Reaching across time

Chapter 36: Nymphadora Tonks

The term continued to fly past. The exams were just forty five days away and Lily and Hermione had almost taken to living in the library. The two girls were constantly seen together, pouring over one book or the other, quizzing each other or making up time tables for the next week.

No one, not even their boyfriends had the guts to approach them, not with the way their tempers were running short. They snapped at mostly anyone who so much as mentioned their names without a valid reason.

Remus was initially with them, but his company meant that the other two marauders joined in and that distracted all of them enough and pushed the girls to a point where they were willing to hex James and Sirius if they so much as moved a finger.

The risks and damages of that situation had sent Remus back tracking and he studied with quite Alice instead. The remaining two girls, along with the dark haired marauders however seemed to have no intentions of studying.

Sirius was constantly brooding; most days Hermione fell asleep in the common room while studying and other times she came to bed late and left Sirius extremely early. James complained that Lily did not even do that and both boys were also relatively edgy.

Their annoyance showed in the Quidditch pitch and the Saturday practice came to an end early when neither boy could actually concentrate.

"That is it. I am dragging her out physically if I have to" Sirius declared decidedly. James could only grimly agree with his brother as the two of them stalked towards the library.

Lily was scribbling some last minute notes and Hermione was frowning at a book, the title of which made Sirius sure that it was way beyond their NEWTS level. The boys exchanged glances and took a deep breath before finally approaching the two girls.

"Whatever it is, we do not want to know. Leave" Lily commanded when they got closer.

James hesitated but Sirius stepped forward, appearing braver than he felt.

"We want to go out" he said firmly and waited for one of them to explode. To his surprise though, neither girl even acknowledged him.

"It's a Saturday. We can go to Hogsmedge." He continued only to be ignored again.

"We are going" he finally said, placing one hand over Lily's notes, while reaching out to close Hermione's book with the other. The two girls looked up, each wearing a more dangerous glare than the other.

"The hell we are Black" Lily snapped, resorting once again to the last name basis.

"You've been doing nothing but studying all month long besides don't you already know all of this?" James asked.

"Not all of us are born brilliant neither do we have our reputations handed to us-" Lily began heatedly

"And you think it's easy for us? We have expectations to keep up to" James argued.

"Well we have to prove ourselves and make our own mark so if you would" Lily said as she motioned for them to leave.

"And you think we don't have to work harder to make our own mark and come out of our ancestor's shadows?" Sirius snapped

"At least no body is going to doubt your magical skills" Lily argued, her temper flaring.

"And the world doesn't already know how good you two are? Its us they take as slackers!" James retorted

"It's not our fault if you two aren't going to work hard enough" Hermione finally ground out.

"No arguing in the library. OUT!" Madam Pince shouted as she came over to their corner.