"Okay... how do I look?" Jenna asked as the girls were getting ready for their Hogsmeade trip the next morning.
"Ooh, you turned your hair blue again!" said Alice excitedly. "I always loved it best."
"Looks beautiful, Jen," said Lily, smiling warmly at her.
"Well, Mar?" said Jenna, turning to face Marlene at last. "What do you think?"
"Hmm..." Marlene hummed, looking at her up and down before saying cheekily, "I think you look like someone who's gonna have their arse kicked by James."
"Thanks for the pep talk," said Jenna blankly. "But I actually meant the hair. Blue, or back to lavender?"
"What does it matter if you're gonna die at the end of the day?"
Lily and Alice chuckled, while Jenna only shook her head at the girl. "You know what? Forget I even asked."
"Well, Sirius's plan sucks!" Marlene retorted. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then we'll get to plan B," said Jenna jokingly.
"And if plan B fails?"
"Plan C!"
"What the heck is plan C!?"
"You guys attending our funeral."
They all broke down into laughter and started making their way out of the dormitory.
"But I really don't think he's gonna be that pissed off," said Alice. "I think you guys are just making a big deal out of it."
"You don't know James, Al," Jenna sighed miserably. "He's gonna make a big deal out of it."
"Well... he does seem a bit more mature than a few years ago," Alice mused, shrugging.
"Not when it comes to Sirius," Jenna muttered after checking to make sure the common room was empty, walking down the staircase.
"Where did all this protectiveness come from, anyway?" Lily asked as they swung the portrait open and left the common room.
"I really don't know," said Jenna earnestly. "I mean, he's always had that toward other boys. But with Sirius it seems more serious."
Marlene snorted, causing Lily and Jenna to give her a look.
"Where are we meeting them, again?" Alice asked.
"In Hogsmeade," Jenna replied. "They don't know we're going to join them. We're supposed to act like we just came up with the idea. So just be cool — that means you, Marlene."
"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Cool is my middle name."
***
The four girls soon got into the horse-less carriages along with the others, which took them to Hogsmeade.
"There they are," Jenna whispered, pointing at four boys who were walking a few feet ahead of them, laughing. "C'mon."
She then quickened her pace, the others following her actions until they finally neared them.
"Oy!" Jenna called out, causing the boys to come to a halt and turn around to look at them.
"Hey," said James coolly, his hand making its way up to his jet-black hair, messing it up even more.
"Anyway," she started. "I was thinking maybe we could all hang out together today."
With that, Marlene started giggling uncontrollably, causing all eyes to turn on her curiously.
Jenna gritted her teeth together, holding herself back from smacking Marlene on the head.
"What?" James's eyes widened, his glance automatically falling on Lily for one second before jerking his head to look back at Jenna. "A-all of us? Together?"
"Yeah," Jenna shrugged casually, "why not?"
"Okay," said James breathlessly, nodding. "After you ladies, then."
"Thanks." Alice smiled at him warmly as James gestured them forward in gentlemanly manner.
As everyone started walking on, Jenna angrily took a hold of Marlene's upper arm and dragged her back.
"What?" Marlene rolled her eyes at her.
"Is giggling cool?"
"I dunno," she shrugged. "Is you whispering suspiciously behind everyone cool?"
"Since when did you get this sassy?"
"Since I learned it from the best," she said, winking at Jenna.
Shaking her head at Marlene, Jenna started walking on to catch up with the others.
"Who fancies some Butterbeer?" said Sirius suddenly.
"Oh, yeah!" Peter squeaked.
"We can go to Three Broomsticks," Remus suggested. He looked more tired than the last few weeks, which meant that the full moon was soon upon him.
"Sounds good." James shrugged, turning to face the girls. "What do you say?"
"Good enough," said Jenna.
With that, the eight Gryffindors walked inside the Three Broomsticks. As they took their seats around a table, Sirius and James went over to Madam Rosmerta to greet her warmly, saying something that made her laugh.
As they came back and took their seats, Jenna gave Lily the signal by nodding slightly at her.
And so, Lily suddenly turned on her seat, facing James. "So... I see you've been studying."
Jenna held back the urge to face-palm at her friend's lame excuse of starting up a conversion. But she grinned when James laughed nervously at that.
"Yeah... a bit," he said goofily, ruffling up his hair. "I thought if I wanted to become an Auror I had to try hard for it."
Jenna then waited another minute as they went on until she was sure that James now had his full attention on Lily, looking at her as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world.
And with one encouraging nod from Sirius, she slowly got to her feet, but James didn't seem to have noticed.
Peter didn't care much as he curiously listened to their conversation and Remus had now opened his book once again, reading through.
With that, Jenna hesitantly left their side and Sirius followed her action around ten seconds later.
They started tiptoeing away from the table, walking across the place. But not a few seconds later, they suddenly stopped in their tracks.
"Where are you two going?"