courtyard, getting looks from several students passing through.

"And why exactly do we have to have a date to go?" James asked in a moody tone as he slammed his quill against the parchment. He wrote in small lettering 'December 11: ask Lily out again today. The new plan is...' only to crumple the piece of paper and throw it at Sirius who was gesturing wildly to two shy Hufflepuff first-year girls.

"Hey, gorgeous, wanna go to the dance with me? First years aren't allowed to go unless an older student goes with them," Sirius shouted almost mockingly. James watched as Sirius weathered another round of rejection, one of the girls shyly telling him she already had a 'date' while the other just giggled at him, pulling her friend away.

"Are they mental? They must be mental!" Sirius lamented, throwing himself against the pillar, hand to his head in a dramatic swooning gesture.

"Possibly, I mean I know I could get a date, but you're not bad for second-best bachelor," James teased, ducking as Sirius chucked his book at him in what he claimed was 'bludger practice.' They laughed at each other until Sirius turned back to hunting down a date like a beggar. James sighed, feeling defeated. He only really wanted to go to the dance with Lily but he couldn't tell Sirius that. The whole thing was dumb, since as second years they could only stay for the first two hours of the dance anyways! Although that was more than enough time to spend dancing, now that he thought about it.

"This is such bollocks! Why can't we go to the dance without a date?" Sirius grumbled.

"Because the professors don't want little troublemakers like you freaks wreaking havoc," Narcissa Black pointed out from further down the corridor. She came striding up to Sirius with Regulus in tow, the young boy becoming more like a haughty sneering Slytherin every time James saw him. Sirius scowled, his dramatic lamenting turning immediately into a cold demeanour as he regarded his evil relatives.

James knew Sirius hadn't talked to Regulus alone since before the first task. As a result, the two mischievous Marauders had been relentless in their pranking of Slytherins, though they were saving their best idea for a dramatic moment.

"Well, I'm going to get a date then I'll go! I'll make sure to put a dung bomb under your chair," Sirius retorted quickly, sounding as shaken as he always did upon Narcissa appearing out of nowhere. With good reason too, since the evil Black parents had left the decision of if Sirius could stay at Hogwarts for Christmas break up to the snooty teenager. Apparently, Sirius' mum had attributed the decrease in detentions Sirius had received so far this year to Narcissa's intervention.

"Telling me that defeats the purpose, you idiot," Narcissa sighed, with her superior attitude James hated. "But yes, you will have a date. I have several candidates picked for you once you stop acting like a little baby," she replied calmly enough, though there was a slight lift to her lips which made James suspect the candidates would be the worse type of pureblood filth.

"I'd rather die than go with a Slytherin," Sirius snapped back, though he had deflated some. James wished Remus was here, even if things had been distant between them lately. James never knew what to do with Sirius' family since he had been made to promise he wouldn't hex them. Not that Sirius didn't want them to be hexed. But if the unfortunate boy ended up not catering to Narcissa's wishes he'd go home for winter break, and then he'd pay for whatever havoc they had caused so far this year. Understanding this now, James left what trouble they got into up to Sirius who got to decide if it was 'worth it.'