OUTCAST | SIRIUS BLACK

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

CONGRATULATIONS, JAMIKINS, YOU CAN READ
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"Whose half-witted idea was it to schedule practices so that I have to inhale my breakfast?" Avery complained as the Slytherin Quidditch team walked down to the Great Hall, all dressed in their green practice gear.

"I had few choices since someone - no names will be mentioned because I have a feeling everyone knows who I am talking about - spent all of last season, complaining about practising before breakfast," Seraphina said pointedly.

"There are afternoons too," Avery deadpanned.

"I know, which is why I booked the pitch during the afternoon next Saturday," Seraphina explained. "But this was better than nothing."

"I am starting to lose count of how many times since I joined the team, I have heard you have this conversation," Regulus said dryly. "It's sixteen now, if anyone was wondering."

Seraphina just rolled her eyes fondly at the younger boy. When they entered the Great Hall, the team walked over to the table and started eating their breakfast. "When should we start planning for the Slytherin Cup?" Avery wondered, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"It's not until after Christmas," Seraphina reminded him. "But I thought we could start planning after the game against the Gryffindors. After that, we won't play Ravenclaw until February, so we will have time. And it will give me plenty of time to run everything by Professor Slughorn."

When Seraphina finished, long before the boys, her blue eyes scanned the Gryffindor table in search of her friends. The Marauders were seated at the very end of the table, alongside the Sixth Year Gryffindor girls.

"Tell me when you are finished," Seraphina told the boys. She picked up her broom and walked over to the Marauders. James was the first to notice her approach and he said, "On your way to practice with those serpents, I presume."

"What a wonderful guess. What gave it away? The Quidditch gear or the broom?" Seraphina asked sarcastically. James stuck out his tongue at her in response.

Sirius immediately scooted over to give her place to sit down between him and Remus. Seraphina sat down on the bench, but with her legs away from the table. "Are we still meeting up tonight?"

"If you can convince Prongs to go since he is trying to be responsible all of a sudden," Sirius said bitterly. "Last night, he told me he didn't want to go down to the kitchens with me because he needed to study. Study. We have only been back for a month, what is there to study?"

Seraphina gasped, "Are you sure this is truly James and not someone else who has taken the Polyjuice Potion?"

"The idea has crossed my mind," Sirius whispered conspiratorially.

"The question is why anyone in possession of a Polyjuice Potion would choose James of all people," Seraphina whispered back, blue eyes narrowed at James in fake suspicion.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius asked. "To become my best mate," he said in duh-tone.

"Sod off both of you," James told them with a glare. "And speaking of Quidditch, Sephy, I noticed you booked the pitch the Friday before the first game."

"Congratulations, Jamikins, you can read," Seraphina sassed.

"I was wondering if you could give up the pitch," James smiled nicely.

"Nope," Seraphina shook her head without a thought.

"But it's the day before our first game and without that, our last practice will be one week too early," James argued.

"Against us, yes," Seraphina deadpanned. "You should have been quicker if you wanted the pitch that day."

"But as you know, Marlene joined the team this year," James pointed over at Marlene who sat a bit away, "and this will be her first game. So it would be good for her to practise before the big day."

"And I am so proud of you, Marls," Seraphina smiled over at her blonde friend. "But I am not going to just give away my team's practice time."

"You have no new players on your team-"

"James, I am not going to give you our time," Seraphina told him firmly. "If you want to have the pitch closer to the game, you will have to speak to Jones or Corner. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are not playing for a few weeks either way."

"But you are one of my best friends-"

"And the Captain of the opposite team, James," Seraphina pointed out, noticing how the rest of the Marauders as well as the girl watched their interaction. "Would you have offered me the pitch if it was the other way around?"

"Well, no, but that's not the same-"

"Oi, Princess, we are ready now," Avery yelled from the large double doors, standing next to Regulus who was glaring at his brother and of course, Sirius returned the favour until he realised what Avery had said.

"Duty calls," Seraphina stood up.

"He calls you 'Princess'?" Sirius asked in disgust, his glare turning towards Avery instead of his brother, a dark look appearing on his face. "And you let him?"

"I've grown used to it," Seraphina shrugged, unbothered by it. In the beginning she had wanted to clock Avery every time he called her 'Princess'. But soon she realised that the nickname wasn't intended to be degrading or condescending. He was just being annoying. "Now if all of you excuse me, I have to make sure the Quidditch Cup remains in Slughorn's office, where it belongs."

With that she walked over and joined Avery and Regulus and the Slytherin trio disappeared from the Great Hall. "I don't like this," James confessed.

"Me neither," Sirius agreed, his jaw clenching and unclenching in anger. "She does not belong with them."

"They are her teammates," Remus reasoned, seeing as this wasn't the first time James and Sirius had had this conversation. "And her housemates."

"They shouldn't be," Sirius said darkly. "Avery, Mulciber, Rosier, Snape, my feeble brother, they are all wannabe Death Eaters. As are the rest of those serpents."

"Seraphina is a big girl," Dorcas Meadowes argued, cutting into their conversation. "She can handle herself."

"I still don't understand how she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor," Sirius said. "Imagine how much better things would be if she was in our house."