October 27th ⭒ 1997
SIRIUS BLACK ran a frustrated hand through his dark curls, letting out a groan that — if heard — would have made the majority of women and quite a few men go wild. Of course, it was only loud enough for the brunette in glasses who sat opposite him in the Gryffindor common room to hear.
"A T? Prongs, what is this? We aren't even doing N.E.W.T.S yet, the woman can't give us marks based on that. Can she?" Sirius turned around, looking unamused at the paper that he'd been passed back.
James shrugged. "Can she? Pads, you need to r—"
"Troll!" From behind him, a girl slid down the staircase that led to the girls' dormitories, a gleeful smirk on her face. Carelessly perching on the arm of his seat, Josephine Potter eyed the paper in his hand. "Indeed, a troll."
"Jo, are you drunk again?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I don't act this sober when I'm drunk, a fact that I believe you are very well acquainted with. Besides, I meant troll as in your grade. Not you."
Marlene brushed past Josephine on her way to the door, laughing. "Is there a difference? I don't see it."
Disgruntled, Sirius allowed Josephine to prop her elbow on his head as she looked over his paper with what was either extreme fascination or disbelief — most likely the second.
"If you keep this up, you're going to be owing me at least thirty galleons by the end of the year," Josephine sang.
Sirius swore under his breath, "Godric, who even came up with that bet in the first place? I swear, it's going to be the death of me."
Jo sent him a look that clearly meant, you, duh. They both knew it had been Sirius's brainchild, born right after Josephine had bombed the DADA test and he'd wanted to gloat, because that's what best friends did. The fire flickered as the two sat in silence, Jo continuing to flip through his paper and Sirius doing Merlin knows what.
While the five of Hogwarts's most notorious pranksters, dubbed the "Marauders," generally passed time with loud and obnoxious hollers accompanied by some rather wicked wandwork, it seemed to be natural for Jo and Sirius to sit in comfort while flitting between complete silence and the above.
Flitting, that was.
Meaning that it was still perfectly possible to open up the broom shed one day and see a tidal wave of what would seem like shaving foam mixed with a few other undelectable substances heading towards you while the two positively howled with laughter from above said shed — usually with one or more of the other three being the ones to lure the poor soul into opening the door.
In most cases, the one who managed to trick you into opening the door was James.
That being said, James had a rather neon personality (his words while he explained just how he managed to tick his sister off so well) meaning that everything he did or said seemed to be just about ten times louder than if anyone else had done it. Perfectly in character, he dropped his satchel on the table with a dramatic thud and announced loudly, "My dear sister, why don't you stop nagging Sirius about his grades and allow us lovely gents to have some lunch?"
Josephine dropped the paper into Sirius's lap as she slid off the seat. "First, it's not nagging, idiot. I was silently contemplating the wreck which he somehow passes off as his grades. Second, you say that as if you're not going to be the one telling me to stop hogging all the creme brulee because it's not healthy when I caught you eating the very same thing that time I had detention, you hypocrite."
James hummed in disagreement, nevertheless dropping the argument as he steered his sister towards the common room entrance. Jo grumbled as the five of them in turn walked, slid, or tripped (that was once, Remus protested, and that was all because James had somehow managed to get their ties knotted: another adventure head-first down the staircase that they miraculously avoided) on their way to their breakfast table to cause more chaos.
Chaos was what the twins liked to call it. A daily dose of big-headedness and oversized egos, however, was what Lily Evans christened the chattering figures that settled down at the table, the one opposite her winking at the redhead.
Lily gagged, turning to Josephine, who leant on her elbow and grinned like the Cheshire cat at her brother.
James rolled his eyes and turned to talk to Sirius.
"Josephine, Josephine, listen," Lily began, "the Celestial Ball is in two months and—"
"You need a date?"
"No, you need a date. Well, yes, I need a date but even if everything goes wrong, it appears that I have an option."
Josephine looked at her, somehow positively revolted and delighted at the same time "James is your backup plan? Lily, where has the 'Potter, I would rather marry Black than go on a date with you' attitude gone?"
"No! Of course not! Absolutely not! That attitude," Lily inhaled deeply, "—is right here. It's still here."
Josephine stared at her.
"Maybe."
Beaming, Josephine set down her goblet with a loud thunk. Her face slowly morphed into her brother's, leading Lily to grimace. Josephine, now with James's face, beamed widely. "That settles it. Lily Evans, whether you like it or not, you consider James the bighead an option. Though your taste is very questionable, thank you for saving me from any future plans to try and rope you into asking him out." Then, deciding that her face was much more pleasing than her brother's, Josephine turned back into herself.
Lily brought her hand to her temple. "Jo, where do you come up with these things? I said I might: that doesn't equal an automatic yes to his marriage proposal."
The corners of the Potter girl's mouth curved up in a devious smile. "I don't know, but if this is the Lily Evans that I've been rooming with for the entirety of my time at Hogwarts, a maybe is your way of saying yes."
⭒
AFTER QUITE SOME BANTER from both sides of the table, along with a few loud exchanges between the Slytherin and Gryffindor quidditch captains (cut off sometime after Minnie stood up and berated both of them), Josephine managed to make it into the common room in one piece.
Sirius was, yet again, sprawled on his usual seat, legs propped onto the wooden table.
Forcing his legs off the table as she lay down on the sofa, Josephine flipped open her book. Soon, only the sound of distant laughter accompanied the two. Sirius seemed to be in deep thought. After some contemplation, he cleared his throat loudly.
Jo gave him a thumbs-up, to signify that she was listening but she was too invested in reading — James had gotten her into muggle romances, which was both a gift and a curse because he now loved accusing her of being a cliche at every opportunity and had enough knowledge to refer to a scene where said muggle had committed the unforgivable offense.
Sirius sighed, "Jo, will you put that book down for a second?"
The girl peeked out from behind the pages. "This better be good."
"So," he twisted the skull ring on his finger while eying her carefully, "Can you tutor me?" As soon as he saw the glint in her eye, Sirius held up a hand. "Only if you don't lord it over me."
Jo went back to reading her book.
"Fine, you can be obnoxious about it."
She smiled serenely. "I mean, I was going to say yes either way but thank you, kind sir, for allowing me to deflate your ego. But, you better help me with that DADA essay. I am no Moony, therefore everything that Orpheus sprouts simply bounces off of me."
"I will, I will. Besides, it's not as if I haven't done that every time you've asked. Almost every time, then," Sirius corrected, seeing her ready to object.
Josephine ignored the comment. "Be glad that I'm tutoring you for free, Siri. I heard Rosier does it for a few galleons a session and people still flunk."
It was just then that James swirled into the room, coughing loudly as Remus elbowed him to shut up. As James's friends soon realized, once he heard something he liked, the topic wouldn't leave his mouth for the next thirty minutes.
"Tutor Pads in what, exactly? I don't think he needs much more experience, do you? And what is this about Rosier?"
Sirius shook his head, an exasperated look making its way onto his face as he tackled James for the snide comment. At heart, the two seventeen-year-olds were still the same kids that had once tried to set fire to Mrs. Norris's tail.
The other three curled up on the couch watching the two brawl, Josephine instinctively reached out for popcorn and realized they weren't in the Great Hall anymore. Remus, after having endured a few moments of Josephine's legendary puppy eyes, grudgingly handed over a chunk of his beloved chocolate.
Soon after, the two got up and pat each other heartily on the back, to which Josephine snorted. James opened his mouth, as if to challenge her, before a few girls burst through the door and immediately caught sight of James in his disheveled state.
Sirius, having resumed his seat, raised a lazy hand. "Hello, ladies."
Josephine simply rolled her eyes, quite used to their antics. After having settled down near the fireplace, James rubbed his hands together, looking rather excited.
"Lads, the Celestial ball is in a month or two and I'm pretty certain none of us have a date yet."
"James, if you'll kindly shut up, Evans—"
James practically leapt out of his seat. "Lily what?"
"Is going to the ball with me." Seeing the hurt on her brother's face, Josephine waved aside his worries. "No, I was joking. She's considering you for a date."
Remus blinked, Sirius gaped, and Peter simply stared in shock. James took off his glasses, squinting suspiciously at his sister.
Josephine looked around adamantly. "I'm not making this up?"
James practically leapt out of his seat to embrace his sister, the expression on his face that of a giddy child. "Jo, you're simply marvelous! How on earth did you get Evans to agree?"
"One, yes, I know I am. You've been in blatant denial of the fact for the past seventeen years. And second—" Jo somehow had it in herself to admit. "I didn't do anything. You must've done something right, idiot."
"Jo, Jo, what about you, then?" Remus interjected, seeing that Josephine was probably about to collapse from how tightly James was hugging her.
She turned to stare at the blonde. "What about me what?"
Peter filled in, "If you're not Lily's date, who're you taking?"
"Why am I the only one that needs a date? Are you three just going to act like you're polyamorous and parade each other around while I'm drunk and lonely?" Josephine complained, "You know what, I'm going by myself just to spite you."
The silence that ensued confirmed her friend's disbelief in the statement.
She pointed her book at Sirius. "Okay, okay. Have fun in your little harem, I'm going with Minnie, and you better not swoop in and ask her to dance before I can!"
lola's notes.
okay their dynamic is EVERYTHING 😻 jo and lily's first conversation was bonding over teasing james i just know it
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