The Heart Of Marauders

Chapter 15

Defense against the dark arts — ordinary wizarding level was written on the board.

"Five more minutes!" Professor Flitwick's head moved between the desks .

James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance toward Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at Sirius sitting four seats behind him. Sirius gave James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. Marlene looked at Sirius, longing for him to pay attention to her. And two seats along from Marlene was Remus Lupin. As he reread his answers he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly. Peter also looked anxious; he was chewing his fingernails, staring down at his paper, scuffing the ground with his toes. Every now and then he glanced hopefully at his neighbor's paper.  James was doodling on a bit of scrap parchment.

He had drawn a Snitch and was now tracing the letters L. E.

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!"

More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows, and lifted him onto his feet again.

"Thank you . . . thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

James hastily crossed out the L. E. he had been embellishing, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill and the exam question paper into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall.

"Loved it," said Lupin briskly. " 'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Think I did," said Lupin seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds, "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin . . ."

Peter was the only one who didn't laugh. "I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else —"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month —"

"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.

James and his three friends strode off down the lawn toward the lake, Severus Snape following, still poring over his papers and apparently with no fixed idea of where he was going.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," he heard Sirius say, "I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least."

"Me too," said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Nicked it," said James casually. Remus rolled his eyes, "When Daisy finds out-"

"She's not going to find out."

He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away and seizing it again; his reflexes were excellent. Peter watched him in awe. They stopped in the shade of beech tree on the edge of the lake and threw themselves down on the grass. The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which the group of laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting with shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water. Lupin had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so.