We Are Golden (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

The October Challenge

The results of September Challenge were in, and the entirety of our friend group were slouched around the coffee table in the common room. Despite the chaos which Kat's challenge had imposed on us, there was no denying that it was a bloody good idea. It had sparked some friendly competition between us all, and relit a spark of mischievousness that we had seemed to have lost around the end of last year. Kat had our treasures spread out around the table and a clipboard in her hands, as the fire crackled welcomingly in the corner.

"Alright folks, it's time to give the rankings for our first monthly challenge!' she declared, pulling her quill from behind her ear.

"In first place we have.... Peter and Lily!" Lily jumped to her feet in unison with Peter, slapping their hands together in a double high-five. "Great lift, you two!" Kat lifted up a tiny, badger shaped chess piece.

James scoffed, leaning forward in his chair. "Of course they're going to be in first! Peter's got no issue creeping into small spaces when he's-" Remus coughed loudly, tipping his head towards Mary and Sasha. "When he's so good at sneaking around. Congrats, you lot." He grumbled ruefully.

"In second place we have... Elle and Sirius!" Sirius rose to his feet, bowing dramatically and holding his hands up to me as I took my turn to bow.

"We better be at the top of the list" Sirius laughed, sitting back down and slinging an arm casually over my shoulder. "I nearly got my head taken off by one seriously pissed older brother."

"Well maybe if you kept your lips to yourself, Pads, you wouldn't have that problem. Some of us managed to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room with zero snogging involved" Remus laughed as he played mindlessly with Kat's hair.

Sirius snorted and pointed to Mary. "Ya, maybe some people did. But your team isn't entirely innocent either, Moony." Sasha jumped to her feet, but Mary spoke first.

Mary shrugged and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It's alright, Sash. I'm sure it was the highlight of that poor puffies year." Sirius chuckled and Sasha sat back down, her arms crossed firmly over her chest.

"Speaking of!" Kat interjected, redirecting us back to the topic at hand. "Remus and Mary come in third! That leaves Sasha and James in fourth!" James huffed in his seat and Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, Potter. You're the one who got us doused in vinegar for three nights in a row. You had one job, one job! Spy out the common room door and figure out the code to get inside! How hard was that supposed to be?"

James narrowed his eyes at Sasha, and she stuck out her tongue. The tension was only broken when Mary reached forward, plucked up a fistful of popcorn, and chucked a few pieces in either of their direction. "Calm down, you two, it's just a game."

Sirius leaned over and grabbed James, pulling him under his arm and ruffling his hair. "Ya, Prongs. You've already got Head Boy, for Merlins sake. You can't win at everything, you know!"

James reached upwards, gripping Sirius by the shoulders and flipped him forward, landing with a thud on his back. The boys proceeded to wrestle, taking turns pinning each other to the ground and grappling roughly. I couldn't help but laugh at their ludicrousness. Despite the fact that they were in seventh year, and two of the most influential boys in our house, they acted no more mature than a couple of first years.

This moment was broken abruptly by the sudden, stern sound of someone clearing their throat at the portrait hole. The boys froze, and we all turned in unison to face the door, only to be greeted by the furrowed face of Professor McGonagall. She stood at the door, her hands clasped firmly behind her back as she frowned at us. Kat and Remus leaned forward across the table, shielding her from our Hufflepuff Treasures.