"Two physical properties of a bezoar," James said.
Lily, who was leaning against his knees, twisted her head to frown at him. It was late at night and they were sitting in the common room by the fire; James on the couch, Lily on the floor. "James, you've been taking Potions for seven years. How do you not know what bezoars are?"
"I know what they are," James said. "I just don't know what they look like."
Lily snorted. "They're round. And hard."
"Thanks." James scribbled that down.
The portrait hole swung open and Remus and Sirius tumbled in, faces flushed. Lily didn't look up, but James raised an eyebrow.
"How was your walk?" he called.
"Fabulous." Sirius threw himself down in his usual armchair, scaring off a first-year perched on one of the arms.
James shook his head. "You guys are ridiculous."
"How are we any more ridiculous than usual?" Remus asked, stretching his long legs by the fire. "Well, Padfoot more than me..."
Sirius threw a cushion at him.
"You seriously expect me to believe there was no snogging?" James asked. "Not even a little?"
Sirius, who had just taken a sip of James's butterbeer, sprayed it all over the floor. Remus's mouth dropped open.
"We were not snogging," Sirius said emphatically.
"Not even a little," Remus confirmed. "We do not snog."
Sirius mumbled something that both James and Remus chose to ignore.
"Whatever you say." Lily crossed out a sentence on her paper and tilted her head back, looking up at James from under dark golden eyelashes. "Anything else you need help with before I go to bed?"
James's eyes danced wickedly, but Lily shot him a warning look and he wisely didn't open his mouth; just shook his head.
"Goodnight, then," she said, standing up and kissing him on the cheek before heading upstairs to her dormitory.
Sirius leaned forward and whistled quietly as she disappeared. "James and Lily, sitting in a tree."
"Don't," James warned.
"K-I—"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Sirius went stiff, and Remus caught him as he fell. "Was that really necessary, James?"
James grinned. "You know the countercurse."
Remus sighed. "I do. And, unlike you, I can do it nonverbally," he said, quickly pointing his wand at Sirius, who rebounded to his feet with a glare.
"Now, what was I saying about snogging?" James asked.
"Yeah, what were you saying?" Sirius drew his wand.
"Enough," Remus said. "Everyone's going to bed. Now. Sirius, let's go."
James snorted.
"That is not what I meant," Remus said loudly.
"Whatever." James headed up the stairs.
Sirius sat back in his chair, looking thoroughly annoyed. "He's a prat."
"Yeah, yeah." Remus ruffled Sirius's hair, but Sirius grabbed his wrist. Laughing, Remus shoved him against the chair, but Sirius kicked his ankle, causing him to stumble backwards.
"Victory is mine," Sirius announced.
The next morning, it wasn't an absolute shock when Sirius wandered down the stairs only to find James and Lily, pressed together in front of the portrait hole, snogging.
"Are you bloody joking?" Sirius grumbled. "Will I have to deal with this every morning for the rest of my life?"
Lily went pink. James smirked.
"Don't be such a curmudgeon," Remus said, yawning sleepily behind him. "I think they're...a-doe-rable."
Sirius aimed a punch, but Remus ducked, grinning. Sirius noted how healthy he looked, even with the full moon approaching in a week.
"So the full moon is..." Sirius calculated. "November..."
"October," Remus said, the smile sliding off his face as he checked for listeners. The common room was empty.
"Don't be a git, Moony, we already had an October full moon."
Remus shook his head. "There's going to be another one."
Sirius glanced at him. "What? So what day is it?"
"Halloween, when else?" He glanced at Sirius. "I...I wouldn't mind if you went to the feast."
"Are you mental?" Sirius exploded. "No! I'm not going to the feast. Forget it."
"Sorry, Lily," James murmured. "Next year."
"It's all right," she said. "Next year."
"We'll have every single Halloween together for the rest of our lives," James said. "Think of how many pumpkins that is."
"Nothing bad ever happens on Halloween." Lily tossed her dark red hair. "We'll be fine. Go support Remus."
"Next year, then? You promise?"
"Come on, lets get down to breakfast." Sirius shoved James out the portrait hole. "We don't have time to listen to the stag mating dance."
James laughed so hard he fell over.
None of them had noticed that morning that Peter wasn't in his bed.