The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

The Pairing Off

Lily tucked a blanket 'round him. "Good night, Professor."

"Good night, my dear," yawned Slughorn.

James grinned and led Lily out into the corridor. When the door closed, they burst into laughter and raced for the stairs that would lead them out of the dungeons. James pulling her along after him into the entrance hall. "Promising young couple!" he said, mimicking Slughorn's tone.

Lily giggled, "You should join us at Slugclub, now that I know you're going to be an auror!"

"I've made it to some level of importance, now, I s'pose." James paused at the top of the entrance hall stairs as Lily stepped up beside him. He glanced up and down the hall they'd come upon, and he smirked, "So... ready to get to our rounds, then?"

"Absolutely," she replied, and she pulled him off to lean against the archway, kissing him passionately.

Garm was rubbing his forehead as he sat behind the desk the next DADA class as everyone filed in. Sirius was shouting, hooting about some joke that Remus had told a moment before, and Lily was shoving him, trying to get him to quiet down so she could add her own punchline while James laughed and carried the books, enjoying the sass with which Lily was barking at Sirius. Garm watched them and the others in the class file in - including Severus Snape, who sat in the back row as always - and he lowered his head down to the desktop for a moment, eyes closed, and took a deep breath.

"Messer Garm sir, I'm thinking they is all here an accounted for," said Frek gently, having come in and closed the door to find Garm at the desk.

Garm sat up, "Grand." He looked around at them all through squinted eyes. "We're going to practice... erm... dueling, I s'pose," he murmured. "Just.. quietly. I have a headache so the first one of you bleedin' idiots that speaks a spell outloud will get a langlock on ya throat and I won't remove it 'til next class."

They all looked at one another uneasily, unsure if Garm was serious or not. Frek looked nervous, then turned to the class and said, "Well on ya feets, on ya feets..." and he quickly hastened to (silently) magic the desks out of the way and pair off the students in pairs. 

Having been paired together by Frek's untellable system for counting them off, Remus arrived at James and Lily's side having been paired with Evans, and he leaned to whisper, "I've got a headache, too." He gave James a meaningful eyebrow raise.

James glanced up at Garm, then back to Remus. "You're sure he doesn't smell like... you know?"

Remus nodded.

James's eyes followed Frek as he moved from person to person, watching as Frek tapped Severus Snape and pointed toward the front of the room. "What about that one?" he asked, nodding in Frek's direction.

Remus shook his head, "Not a whiff."

"Oh no," Lily hissed suddenly.

"What?" James looked and felt his insides clench as Severus Snape came to a stop beside them. Severus's eyes met James and they stared at each other for several long seconds.

"Okay now youse are all paired off for the practicin'," Frek announced loudly and Garm glared up at him from behind the desk, his eyes blood-shot and angry.  Frek lowered his voice. "Now 'member - non lethal spells, only, please..."

James turned, breaking the eye contact with Severus Snape, and followed the half of the class that were to go to the other end.

"Muffliato," Lily hissed, then leaped to grab onto James's elbow. "Switch with me."