Chapter 1: Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun
Summary:
Jasmine has a secret that is keeping from everyone. Will she keep the secret? And why is she having second thoughts about keeping it a secret? Also, why is James having her keep a secret from Lily too?
Notes:
I’m finally back with the second book and sequel to From Beauxbatons to Hogwarts. Hooray. I know you all have been waiting for this, so I hope it doesn’t disappoint. This title came from TheHardworkingRavenclaw7 on harrypotterfanfiction.com. I really appreciate the title idea. It was so good that I decided to use it. To those others that suggested titles, I really do appreciate your suggestions, and I might just use your titles later. I plan to write more than just 2 books/stories to this lovely series that I am not creating. Not sure what I want the series name to be, so if anyone has any suggestions for that, I would greatly appreciate it.
I have a little surprise of sorts for you at the end of this chapter, so be sure to read the notes at the end too. Enjoy the beginning of the sequel.Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun
Previously:
As Jasmine got on the train, she was excited for the summer, but also worried about what was to come. After seeing Peter hanging around the bad crowd in Slytherin, she didn’t know what to think anymore. All Jasmine knew was that her final year at Hogwarts was sure to be an interesting one if not a dangerous one as well.
The summer of 1977 that Jasmine had spent with Lily wasn’t as fun as some other summers had been. There had been more news about this dark wizard, who Jasmine still didn’t know much about. All she really knew for sure was that he was spreading fear and chaos with his group of followers. Jasmine also heard that they were targeting a lot of Muggles and Muggle-borns, which especially worried the girl as she didn’t want anything to happen to her aunt and uncle while her and Lily were at Hogwarts. Jaz also worried about Lily, but she knew her cousin could take care of herself. So, for a lot of the summer, Jaz was worrying about what ifs and other scenarios that could happen.
When the girl wasn’t worrying, she was either doing the work she had to do over the summer, or she was writing responses to the Marauders’ letters she had been continually getting over the summer. Most of the letters were from Sirius telling her how much he missed her and how the motorcycle was coming. He told her that once he finished the motorcycle that she would have to come over and they would take a ride. Plus, he knew he would need her help with trying to make it fly. There were also a number of letters from James, who told her about how his summer with Sirius was going. He would also occasionally ask how Lily was, to which Jaz always rolled her eyes at. She still couldn’t believe they still weren’t together sometimes. There were also a few letters that came from Remus. They mostly asked how she was and how her summer was going.
Each of the three boys also sent her birthday presents to her. Remus got her a copy of one of her favorite books. James got her some of her favorite candies, some prank supplies, and a new charm for her musical charm bracelet. Sirius, being the boyfriend that he was, got her a lovely new necklace that matched her charm bracelet. It was a simple necklace with a musical note. It was just Jasmine’s style and she loved it, which is what she wrote to Sirius upon receiving it.
The only other interesting thing that happened over the summer was when Lily and Jasmine go their Hogwarts letters. Lily, who had been a prefect for 2 years now, was hoping to be Head Girl this year. The scream that came out of said girl’s mouth when she saw the Head Girl’s badge almost deafened Jaz. Luckily, she recovered, but Jaz was almost deafened again when she saw that Jasmine had gotten a badge as well. It was a prefect badge, which Jaz meant that she would be the other Gryffindor prefect alongside Remus since Lily would now be Head Girl. Once Jaz’s hearing was back to normal, Lily talked Jasmine’s ear off about her excitement and her thoughts about who the Head Boy to her Head Girl would be.
The next day Jaz got a letter from James asking her if Lily got the Head Girl badge that he knew she wanted. That didn’t entirely surprise her as Jaz suspected that James and Sirius had also gotten their letters from Hogwarts. Though, Jasmine was suspicious about his reasoning for telling her, so she asked him about it after telling him that Lily did indeed make Head Girl. The response that Jasmine got made her really glad that Lily wasn’t in the room at the time because when she read that James was going to be Head Boy next to Lily’s Head Girl, she didn’t know how to react. Jasmine was of course happy for James, but she was seriously confused how he managed it. He had cleaned up his act a lot in the past year and was much more mature now, so Jasmine reasoned that he would be a good Head Boy. Though, she wasn’t sure how Lily was going to react to the news. Jaz was about to go and tell her, but before she did, she read the rest of the letter James had sent. Then, instead of telling Lily the news, Jasmine threw the letter into the fire and watched it burn until it was nothing but ash. The girl was not happy keeping another secret from her cousin, but at least it wouldn’t be a secret for much longer.
By the end of the summer, Jasmine realized that there was one Marauder that she hadn’t heard from all summer, Peter. He didn’t even get her some chocolates or something for her birthday that he would normally sent. And when Jaz realized he hadn’t sent her a single letter, she was filled with dread. She still hadn’t told anyone what she had saw at the end of last school year. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to. She had no idea if what she even saw was relevant or if it even meant anything. The only thing Jasmine was sure about was that she would be trying to keep a closer eye on one Peter Pettigrew this school year, and that it was sure to be an interesting 7th year for her and her friends.
So, by the end of the summer, Jasmine had two secrets: one that she was just keeping from her cousin and one that she was keeping from everyone. The second one she would only keep a secret until she knew for sure what she saw wasn’t just a fluke or something.
Jasmine was right to think her school year would be an interesting and chaotic one. Not only did she think this because of Peter, but also because James and Lily were going to be Head Boy and Head Girl. She just knew that would lead to a bunch of unnecessary chaos and had to question Dumbledore’s sanity after hearing the news. Though once she got over the insanity of it all, she realized this would give the two the opportunity to get to know each other better so that James could earn Lily’s love.
The craziness of their 7th year began when the two girls happened to “run” into the Marauders. Lily’s parents had been helping them put their trunks on the train when someone came up behind Jasmine and gave her a hug. They then planted a kiss on her cheek before allowing the girl to turn around.
Upon seeing her boyfriend, Jaz pulled Sirius into a hug. In his ear she whispered, “I really want to snog you right now, but my aunt and uncle are watching us.”
Sirius turned bright red upon hearing about her aunt and uncle. Still hugging Jaz, he turned his head slightly to find two adults, who looked like Lily, watching them. He turned even redder and turned away when they noticed him looking at him. He really wishes that he had seen the two adults earlier, and soon broke the hug with Jaz in order to prevent any more glaring directed toward him from Jaz’s uncle.
After greeting each other, Jasmine introduced Sirius to her aunt and uncle. “Auntie, Uncle, this is my boyfriend, Sirius Black. Sirius, this is my aunt and uncle, or Lily’s parents.”
Sirius gave them a charming smile thankful the blush had faded. “It’s nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Evans.” Sirius held out a hand and shook hands with Jaz’s uncle. He went to do the same with her aunt, but instead go pulled into a hug he was not expecting but still hugged back. It was a nice hug that Sirius really appreciated.
Soon after introductions were made, Jasmine pulls Sirius to the side and quietly asks in the boy’s ear, “So, where is the new Head Boy? I can’t imagine he would be all that far behind you.”
Before Sirius could answer though, who should appear, none other than the Head Boy himself, one James Potter. Of course, he made a dramatic entrance and strutted over to the group. He had to show off his new badge after all. Jasmine rolled her eyes at the boy’s antics. “Well, I was about to say he was right behind me, but you know, actually, there he is.” Sirius pointed to James as he approached them. Jaz laughed. This was the kind of school year she expected to have or at least the one she hoped to have. She would learn in a few minutes it wouldn’t be, but she could always hope, right?
It wasn’t long before James finally reached where the group was standing. By now both girls’ trunks had been loaded onto the train. The girls were just about to say goodbye to the adults when James greeted them. “Hello all. Lovely to see you all again.”
“I literally just saw you, Prongs. We came here together.” Sirius rolled his eyes. Sometimes he just couldn’t believe his best friend, but really, he was not better.
James ignored him and walked straight up to Lily. “Hey, Lily-pad. You ready to head to the prefects’ compartment?”
Lily stared at him with a blank expression. She wasn’t sure what he meant. Of course, she was ready to head to the prefects’ compartment. It was the whole reason they were at the train station earlier than usual. She was Head Girl, so of course she had to be their early or at least before the prefects got there. She needed to in the compartment in order to prepare with the Head Boy whoever he was. She still had not figured out who it could be, but she really hoped it wasn’t one of the 7th year Slytherin prefects. Lily didn’t think she could control herself enough to be civil enough to work with them so closely. Ever since Lily stopped hanging out with Severus, it seemed the Slytherins, especially him and his friends, got even worse. So, Lily really hoped it was someone else who was Head Boy. She really would have wanted it to be Remus, but she knew that was likely not to happen because of his furry little problem. Therefore, Lily could only hope that it was someone else who would be the Head Boy. So, really, Lily didn’t know how else to respond to James’ question other than, “Of course I’m ready to go.”
“Well, then let’s go. We better get a move on if we want to get there before the prefects.” James grabbed the redhead’s hand to pull her onto the train. Lily was too surprised to stop him, but she managed to get a hold of her enough to wave goodbye to her parents as she was dragged to the front of the train by James Potter.
Jaz laughed as she watched her cousin get pulled away from her. “Well, that was interesting, wasn’t it Pads.”
“It sure was, Mare. I can’t believe she still hadn’t figured it out. I wish we could be there for when that happens. The look on her face is going to be priceless. We are going to have to have Remus tell us about it or something, right Mare?” Sirius turned to look at his girlfriend, who was turned away from him as she was getting on the train. He followed her on the train and was about to ask the question again as she was waving goodbye to her aunt and uncle, but she stopped him.
With a somewhat guilty look on her face, Jaz broke the news to Sirius. “Actually, Pads, it will just be you who doesn’t see the reaction.” She straightens out the robes she already had one and shows him her new prefect badge. “I got prefect as to replace Lily since she made Head Girl.”
Sirius gaped at her. “Mare! Why didn’t you tell me? That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you.” He pulled her into a hug. “You deserve that so much. You will be a great prefect.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek which only made Jasmine plush a deep shade of red. She still wasn’t used to the many compliments Sirius would give her. They always made her feel so much better about herself, so much better than she sometimes thought she deserved to feel about herself. Although, she was thinking that less and less since her and Sirius had gotten together. Sirius added, “Oh, and there is no way that I am missing their reaction now. I’ll just walk you to the compartment so I can see their reactions. I can’t miss it.”
“Thanks, Pads! I’m so happy you’re not upset I am leaving you for the train ride. I hate that you are just going to have Peter for company, but maybe they won’t give me patrol duty since it’s James and Lily. They are like brother and sister to me, so maybe they will give me a break. Also, I would love for you to join me. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on their reactions.”
“True, but I doubt Lily would do that. Plus, ever since James got that Head Boy badge, he has been a lot more responsible, I guess. I don’t know he hasn’t been as arrogant and immature as he usually is. Although that could be because of the war as well, but who knows.”
Jasmine was afraid of this war, but hopefully they would be safe within the walls of Hogwarts. Though she just wished she could do something to help now. But for now, Jaz pushed all those thoughts out of her head and continued walking toward the front of the train with Sirius. “Seriously?”
“No not Siriusly, it was more Jamesly.” Sirius grinned back at the girl.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Really? How long have you been waiting to make a joke like that?”
“So, freakin’ long. I can’t even begin to tell you, Mare.”
Another eye roll came from the redhead beside him. She didn’t say anything, but she did grab his hand as they continued to the front of the train. For the rest of their trip, they talked about their summer holidays. They told each other what they did, which wasn’t much as Sirius mostly worked on his motorcycle and Jasmine didn’t really do anything all that exciting. Sirius made sure to compliment the necklace she was wearing, which Jasmine rolled her eyes at, but still gave him a kiss on the cheek for.
They had just entered the first train car when a thought occurred to Sirius. “Hey, wait a minute.” He stopped, and subsequently so did Jasmine since they were still holding hands. She turned and looked at him. “Dumbledore is the one who picks out the Head Boy and Head Girl, so why the hell did he pick James to be Head Boy. Sure, he has matured, and he was much more mature last year than in previous years, but it wasn’t enough to warrant him getting Head Boy this year. See, it makes sense for Lily to get Head Girl, but James as Head Boy, how they hell did Dumbledore choose that one?”
Jasmine thought about it and she wasn’t sure either, but a crazy thought occurred to her. “What if he wants James and Lily to get together as much as we do? Wouldn’t that be hilarious?!”
Sirius bursts out laughing and is soon joined by Jasmine. They continue to laugh for several minutes until they hear arguing in the first compartment. They soon sober up and rush to the compartment, but not before Sirius get the chance to tell Jaz, “Oh my god, that would be amazing.”
Upon reaching the prefects’ compartment the couple found the Head Boy and Girl arguing with each other. They were being so loud that you could here them outside of the compartment.
The first thing that Sirius and Jasmine heard was Lily yelling, “Get out of here, James! This is the prefects’ compartment and you're not a prefect, James.”
The retort from James was a bit calmer and quieter. “Well, Lily-pad. if you would let me explain, then you would realize I do belong in here.”
“what could you possibly say to explain your being here, James?” Lily said, exasperated. she couldn't found them any possible reason for why James could possibly belong in the prefects’ compartment. There was no way that Dumbledore suddenly made him prefect like he did Jasmine. James just wasn't cut out to be a prefect, but boy was Lily in for an even bigger surprise.
As James was about to answer Lily’s question, Sirius and Jasmine burst into the compartment. There was no way they were going to miss Lily’s reaction to what James was about to say. so, when Jasmine and Sirius came into the compartment they were a bit too loud, and therefore stop James from whatever he was about to say as he turned to the compartment entrance. But James didn't see it was serious and Jasmine at 1st and started to introduce himself as the head boy. Which is when all hell broke loose and serious and Jasmine got to see Lily reaction once and for all.
The first thing that happened after James is introduction was Lily screeching at James, “WHAT!!” Nothing else could be heard over Lily screeching. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE HEAD BOY? THERE IS NO WAY THAT IS TRUE.”
James stared at the girls screeching at him and merely pointed to the head boy badge that was proudly displayed on the front of his robes. Upon seeing the badge Lily stop screeching and was stunned into silence. She didn't know what else to say because she was so sure James was just tricking her. She just couldn't believe that Dumbledore had made James head boy alongside her.
While Jily had their moment of shock (or at least while Lily did), Sazzy was still standing in at the entrance of the now closed compartment. Jasmine whispered to Sirius “I'm so glad we didn't miss this.”
Sirius gleefully whispered back his agreement. “Me too! I'm so glad you let me tag along. This was definitely something we didn't want to miss. I can't wait to see Remus’ reaction to the news.”
“Wait, you never told Remus that James was head boy?” Jasmine asked surprised.
“Nope. James thought it would be best for him to see it for himself rather than read it in a letter from James. We both doubted he would believe it anyway.”
Jasmine couldn't help but agree. The only reason she believed James was because it was probably the only explanation for why he would want to know if Lily was head girl. Jasmine was just as surprised by the news as anyone would have been because it was so unlikely and yet it happened. “I think I can convince them to let you stay until Remus gets here so that you can see his reaction too.”
Sirius Smirked at his girlfriend. That would be an amazing feat if you could. Otherwise, I will just wait outside of the compartment for Remus to show up before reentering silently to see his reaction. After that, I think I might just wait for you guys to get out of the meeting. It would be kind of pointless to walk all the way to our usual compartment when it is just going to be Peter in there. I feel like that would be kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong, I like hanging out with Peter, but sometimes I just get the feeling that he doesn’t wan to hang out with us.”
Jasmine chuckled nervously. This would be a perfect opening for her to mention to Sirius what she saw at the end of last school year. But instead, she reminded herself that it might have just been a fluke and what she saw actually could have been Peter getting picked on or something by the Slytherins. So, Jaz stayed quiet about Peter and instead told Sirius, “That sounds like a great idea. It would be pretty pointless to go hang out with Peter when you could totally hang out with your girlfriend during her rounds of the train.”
“Are you making fun of me? Just because I want to spend more time with you…”
“What?”
“I’m not actually sure where I was going with that. Anyway, I missed you over the summer. So, what if I want to spend more time with you. I love you, Mare.”
“Wait! What? Did he just say that he loves me? Do I love him? Of course, I love him! Then why aren’t I saying it back” Jasmine thought. She was in shock. She was sure that Sirius had never said those three words to her before. And she really wanted to say them back, but that would be such a big step. Also, how could he love her with how broken she was.
Before any more negative thoughts wiggled their way into Jasmine’s head, Sirius told her, “Jaz, don’t you dare tell yourself that you don’t deserve my love because you do. You deserve so much of it, Jaz, and I won’t let you deny that you deserve it. And you don’t even need to say it back to me because…”
He never got to give his reason because Jasmine had pulled him down into a kiss that shortly turned into a snog session. Their kissing was interrupted by the Head Boy and Girl who coughed to get their attention. *Ahem*
The couple broke apart but didn’t look over at the Heads to see what they wanted. Instead, they rested their heads on each other’s foreheads. Then Jasmine said quietly, but loud enough for Sirius to hear, “I love you too, Pads. More than you know.” They would have kissed again if not for the other two people in the compartment. So rather they looked over to the other two occupants to see what they wanted from them.
“How may we help you?” Jasmine teased.
Lily rolled her eyes. “You can help us by getting out. Apparently James and I have a few things to discuss here, and we would like to do that in privacy before the rest of the prefects arrive.” Lily said this as she shoved the couple out of the compartment with the help of James.
Sadly, the head boy and girl were talking much quieter now, so the two outside of the compartment could not hear what they were talking about. So, they decided they would just stand outside and wait. In the meantime, they would make up for lost time, if you know what they mean.
Meanwhile in the compartment, Lily was still reeling from the news of James being the head boy alongside her as the head girl. She still couldn’t believe it. “If it makes you feel better, it surprised me when I first got the badge as well. I wasn’t really expecting head boy. Actually, I was rather expecting it to be quidditch captain.”
Lily stared at him waiting for him to brag that he had gotten quidditch captain again. It never came, and that surprised her even more than the head boy thing had originally. For all the time that she had known James Potter, he almost never turned down a chance to brag about his accomplishments. It was strange to see him turn down the chance because she knew it wasn’t because he didn’t get quidditch captain. She knew very well that he had gotten it, especially since he was quidditch captain last year. There was no reason that he wouldn’t by quidditch captain, unless Dumbledore thought it would be too much for the boy being head boy and quidditch captain. Lily doubted it though. She rather thought that he actually belonged on the quidditch field. He was rather good at quidditch and had even helped get Gryffindor a quidditch cup at least once during his time on the team. She wasn’t that big of a quidditch fan, but from what she had heard and the after parties she went to, Lily knew that James wasn’t a terrible quidditch player. Therefore, given how much Lily knew that he liked to brag, she was really surprised that he wasn’t bragging about getting 2 badges or something. Seeing this side of James, actually, made Lily think that James might actually deserve that Head Boy badge. She was really thinking more that James might just be able to earn her affections. James Potter might just have a chance of getting her to say yes to a date with him the next time he asked if he kept this up. She already liked him but seeing this part of him made her thing that he actually was starting to deserve her affection and feelings.
“What?” James asked. Lily must have been staring at him for at bit too long, so she quickly turned away from the boy to hide the blush that she felt forming on her cheeks. “Lily? Seriously, what is it? Is there something on my face or something? I would hate the prefects to have their first impression of me be that I’m a slob.”
Lily couldn’t help the giggle that came out before she could put a hand over her mouth. She was shocked that she even laughed in the first place.
If Lily were still facing James, she would have seen the bright smile that appeared on James’ face upon hearing her giggle. He was happy to have made Lily laugh. Maybe this meant he was making progress, but he was determined to focus less on her this year. There was a war going on outside the walls of Hogwarts and he was determined to do what he could do to help aid as much as he could. He wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines when he knew there was plenty he was capable of doing to help in this war. So, James had decided after getting the Head boy badge, alongside his quidditch captain badge, that he would only ask Lily Evans out one more time before he would just give up and call it a lost cause. He couldn’t focus on her anyway if he wanted to be a good example. Although, being a good example did not mean he was just going to let the marauders have all the fun planning all the pranks and stuff. He would just have to be extra careful not to get caught this year. Couldn’t exactly have the head boy getting detention all the time after all.
“So, Lily, you want to start figuring out what we need to do as heads? We better get started. The prefects could start arriving any minute. We wouldn’t want to by unprepared for when they come.” James gave the redhead a smile, which she returned.
“Let’s get to it.”
It felt like forever later, but really was only about half an hour or less before some of the prefects started arriving and the train started on its journey toward Hogwarts. Remus was one of the first prefects to arrive, which both Sirius and Jasmine were grateful for. They greeted the boy, “Hey Moony,” they called to him.
Remus turned and was surprised to see two of his best friends. “What are you two doing around this part of the train. Our usual compartment is nowhere near this part of the train.”
“Well, no duh.” Sirius smacked him upside the head. “I’m only here to support my wonderful girlfriend. It’s her first day as prefect and I wanted to walk her to the compartment like the gentleman that I am.”
“Moron.” Jaz rolled her eyes and smacked Sirius upside the head. She turned to Remus and explained, “Lily was made Head Girl, so Dumbledore appointed me as her replacement for the 7th year prefect. Sirius came with me because, well he is a gentleman and did want to walk with me to the compartment, but he also wanted to catch up on all the lost time over the summer.”
“Well, the congratulation, Jaz. You deserve it,” Remus stated. “As for you Sirius, shouldn’t you be leaving now? You've caught up with Jasmine and you’ve walked to the compartment, what else is there to do?” Remus asked confused as to why he was still there.
“Well, there is one more thing I want to do before I go, so after you.” Sirius smirked as he opened the compartment door for the two prefects before slipping in himself. Remus was the first to enter. He wasn’t surprised to see Lily as she usually was there as well as the fact the Sirius and Jasmine had just told him she became head girl also deterred his surprise. What did surprise Remus, though was seeing James in the compartment. That confused him and he just couldn’t comprehend why James would possibly be in the prefects’ compartment. He clearly wasn’t a prefect as the 7th year prefects for Gryffindor were him and Jasmine, so unless he was somehow Head Boy there was no reason for him to be here. Actually, just thinking about James being Head Boy made Remus chuckle which is what alerted the future couple to the others presence.
“Moony! I’m so glad you made it,” James greeted his friend.
Remus stared at his friend. His eye happened to catch something on James’ robes. Remus found it odd that James was already wearing his robes. But before Remus could think more on why James would possibly already be wearing his robes, he turned his attention to the whatever had caught his eye on the robe itself. Remus noticed that unlike last year, James strangely had two badges pinned on his uniform. He noticed that one of them was the quidditch captain badge that James had gotten last year, which wasn’t unusual. The badge didn’t give James a reason to be in the prefects’ compartment, though. So, Remus looked at the other badge to see what it was. When Remus saw that it was the Head Boy badge, his jaw to drop to the floor.
Upon seeing Remus face, both Jasmine and Sirius broke out into laughter. It was priceless. Jasmine wished that she had a camera so she could take a picture, but sadly she didn’t have one on her at the moment. It was upsetting, but Jaz didn’t think she would be forgetting this moment of Remus’ face anytime soon. That goes for Sirius too. He was so going to use this to tease Remus for the next couple of weeks.
It was several minutes where the only sounds that were coming from the prefects’ compartment. Sure, there were a couple of other prefects in the compartment already, but they were mostly just talking amongst themselves quietly. They were probably questioning the sanity of Dumbledore for appointing James Potter Head Boy amongst other things.
By the time the laughter died down, Remus was starting to recover from his shock and surprise. He managed to finally close his mouth, especially after James commented, “Moony, you might want to close your mouth if you don’t want to catch any flies.” That really snapped Remus out of it. He closed his mouth and glared at James. Though, internally, Remus was smiling at the joke.
When Remus finally said it came out as, “Wha- Ho- Whe- Why?” And that just bought back the laughter. This time, though, the couple was joined by James, but not for long as Lily smacked the Head Boy and glared at him. James quickly shut up quickly after that.
Jaz saw this happen and whispered over to Sirius, “James is so whipped. He isn’t even with Lily yet and he is still doing what she asks without her even asking.” That only made Sirius laugh even harder.
It was awhile before the couple was able to compose themselves again. In the meanwhile, more prefects arrived, and several were very surprised to see that James Potter was somehow appointed Head Boy, but none of them said anything. They did give curious and confused glances over to where Sirius and Jaz were in the compartment. None of them questioned the gob smacked Remus in the middle of the compartment who was still staring at James. They were surprised as well and knew that Remus knew James better than any of them, so they could understand why he was so surprised at this news. A few were curious to know why Remus didn’t know before getting on the train, but they knew times were tense with the war going on, so they figured James wasn’t able to tell Remus or something. They didn’t really care to think about it too long. It didn’t really matter to them all that much.
As the prefects continued to file in, Remus began to compose himself more. Soon, before all of the prefects had arrived, Remus had gathered all of his thoughts and was confident he could get out a coherent and complete sentence. “Okay, hold on a minute.” This garnered the attention of the two heads as well as the laughing couple in the corner, who were starting to let up on the laughter. “How the hell did you, James Potter, possibly get Head Boy? Is Dumbledore out of his mind or something?”
James looks offended, and Remus almost felt guilty, but then Lily hit James again and he burst into giggles as Remus’ face. It was then that Remus knew that James was just messing with him and he was only mocking being offended at one of his best mates’ words. Remus rolled his eyes, but still waited for an answer from the Head Boy, as were a couple of prefects who had overheard Remus’ question. Instead of the Head Boy answering, his other best mate and basically brother, Sirius Black answered, “I have no fucking idea how he managed to do it Moony. I don’t even think Prongs knows. But he has been more responsible and mature ever since. It has been annoying and frustrating at times. He can go overboard, so I expect you to keep him in line, Evans.” Sirius winked at the blushing redhead. “And with that I must be on my way.” He turned to the girl he loved and gave her a peck on the cheek. Then he whispered so only she could here. “I will see you later, love. I’m going to go check on Peter really quick, but I’ll try and find you later or maybe you will find me first. I don’t exactly want to leave the guy hanging by himself wondering where his friends are.” Then Sirius exited the compartment and left the prefects and Head to discuss their duties on the train and other stuff that would be necessary.
Jasmine watched as her boyfriend left the compartment. She almost wanted to stop him and tell him not to go check on Peter. She wanted to tell him what she saw at the end of the last year, but yet she still hesitated to do so. She really wanted to give Peter the benefit of the doubt. The boy had been friends with the rest of the Marauders for practically 7 years now. And Jaz had known him for almost 3 years now. They had been through a lot and planned some great pranks together. Jasmine didn’t want to throw him under the bus without concrete evidence to do so. She didn’t want to ruin a 7-year friendship because she happened to see something that might have not looked like what it really was. As Jasmine listed to Lily and James tell the prefects what they needed to be told as well as give out patrol assignments, she couldn’t help but feel like she should tell someone about what she saw. There was a nagging feeling that she was doing the wrong thing by not telling anyone, but she ignored it in favor of keeping the 7-year friendship between the rest of the Marauders. Boy was she in for a hell of a school year and it hadn’t even really begun, and trouble was already brewing.
Notes:
Okay, first off, I am sorry that I couldn’t get this out over the weekend like I had planned. I got busy and it just didn’t happen. Anyway, now for my surprise. So, part of the reason that this didn’t get done sooner was also because instead of writing for this book or this chapter, I instead kept coming up with amazing ideas for another sequel that will take place after their seventh year. That book will probably take place immediately after this book and will end not long after James and Lily are killed. But wait there’s more. Rather than just end this fun and awesome series there, I have decided that I will write possibly a 4th book about Harry growing up not with the Dursleys and such, but I don’t know. What I do know for sure, though, is that even if I don’t write that book, I have a ton of ideas that I am coming up with for a one-shot book, possibly even books, for each of the HP books with the changes that I have made to canon. I will still try to keep it as canon as possible, but things will change of course. It can’t be helped when adding in new characters.
Speaking of new characters and my ideas for the future, this is my real surprise for you guys. As I have said before, I’m not great at the names, so I am asking all of you my lovely readers to come up with a name for a possible future child of Sirius and Jasmine (or Sazzy). Gender does not matter, but I would really like some suggestions. I’m open to anything. So let me know and I will pick my favorite. I might make an announcement when I do pick one, but that won’t be for a while, so feel free to comment even after I complete this book because the name won’t show up in the series until later on because I am not going to have them have a child while they are still at Hogwarts.Hope to hear from you soon,
🍼👶 Knk6700 👶🍼
Chapter 2: Revelations
Summary:
The term has only just begun, but secrets and plans are already being made by our favorite boys and girl, particularly involving Jily. What are they planning? Will Jily finally get together after all this time?
Notes:
In case any of you didn’t read my long note at the end of the last chapter, I’m having a contest of sorts where you can pick out the name for a future child of Sirius and Jasmine (or Sazzy). Don’t be afraid to throw out some crazy and unique names. I’m open to anything and any gender, but if you want it for a specific gender let me know. Please don’t be shy, I won’t judge, and I would hope others wouldn’t either. Though, if you don’t want everyone to see suggestions, you can always private message me with your suggestion or something. I’m on a lot of fanfic websites with the same username (knk6700). Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy this lovely new chapter, my readers.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Revelations
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, the Marauders plus Lily all met up and rode in the carriages up to the castle together. Though upon entering the Great Hall for the beginning of year feast, Lily opted to sit with Marlene, Alice, and Mary instead of the Marauders (including Jaz). Lily told Jaz, “I need some time with the girls. I’ll see you later, Mina. And James, don’t forget we have to set up a time to meet up and discuss things later on.” The redhead left the group and headed toward where her friends were sitting at the Gryffindor table.
James had a huge grin across his face as they walked to their usual spot at the Gryffindor table. He was of course excited that he would be working so closely with Lily this year, but James had decided after getting the Head Boy badge that Lily wouldn’t be his main focus this year. This was his last chance to get with Lily, but James realized that there were other things more important than getting Lily Evans to go to Hogsmeade with him. She hadn’t said yes yet, so James figured that he would ask her out again this year. If she agreed, James would be happy, but if she said now James would but the whole thing to rest. He wasn’t sure when he was planning on asking her, but he figured he would know the right time when it came.
James hadn’t told anyone about his plans involving Lily, but he was planning on telling Sirius. James believed that his best mate could help him plan on a way to ask Lily out. After all, if James was only going to do this once more, he was going to do it right. And James could do it by himself, but he felt that two heads would be better than one. Plus, who better to ask for help than his partner in crime and pranks for help, especially when said partner had been dating Jaz for over 6 months. James figured, between the two of them, they could come up with something that would definitely get Lily to say yes if she felt the same way about him. So, James decided he would tell Sirius, but not until after classes the next day since they would all be pretty tired after their long journey and the big feast.
As James continued thinking about his plans and new responsibilities, Jasmine and Sirius were discussing things amongst themselves about Jily and getting them together this year. “So, pads, he hasn’t said anything about Lils lately?” Jasmine asked of her boyfriend.
“Yeah, and that is what has been so weird. I know I’ve only spent part of a summer with him before, but even last year he would talk about Lily Evans way more than he has this past year. It is so strange. I have no idea what is up with him. I just hope he says something soon.” Sirius glanced over at his best mate, who seemed to be lost in thought eating his dinner. He seemed to be staring into space, but when Sirius followed his gaze, he saw that James was staring at Lily. “Or maybe he just decided not to talk about his feelings for a certain redhead?” Jaz looked at Sirius curious as to what he meant. Sirius pointed over to James and indicated to her that he was staring at Lily.
“Oh, wow. He is not being subtle about it at all,” Jasmine giggled. “Could he be any more obvious about how he feels?”
“Probably not, but this is James we are talking about, so anything is possible.”
Jasmine nodded before turning her attention back to her meal. As she ate, she couldn’t help but wonder if they could actually pull off getting Jily together this year. It wasn’t like the two didn’t fancy each other. It was rather more Lily’s stubborn nature that was keeping them apart, which frustrated Jaz. She knew this wouldn’t be easy, but she was determined to get her cousin her own happy ending like Jasmine herself currently had. Though, Jaz was surer that Lily and James would live happily ever after than she was about her and Sirius. Not that Jaz didn’t want to end up with Sirius or that she didn’t love her, Jasmine just didn’t know if Sirius would stay with her. She sometimes thought that Sirius deserved better than her, and Jaz wasn’t sure if that feeling would ever go away completely. She and Sirius were still pretty broken people, her more than him it seemed.
Jasmine was brought out of her self-doubt when her loving boyfriend pulled her into a side hug and squeezed her arm. “Jaz don’t go down that path. You and I both know that I love you and you love me. There is no one that I would rather be with than you, so don’t you dare think that I don’t deserve such an amazing girl as you.” He ended his small speech with a kiss on his girlfriend’s head.
Jasmine looked up at Sirius and gave him a small smile. She was so grateful for him and that he could even tell when she was starting to go somewhere in her thoughts that she shouldn’t. He knew her in a way that Lily didn’t even sometimes. It was almost like he could read her thoughts at times, but she knew that wasn’t possible. Being the grateful girlfriend that Jasmine was, she pulled Sirius down by his tie and planted a kiss on him right there during the feast. Their kiss went mostly unnoticed, though, as most people were still digging into their meals. The only people who really noticed were the other Marauders, James having shaken himself out of his thoughts by this point.
After pulling away, Jasmine whispered on Sirius’s lips, “I love you too, Padfoot. You are my everything, and I am grateful to have you in my life every single day.”
Sirius pulled Jasmine into a hug. Then whispered in her ear, “I’m grateful for you too, Love. You mean everything to mean.”
Despite how cute the two looked, James, being James, had to ruin the moment and interrupt their intimate moment. “Oi, Get a room, you two. No need to show the whole student body how much you love each other.” And of course, because it was James, he said it much louder than he needed to, especially since the couple was sitting right next to him.
Immediately Jasmine and Sirius blushed a deep red and pulled away from each other. They were clearly embarrassed, but still mad at James for ruining the moment. They were both glaring over at James.
“Leave them alone, Potter. Let them be in their own happy lovey dovey world.” Lily had walked up behind them, making all three of them jump in surprise. Remus and Peter, who were both on the other side of the table and had seen the head girl coming, didn’t jump.
“Hello, Lily,” Remus greeted.
“Hi, Remus,” Lily smiled at the werewolf.
Upon gaining back some of his composure, James teased, “So we’re back on a last name basis now, Evans?”
Lily rolled her eyes at his teasing. “No, James. But come on, we need to go.”
James, with food in his mouth, stared at the head girl. Upon swallowing, he asked, “What?! Where do we need to go? The feast isn’t even over yet, Lily! I’m not about to leave my last opening feast early.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “Fine! You better make room for me then.” Immediately James scooched down, squeezing Sirius and Jasmine even closer together. Luckily, Lily was small, and Sirius and Jaz were okay with being closer to each other. Otherwise, James would have been in some serious trouble for pushing his best mates over to make room for Lily. Although, the couple was still annoyed with James just pushing them over instead of asking them to move over first.
Lily took the spot that James had just made for her. And grabbed some dessert that had just appeared on the table. The feast would be over soon, but that still didn’t explain why Lily had suddenly come over to them. “Lils,” Jaz was the first to voice what the rest of the Marauders were thinking, except maybe James, who seemed to already know why the girl was there. “What are you doing here? I thought you were hanging out with Marlene and Alice.”
“I was. We caught up and had a great time, but I told them I needed to talk to James. I told them how he is the head boy and since I’m head girl, we need to go over some things before the end of the feast, such as the password to Gryffindor tower that McGonagall just gave me.” Lily turned her attention away from her cousin and looked straight at James. “So, we really need to get this out to the other prefects so they can then tell the rest of the students.”
“Can’t we just gather them in the common room after the feast and tell them then? I mean if we lead them to the tower, then there shouldn’t be a problem since you already have the password.”
Lily stared at James in amazement. “Wow, James. That’s actually a great idea. I mean it shouldn’t be a problem to do it that way. It would be easier too.”
James gave her a smile. “What can I say, I’m a problem solver.”
Jasmine couldn’t help the laugh that managed to escape her lips. She just couldn’t believe James just said he was a problem solver. James turned and glared at her, but that only caused Jaz to laugh more. Soon the laughing girl was joined by her boyfriend. Her laugh was pretty contagious, especially for Sirius, who really loved to hear her laugh.
Soon James just ignored the couple and continued to eat the dessert that he had grabbed. He and Lily talked about setting up a time to discuss when they would meet with all the prefects to set up rounds. Besides that, the rest of the feast as well as the rest of the night was rather uneventful. James and Lily told the prefects (plus Sirius who was waiting for Jasmine) the passwords as they had discussed. Jasmine and Sirius said their goodnights and that was basically it. Nothing all that significant happened until tomorrow evening before dinner.
The Marauders plus Lily got their schedules the next morning. The day went by like any other one that they had had in years past. They shared some classes, but not all of them. Sirius and Jasmine were both still taking Muggle Studies, while Lily had opted to drop the course. None of them were taking History of Magic anymore. Otherwise, though, everything from previous years was pretty much the same, except for James and Lily being the head boy and head girl, respectively.
After they had finished their classes for the day, Lily, Jasmine, and Remus had all decided to get a head start on their homework. Peter was who knows where, which worried Jasmine a bit since she had wanted to keep an eye on him, but she dismissed it as nothing. So, James and Sirius had the dorm to themselves for the time being as they opted to put off their homework for another day. It was at this time that James figured would be the best time as any to tell Sirius about his plans with Lily.
“So, Padfoot, I’ve been thinking a lot this summer, especially since I got this Head boy badge.”
“I hadn’t noticed, Prongs,” Sirius said sarcastically.
James rolled his eyes. “Whatever Padfoot. I’m here trying to tell you something and you can’t even be serious for one second.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, James regrated them. He couldn’t believe he had said that.
“What do you mean I can’t be Sirius? I am Sirius!”
“Goddammit, Padfoot. I knew you were going to make a joke as soon as I said that. But for real, I have something important that I want to tell you.” James glared at Sirius.
Sirius realized that James was in no joking mood at the moment, so Sirius put all joking aside and got serious (even though he already was). His best mate had something to tell him and whatever it was, he hoped that James wouldn’t make him keep it from Jasmine. Sirius knew how hard it was for her to keep why she was hanging out with Remus so much last year, and he didn’t think he would do much better. It was hard enough keeping his family story from her, but now that they were together, Sirius doubted there was much he could keep from her.
It was only moments later that James spoke up again. “Pads, I think that if Lily doesn’t say yes the next time that I ask her out, I’m just going to give up. Clearly, if she still doesn’t have any feelings for me, then my attempts at wooing her are pointless. There is no point in trying anymore because if by this time she doesn’t like me like I like her, I don’t think she will ever feel the same way.” James ducked his head to hide the upset look he was sure was on his face. He hadn’t wanted to admit that, but he knew it was true. This was his last chance.
Sirius was shocked that James was actually thinking about giving up on Lily. Sure, he had expected that James would eventually come to him about his plans to woo Lily this final year, but Sirius had not expected to hear his best mate say he was going to give up on Lily Evans. “Wait! Hold up!” James looked up, his eyes the only key to how he was really feeling about his decision. “You haven’t asked her yet have you?”
James hadn’t been expecting that question from Sirius, maybe Jaz, but not Sirius. “No…” James denied, dragging out the “o” in confusion. Upon hearing James’s denial, Sirius let out a sigh of relief, which only further confused James. James pushed his confusion to the side for the moment. “That’s actually why I wanted to tell you. I’m not about to go down without a fight. I figured that you could help me come up with a plan that would get Lily to say yes for sure, that is if she fancies me. So, what do you say Pads? Will you help me?”
Sirius gave James a big grin. “Of course, I will, Prongs, but on one condition.” James tilted his head to the side curiously then gestured for Sirius to continue. “We get Mare in on this.”
James could deal with that stipulation. He gave Sirius a grin, then rolled his eyes. “Of course, you want to tell Jazzy. She’s your girlfriend.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“Really? What do you think?”
“I think that I’ll go let Mare know about it now.”
Sirius headed for the door of the common room, but James stopped him. “You can’t let Lily know though, Pads. I want it to be a surprise. Also, I don’t want her trying to stop me from going through with it.”
“Who do you think I am? What kind of idiot do you think I would be if I told Lily? Don’t worry, Prongs. I can get Mare alone and tell her about it without your precious Lily knowing about any of it.” Sirius then left the room to go find his girlfriend, who he was sure would still be in Library with Remus and Lily.
James started at the dorm door that his best mate had just left through. He couldn’t help but wonder why Sirius had been so relieved that he hadn’t asked Lily yet. “Does Sirius know something that I don’t?” James asked himself but quickly dismissed the thought. “If Sirius knew something, there is no way he would keep it from me.” James then set off to start some of the homework that he needed to get done.
Sirius found Jasmine and Remus with Lily right where he expected them to be, the library. They were all quietly working on their homework at the same table. They were all so focused, Jasmine in particular, who was chewing on the end of her quill, and Sirius couldn’t help but notice just how cute his girlfriend looked. Thus, instead of going right up to them and distracting Jaz, Sirius stood and just stared at his girlfriend for the moment, admiring her beauty and thinking about just how lucky he was. He was so grateful for her every day.
Jasmine was just about finished with her work when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Wanting to know who could possibly be staring at her, she looked up. She saw that both Remus and Lily were still hard at work, so it wasn’t them. She looked further around her and soon spotted Sirius standing not that far away and staring at her. Their eyes locked and he gave her a sheepish smile as a slight, almost unnoticeable, blush appeared on his cheeks upon getting caught staring. Jasmine gave him a small smile and mimed to give her 1 minute before starting to quietly pack up her stuff. She knew that Sirius must want something from her if he was here. Normally he would just let her study and do her work in the library because he knew that she needed to focus. They had learned early on that when trying to do their work together, they both had trouble focusing on what needed to be done. They could do it, but it would just take longer than it normally would. So, when Jaz wanted to get her stuff done in a timely fashion, she usually headed to the library to study. Sirius seldom interrupted her when she was there, so this must be something important if he was there.
Sirius stayed where he was and waited for Jasmine. He knew right when she spotted him that she would know that he needed her something. He didn’t like interrupting her studying, lest he angers her or feels her rath at the interruption. Plus, if he continually interrupted her, that would eventually mean less time that she would spend with him. And he couldn’t have that, now could he?
As Jaz packed up her books, neither of her companions even looked up from their own work. It appeared that they were both too focused on their own work to even notice. Well, that was the case for Lily, but Remus noticed immediately. He just chose not to look up in favor of finishing his work. He just figured she was already done anyway. Given the number of times that Remus had studied with Jasmine before, he knew she was rather smart. It didn’t usually take the girl all that long to finish her work, as long as Sirius wasn’t there to distract her. Then she would take extra long to finish her work. So, Remus just kept his focus on his work rather than his companion packing up her things, or at least that was what he was doing until he heard Sirius after Jaz had left the table. That is when Remus suddenly looked up from his work and turned around just to see Jasmine and Sirius walking out of the library together, with Sirius pulling Jasmine closer upon slinging his arm over her shoulders.
Just as the couple was leaving, Remus managed to catch Sirius’s eye. He winked at the werewolf, who was confused by the move. Then it dawned on Remus that it was probably some stupid signal or sign. Since there was only one thing the three of them had been planning/working on together, Remus figured that Sirius was letting him know that he had something in the works for Jily, or he had at least learned something from James finally. Instead of going after them, Remus decided to finish his work. He figured that they would let him in on it later. Maybe Jasmine would tell him during the rounds they were sure to have together that night. Remus figured that was what Lily was working on since he was sure she had already finished most if not all of her work. Dismissing these thoughts, Remus turned his attention back to his homework and go back into it.
Meanwhile, when Jaz got up with her stuff and walked over to Sirius, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” She whispered. “So, what’s up?”
Sirius chuckled, “I didn’t anticipate I’d be here either, but I’ve just talked with Prongs. And he told me something that you need to hear,” Sirius explained, as he threw an arm around Jasmine’s shoulder and started leading her out of the library.
“Shouldn’t we tell Remus, then?”
Sirius brushed off the question. “We can tell him later, but for now, it would be best if I just told you. It will look less suspicious to Lily if only you left, especially since it’s with me. I’m sure Remus will understand.”
Jaz nodded in agreement and decided it would be pointless arguing, so she let it be. Jaz, then, leaned more into Sirius’s hold and sort of snuggled into him deciding to get lost in her thoughts rather than pay attention to where he was leading her. Therefore, since Jaz wasn’t really paying attention, she didn’t see Sirius wink at Remus. She only felt him turn his head as well as place a kiss on her forehead.
As they continued on, Jasmine still didn’t care where they were going, preferring to just embrace her time with Sirius for the time being. She trusted Sirius to lead her and not let her crash into anything. She assumed he was taking them to the empty classroom they would usually use to discuss Jily and getting them together, which is why she was surprised when she realized they were at Gryffindor Tower instead. She only realized this when Sirius gave the password to the Fat Lady. She didn’t understand why they were back at the tower but decided to just go along with it. Sirius had to have a reason for bringing her back to the tower.
They entered the common room, Sirius allowing Jasmine to go first causing him to drop his arm from Jaz’s shoulders. The common room was practically deserted. There were only a few scattered Gryffindors doing their work, but Sirius’s didn’t care about any of them. Instead, he grabbed Jasmine’s hand and dragged the redhead up the staircase to the boys’ dormitories. They ended up in front of the door that led to the Marauders’ dorm room. Sirius knew James would still be in the room. He figured that during his absence his best mate had started some of his work, but he wouldn’t mind the interruption. That is why Sirius proceeded to swing open the dormitory door loudly and dramatically.
James, not expecting the loud noise, jumped at the sudden loud noise, but really he should have expected nothing less from Sirius. James collected himself and turned around to see his best mate and “sister” standing in the doorway. Jaz looked annoyed, which was understandable. James knew Sirius could be a bit much at times with all of his theatrics and dramatics. Though, standing in the doorway, holding hands, with Jaz looking all exasperated and annoyed Sirius, James couldn’t help but think how cute the two looked together. They really did belong with each other.
Sirius ushered Jasmine into the room with him. He led Jasmine by the hand to stand right in front of James. James, in return, greeted the girl with a smile. Then turned to Sirius saying, “You better not have been that dramatic when you got Jazzy from the library.”
Sirius gasped and clutched his chest with his free hand. “How dare you, sir?! I can be discrete when necessary.” Sirius didn’t keep the act up for much longer, though, and soon fell into laughter. James soon joined his best mate in laughter. Meanwhile, Jasmine was just standing there shaking her head at the two boys. They could be really ridiculous at times, almost enough to make Jasmine question why she hung out with them.
The laughter soon died out, but neither boy was the first to speak. “Well, now that you idiots are done with your dramatics, can someone tell me why I’m here?” Jasmine asked. She knew she was there to talk about James’s feelings for her cousin, Lily, but she still wanted to know why Sirius had brought her to James.
“Padfoot, here, agreed to help me create an amazing plan to get Lily to go out with me since I only plan on asking her one more time before finally giving up. And Pads only agreed if you were brought in on the planning. And since you know Lily better than either of us, I figured it was an acceptable condition. So, you’re here to help us, Jazzy.”
Jasmine stared at James for a moment trying to take in everything that he just said. She was still a bit stuck on the part that he was only planning on asking out Lily one more time. It didn’t really sound like James, nor was it like James to give up so easily. “Wait a minute. What do you mean you only plan on asking Lily out one more time?”
James looked at her confused. “Just like I said. I only plan on asking her out once more because if she doesn’t like me now, it’s pointless to keep trying.”
“Who are you and what have you done with James?” Jasmine questioned the head boy.
“Jazzy, I’m still me. And I’m not giving up without a fight, which is why you are here. I want to ask her out this final time in a way that I know she won’t be able to say no, especially if she fancies me. To do that, I’m going to need Sirius’s and your help, so what do you say? Will you help me?”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Of course, I’ll help you, you moron. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t?”
James pulled the girl into a bear hug before releasing her. “That’s great Jazzy. We can start planning later though. It’s almost dinner and afterward, I have to go over the prefect schedule with her.” Then he left the room intent on heading down to dinner, or possibly try to catch Lily coming from the library so he could walk with her to dinner.
After James left the room, Jasmine turned to Sirius, “We have to tell Remus.” She knew this plan had to be perfect, and with both herself, Sirius, and Remus, it might just be perfect. Plus, though she loved James, the boy would need as much help as he could get. “Looks like we have a lot of planning to do.” Sirius nodded in agreement. Then Jasmine took his hand again and they headed down to dinner together.
Notes:
Finally got around to finishing Chapter 2. Don’t forget to recommend names for Sazzy’s future child that will appear in Book 3. Anyway, I would promise another chapter soon, but given that my 21st birthday is Monday (June 7th), and I am celebrating on Sunday and Monday. Plus, I’m playing a computer game today with some of my friends. Also, I’m taking a summer class, so I really don’t have much time. I hope to update you soon, but I can’t promise anything. Chapter 3: The First Last Prank.
See you in a week, probably,
🎂 Knk6700 🎂
Chapter 3: The First Last Prank
Summary:
As their 7th and final year at Hogwarts begins, the Marauders have big plans for this year’s first prank and the last first prank they will ever pull at Hogwarts. They want it to be one no one is sure to forget anytime soon. With the 5 of them all working together, it is sure to be a prank to top all their other pranks.
Notes:
This was supposed to be Chapter 2. Though when I started writing that chapter, it became very Jily heavy, and I didn’t want to make it too long. Therefore, I decided to just make this chapter 3 instead.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 3: The First Last Prank
Before Sirius and Jasmine with the help of Remus, secretly, could begin to help James plan the best way to ask Lily out, they had another order of business that they needed to attend to. It was the beginning of a new school year, their final school year at Hogwarts, and they had yet to pull a prank. They couldn’t have that now. They had to make this last first prank one that no one would be soon to forget. They actually planned to make all of their usual annual pranks like that this final year. They wanted to go out with a bang after all. So, the Marauders all met up in the boys’ dorm that first weekend after the school year started to start coming up with ideas and solidify a plan for what their first prank would be.
They were all sitting in the middle of the room sitting in a circle on the floor with pieces of parchment scattered around in the middle of their circle. On the parchment were various ideas they had all come up with over the years. There were plenty of ideas that they had all thought about doing but hadn’t gotten the chance to do because of various circumstances. Now they were throwing them all out there because this would be their last chance, well at least at Hogwarts.
Going through all of these prank ideas, James started off by announcing what was on the parchment in front of all of them. “Okay, well here are all of the prank ideas that the five of us have written down and come up with over the years. They may not all be good, and some are ones that we have forgotten that we even came up with, but here they are all the same.”
“No shit, Prongs,” Jasmine said sarcastically. “I had no idea that that was what was on the parchment scattered in front of all of us.”
James glared at Jasmine, but you could tell he wasn’t really mad at her. “Anyway, we all know that we want this to be an amazing prank. We want to leave a legacy after all, but I have a stipulation. I can’t get caught. Or if we do accidentally get caught, the prank can’t have broken any rules. I am head boy now, and I really don’t need to be setting a bad example to the student body by getting detention. There is a reason Dumbledore picked me as head boy, and I intend to show why.”
The other 4 in the circle looked at James. Peter, being Peter, immediately agreed to James’ terms, as did Remus. He didn’t plan to get caught anyway, especially since he never actually had. Sirius and Jasmine, on the other hand, just started at James for a bit. They couldn’t help but wonder how different James was now. He had really grown up a lot over the past two years and it was really showing. Nonetheless, both Jasmine and Sirius agreed to James’ stipulation. Jaz assured James, “Well, Prongs, I wasn’t intending on letting any of us get caught anyway. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m kind of an expert at covering our tracks so no one can prove it was us. But to calm your nerves, I’ll be extra sure to cover our tracks thoroughly.”
James smiled appreciatively at the redhead. “Thanks, Jazzy.” James turned his attention to the pieces of parchment. “Now, let's get cracking on finding that perfect prank.”
There were a lot of prank ideas within the pile, so it took them some time to get through them and find the perfect prank. There were a few good ones that they decided that they might use later on in the school year.
“What if we start a food fight during dinner one night?” Jasmine read off from one of her prank lists that she was going through.
James stared at her. “How are we supposed to do that without getting caught, Jazzy?”
“Simple, me dear Prongs. We don’t start the food fight, but instead cast a non-verbal spell causing the food to float into one of our faces or someone else’s face.”
James, along with the other Marauders couldn’t deny that it was a brilliant idea, but Sirius had an even better idea for the prank. “It’s a brilliant idea, Mare, but it would be even better if we did it at the end-of-year feast. That way, everyone would be there and no one would miss out on getting food on their clothes or robes. We could even get the professors in on it.”
Jasmine smiled at her boyfriend before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “See, this is why I love you.” Jasmine turned back to her list to continue scanning it for possible prank ideas. She made sure to write it down on a separate piece of parchment. She figured that it would be easier to have a single list to look at later.
There were others that they thought were good prank ideas, but they thought they weren’t extravagant enough for the prank they were looking for.
Peter was reading through a list when he found one he thought could be promising. “Hey, guys,” Peter squeaked. “What about this one? It says that we mix up the gems in the house point jars so that they are more colorful.”
“That is a good one, Wormtail,” Remus commented. “It would be even better if after we switched the colors around, we somehow got the colors of the houses to change. Therefore, the common rooms and quidditch robes would change colors with the changing of the colors in the jars.”
“That would be something, Moony,” James pondered dreamily.
“I think I could try to figure that out, but I feel like that just isn’t what we are looking for now,” Jasmine said. The boys’ nodded in agreement and continued reading through the lists of pranks. Jasmine still wrote down the idea as something they could do in the future. She wasn’t quite ready to let that prank pass them by.
There were others that they just threw out altogether as they weren’t all that great of pranks. Though there were a few that they thought would be fun to just try even if they weren’t pranks.
Sirius had been reading through one of his last lists when he came across an idea that wasn’t necessarily a prank (or at least not what they are looking for) but still something he wanted to try at least once before he left Hogwarts. He voiced the idea, feeling that his friends would feel the same way. “This isn’t what we are looking for, but I really want to try it.” The others looked up from their lists and gave Sirius their full attention. “It says that we should set up a giant trampoline and jump out of the third story window onto it. I think it would be fun to try. What do you all say?” Sirius grins at them.
Jasmine on the other hand rolls her eyes. “First off, we don’t need a trampoline. It would be really dangerous, especially when we might miss it. The softening charm would be way more effective than a trampoline.” Jasmine explained. “And if we use the softening charm instead, we can make the whole floor like a trampoline.
“That is brilliant, Jazzy.” James was excited about this idea. “But Pads is right, it’s not what we are looking for. Heck, it’s not even really a prank. Though, I still do want to try it. Maybe we can try it out after exams or something as a celebratory thing.” The others nod their heads in agreement. “Then it’s settled. Jazzy add it to the list and we will do it at the end of next term.”
They had a lot of lists that they went through, but in the end, they finally met all of their needs and found the perfect prank. They had to figure out a few logistical things as well as plan when they were going to do the prank, but otherwise, they had their first prank of the school year figured out, finally.
Several days later, in the middle of the week, the Marauders had finally finished making the potion they needed for their first prank of their last year. The prank would be going down that evening at dinner. To accomplish their prank, they had had to bribe the House Elves into putting their potion into everyone’s drinks that evening. There were 5 different potions that they gave to the house elves: a green one for Slytherin, a blue one for Ravenclaw, a red one for Gryffindor, a yellow one for Hufflepuff, and a purple one for the staff. It was the same sort of potion for each house, but to make sure the house elves didn’t get confused, they colored them.
After giving the house elves the potions that morning before their classes, they had to bribe them some more by making sure they didn’t tell the professors when they came down to see what had been done to the drinks. It was more effort than any of them had originally planned on, but what kind of prank would it be if it were easy to pull off without getting caught.
The potion’s effects were only temporary and would eventually wear off. The Marauders weren’t exactly sure how temporary it was, but they had found a spell that could reverse the effects just in case. They weren’t about to get stuck with the effects of the potion all night after all. They also weren’t about to let themselves not get pranked with this. If they didn’t get pranked themselves, they knew it would be too obvious for the professors to blame the prank on them.
The Marauders couldn’t wait until dinner to see their prank put into action.
By the time dinner rolled around, the Marauders were practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. They were really enthusiastic about this prank and felt it would be one of their better first prank ideas. In actuality, the boys believed their pranks had actually just improved a lot ever since they met Jasmine in their 5th year. Sometimes they couldn’t even remember a time without the girl. It had only been two years since they met Jaz, but it felt like they had been friends for way longer.
Upon entering the Great Hall for dinner, the Marauders were one of the few that were there already. They had decided to come early in order to get seats nearest to the exit just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. They really didn’t want to get detention, especially James, but in these times of uncertainty outside the walls of Hogwarts, they all knew that the students and even the professors need a laugh. And this prank would surely bring lots of laughs.
James took a seat at the very end of the table. Remus sat across from him as per usual. Though, Jasmine, instead of sitting next to James like she normally did, decided to mix things up and sit next to Remus for once. Sirius was now faced with a decision of whether to sit next to his best mate and “brother” or his loving girlfriend. Given that Sirius had spent an entire summer with just James, he decided to sit next to Jasmine. Peter, not wanting to have uneven seating, took the seat next to James. It was odd to see them like they were sitting, but no one who was in the Great Hall seemed to take not of the 5 of them.
As the Marauders’ waited for others to show up, they talked about their classes. James and Sirius complained about how long their transfiguration work was, while Jasmine and Remus rolled their eyes at the two boys' ridiculousness. They also talked about quidditch. James once again tried to convince Sirius to join the team (“Come on, Pads! You are an amazing beater. We would definitely win the cup with you on the team.”). To which Sirius again turned him down (“No, Prongs. I don’t care how badly you want me to play, I’m not doing it.”). Sirius had been on the Gryffindor quidditch team once upon a time but quit after accidentally injuring Regulus, his brother, in the Gryffindor v. Slytherin match. Ever since Sirius refused to be on the team as long as Regulus was on the team. Even though he and Regulus had drifted apart (especially after Sirius “moved out”), Sirius still cared for his brother. He did not like the choices that he was making or who Regulus was associating with, but he was still Sirius’s brother and Sirius wanted to protect him.
Soon most of the student body along with all of the professors (and Hagrid) were at dinner. People had been eating for some time now as there wasn’t a set time for dinner as it was just served between certain hours. And yet, the Marauders’ prank hadn’t occurred, but that didn’t surprise any of them. Though they had bribed the house elves into putting the different potions in each of the houses and professors’ drinks, they hadn’t told them that there was a time component that they had added. After all, they wanted to get as many people as possible with this prank.
Only moments later, the first sign of their prank working had been heard. Out of nowhere, a random roar could be heard from the end of the Gryffindor table. It just so happened to be coming from one James Potter. Not long after, the rest of the Marauders erupted into roars. Anytime any of them opened their mouths, all that could be heard was a roar. Therefore, the Marauders, despite wanting to laugh, the boys and Jasmine shut their traps. They wanted to see how long it would take for the effects to occur for the other houses. It wasn’t long after before they got their wish. Suddenly from the Slytherin table, you could hear hissing noises making them sound like snakes. Also, from the Ravenclaw table, you could hear caws and squeaks as if they were eagles. The sounds that came from Hufflepuff were almost what did the five Marauders in, but they stayed strong and held their resolve. The Hufflepuffs were emitting purr sounds like badgers. It was absolutely hilarious. The rest of the Gryffindors were also roaring as well. It almost sounded like a zoo in the Great Hall.
What finally broke the pranksters was when the professors started to speak to calm the students down but all that came out were various animal sounds. Out of McGonagall’s mouth came meows. The Marauders couldn’t help themselves. Hagrid was making bear sounds, which was amazing as he could almost pass for one, not that that was a bad thing. The Marauders just figured that it would fit him perfectly. Anyway, Flitwick was making a tweet sound like that of a small bird. He was a Ravenclaw after all, but given his size, the Marauders thought it would be perfect to have him make sounds that smaller birds would make. Then there was Slughorn, who was basically also making hiss sounds, but every so often there would be a rattling sound. He was head of Slytherin, so the Marauders decided to have him still make his sounds, but also include rattles as if he were a rattlesnake or something. Finally, Dumbledore was making sounds that his phoenix Hawks would make. The boys and Jasmine couldn’t help themselves. For the other professors, the Marauders couldn’t think of what animal to do, so they just randomized it. So now, once the professors started speaking, it sounded like a zoo in Great Hall.
The Marauders were now laughing, or rather roaring, their arses off. They couldn’t help it, their prank had gone off exactly as they had planned, and it was hysterical. It was quite a while later that the boys and Jasmine had finally calmed enough to finish their meals. They did chuckle a bit more as they were eating upon seeing some of the students’ faces, but other than that, they tried to finish dinner as fast as possible. They felt that they needed to get out of there sooner rather than later. The five of them could feel McGonagall glaring at them. They knew they would be in trouble if they didn’t get out of the Great Hall before the end of dinner. Although, it wasn’t like McGonagall had concrete proof of that they were that made this happen. She only suspected them, which they knew was reasonable given their past.
Upon finishing their meal, the five pranksters quickly left the Great Hall. Though, Jasmine couldn’t help but look back to see if any of the professors were getting up to follow them. Instead of seeing professors following them, Jaz saw McGonagall chuckling at the five of them. It was a sight that she never thought she would see, so she had to tell the boys. “Guys, turn around! I don’t think that we will be getting punished for this prank.”
Confused at the girl’s statement, the four boys turned around. They followed Jasmine’s gaze to where the professors were sitting and were just as surprised as Jasmine to see not only McGonagall but Dumbledore as well chuckling. They were almost frozen in shock at the sight, but then Dumbledore winked at them, and they quickly made their way out of the Great Hall.
The five of them ran to a nearby classroom where they reversed the effects of the potion. Then they left a note on McGonagall’s office door with instructions on how to reverse the effects of the potion if it didn’t wear off like it was supposed to. They figured McGonagall was bound to see it that way. The Marauders hoped it was an unnecessary precaution though. They didn’t exactly want everyone in the Great Hall to be like that all night, except maybe the Slytherins. Although they didn’t really want to just hear hissing in their classes with Slytherins tomorrow. That would get old real quick.
The next morning when the Marauders went down to breakfast together, they were relieved to find that everyone was speaking normally. They found out from Lily at breakfast that not long after they left, the effect of the prank had started to wear off. “You guys are insane, you know that? That prank, though brilliant, could have landed you all in some hot water if it hadn’t worn off.”
“We had that covered, Lils,” Jasmine reassured her cousin, but Lily just glared at her in confusion. “We had a contingency just in case it didn’t wear off like it was supposed to.”
Lily’s eyebrows raised in slight surprise. “Wow, you guys really planned this out really well. I’m impressed. How did you even do it?”
The five of them just looked at each other having a silent conversation about whether they wanted to reveal their pranking secrets to Lily. Upon coming to a silent decision, Jaz was chosen to speak for all of them. “Well, Lils, we can’t tell you that, at least not here. We still don’t want to get in trouble, especially James. Plus, we don’t know who’s listening. So, if you are still curious after classes, let me know and we will tell you just how we came up with this amazing prank.”
Lily nodded. “Okay, guys. I’m definitely going to want to know. That was so impressive magic that I don’t think anyone will soon be forgetting.” Lily then got up from her seat between Jasmine and Marlene (the girls had decided to join the Marauders for breakfast that morning) and started to gather her stuff. Then, with Jasmine and Marlene going with her, Lily exited the Great Hall leaving the boys to stare after the girls before quickly gathering up their stuff and following them out of the Great Hall.
Later on, they ended up taking Lily to an empty and secluded classroom to tell her how they accomplished their amazing prank. Lily was particularly interested in the potion they made and how they made it, but what really piqued her interest was when they told her about how they got the potion into everyone’s drinks.
“Wait! You five know where the kitchens are, and you didn’t tell me!” Lily looked at each of them accusatory. Meanwhile, the five accused were confused as to why Lily was so upset, but they soon go their answer as Lily continued. “Do you know how many times I have accidentally missed a meal because of studying or because I lost track of time? Oh my god, you five. I wish you had told me you knew where the kitchens are. I’ve been looking for them forever.”
“Wait, you mean to tell me that you still haven’t found the kitchens after all this time?” James asked. “It's literally in the same corridor as the Hufflepuff common room.”
Lily turned and faced James. “What?! Are you serious?”
“No, but he is,” James jokes pointing over a Sirius.
Lily rolled her eyes but still let out a small chuckle. “If it has been by the Hufflepuff common room this whole time, how come I haven’t found it?”
“Well, it’s not entirely obvious,” James explained. “The doorway is that picture of a pear and to enter you have to tickle the pear. That’s the only way it will open. And believe me, we have tried other ways.”
Lily stared at James for a moment, debating whether to believe him or not. It was such a ridiculous notion, she doubted that he would make it up. Thus, Lily chose to believe James, but not without a stipulation. “You better take me there sometime. There I no way that I am going down to the kitchens alone and tickling some pear. I don’t plan on looking like a fool.”
James sighed and agreed. “Fine. Anytime you want, one of us should be available to go with you, right guys.” James looked around at his friends who were all nodding their heads in agreement.
“Then it’s settled. You owe me a trip to the kitchens, Marauders.” With that, Lily turned and exited the empty classroom. She didn’t look back once, but the Marauders all stared at her. Lily had never called them the Marauders, at least not aloud in their presence.
It wasn’t long after Lily left that the Marauders left as well. They all headed back to the common room to do some of the work they had been assigned. Overall, they were happy. It had been a great day, especially after finding out how well their prank had gone after they had left.
Notes:
This was more of a filler chapter which is why it will probably be the shortest chapter in this “book.” I didn’t want to just brush over their first last prank at Hogwarts. And I would have made it longer, but I thought this was a good place to stop. Anyway, I found the prank idea on Reddit when someone asked for Marauders’ prank ideas. I thought it was a good idea, so I took it. It was said by Little-Violinish4107 on Reddit. The other prank ideas I found off of Tumblr from the same person who gave me the idea for the first prank the Marauders pulled with Jasmine. Hope you enjoyed this pranky chapter, let me know if you did. I’m a bit iffy with the ending but let me know what you all thought.
Until Whenever,
🏰 Knk6700 🏰
Chapter 4: Operation Jily
Summary:
Jily seems to be in trouble. Instead of James and Lily coming together, it seems that they are drifting apart, which is not what Jasmine, Remus, and Sirius were expecting to see, especially with how James has been acting as of late. That’s why this trio has come up with Operation Jily. How will their plan end? Will it mean the sailing or sinking of the ship?
Notes:
Back at it again with another chapter. This chapter I’ve been planning since before I even started writing this sequel. It is going to be Jily centric, but you know it is still going to be amazing. Anyway, I know that I have stayed pretty canon so far, but I have been reading various headcanons about the Marauders, specifically centering around Regulus. Some of them I wanted to incorporate into my story, and I wanted to know if you guys would be okay with that. Please let me know what you think. I know that some people like canon over AU.
Also, I have been writing stuff for later in this series and decided that Sazzy will be having a daughter. I thank those of you who gave suggested names, but I have picked out 5 names that I have picked out. I then put those names in a poll that is up on my Fanfiction.net profile, so pls go check it out. Sorry for the long note. Anyway, Enjoy!Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 4: Operation Jily
The next couple of weeks after the prank were relatively calm. The Marauders hadn’t pulled any other pranks what with how busy some of them were. It was hard to find a time to plan for pranks between their workload for their NEWT courses as well as Remus’s, Jasmine’s, and James’s rounds schedules. Now technically James is in charge of creating the rounds schedules, but he does that with Lily. He would prefer that she didn’t see him trying to rig the system so that he could plan pranks. James did not want Lily thinking he was still that immature and irresponsible. That would not get him the date that he hoped to get in the coming weeks.
And anyway James, Sirius, Jasmine, and Remus, who Sirius and Jasmine convinced James to bring in on the planning, had been using any free time they had to plan how James would ask Lily out. So, instead of paying attention to Lily so much, James had inadvertently stopped fawning over the girl. He wasn’t doing it intentionally, but rather his mind was just more focused on other things at the moment. Also, James wanted to keep his mind off of asking Lily out so that he didn’t just do it spontaneously while they were doing Heads stuff or hanging out together or something. And if he did that, James wouldn’t be asking her out again because he wasn’t going to go back on his promise to himself.
The others noticed his behavior and believed that it was going to get Lily to notice James more. Jasmine was sure that by the time they finished their plan for how James was going to ask Lily would be more than willing to go on that date that James has wanted for like 5 years.
Everything seemed to be going great for the Marauders. And they should have known that it was too good to be true. It had to end sometime, so they should have known but of course, they didn’t. Instead, it came upon them suddenly and unexpectedly in the form of Lily Evans. They were about a quarter into the term when Lily came to Jasmine with some startling news but somewhat fortunate news.
Lily had been stressing out for a couple of weeks now. At first, she just thought it was from the workload she was facing combined with her Head Girl duties. As the weeks went on and she was getting used to her workload and Head Girl duties, she was able to establish a schedule to better manage her work and duties so that she wasn’t as stressed. But after she had done all that she still felt rather stressed. Lily couldn’t understand why she would still be stressed. Although, it was now feeling less like stress and more like worry, but Lily couldn’t figure out what was worrying her. It wasn’t until she was sitting down with James a few weeks later to figure out rounds’ schedules for the next couple weeks that it suddenly hit her.
Lily and James were in an empty classroom not far from the Great Hall. They had felt that they would be the most productive in an empty classroom rather than the common room or the library. They wouldn’t be interrupted this way by any nosy Prefects wanting to change their rounds schedules or something. They could work in peace. And they worked well together, something that Lily noticed quite frequently over the past several months. She realized that they made a great team. She had also learned over the past year that James wasn’t all that bad. He was actually a great friend and fiercely loyal to those that he considered his family and friends. Now Lily still had a crush on James, and it had only grown since they had decided to be friends, but she still had yet to act on it. She still wasn’t sure whether James really deserved her love.
By thinking about her feelings for James Potter was what made her realize that for some reason that was what had been worrying her. She didn’t understand at first why that would be so worrying, but then it occurred to her that James hadn’t asked her out at all that term. He hadn’t really been fawning over her at all so far that term either. It was strange. This James Lily had never seen before and it was worrying her. Lily had always been sure of James’s feelings for her and how he felt about her. Now, she wasn’t so sure. And that, she realized, was what was worrying her because now she wanted to go on a date with him. She knew if he asked again that she would say yes, but he hadn’t asked. Lily, for the first time since 5th year, didn’t know if James Potter still loved her. She was afraid that she had kept him waiting too long and now he moved on.
Lily didn’t know what to do with this realization, especially since James was right next to her as they were going over the schedule. She couldn’t very well just blurt out her thoughts to James, especially not if he didn’t still feel the same way as she now felt about him.
Lily had zoned out upon her realization. James seemed to notice too, so when she came back, James asked, “Lily, are you okay?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Lily tried her best to collect her thoughts. She hoped she didn’t look too dazed if at all.
“Because you zoned out there. I’ve been trying to get your opinion on this rounds schedule for the past minute.”
Lily’s cheeks turned a bright red. “Oh. Um…. Sorry.”
“It’s no problem. I get it. No need to worry. I know this stuff can get tedious and boring sometimes. If you need a break, just let me know. I can come up with the rounds schedules without you, you know?”
Lily wanted to roll her eyes at the last part, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The rest of what he said was just so sweet and endearing. Lily couldn’t help but internally swoon at James’s words. Though, she did know that James could do this without her, it’s just that she liked spending time with him. And she told him as much. “I know you can, James, but I like spending time with you. We are friends for a reason after all. Plus, I like to check over the schedules. I don’t want you trying to rig the schedule in favor of Mina and Remus, as well as yourself.”
James pretend to be offended. “How dare you women! I would never.” Lily gives him a look before he breaks. “Okay maybe I would, but I wouldn’t do it very often. Though I don’t plan on doing it, so if you need a break, I can finish this up myself. I’m almost done anyway.” James flashed the ginger a smile.
“I’d rather stay, James. Since you’re almost done, I may as well just wait. You can show me those rounds schedules that you were trying to show me earlier.” And with that they got back to the schedules. Lily pushed her sudden realization to the back of her mind to think about later.
Later wouldn’t actually be until the weekend. Lily had been so busy the rest of the week that she didn’t have a moment to really think about her feelings for James let alone talk about them with anyone. So, when the weekend hit, Lily was finally able to relax. Immediately her realization and thoughts about James came flooding back to her. It was like a dam broke in her mind.
Upon remembering these thoughts, Lily knew she needed to talk to Jasmine and maybe Remus. But first Lily would talk to her cousin. If Remus happened to be with Jaz when Lily eventually found her, then she would just tell them both.
Lily found that her cousin was a hard person to track down or at least get alone. She eventually found Jasmine alone in the library. The other redhead had been exiting the library with some of her materials. Lily assumed that she had been doing some work or trying to get some done. Lily wasn’t sure which, but she was glad that Jasmine was finally alone. It really seemed like Sirius was always with her sometimes.
Lily grabbed her cousin’s arm and dragged her into the nearest empty classroom. She shoved Jasmine into the room before following her in. Then Lily became casting some spells. She really didn’t want anyone interrupting or overhearing their conversation, especially since it would involve her feelings for James.
Jasmine, who had fallen on the floor after being shoved into a random classroom, was getting up off the floor. She dusted herself off before looking up at whoever had shoved her in here. She was about to go off on them, that is until she saw that it had in fact been her cousin. Jasmine stared at her cousin confused. “Lils, what the hell was that?”
“Sorry, I’ve been trying to find the best time to tell you this, but you seem to always be with someone *ahem Sirius ahem*. It’s about James.”
That piqued Jasmines attention. “What? What about James? Is something wrong?” Jaz could see the distress in Lily’s eyes clearly. Jasmine could tell her cousin was worried about something, and that it somehow had to do with James Potter.
“Oh Jaz, I think I might just fancy him more than I thought.” Lily sank down into one of the empty chairs.
Jasmine took the seat next to Lily. “Yes, and how does that warrant you dragging me into this random empty classroom and pushing me in?”
“It’s not just that I fancy him, Mina. I want to date him, but now I’m afraid he doesn’t feel the same way. He hadn’t been fawning over me at all this term despite the fact that we work even closer together now. And I thought back on it, he hasn’t asked me out once this term. He usually has tried to ask me out at least once or twice by now. What does it mean? You’re his friends too Jaz! Has he said anything? Is he over me now? What is going on Jaz? Why has he suddenly changed?”
Jasmine stared open mouthed at her cousin. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So, wait, Lils! Are you telling me that if James asked you out on date right now, you would actually say yes?”
“Yes! What part of that didn’t you understand that I fancy James and I want to go on a date with him? But he clearly doesn’t feel the same anymore, so what do I do, Mina?”
Jasmine couldn’t believe it. She was in complete awe over Lily’s insecurities about James. It was at that moment that Jasmine knew that they (herself, Sirius, and Remus) would have to accelerate their timetable and plan to get James and Lily (Jily) together. Otherwise Lily’s insecurities would take over and she might not say yes if she thought James was just pitying her or something. “Don’t worry, Lils. I’m sure that he still fancies you. You just wait. I’m sure he will ask you on that date any day now.” Jasmine gave her cousin a reassuring smile.
Lily smiled back feeling a bit better, but she was still unsure. She really hoped that Jasmine was right about James asking her out soon. The girl wasn’t sure how much longer she would wait for the boy to ask. She would do it herself, but she didn’t exactly want to face rejection from the boys she continually rejected over the years.
The next day, Sunday, Jasmine knew she had to talk with Sirius and Remus about what Lily had confided in her yesterday. Luckily, she was able to get the two of them alone after breakfast as Peter had some work he needed to finish up and James had quidditch tryouts. So, as the Marauders walked back to Gryffindor tower, Jasmine stayed farther back. Sirius obviously noticed this and joined her. He wasn’t sure what she was up to, but he was going to find out. As he was about to ask his girlfriend what was up, Jaz pulled Sirius close and whispered in his ear, “Get Remus.”
Sirius knew immediately what this was about and pulled Remus back to join them. Remus had not been expecting it, so he was thrown off balance and let out a sound of surprise. The other two boys didn’t seem to hear it, though.
Now that Jasmine had gotten both Sirius and Remus “alone,” she grabbed their arms and dragged them to their usual empty classroom. She shoved them inside, like Lily had yesterday, and began casting the usual spells so no one would overhear their conversation.
Once Jasmine was done, she turned and looked at her companions. They both looked rather curious, but it was Remus who spoke first. To Sirius, he said, “You know, you could have just tapped my shoulder to get my attention, Padfoot.” Remus was clearly annoyed with Sirius’s tactics.
Sirius responded, “Where’s the fun in that?”
Remus only rolled his eyes and turned his attention toward Jasmine. “So, Jaz, why have you brought us here? Have you learned something new on the James and Lily front?”
Jasmine smiled and nodded, but her smile quickly fell as she explained what she had learned from Lily. “Yesterday Lily told me that if James were to ask her out again, she would say yes.”
Sirius interrupted her story. “Wait. Isn’t that a good thing? Why aren’t you more excited?”
“Normally it would be an excellent thing, but if you would let me finish you will see why it’s not.” Jasmine glared at her boyfriend, who had the decency to look sheepish. “Lily also told me that she was afraid that James no longer felt the same way. Her insecurities are starting to take over which is not a good thing. If James waits too long to ask her out this final time, she might not believe he is being genuine about it. Lily isn’t the type of girl to let some boy mess with here feelings. Therefore, we need to speed up our timetable. James needs to ask Lily within the next couple weeks. You see the problem now?”
Both boys nodded. They knew they needed to finish their plan within the next couple of days or else Jily might never happen. Sirius spoke first, “Well, then we better get cracking then. We’re almost finished anyway, so it shouldn’t take too long to finish our plan.” The other two agreed. Jasmine, who had been planning on doing this after breakfast, took out the parchment they were using for their plans with James.
They worked all day on their plan only stopping to get food. Thankfully, they had already finished all the work that they had due on Monday, so they had the time. So, they worked until they couldn’t anymore, which is when they finished the plan, which they nicknamed “Operation Jily”. It was brilliant and just a tad bit extravagant (so James would be on board). All they had to do now was go over the plan with James and convince him to go through with it sometime this week.
Convincing James was rather easy. He had so much else going on that he was just glad they had finally finished the plan. He thought the plan was perfect, which is why convincing James to go through with it sometime that same week didn’t take much.
They all agreed that it would be best to do the plan on Friday in an empty classroom near the Great Hall. That way Jasmine could easily lead Lily there without her cousin asking too many questions. Also, they figured that by doing it in an empty classroom, they could easily keep it a secret from Lily and set everything up ahead of time. It was going to be amazing, at least that is what they thought. Little did they know, their plan wouldn’t go the way the expected it to.
By the time Friday had rolled around, the empty classroom was all set up and ready to go for “Operation Jily.” It was locked so that no one could ruin their surprise or tear anything down. They were extra careful to make sure the room stayed like it was supposed to. They didn’t need anything messing up their perfectly laid plan.
In the room, all of the desks and chairs had been pushed to the back of the room and hidden behind a big red curtain that they had magically hung so that it would stretch across the room. The rest of the room was left the same because they didn’t want to go overboard and change the entire room. That would be a bit extreme. They laid a trail of jasmine petals from the door to where James would be standing with a bouquet of jasmines waiting for Jasmine to bring Lily in. It turned out that Lily’s favorite flowers were jasmines and Jasmine’s favorite flowers were lilies.
The room was all set. All James had to do was ask Lily out now. He planned to do it after dinner because he wanted the time to relax after classes before he went through with the plan.
Before classes on Friday, Jasmine and Sirius double checked on the room to make sure that the room was still intact. Thankfully it was just how they had left it. And when Remus checked on it during lunch, it was the same. No one thought to check it after that. That would be their downfall.
James left dinner earlier to go get the bouquet and wait for Jasmine to bring Lily in, but what he found was the door to the room wide open. Everything was gone and the room was set up how it was before they changed it. James, standing in the doorway with wide eyes, couldn’t figure out what had happened. The others had told him it was fine all day. Little did James know, there was a sneaky Slytherin with greasy black hair just around the corner watching him. Snape had seen Remus go in the room after lunch and went to check it out. Upon seeing the room, he knew what it was for. Being the jealous spiteful person that Severus Snape was, especially when it came to Lily, he banished all the decorations and magically put everything back in its correct place.
James was freaking out. Lily would be their any moment and their entire plan had gone up in flames. It was ruined. Then James remembered the two-way mirror that he had in his pocket. He knew Sirius always had his own two-way mirror with him, so James quickly contacted his best mate. “Sirius,” James said into the mirror.
It wasn’t long after that Sirius’s face popped up in the mirror. “What is it, mate?”
“The room is gone. Everything is all gone. It has been put back to the way it was before. What do I do?”
Sirius, who was still at the Gryffindor table, had relayed what had happened to Remus as Jasmine had already left with Lily. “Tell James to wait in the room. This could still work. Lily might actually like this plan better anyway,” Remus advised Sirius.
To mirror James, Sirius said, “Prongs, just wait in the room and go on with the plan. You still have the bouquet of jasmines, so it should still go over well. It just won’t be as perfect.”
James sighed. “Fine, but I still want to know how this happened.”
“Don’t worry, mate. We’ll find out. But you better hurry, Jasmine and Lily should be at the room soon.” James nodded and went into the room, closing the door behind him. He decided to sit at one of the desks and wait.
Not long after he sat down, Lily entered the room alone. Jasmine had told her that James wanted her for something in that room. Then Jaz left and went back to the Great Hall. On her way back, she happened to spot Snape, which she thought was odd, but she didn’t think anything of it until Sirius told her what had happened when she got back to the table. Though, Jasmine was steaming mad about what Snape had done and that their plan was ruined, she couldn’t help but wonder how Sirius had found out from James about the room. He hadn’t left or else the girls would have seen him on their way to the room. Jasmine wanted to ask about it but decided to push those thoughts to the side and ask about it later. Now she needed to plan on how they would be getting their revenge on the greasy Slytherin.
When James heard the door open, he went to get up from the desk, but he managed to bang his knee on the table and fell back into the seat in pain. He went to grab his knee, therefore dropping the flowers. Lily, who had just closed to door, saw James immediately. When she noticed that he was holding his knee in pain, she rushed over to him. “James! What’s wrong?”
James, startled by Lily's voice, jumped and hit his other knee on the table. “Dammit!” James yelled. He couldn’t believe his luck. This was turning out to be the worst way to ask Lily out.
Lily, on the other hand, wasn’t sure how to help the boy she fancied, so she just stood there and waited for the pain to pass. She put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. Upon doing so, Lily happened to see the bouquet of jasmines that were now lying on the ground under the table in front of James. She removed her hand from James and bent down to pick them up. James tried to stop her but failed. Lily grabbed the bouquet and stood up, turning to face James. “Jasmines. How did you know?”
James, still in pain from bumping his other knee against the table, tried to answer but couldn't form the words he wanted to say. Turns out he didn't need to as Lily already knew. Jasmine was the only one who knew her favorite flower. It was then that Lily realized what her cousin had been up to. Lily realized that James was planning on asking her out, and he would have already done it had it not been for his ‘injuries.’ So, Lily decided to take matters into her own hands.
Once Lily was sure that James wasn’t in too much pain anymore, she asked, “James, do you want to go out with me?”
James stared at the redhead, stunned. He was quiet for several moments before the words finally registered and he answered. “Yes, of course I want to go out with you, Lily. Hogsmeade? I know there is a weekend coming up soon. We can spend the day together. Or if you don’t want to wait that long we can do something else.” James continued to babble on until Lily got him to stop by kissing him on the lips. It wasn’t a very long kiss, rather more of a peck, but it did the job.
Pulling back, Lily couldn’t help the smile that formed upon seeing James’s face. He was completely dumfounded as he was trying to wrap his head around what just happened. He was in a daze, while Lily was just happy to know that she hadn’t missed her chance with James Potter. She would have to thank Jasmine later. But first, she needed to let James know when their first date was going to be. “The first Hogsmeade weekend sounds great, James. We can meet up in the common room and head down together.” Lily smiled at the messy haired boy sitting in front of her.
He was smiling back at her. Then James pulled Lily down into his lap. “Perfect. I will patiently await until then, but I must warn you, I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep my hands to myself until then.”
Lily laughed at James ridiculousness. "You better keep your hands to yourself, otherwise, there might not be a second date or another kiss.”
“But Lily-pad, that’s so unfair,” James complained.
“Don’t worry James, you won’t have to wait too long for that second kiss if you behave yourself.”
James raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? And how might I earn this second kiss from you, my lovely Ginger.”
Lily giggled at the new nickname. She rather liked that one. It was much better than 'Lily-pad.’ “If you stop calling me Lily-pad, I think we can work something out.”
Throughout their conversation, they had both been moving their faces closer to each other. Now they were only inches away from each other when James responded. “I think I can manage that, Ging.” And with that, they closed the distance between them and kissed for the second time.
This kiss was different from the first. This one was full of passion. It wasn’t brief in the slightest. Actually, it soon turned into an all-out snogging session, which was interrupted when Jasmine, Sirius, and Remus barged into the room without knocking. James had heard the door open, so he broke his kiss with Lily. Lily, disappointed and confused, looked at James questioningly. He answered by pointing toward the door. Lily turned around, still sitting in James’s lap. Upon seeing her cousin and the two other boys, Lily’s cheeks flared. She was embarrassed to be found sitting on James’s lap, so she quickly got up careful not to knock her knee against the table like James had. Lily stood up and dusted herself off. She turned back to James and winked before exiting the room and heading toward Gryffindor tower. The other, including James, watched her leave. Then the trio turned their attention back to James.
"I'm guessing she said yes.” Sirius smirked at his best mate.
James, also smirking, responded, “Actually, no. I said yes.”
The two other boys looked confused, while Jasmine just looked surprised. Thus, she just had to confirm her suspicions. “You mean to tell us that Lily is the one who asked you out, Prongs?”
“Yep! That’s right. I knew she fancied me.”
Everyone laughed at his last statement. Then, knowing his mates would want to know, James recounted what happened between him and Lily. He didn’t leave a single detail out.
As James was telling them about how he and Lily ended up in the position that the trio found them in, Sirius couldn’t help but think about how flirty Lily Evans was. He didn’t think the girl had that in her. Although it could have been that James just brought that side out of her. Whatever the case, Sirius was just happy that Jily was finally together at last.
Notes:
Please read the author’s note at the beginning of this chapter. I want to know if you guys would be okay with me going AU. I want to do some stuff with Regulus and include him a bit more in this story because he is still Sirius’s brother, who Sirius still wants to protect.
As I said in the AN at the beginning, I ended up deciding the gender of Sazzy’s future child (girl). I have come up with 5 different names and put them in a poll on my FF.net profile if you want to go check that out and vote (here’s the link: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7372261/knk6700). If you don’t want to vote on the poll or it’s not there, here are your choices: Carina/Cara, Celeste, Aurora, Stella/Estella, and Danica. Please tell me which name you prefer. Thanks.Pretty Please Review,
📝 Knk6700 📝
Chapter 5: The Hogsmeade Dates
Summary:
Jily is finally going on their first date. What does the head boy have in store for the head girl? Will James’s plan go as he planned it, or will it go completely off rails? And where is Sazzy during all of this?
Notes:
A/N The day has come. Jily is finally going on their first date. And well Sazzy kind of is too. They haven't really been on a Hogsmeade date that wasn’t set up for them, so they are both going on dates. And I really hope you vote for a name for Sazzy’s daughter’s name. (see the previous chapter for more info)
Also, I am deeply sorry for the extended delay on getting this chapter out. I’ve been pretty busy lately babysitting my cousins. Also, I have gotten into this television series called Bones and I absolutely love it, so I’ve been binge-watching all the seasons for the last couple of weeks. That has kept me pretty busy. I’m also working on something that I think you will all really like. I hope to finish it soon. Until then I will keep it a surprise.One last thing that I hope you read. Anyway, when it gets to the day of the date I’m going to be switching back and forth between the date that James and Lily are on and the one that Sirius and Jasmine are on. I felt it would be fun to do it that way. I hope it doesn’t confuse anyone.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 5: The Hogsmeade Dates
James and Lily had to wait until the second weekend in October before he and Lily could finally go on their first date. The first Hogsmeade weekend wasn’t until then, so they had to wait. That did not mean they kept to themselves, though. It almost seemed like every time one of the Marauders, besides James entered the common room, James and Lily were all over each other. Jasmine once disturbing found her cousin and James sitting in a dark nook in Gryffindor common room. James was sitting in a particularly hidden armchair. He had appeared to have been doing his Transfiguration. Meanwhile, Lily was sitting on the floor in between James's legs reading a book. To anyone besides Jasmine the scene might have thought it was cute. Jasmine, who did think that it was cute, but it didn’t occur to her that when James and Lily got together that it would like her brother and sister together. Thus, it was quite disturbing for the girl at times when she saw them together. She was still happy they were finally together, though.
None of the Marauders really appreciated finding Jily snogging in the common room and even sometimes the boys’ dorm room. Finding them in there was especially unappreciated by the boys. Jasmine and the other girls had yet to find them in their dorm room yet despite James and the other boys know how to get up to the girls’ dorms. Jasmine was rather grateful for that.
They were exaggerating how much the two were actually snogging or just all over each other, though. In reality, the new couple was just found together a lot of the time not really because they were a couple now but rather because they were still Head Boy and Head Girl. They still needed to work together, and it wasn’t always all that easy when they were surrounded by other people. They found that they worked best in the Marauders’ dorm when it was empty as well as with the common room. It just worked well for them. And if they happened to sit closer, well that was just that. They were together now and everyone else would just have to deal with it. Even if they happened to find them giving each other a chaste kiss goodbye or snogging in a broom closet (not that they ever did snog in a broom closet).
As the new couple Jily was enjoying their time together until their first official date, there was “trouble” a brewing between Sirius and Jasmine. While the two were overly happy for their respective best friends, they had realized that they hadn’t focused much on their own relationship. Sure, they spent time together and hung out and occasionally snogged in a broom closet, but despite all that, they realized they hadn’t truly been on many traditional dates. Therefore, Sirius being the ridiculously dramatic person that he was, decided that he was going to plan the most amazing date for him and Jasmine that same Hogsmeade weekend. It would be a date Sirius would make sure that Jaz would never forget (and he was absolutely right).
Time seemed to fly as the term continued for the young 7th years. Before they knew it, the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term was upon them. And that meant that Jily would be going on their first date. Sirius would also be taking Jasmine on a date too because they haven’t really gone on many date dates. Also, Sirius wanted to do something special for the girl that he loved so much, so why not plan a special Hogsmeade weekend date with her. But Jasmine didn’t exactly know that Sirius had something big planned for their date. She knew they were going on a date of course, but she didn’t know that Sirius had actually planned out a date for them. She just figured that they would do what they usually did. So, she was in for a surprise.
The morning of their dates, both James and Sirius woke up early. They (mainly James) needed time to get ready for their dates. Sirius only woke up early because he knew how James was about his hair. He knew his best mate would be even more particular given this was his first date with Lily. Therefore, Sirius needed to be the first one to show or else they would be late. Thankfully, Sirius was able to grab the shower first. James waited patiently for his friend to finish. He busied himself by picking out his outfit so it would be ready when he finished.
It wasn’t long before Sirius exited the bathroom in nothing more than a towel. James hurriedly took a shower so he could do his hair. He used some of his father’s hair potion in an attempt to fix his unruly hair. It looked terrible so he took another shower and tried again still using Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. It still didn't look right so he washed it out again. Third times the charm, right? It was in this case because James decided to give up and style his hair as he usually would. That meant using the smallest amount of his father’s hair potion and running it through his hair in an attempt to tame it at least somewhat. He looked in the mirror before exiting the bathroom. It isn’t how he wanted it, but it looks better than it did in his 2 other previous attempts.
When James finally steps out of the bathroom, he sees that Sirius is already ready to go. He's wearing his usual black leather jacket that Jasmine gave him. He’s wearing it over a black Led Zeppelin shirt that Lily gave him when they bonded after Lily and Jasmine introduced him to Muggle music. Sirius is also wearing some regular old jeans. Upon seeing Sirius ready to go, James gets dressed quickly grabbing the clothes that he had already picked out. He puts on a light blue collared shirt then pulls on a deep blue jumper that his mother got him. He pulls on some khakis, but he doesn’t tuck his shirt in. He also slips on his watch. Then he turns to Sirius, and they head down to the common room to wait for the girls.
On the way down Sirius makes sure to tease James about his excessive showering. “I mean come on, how many times do you need to shower? It’s insanity that you showered 3 times this morning. Were you really that smelly?” That last remark earned Sirius a smack upside the head from James, but otherwise, James said nothing.
Meanwhile, the girls also had gotten up early to get ready. Well, actually Lily got up early and woke up Jasmine to help her get ready for her big date. Jaz had not been happy about that at first, but hearing the distress and worry in Lily’s voice, Jaz got over it. “Mina, I am so grateful you aren’t that mad at me. I just really needed your help. I have no idea what I should wear.”
Jasmine sighed exasperated, “Lils, just wear clothes. Anything you wear, James will think you look beautiful in. That boy has fancied you since like 5th year. He will think you look great in anything that you wear.”
Lily had the decency to blush, but she still couldn’t help but fret over what to wear and how to do her hair. “But Mina, what if I wear the wrong thing. I really fancy James and I would hate to screw this up on the very first date.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Really, Lils? You two have been together official or not for like the past month and you’re worried that one date is going to ruin all that? That’s ridiculous Lils. One date isn’t going to change your relationship with James even if it goes horribly wrong.”
Finally seeing the logic in her cousin’s argument, Lily’s nerves settled a little bit. She was able to calm herself down enough to dismiss most of her worries, but she still was going to need Jasmine’s help picking out what to wear. “Fine. You’re right, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to want your help picking out my outfit. I want to knock James off his feet, but you know I don’t want to freeze. It is getting cooler.”
Jasmine smirked. “Of course. That is not going to be a problem.” Jasmine grabbed some of Lily’s clothes that she knew James would absolutely love and pulled her cousin into the bathroom as to not disturb their other dormmates any more than they probably already had.
Lily ended up in a long-sleeve forest green shirt with the sleeves flaring out. The shirt had a square neckline that showed off the necklace that James got Lily beautifully. For her bottoms, Jaz grabbed one of her own pair of pants for Lily to borrow. They are high waist ripped jeans that absolutely hug her hips in a way that accent her curves perfectly. They go well with the shirt she had on.
After picking out an outfit that would definitely knock James off his feet, Jasmine helped Lily do her makeup. They decided to only put a little on as Lily was already naturally beautiful. She didn’t need her face caked with makeup covering that up. While Jaz was doing that, Lily realized that her cousin still needed to get ready too. Once Jaz finished, Lily brought up her concern. “Mina! We’ve been so focused on getting me ready that you still haven’t gotten ready.”
Jasmine looked down and noticed that she was indeed still in her pajamas. “Don’t worry, Lils. I already got my outfit picked out and everything. I wasn’t planning on doing anything with my hair or makeup so don’t you dare try and do anything.”
Lily backed up. “Wasn’t planning on it, Mina. But you have to hurry or else we will be late.” Lily exited the bathroom, with Jaz following close behind. She quickly grabbed one of her favorite outfits which consisted of a grey long sleeve shirt that hung of her one shoulder. It also included her favorite pair of bell-bottom jeans. As for jewelry, Jasmine wore her usual friendship bracelet from Lily as well as her charm bracelet from Sirius. She added a musical note necklace that Lily gave her years ago. Once she was ready, she exited the bathroom to show Lily. Her cousin nodded her head in approval, and then they headed down to the common room to meet up with their dates.
The boys were sitting by the fireplace waiting for the girls. They were discussing something, but neither girl could hear what they were saying since they were too far away, and they were whispering amongst themselves. They did notice that the two didn’t seem to hear or notice them, so they took this as an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. The girls snuck down the stairs and behind their dates. Once behind them, the girls threw their arms around their respective dates shouting “Boo!”
The two boys jumped, started by the girls’ actions. James and Sirius, not knowing it was the girls turned around instinctively with their wands raised. They were ready to defend themselves until they realized who had “scared” them. They lowered their wands so that they weren’t aimed at their dates, who were now laughing at them. They continued to laugh for couple more moments before calming down.
“That was great, Lils.” Jasmine raised her hand looking for a high five from Lily. Lily obliged and slapped her cousin’s hand.
“I agree, Mina. I didn’t expect them to react like that, but it was still priceless.” Lily gave her cousin a grin before turning her attention back to the boys who were now glaring at their dates. The girls could tell they weren’t all that mad at them as they could see there was a glimmer of amusement in their eyes. Lily gave the boys a grin before saying, “So, are we going or not?”
James rolled his eyes and chuckled. He walked around the couch and offered his arm to Lily. “Shall we?”
Lily laughed and hooked her arm in James’s. Then James led the redhead out of the Gryffindor common room. They left the other two behind as they headed down to get breakfast before their date in Hogsmeade.
Jily’s Hogsmeade date
James led Lily with their arms linked all the way down to the Great Hall. On the way, he told her, “Lily-pad, you look beautiful. I love the outfit.”
Lily grinned. “Really? Because I wasn’t sure what to wear this morning.”
“It’s perfect, especially for what I have planned for today.” James leaned down and kissed Lily on the cheek. It was then that he noticed the necklace. “Hey, isn’t that the necklace I gave you for Christmas? I’m glad that you are making use of it. It looks great.”
Lily blushes and feels the need to confess just how often she’s been wearing the necklace. “Yeah, well it’s my favorite necklace. Actually, I haven’t really taken it off since I first put it on.”
James’s jaw dropped at the sudden revelation. “Wait! What? How could that be? I’ve never seen you wear it before now. The last time I saw you wear it was the ball.”
“I’ve worn it under my clothes, mainly my robes since then, doofus.”
“That’s fair.” James laughed at Lily’s insult before changing the subject. They continued talking all the way down to the Great Hall. Though they would have kept talking as they entered, James, ever the bragger, stopped at the entrance to announce to everyone in there, “I'm going on a date with Lily Evans!" Then he leads Lily over to Gryffindor table.
Upon taking their seats, Lily smacks James’s arm in retaliation for the stunt he just pulled. This causes them to get into a small disagreement over his actions with James insisting that it was necessary and Lily seeing it as ridiculous. While they are arguing, they are oblivious to what is going on around them. They fail to notice the exchange of money being made throughout most of the hall. Most of it happens at the Gryffindor table but there is some money being exchanged between Ravenclaws and between Hufflepuffs. There is even money being exchanged between professors.
By the time James and Lily have resolved their argument all the money from bets has been e exchanged. It was a good thing it was because their disagreement was resolved rather quickly. James didn't want to ruin their date with this stupid argument, so he apologized to Lily. Though, he did warn her that it was bound to happen again as that was just who he was. It didn’t matter if he was head boy or not.
As the two of them eat their breakfast, James starts to tell Lily what he has in store for their big date. Originally, he was going to plan it with Sirius, but then they got busy. They both still ended up planning their dates but did so separately. James tells Lily, “Despite being friends for almost a year now, Lily, I wasn’t actually sure where you wanted to go in Hogsmeade. So, I decided that we could just stroll around Hogsmeade before stopping for lunch. I figured that if you want to go somewhere specific, we can stop there whenever you want.”
Lily was surprised that James actually thought to take her feelings and wants into account when he was planning their date. Lily hadn’t really been on many dates where the guy actually took that incentive and cared about what she wanted. Her previous dates obviously fancied her or were at least interested at least at first, but then when it came to the date they didn't really take an interest in her and her wants. For this reason (and others) she hadn’t really had a long-term boyfriend over the years. She had a few boyfriends over the years but none that stuck around for that long. She had suspected that James might have had something to do with that, but it didn’t really matter to her now since she was dating James.
Lily gave James a peck on the cheek in appreciation for his considerations. “I love that idea. We can window shop as we stroll around.” Now James wasn’t sure what window shopping was, but if Lily enjoyed it, he would give it a try. Who knows, maybe he would enjoy it too.
Upon finishing breakfast, James and Lily walked hand-in-hand to the Hogwarts castle entrance to wait for the carriages. Also waiting were other students, 3rd year and above. The 3rd years looked particularly excited as this would be their first time visiting the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. James was internally about as excited as they were about this Hogsmeade weekend. Externally, though, he only seemed a fraction as excited as the 3rd years. He had a reputation to uphold after all. He couldn’t lose his cool just because he was finally going on a date with the girl he had fancied since 5th year. Thus, he would at least try to keep up appearances and look as suave as he could manage with the knowledge that he was finally going on a date with Lily Evans. And he appeared to be at least partly successful at keeping his cool around Lily thus far. Although, he had run his hands through his hair a few times already. That was a nervous habit of his. He just hoped his habit hadn’t ruined his hair that he had worked so hard on this morning.
James was brought out of his nervous internal ramblings when Lily squeezed his hand. “Hey! Let’s get going. The carriages await.” Lily smiled that smile that James loved oh so much. Then she dragged him out the door to the awaiting carriages.
Sazzy’s Hogsmeade Date
After James and Lily had left the two of them alone in the common room, they stood in silence momentarily before Sirius awkwardly suggested, “So, I guess we should get going too.”
Jasmine had a different idea, though. “Actually, I was thinking that instead of going down to breakfast in the Great Hall, we sneak down to the kitchens for breakfast. Then I figure we can sneak off early through the passageway that leads to the cellar at Honeydukes.
Sirius loves the idea. “Sounds perfect! Better than what I originally had planned.”
Hearing that Sirius had actually had something planned for this date, Jasmine immediately wanted to know what he had planned. She wasn’t all that big on surprises, so the fact that Sirius was keeping his plans for this date unsettled her. “What did you have planned?” Her only response was a shake of the head from Sirius. “Oh, come on, Pads, you can tell me.” Again, she was met with a refusal from Sirius. “You know how much I hate surprise, Pads, so could you please tell me.”
Finally, Sirius said something, “All in due time, my love.” Then he grabbed her hand and led her down to the kitchens, careful not to get caught.
They arrived in the kitchens and were greeted by the many house elves. They provided them with a not-so-healthy breakfast of chocolate croissants and other dessert-like things. It was delicious and just what Jasmine had expected from the house elves. Jasmine makes sure to thank the house elves for the food before they leave to go to Honeydukes.
After they eat, they head to the secret passageway that leads to Honeydukes. Once inside Honeydukes, they spend some time looking around and browsing. Sirius decided to save his money since he was now disowned and had no money he was going to need to save as much as he could. Still, he ended up buying a couple of sugar quills for Jaz since they are his favorite, tied with chocolate frogs. He was still her boyfriend after all. Jaz appreciated the gesture, but she disapproved slightly of him spending his money on her. She knew he needed to save the money, but right now as she ate one of her sugar quills, she couldn’t really care.
After Honeydukes, the two of them head to Zonko’s to look around and maybe stock up on some supplies. It was in the prank store that the two of them got into a small little argument. Jasmine had a prank idea come to her that she bounced off of Sirius. He liked the idea and found it was a great prank.
“I think using dungbombs would be just the thing that we would need to use as a distraction,” Jasmine says as she goes to pick up a couple of them.
Sirius disagrees, “I don’t think so.” He takes the dungbombs from his girlfriend and puts them back. “I think that we could easily cause our own distraction without the dungbombs. There are plenty of spells that we could use as a distraction. We could use one of those. Why waste our money on dungbombs when we could accomplish the same thing for free.”
“I get that, Pads, but I think that using dungbombs would be more effective. We are still not proficient at casting spells without words. The distraction would not be a surprise like I want it to be,” Jasmine retaliates.
“What does it matter?! Who cares? We only need a distraction. We could even have someone off to the side cast it if need be. That way it would still be a surprise,” Sirius says, exasperated. He can’t understand why Jasmine isn’t listening to reason. His argument is a valid one if anything. Plus, he thinks that they should save as much money as they can if they plan on getting a place together after Hogwarts. He expects they will, especially with what he has planned.
“Fine, Sirius. You’re right, but I still want to get the dungbombs. It couldn’t hurt right.”
“But it could! Come on Jaz, we don’t need them. If we really want to use them for the prank later on, then we can borrow some from James. I know he has plenty stocked up.”
“Fine, Padfoot. I get it. I won’t get them. Just forget the prank. We don’t have to do it.” Jasmine stormed out of Zonko’s Joke Shop in a rage. She understood that Sirius had a point, but she had wanted to get the dungbombs. She was actually thought Sirius would appreciate the idea even if she weren’t planning on using them for the prank anyway. She was actually planning on giving it to Sirius later on. She knew that Sirius’s supply was running low, so Jaz thought she would make up an excuse to get him some without him knowing. She wanted to do something nice for her like he had done with the sugar quills. She could have easily argued against getting those for her. She just couldn’t see why early Sirius was willing to spend money on her, but now he wasn’t willing to let her spend money on him whether he knew that or not. She was pissed at his double standards. It frustrated her.
Sirius chased after his steaming mad girlfriend. This was not how he wanted this date to go. He had not wanted them to get into an argument, especially over something as trivial as dungbombs. It was such a stupid argument too. Now Sirius was afraid he had ruined their date. He was hoping that he could still salvage by apologizing for his stupidness. Thankfully, he easily caught up to Jasmine. “Mare, I’m sorry!” Sirius called out.
Jaz turned around to face her boyfriend. Her anger had mostly subsided by that point, but it completely disappeared upon seeing Sirius’s face. His apologetic expression was enough to get her to accept his apology almost immediately. “It’s okay, Pads. It was stupid anyway.”
Sirius walked up to Jasmine so that he was at arm’s length from the girl. “Not it’s not. If it really meant that much to you, I should have been more supportive. If you really want those dungbombs, who am I to stop you.”
“You idiot!” Jaz whacked Sirius on the arm. “I didn’t want them for me. I noticed your supply was running slow and wanted to get you something like you had gotten me the sugar quills. Why can you spend money on me, but I can’t spend money on you?”
“Wait, what?” Sirius was a bit confused at the moment. “You weren’t even planning on getting those dungbombs for me? How come you didn’t just say that?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to surprise you like you are surprising me on this date. Plus, I know how you would take it. It wasn’t charity. I just wanted to return the favor.”
“Oh, Mare. I wish you had just told me that. Because I’m actually good on dungbombs. James and I tend to share our supply because of how often we use them. We figured it was easier to just share. It was a sweet gesture though. But I am still sorry for the way I reacted. I just want you to save your money.”
“I get it, Pads. I forgive you, but you have to know that you should save your money too. Just because I love sugar quills didn’t mean that you had to get me some at Honeydukes. If you want me to save my money, then you should save your money too, especially now. Please no more spending that isn’t necessary.”
“Fine. I completely agree, Mare.” Sirius flashed the girl in front of him.
“Good, now that that is settled.” Jasmine pulled Sirius in for a kiss. It wasn’t awfully long, but it was long enough to get her point across. “Let’s get back to our date.”
Sirius grins and takes Jasmine’s hand. He changes the subject and soon it is like they hadn’t even had an argument at all. They head for the Three Broomsticks for some lunch and butterbeer. They both refused to go to Madam Puddifoot’s, both having quite different reasons for not wanting to go. They both hated how girly and pink it was, but Sirius had other reasons for despising the place. Overall, though, they both couldn’t stand the place. Therefore, they chose to go to the Three Broomsticks instead.
They find that the Three Broomsticks was packed as it usually was. They look around and can’t find an open table, which is exactly what Sirius expected. It was all going according to plan, Sirius just needed to grab some butterbeers to go, if he could. “Hey, why don’t you wait here, Mare? I’m going to go see about getting us some butterbeers to go.” Then he disappeared. When Sirius returned, he was carrying two butterbeer. He gave one to Jasmine and used his free hand to grab Jasmine’s free hand. He led her out of the inn and back outside.
Once outside, Jaz asks, “What are we going to do now? And you better not say go to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.”
“Bloody hell no! I’d never suggested going there. I have something else in mind,” Sirius assures Jasmine.
“And what would that be?” Jaz asks. She still hated that Sirius was keeping his plans a secret.
“You’ll see!”
“Ugh! Can’t you just tell me?” Jasmine protested.
“It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I did, now, would it?”
“Fine. But this better be the only surprise, Pads,” Jasmine conceded. Sirius didn’t respond. He only started to lead her by the hand toward the destination that he had in mind.
It didn’t take long before they had arrived. Eventually, they were standing outside of the Shrieking Shack. It was rather secluded and there was no one else around. Typically, most people didn’t venture near it. That was mainly due to the rumors that the shack was haunted, but Sirius and Jasmine knew better. They knew it wasn’t actually haunted but rather that a werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin would transform in the shack on the nights of the full moons.
When Jaz saw where Sirius had taken her, she was surprised. “What are we doing here?”
Sirius pulled out a piece of cloth or something from his jacket pocket in response. He explains, “Well, I was thinking we could have a little picnic. Hardly anyone comes over here, so we practically have the space to ourselves. We can have a peaceful lunch with just the two of us.”
Jasmine smiled. “I love that idea.” She kissed Sirius on the cheek. “But what are we going to eat? You didn’t grab us any food from the Three Broomsticks.”
Sirius cast engorgio to enlarge the cloth, which was a blanket. “Not to worry my love,” Sirius assured his girlfriend. “I came prepared.” He then proceeds to pull a mini picnic basket from a pocket in his jacket.
“You planned this,” Jasmine states.
“Isn’t that what I already told you,” Sirius responds cheekily.
Jasmine smacks him on the arm. “That is not what I meant, and you know it.”
Sirius responds with a smirk. Then he casts engorgio on the mini picnic basket. “Of course, I planned for this. I wasn’t about to take you to the plain old Three Broomsticks where it is typically overcrowded. I wanted this to be a special date. I love you, Mare, and you deserve a special, romantic date even if it is by the Shrieking Shack.” Jasmine laughed but gave him a kiss anyway.
Upon taking seats on the blanket, Sirius explained further feeling that he needed to. “So, I wasn’t entirely sure whether we would be allowed to take food out of the Three Broomsticks, so I asked the House Elves to pack me some food in a basket. They were more than willing to oblige. I would have told them to pack so butterbeer too, but I figured even if Rosmerta wouldn’t let us take some to go, we could sneak some out anyway.”
Jasmine laughed. “I can see it now. Wanted: Jasmine Dupont and Sirius Black – The Butterbeer Thieves. It would be front page in the Prophet.”
Sirius laughed along with Jaz. “For sure, Mare! We could evade capture though. As long as we are together, they’d never catch us. We would be too smart for them.”
Jasmine smiled at Sirius. “They really wouldn’t be able to.” Then she leaned over from her spot on the blanket over to where Sirius was sitting and kissed him. After pulling away, Jaz asked, “So what do we have to eat?”
Back to Jily’s date
James and Lily had managed to get a carriage alone. They had originally expected to be joined by Sirius and Jasmine but obviously, they weren’t. That didn’t really bother them, though. They figured the other couple had just wanted some alone time or that they were running late or something. Whatever the case, they weren’t worried. James and Lily also figured that they would see them later on anyway. It was bound to happen that they would at least run into their best friends at some point. It was likely they would see them at least at lunch at the Three Broomsticks. James and Lily knew there was no way that the other couple would be going to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.
Speaking of Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, James wanted to make sure that Lily was okay not going there for lunch and instead of going to the Three Broomsticks, so he brought it up on their carriage ride. “You don’t mind if we go to the Three Broomsticks for lunch instead of Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, right Lily?”
Lily laughed. “Oh, thank God. I was afraid you were going to that awful tea shop. You weren’t really specific earlier about where we were going for lunch.”
James laughed too. “No way. I have been there enough times to know to keep away. That is not the place to bring a date despite what anyone else might tell you.”
At first, Lily was willing to accept that explanation, but then she thought it sounded a bit suspicious. “You go banned from there, didn’t you?”
“What, no!” James tried to play it off, but he could see it wasn’t working. “Yeah. Lifetime ban! Both Sirius and I are never allowed to step foot in that tea shop ever again, but I don’t really mind. That place is too girly and a bit creepy too.”
Lily giggled. “Of course! How did you even manage to get banned for life? The owners there tolerate a lot, but to get banned for life, that has got to be some story.” Lily was about to let James answer when a thought occurred to her. “No, wait! Let me guess. It had something to do with a prank, didn’t it?”
James grinned. “But of course! How else do you think Sirius and I could have gotten ourselves a lifetime ban from that place?”
“So, what happened?”
James was about to go into the story from his and Sirius’s 4th year, but the carriage stopped. They had finally arrived in Hogsmeade, so James didn’t get the chance, at least not yet. The messy-haired boy scurried out of the carriage first. He then offered his hand to Lily to help her out of the carriage, not that she needed it, though.
“Why thank you, James. Ever the gentlemen,” Lily complimented, which earned her a grin from James. “But I still want to hear about that prank that got you that lifetime ban from Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.”
James’s grin grew bigger. “I wouldn’t dare keep such a hilarious story from you. I love telling it anyway. I’ll tell you about it as we walk around.”
Lily smiled and took James’s hand. Then began walking, and Lily turned and looked expectantly at James waiting for him to start his story. James finally began once they were out of earshot of most of the other Hogwarts students. “It was during our 4th year in the Spring. It was one of the last Hogsmeade weekends. Sirius and I had both managed to get dates and had decided to make it a double date…”
Flashback
James and Sirius had managed to score dates for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. Now, these weren’t their first dates, nor would they be their last. They had already been on a few dates with some other girls earlier that year. They were after all good-looking boys as well as pretty popular. Lots of girls had wanted to go out with the likes of them. Anyway, they didn’t know very much about their dates, a redhead Ravenclaw (James) and a blond Gryffindor (Sirius). That was about all they knew about the two girls. And they were planning on taking them to Madam Puddifoot’s because despite despising the establishment, the boys had some surprisingly good luck with the Tea Shop in the past. They had originally been told by some of the other students that it was the place to bring a date. So, because of that, they tended to bring their dates there whenever they had them during Hogsmeade weekends.
The girls, who hadn’t actually been told they would be going on a double date with the two boys, were not exactly thrilled when they found out about the change. They were actually rather pissed off at James and Sirius. Despite their slight anger over the situation, the girls were still willing to go on their dates. After all, most of the girls in their year were jealous of them because they were going on dates with James Potter and Sirius Black. They were some of the best looking (if not the best looking) guys in their year. Plus, they were both rather popular, especially James due to his quidditch talent. And then there was Sirius with his whole bad boy vibe.
So, their dates were willing to accept the fact that the boys had changed their original plans and made it a double date because of who their dates were. They were even more willing to accept the fact when they saw they were going to Madam Puddifoot’s. The boys took it as a good sign when their dates excitedly screamed outside of the tea shop. It was an even better sign when they each received a kiss on the cheek (but still a kiss) from their respective dates. Then the girls dragged them into the tea shop as James and Sirius were starting to regret their decision to come to the tea shop again and were reluctant to enter.
Now James and Sirius really didn’t like Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. Actually, they rather hated the place even though they had only been there a few other times. It was just too girly and froofy for their liking. The only reason they kept coming back was because of how those other dates had ended. Each of those other times, they had ended the evening with a good snogging session, which they rather enjoyed. James had had more success than Sirius, but that was beside the point. They both found that the place had brought them good luck. And they weren’t about to mess up something like that just because the tea shop was too girly.
Though they had originally thought it was just them and their good looks, that wasn’t always the case. They had tried just going to the Three Broomsticks on different occasions, but it didn’t end with the snogging session they were hoping for. So, they decided to stick with Madam Puddifoot’s and get over themselves. And really it had worked well for both of them, up until that fated double date. It was during that double date that the boys decided to retaliate because they realized that they shouldn’t have to go to that stupid tea shop just for a good snog. They figured there were easier ways to get a girl than to subject themselves to that kind of torture every time.
So, as they were dragged into the tea shop by their dates, the two boys were met with the same sight they saw every time they entered the tea shop. It was as dreadful as they always thought it was. They almost didn’t sit together as there wasn’t really a table big enough for the four of them. Luckily, James had spotted one and the boys were able to stay together. They refused to be separated. They had been to the tea shop enough times alone with a date, so they figured it might be more enjoyable if they had their best mate at their side. Plus, both boys didn’t think they would be able to survive that place without the other. They figured that they would be able to entertain each other and entertain each other they did. After all, whenever you put James Potter and Sirius Black together, things are bound to happen.
It was after they took their seats that things began to happen. The boys began to realize that their dates weren’t really happy with them and who would be when you had been practically ignoring them the whole date so far. Realizing that, James and Sirius decided to Hell with it, they were going to have some fun. Who cares about their dates anymore! They were already ruined, so why not.
By this point, they had stopped even attempting to try and pay attention to the girl. Their only focus anymore was each other as they planned. Thus, their dates, being pissed off as they were, storm off. They weren’t about to stay when they weren’t wanted. To hell with the boys they didn’t care that much about going out with them.
James and Sirius hardly even noticed when their dates left. They were too focused on planning their ‘revenge’ on the tea shop for all the torture it had put them through over the past year. As they continued to plan, the two of them ended up deciding to change the interior colors of the tea shop. Instead of everything being pink and girly, they would make it all black and dreary. It wasn’t a complicated spell, so it would be perfect.
They quickly performed the spell, then threw a dungbomb that Sirius had had on him (he had wanted an escape if he couldn’t handle the date anymore). They used the dungbomb as a distraction so that they could get out of there as quick as possible without anyone noticing. Lucky for the two of them, they were just able to escape without getting caught. Unluckily, the owner knew it was them that had pulled the prank. Thus, as the boys ran out of the tea shop, the owner shouted after them. “You boys are never welcome back. You hear me, never! If I ever see your faces in my tea shop again, there will be severe consequences.”
End of Flashback
“And we haven’t been back since. That Madam Puddifoot or whoever that was that owns that tea shop can be quite scary when she wants to be,” James finished.
“I can imagine she was quite enraged. You turned her lovely girly tea shop into a dark dreary place like it would be for a funeral or something. I can imagine it looked absolutely dreadful, and I wish I had been there to see that. I hate that place. And I hate when guys assume that I would like it just because I’m a girl. It annoys the hell out of me.”
“I can imagine,” James said. “But to tell you the truth, I can’t blame them for their assumptions since most girls do enjoy going to that silly tea shop. If they don’t really know you, it is a reasonable assumption, Lily.”
Lily really wanted to smack James for that. His explanation was logical and reasonable, which is why she wanted to smack him. It frustrated her to no end how right he was. Though, just because he was right, didn’t mean that Lily had to like it, which is why she smacked James. She only smacked him lightly on the shoulder with her hand that was currently not holding James’s hand. “I know that, but you didn’t have to say it. They should have asked me if I wanted to go there, not just assume.”
James mock glared at Lily before his expression changed and he was grinning. “Well, you can’t change it now. Plus, that’s now how boys work anyhow.”
“Whatever! Let’s just get to window shopping. I saw this cute little shop while you were telling your story that I want to check out.” Lily led James back toward one of the shops they had passed while wandering around.
So far Lily was rather enjoying this date with James. She hadn’t known what to expect from a date with James Potter, but it sure wasn’t this.
Back to Sazzy’s date
The couple ate in silence as they enjoyed their picnic and alone time by the Shrieking Shack. It was rather pleasant and peaceful. Because most people don’t tend to go anywhere near the shack, it was just them. It was almost like their own little spot. And Jaz was really enjoying it. This picnic with Sirius was amazing. It was a wonderful and well thought out date that Jasmine wasn’t soon to forget and not just for the thoughtfulness of it as she would soon learn.
Jaz had just finished her meal, which had mainly consisted of sandwiches. She was pretty full. Therefore, she decided she was finished, so she scooted over so that she was sitting next to Sirius on his side of the blanket. Jaz then leaned her head on his shoulder. Sirius automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled the girl closer. He too was done with his lunch. Thus, Sirius decided to steal a kiss from Jaz. With the way they were positioned though, Sirius would have to settle for stealing a kiss on the cheek instead of the lips of his girlfriend. So, Sirius stole his kiss, which caused Jasmine’s cheeks to heat up and burn red.
Sirius laughed at Jasmine’s blush. “I love that you sy=till blush when I steal a kiss from you, Mare.”
Jasmine, whose head was no longer on Sirius’s shoulder, turned her head toward Sirius. She decided to retaliate by stealing a kiss of her own, except she planned to kiss Sirius on the lips. She went in for the kiss and captured Sirius’s lips with her own easily in what should have been a quick kiss. Instead, Sirius kept Jaz from pulling back wanting to prolong the kiss. He started to kiss her back instead. At first, Jasmine was upset that her plan didn’t work, but she was still kissing Sirius which was always a win in her book. Thus, it wasn’t long before Jaz melted into the kiss. She kissed her boyfriend with a passion only someone in love could muster. Sirius kissed pack with just as much fervor. There was a lot of passion in that kiss. And soon enough, that kiss turned into a snog session.
Eventually, they had to break apart to catch their breath. But as soon as they did, the snogging continued. As they continued snogging each other’s faces off (practically), they managed to knock over the food that was still out as they tried to find a good comfortable position. They didn’t seem to notice though, as they kept snogging.
They kept going for another 15 minutes or so. By the time they stopped, if only for a moment, they were both breathing hard and were rather warm. Also, they now lying down on the blanket, or rather Jasmine was lying on the blanket with Sirius above her. He was hovering above his girlfriend, his hands on either side of Jasmine’s head. His arms outstretched, propping him up and above Jaz. At first, neither noticed how they were not positioned. They were both trying to catch their breath when Sirius noticed where he was and their position. He hesitated for a moment before letting out a breathy chuckle.
Jasmine, who was focused solely on her breathing, was startled to hear the laugh coming from above her. Upon looking up and meeting Sirius’s eyes, she grinned. She was still breathing heavy (less so now), but she was happy to see Sirius was right there with her in terms of his breathing. That’s when it occurred to her that Sirius was above her and just how they would look to outsiders. That’s when Jaz let out her own breathy laugh. “How did we manage to end up like this?” Jaz questioned once she finally got her breathing under control and calmed down some.
“I’m not sure, but my arms about getting a bit tired.” Sirius’s arms started to sag, but he rolled out of the way so that he was no longer holding himself up above his girlfriend. Instead, he was now lying next to Jasmine. “That was close.”
Jaz laughed. “Sure was.” Jasmine sat up and glanced around. That’s when she noticed what a mess they made. “We sure did make a mess, Pads. It appears our picnic is over.”
Sirius, in order to survey the damage, propped himself up on his elbows. Upon seeing what Jaz was talking about, he sat up and took out his wand. He cast a spell and made everything except the picnic basket and blanket disappear. Then he shrunk the basket again and put it back in his jacket pocket. “Well now that the mess is gone, we can continue,” Sirius smirked and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Jasmine laughed, but still leaned over and kissed Sirius anyway. They resumed their snogging. It soon got heated and heavy as it had before but more intense. By now, Sirius’s biker jacked had been removed. Jasmine’s hands had found their way under her boyfriend’s shirt. Sirius’s hands were starting to snake under Jasmine’s shirt as well. It was only a matter of time before one of them lost their shirt or other piece of clothing. They didn’t seem to care though despite that it was a bit chilly outside. They just kept kissing. Sirius was starting to expand his kissing too. Soon he was kissing every part of Jasmine that he could. Their hormones were running wild and were starting to take over. But in a moment of clarity, Jasmine was able to stop herself and Sirius from going too far. It had been close, she had been about to take off Sirius’s shirt, but thankfully she had stopped herself. There was also the fact that she was starting to tire out and so was Sirius. Had it not been for their tiredness, they might have actually gone through with it and gone a bit too far. So, Jasmine stopped Sirius, who was once again breathing hard but was also yawning slightly. Soon they were both lying down next to each other on the blanket. Jasmine curled up and cuddled into Sirius, who had slipped his jacket back on after feeling a bit of his previous warmth wear off. He wasn’t getting a bit chilly. Sirius had pulled Jasmine into him as she cuddled into him. She was facing his chest. Before they completely passed out, they kissed each other a couple more times.
In their sleep, Jasmine snuggled even closer to Sirius, and Sirius in return pulled Jasmine closer to him. They stayed like that for quite a while, asleep and oblivious to the world around them. No one bothered them as they slept on the blanket in peaceful bliss.
The rest of Jily’s date
James and Lily window shopped and even went into a couple stores until they started to feel hungry. James found that window shopping wasn’t too bad. He didn’t really mind it, though that might have had something to do with the gorgeous redhead that was currently holding his hand.
So, the couple, now hungry, headed toward the Three Broomsticks for food and butterbeer. They found the Three Broomsticks packed as it usually was, but fortunately, they were able to snag an open table. James, ever the gentleman, offered to get the drinks. “Why don’t I go get us some butterbeer and food? I’ll be right back,” James said as he pecked Lily on the cheek. Then he went up to the bar to talk to Madam Rosmerta.
While James was gone, Lily looked around the inn. She was searching for her cousin and Sirius. She expected to see them in there. It was lunchtime, and they wouldn’t be going to Madam Puddifoot’s for lunch for multiple reasons besides Jasmine despising the place. It would only make sense that Lily would see them in there. Despite that logic, Lily couldn’t find them anywhere, at least that she could see. “Though,” Lily supposed. “There are a lot of people in here so maybe I missed them.” Therefore, Lily looked around a few more times. She spotted her friends Alice and Marlene talking with some girls that Lily didn’t recognize, but that didn’t mean much. She also spotted Remus and Peter not far from where her friends were sitting. The redhead wondered if they knew the others were there. Actually, there were times that Lily suspected that Remus or Peter might have a crush on one of her friends/dorm mates. She wasn’t sure which one, but she hoped it wasn’t Alice. That girl was already so committed to Frank despite the fact that he was a year older than her having graduated from Hogwarts last year. Lily had actually heard from Alice that Frank was working to be an Auror. Alice was planning on joining him after they graduate this year. Lily was happy for her friend, albeit worried for her safety, but she knew Alice was strong. That girl was one tough cookie.
Lily’s thoughts began to drift back toward her cousin and her whereabouts as Lily finished her 3rd sweep of the other patrons. Jasmine was nowhere to be seen. It worried her slightly but since Lily knew that Sirius was with her, she wasn’t as worried. Jasmine meant everything to that boy. He would die protecting her if it was necessary. It was how Lily knew that Sirius loved her cousin. Not just anyone would do that for someone else. And Lily couldn’t believe how far the two of them had come in less than a year. It would be a year this coming December. Lily could see that they were good for each other. She could see just how much better they were together.
Before Lily could think more on it or even glance around once more, James came back with some sandwiches and two butterbeers. “I’m back. I hope you don’t mind the sandwiches. It was all Rosmerta could offer.”
Lily grinned. “I don’t mind. Sandwiches are fine.”
“Great,” James said. “Speaking of Rosmerta, she told me that Sirius and Jazzy had just popped in here not long ago. She said that Sirius had asked for two butterbeers to go, which she thought was a bit odd, but she still gave them to him,” James told Lily. “What I think is that they saw how packed it was in here and decided to come back later for food or something. I’m not exactly sure what Sirius had planned for his date with Jazzy.
Lily was slightly surprised that James and Sirius hadn’t planned their dates together. She had expected that they had. After all, she had her suspicions about Black helping James with his plan to ask her out. “Really? That’s a bit odd.”
If James took note of the surprise in Lily’s voice, he didn’t show it. “Yeah. Well, it makes sense. We almost didn’t find a spot in here.” James glanced over at Lily and realized she was talking about the fact that Sirius hadn’t told him about his plans for his date. “Well, Sirius and I were going to plan our dates together, but then we both got busy and ended up planning them separately. We didn’t get the time to tell each other what we had planned. But it turned out alright, right Lily?”
“Definitely. It’s been a great date so far, James. I’ve never really been on a date quite like this before. Usually, I wouldn’t get a choice in the matter of what we did, so I really appreciate that, James.” Lily leaned across the table and kissed James on the cheek.
James blushed slightly. “I’m glad you like it, Lils. Also, don’t worry too much about Jazzy. I’m sure that we will see them later on. They are probably just in some shop or something. Hogsmeade isn’t that big. And even if we don’t see them in the village, at the very least we are bound to see them when we leave. I’m sure they will take the carriages back to the castle.” James tried to reassure Lily the best he could.
Lily smiled. “It’s okay, James. I’m not all that worried anyway. I trust Sirius is taking good care of her.” Then Lily, having finished her butterbeer and sandwich changed the subject. “Now, let’s get going. I still want to go to Honeydukes before we go.” James was also finished, so Lily got up and took James’s hand. She was about to drag James right out of the Three Broomsticks but realized that they shouldn’t leave their dishes at the table. Madam Rosmerta was busy enough without having to clean up after them. Thus, Lily dropped James’s hand and picked up her dirty dishes. James followed her lead and picked up his own dishes. Then they went and took the dishes up to the counter to give to Rosmerta.
James called over to the landlady of the inn. “Rosmerta!”
The lady behind the counter turned her attention toward James upon hearing her name. Upon seeing one of her favorite patrons, she smiled and nodded in James’s direction. She was in the middle of getting someone’s drinks, so she shouted back at James, “I’ll be with you in a minute, James.”
A minute later, Madam Rosmerta was coming over to where James and Lily were standing at the end of the bar. She greeted them. “Hello, James, Lily.”
James flashed her a charming smile. “Hey, Rosmerta. We finished and figured we would save you some trouble.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She shot Lily a wink since she knew it was actually her idea to bring up the dirty dishes. She knew James hadn’t even thought about it because he was too enamored with one Lily Evans to think about it. Also, she saw the whole thing while she was getting some drinks for some other patrons.
Upon giving Rosmerta the dirty dishes, Lily grabbed James’s hand again and dragged him right out of the Three Broomsticks as she had originally intended. Rosmerta all but laughed at the new couple as they disappeared out of her little establishment. She couldn’t help but think just how whipped James Potter already was. She was sure this was their first date and already James was following Lily like a puppy dog almost. Also, she thought about how she would need to see some Hogwarts professors about some Galleons that they now owed her. She always knew those two would get together. It was written in the stars or something. Whatever it was, they just belonged together.
Lily dragged James out of the inn and toward Honeydukes. She wanted to show James her absolute favorite treat. She could only get them at Honeydukes, so they were pretty special to her. It was why Lily would stock up on them when she could. These treats were something special to her. So, now that she and James were together, Lily wanted to share that part of her with him. Plus, she was sure that James had never tried them before, and Lily wanted to be the one to introduce them to him.
In Honeydukes, Lily pulled James toward the back of the store where she knew they would find the treats. They passed the cellar door, which James took notice of since he knew that it led to Hogwarts. It made him wonder whether he should tell Lily about the passageways that he and the other Marauders had discovered over the years while exploring the castle. He didn’t think long on the subject as Lily had finally stopped at the back of the candy shop. There, in front of them, were some treat that James had never seen before. It was odd the James did recognize them because he had thought that he had just about tried all the different sweets in Honeydukes. Clearly, he was wrong though because he had never tried Glacial Snow Flakes before. “Hey, what are these?”
Even though Lily had been pretty sure that James hadn’t tried the treat before, she still feigned surprise and gasped. “What?! Seriously?! You’ve never had these before? They are my absolute favorite treats. I love them. I try to stock up on them whenever I can. I can’t get them too often, though.”
“Well, I guess I’m going to have to get some to try then, won’t I? If you like them so much, then they must be good.” James grabbed a couple of packs to buy. He waited, expecting Lily to grab some as well since they were her favorites. When she didn’t grab any, James had to ask why. “Aren’t you going to get some too? They are your favorite and you said you like to stockpile them.”
“I can’t, at least not right now. Being a Muggleborn and all, I don’t exactly have that much spare money. I usually save up and get some in the spring if I can, that way I have some for over the summer.” Lily confessed. She wasn’t necessarily saying that in order to get James to get her any now, but she wouldn’t turn them down if he bought her some. So, when he did exactly that, Lily was quite happy.
James being the guy that he was, picked up several more Glacial Snow Flakes without saying anything else. He just took them up to the register and paid for them with some of the extra money that his parents would give him. He was more than willing to get Lily some of her favorite treats. Plus, this would give James more a reason to spend time with Lily as well as try the treat, probably with Lily. Who knows, maybe this would end up being one of his new favorite things to get at Honeydukes. It might even become one of his favorite treats.
Lily, while James was paying, watched her new boyfriend with a fondness. She couldn’t help but appreciated his gesture. It was that kindness that Lily started to notice that made her fall for the boy. It was also what made her more open to going on a date with James. And boy, Lily was glad she had finally accepted. This was one of the best dates that Lily had ever been on. She didn’t think it was just because of the fact that she was given a choice of what to do wither. She was sure that it actually had more to do with who she was on it with, a guy who she really fancied. This date with James was not all what she had expected a date with the James Potter would be like. She hadn’t really thought that he would be as kind and considerate of her own wants. She was glad that he hadn’t just gone off of what he thought she would like, though he would have had a better idea of what that was than her other dates in the past. Anyway, Lily was pleasantly surprised at how well the date was going not. She hadn’t been sure if she and James would be able to last or even if they belonged together as Jasmine and Sirius did. They were pretty different. Now, though, Lily was thinking that she and James might actually work out. She could really see a future with James.
As soon as James returned to Lily’s side, he took hold of her hand. “Well, now we have plenty of Glacial Snow Flakes. We can share them too. I’m eager to try this new sweet that seems to have escaped me all these years. I had been so sure that I had tried all of the sweets in this show, but you have proven me wrong.”
“I’m happy to help you go through those, James. I’m sure you will like them.” Lily reached up and kissed him right there in the back on Honeydukes. It was a short kiss, only lasting a few seconds. And it would have lasted longer had Lily let it, but she was still aware that they were in a public place even if it was only the back of Honeydukes. She wasn’t about to all-out snog James Potter in the back of a sweets store or any store for that matter. She wasn’t that kind of girl even if James was that kind of guy. And from what Lily had heard, James Potter was that kind of guy. Lily had heard the various rumors that had circled around Hogwarts throughout the years. Because despite “loving” Lily since 5th year, James had been on plenty of dates before Lily. He’d even had a girlfriend or two, but they never lasted very long, maybe a couple of weeks, not even.
The rumors Lily had heard were mainly about how great a kisser Potter was. At first, Lily had never cared about the rumors since she didn’t like Potter. It wasn’t until 6th year when they became friends and she realized how she felt about James, that Lily had started to care. Each rumor she heard then would make her feel a little jealous at times. Sometimes when she heard girls gossiping, usually in the bathroom, about James, Lily would want to punch them. She had one hell of a temper at times. Though, after coming to terms with her feelings for James, Lily knew it was her own decision not to go out with James despite her feelings. That didn’t matter though, because it still hurt to hear when he went out with other girls. And most of these girls were what Lily liked to call floozies. They weren’t the type of girls that Lily had expected James to even be interested in, and unbeknownst to Lily, James wasn’t really interested in them. Most of the time James would only go out with them once to Hogsmeade. Typically, he only did it when he was feeling lonely because Jasmine and Sirius had been spending a lot of time together or they were being particularly affectionate or enamored with each other. He would feel lonely and find company in some random girl. He figured that a good snog might make him feel better. It didn’t, not really. That was mainly because he kept wishing it was the girl he really wanted, the same one he finally had.
Despite the rumors, James wasn’t one to go too far in public. He had some decency after all. So, when Lily pulled away, James was okay with it and pulled back too. He understood boundaries and he wasn’t about to push Lily’s. He wasn’t going to go too far with Lily unless she wanted to, especially since he was finally on a date with the girl of his dreams.
Lily smiled up at James wistfully before squeezing his hand. Then they walked out of Honeydukes, hand-in-hand.
For the rest of their time in Hogsmeade, the two of them walked around telling each other various stories. Lily told James about the time she and Jasmine found out the other was a witch. James told Lily about some of the Marauders' lesser-known pranks they had pulled over the years. Lily rather enjoyed hearing about those. She found that they were rather clever and pretty funny.
Before either of them knew it, the day was over and they needed to get back to the carriages, lest they leave without them. When they got to them, Lily looked around to see if she could spot her cousin. When she didn’t see Jasmine anywhere, she got worried. “James,” Lily squeeze his hand and he turned toward his date. Upon seeing the look on Lily’s face, James immediately knew something was from. “I can’t see Mina anywhere.”
James, being taller than Lily, looked around too, but he didn’t see his best mates anywhere in the crowd. He got slightly worried. He knew if they missed the carriages, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Thought, James had a feeling something was amiss. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt that he and Lily should go and find them before the carriages left. “I don’t see them either, Lils. Maybe we should go look for them. I’m sure they just lost track of time or something.”
Lily nodded and squeezed James’s hand again. “Yeah, you’re probably right, but where could they be. We still haven’t seen them at all and we’ve been all over Hogsmeade.”
That’s when it hit James. “Not everywhere. Come on. I think I know where they are.” James pulled Lily in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. Lily, of course, realized where they were going and almost stopped James. Then she realized that he was right. The shack was the only place in Hogsmeade they hadn’t gone near all day. The reason being that Lily hadn’t really wanted to go there. She didn’t like it over there. The shack just gave her the creeps and it wasn’t very romantic, to say the least. She wasn’t sure why Sirius would take Jaz over there, but Lily was sure that that was where they would find the missing couple.
They eventually reached the Shrieking Shack, only to see two people cuddled up on a blanket. Neither James nor Lily could tell who it was right away, but as they got closer, they realized who it was. They were a couple of meters away when they both realized it was their missing friend sleeping on the blanket. They were all cuddled up into each other and holding one another. They looked awfully comfortable given that they were asleep on the ground. Lily thought they looked absolutely adorable. “I wish I brought my camera.” Lily cursed herself.
James, ever prepared, took out a camera and handed it over to Lily. “Here, use mine.”
Surprised, Lily took the camera and took a couple of pictures of the happy, sleeping couple. Then she asked, “Why do you have a camera on you? Where did you even get this?”
“You never know when you are going to need to take a picture to use as blackmail material. Though, in this case, I’ll make an exception. And I got this camera from my mother for my birthday a couple years back. She thought I would enjoy it.”
Lily disapproved of the fact that James was using the camera for blackmail material. She decided to ignore that fact though and just be grateful that he had a camera on him. Then she remembered their whole reason for being there in the first place. “So, how do you think we should go about waking them, Potter?” Lily teased. She had a slight devious glint in her eyes.
James saw the glint and smirked. “Oh, I think you know exactly how we should wake them up!”
“Glad we’re on the same page,” Lily smirked.
Then they went and woke up the sleeping couple. In unison, they yelled, “Padfoot/Sirius! Jazzy/Mina! What’s going on here?”
The couple woke with a start. They immediately say upright and looked around, startled. They spotted James and Lily, both of whom were trying their hardest to keep their cool and not laugh. They were failing miserably and soon lost their resolve and broke down laughing rather loudly at the expense of their now awake friends.
At first, Sirius’s and Jaz’s reactions were to blush in embarrassment at being found the way that they were, asleep. Then as James and Lily continued to laugh, the couple grew a bit angry. They sent glares over to James and Lily, who when they say them got that their friends were mad at them. With that realization, the two of them were quick to shut up and cease their laughter. They really didn’t want their friends mad at them. So, when James and Lily had calmed down, they found that they were greeted with two angry teens glaring at them, but that was expected. Though, James noticed that Sirius wasn’t all that mad, at least not anymore. It actually appeared that he was more embarrassed than anything. Jaz, on the other hand, did still look mad, but it only lasted a few more moments as her own embarrassment over the situation caused her anger to fade.
It was several moments before anyone spoke, but then James checked his watch and decided to move things along. “Now that you two sleepy heads are awake, we can get to the carriages. They are going to leave up here any minute now if we don’t hurry. I won’t want to have to walk all the way back to the castle.” Then he took Lily’s hand and started to head back toward the carriages. He figured the other couple would follow him and Lily, which they eventually did.
Sirius and Jaz watched as James and Lily walked in the direction of the carriages. Before they disappeared from view, Jaz and Sirius gave each other a look, silently deciding that they had better go after them. Sirius quickly shrunk the blanket again and put it back in his pocket. Then he took Jasmine’s offered hand and kissed her on the cheek. “I hope you enjoyed our date as much as I did, Mare. Not sure if Lily is going to let me have much alone time with you in the near future after finding us like that.”
Jasmine smiled. “Of course, I enjoyed it. But do you really think Lily is going to care? She probably found us adorable and took a picture of us before we woke up. Plus, you really think that Lily will even give us a second thought what with James taking up most of her times nowadays.”
Sirius blinked. He hadn’t thought about that. “It’s times like this that I remember just how much I love you, Mare.” He smirked and kissed Jasmine again, this time on the lips, but it was only a peck. Then they ran after James and Lily who by that point had vanished from view.
It didn’t take long before Jaz and Sirius caught up with James and Lily. And when they did, the two couples walked in companionable silence. Sirius did take his hand out of Jaz’s hand, but only to move it to her shoulder. Then he pulled his girlfriend closer to which Jaz’s response was to cuddle into Sirius’s side.
Upon getting to the carriages, the two couples managed to get one just for the four of them. It was rather lucky and great timing since the carriages had been about to leave. Anyway, the fact that it was just the four of them, gave Lily and James the opportunity to interrogate Sirius and Jaz about their dates. They couldn’t help but wonder what the couple had gotten up to and how they ended up asleep by the Shrieking Shack. They were curious, to say the least.
“So, what did you two get up to today? We didn’t see either of you all day,” James commented. He tried to seem as nonchalant as possible, but he clearly failed. His tone gave away how interested he was.
Nonetheless, Sirius still answered. “Well, Jaz suggested after you two left that instead of going down to the Great Hall for breakfast that we just go down to the kitchens and get food. Then we decided to take…” Sirius didn’t finish his thought as Jaz stomped on his foot. “Ow! What was…” Sirius started, but one look at Jaz and he shut up. He wasn’t sure why Jaz didn’t want him to tell them about going to Honeydukes early, but Sirius really didn’t want to start another argument. Plus, he knew not to argue.
Jaz shot James a look. She hopes he understands what she is asking. Thankfully he does and gives her the go ahead to go on with their story.
Meanwhile, Lily was looking at each of them in utter confusion. She was sure they were having a silent discussion about something Marauders related and whether they wanted to tell her. Though, Lily wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know. She wasn’t a big fan of people keeping secrets from her (unless necessary), but really at this point she just didn’t care. It didn’t matter to her at this point. She had learned that there were things about the Marauders that she didn’t really want to know about. This, it would turn out, was not one of those things.
With James’s approval, Jaz picked up where Sirius had been forced to stop. “I had suggested that after we ate in the kitchens, we take the secret passageway from Hogwarts to Honeydukes. It leads right to the cellar of the candy shop.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Wait! There is a secret passageway inside Hogwarts, and it leads to Honeydukes?!” Lily turns and looks at all three of the others, stopping on James.
Beside her, James corrects her. “Actually, there are several throughout and not all of them lead to Hogsmeade.”
“Wow! I had no idea. Is that how you guys sneak around the castle to pull your pranks?” Lily askes.
“Sometimes,” James says rather vaguely. He doesn’t want to give away all their secrets, at least not yet.
“You’ll have to show me sometime,” Lily says, giving James a wink. He can see the devious glint in her eyes again. “Anyway,” Lily turns her attention back to the other occupants. “continue.”
Jaz and Sirius give each other a look before Sirius continues with the story. They tell them about their time in Honeydukes and Zonko’s (leaving out the part about their argument, wanting to keep that between them). Then Sirius told them about the picnic he had planned, “We had stopped at the Three Broomsticks, which I knew would be packed since it always is during a Hogsmeade weekend. I got lucky that there wasn’t a table open at that moment, otherwise, I would have had to come up with another reason that I didn’t want to stay there in order to surprise Mare with the picnic by the Shrieking Shack.”
“But why there?” Lily asked. She couldn’t help but wonder why he would pick that spot to have a picnic. It wasn’t very romantic.
“Well since hardly anyone ever goes over there, we could have some alone time. Plus, the shack holds a special place in our hearts,” Jasmine answered. Lily nodded understanding.
Then Sirius continued with his story. “So, we had a picnic which I had the house elves pack for me. Overall, it was a great lunch. They packed a great lunch. I thought it was a great date, right Mare?”
“Yes, it was a wonderful date, Pads. One of the best I’ve been one.” Jaz gave Sirius a peck on the cheek.
That seemed to be the end of their story, but James was still suspicious. They hadn’t explained how they ended up asleep on the blanket. He was unable to ask about that, though, as the carriage stopped meaning they had arrived back at the castle. Normally that wouldn’t have stopped him from continuing his questioning, but Jasmine and Sirius bolted almost immediately after they had all gotten out of the carriage. They clearly didn’t want to tell James and Lily just how they ended up asleep on that blanket when they were supposed to be having a picnic. James commented on this to Lily after Sazzy has scurried off. “They really don’t want to tell up show they ended up asleep.”
“No, they don’t,” Lily agreed. “But that doesn’t mean we are going to let them keep it from us.”
“Of course not,” James smirked. Then he took Lily’s hand and ran off in the direction the runaway couple had gone.
Unfortunately, James and Lily hadn’t been able to catch up with Sirius and Jasmine. They had had too much of a head start on them. So, instead of trying to find where they had gone, James and Lily agreed that it would be more worthwhile to just wait for them to come back to Gryffindor Tower. They would eventually have to come back to the tower or find somewhere else to sleep.
Before they went to the tower, though, James took Lily to the kitchens. Since they were planning on waiting in the common room until Jaz and Sirius showed themselves, they would be skipping dinner. Therefore, they would need some food to tide them over, so they had the house elves make them some sandwiches and other snacks for their dinner. Then they headed up to Gryffindor Tower.
As they waited in the common room for their missing friends to appear, James told Lily about the various secret passages throughout the caste that they had found. Lily had found the subject interesting. She also thought that it was interesting that there were so many unknown secret places within the walls of the castle. James even told Lily about the significance behind the Shrieking Shack and how it wasn’t actually haunted. Overall, as they waited, they had a great time together. It was basically like another date if they wanted to call it that.
Sirius and Jaz didn’t come back to the common room right away because they were sure that is where Lily and James would be. Instead, they waited to come back until they were sure that the two would be at dinner in the Great Hall. They had decided that would be their best bet at avoiding James and Lily, so they were skipping dinner. Therefore, they also swung by the kitchens to get some snacks from the house elves before heading up to the common room. They thought they would be safe coming back when everyone was in the Great Hall. It would be the best way to keep Lily or James from finding out about their heated snogging session that they almost took too far. That was something they really didn’t want to tell James and Lily about. Sirius thought that Lily would kill him if she found out. That is why when they entered the common room and saw the two people, they were trying to avoid sitting there waiting for them, Sirius went pale. He knew better than to mess with Lily Evans.
When James and Lily heard the common room door open, they immediately looked over to see who it was. They both smirked at the couple that had just entered. “There you two are. We’ve been waiting for you,” James said rather ominously.
Sirius and Jaz said nothing in response. They just stood there, frozen in their spots. They had thought about running right out of the common room, but that would evidently just delay the inevitable. They both knew that James and Lily weren’t going to give up until they heard the full story. Thus, why they only sighed and went to join Lily and James, who were cuddling and eating at one end of the couch in front of the fireplace. Sirius, wanting to be as far from Lily as possible, took a seat in the armchair closest to the opposite end of the couch from the cuddling Jily. Jasmine, who wanted to cuddle with Sirius, sat on Sirius’s lap and swung her legs so that they were lying over Sirius’s legs and hanging over the other arm of the chair. Not wanting his girlfriend to fall, Sirius automatically put an arm around Jasmine’s back to keep her from falling back. Then Jasmine laid her head on Sirius’s shoulder.
Once they were settled and comfortable, the interrogation started. “So, how did you two end up falling asleep on that blanket?” James started by asking. It had been bothering him since they had found them.
Again, Jaz and Sirius looked at each other as they had earlier. Silently, they agreed it was probably best if Jaz told this part of the story. “So, when I had finished eating, I scooted closer to Sirius to cuddle with him. I had my head resting on his shoulder and he had pulled me closer to him with his arm wrapped around my shoulders.”
“Then I decided to steal a kiss. I pecked her on the cheek,” Sirius added.
“Yeah,” Jaz agreed. “So, in retaliation, I went to steal a kiss from him, but on the lips.” Jasmine paused. The next part was what they hadn’t wanted to tell James and Lily. It had been a rather intimate moment between the two of them after all. But Jaz, seeing the look on James and Lily’s expectant faces, decided to press on. “Well, I intended it to only be a quick peck on the lips, but it turned into a long passionate kiss because Sirius here apparently wasn’t about to let me get away with only giving him a quick peck on the lips.” Sirius let out a nervous chuckle before Jasmine continued to press on.
“That kiss then led to another and then another and soon it turned into a snogging session. At some point, we ended up in a kind of awkward position. And somehow, we managed to make a mess all over the blanket by knocking over some stuff. So, for the moment, we stopped snogging and cleaned up a bit. We put away everything but the blanket we were sitting on, including the picnic basket. Then we went back to what we were doing before. Eventually, it became pretty heated.” By now Jasmine and Sirius were pretty red. They had been hoping that James and Lily would have stopped them by now because they would not want to hear any more details of their scandalous rendezvous, but that was not the case. Therefore, Jaz continued, “My hand had crept under Sirius’s shirt. His jacket was already off. It had been thrown off to the side. And well, Sirius hands were under my shirt as well.”
Thankfully that is when Lily finally stopped her cousin. “Woah, woah, woah! You can stop right there. I don’t need to hear anything further. I did not need that image in my head.” Lily screeched. She was regretting cornering them in the common room. “I really hope you stopped there or else someone named Sirius is going to be in some real trouble.”
“No! Don’t worry, Lils. We didn’t go any further. Actually, we were rather tuckered out from our snogging, so we stopped. That’s how we ended up cuddling and falling asleep on the blanket.” Jasmine really hoped that was enough to placate her cousin. She tried her best to reassure her that nothing had really happened. She rather liked Sirius and would prefer her cousin not to end up in Azkaban for killing him.
“Yeah, Lily. We stopped before we went too far. We didn’t do anything but snog and get a little carried away. Please don’t kill me!” Sirius begged. He could have curled his legs up into himself on the chair, but Jasmine’s legs were preventing. He only wanted to try and seem as small as possible. He also tries to pull Jasmine more in front of him to protect himself.
Thankfully, Sirius’s best mate came to his rescue. James had been quiet so far but finally chose that moment to speak up. “I believe you two. And I’m sure Lily does too. I just don’t think she was expecting to hear that. You didn’t have to go into so much detail.”
“I can speak for myself, Potter,” Lily complained.
“I know, but you weren’t saying anything. They needed to be reassured that you weren’t going to kill Sirius.”
Lily sighed. “Yeah, I guess, but I can still speak for myself even if you were right,” Lily said to James. Then she turned her attention back to Sirius and Jaz. “I do believe you two, don’t worry. But don’t you dare try anything. I will find out. I have my ways,” Lily warned. Then she yawned. She grabbed James’s arm and checked the time. Then she decided to head up to bed. “Well, this has been fun and all, but I’m getting tired. I’ll see you all in the morning.” Lily gave James a chaste kiss on the lips before getting up and heading up to the girls’ dormitory.
Jasmine decided to follow her cousin’s lead and go up to bed about 30 minutes later. She had wanted to eat some before following her cousin. Nonetheless, she still took some of the snacks she and Sirius had brought up to the dormitory. Before leaving, Jaz said goodnight. “I’m getting tired too. I think I’m just going to retire to my bed for the night. I’ll see you both in the morning.” Jaz sat up slightly and kissed Sirius before going up to bed.
Now only the two boys remained. It wasn’t long before they too left the common room and headed up to their dorms, taking the remaining food with them. Now they weren’t necessarily tired or going to go to sleep. There was just no reason for them to stay in the common room any longer with the girls gone.
Notes:
A/N Again, I’m sorry this chapter is so late. I have gotten back into the story after having my focus diverted. I was kind of working on ideas for further sequels that I am really excited about. Then I got into this show Bones as I said. Well, now I’m finished with that, and I’ve been writing again. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter out sooner rather than later, but I’m not sure since I babysit my two-year-old and needy 1-month-old cousins daily. Wish me luck on writing the next chapter guys.
Well, I hope that this extra super long chapter made up for my really delayed update. (The chapter without the author’s notes ended up being 14,712 words!) The next couple chapters might be long as well since instead of just typing the chapters up, I’ve been writing them down and then typing them up. Therefore, I’m not entirely sure how long the chapter is until I type them up.
Anyway, I really hope you all enjoyed the two dates as well. Please (I beg of you) let me know what you thought of this chapter. I’m thinking of including more Sazzy scenes like the one in this chapter and I want to know if what I wrote was enticing.See you in the comments (I Hope),
😊 Knk6700 😊
Chapter 6: The Romantically, Awesome Halloween Prank
Summary:
The Marauders have always pulled off amazing Halloween pranks together. This final year it was supposed to be the best prank of them all. But with James busy with quidditch tryouts, Lily, and head boy duties. And then Sirius avoiding James before becoming preoccupied with a letter he gets in the mail, it doesn’t appear that the prank will happen. Or will it? This might just turn out to be the most amazing and possibly most romantic prank to ever be pulled (or maybe not).
Notes:
In honor of Harry’s birthday on July 31st and Neville’s birthday today, July 30th, I finished another chapter and just in time too. I hope you enjoy it. Also, I may not update any time soon given that I’m going to be out of town for the next week and therefore I likely won’t write anything.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 6: The Romantically, Awesome Halloween Prank
Weeks later after James and Lily’s first official date, the couple was still going strong. They spent a lot of time together, but some of that was because they were head boy and head girl. With all of his head boy duties plus holding quidditch try out for the Gryffindor quidditch team, James was quite busy. He wouldn’t be as busy if his best mate would just agree to come back to the team and be a beater. James knew he was one of the best ones, but Sirius always refused after what happened in their 2nd year. It didn’t matter though, because James was going to keep asking him, that is if he could find Sirius. Anyway, with how busy James’s schedule was, he had really no time to meet up with the Marauders to plan their annual Halloween prank.
Meanwhile, since Sirius was avoiding James, he wasn’t around the Marauder very much nor was he around Lily. He ended up spending a lot of time with Jasmine in the meantime. When he wasn’t with his girlfriend, he was doing his schoolwork, usually in the library. There were also strangely times when he seemed to just disappear completely. He wouldn’t be with Jasmine nor in the library. Then when one of the Marauders would check the map to see where he had gone, he was nowhere to be found. They couldn’t understand it, but respecting their friend’s privacy, they decided to leave it alone. They figured that if Sirius wanted to share where he was disappearing to, he would, eventually.
So, it was looking as if the Marauders’ Halloween prank wouldn’t be happening this year. It was a shame, really. The Marauders, from the very beginning of that term, when they pulled their first prank of the year, had planned on leaving their mark on Hogwarts. They wanted to be remembered after they left. Now they probably wouldn’t. What kind of mark or memory would they leave if they weren’t even going to pull their annual Halloween prank? It was ridiculous!
That’s when Remus decided to take action. Since it appeared that James was too busy to even remember that Halloween was coming up, Remus figured he wouldn’t even be included in the planning of their annual prank. So, Remus decided that at least Sirius could help then. The werewolf knew exactly why Sirius was avoiding James, and he could still avoid the Gryffindor chaser while helping them plan and pull their annual prank. It wasn’t like he would be too busy, at least not as busy as James was. Sirius would still have time for them.
Remus goes to Sirius to talk to him about the prank about a week before Halloween. He only waited so long because Remus himself was busy too with his own stuff. Anyway, he went to find Sirius, who just so happened to be in their dorm room, which wasn’t unusual it’s just that he hadn’t been hanging out in there a lot lately. So, to Remus, finding Sirius in the room was odd, but what was even odder was the fact that he was just sitting on his bed with a letter in his hand. Sirius was just staring at the piece of paper blankly as if he couldn’t comprehend what it said. Remus doesn’t understand what is up, though he thinks it might just have something to do with his family. “Hey, Padfoot!” Remus calls. Startled, Sirius jumps slightly and looks up from the letter finally. He looks right at Remus. From the look on his pal’s face, Remus can tell something is very wrong. “What’s the matter?”
Sirius doesn’t respond. He just hands Remus the letter to read. Remus reads the letter and is surprised at what it says. Originally, Remus had thought it was going to be yet another letter from his mate’s parents (or maybe even his brother) or other family member insulting Sirius about being a traitor, but that’s not at all what it was.
As Remus was reading the letter, Jasmine entered the dorm room. She and Sirius had made plans to work on some of their work together. They were supposed to meet in the common room so they could go to the library together. When Sirius didn’t show, she came up to the dorm to see if he was there and whether he was ready to go. She saw Remus reading something in his hands by Sirius’s bed and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then she started to walk over to where the werewolf was. Immediately when she saw Sirius’s face, she knew they weren’t going to be doing any work anytime soon. She locked eyes with him and could see that something had happened, though it wasn’t necessarily something bad. Jaz went and sat right next to Sirius on the bed. She pulled him into a hug and whispered in his ear, “What happened?” The only response she got was Sirius pointing at the letter that Remus was reading once she released him.
Remus finally noticed Jasmine when he finished the letter. He figured she would want to read the letter too. It would give her a better idea of what was going on. So, once she finished reading the letter, she pulled Sirius into another hug. When she released him, Remus says, “I’m sorry for your loss, Padfoot, but I don’t understand. I thought your entire family hated you and the feeling was mutual.”
“Not everyone hates me. My favorite cousin Andromeda loves me. I used to love seeing her, the few times that I did. I wasn’t allowed to see her anymore after she ran off with this Muggleborn. That got her disowned and burned off the family tree. I haven’t seen her since. We write to each other every so often, especially now that we have both been disowned. And then there was my uncle Alphard who according to that letter is dead now. He was my favorite uncle. Clearly, he liked me too or he wouldn’t have left me anything much less that much gold. He’s bound to have been disowned now and burned off the tree for leaving me anything. I just wish I could tell him how grateful I am for this.” Sirius frowned.
Jaz hugged Sirius again. She whispered in his ear, “I’m sorry about your uncle, but at least you knew he cared about you in the end.”
When Jaz pulled back from her hug with Sirius, Sirius looked into Jasmine’s eyes. “Oh, Mare. I’m sure your mum loved you and your dad too.” He knew what she was getting at from her words and knew he had to reassure her of her parents’ love.
“I know, but I can’t help but think what if sometimes, you know? Like what if my dad hadn’t died when he had? Do you think my mother still would have drunk herself to death or took up drinking so much?” Jaz was on the verge of tears, but she held them back. She had to be strong for Sirius. She wasn’t about to break down when Sirius needed her.
“Mare, I get it. I sometimes wonder if my brother would have come with me if I asked. I wish I had asked Regulus to come with me. At least then I would know for sure,” Sirius confessed. “But there’s no use thinking about what-ifs and wonder what could have been. It happened and we can’t change it.”
“Here I am trying to comfort you and you end up comforting me,” Jaz laughed as the tears started to silently fall down her face. Sirius’s responded by pulling her into a side hug and kissing the top of her head. They ended up lying down together in Sirius’s bed and cuddling. Eventually, they both fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Remus had been long gone. Remus, having recognized the intimacy of the moment, decided to make his exit, and left the two lovebirds alone when they were too busy hugging to notice his departure. He didn’t need to be there anymore. He could leave Jaz to comfort Sirius now. But this threw a wrench in his plan as now he would have to come up with something else for Halloween. It was only a week away and they haven’t even met once to plan their Halloween prank. They were running out of time. And despite Remus being as smart as he was, he couldn’t plan and execute the entire prank with just Peter (and Jaz if she was available) and it still be a Marauders’ level Halloween prank. The prank wouldn’t be as elaborate as their others if it was only two or three of them. Plus, Remus didn’t think Peter would be that much of a help when it came to planning. Peter typically didn’t contribute much when they were planning their pranks. Therefore, if Jaz was unavailable, Remus would be all alone in planning their last Halloween prank. He would just have to figure something else out. Maybe he could find someone else to help them with their prank.
Remus thought about who might be willing to help with the prank as he headed to the common room. In the common room, he happened to pass by Lily. That’s when an idea pops into his head. What if he asked Lily for help? She wasn't nearly as busy as James (and now Sirius) were at the moment. Plus, it could be like an initiation type thing like they had done for Jar when she became a Marauder. It was a brilliant idea that solved his problems, basically. Sure, that this would be for the best idea that he would come up with, Remus stops Lily just as she was about to go up to her dorm. "Lily! I have something I need to ask you!"
Lily turns away from the stairs she was about to climb to face Remus. "Yes, Remus? What is it?"
Remus smiles. "I was wondering if you would like to help plan the Marauders' annual Halloween prank?"
“What?! Really?” Lily asks stunned. “You’re serious?
Remus resisted the urge to make the joke that James or Sirius would have made. He had been spending way too much time with Sirius lately. “Yes, I’m not kidding. I could really use your help.”
“Just you, Remus?” Lily questioned. “What about James and Sirius? Peter? Mina? Do they not need my help? Also, why would you even want my help? I’m not a prankster or anything.”
“Well, here’s the thing. James has been so busy lately what with quidditch and his head boy duties with you. Plus, he’s got his schoolwork to do as well. So, he hasn’t had much free time let alone time to plan for our annual prank. And well Sirius has been busy avoiding James so that James doesn’t keep asking to come back to the quidditch team to be one of the beaters. And well I was going to ask him since James wouldn’t be available, but he just got this letter about his family today. Now he’s got that to deal with, so I just don’t think he’ll be up for planning this prank. That just leaves me and Peter and Jaz if she has the time, which I’m sure she will. Therefore, that leaves only 3 of us, and typically it takes a least four of us to be able to pull off and plan our bigger pranks, so we need you, Lily.”
“I see, but you didn’t answer my last question, Remus.” Remus looked at the redhead confused, so Lily elaborated. “Why me? Why ask me to become this 4th person you need?”
“Well, now that you are dating James, I figure you need to become an honorary member of the Marauders and in order to become one, we’ve made it sort of stipulation that you need to help plan and pull a prank. Jaz went through it, so now it’s your turn, Lily,” Remus explained.
Lily rolled her eyes. “That’s really stupid. And I don’t even want to be an honorary member.”
Remus sighed. “Why are you making this so difficult, Lily? Just please will you di it. I really need you and Jaz will agree with me, so please?”
Lily just laughed in response at first. “There’s no need to beg Remus. I already decided I would help from the start. I mean I did want to know if there was a reason besides me dating James that you asked me.”
Remus was now bright red. “Dammit, Lily! What the bloody hell? Why didn’t you just say that? Now I’ve gone and told you all about our initiation that you aren’t supposed to know about beforehand.”
“It’s okay, Remus. I won’t tell anyone.” Then Lily turned around and started heading up the stairs to the dormitory. She was hallway before she turned around and added. “Except Mina of course.” Then she ran up the rest of the steps before disappearing into her dorm.
Remus cursed at the bottom of the staircase. “How did I not see that last bit coming?!” He cursed to himself.
When Jaz found out about the initiation ceremony, she wasn’t the least bit surprised. She had already figured out long ago that that first prank she came up with and then pulled with the boys had been some kind of test. She had completely understood why too. They had to be able to see it they could trust her, which is why she wasn’t mad when she figured out what they had done.
Though, when Lily told Jaz about how she was going to help them plan the Halloween prank, Jaz was a bit skeptical. Then Lily reminded her how busy James and Sirius were as of late as well as to the fact that Halloween was only a week away. They had no time to lose if they were still going to pull a prank on Halloween. After that, Jaz was all on board. She knew they would need the help.
So, the next day, once they were all free (after classes and such), Jasmine, Remus, Lily, and Peter gathered in an empty classroom (the one they typically used) and started to plan. They had plenty of snacks thanks to Peter. And Remus had brought the pile of old prank ideas they had sorted through at the beginning of the year. He figured it best not to have to start completely from scratch. Many of those ideas were still good and deserved their consideration. Plus, given the fact that they had less than a week, they needed all the ideas they could get.
Obviously, they wanted the prank to be somewhat Halloween-related, so a lot of the ideas were immediately dismissed. They weren’t left with that many, but apparently, enough for Lily to find the perfect one. “I think I found the perfect prank. We will have to modify it slightly, but I have some ideas about that. We’ll also need to set it up the night before, which might be tricky, all things considering.”
Jaz, who had been sitting next to Lily, leaned over to see the prank idea Lily was looking at. She recognized it as one of hers and smiled. “She’s right. It is the perfect prank. But I don’t think that setting up the prank will be as hard as you think, Lils. We’ve got ways to hide ourselves from sight.”
Lily perks up at this and agrees. “Yeah! That’s right, the Disillusionment charm. That will hide us, at least to some degree.”
Then Jaz just rolls her eyes, flashes a knowing look at Remus and Peter, and says to Lily. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking, Lils.” Then she shares another knowing look with the other two, both knowing that at least 2 of them (not Lily) would be using James’s invisibility cloak. Jaz would try to keep it from Lily the best that she could. She thought it best if James was the one to tell Lily about his cloak. It wouldn’t be fair to him if Jaz showed Lily first or told her about it first. But for now, Jaz decided to move on. “Now what did you have in mind to modify it, Lils?”
Lily grinned and told the other two confused Marauders what her plan was. It wasn’t overly complicated, which is why it was brilliant. It was perfect for Halloween too. And the best part was the twist Lily had suggested, which wouldn’t require them to learn any new spell that they didn’t already know. It was perfect, and they couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.
Halloween couldn’t come fast enough for the Marauders minus James and Sirius plus their honorary Marauders, Lily Evans. They couldn’t’ wait to pull their prank, mainly Lily. She was especially excited since this was her first ever prank. She was excited to find out how she would do. She was also interested in seeing a certain two Marauders’ reactions to the prank. She couldn’t wait to see their reactions when they realize they forgot about their annual Halloween prank, but see that it still somehow happened and without them. Even better will be James’s reaction when he finds out who helped pull and plan the prank.
Lucky for Lily (and the others) it was the eve of Halloween before they knew it. That night they would be setting up the prank of a lifetime so to speak. But before that happened, they would have to go through their classes as they would any day. Normally they would act like it was any old day, but throughout the entire day, they (meaning Lily) were giddy with excitement. This brought questioning from James since he couldn’t understand what Lily, his girlfriend, was so excited about. He brought it up when they were walking to class together. “Hey, Lily-pad! What’s got you so excited today?”
“Oh, nothing. Just excited is all for tomorrow. It’s going to be a great day tomorrow,” Lily answered, vaguely. And it was vague alright. All her answer did was confuse James more than he already was. He still didn’t understand what was so special about tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Jaz had been keeping her cool, as she usually would the night before she pulled a prank. It was the key to not getting caught or suspected. Though of course, since Sirius knew her best (except Lily) he could tell by the glint in her eye that she would get before she pulled a prank. It was an odd sight to see for Sirius, as he was usually in on whatever prank she was pulling. But unlike James, Sirius didn’t particularly care about what was going on with whatever prank Jasmine had planned. He knew he would soon find out anyhow, so what did it matter. Therefore, instead of talking about what was up with Jasmine, Sirius decided to leave it be.
So, as Jaz and Sirius trailed behind James and Lily on their way to class, Jaz instead asked Sirius how he was. “Pads, I know how hard it is to lose someone you love, so I just wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.”
Sirius smiled at Jaz. “No worries, Mare. I’m fine. I wasn’t all that surprised about my uncle’s death anyway. Reg told me that he hadn’t been doing well as of late. What was really surprising was how much he left me.”
Jaz stared at her boyfriend in utter shock. She wasn’t sure if she had heard Sirius correctly. “Wait! What?! What do you mean Reg told you? Have you been in contact with your brother since you ran away? Since when? And how much did your uncle leave you?” Jaz had so many more questions. And she would have asked more, but she couldn’t find the words.
Sirius hesitated. “He left me enough to get us a place together after Hogwarts. That is if you want to live with me. I know we haven’t really spoken about it yet.” Sirius decided to ignore the Regulus questions for now. It was not the right time or place to talk about how he and Reg had been meeting up in secret every so often. He would tell her about it later when they were alone.
Luckily, Jaz decided to let it be and ignore the fact that Sirius ignored her questions about Regulus. She figured he hadn’t meant to bring it up, and plus she was sure Sirius would tell her about it later. “That’s great, Pads! And of course, I’ll live with you. I figured that was the plan already. I guess we should talk about it. It is our future, after all.”
Sirius grinned. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. I have a place in mind. We can talk about it later.” They had arrived at their class, so Jaz just nodded in agreement.
Later turned out to be immediately after their last class on that eve of Halloween. Sirius had pulled Jaz off to the side as soon as they exited the classroom. “Let’s go somewhere and talk,” Sirius whispered in her ear. Jaz smiled and nodded. Then Sirius dragged her off toward the 7th floor to a place where no one would disturb them (even if they wanted to).
Jaz let herself be led to wherever Sirius was taking her. She had originally thought he would be taking her to their usual place, “their” empty classroom. She soon realized that was not where he was taking her as they weren’t going the right way to be going there. Now, as Sirius led her down some halls and up several flights of stairs, Jaz couldn’t help but wonder where Sirius was taking her. She wasn’t familiar with this part of the castle as she had no reason to ever be over here. She wondered why Sirius had ever been to this part of the castle. She would have to ask him whenever they got to wherever they were going.
It didn’t take long before they eventually reached where they were apparently going. They were now on the seventh floor standing in front of a tapestry that Jasmine had never seen before. She wasn’t sure who the people were nor what they were doing. It didn’t matter, though, as Sirius finally decided to explain himself. “Okay, so I know that you must have a tone of questions right now Mare, but can you just trust me for another moment?”
“Of course, Pads! I’d trust you with my life. But you better explain soon. I can only take so many secrets.”
Sirius smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything soon. It will all make sense soon, my love.”
Jaz smiles as she blushes. She loved when Sirius called her that. She went over to the side and did as Sirius had asked of her. She trusted Sirius even if he had been keeping secrets from her.
Once Jaz was off to the side, Sirius started to walk back and forth in front of the tapestry. He thought about a room that would give him and his girlfriend privacy. A room that allowed them to talk about sensitive stuff without anyone interrupting them or hearing anything they shouldn’t. And despite himself and because he was a teenage boy, he couldn’t help but think about his future with Jaz. Therefore, he thought about a place where he could have a romantic evening with his girlfriend. And he was subconsciously thinking about the place he had been thinking about getting for him and Jasmine, so the room took that into consideration too.
Jaz watched as Sirius walked past the tapestry three times. She couldn’t understand why he was doing what he was doing until after the third time that he walked past the tapestry. After he walked past it for the third time, a door had appeared across from the tapestry. Jasmine knew that it hadn’t been there before, so she knew it must have had something to do with Sirius and his walking past the tapestry. That was only confirmed when Sirius walked over to where Jaz was standing in awe at what just occurred.
“Shall we Mare?” Sirius held out his hand as an invitation. Jaz took it, but she still couldn’t get over what just happened. And if she was amazed by that then one could say she was about to be completely and utterly astounded at what she found just behind the door
Upon entering the room, Jaz was floored by what she was met with. Sirius and Jaz walked into what could have been their own little apartment. It was basically just a smaller version of what Sirius had looked and pictured their place to look like. The only thing was that instead of there being separate rooms, everything was in the same room. It didn’t really matter, though, as they weren’t planning to actually live there despite how perfect it was. Jaz had no idea how this perfect room had gotten there but she wasn't going to question it at the moment.
The first thing that drew Jasmine’s attention wasn’t the small yet beautiful kitchen but rather the gorgeous queen-sized bed on the opposite end of the room. She ran right over to it so that she could get a better look at it. The sheets were Gryffindor gold, a gorgeous color. It was just barely visible hidden beneath the lovely comforter (or blanket) that was a startling Gryffindor red. It perfectly complemented the sheets as did the pillowcases of the same color. Now what Jaz liked the most about the bed was that similar to the beds in their dorm, the bed was a canopy bed. The difference between them being that the curtains hanging from the posts wasn’t the typical red. Instead, the curtains were gold, but not like the same color as the sheets. The curtains were a shimmering, metallic gold that was absolutely breathtaking. Jasmine absolutely loved them. They were her favorite part of the whole place, and she told Sirius so. “I love these curtains, Siri. We should try and get some for our future place.”
Sirius, who had walked over to the couch that was in front of a lovely fireplace in the center of the wall, smiled over at his girlfriend. He loved this place that the room had concocted. He hadn’t really expected it to come up with something so perfect, but he loved it nonetheless. He would have to make sure to remember what he asked the room for when making this place so that he could bring Jaz back here on a date before they graduated. Next time he would just need to get some food from the house elves in the kitchens. Maybe he would even make Jasmine something. So, he would definitely have to come back here with Jaz before they left Hogwarts behind for good. And with everything the room had created, it was times like these that Sirius would the room knew more than what Sirius had thought up. The reason being that this place was perfect and rather similar to the place that Sirius had in mind as a place for him and Jasmine after he had gotten all that money from his uncle. “They’re great, Mare, but I don’t know if we will be able to find ones quite like those anywhere else, so why don’t you just take those. I’m sure the room won’t mind.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I’ll think about it,” Jasmine said as she walked over to the couch and sat down at the other end. “But speaking of the room, where exactly did it come from. One minute there was no door, then there was a door there? Care to explain?”
Sirius rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Yeah. About that. I’m not exactly sure what this room is called. I only know about it through Regulus. He’s the one that showed me this room and how it works. I think he called it the Room of Requirement. I think he said one of the house elves down in the kitchens told him about it when he was talking with them. That brother of mine might have some twisted beliefs in terms of the dark arts, but if there is one thing, he loves is house elves. I swear, he treats Kreacher like an actual friend. It’s kind of sad really.”
Jaz just about questions who Kreacher is and why shouldn’t they treat house elves better but thinks better of it. She decides to save that for another day knowing it would only lead to an argument between them. Right now, Jaz didn’t want to argue with Sirius. They needed to get right to it if she was still to help with the prank that night. She would rope Sirius into the prank if she could, but she couldn’t not with what they had planned. Anyhow, Jaz still wanted her questions from earlier answered. “So, hen you have been meeting up with your brother in secret. Since when? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“Reg sent me a letter over the summer,” Sirius began. “I’m assuming he managed to do it without our parents finding out because he didn’t appear to be injured nor disowned yet. Anyway, he wrote that he wanted to talk to me about something but not until we got back to Hogwarts. I knew why. It was dangerous for us to be seen together. I knew what would happen to him if our parents ever found out. I still want to protect him as much as I can. You know how much I regret leaving him behind in that awful home. And despite everything, including those beliefs our parents indoctrinated in him, I still love my brother.” Sirius would have kept going on, but Jaz stopped him. She had heard some version of the same explanation multiple times prior. Jaz was on a time limit now, so she didn’t have the time to hear the explanation again. So, she moved it along as best she could.
“I know, Pads, I wish it was different. I really do, but what happened after you got the letter from Regulus.”
“I agreed to meet him when we got back. I sent a response back with ‘his’ owl, which apparently had expected a response. After that, I only received one more letter from him. All it said was: ‘Meet me on the 7th floor by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy with the trolls after the feast and after curfew.’ Now I wasn’t entirely sure where that was even though we had explored enough of the caste to have made a map, but that’s beside the point. So, since I wasn’t familiar enough with where that was, on the night of the feast, I snuck out of the dorm once all of the others were asleep. I snagged the map and invisibility cloak from James. I knew he wouldn’t mind. Plus, he wouldn’t even know they were gone, which was the idea. Then I snuck out and found Reg on the map. It appeared he was already on the 7th floor at the meeting spot. Therefore, I hurried to his location. I didn’t need nor want him getting in trouble just for me.
“When I got there, I almost didn’t see Reg. He had hidden himself with the disillusionment charm. He disengaged it when he saw me appear from under the cloak. Then he showed me this room and explained how it worked.”
“So, how does it work?” Jaz interrupted. “I figured it has something to do with you pacing in front of the wall where the door to this room appeared.”
“Yeah, it does,” Sirius confirmed. “Basically, you think of what you want and walk in front of it 3 times thinking out it. You need to be specific about what you want too especially if you don’t want to be disturbed. Otherwise, Reg told me that as long as whoever is trying to get it knows what you are doing, then they can enter too. Don’t worry though. I made sure no one would be able to interrupt us or hear us. I don’t want anyone else finding out about Reg and I’s secret meetups. The fewer people that know, the less likely he is to get hurt or worse.”
“Wow! That’s amazing. And I completely understand why you didn’t tell me about meeting up with Regulus. It wouldn’t end well if you two got caught. But how about next time you two have a clandestine meeting, you tell me, and I can come too. I know it's risky, but I’d like to meet your brother. He’s so important to you, so I’d really like to meet him.”
Sirius couldn’t help but smile at Jasmine’s words. He appreciated the sentiment behind it, but he wasn’t sure Regulus would see it that way. “I would love nothing more than to introduce you to Reg, but I’m sure he wouldn’t go for it. Not that I care about his approval, but I’d prefer to still keep meeting up with him. I don’t want to lose Reg.”
“I got it, Pads. It’s no problem, but maybe ask him before you go assuming things that might not be true,” Jaz suggested.
“I’ll ask, Mare, but I can’t promise he’ll be open to the idea,” Sirius told her.
“That’s fine.” Then Jaz changed the subject. “Now that that is out of the way,” she began. “What’s this about you finding a place for us to live after Hogwarts?”
Sirius pulled a newspaper out of one of the pockets of his robes. It was a recent edition of the Daily Prophet. He opened it up to the house and apartment listings. Sirius pointed to one particular house for sale in a mostly wizarding neighborhood. From the description, it appeared to be the perfect three-bedroom house for the two of them to start their life together in. “See this one here. I thought it would be perfect for us. And there’s a picture of it right here.” Sirius pointed to a picture near the description of the house. And since it was a wizarding picture, it moved and showed other parts of the house. “Once I saw the picture, I could really picture us living there together. I wanted your opinion before I got it, though.”
“It’s perfect, Sirius. I love it!” Jasmine exclaimed. “But let me pay for some of it. I want to at least pitch in some for our future place. “
“That’s really sweet of you, Mare, but there’s no need. My uncle left me plenty of money to way for the house and still have extra leftover to spare.”
“I know and I get that, but I can afford to help pay for it, Sirius. I’m not completely broke. I actually have quite a tidy sum in my vault that I set up for myself in Gringotts.”
“Since when, Mare? Where have you been hiding it? And where did it even come from?” Sirius was seriously confused. He had always been under the impression that his girlfriend didn’t have much, at least in terms of wizarding money.
“Well, originally, I didn’t actually have all that much, but over the summer I got a letter from the bank my dad used in France. This was the bank he used after we moved there, and I went to Beauxbatons.” Sirius nodded, understanding. “Yeah, well apparently, before my father died, he set up an account for me joined with his own account. He basically had money set aside for me. The only reason I didn’t know about it before now is that he made it a stipulation that I would be able to access it until I was of age, which I became over the summer. I'm pretty sure he planned to tell me, but then he died. Also, his money was what I used to pay for my books each year at Beauxbatons. Though I never accessed it directly. He had set it up so that I would always get enough to get what I needed each year. But when I transferred schools, that changed since my dad had set that up in France. Thus, I had been treated like a Muggleborn thus far at Hogwarts in terms of money for books and other supplies. Therefore, ever since I moved to England, his money hasn’t been touched so it is all still there. Anyway, now that I know about this money, I asked the bank in France to transfer the money to my vault at Gringotts. I had only saved up a little bit at the time, but now there is quite a sum in there. I had no idea my dad had so much money saved up in his account, let alone a nice sum saved up for me for my future. He really loved me more than I knew, and I really miss him. But I know that he would want me to use at least some of that money toward what it was intended meaning toward a house and my future. I’m sure he would approve. I believe he would have liked you, Pads.”
Sirius could only stare incredulously at Jaz for several moments. He had not expected to hear that her recent influx of money had come from her now deceased father. Sirius, though, soon regained his ability to speak. “Wait! So, you’re telling me that your dad, who's been dead for 6 years now, left you a bunch of money that you didn’t know about until now?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Jasmine confirmed.
“That’s insane!” Sirius exclaimed. “But amazing all the same. And Mare, you know your dad loved you so much, even if he didn’t leave you all this money. Based on the stories you’ve told me about him, he definitely loved you. And I’m sure I would have liked him too, but it is good to know that he would have liked me and approved of our relationship.”
Jaz has been able to resist the urge to kiss Sirius up until that very moment. With those reassuring and kind words, Jaz was pushed over the edge. She basically leaped over to Sirius’s side of the couch. Then she attacked his lips with her own. It was a rather messy but passionate kiss full of heat and want. And if Jaz had let it continue, they might have ended up in that bed with a lot less clothing than they were currently wearing right now. Sadly, that didn’t happen as Jaz was subconsciously still aware that she was on a time limit. She only had a limited amount of time before dinner, which was her deadline. Normally, she wouldn’t mind skipping a meal especially if it meant more time alone with Sirius, but she still had work she needed to do before tomorrow. Plus, she and the others were planning to meet up not long after dinner to go over the plan one more time before they went through with it that night. Any other night and Jaz might have been up for going to bed with Sirius.
Upon breaking the kiss, Jaz thanked Sirius. “I appreciate that Pads. And I know he loved me, more than I thought. He would just want me to be happy if he were alive today, and I know it. Since you make me happy, I’m sure he would be supportive of our relationship. Though, I guess if he hadn’t died, I never would have met you Pads.”
“Don’t think like that, Mare. I’m sure we would have met at some point, Probably at James and Lily’s wedding. Even without our meddling, I’m sure those two would have eventually gotten together. And there is no way they aren’t going to end up married after we leave here despite only being together for a few months.”
“You’re probably right, Pads. I wonder how we would have got on. I mean we got along right away when we first met on the train, but I’m not so sure in other circumstances. I’m sure that I would at least try to get along with you, for Lily’s sake. After all, she is my best friend.”
“I have to agree. I wonder how our first meeting would have gone then. Though, I’m sure I would have immediately hit on you,” Sirius teased.
“What makes you say that?” Jasmine asked.
“Being the best man, it is my sworn duty to hit on and try and hook up with the maid of honor, especially since you are gorgeous, love,” Sirius responded in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Of course, you see it like that, but what make you say I would be maid of honor.”
“You said it yourself, Lily is your best friend. And I’m sure that Lily sees you as hers. Why would that have changed if you finished school at Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts,” Sirius explained.
“I don’t know, Pads, but it doesn’t really matter, does it? I’m here now and with you. That’s all that matters to me anyhow.” Jaz, now cuddled up in Sirius’s arms after that messy passionate kiss, smiled up at her boyfriend.
“I love you, Mare,” Sirius proclaimed looking down at the girl in his arms.
“I love you too, Pads,” Jaz responded, looking up into Sirius’s eyes. They kissed, but unlike the earlier one, it wasn’t very long only a few seconds.
The two of them stayed cuddled up on that couch just enjoying each other company. They cuddled together in comfortable silence, looking into the fireplace. They were so comfortable that they almost fell asleep again. The only stopping them was Jaz being so focused on making sure that she didn’t miss dinner as she couldn’t afford to. But they still ended up being late for dinner.
As they left the room, making sure they didn’t leave or forget anything, Sirius told Jaz, “Don’t tell the others about this place. There’s a reason I haven’t told them about it, and I’d prefer to keep it that way, at least for now.”
“Don’t worry, Pads. I promise I won’t tell them. We wouldn’t want them finding out about our secret rendezvouses now, would we?” Jaz winked at Sirius then walked right out of the room.
Sirius chased after Jas after a few moments. He wasn’t about to just leave the conversation there. “Jaz! Mare! Wait up!” Jasmine was a few feet ahead of Sirius when he exits the room. Thankfully, she stops and waits for Sirius to catch up to her. Upon catching up to her, Sirius kisses her on the cheek, then says, “I appreciate that Jaz. And you really mean that about us coming back here?” Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“What do you think?” Jaz asked, with a knowing smile. Then she kissed Sirius before taking his hand. Then they walked with their hand intertwined all the way down to the Great Hall.
After dinner, instead of heading up to the common room with James and Sirius, Lily and the other 3 remaining Marauders hung back. They gave James and Sirius their excuses and were able to convince them to go up to the common room together. Before the duo left, Sirius gave Jaz a wink, which she took to mean that he knew exactly what they were up to. She smiled and returned the wink before they finally went their separate ways.
The four who were left headed toward their usual empty classroom. There they went over the plan once more. Then they addressed any concerns (Peter was concerned that James and Sirius would be mad at them doing this without them, but they dismissed his worries). After that, they found the supplies that they had hidden in that very classroom. They made sure that it was all there and that they had everything they needed. Then, deciding they were ready for tonight, the 4 of them headed up to Gryffindor tower to finish any schoolwork that they still needed to finish.
Before any of the 4 of them knew it, the time had come for them to finally set up their prank. They agreed to meet in the common room before heading out. Jaz and Lily were there first. The two boys came down shortly after. Jaz gave Remus a look saying, ‘Do you have the cloak?’ Remus shook his head. He couldn’t find the cloak and he couldn’t just ask James where it was without making James suspicious. But Remus did manage to grab the map. He produced the piece of parchment out of his pocket as well as his wand. He tapped his wand on the parchment and was about to say, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good” when Lily interrupted him.
“What are you doing with that piece of parchment, Remus?” Lily asked.
Remus wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t exactly want to give away one of their secrets to how they avoid getting caught. It turned out he didn’t have to say anything as Lily snatched the parchment out of his hand.
“Is this some kind of thing that’s going to help us?” Lily asked. “If it is, then I’m guessing you guys use some kind of spell or something of the like to make whatever is supposed to appear.” Lily took out her wand and tapped it on the parchment as Remus had before saying, “Aparecium” (the revealing charm). Instead of the map appearing, Lily was greeted with some words.
Lily stared down at the insults and strange compliments for a few more moments before looking up at her three companions. The 3 Marauders present were beet red, but Lily didn’t notice. “Why would we need a piece of parchment that insults and weirdly compliments people? What use does this have?”
No one said anything for several minutes Jaz finally gave in and was like to hell with it. “That’s not what it is Lils.” Jaz takes out her wand and puts it to the parchment and says, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” That was when lines of the map started to appear on the parchment. Across the top in big curly letters, as it usually would, appeared:
Lily stared at the map in astonishment. She could hardly believe what she was looking at. “This is a map of Hogwarts!” Lily finally exclaimed. Then on further inspection, she noticed something else. “Are those dots showing everyone in the castle in real time?” She looked up from the map to see all three Marauders that were present nodding. “Wow! This is some pretty impressive magic, you guys. I can’t believe you did this. This map is amazing. But I have to ask, why did it insult and weirdly compliment me before?”
Remus answered her question this time. “Yeah, about that. It’s a preventative measure we added to keep it so that people who aren’t mischief makers wouldn’t be able to open the map. We don’t want to get in trouble for having this map and we wouldn’t want future mischief makers getting in trouble either. So, we made it seem like it was just a piece of parchment that insult people. So, I’m not entirely sure why it complimented you.”
“Who complimented you exactly, Lils?” Jaz asked.
“I believe it was Mr. Prongs and Ms. Mare, which I’m sure is you and James, Mina. And since you both love me, I doubt your magic in the map would be able to insult me,” Lily reasoned.
“You’re probably right, Lils. Either that or something is up with the map,” Jaz agreed. “Now that that’s out of the way, we should probably get going if we want to get going if we want to get this prank done before morning.” And with that, the four of them headed out to grab what they needed and then went to set up their prank.
On the morning of Halloween, the students and staff alike were met with quite the scene outside the Great Hall. A few meters in front of the doors to the Great Hall were two chalk outlines of people. The area around the two chalk outlines was taped off with yellow caution tape making the whole scene look like a crime scene. What was even more damning was that there were a few miscellaneous things marked with numbers. Any Muggleborn (and most Half-bloods) recognized it as a crime scene and stayed as far away from the area s they could. The Purebloods were a bit confused by the scene but still stayed clear upon hearing whispers of it being a crime scene. This wasn’t all there was, though.
Upon entering the Great Hall, they were met with some of the typical decorations for the feast later that night. There was something different, though. At the other end of the hall on either side of the podium in which Dumbledore gave his speeches were two headstones. They were set on the first level of steps. The one to the right said, “Here lies James Fleamont Potter, prankster extraordinaire.” The one on the left said, “Here lies Sirius Black III, Ultimate rebel and prankster.”
It was quite a surprise for many students to see the names of the head boy and his best mate on the headstones. The looks on the students' faces were a mixture of horror, surprise, confusion, and a twinge of sadness (particularly those who knew the two well). Lots of students, mainly Gryffindor looked around for the two pranksters. Sadly, they couldn’t find them. This worries some of them, particularly one Slytherin by the name of Regulus Articulus Black.
The grand finale of the prank came when most of the students (and staff) were in the Great Hall. That’s when Jaz and Lily came running in acting as if this was all news to them. They ran right up to their respective boyfriend’s gravestone. Then both girls started crying. Remus and Peter “had” to come and “console” them. They helped the two cousins up and led them to the Gryffindor table. That scene caused quite a flurry of talk within the Great Hall. It was almost as if it was confirmation that this might be real and not another prank. That is until James and Sirius finally showed up bursting into the Great Hall, disheveled.
See, no one (*ahem* Remus *ahem*) woke them up that morning when they were supposed to. Therefore, the two had to hurry to get ready so they weren’t late for breakfast or class for that matter. So, they burst into the Great Hall completely missing the scene outside as well as the gravestones. They were too preoccupied to notice much of anything.
Upon entering the Great Hall, the two friends were met with everyone staring at them. Students and staff alike were staring in pure shock and disbelief. But once the two boys sat down everything made sense. After James and Sirius took seats at the Gryffindor table, a banner appeared out of nowhere above where the staff sat. The banner read: “Happy Halloween. Love the Marauders.”
It was almost as if a collective oh was said in everyone’s head as they all realized it was just a prank. Many of the students had to admit that this was one hell of a prank. They wouldn’t be forgetting about this anytime soon. It was a brilliant way to make sure no one forgot about them anytime soon.
Meanwhile, as the day went on, James and Sirius were told by several people how glad they were that they weren’t actually dead. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, people also told them that the prank they pulled was pretty devious and twisted but brilliant all the same. Each time they were told that they would always respond with, “What prank?” Now Sirius knew they were likely talking about whatever prank Jaz had pulled, but he didn’t understand why they were complimenting him and James for it. James, on the other hand, was as oblivious as ever. He had no idea what was going on with everyone today, at least not until lunch.
When lunch rolled around, James and Sirius had finally noticed the fake crime scene outside the Great Hall. From what they had heard, they figured it was the prank they heard about all day. They thought it was a pretty decent prank. But then they saw the gravestones with their names on them. And finally, when they sat down, they noticed the banner. It all made sense now. They finally understood what everyone meant.
The two boys had to say that this was one deviously brilliant prank. It was also very well executed, especially after they heard about the scene with Jaz and Lily that morning. But really what made both boys really go pale was the banner. When they read what that banner said, they realized what had happened. Both of them had forgotten about Halloween. And now, they were both realizing that the other had planned and executed the annual prank without them. The look on the two boys’ faces was priceless, which is why Lily snapped a photo of them.
Upon realization, James and Sirius turned to each other and said at the same time, “We forgot out the annual Halloween prank!” Then they started laughing.
“I can’t believe we forgot about the prank, Prongs,” Sirius said to his best mate.
“I can’t either. I don’t know how it managed to slip our minds,” James agreed. Then he turned his attention back to the real pranksters behind the Halloween prank. “I do have one question. How did only three of you pull this off?”
Lily was the one to correct him. “I think you mean the four of us, Darling,” Lily teased.
James stared at his girlfriend sitting next to him in awe. “Wait! What?! Are you serious, Lily? You helped them with this?”
“Well, I’m not Sirius, but who do you think’s idea it was to make it look like it was the two of you who’d been murdered?” Lily asked sarcastically.
James was so stunned he missed the joke. “Seriously? That was you, Lils? Since when are you a prankster?” James could barely comprehend what his sweet, not-so-innocent girlfriend was telling him.
“Well, not Siriusly. More like Lilyly, I guess,” Lily joked. “But anyway, yeah that was me. And I’m not a prankster. I just wanted to help for once. You could say it was my right of passage for dating you.”
This time James caught the joke and laughed heartily at it. “That’s great, Lils,” James complimented. “Well, I’m thoroughly impressed. What about you Padfoot? You approve?”
“Hell, yeah I do!” Sirius laughed and held up his hand for Lily to high five (and she did). “But James, I will warn you, if you don’t marry that girl, I going to smack you into tomorrow. I mean what other girl are you going to find that makes a pun like that with my name? So, if you screw this up, I’m going to be helping Mare kill you or whatever she has planned.”
James chuckled. “Consider me warned, Pads.”
For the rest of lunch, the Marauders plus Lily their new honorary member talked about the logistics behind the prank. The pranksters told James and Sirius how they pulled the prank and all that jazz. You could tell this group of six people had become closer than they were before. They were now an unbreakable force, ready for what Hogwarts and life might throw at them, and they better be ready. This last year wasn’t even half over. There was still a lot to come.
Notes:
Yet another really long chapter completed! Hooray! I hope you all enjoyed it, but you better not get used to these long chapters. One quick thing before you go. While writing this chapter, I really liked the idea of writing an AU (of my slight AU) where Sazzy meets at Jily’s wedding. So, I wanted to know what you all thought about me writing a one-shot about that. Let me know and I will write it when I get the chance. And I’m sure Lily will have another encounter with the Marauders map real soon.
Also, originally in my word doc that I am writing this in, the Marauders map stuff is in different fonts, but since that's not a thing here, so I ended up taking a picture of it and adding it in.Love you all, my wonderful readers,
❤ Knk6700 ❤
Chapter 7: Sirius's Sexy Birthday Date
Summary:
Jasmine has a something very special in store for her boyfriend for his 18th birthday this year. She plans to make it a night he won’t soon forget in more ways than one. What does she have planned for the boy she loves and her favorite Marauder?
Notes:
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
A/N Yay! New Chapter. I’m hoping to get one more chapter done in the coming weeks given that this coming weekend I have a 4-day weekend (I’m on a short break called Fall break, so no classes = more time to write) I have so much planned for this story, including a spin-off series that I really want to write, but I want to finish this series first. Also, this chapter’s plot has been changed 3 times because of just the ideas I come up with and write about. It’s funny how what I planned isn’t always what I end up writing. Eh, Anyway, please read the warning below.
Warning: There’s a scene in this chapter that gets pretty steamy, almost on the verge of mature (might have to change the rating because of it and because I’m paranoid). It’s not very graphic and I don’t go into details, but please be aware. You can skip it if you want
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 7: Sirius’s Sexy Birthday Date
Not long after the very memorable Halloween prank that the Marauders (or at least 3/5 of them) pulled, it was Sirius's birthday (November 3rd). Now, normally they didn't make a big fuss about his birthday because Sirius preferred they didn't. Actually, he hadn't even told Jasmine when his birthday was until after it had passed. See, in the past before Hogwarts, Sirius looked forward to his birthday. During that time, his parents still treated him like he was their son and not their punching bag or anything of the sort. Plus, Sirius always looked forward to spending time with his brother Regulus.
But then Sirius went off to Hogwarts and he got sorted into Gryffindor and became friends with James, Remus, and Peter. It was through them that Sirius realized just how messed up and wrong his parents had been. Their whole thing about blood purity and that they were above others had never been something that Sirius had really bought into, but upon his sorting and making his new friends, Sirius realized that it was much more than that. His parent's beliefs were awful and degrading. And Sirius told his parents as much after he got the letter from his mother about how angry and disappointed she was about his sorting. He got a Howler in response which was basically his mother degrading and putting Sirius down. Everyone in the Great Hall would have heard it too, had Sirius not ran out as soon as he received the letter. He knew exactly what it was, and he didn't need his new mates worrying about him. And yet they had followed him out and heard the message anyway, despite Sirius not wanting them to. From that point on, the other 3 boys made sure they were there for Sirius. They weren’t about to let him believe anything that his mother told him. Though, none of them knew how bad it was about to get for Sirius at home.
Anyway, Sirius hadn't wanted to celebrate his birthday that year. He didn't want to think about his parents at all and celebrating his 12th birthday would only remind him of them and their disappointment and anger with him. He hadn't even told the three other future Marauders at the time when his birthday was until after it had long passed.
Though, despite everything, Sirius still got a letter on his birthday. He had expected another ridiculing letter from his parents, but he was happily surprised. Instead of a letter from his parents, he got a letter from his little brother. Sirius loved Regulus a lot and he was fiercely protective of the younger boy. He made sure to write to Reg when he could which was typically once a month. Though, he didn't always get a reply, which he found odd. Regulus had made Sirius promise to keep in touch while he was at Hogwarts. Sirius had kept his promise as much as he could, but Sirius would expect a reply from his younger brother. He didn't understand why he wouldn't respond, at least not until much later on.
Anyway, Reg sent Sirius a letter for his birthday, a letter that Sirius still kept to this day. It meant a lot to Sirius to hear from his little brother, especially since Reg had written "No matter what Mother says, we are still brothers. I'm not disappointed or angry with you Sirius. I can't wait to see you when you get home for holidays. I miss you brother."
That letter made Sirius appreciate his brother a whole lot more. Though, as of late, most of the time Sirius had looked at it, all he felt was guilt. He couldn't help but think about his brother alone in that house with those awful people that they called parents for several years. He felt bad about it every day, even though he was now meeting up with Regulus to make sure he was okay. Regulus had even assured him several times that he was fine and even if Sirius had asked him to go, he would have stayed. Regulus wasn't like Sirius, he believed in his parents' beliefs and ideologies. He was more into the dark arts than Sirius would ever dream to be. They were actually quite different from each other, and yet they both would die for each other and loved each other fiercely. There were things that they were keeping from one another, of course. They knew that despite being brothers there were things that they just had to keep from each other.
Anyway, with Sirius's birthday coming up, Jasmine wanted to do something special for him. Jaz originally wanted to throw him a sort of surprise party, but James was quick to shut that idea down. He knows Jaz means well, but he knows how Sirius feels about surprise parties. He absolutely hates them. Although James isn’t entirely sure of the reason why he knew that Sirius wouldn’t be happy if they tried to plan and throw him a surprise birthday party.
So, Jasmine ended up planning a rather romantic evening for them in the Room of Requirement in the room they had been in before. She had made sure she had a birth control potion as well as some more protection just in case the evening led them to the bed in the room which she was sure it would. She wanted to be prepared. Plus, she was ready to take that next step with Sirius, but she wasn't about to do that in the same room as the Marauders or her cousin/sister Lily. And Jasmine wanted Sirius to have a memorable 18th birthday even if he didn’t like celebrating his birthday.
The day of Sirius’s 18th birthday was quickly approaching. Jasmine has everything all planned out for their romantic evening. All that was left was to ask Sirius. She found the boy in question in the common room, appearing to do some work but Jaz knew better. Thus, she went up to her boyfriend and told him about her proposition.
Jaz went up and sat down right on Sirius’s lap. Sirius not expecting her still automatically put his hands on Jasmine’s waist. Being steady on Sirius’s lap, Jaz leaned over and whispered rather sultrily in Sirius’s ear, “I hope you don’t have plans for your birthday. I got something special planned.” Then she sat back up and looked at Sirius for a response.
The Gryffindor boy in question was a bit stunned, but not too much. “Actually, I ca–”
Jaz cut him off by leaning back down to Sirius’s ear, “You better not have plans. Otherwise, you might not get lucky. Who knows we might even make it to the bed by the end of the night?” She gave him a wink once she was sitting back upright on his lap.
Sirius stared at his girlfriend. He hadn’t expected to hear that. And just when he was about to decline her “invitation.” Well, all of his previous plans just went out the window. “No, I was just going to say that I can’t wait to see what you have planned, (my) love.” Then he pulled his girlfriend down to his lips, pulling her into a kiss
After Jaz pulled away, she got up and left her boyfriend to get everything ready for their date. She wanted to make sure that the date went the way she wanted it to go.
As Jaz left the common room, Sirius was left to figure out how he was going to let his little brother know about the change in their plans. See, originally, Sirius and Regulus were going to have a small celebration (in secret) with just the two of them. Now, Sirius was going to have to find a time between now and tomorrow morning to send his brother a message secretly. Thankfully, Sirius finds that his brother is alone, roaming the halls of Hogwarts that night thanks to the Marauders Map. So, it is then that Sirius sneaks out (with the map) to tell Regulus about the change in plans.
He finds Reg in very little time, but before he reveals himself to his brother, Sirius makes sure to clear the map and tuck it away in his pocket. He didn’t want Reg finding out his secrets. Even though he was his brother, Regulus was still Slytherin after all. “Hey, Reg! Wait up!” Sirius called quietly to his brother.
Regulus turned around at the nickname. Upon seeing Sirius, Reg stopped and waited for his brother to reach him. He was surprised to see Sirius and voiced this. “What do you want, Sirius? How did you even know I’d be here?”
Sirius smirked. “I have my ways. But I needed to see you,” Sirius stated rather vaguely. Regulus, in response, quirked his eyebrow as to tell Sirius to continue and explain himself because right now his explanation wasn’t good enough. Sirius relented, eventually. He sighed, “Fine! I was trying to be all mysterious, but you ruined it. I’ll tell you what’s going on, but first, you have to swear not to get too upset with me.”
Regulus wasn’t planning on swearing or even promising anything of the sort. He knew if Sirius wanted him to promise something like that, it meant he would likely be upset either way. Then he finally looked Sirius in the eye and noticed a semblance of what appeared to be hope. Sirius knew Regulus too well, but he was still hoping that Reg would just give in. So, Regulus sighed and comprised (only giving in a little). “I’m not swearing or promising anything Siri because I know I’m going to get upset no matter what.” The hope in Sirius’s eyes diminished slightly. “What I will say is I will try my best not to be too upset with you.”
“I’ll take it,” Sirius grinned. “Anyway, I can’t celebrate my birthday with you tomorrow, Reg. Something’s come up. So, I was thinking we could celebrate together the day after. I know it’s a bit last minute, but I’m hoping you can give me a pass this time,” Sirius pleaded.
Sirius was right to ask Regulus not to get too upset. Regulus was pissed, but he tried not to show it. “What could have possibly come up that would prevent you from meeting up with me tomorrow night” And don’t you dare say homework, Sirius. I know you better than that.”
“Well, um…” Sirius stuttered out. He wasn’t actually planning to tell Regulus why they couldn’t meet up. So, Sirius hadn’t thought of a believable lie ahead of time to tell his brother. All he had was the truth which as Sirius thought about that, he felt his face heat up. Soon his face was crimson in color, which Regulus could slightly make out in the dark due to the moonlight shining in through a nearby window. He couldn’t help but wonder what was so embarrassing about Sirius’s reasoning that he couldn’t tell his own brother about it without turning red.
It was several moments later before Sirius calmed down and was able to finally respond. “Well, you see, Mare, I mean Jasmine, you know my girlfriend?” Regulus nodded, agreeing that he knew about the girl. “She planned something really special for us. And well, I would invite you to join the ‘celebration,’ but I’d rather not have my little brother third wheeling on my birthday date with my girlfriend. Which reminds me!” Sirius said, changing the subject suddenly. “Jaz found out about our secret rendezvous and want to come to the next one, you know after my birthday celebration with just us two. She really wants to meet you. It would mean a lot to me if you let her come.”
Regulus stared at his brother for several moments, taking in all the information he was just given. “That’s fine about your birthday, Siri. I get it, I really do.” Regulus actually didn’t get it, but he also didn’t understand his brother’s or any other guy’s, for that matter, infatuation with girls. He just didn’t see what the big deal was. He never found an interest in girls like his brother did. Anyway, Regulus continued. “And I don’t understand why your girlfriend could possibly want to meet me, brother."
“Oh, Reg! Why wouldn’t she want to meet you? This is my girlfriend, who I love very much and loves me just as much, that we are talking about. She wants to be able to know all of me. And since you are my brother who I care deeply for, she wants to meet you. She wants to be able to get to know you, Reg because you mean a lot to me. But if you don’t want to meet her, you don’t have to. I’m not going to force you to meet with Jasmine if you don’t want to.”
“Oh, shut up, Sirius. There’s no need to beg or anything. I just wanted to know what reason she had for wanting to meet me. I wouldn’t meet with her if it wasn’t a good enough reason, but I think that reason is as good as any. So, I won’t particularly mind if she comes with you the next time we meet. I know she means a lot to you, Siri. You are particularly smitten with this one. I can tell from the number of times I’ve seen you drooling over her in the Great Hall.”
“Hey!” Sirius protested. “I do not, nor have I ever, drooled over her.”
“I’m not going to argue with you, Sirius, but you do,” Regulus retorted. “And if that’s all I must be going before my housemates start to wonder where I have gone.” With that, Regulus left Sirius and headed back toward the Slytherin common room. Sirius left shortly after, making his way back to Gryffindor Tower.
The next morning, Sirius, for the first time was actually looking forward to celebrating his birthday. Actually, this was the first time he’d actually be celebrating his birthday with someone who isn’t related to him or at least not his brother, Regulus. He hadn’t wanted to celebrate his birthday with anyone else. That was until Jaz came along. Now, clearly Sirius, at first, didn’t want to celebrate his birthday with her. And really, he still wasn’t entirely celebrating his birthday with her. Sirius was grateful for that because although he had a feeling this date would be the best birthday present ever, Sirius still didn’t entirely like celebrating his birthday. It just brought up awful memories. Plus, he’d never truly had a birthday party in the past, so he didn’t exactly know what he was missing out on by not having one.
Sirius was slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t be with Regulus for his birthday this year, but he got over that disappointment as soon as he entered the Room of Requirement the night of his birthday. See, Jaz had told Sirius that morning to meet her in the room that night for his birthday date with her. She had wanted (and needed) extra time to make sure everything was set up and ready to go. She had big plans and wasn’t about to let anything mess it up. And Jaz had to do all of it herself. Since she had promised Sirius not to tell anyone about his meeting up with Regulus, Jaz couldn’t (nor did she want to) tell any of the others about her plans without them asking more questions she couldn’t and didn’t want to answer. So, Jaz was on her own to make sure the date went off without a hitch. She still had to get the food from the house elves and get a few things for the room (i.e., Sirius’s birthday present). And by the time Sirius had gotten to the room that evening, Jaz had everything all set up. She hid the present under the bed so Sirius wouldn’t be able to see it.
When Sirius entered the room he was greeted with a scene that made his jay practically fall to the floor. There was the girl he loved, sitting at the table from last time, except it didn’t look the same as it had before. The table had been set up as if they were at a fancy restaurant. There was a lovely white tablecloth along with 2 candles on either side of the table. It really set the mood and tone of the night (as did the dim lighting of the rest of the room). It definitely created a romantic ambiance. But that’s not why Sirius’s jaw was practically on the floor. Rather it was because of the very person who had set up the romantic scene in front of him. Jasmine was wearing a very sexy darker red dress that appeared to be velvet, but Sirius wasn’t sure. It looked absolutely gorgeous on her, either way. It accented all of her curves, hugging her in all the right places. Not only that, but the dress also accented her bosom. She was showing a bit of cleavage, which was one of the main reasons she chose to wear that particular dress. Jaz wanted Sirius to know she was serious about what she had said about where the night might end up. Anyway, the dress was off-the-shoulder, which only made Jaz look even sexier. The strawberry-blonde had also chosen to put on some makeup. It was only a bit of blush and some deep red lipstick. It all complimented each other rather well and went well with her strawberry blonde hair, which she curled. So, overall, she looked stunning. And clearly, Sirius agreed if his reaction was any indication.
It took several minutes before Sirius stopped staring at his girlfriend. Jaz has to snap him out of it or he might have stared at her the entire night, which wasn’t ideal, given where Jaz planned to end the evening. Now that Sirius was “back,” he finally commented, “Wow, you look stunning, Mare. When did you even get that dress? You look, just wow. I’m so lucky.” Then he walked over to Jaz and kissed her right there proceeding to get red lipstick on his lips in the process.
It was only a quick kiss, even though they both wished it had gone longer, but right now their dinner was getting cold, a dinner Jasmine had spent quite some time making (with the help of some of the house elves). So, she cut the kiss short, and upon pulling back and seeing red lipstick on Sirius from the kiss, she laughed.
She explained herself after seeing a “hurt” look on Sirius’s face. “You’ve got some lipstick on you.”
“oh!” Sirius chuckled. Then he went to wipe it off with the sleeve of his leather jacket, the same one Jaz got him for Christmas last year. Jaz stopped him before he could. Instead, she took a napkin and whipped the lipstick off of his lips. Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, getting more lipstick on him, but she didn’t wipe it off.
She kept it on his cheek and leaned in and whispered in his ear, “You’ve got a little something on your cheek.” Then she pulled away smirking.
Sirius blushed knowing exactly what his girlfriend had left on his cheek, but he decided to just keep it there for the time being. He could wipe it off later, but he kind of wanted to show it off later. So, he winked at Jaz before finally heading over to his side of the table and taking his seat across from her. “So, what are we having tonight?” He asked cheekily grinning at her.
The food was excellent. They both really enjoyed it. Sirius was a bit surprised when Jasmine revealed she helped make it, but not in the way that he was surprised she could cook. He just didn’t expect her to have helped because the house elves could have done it all themselves. Nonetheless, he showed her just how much he loved the food.
Now the two of them eventually moved their ‘party’ to the bed, but not immediately after they ate. They waited about 30 minutes talking about everything and nothing. It was during this time that Sirius brought up his conversation with Regulus the night before. “Oh, Mare, I meant to mention, I talked to Reg last night. He said he wouldn’t mind you tagging along the next time he and I meet up.”
“That’s wonderful Sirius! I can’t wait to meet him. He’s a Slytherin, right?”
“Yeah about that, we should probably go over some things later about him. I don’t want you going in there without knowing some stuff first. I’ve only told you some, but still, I’d rather you be prepared before meeting him.” Sirius was a bit wary about the meeting now. He knew Reg was fine around him, but he could be harsh (and a bit shy) around others.
“We can talk about that later, but for now, I think it’s time I give you your present.” Sirius started to protest, but Jaz held up her hand. “Now I know, but I had already gotten you this weeks ago. So, you better accept the damn present, Sirius or there is going to be hell to pay.”
Sirius held up his hands in defense. “Fine, Mare. I was going to take it. I was just going to say that you didn’t have to. This date is probably the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten, and it’s not even over.” Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Jasmine laughed. “Yes, we will get to that, Pads, but for now, your present.” Jasmine got up and grabbed Sirius’s hand. She led him to over to the bed, which was where the present was still stashed. She pushed Sirius onto the bed before kneeling down to get the present under the bed. She grabbed it and gave it to Sirius. It wasn’t an exceptionally large box, but rather medium in size. It was wrapped, so Sirius had to rip the paper off to see what was inside. What he found was not what he had expected.
Under the wrapping, Sirius found a box, which he proceeded to open. Inside was a picture of him and Jasmine. It was a gorgeous photo (not moving) that he hadn’t even known was taken. It appeared to be at the end of the last term after all the exams were through. They were sitting under one of the trees by the Black lakes. Sirius had his arm wrapped around Jasmine’s waist. He was leaning back against the tree with his eyes closed. Jasmine was curled up right next to him. She had her head on his chest and she also had her eyes closed. It looked like they were both sleeping, but Sirius was sure they weren’t. He remembered this moment. It had been a wonderful day. Now he had a photo capturing that day. It was an amazing gift. He loved it so much, and he showed rather than voiced his appreciation to Jaz.
He set the framed photo down on the bedside table. Then he pulled Jasmine onto the bed so that she was lying next to him. Then Sirius proceeded to kiss the life out of her. It was a deeply passionate kiss that soon evolved into so much more.
Before either of them realized it, they began taking off each other’s clothes. Jasmine slipped Sirius’s leather jacket off his shoulders. She threw it off to the side where it landed on the floor. Then she worked on getting his shirt off. It was one of his rock band shirts, so she had to stop kissing him in order to get it over his head, but it was only for a moment.
Once his shirt was off, Sirius decided Jasmine needed to lose some clothes too. So, as Sirius moved his mouth down to Jaz’s neck, he started to push the sleeves of her dress down her arms. Jasmine helped a little, but not much as she was moaning in pleasure having Sirius working on her neck. He was currently sucking on her neck after biting it, trying to give her a hickey. So, she could only do so much to focus on helping to get her dress off.
Once Sirius was done “leaving his mark,” Jaz pulled his lips back up to hers and they returned to snogging each other’s faces off. As they were doing this, Sirius started pulling Jasmine’s dress farther and farther down her body. Soon the dress down around her waist, and not long after the dress was completely off of his girlfriend, who was now underneath him. Sirius wasn’t sure when or how they got like that, but it didn’t really matter. Once the dress was off, Sirius had a wonderful view of Jasmine’s body. And though he did love that dress on her, he liked it a bit more where it was now, on the floor.
Now that Jasmine was only wearing her undergarments, she planned to get Sirius the same way as he was still wearing pants, but not for long. Jasmine pulled Sirius back down to her and into another kiss. As they kissed, Jasmine (with Sirius’s help) shimmied Sirius’s pants. Then, shortly after that, they both weren’t wearing any clothes. But before they went any farther, Sirius had to make sure that this was what Jasmine wanted. “You still want to do this, love?” Jasmine, still gasping for air, nodded. She was still out of breath from their kissing, but she knew she wanted to do this, she just couldn’t say anything at the moment.
The Gryffindor couple woke up in each other’s arms and under the covers. Sirius surprisingly was the first of the two to wake up. But instead of waking the girl who laid tangled in his arms, he just watched her. He hadn’t gotten much of a chance to just watch Jasmine sleep, so he was going to take this opportunity while he still had it. And he discovered another thing that he loved about her. Not only did he now love to watch her sleep, but he also loved the little, soft snore she had. It was adorable and really fit her perfectly. Just another thing to add to the ongoing list of ‘Why Sirius loved Jasmine’ that Sirius was unconsciously keeping in his head.
So, Sirius stayed in bed just watching the girl that he held in his arms. He couldn’t help but admire her beauty even now. He knew in that moment that there wouldn’t be anyone he could love more than he loved Jasmine. So, it was that morning that Sirius knew he wanted to marry this girl, which didn’t surprise him. Though, he wouldn’t ask her anything of the sort until they were out of Hogwarts in their own place, probably the one that he had been looking at. He just knew that he wouldn’t be nearly as happy with anyone else by his side.
It wasn’t much longer (like 10 minutes) before Jasmine finally woke up. She opened her eyes and saw her boyfriend staring down at her, grinning. She gave him a tired smile back. “Good morning sleepy head!” Sirius greeted her before kissing her on the head. Then he pulled away from her and stared back down at her.
Jasmine, still waking up a bit, smiled back and pulled her boyfriend back down toward her so she could kiss him properly. And that kiss was quite a good way to both wake Jasmine up and to say good morning.
“I see someone wanted a proper good morning,” Sirius teased after pulling away. He laughed after seeing Jasmine’s pouty face. “I know I would love to continue this, but if we don’t hurry, someone is going to come looking for us, specifically Prongs. And I really don’t want anyone, much less Prongs, to come to the conclusions I know he will go to immediately if we aren’t there. And even though those conclusions are technically accurate, I still don’t want him coming to those conclusions. I don’t think you do either.”
Jasmine stared up at Sirius wide-eyed. “Well, we better get a move on if we want to avoid questions from the others about our whereabouts last night. I’m sure they noticed we didn’t come back by the time they went to sleep. I really hope Lily didn’t worry about me too much if at all.”
“I’m sure Prongs distracted her enough that she didn’t worry about you if she even noticed you were gone right away,” Sirius reassured.
Then they both proceeded to find their clothes in the semi-darkness that they were currently surrounded in. At first, before their eyes adjusted, they struggled to find their clothes even at one point trying to put on each other’s clothes (if Jaz had been able to see, she would have been laughing hysterically at Sirius trying to put on her bra thinking it was his). Eventually, their eyes did adjust, and they had an easier time finding their clothes. It still took them some time to find all the pieces to their outfits from the night before, though.
Once they were sure they each had all of the pieces to their outfits from last night, they quickly got dressed. Sirius had gotten on his boxers and pants from last night when he heard Jasmine call out for a little help. “Sirius, can you come over here and help me?”
The Gryffindor girl had managed to get her bra on with no issue, but she was struggling with her dress. It zipped up and she couldn’t get it up all the way. See this, Sirius zipped the dress up the rest of the way that Jasmine wasn’t able to manage. “There, you are all set, love,” Sirius said from behind his girlfriend. He kissed her neck before hurrying back to get on his shirt and leather jacket.
Once they were both ready to sneak back to Gryffindor tower, Sirius realized something, “Wait!” He put his arm in front of Jasmine to stop her from leaving. She turned and looked at him curiously. “What are we going to say if they are up or realize we are still wearing the same clothes from last night?”
“I guess we could just tell them the truth,” Jasmine suggested.
“Are you insane?! I’d prefer not to face the wrath of one Lily Evans upon her finding out that I defiled her cousin/adopted sister.”
Jasmine chuckled. “Don’t worry about Lily. It’s James you have to worry about, Pads.”
Sirius's eyes widened comically upon the realization of what his best mate might do. “No, Prongs wouldn’t hurt me, I’m practically his brother, especially not that I live with him. He wouldn’t harm me, would he?”
“I don’t know, Pads. I don’t think Prongs would be above it given how much he loves me like a sister. He is quite overprotective at times. I would watch your back and be extra careful not to get caught.” Jasmine moved past his arm and started to saunter out of the room. She turned back to him before leaving to say, “Oh, and they shouldn’t know I’m still wearing the same clothes or anything of the sort as none of them have seen me in this dress before, not even Lily.” Then she exited the room of requirement. Sirius stared at the door for a few moments before racing out to catch up with his girlfriend.
By the time they reached Gryffindor Tower, it was still a bit early. Since it was Saturday, it was unlikely that anyone would be up which meant no one would be in the common room. Most students liked to sleep in late on the weekends. Unfortunately for the Gryffindor couple, that did not include James, Remus, and Lily on that fine Saturday morning. No, the trio, upon realizing that Sirius and Jasmine weren’t in Gryffindor tower like they thought they were, had planned on getting up early to see if Sirius and Jasmine had returned during the night. So, the three, James begrudgingly, had gotten up at the time they would usually get up during the week for classes. And when they didn’t see their friends in their beds, the two boys and one girl marched down to the common room where they told the other about the empty bed in their dorm.
At this point, Lily was extremely worried about Jasmine, and James did his best to soothe her worries. “I’m sure they just fell asleep again like they did in Hogsmeade.”
“But what if they didn’t. I mean Jasmine seemed like she was so excited all day yesterday. And when I tried to ask her what she was so happy about, she just brushed it off like it was nothing. What if she got hurt and because I didn’t press harder on her, I won’t know?”
“Don’t worry, Lils. She is likely with Sirius, and they just last track of time. I mean yesterday was his 18th birthday.”
“Wait! Yesterday was Sirius’s birthday, and none of you told me!” Lily yelled. “How could you do that to me? I’m his friend now too. I deserve the chance to get him something.”
“Woah! Slow down there, Lily,” James said. “No need to get all huffy at us. We didn’t tell you because Sirius hates celebrating his birthday. We haven’t actually really ever got him anything. I mean my parents gave him a watch last year, but that was typical since he turned 17. Other than that, we haven’t actually gotten him anything because the one time we tried to after he finally told us when his birthday was, he refused to accept our gifts. He’s really not one for his birthday.”
Lily stared at her boyfriend, then she snuck a look at Remus trying to silently ask James if he knew about the abuse. Remus took it to mean that she wanted some privacy, so he headed back up to the dorm to check the map and see if Jasmine and Sirius reappeared on it because last time they checked the map, they were nowhere on the map, which wasn’t at all comforting. All the same, Lily was thankful for the privacy even though that wasn’t originally what she wanted.
After Remus was back in the Marauders’ dorm, Lily turned her attention back to a confused James. “I was trying to silently ask you if Remus knew the full story about Sirius’s home life.”
“Oh, I didn’t get that. Sorry,” James apologized. “But for the record, no Remus nor Peter know the full truth of what went down with Sirius and his parents. They just think that he left and came to live with me because he just couldn’t take it anymore, and not because he ended up on my doorstep looking almost dead.”
“Okay, well we will get back to that almost dead thing later,” Lily said, getting back to the original reason she was asking whether Remus knew. “Anyway, I’m guessing that has something to do with why Sirius doesn’t celebrate his birthday?”
“Yeah. He just never enjoyed his birthday after he was sorted into Gryffindor, at least that is what he told me. I was hoping that Jasmine would change that.” James explained. “I mean, she had to have planned something for the two of them. Why else would she be so excited yesterday? Though, I’m not sure what that could have been since I told her not to throw him a surprise party.” Then suddenly James vaguely remembered Sirius mentioning something about his plans to James yesterday. “I think I remember Sirius saying something about a date yesterday.”
James didn’t get the chance to say anymore, and Lily didn’t even get the chance to respond because at that very moment, Remus came bursting out of the Marauders’ dorm, running down the staircase to the common room. “They are back on the map!” Remus yelled quietly trying to keep his voice down so that he didn’t wake any of the other Gryffindors.
James and Lily looked at each other before turning their attention to Remus who was approaching them quickly with the Marauders’ map in his hand. James took the map from Remus and upon seeing Sirius’s and Jasmine’s dots approaching them quickly, he let out a sigh of relief that they were okay. Lily took the map from him then and also was relieved to see their dots on the maps. “Thank god they are alright. I was so worried,” Lily announced to the other two. “But now that I know they aren’t dead, I’m going to kill them.”
“No need to do anything drastic Lily-pad,” James said. He had been incredibly worried for his fellow Gryffindors, but he wasn’t about to kill them over it. “I’m sure they have a reasonable explanation for being out so late without telling any of us where they would be.” James tried his best not to reveal his assumption as to what the couple had been doing last night. He wanted ammo for teasing (and possibly maiming) Sirius later when Lily was not in hearing range. He didn’t need Lily getting to his best mate before he did. Although James was sure about what they were doing, he wasn’t sure where they had gone to do it. It had to be somewhere that none of them knew about for it to not be on the map, though James wasn’t sure why Sirius wouldn’t tell them about it so they could add it to the map. He would have to ask them about it when they got there. And perfect timing because just as James thought that the trio heard the door to the Gryffindor common room creek open as the missing couple tried to sneak in. There standing just inside the common room was Sirius and Jasmine looking rather disheveled with there wrinkled clothes and looking as if they had just woken up, which they pretty much had.
As soon as the door had closed, Jasmine reached up to give Sirius one last kiss before she snuck back into her dorm room. It was only to be a quick peck, but it quickly become much more as Sirius pulled her closer refusing to let her go just yet. So, there they were kissing passionately at the entrance to the common room in front of an audience they didn’t know were there just yet. Then they heard a cough and immediately broke apart, startled. They immediately turned to see who interrupted them and in their already startled states became more frightened upon seeing James and Lily glaring at them. Remus was staring at them to, but he didn’t have too much of a stake in the current situation. Sure, he cared that the two were alive and well, but he didn’t particularly see the need to make them feel worse about it.
Nobody talked for several minutes after James had interrupted the couples impromptu snogging session by coughing. Basically, it was because the two couples were having a stare down while Remus went back up to the dorm to put away the Marauders map that he took back from Lily. James and Lily were staring at the couple expectantly, waiting for them to explain. Jasmine and Sirius, though, were not planning on explaining anything to anyone, at least not multiple times if they had to. And so, Sazzy was refusing to back down at least until Remus got back. None of them thought to wake Peter, though.
So, the stare down continued until Remus got back and finally broke the silence. “So, Padfoot, Jaz, welcome back. Hope you had an enjoyable night whenever you were.” Remus tried to say it as neutral as he could, but he could only do so much. He couldn’t always act as peace maker, not that he normally did.
Sirius and Jasmine looked over at the werewolf with a grateful smile plastered on each of their faces, but it was Jasmine who spoke to him. “It was an amazing night.” Jasmine said flashing a smile over at Sirius. “We had a great night.”
It was clear the couple was having another moment, but James wasn’t about to let that happen again, so he ruined the moment. *Ahem* They turned toward James. “So, what was it you did last night that was so enjoyable that you forgot to tell any of us where you were going last night?”
They both looked at each other and blushed a deep red. That all but confirmed James’s suspicions (which he would totally tease Sirius about later). He still wanted to hear it from them, though.
Neither Sirius nor Jasmine wanted to answer the question. This was really (1) not something they wanted to talk about with any of their friends, (2) not something they wanted to talk about in the Gryffindor common room where anyone could come and hear at any time, and (3) not something they had actually planned on telling anyone let alone their best mates. But now that they were being forced (in a way) to tell them where they had been, Jasmine decided it was best to move this “party” up to the Marauders’ dorm. “Let’s go up to the boys’ dorm and Sirius and I will answer all your questions.” Then she added quietly so that only Sirius could hear “to an extent.”
The trio agreed and started to head up the steps to the boys’ dorm. The couple followed them after a short conversation between the two of them about how much they should reveal to their friends (mainly whether they should tell them the full extent of their activities last night). They would have likely had a longer conversation, but James (the who was the last of the trio to go up the steps) turned around to make sure they were following them up the steps. So, when he saw they weren’t, James called to them, “Coming?” while glaring at them. Looking guiltily at James, Sirius and Jasmine started up the stairs to the Marauders’ dorm. Though, as they went up the steps (with Jaz going first followed by Sirius), Jaz turned around periodically, shooting Sirius worried looks.
All 5 of them settled in the boys’ dorm with each of the boys sitting on their respective beds, Lily sitting next to James on his bed, and Jasmine sitting practically on Sirius’s lap. She was extra nervous and being as close to Sirius as possible comforted and calmed her nerves. It was not making anyone else feel better, though. It was actually making Sirius a bit more nervous given the glare James was shooting him (Sirius knew James likely already figured out what went down last night). Though, Sirius understood why Jaz was so close to him. He knew she was trying so calm her nerves, so despite his own nerves, he let Jaz be as close to him as she needed because wasn’t that was love was, after all? Putting your partner’s needs before you own. At least that is what Sirius believed love to be about, which was based on the interactions he saw between James’s parents because lord knows his parents didn’t show him what a healthy relationship was, what with the incest and arranged marriages.
Once they were all comfortable and settled, James, Lily, and Remus turned their attention toward the couple. They were all waiting for an explanation, but couple wasn’t about to willing give up the explanation about their whereabout the previous night. They had decided down in the common room to answer the others’ question as best as they could without revealing the full extent of what they did last night to any of them.
It didn’t take long (about 5 minutes) before James realized that his best mates weren’t planning on saying anything until they asked them about it. This only further confirmed James’s suspicions of what went down last night, but he wouldn’t know for sure until he asked them. Though, he decided to ask some questions before coming out with that one. He didn’t want to just come right out and ask them that, at least not at first. “So, where we’re you two last night? ‘Cause you didn’t show up on the map.”
Sirius shot Jasmine a look before answering. “It’s a secret.”
That surprised James as well as Remus. They had not been expecting that response. “What do you mean it’s a secret?!” James asked rather frustrated already with his best mate’s hesitation to tell them about where he had been with Jasmine.
“I mean just that. It is a secret, and I can’t tell you about it without revealing other things that are meant to be secrets.”
Again, James was shocked. Just how long had Sirius been keeping secrets from them, from him, his “brother” and best mate. What was going on that Sirius felt the need to keep secrets from him. James never kept secrets from him, so why did Sirius always feel he needed to keep secrets from James?
James wasn’t the only one concerned by Sirius’s response. Jasmine, seeing the worry creep onto James’s face, leaned over to whisper into Sirius’s ear. “We have to tell them, Pads. You know James, he won’t understand the need for us to keep secrets from him. The least you can do to ease his worries that you are still his best friend and trust him is tell him about the room. You don’t have to say anything else or even where it is. Just say you stumbled upon it one day and decided to keep it a secret because you wanted a special place for just the two of us or something.”
Sirius turned and shot a smile at Jasmine after she had pulled back. He turned and looked at his best mate, just noticing the worry on his face. He knew Jaz was right. So, looking James right in the eye, he said, “We were in this room I stumbled upon some months ago that can be anything you want it to be within the laws of magic.” Sirius paused before continuing because he knew the others would be mad he didn’t tell them about it. He didn’t let them interrupt him though. “Despite finding this room, I kept it to myself because I wanted a place to just go when I needed time to be away. Plus, when I finally told Jaz about it, I wanted it to be a place we could go without the rest of you third wheeling or barging in on our dates or something. And it is a place I would like to keep that way because I just need that, okay guys?”
Remus and Lily nodded, understanding his need to sometimes need a break from the Marauders. They could really be a handful at times. James, on the other hand, was no longer worried about why his friend was keeping secrets. He was actually rather hurt that Sirius felt he couldn’t just tell James that he needed space or time away from him. He was hurt that Sirius even felt that way, but that was beside the point at the moment. James could talk to Sirius about this later, after he’d gotten a complete explanation from his best mate and her boyfriend about their activities the previous night.
“So, what is so special about this room and what does it have to do with where you two were last night?” James asked.
Jaz decided to answer this time. “Well, as I’m sure you all know by now, yesterday was Sirius’s birthday. And because James told me not to throw Sirius a surprise party, I decided to plan something else for him. I still wanted to do something for the boy that I love’s birthday, which is why I came up with the plan to use the room Sirius showed me to plan a birthday date for him.”
James and the others were slightly surprised at Jasmine calling Sirius the boy that she loved. They had all known that the two loved each other, but they hadn’t actually known whether they had told each other yet nor that they would actually acknowledge it out loud to them. Anyway, James was also slightly impressed with Jasmine because he knew she had to have planned the whole thing by herself. “Okay. I get why you didn’t tell us about you plan or ask for help because I’m guessing Sirius made you promise not to tell us, but that still doesn’t explain why you picked that room. What is so special about it?”
Jaz and Sirius exchanged a look that spoke volumes about how important that room was. It was Sirius, though, that gave in and revealed the importance of the room “Fine! The room is magic. It’s called the Room of Requirement. The way it works is you have to think about what you want while walking in front of it 3 times, then what you want or I guess “require” appears,” Sirius sighed. Then he looked at his friends and saw James was about to say something, but Sirius stopped him before he even spoke. “No, I’m still not telling you where it is. I still want to keep it between me and Mare, so please don’t bother looking for it. I’ll be really pissed off at anyone who tries to go and find the room.” James nodded sadly in acknowledgement. He knew better than to go looking for the room now. It clearly meant a lot to Sirius, and James wasn’t about to ruin that, no matter how cool the room sounded.
“Well, that explains why you two disappeared on the map,” Remus said as a sort of afterthought. The other two nodded in agreement, while Jasmine and Sirius’s eyes went wide but said nothing about it.
Putting that to the side, Lily decided to aske a question this time. “So, exactly what was in the room when you had your date?” It was clear she was starting to get suspicious, which James knew she would, especially since he had already somewhat figured it out.
Again, the couple shared a look, but this one definitely showed just how worried the two were. Though, Jaz still answered the question. “Um… well, you see, Sirius and I have been talking recently about our plans after Hogwarts. And when he first showed me the room, what he came up with was what he dreamed our future place would look like. See, he had been looking in the Prophet at the listings since he got his inheritance from his uncle.”
This is when Lily felt the need to interrupt. “Wait. Hold up. You two are not only planning to live together after Hogwarts but also getting an apartment? How long have you been thinking about this?”
Sirius and Jasmine shared a look before Jasmine answered the question. “A couple of weeks or so, but Lils, we aren’t just planning or thinking about it. We’ve already agreed upon a place. We want to try and go look at it during the winter break if we have the time what with NEWTs and all. But we are both sure that based on the wizard picture in the Prophet, we want to get this place. And it’s not just an apartment. It is a beautiful little cottage that I absolutely love. We’ve actually already contacted the people selling the place about buying it. We probably would have already bought it, but the owners wanted us to see it first before we make our final decision. But basically, we’ve already bought it.”
The surprise was written all over James, Lily, and Remus’s faces. They hadn’t really expected to have learned that their friends have a much more serious relationship than they had originally thought. But they all collectively and silently decided to put talking to them about that later. For right now, they still needed to get the whole story behind what their friends did last night. “Okay, well, that’s great, Mina, but what does any of this have to do with what was in the room when you were in it last night?”
Jasmine blushed. “Oh, right. Sorry. I was just trying to give you guys some background. Because that room that Sirius first pictured based on his view of our dream place, is the same place that I planned to have our date in.”
Lily’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait! Does that mean there was a bed in the room?”
Jasmine hesitated, shooting Sirius a look. She knew if she answered that question, the whole story of would come out no matter whether they confirmed it or not. But Sirius nodded, realizing there was no way around it now. “Um… yes?” Jasmine looked at her cousin with a hesitant smile giving her a sort of shrug with her hands out.
“Jasmine!” Lily gasped. Then she realized her cousin wasn’t the only participant in last night’s activities. “SIRIUS ORION BLACK!” Lily turned her rage on her cousin’s boyfriend who had flinched at his whole names being yelled. Though it wasn’t until she saw fear flash across Sirius’s face, that Lily realized her mistake. “Oh, Sirius, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, really.” Lily, who in her rage had gotten up and started to stomp over to Sirius’s bed toward the couple, walked back over to where James was staring wide-eyed at her.
During that moment, Jasmine made sure to squeeze Sirius’s hand so that he knew that he was not alone. Also, she wanted him to know that she wouldn’t let her cousin hurt him. He acknowledged her by squeezing her hand back. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t still frightened by Lily’s rage. He let out a sigh of relief when she backed down.
Since Lily needed to calm down a bit before speaking again, James chose to speak for the both of them. “So, you two decided that now was a good time to you know do it?”
Being the snarky teens that they were, Jasmine and Sirius decided that they were going to mess with James and play dumb. It was also the only way that they could postpone the rage and scolding they knew James and Lily would be giving them. They weren’t sure what Remus would have to say about all of this, but based on his calm reaction, they figured he had already figured what they had done last night, and he couldn’t care less.
Sirius chose to respond to James’s question, “What do you mean by it? If you mean have dinner, then yes we did. It was dinner time, and it was my birthday.” James glared at him, but Sirius didn’t back down.
Jasmine decided to jump in and take the heat off of Sirius. “Yeah, it was a delicious meal. I worked hard on it.” James turned his attention toward her and looked incredulously at her admission. Lily, however, knew better and raised an eyebrow at her adoptive sister. Jasmine gave in and added, “With the help of the House elves of course. Definitely couldn’t have made that delicious meal without their help and guidance.”
Sirius put in his two cents. “It was really a great meal, Mare. Probably the best birthday meal that I’ve ever had.”
Jasmine gave him a small smile. “Too bad I didn’t have time to whip you up a birthday cake. I’m quite the baker. Lily can attest to that.” Lily nodded her head in acknowledgement and agreement.
Before they could go any further off topic, James brought them back to the original topic. “Woah, hold up. I don’t really care how good the meal was or anything like that. What I meant was you two thought it was a good idea during these times of uncertainty that you would sleep with each other?”
“Well, yeah,” Sirius said so casually. “We’ve done it before. Even with you in the room. We have slept together multiple times since we got together.”
James and Lily’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. It was so funny that Jaz had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing. It took her several minutes to collect herself and add to Sirius’s statement. “Yeah, I tend to get nightmares and so does Sirius, so we’ve ended up in each other beds several times since we got together our sixth year. We find comfort in each other, especially since as you know we have both gone through child abuse, although mine was emotional and Sirius’s was physical. That’s beside the point. It is just nice knowing that the person next to you understands and will be there for you no matter what. They understand your pain meaning that even at your worst of times they will be there for you. It’s part of why I love Sirius.”
Sirius gives his girlfriend a quick peck on the lips. “I love you too, Mare.” Then he placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling away from her.
“That’s real sweet and all guys, but seriously you both know that is not what I meant,” James said. He was getting rather annoyed by the couple. He was starting to see why they hated his teasing (that didn’t mean he was going to stop teasing them though).
Jasmine put on her most innocent looking face and said, “I’m not sure what else you could have meant, Jamie. What else could you have possibly meant when you said we slept together?”
James almost believed her act. If it weren’t for the fact that she called him Jamie (which he hated) and the sly, knowing glint he spotted in her eyes, he would have believed her. But because he had noticed those things, he knew they were just messing with him. “Fine. I’ll put in more explicit terms then, so you can’t possibly think I mean anything different,” James said rather frustratedly. “The two of you thought that now of all times what with a war going on outside these walls and everything that has been happening that you would take your relationship to the next level? You two decide that now of all times was the best time that you shagged? You decided last night that fucking each other out of wedlock was a good idea at all? Because if you did, you better hope to hell that you used protection and it worked, or I might just have to kill you Sirius.”
The couple were no longer able to joke around. James had put what he meant in the most explicit terms that he possibly could. There is no way they could misinterpret what he said now. All they could do now was damage control because they were sure the looks on their faces were giving away the answer without them having to say anything. Sirius decided to start by reassuring James. “Don’t worry, Prongs. We took all the precautions that we possibly could. Jaz even made sure to take her birth control potion. We did everything we could in terms of protection.”
That did little to soothe the rage in James’s heart. Though, he was glad to hear that he likely wouldn’t have kill Sirius anytime soon. He was about to start scolding them (as was Lily), but Jasmine spoke before any of them. “And please don’t be mad at Sirius, at least too much. It was my suggestion in the first place. I actually planned to end the night in the bed the way that we had since I first came up with the idea. I’ve been ready to move our relationship to the next level ever since around the time we first said I love you to each other. I just didn’t have anywhere we could do it because there was no way we were going to ‘shag’ in the same room as my cousin nor as my best mates. That would just be so wrong on way too many levels. Then Sirius showed me the Room of Requirement and I knew one day we would end up ‘shagging’ in that very room. So, if there is anyone you should be mad at for suggesting what we did, it should be me.”
James and Lily were both shocked into silence (Remus might have also been shocked if he hadn’t already left the room and headed down to breakfast with Peter when he woke up). They didn’t know what to say to that speech. Lily finally spoke after a minute or two of silence. “Um, wow, Mina. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t even know you were thinking about doing that. But I guess since you had been thinking about there was no stopping you. Plus, if you did take all those precautions, I really don’t have any reason to be mad at you. I just want you to know that you can talk to me about this. There is no need to hide this from me Mina. Please just talk to me because I was so worried something terrible happened to you, to both of you, last night. We had no idea where you were, and we couldn’t find you on the map. I thought the worst had happened, so please just don’t scare me like that again, Mina.”
Jasmine gave Lily a watery smile as she started tear up at her cousin’s words. “Oh, Lils. I’m so sorry I worried you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you where I was going. But I will definitely fill you in on the details of the date later. We can have a girls’ day with our other dormmates.” Jasmine and Lily met in the middle between the two boys’ beds in a hug. Then, after releasing each other, they said their goodbyes to their boyfriends not even wanting to hear what James had to say. Jasmine wanted to spend as much time with her cousin as she could on their girls’ day, which Sirius totally understood, but he would have appreciated a kiss goodbye.
After the girls had departed, James turned his attention to his [other] best mate. “Well, mate, I can’t say that I don’t understand, but you know how protective I am of Jazzy. That girl is practically a sister to me, so as her surrogate brother I’m warning you that if you ever hurt her, I will end you Sirius, brother or not, best mate or not.”
“No need to be so dramatic, Jamie,” Sirius teased. “I don’t ever plan on hurting her. But I have to ask, would you come back from the grave to hurt me if I end up hurting her somehow when we are old, and you die before me?”
“Mate, there is no way I am dying before you, but in case that somehow happens, yes, I would do my best to come back from the grave and at least haunt you for hurting Jazzy,” James laughed at the pure insanity of his answer.
“Good to know just how serious you are about your threats,” Sirius said. “But on another note, how are things going with you and the head girl, my dear head boy.”
James began telling Sirius about how well things were currently going with Lily. Then the conversation turned back to Sirius and Jasmine and how exactly the date had gone and more guy talk. Eventually the two went down to breakfast, but it was long after their girlfriends had left to meet up with their other dorm mates.
Notes:
Another long chapter, I know. But listen, let me know if you think these long chapters are good. I would really appreciate the feedback and the reviews. Also, I might have to bump this story up to a Mature rating. I’d rather not take the chance what with how this chapter went. Though I don’t expect to be writing any more almost sex scenes. But enough about that.
Guys! Over my vacay to NYC this summer, I made it to the Harry Potter Store in New York City. And let me tell you my fellow Potterheads, it was amazing. Super cool. And I managed to only spend about $250. I got a Ravenclaw cloak and sweater among other things. I had to buy a few other pieces elsewhere, but I got my Halloween costume all figured out now. Totally going to be a Ravenclaw student (as I am a Ravenclaw). I was thinking about going as Jaz, but from her Beauxbatons days, but the parts are a bit much, so Ravenclaw it is. When Halloween rolls around, I’ll be sure to post a picture somewhere, likely on Wattpad, but if not try checking me out on twitter (my username is the same) or on Tumblr which you can totally see on profile page.Peace out Potterheads,
💙🦅 Knk6700 🦅💙
Chapter 8: The Black Brothers
Summary:
Regulus and Sirius Black, two brothers with opposite viewpoints of the war currently going on beyond the walls of Hogwarts. Yet, despite this, they still care deeply for one another. They have managed to put aside their differences and still be close as the brothers that they are because through it all, whether they like it or not, they are brothers. Blood is thicker than water after all. And that is something Jasmine is about to discover is something Sirius won’t budge no matter.
Notes:
This chapter was supposed to be part of the last chapter, but I kind of got carried away with the whole plan Jaz had for Sirius’s birthday. Anyway, it just means that there will be more chapters in this story than I originally planned. Speaking of that, for the moment, I plan to have at least 13 chapters in this story, but depending on how much I write, it may end up being more. See the Author’s note that end for my apology and the reason you can no longer find the prequel to this book (From Beauxbatons to Hogwarts) on my profile or anything.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 8: The Black Brothers
Not long after the rather memorable night that Sirius spent with Jasmine in the Room of Requirement for his birthday, it was time for the first quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor vs Slytherin. It was a big day. And still, James was nervous. Being the captain (for the second year) was a huge responsibility. He knew he was ready for the game, but he was nervous about the rest of the team. They were a great team, but they could be a fantastic team if Sirius would just get over himself and join the team. All he has agreed to so far is to be a reserve. The only condition was that he would not play against Regulus. James understood why, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. But James knew there was nothing he could do to try and persuade Sirius. He had already tried everything.
Anyway, James was still confident that Gryffindor would still be able to overcome Slytherin. It wasn’t hard to believe what with how talented of a chaser he was. The rest of the team was quite good too if James had anything to say about it and he did. So, he wasn’t too worried and nervous about them losing. No, James was nervous about the team, but he was also worried about Regulus getting injured. James didn’t care for the boy as Sirius did, but being Sirius’s best mate, James still didn’t want any harm to befall the boy. If he wasn’t so wrapped up in the dark arts and his parents’ ideologies, James would feel like he could see Regulus almost being like another brother to him. So, James was just the slightest bit worried about the match as it started.
As James focused on the quaffle, he scored several goals and points for Gryffindor. Though, when he didn’t have the quaffle, James would occasionally sneak a glance at Regulus. He made the excuse that it was because he was checking to see if he had seen the snitch yet. In reality, James knew it was really because he wanted to make sure the young lad hadn’t gone and injured himself when he wasn’t paying attention.
Regulus was fine the entire game. He managed to keep his head in the game, at least for the most part. There was a moment that he lost focus and almost got hit by a bludger. It was when one James Potter happened to pass him by. The cheeky Gryffindor had the “decency” to throw Regulus a wink as he passed the younger Slytherin seeker. It was then that Regulus blushed and ducked his head in order to hide his growing blush. He wasn’t about to let that arrogant arse know how Regulus felt about him, at times. I mean how could he not what with the way James Potter looked, he was not ugly after all. He was a rather good-looking lad, but Regulus knew he wouldn’t ever have the boy. He never planned to ever act on his feelings as they were purely based on looks. Plus, James Potter was someone that Reg knew didn’t support his same ideologies, so it wouldn’t work out anyhow. But who said that Regulus still couldn’t look? Anyway, James distracted the Slytherin seeker, but luckily not long enough to get his by a bludger. Thankfully, Regulus moved before the bludger had the chance. It was just in time too.
It was when that moment happened and Sirius let out a huge sigh of relief, that Jaz knew that there was something to that other than just Sirius being worried for his little brother. “Hey, Pads.” Sirius peeled his eyes from the game to turn and look at his loving girlfriend. He tilted his head slightly to say ‘Yes?’, so Jaz continued. “Why are you so worried for Regulus? Is there something you aren’t telling me? Did something happen? Does it have anything to do with why you won’t be Gryffindor’s other beater?” Lily, sitting next to her cousin heard her questions. So, she leaned in toward the couple, interested in the boy’s response.
“So many questions, Mare.” Sirius laughed and Jaz blushed. “But yeah. It happened during my 3rd year. I had been on the team as a reserve the year before. That year I was starting. I was the best beater during tryouts. Anyway, my brother made the Slytherin team that year too. He was going to be the seeker, which worried me less, but I was still quite worried about Reg. I didn’t want him getting hurt. I tried talking him out of it, but well he didn’t listen of course…”
Flashback
Sirius had pulled Regulus off to who knows where after dinner upon finding out about his brother making the Slytherin quidditch team as the seeker. “Reg, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were trying out for the quidditch team. I’m already worried enough with you hanging out around those snakes enough, now I’m going to worry even more!”
“Why would I have to get your permission, Siri? You’re not my mother.” Regulus shouted at his brother. He was already pissed off enough as it was, Sirius was only making it worse.
Sirius glared at Regulus. “Why would I ever want to be her?! She doesn’t care about you, but I do!”
“Sure, you do, Siri. Yeah, you cared about me so much that you chose to go to Gryffindor. You left me! You went off and made a new family and friends and left me behind. We never speak anymore, and I never see you. And when I do see you in the halls, you pretend not to see me! So, why should I suddenly care what you think? You don’t have the right to care about me after all that!” Regulus was so frustrated and angry at his brother. He had been holding all these feelings in and he just couldn’t do it anymore. He had to let them out, so he did. He almost immediately regretted them too, especially after he saw the look on Sirius’s face.
“Fine! If that’s how you want it to be, then so be it. Go get hurt and play your quidditch. See if I care!” Sirius angrily yelled at his little brother. “Why should I care whether my little brother wants to get himself injured at the young age of 12!” Then Sirius stormed off to go find James and the other Marauders.
Regulus watched his brother leave him yet again. Sirius would always leave him, and yet Regulus always waited for him to come back to him. (At this point in time, Regulus had no idea what was going on at home during the summer. He had no idea what his parents were actually doing to his older brother that was driving even more of a wedge between them than Regulus ever thought possible.)
The day of the first quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was soon upon them. Regulus and Sirius hadn’t spoken since their blowout. Still, Sirius worried about his brother. He had no idea that Regulus felt like he had left him. Sirius never wanted that to happen, but it was a bit inevitable what with Reg buying into their parents’ ideologies and beliefs. Sirius wanted to protect Regulus, but he couldn’t do that if Regulus was just like ‘them.’ But Sirius was determined to do the best he could. Which is why he was so nervous about the quidditch game. See, Sirius was one of the Gryffindor beaters. He was one of the best, but still, he was worried that he might unintentionally injure Regulus during the game. With how mad he still was at his brother, Sirius was worried he might aim a bludger at Reg.
Thus, as the team lined up, Sirius was a bit off his game with the worry he was feeling. Throughout the entire game, Sirius tried to keep an eye on Regulus the best that he could. It wasn’t easy as he still had to do his job as a beater for Gryffindor. However, Sirius was doing a pretty great time. Despite his focus not being entirely on the game, Sirius still played an excellent beater. There was a reason he made the team.
Thus, the game was going great, at least for the Gryffindor team. They were winning by a good margin. Sirius appeared to be on his game as he was keeping the bludgers from hitting any of the Gryffindor players. Regulus, meanwhile, had yet to be injured. He was high above the pitch searching for the snitch. He was staying out of the way. That is until he suddenly dove as if he saw the snitch. He was soon in the thick of things as he wove through the players. Regulus was too focused on catching the snitch, that he didn’t see the bludger that was heading his way. It was a bludger that Sirius had just hit that way. He had been aiming for the Slytherin chaser that was now behind his little brother.
It was too late for Sirius to warn his little brother or even to hit the bludger away from him. Regulus was going to get hit with the bludger, but not before he caught the snitch. So, just as Reg caught the snitch, the bludger hit him. The force was enough to knock him off of his broom and knock him out. Thankfully for Sirius who couldn’t move as he watched his brother fall slowly, James was able to catch Regulus before he hit the ground.
As soon as James landed with Regulus, the Slytherin seeker was rushed off to the Hospital Wing. Not long after James landed, Sirius landed next to him. He watched as they took his little brother away. Sirius made the move to go after them, but James stopped him. “Sirius, just wait. Let them get him situated and everything before you rush off. We can go see your brother after we change and shower. He will be fine. I trust Madam Pomfrey, and I know you do too.”
Still being held back by James, Sirius turns and looks at his best mate. He sighs giving in. “Fine. But only because I want to get out of this uniform.” So, the two boys go to the Gryffindor locker room. They change and shower fairly quickly. Neither one cared what the end score was (Slytherin ended up winning the match by just 10 points thanks to Regulus catching the snitch). Sirius just wanted to go see his brother, and James, well, he wanted to make sure that his best mate was okay. James was going to be there for Sirius, which meant being there for Regulus, at least for now. Because despite how much James cared about Sirius, that same feeling didn’t entirely extend to Regulus. Though, James didn’t really know the boy all too well, so he couldn’t entirely judge, but he was still Slytherin, and in James’s eyes that was a terrible house.
Once they were dressed and showered, the two boys headed up toward the castle. On the way, they were met up with Remus and Peter. Both of them also wanted to be there for Sirius as well. They knew how much the boy meant to Sirius, and being Sirius’s friends, he meant something to them by default.
It didn’t take them long to reach the Hospital Wing. There they were met with the sight of Regulus lying in a hospital bed. Thankfully he was awake, and he appeared not to be too injured. Thankful for that, Sirius walked right up to his younger brother’s bedside. He left the other Marauders standing in the doorway. They wanted to give the two brothers some time.
“You’re an idiot,” Sirius tells his brother. Then he pulls Reg into a quick hug before releasing him. He saw the determined look in Regulus’s eyes and knew right away that Reg wasn’t going to stop playing quidditch despite his injuries. “Fine. You can play quidditch. But I’m not going to be responsible for putting you in the Hospital Wing again.” Sirius turns over to look at James and says to him, “I’m done. I can’t do this, James. I’m done being a Gryffindor beater. I’ll finish out the season, but after that, I’m done. I can’t be the person to put my own brother in the Hospital Wing again.”
James is at first a bit disappointed and equally frustrated at Sirius’s decision. He can’t help it. Sirius is one of the best beaters he’s ever seen. And he had to admit that Regulus was a pretty amazing seeker. Being able to make a catch like that and not lose the snitch was pretty impressive. It was quite impressive. But, despite all that, James understood Sirius’s decision. He hated the decision and thought it was stupid, but he accepted it nonetheless, at least for the time being. James nodded his head. “It’s fine Sirius. I get it. It won’t be the same without you, though.” Then James, with Remus and Peter behind him, left the Hospital Wing with wishes that Regulus get better soon.
Before the three of them left, James had to mess with Sirius just a bit. So, the Gryffindor chaser threw a wink back at Regulus. Reg, knowing he was only messing with Sirius, played along. He smiled back at James and gave his own wink to give the impression that he and James had some kind of secret between them that Sirius knew nothing about. Sirius saw this and sputtered in indignation. That is what led to James leaving the Hospital Wing laughing, and Reg laughing in his Hospital bed.
For the rest of the night until dinner, Sirius stayed in the Hospital Wing. He wanted to make sure his brother was alright. He also wanted to make sure that he had nothing going on with James that he didn’t know about.
End of Flashback
“And I stayed with Regulus until Madam Pomfrey kicked me out.” Sirius ended his story. “That’s why I get so worried when Gryffindor faces Slytherin. Though Reg hasn’t gotten hurt since I still worry about him playing quidditch. And I really don’t want it to happen again, so I refuse to play quidditch anymore.”
“Pads,” Jaz started. “You can’t blame yourself for that. It was purely accidental. You didn’t intend to hit your brother. And really Regulus should have been paying more attention to his surroundings as he was chasing after the snitch.” She tried her best to reassure and comfort Sirius. “You shouldn’t let that stop you from playing beater for the Gryffindor quidditch team. I’m sure Regulus wouldn’t want to be the reason you stopped playing quidditch.”
Sirius smiled at his girlfriend. “Fine! I guess you’re right, Mare. He really wouldn’t. He would absolutely hate me if he knew he was the reason I quit.”
“Yeah, Sirius.” Lily agreed. “Just because it happened once doesn’t mean it will happen again. Plus, the fact that you are more aware will help prevent it from happening again.” Sirius smiled over at Lily who he had actually forgotten was there and hadn’t even realized she had been listening to the story.
“So, does that mean you will be the beater for the team?” Jasmine asked hopefully.
“Please.” Lily pleaded. “I am tired of continually hearing James complain about how you still haven’t budged. Also, and don’t tell him I told you this, but he is getting on my nerves every time he complains about how the Gryffindor would for sure win the cup if you were on the team, Sirius. So, please, I beg of you just agree to be on the team, if not for yourself and the team, then for me. ”
“Yeah, okay. Chill out, Lily. There’s no need to beg. I’ll let James know after the game that I’ll be a beater on the team. He’ll be so happy, so be prepared to get a bear hug from him, Jaz. And Lily, I imagine you will be getting something a bit less platonic.”
“What? Why would he bear hug me?”
“What? You think I’m just going to let him think he finally wore me down? No way, if I’m going to go through with this, I’m going to make sure he knows it was you who finally convinced me to rejoin the team, and that means both of you.”
Jasmine and Lily sighed in defeat, but Jaz still gave her loving boyfriend a peck on the check. Then Jaz turned her attention back to the game, looking forward to the day when she could finally see Sirius on the quidditch field. She was also, subconsciously looking forward to the day when she would finally meet Sirius’s brother.
So, Sirius rejoined the quidditch team, much to James’s delight. The news spread like wildfire around Hogwarts, eventually reaching Regulus. This is why Regulus was now (a week after the Gryffindor-Slytherin quidditch match) sending a secret note to his elder brother to see if he could meet up sometime in the next couple of days. He got a note back not long after saying that they could meet up that night if Reg wanted to. The note also reminded Regulus of the fact that he had agreed that Jasmine could come to their next meeting after their birthday celebration for Sirius. Regulus sighed upon being reminded of that agreement.
At the time he had agreed to meet her, Reg had been more open to meeting his brother's girlfriend. Now, it wasn't that Regulus didn't want to meet the girl. On the contrary, he had rather looked forward to meeting the girl who had managed to get his brother to open enough to actually start meeting up with him in secret. It was rather that Reg had forgotten about it and had wanted to speak with Sirius alone about the rumors going around about why Sirius was suddenly allowed to join the Gryffindor quidditch team without going to tryouts (and after their first game). Regulus had already suspected that it had to do with his brother's best mate being the quidditch captain, but he knew that wasn't the whole reason. From what Regulus remembered from his first year on the Slytherin quidditch team, Sirius had been on the Gryffindor quidditch team then. Now Regulus hadn't entirely realized that his brother was no longer on the team the following year until the first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin in his 3rd year. That was in part due to the strained relationship between Sirius and him. Regulus had assumed that someone had just beaten Sirius out for his beater spot on the team. Now that James Potter had just given Sirius a spot on the team, Regulus doubted that that was the case. Despite James and Sirius being as thick as thieves, so close that even Reg himself was jealous of their relationship at times, James would never have given Sirius a spot on the team if he wasn't a great beater. So, Regulus wanted to know why Sirius had quit in the first place because that was the only explanation for why he wasn't on the team the past several years. Reg also wanted to know why he suddenly decided to rejoin the team now. Anyway, having Jasmine there could complicate things, so Regulus could only hope Sirius had already told her his reasonings or that he would still answer Reg's questions. So, Regulus sent a confirmation note back to Sirius with a time to meet that night. He was looking forward to and dreading their meeting that night. He couldn't help but look forward to finally getting the chance to meet his brother's girlfriend he continually saw Sirius tripping over each other.
There was little that Reg knew about this girl that had just appeared 2 years ago at Hogwarts. He knew she was a half-blood. He also knew she was as much a prankster as Sirius and the rest of his mates (it was obvious with the pranks that they pulled since she arrived). And though Reg wasn't into girls like his brother was, he had to admit that objectively, Jaz was attractive. Other than that, Regulus didn't know much else about the girl. So, being the person that Regulus was, that made him suspicious of her. He was determined to get answers and make sure Sirius knew what he was getting into with her. He wasn't about to let anyone, let alone some girl, get between him and Sirius. In order to do that, Reg planned on questioning the witch, even if Sirius protested. So, yeah, Regulus was looking forward to meeting the girl, finally.
He got a note back not long after saying that they could meet up that night if Reg wanted to (It was now about a week after the Gryffindor-Slytherin quidditch match). The note also made sure to remind Regulus of the fact that he had agreed that Jasmine could come to their next meeting after their birthday celebration for Sirius. Regulus sighed upon being reminded of that agreement. At the time he had agreed to it, he had been more open to meeting his brother's girlfriend. It wasn't that Regulus didn't want to meet the girl. On the contrary, he had rather looked forward to meeting the girl who had managed to get his brother to open enough to actually start meeting up with him in secret. It was rather that Reg had forgotten about it and had wanted to speak with Sirius alone about the rumors going around about why Sirius was suddenly allowed to join the Gryffindor quidditch team without going to tryouts (and after their first game). Regulus had already suspected that it had to do with his brother's best mate being the quidditch captain, but he knew that wasn't the whole reason. From what Regulus remembered from his first year on the Slytherin quidditch team, Sirius had been on the Gryffindor quidditch team then. Now Regulus hadn't entirely realized that his brother was no longer on the team the following year until the first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin in his 3rd year. That was in part due to the strained relationship between Sirius and him. Regulus had assumed that someone had just beaten Sirius out for his beater spot on the team. Now that James Potter had just given Sirius a spot on the team, Regulus doubted that that was the case. Despite James and Sirius being as thick as thieves, so close that even Reg himself was jealous of their relationship at times, James would never have given Sirius a spot on the team if he wasn't a great beater. So, Regulus wanted to know why Sirius had quit in the first place because that was the only explanation for why he wasn't on the team the past several years. Reg also wanted to know why he suddenly decided to rejoin the team now. Anyway, having Jasmine there could complicate things, so Regulus could only hope Sirius had already told her his reasonings or that he would still answer Reg's questions.
So, Regulus sent a confirmation note back to Sirius with a time to meet that night. He was looking forward to and dreading their meeting that night. He couldn't help but look forward to finally getting the chance to meet his brother's girlfriend he continually saw Sirius tripping over each other. From what little he knew about this girl that just appeared 2 years ago at Hogwarts, Regulus knew she was a half-blood. He also knew she was as much a prankster as Sirius and the rest of his mates (if Halloween had anything to say about that). And though Reg wasn't into girls like his brother was, he had to admit that objectively, Jaz was attractive. Other than that, Regulus didn't know much about the girl. And being the person that Regulus was, that made him suspicious of her, He was determined to get answers and make sure Sirius knew what he was getting into with her. He wasn't about to let anyone, let alone some girl, get between him and Sirius. In order to do that, Reg planned on questioning the witch, even if Sirius protested. So, yeah, Regulus was looking forward to meeting the girl, finally.
Yet despite wanting to meet with her, Regulus was still partially dreading the meeting later that night. He had a feeling that it wouldn't go as smoothly as he wants it to go. He planned on getting answers to his questions no matter what. He knew Sirius would expect this of him, so Regulus wasn't worried about him. Rather, Reg was concerned about the unknown quantity that was Jasmine Dupont. He didn't know how she would take him questioning her He had a rather "unique" way of going about it as Sirius had put it. He knew what Sirius really meant was that he was harsh and unforgiving. Regulus didn't really care either, that is until now. He didn't entirely care what the half-blood would think of him, but rather he feared that her opinion would influence Sirius's opinion of him. Regulus was fearful that if she found an issue with him, Sirius would stop meeting with him. So, Regulus dreaded this meeting, but he wasn't planning on acting any differently with the girl present despite any of his fears.
Later that night, Regulus snuck out of the Slytherin common room. It wasn't as hard as one might think, especially for Regulus. Since the boy was barely ever noticed, no one really looked for him nor paid much attention to him. Sure, he had his friends, but he made sure they were busy or asleep before snuck out. So, really Regulus didn't ever have much trouble sneaking out without attracting any attention. Tonight, was no different.
As soon as he was far enough away from the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was, Regulus made his way toward the 7th floor and the Room of Requirement. Upon reaching the magical room, Regulus looked around for Sirius. He waited a few minutes in case Sirius decided to appear on time for once. Reg knew it was pointless, but he could hope. It was for this reason that Regulus knew he would be the first to arrive. The weird thing was that Sirius always seemed to arrive shortly after the door to the Room of Requirement would appear. It was strange, but Regulus learned after asking about it that Sirius wasn't planning on telling him. So, Regulus, despite his curiosity, dropped the subject. Now, here Regulus standing in front of the door that would lead to the usual room he and Sirius met in and Sirius was nowhere in sight Regulus looked down at his watch to check the time and found Sirius was later than usual. It was a bit of a shock to the Slytherin, but really, he reasoned, he shouldn't be surprised. Sirius was bringing his girlfriend this time, so Reg assumed sneaking out with her was a bit more of a challenge.
He didn't think anymore on the subject as he heard what sounded like two people bickering just around the corner. They weren't being very loud, so Regulus couldn't be sure it was his brother and his girlfriend. Thus, the Slytherin quickly cast a disillusionment charm and backed up against the wall. Then he stared in the direction from which the voices were coming from. The strange thing was the voices got louder like they were getting closer, but he didn't see anyone. Now there were tons of explanations for why that is, but Sirius and his girlfriend being under an invisibility cloak was not the first explanation that came to Regulus's mind. He didn't even know his brother had an invisibility cloak. It appears Regulus has more to ask Sirius about than he thought.
Though Regulus was relieved it was only his brother and his girlfriend, he didn't reverse the disillusionment charm just yet. The reason for that was that their conversation interested him. Now that they were closer to him, he was able to make out their conversation. Dupont was holding a piece of parchment in her hand as Sirius put away the invisibility cloak. Regulus heard her ask "Where is he?"
"I'm not sure. He should be here, especially since the door is already here," Sirius stated confused. Reg assumed they were talking about him but before he was about to reveal himself, Sirius continued. "The map says he should be right there. So, he can't be in the room." Sirius points right over to where Regulus was currently invisible.
Jasmine followed his finger, but she still didn't see anything, then it occurred to Jasmine, "Well, then he has to be there. There is no way the map is wrong."
"Then why can't we see him?" Sirius asked.
"I'm getting there," Jaz assured her boyfriend. She raised her wand to cast what Regulus was sure was going to reverse the disillusionment charm he cast upon himself. Not wanting that to happen, Regulus moved. He gathered that the parchment somehow told them where he was, so seeing as neither was looking at the parchment, Regulus moved so that he was behind the couple. Then he reversed the disillusionment charm. By the time Regulus had done all that, Sirius and Jasmine were looking down at the parchment. They seemed very confused as Regulus approached the couple from behind. Before he could finally get a glimpse at what was on the parchment, the two Gryffindors appeared to have realized that Regulus was approaching them from behind because they quickly turned around, hiding the parchment behind them.
Sirius shot his brother what Regulus assumed was supposed to be a disarming smile. It didn't work, though, as Regulus had heard too much. Realizing it didn't work, Sirius decided to speak up, "Hey, Reg. What's going on?"
Regulus stared at his brother suspiciously but responded anyway. "Well, I was waiting for you to show up with Dupont here before I entered the room we typically go into for our meetings. And I'm assuming that you already explained what this room is to your guest." Sirius smiled and nodded in agreement. "Great, then we can go in. I have a lot of questions for you, Siri." Regulus didn't even look to see if the couple was following him before he entered the room. He just assumed they were.
The room looked as it always did. It basically looked like any of the common rooms for any of the houses. The only difference was that it was color neutral, having no house colors indicating it would be for any specific house. So, basically, the walls were bare, with only a few bookshelves (Regulus would come there to escape every so often to read and get away from it all). Besides that, there was the typical fireplace with the usual comfy couch and chairs around it. Obviously, the fireplace is already lit too. So, really it was basically a house-neutral common room that no one but Regulus (and maybe Sirius) could get into because of how Reg set up the room to be private and only accessible to the two of them.
Upon entering the room, Regulus took a seat in one of the chairs around the fireplace. Normally the younger Black would have sat on one of the ends of the couch, but with Miss Dupont joining them, he figured he'd leave the couch open to the young couple. He did not want to be squished nor near them and their couple-ness. It was something he'd prefer to have some distance from. Plus, by sitting in the chair, it gave Regulus distance from the girl he still didn't trust and wanted to question. It would give her less of the chance of being able to hit Regulus if she became offended by any of his questions or how he questioned her.
Sirius didn't seem to have noticed that Regulus had even taken a different seat, but that didn't really surprise Regulus as Sirius and Jasmine were whispering between each other, likely about what to tell Regulus. Reg didn't pay any mind to that and waited until the couple took a seat on the couch. They sat on the couch end nearest to the chair Regulus had satin. They sat as close as Regulus thought they possibly could without sitting on top of each other. They kept whispering amongst themselves until Regulus (finally sick of being ignored) cleared his throat. The couple, not expecting the disruption, jumped and turned toward Regulus, finally stopping their whispering.
"Now if you two are done," Regulus stated to the now blushing couple. "I have some questions."
"Before you ask any questions, Reg, I got to ask how much did you see and hear back there?" Sirius knew that his little brother had seen and probably heard it all, but he had to be sure before he said anything more. Instead of answering, Regulus shot his brother a look that confirmed Sirius's fears. "Let me explain first. I can't nor will I tell you everything, but first the invisibility cloak isn't mine, so you can't use it. Second, the parchment that you heard me and Mare discussing is something I can't tell you about. It's a Marauders' secret, so I'm sworn to secrecy unless the others approve so don't ask about it."
Regulus rolled his eyes. He had figured his brother wouldn't tell him anything more than what he "needed" to know. Sirius was secretive like that, but Regulus had his own secrets too, so he figured it best to just drop it. He didn't want Sirius digging into his secrets, so he let his brother have his secrets to protect Reg's own secrets. "Fine, now can we move on."
Sirius was almost shocked at Regulus's response, almost. If he didn't know Regulus as he did, he probably would be shocked (like Jasmine was right now). But he did know his brother, so his response didn't faze Sirius. "Yeah, whatever you want Reg," Sirius agreed before changing the subject and introducing his girlfriend. "Anyway, Reg this is my girlfriend, Jasmine Dupont." Sirius gestured to the girl beside him before slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Mare, this is my little brother and heir to the Black family fortune, Regulus Black."
Regulus rolled his eyes at the way his brother introduced him. Yet, he still got up and went over to shake Jasmine’s hand, being the polite boy that he was raised to be. “Nice to finally meet you, Dupont,” he says before going to sit back down in the chair he had been occupying before.
Regulus didn’t see it since his back was to her, but after getting called Dupont by Regulus, Jasmine shot Regulus a dirty look. Jasmine was already starting to not like Regulus, but she didn’t give up on him redeeming himself if only for Sirius’s sake. So, she told Regulus with faux kindness in her voice, “You can call me Jasmine or Jaz if you really want.”
Regulus, now back in his seat, smiled at her but said nothing to acknowledge what Jaz said to him. “So, Dupont,” he started emphasizing Dupont just to piss the girl off. “I have some questions for you. I barely know anything about you.” Jasmine had to bite back the snarky reply on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t need to get into a verbal fight with Sirius’s brother. Then Sirius squeezed her arm, which helped calm her anger and stop her from retorting. Instead, Jasmine just smiled back at the Slytherin boy indicating he could continue and ask his questions, so he did. “First off, I got to ask, why didn’t you start at Hogwarts? I assume you were at one of the other magical schools, but why suddenly come here in your 5th year?”
Jasmine tensed up. Even though Jaz figured the subject would come up, she didn't expect it to come up right away. Sirius sensed that she tensed up, so he decided to give her another squeeze to assure her that she didn't have to answer the question. Meanwhile, Regulus watched the couple closely. He noticed that Jasmine had tensed at his question which almost made him regret asking it. Though he had assumed it was a somewhat innocent question, it clearly wasn't. Regulus assumed the answer was somewhere along the lines of her getting kicked out or her moving, but he hadn't expected the answer he was given, which was, "Yes, I went to Beauxbatons before this, which was my father's alma mater. I would have likely finished there if not for the untimely death of my mother, which made me an orphan. My father died when I first started school. So, I moved in with my aunt and uncle who live closer to Hogwarts than Beauxbatons. So, I transferred to Hogwarts and get to go to school with my cousin, who I am sure you already know is Lily Evans.”
Regulus's face betrayed nothing of what was going on in his mind, which he was grateful for as his mind was racing. He felt slightly bad for asking the question now, but he had to ask it. He wanted to make sure his brother knew what he was getting into. So, he pushed past any guilt he had and continued asking his brother's girlfriend questions. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said before continuing with his questions.
By the end of his "interrogation" of Jasmine, Regulus was now sure that Sirius knew exactly what he was getting into if his body language throughout had anything to say about it. Regulus could see that Sirius loved her. Also, Regulus was able to learn more about the girl his brother was so taken with. Reg had asked A lot of questions, some of which were answered with some hesitance, though only a few of his questions were never answered. This bothered Regulus slightly, but then he figured she was allowed to have her secrets as he was allowed to have his secrets. Anyway, now Regulus knows what the girl's favorite subjects are transfiguration and music), who her favorite professor is (McGonagall), and even what her favorite color is (blue). He learns so much about her that he feels like he knows her almost as well as Sirius knows her. He is grateful for that because he could see this girl was likely the future Mrs. Sirius Black. Despite not being a person who was big on relationships or romance, even Reg could see the love between Jasmine and Sirius. Plus, Regulus knew Sirius better than most others having grown up for him. So, Reg knew that Jaz was good for his brother in more ways than one. And from what Reg could tell about Jaz, Sirius was good for her too.
While Reg might now feel that he could trust Jasmine, Jaz did not feel that she could trust him. Jaz felt that several of the questions Regulus asked he had no right to ask. Also, the way he asked several (most) of the questions, Jaz felt was rather rude. It made her dislike him more and more as he continued to ask he questions. By the time he finished, Jaz felt slightly violated in a way. She felt her personal life had been invaded and prodded by this outsider without her consent despite that she willingly answered most of the questions that Regulus asked. She knew that she had no obligation to answer any of the questions that Regulus had asked her. Though, she felt that she had to even if she didn’t entirely answer some of the more personal questions, such as the first question he asked or when Regulus asked the circumstance of both her parents’ deaths. It was rather insensitive, especially with how he asked them so sharply. She felt as if she was ‘forced’ to answer the questions lest Regulus find some kind of issue with her that lead to her and Sirius breaking up and that, was one of her greatest fears.
Now, Jasmine loved Sirius, that much was clear, and she knew that Sirius loved her too. Though, Jaz also knew that sometimes love is not enough. After all, she was sure that her mother loved her even when she would verbally abuse her. And despite Jasmine’s love for her mother, she still continued to drink until she drank herself to death. Also, Jaz had loved her father dearly, and even he had left her, though likely not intentionally. No one ever told her how her father actually died, and Jaz had never asked. So, (though she was unwilling to admit it to herself) Jaz had some deep-seated abandonment issues. Thus, if Sirius was to break up with her for something as stupid as the fact that she didn’t get along with his brother, something that was she could control (at least to some extent), she would be heartbroken. Jaz wasn’t sure she would be able to go on if Sirius did break up with her because she didn’t think she could handle yet another person she loved leaving her again. So, Sirius breaking up with her was a real fear of hers. Hence why Jaz was hoping that her feelings of dislike for the younger Black would dissipate as she got to know him better. Unbeknownst to her, that wasn’t happening any time soon.
Anyway, after Regulus finished questioning Jasmine about her life, he turned his focus toward his brother, planning on questioning him next. “I can see why you like her, Siri. She’s good for you.” Sirius grinned at his brother, but it soon faded after Regulus changed the subject. “Anyway, I actually asked you here because I wanted to get the whole story behind why you quit the Quidditch team the year after I made the Slytherin quidditch team.”
Sirius stared his brother right in the eyes hoping to get Regulus to back down, but out of all the times Sirius has tried this with Regulus, he has yet to win once. So, when Sirius gave in, it was no surprise. “Fine, but you can’t be upset with me, Reg.”
“I’ve told you before, Sirius, I’m not going to make any such promise when there is a highly likely chance that I won’t keep it.”
“Ugh. Why must you be this way?” Sirius asked. He didn’t wait for a response before continuing. “I quit the team because I was afraid I would hurt you again Regulus, as I did in that first game of yours. I didn’t want to be the one responsible for you ending up in the Hospital Wing.”
Regulus looked at his brother confused for a moment. “What? When did you–” Regulus cut himself off as he remembered the moment that Sirius was talking about. “Are you stupid or something?” Sirius looked offended by the accusation, but he should have expected such a response from Regulus. After all, he had told Jasmine that Regulus would not have wanted to be the reason he quit the team. “The chances of you injuring me again is highly unlikely.”
“Yes, I know, Reg, but I hated seeing you in that hospital bed. The fact that it was my fault you were even there made it worse.”
“Ugh. You moron. You know that I’ve been injured multiple times since then due to my involvement on the Slytherin quidditch team. It’s just the game of quidditch. It’s dangerous and it wouldn’t be any fun if it wasn’t.”
“Well, it doesn’t even matter anymore does it?” Sirius asked. “I’m sure you’ve heard I’m back on the Gryffindor quidditch team, Reg. So, can you just drop it?”
Regulus rolled his eyes. He wasn’t planning on dropping it. How could he when he was in part responsible for his brother quitting the Gryffindor quidditch team? Though, he wasn’t planning on telling Sirius that, so instead he said, “Fine. I’ll drop it, Siri. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not still upset you put the blame on me for you quitting quidditch and likely costing Gryffindor a possible Quidditch Cup in the process.”
That last comment, Sirius knew was a joking jab, so he had to retaliate. “Why you little…” Sirius got up to give Regulus a noogie or something similar, but there was a reason Regulus was the seeker on the Slytherin team. He was quick and had already gotten up out of his seat before Sirius had even gotten up from the couch.
That is how Jasmine found herself sitting alone on a couch as she watched Sirius chase after his little brother. As Sirius continued to chase his brother around, Jasmine couldn’t help but be reminded of how much they acted like the brothers they should be. It was this interaction as well as how they even communicated with each other, that made Jaz see just how close the two brothers were. “They would likely be even closer if this war wasn’t going on.” Jasmine couldn’t help but think. “They probably wouldn’t be living under the same roof because their parents were assholes to Sirius, but they wouldn’t let that stop them given how they are acting right now.”
Finally, after several minutes, Sirius eventually outsmarted Regulus and caught him. Having Regulus in his grasp, Sirius gave him a noogie before releasing him. Upon gaining his freedom again, Reg smoothed out his clothes and fixed his hair the best he could since Sirius had messed it up. Then he proceeded to calmly walk back over to his seat, but before he did so, he couldn’t help but taunt Sirius a bit more. “Hope you still got what it takes to play quidditch, Siri. I’m no longer a newbie, so you better watch out.”
Sirius sneered in response. “You better watch out Reg because Gryffindor is coming for that Quidditch Cup this year.”
Before they could continue bickering/taunting each other, Jasmine interrupted them. “Okay, boys, please stop. We all know you both are wonderful quidditch players, but I really can’t hear any more of your taunts.”
Both boys looked sheepishly at the girl and retook their seats, but before Sirius took his seat, he looked down at his new watch. Seeing that it was getting rather late, he didn’t rejoin Jasmine on the couch. Instead, Sirius told Reg, “Well, it is getting kind of late, Reg, so I think we ought to be going before someone gets suspicious and starts looking for us.”
Regulus looked down at his own wrist where his watch sat. “Yeah, I really should get back.” Regulus pulled Sirius into a brotherly hug. Then whispered in his ear, “Jasmine’s not half bad, Siri, for a half-blood that is. I think you two will be very happy together.”
Pulling back from the hug, Sirius shot his brother a smile before releasing his brother from his hold. Then he turned toward Jasmine, who was still sitting on the couch and offered her his hand which she took gratefully. Before they left though, Regulus held out his hand to Jasmine, which she took hesitantly. She still didn’t trust him, especially now with how she saw how blind Sirius was when it came to him. Though, she didn’t want Sirius to know that, so she took his hand. “It was wonderful meeting you, Jasmine.”
Jasmine shot him a smile, unsure of how she felt that he chose to finally call her Jasmine. “It was great to meet you too, Regulus.” With that, the couple left the room.
Upon exiting the Room of Requirement, Sirius took out James’s invisibility cloak and Jaz took out the map. Then they “silently” made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Silently meaning they were whispering quietly to each other underneath the cloak.
It wasn’t until they were getting close to Gryffindor Tower that Sirius finally asked the question he’d been wanting to ask since they left. “So, what did you think of Regulus?”
Jasmine tensed. She hoped Sirius didn’t realize it (though she was sure he did). She had been trying to avoid this question since they left Regulus. She didn’t want to lie to Sirius, nor did she plan to, but she knew what could happen if she told Sirius how she really felt about his brother. He would be crushed that she didn’t like him, but she hoped he would understand where she was coming from. She decided to wait until they got inside the Gryffindor common room before telling him, though, just in case.
It wasn’t long before they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. By that point, they had taken off the invisibility cloak so that she could see them, and they could give her the password. Once in the common room, Sirius asked the question again. “Mare, you never answered my question. What did you think of Regulus?” At the moment Jasmine’s back was to him, which was part of the reason why Sirius couldn’t hear what Jasmine mumbled. “What was that Mare?
Jasmine finally turned to face Sirius. Her face gave away exactly how she was feeling inside: fear. Sirius could see this too. “Mare, what’s wrong? What’s got you so frightened?” She was getting paler by the second, so Sirius steered her toward the fireplace. Thankfully the common room was pretty empty at the moment.
They took a seat on the couch, each of them on one end facing the other. Jasmine was on the verge of tears, but she knew she had to tell him despite her fears of the repercussions that could come of it. “Pads, I’m sorry.” She tried to say more but nothing came out.
“Mare, you got nothing to be sorry about. Now, what’s the matter? Whatever it is, I promise everything will be okay.” Sirius couldn’t understand what had happened. Jaz had been fine moments ago.
Finally, Jasmine found her voice again. “No, you don’t understand, Sirius,” she started. “I’m sorry because I don’t trust your brother.” Sirius stared at the girl he loved with his jaw dropped. He hadn’t expected to hear that come from Jasmine’s mouth. But now that it had, he wasn’t sure what to say, so she just stared at her with his mouth open. “I’m so sorry. I really tried to like him. And I tried to make sure he liked me, but I just don’t like him, Sirius. There was just something in the way he asked his questions that felt invasive and uncomfortable to me.”
Once Jaz had finally just admitted that she didn’t like Regulus, Sirius snapped. He was no longer in shock, but rather angry and frustrated with his girlfriend. So, being the stupid, impulsive 17-year-old that Sirius Black was, he did something really stupid. He let out his anger at Jasmine. “What do you mean you tried?! Clearly, you didn’t try hard enough. YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER!”
That last part he yelled at her caused Jasmine to snap out of her sad, apologizing, fearful state, and she started yelling back at him. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘I SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER’?! I tried my hardest to get along with him Sirius. I tried, but by the end of my ‘interrogation,’ I felt that he had violated me somehow. Do you know how that feels, especially after all the emotional and verbal abuse my mother put me through? It was awful. I can’t believe you would say I didn’t try hard enough,” Jasmine screamed at her boyfriend. “You have such a blind spot when it comes to him, and you don’t even see it.”
“What do you mean I have a blind spot?! Just because he’s my brother doesn’t mean that I can’t see him for who he really is. What I don’t see is what your problem with him is. He treated you how he treats everyone he meets. It is hard for him to trust anyone without knowing all the facts because that is how we Black brothers were raised. My brother is still stuck in that house with my ‘parents’ who raised us on the belief that we were better than everyone else because our blood was pure and all that other bullshit pureblood propaganda. So, how else would you expect someone raised in that environment to act around new people they know nothing about and could destroy their entire world.”
By this point, the couple’s yelling had alerted the Marauders and Lily (and practically the rest of Gryffindor Tower) to their presence in the tower. So, shortly after that last little speech Sirius made, the Marauders and Lily were coming down to the common room to see what all the fuss what about. Upon seeing their couple fighting, they all became increasingly worried. Now it wasn’t like Jasmine and Sirius didn’t have disagreements every so often because they did, but they typically didn’t yell and scream at each other like this. Thus, the four others just getting down to the common room knew they needed to break this screaming match up before one of them said something they would regret.
James shot Lily a look, then the two of them headed toward the screaming couple, each going for their respective best friend. By now Sirius and Jasmine were yelling right into each other’s faces. It was getting rather heated. James thinks really hopes Sirius doesn’t say anything that will permanently ruin his relationship with Jasmine. James wasn’t sure how they would manage it if the two ever broke up. Jasmine was such an integral part of the Marauders now that they couldn’t just kick her out if the two did break up. It was something that James hoped would never have to actually be considered, though right now it wasn’t looking good.
From what James had heard of their argument so far, it appeared the two were arguing about Sirius’s younger brother, Regulus, but that couldn’t be right. As far as James was aware, Sirius hasn’t talked to Regulus since before he ran away to come live at Potter Manor. So, he couldn’t understand why they would be fighting over Regulus unless Jasmine was, for some reason, convincing Sirius to give Regulus a chance or something.
Lily was just as confused about the topic of the argument, but she didn’t pay much attention to it as she was trying to get Jasmine away from Sirius. Eventually, she succeeded and so did James at separating the couple. James and Lily both decided it would be best to take each back to their respective dorms to cool down.
As Lily pulled Jasmine up the steps to the girls’ dorm and James pulled Sirius up the steps to their dorm, the two kept arguing across the common room. It was ridiculousness. But that is how the night went and how it ended. What started off as such a promising day had ended in a nightmare for both Sirius and Jasmine. It was their worst nightmare because once they no longer saw the other calmed down, they both realized what they had done. That realization led both of them to break down in tears in their best mate’s arms. They had just had their first big fight over something so trivial. It just broke them, especially since they were both so unsure of where they stood with the other at the moment.
Notes:
Uh oh! Trouble in paradise for Sazzy (btw it was really hard writing that fight scene at first. Like it physically hurt to write that, so much so that I almost teared up writing it).
Anyway, I’m sorry it took me so long to write and post this chapter. I’ve just been terribly busy and stressed as of late. First, I got sick with a sinus infection. Then I wouldn’t stop coughing until like a week ago which only stopped after taking more antibiotics. It’s been a mess. So, I wasn’t writing while I was sick because I felt awful and was busy with school. Now things have settled down, but I’ve now become really obsessed with Hamilton and Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as Anthony Ramos. So, I’ve been just watching a lot of stuff instead of writing when I have had free time. But I’ve gotten back into my writing now because From Beauxbatons to Hogwarts (the prequel to this book) made the shortlist for the 2021 Wattys (which is an awards thing on Wattpad). It is for that reason that FBTH is no longer on here. I had to delete it from every site that wasn’t Wattpad, so you will have to go there to read it for at least the next year (sorry). Anyway, sorry for the wait on this chapter and the long author’s note. I’ll try to update soon, possibly over my thanksgiving break (so within the next week or two), but no promises. I hope you enjoyed the chapterUntil Next Time,
✍️(◔◡◔) Knk6700 ✍️(◔◡◔)
Chapter 9: After the Fight
Summary:
After their big fight over one Regulus Black, things only seem to get worse for Jasmine and Sirius. They are continuing to fight and argue more than they ever have before. It has their friends concerned for their wellbeing. It also has them worried that they might break up forcing them to take sides that they don't want to and are hoping to avoid. Now, with the end of term quickly approaching and Christmas coming up fast, will the couple be able to last a whole year together or will they break up before they've even had a chance to celebrate their first anniversary since they got together?
Notes:
I know I left the last chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger and I’m sorry, but I had to. And now I think you might hate me some more (at least for most of this chapter), but I had to do it. So, please, forgive me for this chapter and for making you all wait so long for this chapter. At least it is a long chapter though. Also, please note that this chapter takes place immediately after the end of the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 9: After the Fight
Once in their dorm room after the big fight, all Lily could get out of Jasmine was “What have I done, Lils?” before the girl broke down into tears and was sobbing. Jaz eventually fell asleep on Lily in her own bed. Lily maneuvered herself out from under her cousin in order to let Jaz rest in peace. When she finally escaped and closed the curtains around her cousin, the rest of their dorm mates were waiting for her. Lily expected this, so she quietly explained what she knew, which wasn’t much. She told Mary, Maureen, and Alice, “She had a huge fight with Sirius for some reason. I have no idea what it was about or much of anything else. All I got out of her before she broke down was a terrified relation of what she had done.” The girls glanced over at the bed Jasmine was in with the curtains closed now. There was pity on their faces. They knew how much that boy meant to her, so if he was the reason for her tears, they were going to make him pay.
Maureen was the one to voice this revenge mindset. “Well, if Black is the reason for her tears, he’s going to pay. Right, girls?” They all smiled and nodded, all but Lily.
“Let’s not do anything too drastic yet girls.” Lily felt the need to defend Sirius. She had gotten close to him by association, and she doubted that Sirius would have made Jaz cry on purpose. It wasn’t in his character. “Let me get the full story from Mina before we do anything.”
“Fine, Lily,” the three girls said in agreement. Then Mary pointed out, “We wouldn’t want to start some kind of prank war or something with the boys if it wasn’t at least completely justified.” The others agreed before turning in again.
Meanwhile, James and the other Marauders were dealing with a Sirius who was freaking out. “What have I done, Prongs? I can’t believe that I said that. I didn’t mean any of it…”
Sirius was about to go off on a tangent of what ifs and regrets and James knew it. So, he cut Sirius off before he could continue. “Padfoot! You need to stop. It will do you no good to worry about the what ifs and what you can’t change.” Sirius shut up right then and looked up at his best mate. The look in Sirius’s eyes told James that his best mate was still flipping out inside. James knew just how much this relationship meant to Sirius. He had seen just how much Sirius had changed since he and Jasmine had started dating just last Christmas. They were coming up on their first anniversary, and James hoped that they would make it to that anniversary. It would be awful if this stupid fight was the end of them after all the two of them had been through and after all James and Lily had done to finally get them together. As James thought about the fight, he realized he didn’t even know what it was even about. If James was to help Sirius fix this, he needed to know what the actual issue was. “Pads, what was the fight even about? What even brought about it?”
Sirius tensed up for a moment. He shot James a look that said I’ll tell you [and only you] later. James nodded in understanding. “It was just something stupid and I let my anger get the best of me,” Sirius said. His answer was vague but good enough for the other Marauders for now as they were quite tired and just wanted to go to sleep.
As the other Marauders all got back into their own beds, James waited for Remus and Peter to shut their curtains before creeping over the Sirius’s bed. “Pads,” James whispered to his best mate who was now sitting on his bed. “Come on.”
Sirius figured James wouldn’t be able to wait to be told about the truth of the fight, so he sighed and got up. He motioned toward the door and James nodded. The two boys crept quietly out of the dorm and out of the common room. Sirius, who still had the invisibility cloak, much to James’s surprise, took out the cloak and threw it over them as they headed toward the typical place they went to talk alone. It was the same place that Sirius revealed to James that he was being abused by his parents. Once there, Sirius threw the cloak off of them and turned to James, who was looking expectantly at his best mate.
“Well, I’ve been secretly going out and meeting up with my brother behind all of your backs since the start of term,” Sirius finally said after a few moments of silence. He continued before James could stop him. It was the only way he would be able to get through this. “Reg’s the one who showed me the room that Jaz and I were in on my birthday that I told you guys about. That room is where we have been meeting up because we could make it private. Anyway, I told Jaz about my meetings with Regulus not too long ago and she had expressed wanting to meet him. That meeting finally happened tonight. I thought it had gone great. I mean sure, Regulus was a bit pushy at times, but I expected that. It’s who he is, partially because of the household he grew up in. And by the time the meeting finished, Regulus told me that he liked Jasmine, which I really appreciated. If he didn’t like her, it wasn’t going to stop me from still seeing her, but it was nice to know that my brother approved, especially since he didn’t trust people easily. Also, since Jasmine is a half-blood, I thought he would instantly dislike her because she wasn’t of pure blood, so I’m glad that wasn’t an issue.”
Sirius paused for a moment thinking about how he wanted to say the next part. “Well, I figured Jaz felt the same way about Regulus as he did about her, but I assumed wrong. It wasn’t until we got back to the common room that she told me how she really felt about Regulus. Now, you should know this, Prongs, I’m very protective of my little brother even though you never really understood why. He’s my brother and my blood despite his beliefs and ideals and all that pureblood bullshit. I can’t change that about him. So, when Jaz finally said that she didn’t like Regulus, I was offended. I could see all the reasons why Reg wouldn’t like her, but I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t like him. So, I got so mad and protective of Regulus, and I took that anger out on Jasmine. Now, I’ve ruined everything. I didn’t mean what I said, but I don’t know what to do James. I love them both so much, but Regulus is my brother, my blood. I don’t want this to be the end of me and Jasmine, but I don’t know how we can get past this.” As Sirius finally finished his speech, he finally let himself break. He was now slumped on the ground with his face in his hands. He was clearly in distress, but he had yet to break down into tears.
James stared down at his best mate in complete shock. He hadn’t been expecting that. “I guess the fight wasn’t as stupid as I thought.” James thought before sinking down next to Sirius. He put his arm around Sirius to try and comfort his best mate. “I’m sorry, Pads. I really don’t know what to say.” James wasn’t sure what the right thing to say here was. And well, James didn’t want to say the wrong thing. He didn’t want to give the wrong advice and that lead to things getting worse between Sirius and Jasmine. So, for the time being, he said nothing. Instead, he just went over to his best mate, slung an arm over his shoulder, and assured him, “You guys will get past this. You’ll see, it will all be good once you talk it out in a couple of days after you both have cooled off. You can clear the air and it will all be good again.”
Sirius smiled over at James, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and James felt bad for his best friend. He knew that Regulus was a rather touchy subject for Sirius (one of the main reasons James never brought the Slytherin up). James knew how protective Sirius was of his little brother, so it would take more than clearing the air and talking to resolve this disagreement between the couple. James had just wanted to reassure his mate for the time being. He could figure out how he could help better after he talked with Lily tomorrow.
The next morning was probably the strangest morning the marauders ever experienced. It was even worse than the morning after Sirius pulled that prank on Snape. At least when that happened, the boys weren't exactly forced to pick sides, and although they were upset with Sirius, they did understand after he told them about the letter. It was a bit uncomfortable at times, but it was nothing compared to breakfast that next morning.
James and Lily had both felt that after last night's fiasco between their best mates that it would be best that, for now, they spent some time apart. This was in part because they didn't want another argument to start, which they feared would happen if they saw each other so soon after their first major fight. Thus, not wanting that to happen or for either of them to cause a scene in the Great Hall, the girls went down to breakfast separate from the boys, much to James's dismay. See, ever since James and Lily had started dating, the girls from Lily and Jaz's dorm and the Marauders had been going down to breakfast together. So, James was disappointed even though he knew as well as Lily that this was for the best at the moment, but that didn't mean he had to like it (and neither did she). After all, because of this, James was unable to sit next to the girl he loved and was now dating.
So, breakfast was a rather awkward and strange affair, not only for the Marauders but the rest of Hogwarts as well. The tension in the room was almost unbearable to anyone who was at breakfast that morning. No one except for the Marauders exactly knew what had happened, but they all knew that something was wrong and that it involved the Marauders.
There was one particularly observant Slytherin by the name of Regulus Black that took interest in the developing tension that was coming from the Gryffindor table. He had a terrible feeling that it was all his fault in a way, which he hoped it wasn’t since that is not what he wanted from last night. After all, despite their differences, Reg didn’t want to be the cause of his brother’s unhappiness. And now after finally spotting him that morning, Reg could see that Sirius was clearly in distress. He no longer held that effortless smile on his face that Reg almost always saw on his face. Not only that but what was more concerning was that Sirius was not sitting with Jasmine for breakfast as would be typical. Reg had spotted his brother’s girlfriend at the opposite end of the table with Lily Evans and some other girls that Regulus didn’t entirely recognize. Seeing this, Regulus knew that this had something to do with him, and he felt slightly guilty for causing his brother misery. It hadn’t been his intention. He just hoped that it wouldn’t stay like this and the two would work it out. Regulus did believe that the two were good together as well as good for each other.
Meanwhile, over at the Gryffindor table, the tension was high, and everyone could feel it. It was rather uncomfortable for everyone else sitting at the table. That tension didn't go away until Jasmine finally had enough of it. She couldn't take it anymore, so she abruptly stood up, grabbed Lily, and basically stormed out of the Great Hall. As she left, Sirius's eyes followed her out, but he made no move to follow the two girls despite desperately wanting to. What prevented him was his fear of matting things worse. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Upon exiting the Great Hall, Jasmine dragged Lily down several corridors eventually ending up in an empty classroom that was far away from the Great Hall. Jasmine cast the usual spells to keep people out and from hearing their conversation. Meanwhile, Lily took a seat in an empty chair and waited. She figured her cousin had dragged her here for a reason, which Lily hoped was to tell her what exactly happened last night. Thankfully, she was right.
"Lils," Jaz began sounding on the verge of breaking. Lily couldn't see Jaz's face at the moment as she was facing the door, but if Lily had to guess, she would say Jaz was trying not to break down crying. Thus, Lily got up to comfort Jasmine before the girl had a chance to continue. So, Lily pulled her cousin into a hug and soon felt her shirt being dampened by tears from her cousin.
Lily just let her cousin cry, not caring at all about her shirt. Instead, she pulled her closer and rubbed circles on her back whispering comforting words in her ear. "Oh, Mina, I'm so sorry," Lily whispered in Jaz's ear. "I'm sorry for all the hurt you're feeling. I wish I could take it all away, but I don't even understand how this happened. After all, you two were so happy together just yesterday at the quidditch match." Lily didn't get a response for several minutes though she wasn't expecting an immediate response, after all, her cousin was still crying on her shoulder.
Eventually, Jasmine stopped crying and released Lily. Jaz took a few steps back before going over to a nearby chair and collapsing into it she had her hands over her face and Lily was afraid she would start crying again. Thankfully, that's not what happened. Instead, Jaz removed her hands from her face and finally looked up at Lily with her bloodshot eyes that had shed too many tears in the past day than they should have. Lils," Jaz began again before asking (again), "What have I done?"
Lily had no idea (yet again) what to say. So, she said nothing, opting to pull a chair over to her cousin and sit with her. Lily was willing to wait as long as Jasmine needed. She could wait for an explanation, but upon seeing that Jaz was looking at her expectantly (like she was waiting for a response) Lily finally said something. "I don't know, Mina. What even happened last night?"
Jasmine took a deep, calming breath before finally explaining her version of the events of last night. She started off by explaining how Sirius had been secretly seeing his brother Regulus and how he was the one that showed Sirius the room that Jaz and Sirius had told Lily and the others about earlier that month. This revelation came as a shock to Lily. She never thought Sirius was that close to his brother, what with how his parents treated him. Lily had just assumed his brother was just as bad as his parents. Evidently, that was not the case. "Oh, wow! I didn't realize Sirius was so close with his brother. I just thought he felt the same way about him as he did his parents. Though, I guess I shouldn't be so shocked given how he gave up quidditch so he wouldn't hurt him again. I guess I just thought that when he left home, he cut all contact with his family. I never would have thought that his brother meant so much to him."
"It's a bit of a touchy subject for him. He rarely ever talks about Regulus, especially since he feels he abandoned him. Also, since Regulus is in Slytherin, Sirius doesn't like bringing him up, especially given the company he keeps. It is why they have been meeting in secret because if any of the Slytherins found out, I'm sure it would get back to their parents quickly." Jasmine explained to Lily. "So, Lils you can't tell anyone about this. I promised Sirius I wouldn't say anything, but I had to tell you so you could understand what happened last night."
"Don't worry, Mina. Your secret's safe with me." Lily promised. "Though, I'm sure Sirius has told James by now, at least I hope he has. I'll let James bring it up first when we meet later." Lily thought. She was meeting James later to go over patrol schedules. They were still head boy and head girl after all. Though, Lily suspected that they would spend most of that time talking about Sirius and Jasmine rather than what they were supposed to be talking about.
"Thanks, Lils." Jasmine let out a sigh of relief before continuing her explanation of last night's events and how they got to where they are now, "Anyway when I first found out, I told Sirius I wanted to meet Regulus. His brother matters so much to him, so I wanted to get to know him."
"Of course. It's like how I'm taking James home for Christmas to introduce him to my parents."
"Wait! What?!" Jasmine exclaimed. That's when Lily realized she hadn't actually told Jasmine yet because she and James had agreed to wait until closer to the end of term to tell everyone. They didn't want anyone telling them they were moving too fast or anything else of the sort. They were going through with it no matter what anyone else said.
Seeing it wasn't possible to take back what she said, Lily tried to brush it off. "Oh, nothing. Just continue on, Mina. "
Sadly, Lily's tactic didn't work. "No, no, no." Jasmine protested. Did you just say you were planning on taking James Potter home for Christmas? Does James know what you have planned?"
Lily knew Jaz wasn't going to drop this, so she just gave in. "Yes, that's what I said. I hadn't told you yet because James and I were planning on telling you all near the end of term, so none of you could talk us out of it. So, there! Can we go back to how you ended up fighting with Sirius now?"
Jasmine let out a small giggle at Lily's exasperated state, but she obliged her cousin's request. She could always come back to James and Lily's Christmas plans later. "Okay, fine," Jaz agreed. "Anyway, Sirius had talked Regulus and he had agreed to let me come to their next meeting, which happened to be last night. Now, these meetings weren't regularly scheduled, so I had only found out about it yesterday. Thus, I hadn't really prepared myself to meet him. Now, Lils, you have to understand, Sirius's family isn't made up of the greatest people."
Lily stopped Jaz before she could say any more. "Mina, there is no need to explain. You do remember I used to be friends with Snape. I understand that Regulus has likely been hanging out with those same Slytherins Snape hangs out with. I know they've been messing around with the Dark Arts. I won't hold it against him, if that's what you are worried about, Mina. I know what kind of household Sirius and his brother grew up in, so there is no need to explain because I know."
Jasmine, still slightly surprised at Lily's interjection, pushed on. "Well, anyway, before the meeting, Sirius was really nervous. I think he was afraid Regulus wouldn't like me or something like that. I really don't know, but it led to us bickering. I can't exactly remember why we were bickering just that as we approached the room, we were quietly bickering about something. It seems so stupid now." A tear fell down Jasmine's face, but she quickly wiped it away. She refused to let herself succumb to tears again. So, she sniffled and continued on. “Now Sirius has only told me so much about Regulus, so I was completely unprepared for the interrogation he put me through. By the time he finished asking me his questions, I felt as though I had just been interrogated. The questions he asked and how he asked them made it feel so intrusive. By the end, I felt like I had been violated in a way, and I just sat there and let it happen. It appeared that Sirius knew Regulus was like this based on the way they interacted after my interrogation, which upset me that he didn’t at least warn me about how Regulus was so I could have prepared myself. Anyway, by the time the meeting was finished, I couldn't stand Regulus. At one point he even refused to call me Jasmine after I told him he could, and instead purposefully called me Dupont. I really tried to like him, Lils, but apparently that wasn't good enough for Sirius. So, when I told him that when we got to the common room, he was not happy. I knew he wouldn't be either, which is why I was so reluctant to tell him the truth. But he kept pushing and eventually I broke and once the truth was out there, Sirius got really upset. Eventually, we were screaming at each other. Oh, it was awful, Lils and it was all my fault. If I had only tried harder or just lied to him, we wouldn't be here right now. What have I done, Lils?"
Lily stared at her cousin for a moment as Jasmine tried to fight back the tears in her eyes. It was a losing battle, and eventually, Jaz gave in and was once again sobbing. Lily, in response, pulled her into another hug. Lily j held her cousin and tried her best to comfort the crying girl. They stayed like this for quite some time, and eventually, Jasmine stopped crying. Lily stayed silent as her cousin began to wipe away her tears. She wasn't exactly sure what to say because in her opinion this was not Jasmine's fault at all, bustily doubted her cousin would be receptive to her reasoning at the moment. So, Lily decided to save her breath. She would try to reason with Jasmine when she knew her cousin would actually listen to her. Hopefully, that would be sooner rather than later.
After their rendezvous in that empty classroom, Jasmine and Lily went back to Gryffindor Tower. They went straight up to their dorm and proceeded to work on their homework and do some revising. They went to their dorm to avoid confrontation with the boys, though Lily was starting to miss James’s company slightly. Anyway, they stayed like this, not really talking, until Lily had to leave to go meet up with James for their weekly Heads meeting. Before leaving though, Lily wanted to make sure Jasmine would be okay without her.
“I’ll be fine, Lils,” Jasmine reassured. She even smiled to try to convince Lily she was fine, but it hadn’t reached her eyes, so Lily knew it was fake. When that didn’t work, Jasmine continued on. “Now go have fun with your boyfriend. If I need anything, I’m sure one of the girls can help me.” The girls that were present in the room (Maureen and Mary) nodded their heads in agreement.
Reassured, Lily flashed a smile at her cousin before turning and leaving the room. She found James waiting for her in the common room, so she hurried down the stairs to greet him. She wasn’t very quiet in her descent, so James immediately took notice and went to wait for her at the bottom of the girls’ staircase. It was there that James was taken by surprise and was forced to act quickly in order to catch Lily who had flung herself at him. Thanks to those quick quidditch reflexes, James was able to catch her and even spin her around in a hug after catching her. He was so happy to finally see his girlfriend.
He set Lily down after a few moments and smiled down at her. “I’m so happy to see you, Lils. I feel like it has been forever since we saw each other when it was only just yesterday that we were together.”
Lily smiled back at James but said nothing in response. Instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the common room. At first, James resisted, but then he came to his senses and let himself be dragged along. He had momentarily forgotten that they typically have this meeting in an empty classroom because they didn’t want anyone interrupting or distracting them from their duties. It would get done faster that way, but James had a feeling this meeting was going to take longer than it typically would.
Lily was the first to speak after they arrived in the classroom and cast the usual spells to prevent anyone from overhearing and prevent interruptions. “I think we both know that the rounds schedule is not really going to change this week.” James nodded, knowing where Lily was going with this but waited for her to finish before speaking. “So, what we really need to talk about is our best mates. I figure we can compare Sirius and Jasmine’s sides of the story to see if there is anything we can do to help them out.”
James nodded. “Okay, I’ll go first.” James thought back to what Sirius had told him last night. “I’m sure Jazzy told you that Sirius has been secretly meeting up with his brother Regulus Black in that room they told us about.”
Lily sighed in relief glad that James had brought that up first. “Yeah, she did, but she made me promise not to tell anyone, so I wouldn’t tell anyone else, James. It could mean bad things for both Blacks, especially if it got back to their parents.”
“I wasn’t planning on it, Lils,” James promised. “Anyway, since Jazzy told you that, I’m sure you know that the fight was about Regulus and a meeting they both had with him yesterday.” Lily nodded. “Now that that’s been established, last night Sirius told me that he thought the meeting had gone great. He didn’t go into any detail about it just saying Regulus was his usual pushy self. He did mention that Regulus told him that he like Jazzy, which he was elated about. From what I know about Regulus from the little Sirius has told me, that is not an easy task. He is very different from Sirius, but neither of them trusts people easily. It took several years to get Sirius to finally tell me what had been going on at home before he finally ran away. It took a long time for the three of us to fully earn his trust and get him to open up.”
Lily stared at James for a moment before finally speaking. “James, I had no idea. I hadn’t even realized until now just how little I know about Sirius and his childhood.”
“Yeah, it’s a touchy subject for him, especially since before he came to Hogwarts he wasn’t treated like an outcast by his parents. I don’t know much else though. He doesn’t like talking about it, and I’m not sure if I really want to know much more.” James shuddered to think what horrors Sirius wasn’t telling him about, but he chose not to dwell on that much. Rather, James preferred to live in the present and look to the future. “Anyway, Sirius told me that he had been really worried about Regulus not liking Jazzy for various reasons, and he was so focused on his brother not liking Jazzy, he didn’t even think that she wouldn’t like Regulus. So, when Jazzy told him that she didn’t like Regulus, Sirius was surprised and angry. Sirius is really protective of Regulus so Jazzy saying that really set him off. So, he lashed out at Jazzy and said some things he didn’t mean. He was really upset and distraught thinking that he ruined one of the best things that has ever happened to him. I felt so bad for him, but I didn’t know what to say. I’m not good at giving advice, that’s more Remus’s strong suit, so I just tried to reassure him it was all going to work out and everything would be fine. I didn’t know what else to say, Lils.”
Lily was quiet for a few seconds before speaking up. “Wow. I was not expecting that, especially after hearing Mina’s side of the story.” Lily paused expecting James to say something. He didn’t speak up, so Lily carried on. “Don’t worry about not knowing what to say, James. I didn’t say anything to Mina either, but that was mainly because she thinks it is all her fault.”
“Wait a minute, Jazzy thinks it’s her fault?” James questioned. “Okay, you are going to explain, Lily.”
“Okay, so,” Lily started. “Mina told me all that stuff about the meeting and such, but she went into much more detail than Sirius did. See, these meetings with Regulus weren’t regularly scheduled or anything. So, Mina had only found out yesterday about meeting up with Regulus. She had no time to prepare, and Sirius had only told her so much about Regulus. Unfortunately, Sirius hadn’t told her that Regulus doesn’t trust people easily and he would be putting her through an interrogation, at least that is how Mina described it. She said that Regulus had asked her a bunch of questions and by the time she was done, she felt like he had violated her in a way. So, by the end of the meeting, she could stand the boy and I completely understand why. If someone treated me that way, I would not like or trust them either. It was completely one-sided.”
Lily was a bit frustrated at this point, so James decided to speak up before she said anymore. “You know, I feel really bad for Jazzy. I wish she didn’t have to go through that. That is awful.”
“I wish Sirius had realized that what Regulus was doing was wrong in the first place and had stopped him,” Lily stated. James nodded his head in agreement. “Anyway, after Mina told Sirius what she thought of Regulus, they started yelling at each other as you know. She knew that would happen because she knew he wouldn’t be happy that she didn’t like his brother. Now, I don’t think she thought they were going to start yelling at each other, but she knew Sirius would be mad, so she had been reluctant to tell him what she thought of Regulus. Sirius kept pushing, though, so she relented and told him. Now she thinks it’s all her fault because she should have tried harder with Regulus or should have lied to Sirius about what she thought of Regulus.”
James couldn’t believe it, nor did he understand it. “I still don’t get why Jazzy would think it was her fault. Logically, it seems like it’s Sirius’s fault, not that I’m taking sides or anything.”
“You weren’t there James when she broke down and told me what her mother had been doing to her for all those years since her father died,” Lily explained. “You know her mother verbally and emotionally abused her. So, I’m sure Sirius, not intentionally, said something to the effect that she should have tried harder. And because of that verbal and emotional abuse, she went through with her mother she believed it to be true. Mina might not show it, but I know that her mother’s words cut her deeply. They scarred her so much that sometimes she has asked me whether I think she is a freak. It’s not often, but she does do it. Each time I reassure her that she isn’t a freak, nor will she ever be, but I can’t stop it when those words creep themselves back into her subconscious. I wish I could, but I can’t.” Lily now had tears streaming down her face. She hated that she couldn’t help her cousin.
James, noticing the tears, pulled Lily into a hug. “Oh, Lils. That’s awful. I’m so sorry. I wish Jazzy didn’t have to go through that.” James tried his best to comfort Lily, but he wasn’t the best at this sort of thing. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Lily had stopped crying. She didn’t pull away from the hug though, instead, she snugged into James’s embrace, enjoying his warmth.
Eventually, they separated. Lily broke the silence first. “Thank you, James. I needed that.” She smiled up at him.
“No problem, Lils.” James returned her smile before continuing. “Anyway, I’m not sure how much we can do to help them right now. I think they are going to have to work it out for themselves, but if it doesn’t get better by next week, we can come up with a plan to help them.” Lily nodded in agreement before the two quickly went over the patrol schedules for the coming week before heading back to their dorms for the night.
Over the next week, things between Jasmine and Sirius went from bad to worse. That first fight between the couple that was thought to be a one-time thing was only the beginning (of what appeared to be the end for them). This was because every time they talked to each other, it ended in a fight. The fights were stupid too. It seemed as though every little thing pissed them off. What was worse was that after each fight they would both go to their best mates (after their classes) and break down. Lily had had to comfort a sobbing Jasmine more times that week than she ever wanted to. James, on the other hand, had to deal with a distraught Sirius who was almost always on the brink of tears. Nothing seemed to make him feel any better.
Each time Sirius would tell James the same thing, “I don’t know why we keep fighting and arguing, Prongs. I just want to apologize and fix all of this, but every time I do, we end up having a row instead of making up. What am I doing wrong?”
James would never answer because he really didn’t know what Sirius was doing wrong. Mainly that was because Sirius didn’t really tell him much about what led to the two of them arguing. Also, James couldn’t comprehend why the two were constantly arguing. He really wished he did because that would make fixing this so much easier. And he needed to fix this because it was getting to the point where James was afraid that he was going to have to pick sides, which he couldn’t do. James had told Sirius when he started dating Jaz that he would hurt him if he hurt her, which he was doing. On the other hand, Sirius is James’s best mate and his brother basically. “What kind of ‘brother’ would I be if I went against Sirius?” James thought. Then he realized that that is what started all of this in the first place. Jasmine had placed herself between the bond of two brothers, and that was not something you wanted to do. Despite this new insight, James still had no idea how to get Jasmine and Sirius’s relationship back on track.
Meanwhile Lily was busy consoling Jasmine, who was almost always in tears when she was around Lily. When she wasn’t crying or sobbing, though, Jaz asked Lily for advice. “Lils, I’m not sure what to do. The littlest things seem to set me and Sirius off each time we talk. It’s terrible, but I don’t know how to stop it from happening. What should I do?”
Lily didn’t know what advice to give Jaz, that is until Friday rolled around. It had taken all week, but Lily had finally thought of an answer to Jasmine’s questions. So, when Jasmine asked Lily the same thing that evening before dinner, Lily responded, “Mina, why not give Regulus another change? Maybe it was the pressure of Sirius being there that ruined your first impression of him. I don’t see why you can’t give him another shot. By giving him another chance, Sirius can’t say that you didn’t try hard enough, and who knows, maybe Regulus is not one of those people that you can judge based on first impressions.”
Jaz stared at Lily for several seconds. “How would that solve the fact that we are still fighting? We aren’t even fighting about Regulus anymore.”
Lily sighed. “Well, Mina, that’s what started this all, isn’t it? Plus, I figure the reason you two are still arguing is that you both are still upset with each other about that first fight whether you realize it or not.”
Jasmine was quiet at first. “Wow, I hadn’t thought about it that was Lils. I guess I am still a little upset at Sirius for not defending me or anything from Regulus’s questioning.” Jaz paused for a moment, thinking about Lily’s suggestion. “I think you’re right, Lils. I’ll give Regulus another chance without Sirius around.” And with that, Jasmine went to write Regulus a secret message the same way that she saw Sirius do last week. She sent it the same way as Sirius had and got a response back almost immediately. After decoding it, the note read:
Usual spot? Tomorrow night after dinner?
~RAB~
Jasmine responded with a yes. She got no response back, but she knew Regulus got it after catching his eye at dinner that night and he nodded his head slightly. So, it was official. Jasmine would be meeting Regulus in the Room of Requirement after dinner tomorrow night. It would be a week after they had first met, but Jasmine was ready this time. She knew what to expect and had a plan. She just hoped Regulus would go along with it.
It was not long before it was time for Jasmine’s secret meeting with one Regulus Black. She had arrived outside of the room first, mainly because she didn’t want to be late and secondly because she wanted to surprise Regulus. It was a little prank she wanted to pull on the boy after he had surprised them last week. So, she hid herself using the Disillusionment charm. Then she stood in wake of Regulus’s arrival. When she heard footsteps approaching, she got ready to reverse the charm figuring it had to be Regulus, which it was. She waited until he made the door appear before reversing the charm and jumping at him saying “Boo!”
Regulus was a bit startled at the sudden appearance of his brother’s girlfriend (at least he hoped she still was), but he didn’t really show it. The only real indication that he was at all surprised was the way his eyes went wide, which sent Jasmine into a fit of giggles, but that didn’t last long as Regulus pulled her into the room with him.
It was the same room as last time, but instead of taking a seat in the chair as he did last week, Regulus sat on one end of the couch in his usual seat. Jasmine took what was typically Sirius’s seat on the other end of the couch. She sat down, sitting crisscross and facing Regulus. She had a big smile on her face, that Regulus didn’t believe was real for a second. It was a rather cheeky grin than a genuine smile, so Reg knew Jasmine had something in store for him. But before she could execute her plan, Regulus had to settle something that has been on his mind since Sunday morning. “So, Jasmine, are you and my brother still together?”
Jasmine’s cheeky smile dropped and was replaced with a sad sort of smile. “For now, we are, but I’m not sure how much longer if we keep at it the way we have been.”
Regulus nodded solemnly. “I’ve heard. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to cause a rift between you two. After all, I think you are good for him in a weird way despite everything. You two are good together and I told Sirius as much after our meeting last week.”
Jasmine was shocked. This was the first time she was hearing this bit of information. “Wait, are you telling me that you like me?”
“Well, in a way, yes. There are things about you I can’t stand, but overall, you aren’t a terrible person, and you make my brother happy, or at least you use to.”
“See, I wish I had known that.”
“Why’s that?” Regulus asked, perplexed.
“Well, it just would have been nice to know. It still wouldn’t have changed my opinion of you after that first meeting, but I might have been more open to meeting with you earlier if I had known you ‘approved’ of me,” Jasmine responded.
“What was your opinion of me then?” Regulus had to know. He had a feeling it wasn’t good given how the couple had been fighting and arguing all week long. Plus, most people didn’t like him after their first encounter with him. He’s not the easiest fella to get along with or even like.
“Well, I didn’t like you. I hated how you asked me a ton of personal and invasive questions and I didn’t even get the chance to ask you anything. How was I supposed to like you when I knew nothing about you other than you are rude and don’t trust anyone?”
Regulus was not surprised. “Most people have that kind of first impression with me. I’m not the easiest person to like. It’s just I don’t trust anyone, and I like to have my secrets as I believe everyone deserves to have.”
Satisfied with his answer, Jasmine moved on to her plan. “Well, I figured since you got to ask all the questions last week, I could get to ask all the questions this week. And of course, you don’t have to answer all of the questions like last week. I won’t ask you anything related to your relationship with the dark arts or anything like that, but I want to get to know you Regulus because I still know so little.”
Regulus thought for a moment. He was about to say no when he thought better of it. “Fine. It’s only fair, I guess. So, ask away.”
And ask away is just what Jasmine did. She asked him the same sort of stuff that he did about his favorite subject (potions) and professor (Slughorn) and color (green). After that, she moved on to some more personal stuff about his family. She asked him stuff that she had asked Sirius about, but he had always clammed up about. Regulus only did that for about half of the questions, which was better than what Jaz thought she would get from the Slytherin. By the end of the question session, Jasmine felt like she knew so much more about the Black family than she ever did. She even learned about a Black family tradition after asking, “I know that Sirius and Regulus are both constellations, does the rest of your family have constellation or space-themed names?”
“It’s a Black family tradition. Don’t ask me why, it just is. There have not been many, if any at all, members of the Black family that I know of that haven’t been named after a constellation, at least to my recollection. I’m not sure when it started, but it’s continued ever since for the most part.
Jasmine smiled thoughtfully. “That’s rather interesting. I wonder…”
“I doubt Sirius will want to continue that tradition, Jasmine so don’t be getting any ideas. And I don’t plan on having any children, so I guess the trend will end with us unless one of my cousins continues it. Though, it won’t really be a Black anymore as they are all girls and will end up marrying into another pureblood family.”
Jasmine was about to ask why he wasn’t going to have any children but thought better of it. Instead, she just dropped the subject and moved on. But the idea of continuing the Black family tradition (mainly as a way to spite Sirius’s family) never really left her. She couldn’t help but think that it would make them so angry since if she and Sirius did end up getting married and having a child together, it would be a half-blood.
After the meeting, Jasmine realized that she actually enjoyed her time with Regulus. She still didn’t trust him, but she doubted that Sirius trusted him completely anyway, but at least she could now tell Sirius that she actually did like his brother. Regulus, as per usual, just made a bad first impression on Jasmine.
Jasmine was elated and planned to tell Sirius the next morning about how she now liked Regulus. Sadly, that never happened. Before Jasmine was able to say anything to Sirius, they ended up arguing again. He had said something that set her off and they were at each other’s throats again. It seemed Lily’s plan had backfired slightly. And now they were going to be entering their final week before break and they would still be fighting.
As the two were still fighting, as promised, by the time James’s weekly heads meeting with Lily rolled around, the two were going to make a plan to get the two back on track and help them fix their relationship. Now, James was extremely grateful. He had spent very little time with his loving girlfriend in the past week due to the ongoing drama between Jasmine and Sirius. So, he was glad he would get some time alone with her. Not only that, but maybe she had some thoughts on how to help with the ongoing drama between their best mates because he had no idea what to do.
So, here the head boy and head girl were now, the same place as they were last week: in an empty classroom for their weekly meeting. Both knew they were going to be talking about the same thing as they did last week as they said they would. Clearly, their best mates could not solve this without their help. Though they both had offered some advice and help already, James less so than Lily.
James was the first to speak this time. “Lils, I know we said we would get involved if they couldn’t fix it on their own, but I have no idea what we could possibly do. I’ve tried to help Sirius, but I have no idea what other advice I can give him other than to stop arguing with Jasmine. I’m really not great at giving out the advice.”
“I know what you mean James,” Lily said. “I actually got Mina to give Regulus another chance thinking that if she realized that she didn’t actually hate him that would solve everything. Well, she doesn’t hate him anymore and actually enjoyed her time with him. The only thing is Sirius won’t give her the chance to tell him. Or if he does give her the chance, he says something that pisses her off and she starts arguing with him. It is awful. I can only do so much to comfort her when she comes to me crying after another argument with Sirius.”
James sat there thinking about what they could possibly do to help out their friends when it suddenly hit him. “Wait a minute.” Lily who had also been thinking, looked over at James. “You are really good at giving advice, right?”
“Well, I think I am, and I guess the other girls would agree with that too. Why?” Lily wasn’t sure where James was going with this.
“Well, I’m obviously great at cheering up people, which by what you said is exactly what Jazzy needs. And well, as I said, Sirius keeps asking for my advice, which I’m rubbish at giving. So, I thought, why don’t I talk with Jasmine, and you talk with Sirius. Maybe you can knock some sense into him, and maybe I can bring some cheer back into Jasmine’s life.”
“That is a brilliant idea James,” Lily agreed. “We have to do it sometime before the end of the week though. I can’t bear to tell Sirius that you won’t be spending Christmas with him this year while he is already so unhappy.” Lily hoped that James didn’t catch on to the fact that she didn’t include Jasmine in that statement.
Unfortunately for her, he did notice. “Don’t you mean Jasmine and Sirius?”
“Um…” Lily flashed him a sheepish smile. “Actually, I might have accidentally told Jasmine last week. It was completely by accident. I wasn’t thinking before I spoke, and it just came out.”
“Oh, Lils,” James said. “It’s fine. I guess that just means there is one less person to tell then.” James changed the subject back to his plan. “Anyway, I think we should do what I suggested tomorrow after classes. That way, we are getting it done sooner rather than later.” Lily agreed and that was that. They soon moved on to the patrol schedules before turning in for the night.
Monday evening rolled around quite quickly for James and Lily. Time seemed to fly by, and they were eternally grateful for that, especially after Sirius and Jasmine had gotten into another argument that morning before breakfast. It was over something stupid again, which was nothing new, unfortunately.
Anyway, that evening after classes, Jasmine was once again upset because of all the arguing and went running to Lily for comfort. What she found instead was one James Potter lounging on her cousin’s bed in her dorm room (Lily had helped him get up there by standing on the staircase as he went up the steps). Now, Jasmine had missed the Marauders quite a lot since she had been fighting with Sirius. Though, she still saw Remus as they were prefects together and did their patrol together. But besides Remus, Jasmine didn’t really see James or Peter all that much and she was really starting to miss them. So, upon seeing James in Lily’s bed, Jasmine wasn’t concerned. Rather she was elated to him there. She showed that by running over to the bed. She would have hugged him, but it wasn’t really feasible given that he was lying down. “James, what are you doing here?” Jasmine asked with an almost genuine smile on her face. She had almost completely forgotten why she had come in here in the first place.
James looked up at the girl for the first time with a wide grin on his face. “Well, I’m here to see you, Jazzy. I feel like it’s been ages since we spent time together, just the two of us. So, I thought we could do that now.” James stood up and grabbed Jasmine’s hand pulling her out of the room and out of the common room. He had a plan to cause some mischief if Jasmine was up for it. He planned to do his best to take her mind off of all the terribleness of the past week.
As she was being pulled along, Jasmine was giggling. She wasn’t expecting this, but she was happy to join James in whatever he had planned. She really needed this after the week that she’s had.
Meanwhile, Sirius had found Lily reading in James’s bed when he went looking for his own best mate. He was not expecting to see the redhead there. Nonetheless, he thought that Lily might be able to give help him out anyway. She had given him some rather good advice after she found out about his home life in their 4th year. It was only fitting that she could give him some advice now too. So, he strolled over to James’s bed and sat next to her. “Hey, Lily, what are you doing here?”
“Well, James is currently busy at the moment, so he thought that I could fill in for him.” Lily and James had agreed not to tell Jasmine and Sirius the full truth lest they get upset with them for interfering. “So, what’s up, Sirius?
“Well, as you know, I’ve been fighting with Jaz a lot lately. I keep going up to her to apologize and instead we end up arguing instead. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, Lily. I just want this all to end. I miss her so much. It’s been awful without her, especially with Christmas and our first anniversary coming up. I’ve never been with anyone this long before. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her.”
“Oh, Sirius! Don’t worry, you won’t lose her. Not if I can help it.” Lily assured. “My advice is that instead of going up to her intending to apologize, why don’t you just let her talk? I have a feeling if you hear her out, you might just like what she has to say. Also, Sirius, make sure to hear her out completely before you say anything. I know that if you actually listen to her, you can work this out. You guys are too good together to let this relationship fall apart now.”
Sirius didn’t know what to say. Clearly, there is something that Jasmine had been wanting to tell him but hadn’t been able to. “Really? That’s all I have to do? You really think that will work, Lily?”
“I think it will at least get you both back on track and stop all the arguing,” Lily said. “But you both have said some terrible things to each other that you can’t take back. It will take some time for you to get back to where you were before you started arguing.”
Sirius nodded and got up to find Jasmine. He was stopped though by Lily. “You are going to have to wait until after dinner. She’s a bit preoccupied at the moment and you wouldn’t want to ruin this for her.”
Sirius gave her a questioning look but decided he could wait until after dinner. “So, what do you want to do until then, Lily?” Sirius asked a bit mischievously, but Lily had other plans in mind for them.
“I thought it best we could do some work and revising. I hear you still have yet to do your potions essay. If you want I can help you with it.” Sirius sighed but relented because he really did need to work on that essay. Plus, Lily was offering her help, something she didn’t often do (not that he needed it though).
The rest of the day went by rather fast and soon Jasmine and Sirius were heading up to the common room (not together, but still). Once in the Gryffindor common room, Sirius grabbed Jasmine’s hand and pulled her over to the seats by the fire. Meanwhile, fearing they were going to start fighting again, the common room cleared out. Besides the couple, James and Lily were the only other ones in the common room. They were hidden in a part of the common room so they could see if their plan worked out.
Jasmine let herself be let hoping against hope that she and Sirius could finally put an end to all of this fighting and arguing going on between them. After the time she spent with James, her sense of hope that they might actually be all right was restored. She really believed that eventually, they would be okay and that they would stay together. She was especially grateful to James for that.
Sirius, on the other hand, was sweating balls. He was so nervous he would screw this up and cause a fight again. But he took a deep breath and calmed himself before taking a seat on the couch next to Jasmine.
They were quiet for several minutes waiting for the other to speak. Jasmine, seeing that Sirius wasn’t going to explain himself anytime soon, decided to finally break the tense silence. She figured this was her chance to finally tell Sirius about her second meeting with Regulus. “So, I met up with Regulus again to give him a second chance. It went much better than the first time, Pads. I really do like him, and I enjoyed my time with him. I actually got him to tell me some more personal stuff and about your family. I had no idea that you and Regulus weren’t the only ones with star names,” Jasmine told him.
Sirius gaped at his girlfriend. He hadn’t expected that at all, but it was amazing news. “Really? That’s wonderful, Mare. I’m so glad you gave him another chance. I know that I should have told you about his pushiness and rudeness before, but I didn’t want you to go in there with an immediate dislike for him.” Sirius pulled Jasmine in for a hug. Then her words caught up with him and he realized what she had said. “Wait a minute!” He pulled back slightly from the hug. “How much did Regulus actually tell you? Because don’t you getting any ideas.”
“Oh, he told me enough,” Jasmine teased. “But I have to confess, if we were in some distant future to end up getting married and having a baby together, I think we should continue the Black Family tradition.”
“Wha-“ Sirius started, but Jaz put her finger on his lips stopping him from saying any more.
“Shh. Let me explain.” Jasmine smiled that cheeky little smile of hers. “I think naming a potential future child of ours that would in fact be a half-blood, would be the best kind of revenge on them, don’t you think? Just imagine how furious they would be that their tradition was continued, and the child wasn’t even ‘pure of blood.’ After all, the baby would still have the last name Black.”
Sirius thought about it for a moment and laughed. “That is absolutely brilliant, Mare. I love it.” Then he pulled her in for a kiss, something that hadn’t been done for over a week. It was also something Sirius missed doing. Sirius pulled back after a few seconds though and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mare. I hope we can get back to what was before. I love you.” Then he crashed his lips back onto hers, not giving her the chance to reply. Though, given that she was smiling into the kiss, he knew she felt the same way. And so, the couple was happy and no longer arguing. All was well, at least for now…
Notes:
A/N Again, I’m sorry for all the fighting and arguing going on with Sazzy in this chapter. At least now it’s all better, sort of. I mean they are better now. Anyway, I’m hoping to get the next chapter will get done soon. I would have liked to have finished it before Christmas, but sadly it isn’t looking like it will be. Anyway, Please let me know what you think of this chapter because that’s the only way that I have any idea if what I am writing is rubbish or not. So, please, review, comment, whatever, and also favorite the story or whatever.
🤶🎅 Merry Christmas, 🤶🎅
🎄❄ Knk6700 🎄❄
Chapter 10: James and Lily’s Disastrous Christmas Holiday
Summary:
Lily is really hoping Christmas will go over well as she is going to introduce James to her parents, officially, as well as to her sister and her fiancé. What could possibly go wrong? Apparently, everything, especially since after meeting Petunia and going to her wedding, James finds out that his father has fallen ill. Will he tell anyone, especially Sirius? This Christmas will be something different than anything any of them have experienced before.
Notes:
I'm so sorry about the delayed update guys. See the notes at the bottom for more info about when I am likely to update next and what took me so long.
Note that this chapter is going to focus mainly on James and Lily, with maybe a dash of Sazzy in there, but really it will focus on Jily because there are canon things that happen to them around now. Also, this chapter picks up soon after the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 10: James and Lily’s Disastrous Christmas Holidays
Lily and James decided that they would wait until Tuesday evening to tell the others their plans for Christmas. They wanted to give Sirius some time to be happy before they ruined his mood. After how upset he had been lately, they figured he needed it and deserved it. They weren’t worried about upsetting anyone else really since Jasmine already knew (though she might have forgotten) and this wouldn’t really affect Peter and Remus.
They decided on doing it after dinner. Though, when they gathered everyone in the common room around the fireplace, naturally the others were confused. That didn’t bother James as he proceeded with his and Lily’s plan. “We have some news for you all,” James announced with a huge grin spread across his face.
“Yes,” Lily said rolling her eyes at James’s antics. “I have decided to bring James home with me for Christmas. I figured my parents aren’t getting any younger. Plus, I don’t know when I will get another chance to introduce him to them.”
Sirius stared at the two of them. He couldn’t believe this. After finally getting back on track with Jasmine, his best friend decides to throw this news at him. James hadn’t even given him any kind of warning that he would be abandoning him for Christmas. It was completely uncalled for on James’s part. It upset him slightly, but Sirius didn’t have it in him to say anything as he was completely shocked.
Meanwhile, Jasmine, who was curled up into Sirius at the moment, widened her eyes. She had forgotten all about her cousin’s plans for Christmas. That would mean she would be all alone for Christmas because she wouldn’t want to intrude on the couple’s time together. Also, Jasmine wasn’t sure whether Petunia had planned on coming home for Christmas this year, so it was better she stayed behind so that there were fewer wizards/witches in the house. It would make things a lot easier on the couple. Thus, she would stay at Hogwarts all alone for Christmas, which was the cause of the downcast look on her face.
Sirius, slightly less shocked now, turned to look over at Jasmine to gauge her reaction. This news affected her as much as it did him. But seeing the sad look on her face, Sirius quickly became worried. “Mare, what’s wrong?”
Jasmine looked up at Sirius. “It’s nothing,” Jasmine said at first but changed her mind after seeing that Sirius wasn’t buying it. “It’s just that I forgot they were doing that. And now I’m going to spend Christmas all alone.”
Sirius was momentarily shocked that Jaz already knew, but that disappeared as soon as he glanced over at the other couple. Seeing Lily’s cheeks tinted slightly red, he figured it wasn’t on purpose, so he had no reason to be angry with them for telling her before they did him. Turning his attention back to Jasmine, he said, “What do you mean you are going to be all alone? Who said you would be alone? Because I am sure that no one said you would be alone for Christmas.”
“Well, yeah, but I wouldn’t want to intrude on Lily and James, so I figured I would stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. I assume the rest of you are going home for Christmas, so I would be all alone.”
Sensing that there was no reason they had to stay any longer, Jams and Lily quietly exited the room. They felt a bit out of place in the conversation and figured that they could catch up with their mates later. Plus, when else would they get this kind of opportunity to have some alone time in the near future. They were going to seize this opportunity while they had it. Thus, they “snuck” out of the common room while the others were distracted comforting Jaz. If anyone asked why they were doing out so late, they would just make the excuse they were making their round. It was reasonable unless they ran into McGonagall or one of the prefects as they weren’t scheduled to make rounds tonight.
Meanwhile, Sirius was assuring Mare that she wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. “Mare, what makes you think I would go home for Christmas without James? Despite living with James for over a year, I don’t think I could go back to Potter Manor without James for the break. It would be too weird for me. It wouldn’t feel right. So, there, you won’t be alone. You’ll have me with you.”
Before Jasmine could say anything, Remus interjected with his own plans. “I planned on staying here as well, Jaz. It will be easier for my parents what with the full moon coming up over the break. So, you will have me here as well.” Remus had actually planned to go home, but he didn’t want Jaz to be alone, and though she would have Sirius, they only just made up.
Peter didn’t make a squeak as he was going home for the break. See as Peter wasn’t going to say anything, Jasmine stood up from her comfy spot next to Sirius and spoke her gratitude toward the two boys. “I’m so happy, boys. I appreciate that you want to spend Christmas with me, especially you, Pads. After everything we’ve been through lately, I am glad you still want to spend Christmas with me. You mean so much to me, more than you know, Sirius.”
Sirius stood up and pulled his girlfriend into his arms for a hug. He held her close and buried his face into her hair/shoulder. He silently thanked the stars or whatever force brought this girl into his life. He was extremely lucky to have her. Sirius could barely remember a time in his life without her in it. At times, it felt like she had always been there despite that not being true, though he wished she was at times. And Sirius felt the need to share these thoughts with Jasmine, but since his face was currently buried in her shoulder/hair, it was muffled.
Jaz, making herself comfortable in Sirius’s embrace, snuggled into him. In Sirius’s arms was one of the few places that Jaz felt safe, so she was happy to once again be back in his arms. Though, when she heard Sirius say something, she reluctantly pulled back slightly to ask, “What was that Pads?”
Sirius blushed and looked over Jasmine’s shoulder quickly. Seeing that Remus and Peter had already left (Remus had pulled Peter out sensing the intimate moment between the couple), Sirius repeated what he said into Jasmine’s shoulder/hair. “You mean a lot to me too, Mare. I’m so lucky to have you in my life and that you even came into my life. I can barely remember what my life was like without you in it. I wish I could tell you just how much you mean to me, but I can’t find the words, so I’ll just show you.” With that, Sirius pulled Jaz into a kiss. This kiss was different from any of their previous kisses; it meant more than those kisses. Also, this kiss was filled with so much passion and feeling behind it. For that reason (and the fact that they hadn’t kissed each other much as of late), it quickly morphed into a snogging session with Sirius backing Jaz toward the couch they were once sitting on when Lily and James told them about their upcoming plans for over the break.
About an hour later, James and Lily finally returned to the common room that they believed to be empty. It was a rare occurrence that they were happy to have as this would give them the opportunity to share 1 last goodnight kiss before going back to their dorms without any other eyes on them. It was nice to have this alone time as they haven’t necessarily had much of it since they started dating (especially given how popular James and the other Marauders were at Hogwarts). Anyway, they were happy to have this time alone to share a goodnight kiss. Sadly, as they leaned in for that last kiss of the night, a sound interrupted their kiss as well as startled the couple. It startled James and Lily to the extent that they jumped apart.
Upon collecting their bearings, James and Lily looked around the common room to see where the sound came from to see who had interrupted their moment. They saw no one, which they didn’t quite understand. Just as they were about to look around, they heard the sound again. It sounded like a snore and it seemed to be coming from the couch by the fireplace.
James and Lily shared an annoyed look, both annoyed at whoever had fallen asleep in the common room, especially since they ruined their moment. So, seeing as now the moment had passed and that kiss was likely not going to happen, they sighed and went over to the couch to wake the sleeping person. They figured the person would be grateful as the couch wasn’t the comfiest place and they would likely wake up with cricks. Though, who they found surprised the head boy and head girl because there on the couch were their best mates, Sirius and Jasmine, asleep. It was a scene that Lily found was quite cute because of how they were asleep on the couch.
Sirius (who was the one snoring) was lying on his back with the pillow against the arm of the couch under his head (the other was on the floor). Lying on top of him was Jasmine, with her head resting just beneath Sirius on the dark-haired boy’s chest. Sirius had his arms wrapped around Jasmine, and despite being asleep, his hold on Jasmine was rather tight. It was almost as if he was afraid that Jaz was going to leave or that he was going to lose her.
It was such an adorable little scene, at least to Lily. Plus, the fact that Sirius was holding Jaz so close to him made Lily (and James, sort of) hesitate to wake the couple. Lily was slightly afraid that if they did wake and separate them, Jaz would have nightmares like she had been the past several weeks. Lately (while Sirius and Jaz were still fighting), Jasmine had been having these awful nightmares. She would wake up crying (sometimes sobbing), usually waking up Lily or one of the other girls they shared the dorm with. When one of the others woke up first, they would try their best to help calm her, but they could only do so much, and usually, their efforts were fruitless. Eventually, they would wake up Lily to help. Thankfully, that didn’t happen too often, and Lily was able to calm her cousin before she woke any of the other girls. Sometimes Lily would even get Jaz to tell her about her nightmare, which wasn’t too often. Though when Jaz did confide in her, Lily learned that the happy marriage that Lily thought her aunt and uncle had, wasn’t as happy as she thought. See, Jaz was dreaming (or rather remembering) about her parents, who used to fight and bicker a lot, mainly over the fact that Jasmine’s mother felt that her father was keeping secrets from her (which they later found out that he was). They also argued a lot about Jasmine’s mother’s drinking. Her father believed that she should cut back since they had Jasmine and a wonderful life together. That argument would just lead to Jasmine’s mother bringing up the fact that her father was hiding something, so how could they really have a wonderful life together when there were secrets between them.
These fights were a common occurrence throughout Jasmine’s childhood, and Jaz hated it. She just wanted her parents to get along and she couldn’t see why they had to fight and argue all the time. It got better as Jasmine’s 11th birthday became closer. This was in part because Jasmine’s father had finally promised to come clean about what he was hiding, to which Jaz’s mother had agreed to cut back on her alcohol consumption. Thus, for several months Jasmine was the happiest she had ever been. Things were looking up, but then the truth came out. Despite reeling from the news of her husband, daughter, and niece all being magical, Jasmine’s mother was accepting of the news like her sister was when she found out about Lily. She hadn’t minded at all (though she had to admit she was a bit jealous), but it was still quite a shock to her. Out of everything that she believed that her husband had been keeping from her, this was not what she was expecting.
So, it wasn’t that news that turned mother against daughter and had mother turning back to alcohol and lead to everything falling apart and Jasmine’s life crashing down around her. Rather it was the untimely death of her father that caused that because the death hit both mother and daughter quite hard. Jasmine doesn’t know because her mother never told Jaz before she died, but Jasmine’s father died because of his job, which was within the French Ministry of Magic.
All Jasmine knows about her father’s death is the bare minimum. Her mother had written her a letter that told her that her father had died, but that she had best stay at school. It would be for the best since there would be no funeral as his body was not found. Little did Jasmine know, but the real reason for there being no funeral is because his body was being kept as part of an investigation by the French Ministry of Magic. And when they finally released the body, they had already cremated him. She would find out later where her father’s ashes were, but that hasn’t happened just yet, so for now, she was happily living in bliss.
Anyway, Jasmine and Sirius were still asleep on the couch and Lily had to make a decision. Despite her internal protests, she decided it would be best to just wake them up. They could always go to the boys’ dorm and sleep if Jasmine was afraid of having nightmares. She trusted them not to do anything with the others asleep in the same room as them. Plus, James would be there, and Lily knows that he wouldn’t let anything like that happen if they did choose to sleep in the Marauders’ dorm tonight.
So, Lily shook the sleeping couple awake. “Mina, Sirius. Wake up.”
It took a few moments, but eventually, Jasmine and Sirius woke up from their slumber. Upon opening her eyes and seeing Lily and James staring down at her, Jasmine bolted up, nearly falling off the couch in her haste. Her movements startled Sirius since she was lying on top of him, so his eyes popped open as soon as she moved. “Ow, Mare. Did you have to sit up so fast?”
Jasmine, whose focus had been on Lily and James, looked down at Sirius having forgotten that she had fallen asleep with him on the couch after their snogging session. “Oh. Sorry, Pads” She moved off of him. “I was just startled by Lily and James. I guess we fell asleep on the couch, and I wasn’t expecting to see their faces when I woke up. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Sirius smiled up at her as he slowly sat up. Then her words registered with him, and he turned to look at James and Lily. “Oh, um, hi guys. What’s up?”
Lily and James both rolled their eyes, but it was Lily who spoke, ignoring Sirius’s question. “Come on you two, up to bed. It’s much more comfortable than sleeping on a couch.”
Reluctantly, the couple got up from the couch and started to head toward opposite staircases, but not before giving each other one last kiss goodnight (even with the audience). But before they could head up the stairs to their respective dorms, Lily called out to her cousin. “Mina, if you want, you can just sleep in the boys’ dorm tonight.” Jasmine turned right around and stared at her cousin. An understanding passed between them. Jasmine understood that Lily suggested that was because of her recent nightmares. And Lily made sure Jasmine understood that they were to do nothing else besides sleep. With that, Jasmine ran over to where Sirius was now waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. She practically jumped into his waiting arms before they headed up the stairs to the boys’ dorm practically clinging to each other.
Meanwhile, James was just watching the scene play out. He figured there was a reason that Lily had made her suggestion, which he figured she would tell him at some point, at least he hoped she would. That wasn’t what he was focused on at the moment as he watched Jasmine and Sirius disappear. He was focused on the fact that he and Lily were now alone in the common room. He was going to get that goodnight kiss if it would kill him.
Once Jasmine and Sirius had disappeared, Lily turned her attention back to James, who had reached out to grab her hips. She had moved slightly away from him to wake Jasmine and Sirius, so he wanted to pull her back to him. Lily followed his actions and threw her arms around James’s neck. Then, without any further build up, they leaned in for a goodnight kiss. It was short and sweet, but it was enough for the two of them. It was the perfect way to say goodnight. Though, before they untangled themselves from each other, James whispered in Lily’s ear “You know you can spend the night in the dorm too if you want.”
A shiver ran down Lily’s spine. She was extremely tempted to take James up on his offer. It would be nice to spend a night in his arms, but Lily still declined James’s offer. “Maybe some other time James.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek before finally detaching herself from James and heading up to her dorm for the night. James soon followed her example and went up to his own dorm where he found all of his mates asleep, even Jasmine and Sirius.
The rest of the term flew by and soon before any of them knew it, term was over. The Hogwarts Express would by taking students back to Platform 9¾ that morning. So, naturally, the Marauders’ dorm room was in chaos. Now, Peter was already back for break and had actually already headed down to breakfast. He didn’t really want to deal with James flipping out over meeting Lily’s parents for the first time. He left his other mates to deal with that, which is what they were trying to do and failing because James was still rushing around the room and making sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. He wanted to make a good impression on his girlfriend’s parents, so forgetting something was not an option.
Meanwhile, Lily and Jasmine were waiting for James and the other boys down in the common room. They had seen Peter who had told them about James flipping out before heading down to breakfast himself. Lily had wanted to go up there and calm him down, but Jaz stopped her saying that she wouldn’t help. “Just give them a few more minutes before you head up there Lils. I’m sure the boys are handling this.”
A few minutes passed, and Lily was not having it any longer. She was going up there. She was tired of waiting. Plus, if they didn’t go down to breakfast soon, they would miss breakfast and eventually the train home. That couldn’t happen, or Lily would kill James. So, she marched on up to the boys’ dorm and swung the dorm open, which startled the occupants of the room causing them all to stop what they were doing and look over at the entrance to the room. Lily ignored them all except James. She marched right over to him and in a completely calming tone said, “James, you have no reason to worry about meeting my parents. I’m sure they will love you. So, just leave it and come down to breakfast. You have been packed and ready for days. I’ll remind you that I helped you pack. You have everything you need for the time being. And if there is anything that you need, we can always pop over to your parents’ house and grab it.”
James stared at his girlfriend before pulling her in for a hug. In her ear, he whispered, “Thanks, Lils. I needed that.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before pulling back and releasing her. Then he took her hand and to the rest of the occupants said, “Let’s go down to breakfast. Wouldn’t want to miss that.”
The boys were in shock but followed the couple as they left the room anyway. They almost couldn’t believe that Lily was able to calm James down so fast. It was slightly annoying, but you know, whatever works. They were hungry after all.
The rest of the morning went off without a hitch, and soon James and Lily were saying goodbye to their friends as they got in the carriages. Eventually, they were on their way home on the Hogwarts Express. The two performed their head duties while on the train before sitting back and enjoying the rest of their journey to Kings Cross. Lily told James that her parents would pick them up from the station, which unnerved James, slightly, but Lily’s presence calmed him.
For the rest of the train ride, Lily and James enjoyed their time alone while they still had it. It was nice to have this time, but James found it just the slightest bit strange because this was the first time since he met Sirius that he wasn’t spending the Christmas holidays with his best mate. He missed his best mate, but he was still happy to spend this time with Lily getting to know her family.
Eventually, the train was pulling into the station, and James’s nerves were getting the best of him again. He didn’t let it show though and put on a confident face. That didn’t fool Lily, though, as she pull James close and whispered in his ear, “You have nothing to worry about, James. My parents already love you what with you taking in Mina and everything. They had been worried she wouldn’t make any friends besides me since she was coming in so late. So, really, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just be your normal loveable self and they will continue to love you.”
James pulled back from Lily, just slightly to stare at her. Then he whispered back, “What? I’ve been worrying about your parents liking me and you are telling me that they already love me?!”
Lily just rolled her eyes and kissed James on the cheek. Then she got up to get her things from above. She was struggling, so James sighed and got up to help her. If Lily was just going to ignore his statement, there was no point in dwelling on it any further. He might as well just get on with it. Plus, now that he knew that Lily’s parents already liked him, he wasn’t so nervous. He figured that there wasn’t much he could do that would change that, at least he hoped that was the case.
So, they gathered their things and got off the train to meet up with Lily’s parents. It didn’t take them long to find them. As they approached, Lily’s parents spotted them. They smiled at Lily, who smiled back. She also squeezed James’s hand for reassurance. It was then that James realized that Lily was just as nervous as he was about this first meeting. Though, unknown to James, Lily was actually more nervous about Petunia. Her parents had told her she was planning on seeing them over the holiday. Lily was worried about James meeting her.
Mr. and Mrs. Evans greeted the young couple as they reached them. Mr. Evans took James's outstretched hand and shook it while his wife hugged their daughter. “It is nice to finally meet you, James. We’ve heard so much about you from the girls.”
James smiled at Lily’s father as he shook his hand. “It is nice to meet you too, sir, “ James said before releasing Mr. Evans’s hand. Then he and Lily switched, with Lily moving to give her father a hug and James greeting Lily’s mother. He greeted her in the traditional fashion, giving her a kiss on each cheek before saying, “It is lovely to meet you, Ma’am.”
Mrs. Evans smiled at the young man who was currently dating her daughter, and she couldn’t help but think there was something special about this young man. She could tell just by looking at him that he loved her daughter and that he would take good care of her. “It is lovely to meet you too James. I’m glad we are finally gotten the chance to meet you. I wish we had been able to greet you when you came for my niece’s birthday, but it was for the best.”
James just smiled back. He wasn’t sure what to say to that. And to be honest, he hadn’t really been expecting it. Thankfully, Lily came to his rescue. “We should probably get going. Wouldn’t want to stand around here all day.” And with that, the group headed toward the car, something that James found extremely interesting. He’d never been in a car before, so this was a new experience for him. He thought it was bloody brilliant. The fact that muggles had been able to create something like this without magic was amazing.
Lily found James’s fascination with the car quite amusing and adorable. It was incredibly cute at how amazed he was at the contraption, but she wasn’t surprised. They didn’t really have this kind of thing in the wizarding world, as far as she knew. I mean sure he had helped Sirius with his motorcycle, but this was different.
Eventually, they arrived at the Evans’ home. James would have been quick to get out of the car if he had been able to figure out how to open the door. So, instead of James being the gentleman and opening the door for Lily, it was reversed meaning that Lily opened the door for James while trying not to giggle (she was failing). James just huffed indignantly as he got out of the car. Then he went to help Mr. Evans get his and Lily’s bags. They hadn’t brought their trunks, but their bags were still slightly heavy. After all, they planned to try and do some revising (or at least Lily was) for NEWTs. So, James helped Mr. Evans by grabbing his bag. He offered to take Lily’s bag as well, but the older man refused his offer. “Okay, sir, but are you sure you don’t need any help. Lily’s bag is quite heavy.”
“No, it’s fine, James. I can get it. Thank you for the offer though. I appreciate it. And if I do end up needing your help, I will let you know.” James smiled at the older man and turned to go into the house, where Lily and her mother were currently conversing.
Meanwhile, the girls had already entered the house. Lily was talking to her mother about what had been going on when “it” came up. “It has been absolutely mad around here Lily. What with the wedding planning and such. I still can’t believe my little Petunia is getting married.”
Before her mother could say anymore, Lily interrupted her. “Wait, what? What wedding, mummy? Are you telling me that Tunnie is getting married? How come no one told me?” Lily felt her eyes filling up, but she refused to cry, so she blinked them away and waited for a response.
It was at that moment that James walked in with his bag. He had overheard the tail end of the chat about the wedding. “What’s this about a wedding?” James smiled at the two girls.
“Oh, it is just Lily’s sister, my eldest daughter Petunia is getting married in a few weeks. And Lily, dear, we would have told you, but your father and I are still not entirely sure how we can get ahold of you. In the past, you have always sent us letters.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure you could have mentioned it in the last letter I sent you.”
“We didn’t know at that point, Lily. Petunia just sprung this on us a couple weeks ago.”
Lily stared at her mother incredulously. She wasn’t sure what to say, which left James with the perfect opening. “Well, it is a good thing I packed my dress robes just in case,” James joked trying to diffuse the building tension.
Lily giggled slightly and turned to him. “Why would you pack your dress robes? You didn’t even know about this.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure how you did things around here. Plus, I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to go to the annual Christmas Ball at Potter Manor with me. I wanted to pack clothes just in case.”
Lily lightly slapped James’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have packed a dress, just in case. Guess I will just have to settle for what I have here.”
Mrs. Evans chose this moment to butt back into the conversation. “Don’t worry dear. I’m sure it will all work out. Besides, Petunia’s wedding isn’t for a few days. I’m sure we can find something for you before then.”
Lily turned back to her mother and smiled. She was much more optimistic about the whole situation now. “Are Tunnie and her fiancé here right now? Or will there be a chance for me to meet this fella who she is planning to marry?”
“They will be coming round tomorrow. You can talk to Petunia about it tomorrow morning. I’m sure she and Vernon would be delighted to have dinner with you two.” Then her mother left Lily and James to go start preparing dinner. By this point, her father had entered and gave an apologetic look before handing Lily her bag. She took it and turned toward the stairs, which was where hers and James’s rooms would be. James followed her up with his own stuff, leaving Lily’s father behind.
James would be staying in Petunia’s old room as it was transitioned into a guest room after Petunia moved out. She wasn’t planning on coming back, at least not for long enough to keep her room the same. Petunia hadn’t really been back home as of late. Really in the past year, Petunia had only come home around Christmas, which is when Lily and Jaz stayed with James and Sirius. Due to this, Lily had been starting to miss her sister because, despite everything that she has said to Lily, the redhead still loved her sister. Sure, she had Jaz, but Petunia is still her big sister. Now that Petunia was getting married, Lily hoped they could get back to the way they use to be before they found out Lily was a witch. Because before, the two girls were rather close despite the age gap between them. Though unbeknownst to Lily, Petunia had been jealous of her younger sister’s relationship with their cousin. That was a story for another day, though.
Anyway, Lily was looking forward to seeing her sister, but then a thought occurred to her: “James Potter.” She knew what he was like, and she knew he didn’t like how her sister treated her. Thus, she would have to speak with him and tell him to behave. She would need to do it before Petunia and Vernon arrived the next morning. She figured now was as good a time as any, which is why James was suddenly yanked into a room – Lily and Jasmine’s shared bedroom to be exact.
James being James was momentarily stunned, even more so when he realized where he was. He was internally flipping out that he was actually in Lily Evans’s bedroom. He could barely believe it, let alone focus enough to hear what Lily was saying to him. He tried his best to calm himself down so that he could hear what Lily was saying to him “–James! Are you listening?”
James shook his head, clearing his mind and focusing on his girlfriend. “Yes. Sorry, Lils.”
Lily rolled her eyes and tried hard not to giggle. She failed and a small giggle escaped her lips. “Good. Anyway, since my sister is coming, I want you to be on your best behavior. I know you don’t like her after everything you’ve heard from Mina, but please, for me, give her a chance or at least be civil with her. I love Tunnie, and I’d really like not to fight while we are here. I’ve missed her since she moved out, and I’m hoping that now with her wedding coming up, things will be different between us. Though I am slightly upset that she didn’t let me or Mina know about said wedding. That’s beside the point because James since her wedding is coming up, I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t upset her too much. I’m hoping we can all go out for dinner tomorrow night, so again, please try to be on your best behavior.”
James faked that he was offended. “Me! What could I have possibly done to make you think that I would mess things up with your terrible sister?” James gasped, dramatically and put his hand over his heart as if Lily has stabbed him in the heart. It was his attempt to get Lily to laugh, which was successful as she started giggling at his antics.
“Stop being so dramatic,” Lily giggled. “And you know exactly what I mean, James.”
“Yes, I do. And for you, I will do my best to try and get along with your sister and her fiancé. I’m not making any promises. Also, if we do end up having dinner tomorrow evening, I’ll try not to embarrass you.” James paused and Lily smiled. “At least not too much.”
Lily’s smile dropped and she rolled her eyes. She knew there was a catch. He wouldn’t be James if there wasn’t. So, instead of being annoyed, she gave him a peck on the cheek before grabbing his hand. Lily led James out of the room to Petunia’s old room, now the guest room, which is where he would be staying while they were there. James was slightly disappointed that we wouldn’t be staying with Lily in her room, but he figured he wouldn’t be. He didn’t really want to get on the bad side of Lily’s parents, so it was better this way.
The morning when Petunia and Vernon would be arriving was a pretty uneventful one. It was a typical morning where the four occupants of the house sat down around the table and ate their breakfast while they chatted. Mr. and Mrs. Evans really enjoyed getting to know James. He was quite charming and funny. They were happy to finally get to know the boy behind all the stories they’ve been told, and he wasn’t quite what they imagined, but he was lovely all the same.
Petunia and Vernon didn’t arrive until late afternoon. There wasn’t any fanfare or anything upon their arrival, but there was a great deal of tension as James greeted the engaged couple.
Petunia had just finished talking to her parents when she spotted her sister and a boy she had never seen before. The older sister hadn’t been expecting her younger sister, so she was surprised. Though, Petunia thought she might have heard her parents mention it once or twice during their wedding planning. That was beside the point because despite everything Petunia still loved her sister, so she “dragged” Vernon over to greet Lily and the mysterious man standing beside her.
As the couple walked over to them, Lily couldn’t help but feel extremely nervous. She really hoped her sister would be cordial to James, and she hoped James wouldn’t start anything. So, as the engaged couple came closer, the tension in the room increased.
“Hello, Lily,” Petunia greeted. “It’s nice to see you. I’m so glad you came home. Perfect timing too, with my wedding coming up. Speaking of which, this is my fiancé, Vernon Dursley. I’m sure you remember him.”
Vernon politely held his hand for a handshake but didn’t say anything as Lily shook his hand. “Yes, it is lovely to see you again Vernon.” Lily forced a smile on her face before introducing James. “Tunnie, Vernon, this is my boyfriend, James Potter.”
James, trying to diffuse some of the tension, gave them a disarming smile before shaking their hands. “It is lovely to meet you both. Congratulations on your engagement.”
The couple smiled at James as a way of thanking him and said nothing more before moving to leave. Before they could, Lily stopped them. “Wait! I was hoping we could go out for dinner later, Tunnie. I haven’t seen you in ages and I would love to get to know Vernon better. He is going to be my future brother-in-law.”
Petunia and Vernon shared a look before Petunia reluctantly agreed. “Yes, that would be lovely, Lily.” Then the engaged couple left to go find Petunia’s parents to talk more about the wedding.
Once they were out of the room, James let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. And as soon as they left, so did the tension. James felt like he could speak freely once again. “Well, that was the tensest conversation I have ever been a part of. Hopefully, dinner will be different because I don’t know if I could handle another conversation like that again.”
Lily laughed. “Yeah. They were quite terse and proper, weren’t they? The exact opposite of you, James.”
James laughed along with Lily as they headed back up to their rooms to get ready for dinner that evening. They had decided they were going to let the engaged couple pick the restaurant and that they would all go together in Vernon’s car. It was around then that things started to go wrong.
As they all got into the car to go to the restaurant, Vernon started to brag about how fancy and expensive his car was. He was trying to “one-up” James in a way, but it only managed to irritate the other man to the point that he felt he had to put Vernon in his place.
So, in the car, as Vernon kept going on and on about his car and his “wealth”, James finally interrupted him. “Yes, the car is lovely, but really this is nothing compared to what my family has.” Lily knew exactly where James was going with this. It was not the time to brag about his wealth, so she elbowed him hard in the side, which stopped him but only momentarily. “My family is extremely wealthy. We have a lovely house, with a ballroom and everything. It is quite a big house, isn’t it Lils?”
Lily wasn’t about to get involved and kept quiet, which gave Vernon the perfect opportunity to retaliate. And before Lily knew it, the two men were arguing. It was an awful row that Lily knew was coming. Both men had egos that wouldn’t let them back down, so it lasted almost until they arrived at the restaurant which is when Lily had had it. “You two better stop arguing or so help me God, I will end you both.” That shut them up pretty quickly, but it left an awkward silence between them.
Once they were seated and had ordered their food, things had settled, but there was still a tense silence between them. It was quiet for a while as they waited for their food, but eventually, James couldn’t take in anymore and tried to start some small talk with the other couple. Thankfully, it worked, and the tension had diminished slightly, but it was still there by the time their food came. Once they finished eating, the topic of money came up again, which led to another row between Vernon and James. This row was much worse than the one in the car and eventually, Vernon and Petunia stormed out of the restaurant, paying on their way out for their meals.
This left James and Lily at the table, with Lily bursting into tears. She was so upset. This was not how this night was supposed to go. She couldn’t even entirely blame James either. How could she have ever thought this would work.
As Lily sat there crying, James pulled her into a hug, comforting her as best he could. He rubbed her back while whispering in her ear. “I am so sorry, Lils. I don’t know what came over me. I promise I’ll apologize to him. I’ll make this up to you, I promise. Please don’t cry, it will all work out, I promise my love.”
The tears abruptly stopped falling down Lily’s face as she pulled away from James in shock. “Did he really just call me his love?” Lily thought. She wasn’t sure she heard him right, so she choked out shakily. “W-w-what did y-you j-just call m-me?”
James was surprised by Lily’s actions until he realized what he had just said to her. “Oh, um, nothing…” James blushed. He wasn’t planning on repeating himself, that is until he saw the sad disheartened look on Lily’s face. “Aw, Lils. Please don’t start crying again. It’s okay, my love.”
The frown on her sad little face turned into a shaky smile upon hearing him call her that again. “You’re my love too, James.” Then she leaned in and kissed him. It was only a short peck because she had to pay for the food (James would have paid if he understood muggle money). She would make it longer when they were out of this restaurant.
After paying, James and Lily quickly left the restaurant. They figured that Petunia and Vernon had already left with the car, so they would need to find a different way back to the Evans home. Luckily, they were both of age and could do magic outside Hogwarts, otherwise, they would be stuck taking the Knight Bus, which neither really wanted to take at the moment.
Before they apparated back, though, they decided to give Petunia and Vernon some time to cool off (though they hadn’t actually gone back to the Evans home, but rather their own home). So, instead, Lily decided to give James a tour around her hometown. It was a lovely way to end the evening, and both had completely forgotten about the events that transpired earlier that night.
At the Evans house, unbeknownst to Lily, James had a surprise waiting for Lily on her bed. It was a sort of early Christmas gift if you will. James was hoping she would like it.
When the couple finally came back to the house, it was quite late, so Lily’s parents were already in bed. Thus, the couple crept into the house and up to their rooms as quietly as they could. They didn’t want to wake them up. As they went to their rooms James didn’t go to his room. Instead, he followed Lily into her room. He wanted to see her reaction to the gift, which he placed on her bed before they left.
Lily noticed, after a few moments, that James had followed her into her room, and she was about to tell him off, but then she saw the gift on the bed. There laying on the bed was a beautiful gown that Lily was sure hadn’t been there before they left. She had never actually even seen that dress before. Lily was sure that she hadn’t even owned a dress like this before. It was absolutely gorgeous, but Lily couldn’t help but wonder where the hell it came from. She soon found out as she discovered lying on top of the dress, a note addressed to her. It read:
Lily,
A little birdie told me you are in need of a dress for your sister’s upcoming wedding. I hope this will do, Darling. Have a wonderful time at the wedding and make sure to keep James in line. I hope you two plan on coming for the ball again this year or at least plan to come to see us. It is quite lonely being in this big manor just the two of us. I would love to see you again, my dear. If you do plan on coming, please tell James to let me know. I’ll need to prepare one of the guest rooms for you, dear. I hope to see you soon, Lily darling.
Love,
Euphemia Potter
By the end of the letter, tears were prickling at the corners of Lily’s eyes. She couldn’t believe it. The sheer kindness of James’s mother was something Lily had not been expecting. Nor had she been expecting James to even owl his mother about this. Lily just figured she would go out dress shopping with her mother and get a cute somewhat inexpensive dress to wear for Petunia’s wedding. It would have to be something to match all the other bridesmaids, as Lily assumed she was one, though Petunia hadn’t actually said anything to her about that. Before Lily could think any further about that, James came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“What’s it say?” James asked.
Lily turned around in James’s arms so that she was facing him. “Oh, nothing. Just that you are the best and I love you.”
James, who had snuggled into Lily with his face in the crook of her neck enjoying the hug, perked his head up real fast upon hearing those last 3 little words. And yet he couldn’t help but tease Lily still. “What? Does it really say that? I can’t believe Mum would write that.”
Lily blushed but giggled too at James’s teasing. “No, it doesn’t really say that,” Lily retorted. “It just says that a little birdie told your mum that I needed a dress and that she is hoping we are planning on going to see her and your dad. Now, I had already assumed we were and that that was the plan, but you best inform your mum, James.”
“Of course. I’ll owl her in the morning, but for now, it’s off to bed.” James reached the door before he turned back and finally said it back to Lily. “I love you too, you know. Good night Lils.” Then he left for his own room leaving behind a blushing goopy mess of a girl. Lily couldn’t believe he had said that so smoothly and just left. She really wished she had stopped him because she desperately wanted to snog James right now. Lily would have gone after him, but she was afraid of being too loud and waking her parents. So, for now, she would have to wait until morning.
Over the next several days before the wedding, Lily and James spent more and more time together. Sometimes it was with Lily’s parents, but most of the time it was just the two of them. After finally saying those 3 words to each other for the first time, the couple had gotten closer. They were also snogging a lot more, either in Lily’s room or outside of the Evans house. They didn’t want to risk Lily’s parents finding them sucking each other’s faces off. That would be extremely awkward. The only reason they dared do it in Lily’s room is because her parents didn’t typically come in there and when they did, they typically knocked first.
When they weren’t locking lips, James had managed to owl his mother back about him and Lily spending the second part of the holidays with them. She had been delighted to hear that and was looking forward to seeing them.
Also, over those days leading up to the wedding, Lily barely even saw Petunia. It was like Petunia was avoiding her, and she probably was if Lily was honest with herself. She wasn’t sure why except maybe because of the disaster that was dinner, but Lily didn’t see why that would matter so much that Petunia would start avoiding her. It was rather frustrating for Lily as she wanted to make sure Petunia approved of her dress and Lily wasn’t to make sure she was in fact a bridesmaid in the wedding. So, with Petunia avoiding her she wasn’t given the opportunity to get any kind of confirmation until Lily finally cornered her sister on her way back from the bathroom to go talk with their parents.
“Tunnie. We need to talk,” Lily said, blocking Petunia’s path.
Petunia rolled her eyes irritated with her sister’s antics. She didn’t have time for this. “What is it, Lily?”
“I just want to know if I’m a bridesmaid in the wedding. I have a dress and everything already.”
Petunia just stared at Lily as if she was dumb. “You really think I’m going to have a freak like you in my wedding party? You must be delusional.” Petunia pushed past her now dumbstruck sister and went to rejoin her parents and fiancé.
James, who had been looking for Lily, found her just as Petunia had left her, dumbstruck. “Lils? Are you okay? What happened?”
Lily snapped out of her daze but was suddenly overcome with emotion. She felt her knees go weak and her legs turn to jelly. As she started to collapse, James caught her. He had planned on just helping her to her room, but then came the tears. Not wanting to do this in the hallway, James decided to just pick Lily up bridal style and carry her to her room. As they made their way to Lily’s room, Lily was crying into James as he held her tight and close to him. He could feel his shirt getting soaked with tears, but he really didn’t mind.
Upon entering the crying girl’s room, James laid Lily down on her bed, or at least he tried to. In his attempt to get Lily off of him, Lily, who was now clinging to James, pulled James down with her. So, currently, James was laying down on Lily’s bed with a crying Lily snuggled up next to him. He didn’t mind, though, but it broke his heart to see his Lily crying again. He wished he could do something about it, but he didn’t even know why she was crying at the moment.
Eventually, Lily stopped crying, but that was because she had tired herself out and had fallen asleep. When that happened, James tried to move away and get up, but Lily didn’t like that. Each time James tried to leave, Lily would pull him closer and hold him tighter. Despite being asleep, Lily didn’t want James to leave, so eventually, James gave up, and eventually, he fell asleep too with his arms wrapped around Lily.
When Lily awoke, she was surprised to find James in her bed. It concerned her slightly, but then the events from earlier came rushing back and she realized she must have cried herself to sleep. She must have fallen asleep on James, otherwise Lily suspected he would have left.
Lily stared down at James sleeping and couldn’t help but think he looked so adorable and peaceful, so unlike how he was when he was awake. And as Lily watch her boyfriend, James woke up, He opened his eyes to find Lily staring at him, which was a wonderful thing to wake up to. “Good morning, love. How was your nap? Are you feeling better now?”
Lily smiled at James. “Actually, it’s more like ‘Good afternoon’ I think, but I’m doing better. I’m not great and it still hurts, but I’m doing better.”
“What exactly still hurts? You didn’t actually tell me what happened, Lils. I just found you in the hallway staring off into space before you collapsed and started crying.”
“Oh,” Lily blushed. She thought she had told him. “It’s just I finally was able to corner Petunia earlier. I wanted to ask if I was going to be a bridesmaid. I am her sister after all, but she refused. Her own sister! She also called me a freak, but that is nothing new.” Lily regretted saying that as soon as she saw the glint in James’s eye. He was planning on getting payback. “Don’t you even dare, James. I know how you feel about Petunia, but it’s not worth it. Just leave it be. We will go to the wedding and have a good time still. I can introduce you to any family that Petunia has decided to invite. It will be great even if I’m not a bridesmaid.”
“Okay, Lily. I promise to leave it be. But I still don’t like your sister. She is absolutely terrible.” James pulled Lily back down on the bed to lay next to him before voicing a thought that had been bugging him lately. “Lils, does Jazzy know about the wedding?”
Lily’s eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. “Oh no. I completely forgot. I didn’t even think about that James. I’m sure she doesn’t know. Oh, I’m such a terrible sister.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” James said. “You are not a terrible sister to Petunia or Jazzy. I’m sure Jazzy wouldn’t even come if she knew. You know she isn’t on great terms with Petunia. I think it is for the best that Jazzy doesn’t know. We can always tell her later, but I’m sure she won’t blame you for not telling her even if for some strange reason she had wanted to come.”
Lily smiled. “You’re right, James. Mina will be fine.” And that was the end of that. They would eventually tell Jasmine, but for now, it didn’t really matter. For now, it was just best to keep it to themselves. Besides Jasmine was at Hogwarts enjoying a wonderful holiday with her boyfriend of almost a year. They would soon be celebrating their anniversary and James and Lily didn’t want to put a damper on that by telling them about the wedding that Petunia clearly didn’t want Jasmine (or really Lily necessarily) at.
Soon it was Petunia and Vernon’s wedding day. The Evans house was quite hectic as everyone got ready. Petunia wasn’t actually there as she stayed at one of her bridesmaids’ houses with the rest of her bridesmaids. So, it wasn’t the bridal party getting ready that had the house so hectic. Rather it was Lily. Her mother was helping her get ready and the two of them were all over the place.
Meanwhile, James and Lily’s father had already gotten ready and looked sharp in their suits. They would have helped but decided it best to just let the girls do their thing and stay out of the way, which really was the best help they could provide. As long as they stayed out of it, everything would run smoothly. And eventually, a few hours later, both ladies were ready to go. The mother of the bride, Mrs. Evans, was wearing a lovely floor-length gown. It was lovely, but not as beautiful as Lily’s, in James’s eyes.
When Lily came out, James’s draw dropped to the floor. She looked absolutely stunning in the dress his mother had sent for her. She looked so good, James even joked, “I bet you look even better than the bride, Lils.”
Lily laughed. “I hope not or else Tunnie’ll just kill me.”
As Lily headed for James, he couldn’t help but admire her. His mother sure knew how to pick a dress. This one, in particular, was especially flattering on Lily, especially since it was emerald green, the same color as her ball gown for the ball last year. That color really just looked beautiful on the ginger. It was a flowy floor-length dress with a slit that went up a bit past Lily’s knee. It was also an off-the-shoulder dress, just like her ball gown was, but the sleaves weren’t long. Thankfully, Mrs. Potter had sent a lovely sparkling silver shawl to accompany the dress. The shawl perfectly matched Lily’s silver heels that she was wearing with the dress. Overall, her outfit was stunning.
When it came to jewelry, Lily went with one of her favorite Christmas presents ever, the necklace that James had given her last Christmas. Then to compliment the necklace as well as the rest of her outfit, Lily had put in her new silver stud earrings to compliment her shoes and shawl. Lily had only gotten her ears pierced last summer, so she was still wearing smaller earrings as to not damage her ears too much.
For her makeup and hair, Lily went simple to save time. She put on some light blush and some shimmering emerald eyeshadow. Then for her hair, Lily curled it but left it down (it was winter after all). This all was quite easy to do as Mrs. Potter had shown her some beauty spells when she stayed over there last winter holiday. She was eternally grateful for that woman and Lily was excited to see her again next week when she and James would be going over to Potter Manor. But for right now, Lily was happy to be seeing her sister get married. Though she was still upset that she wasn’t in the wedding, Lily was still happy for Petunia.
Once they were all ready, the four of them got in the car and headed for the wedding. Upon arrival, the couples split up, as Lily’s father had to go find his other daughter since he was giving her away. Wanting to see how her daughter was getting on, Lily’s mother went with her husband to find Petunia. Meanwhile, James and Lily took their own seats amongst the rest of the guests on the bride’s side.
It wasn’t long before the ceremony commenced. And what a lovely ceremony it was. Lily was grateful that Petunia had at least invited her to the wedding. By the end of it, she was tearing up. Lily also almost felt guilty about not telling Jasmine about it. She hoped her cousin wouldn’t be too upset for not being invited. The guilt didn’t last for long though as James squeezed her hand that he was holding before leaning in and whispering, “I hope if we get married one day, that our wedding is just as wonderful as this one. I love you, Lily-pad.”
Instead of pulling away as she usually would when James called her that, Lily leaned into James and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I love you too, Jamie.”
James almost pulled away upon hearing Lily’s new pet name for him. He could barely believe his ears. It was an absolutely ridiculous pet name, but he didn’t entirely care at that moment. So, he just went with it and pulled Lily closer to him as they sat through the last bit of the ceremony before heading to the reception.
At the reception, there were a lot of people that Lily didn’t know, which made it hard to socialize, but she managed. There were enough of her relatives there that she was able to survive the night. And for the most part, the reception went off without a hitch. Lily and James were having a great time dancing around the dance floor. Though James didn’t really know a lot of the songs, he had been forced to learn ballroom dancing. Thus, the two of them were practically gliding around the dance floor during the slow songs. The only downsides were that the newly married couple refused to even speak to them. Also, James heard Vernon several times refer to him as ’some kind of amateur magician,’ something James had to ask Lily about. But other than that, it was a wonderful night, that is until James spotted something flying outside. He feared it might be an owl, so he took Lily’s hand and led her outside of the venue quickly. He didn’t want to cause any more friction between Lily and her sister, especially after dinner the other night.
Anyway, Lily let herself be led outside by James. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had a feeling it wasn’t good, and she was right. After getting several yards away from the venue, where no one could really see them, an owl came swooping down. It was an owl that James recognized, which brought a look of fear to his eyes since it was the Potter family owl. The only reason his mother or father would send him an owl now would be if something has happened. They both knew the wedding was today, so this must be urgent.
As the owl landed on James’s outstretched arm, Lily took the letter attached to the owl. Once the letter was free the owl flew away. “Guess they don’t want a response,” Lily said thoughtfully. She hadn’t yet noticed the look of fear in James’s eyes, though when she didn’t get a response from James, she finally looked over at James. She saw the fear in his eyes and couldn’t understand what was the matter. She didn’t recognize the owl as she hadn’t really seen it while she was at Potter Manor. “James, what’s the matter? I’m sure no one saw the owl. We are too far away for anyone to even notice we are here.”
James doesn’t say anything, just takes the letter from Lily’s hands and opens it carefully. As he scanned the letter, Lily was getting increasingly worried. This was so unlike James; he was never usually this quiet. Plus, Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that something awful has happened. So, when James dropped the letter, Lily picked it up and read it. She still hadn’t gotten a response from James and wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all.
As Lily read the letter, James stood next to her trying to hold it together. Tears were pooling at the corners of his eyes that he was trying to hold back. He did his best, but they started streaming down his face. Lily didn’t notice, at first since she was reading the letter. She actually didn’t even look up at James until she read the part that had him crying. When she read that part, she gasped and finally looked up at James. Upon seeing the tears, she pulled her boyfriend in for a hug. “I’m so sorry James.” That pushed him over the edge as more tears began to fall and Lily’s shawl and dress were getting soaked by tears.
They stood like that for a few minutes, with Lily doing her best to comfort James. She could only do so much, though. Eventually, James stopped crying and pulled back a little bit from Lily. Lily looked into her boyfriend’s say hazel eyes and knew just what to say. “James, it’s okay. We can go. This is much more important than my sister’s wedding reception. And I’ll tell you what, we can spend the rest of the holiday with your parents at Potter Manor. Your mother is going to need the help and support while your father is laid up in bed ill. It will be for the best, so let’s just go now.”
A very grateful James pulled Lily in for a kiss, it was a rather watery kiss, but a kiss very appreciative, nonetheless. They pull away and side-along apparate just outside of Potter Manor. James doesn’t waste any time and quickly rushes inside, leaving Lily behind in the cold. She didn’t mind though as James wasn’t acting like himself at the moment, which was understandable given the situation. Plus, it wasn’t long before Lily went after him, walking up to the door and inside the house.
Upon entering the house, Lily is greeted by Mrs. Potter. “Hello, dear. It’s wonderful to see you again. I’m so sorry about pulling you away from your sister’s wedding. I just felt that James should know.”
“No need to apologize Mrs. Potter. I wasn’t even part of the wedding party, so I doubt I will be missed from the reception. There wasn’t even a choice to stay. When I read that James’s father had taken ill, I knew we needed to come here immediately.” Lily smiled at the woman standing before her.
Mrs. Potter smiled back. “I appreciate that, Lily. I hope you know that you mean a lot to my son.”
“I do, Mrs. Potter. He means a lot to me too.”
“Oh, please call me Euphemia or even Effie. There’s no need to be so formal.”
“Okay, Euphemia.” Lily tested out the name. It was weird, but she figured she would get used to it eventually, at least she hoped she would. While thinking about James’s mother, Lily realized she hadn’t actually told anyone at the reception about them leaving. Plus, she would need to get their things from her house. Thus, she asked Mrs. Potter, “Um, Euphemia, can I have some parchment and a quill? I need to write a letter to my parents about how James and I are planning on staying here for the remainder of our winter holiday.”
“Why of course dear.” Euphemia Potter went and grabbed some parchment and a quill with ink before returning. “I’ll leave you to it, dear. I’m going to go check on my son and husband. You are welcome to join us whenever you like.”
Lily smiled as the woman left the room to be with her family. Then she turned her attention to the parchment in her hands. She took them and went to the dining room to sit at the table and write her note to her parents. It was a short note basically explaining that James’s father had taken ill and that she and James had decided to stay with his parents the rest of the time. Lily planned on leaving it when she went to go get their things later on. She didn’t want to worry her parents, but she also really didn’t want to go back to that stupid wedding reception, especially not without James. Everyone would be asking what happened and she really didn’t want to have to deal with all those questions.
Without thinking of telling anyone where she was going, Lily left the house to get their stuff. She wanted to give James some time alone with his parents and figured this would be the best opportunity to get their things. So, Lily apparated to her house. She was met with an empty house as her parents were likely still at the wedding reception. Lily took out the note written earlier and placed it on the counter where she knows her parents will see it before heading up to her room and the guest room to get all of their things.
Not wanting to be there for very long, Lily just shoved all of her stuff in the bag she brought it in. Then she moved on to James’s stuff and did the same thing. She didn’t want to be gone for too long as she wanted to be there for her boyfriend during this difficult time. Plus, she didn’t want to chance running into Petunia. So, as soon as she had both bags packed, Lily rushed out of there. Since she now had these bags with her, Lily didn’t want to apparate just in case something went wrong. She did not want to be splinched. That is not what she needed right now, so she called for the Knight Bus instead.
It wasn’t long before the bus was screeching to a halt in front of her house. Her bag was quite heavy, what with her textbooks and such in it, so she struggled to get it up the steps. Thankfully the conductor offered to help her otherwise they might have been there all night. Once she was situated, she paid the 11 sickles for the ride mentioning where she was going. He was a bit surprised, especially given what Lily was wearing (she was still in her outfit from the wedding) but didn’t question it. He just let her take her seat and began the journey. There were a few other people that got off before her, but overall, the ride, as usual, was very quick. Lily was extremely glad that she didn’t get motion sick given the ride on the Knight Bus.
Eventually, it was her stop and Lily was happy to get off that god-forsaken bus. The conductor came to help her with her bags, which she thanked him for. As Lily got off the bus, a figure came running from the house. As it got closer, Lily saw that it was James. He had rushed out of the house to meet her. He helped her carry their bags into the Manor. They set them down just by the entrance to be dealt with later, and once Lily’s hands were free, James pulled her into his arms. As he hugged her, James whispered into her ear, “I’m so glad you’re okay. I didn’t know where you went. I feared the worst had happened. Please don’t leave like that again. I can’t risk losing you too, Lils.”
Lily, not expecting the hug was frozen at first but eventually hugged her loving boyfriend back. Though she almost pulled away in surprise after hearing James’s words. She hadn’t been expecting him to be so worried, but in hindsight, she realized she should have told him where she was going. She hadn’t really been thinking about that when she left. But now she realizes that something actually could have happened to her, what with her Muggleborn status and the fact that she had just come from a predominantly Muggle area. So, with that in mind, Lily didn’t pull away and instead hugged James tighter wanting to hold him close for as long as she could because she loved him. “I’m so sorry, James. I didn’t mean to make you worry so much. I just figured that now was the best time for me to get our stuff from my parent’s house.”
James didn’t say anything, rather he just held Lily close and didn’t let go. He nuzzled his face into her neck, which is when it finally occurred to him that they were still in their outfits from the wedding. This was because when he nuzzled into Lily’s neck, instead of being met with Lily’s skin, James was met with her silver shawl. So, after a few more minutes of hugging, James finally released Lily, and said, “We should probably get changed and get some rest. Mum has already made up your room. You’re in the same room you were in last time.” Then he took her hand, cast the levitating spell on the bags, and “led” the bags and Lily up the stairs to get some rest.
Notes:
I am so sorry guys. I meant to have this chapter done weeks ago. I had planned to finish it before Christmas, but me and my ADHD self wanted to do something else. That something else has been 2 different things. So, over the last several months I’ve been transitioning my fanfiction rec lists into spreadsheets, currently, I’m working on my Harry Potter one, and dam there is a lot of really good HP fanfiction out there (hopefully mine included). The other thing is that I’ve been especially obsessed with British television. It went from just Britain’s Got Talent to a love of all things Ant and Dec (they are the host of BGT for those that have no idea who they are). Anyway, they also host 2 other shows besides BGT and have hosted several other shows in the past, so basically, I’ve just been watching all of their other stuff as of late. I really love it. And I’m hoping that by watching I might pick up on some British phrases and such so that this fic can be more British and less American. Anyway, sorry for the long note. I just felt I needed to explain myself. Anyway, again, I am sorry this took me so long to write, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
Please Review,
🍪 Knk6700 🍪
Chapter 11: The Christmas Anniversary Extravaganza
Summary:
After the disastrous start to their final Christmas holiday while still at Hogwarts, James and Lily are hoping for the rest of their holiday is quiet and uneventful, but with their luck, who knows what could happen. Meanwhile at Hogwarts, Jasmine and Sirius are getting ready to celebrate their first anniversary as a couple as well as their second Christmas together. Jasmine has some big plans, but will they all go according to plan or turn out as disastrous as James and Lily’s holiday plans?
Notes:
I would like to start off by apologizing to all of you my lovely readers for not updating since February. It really feels like it has been longer than just over 2 months since I last update. Anyway, I’m sorry, but seriously my schedule this semester has been crazy hectic and I’m taking 5 course and about to graduate on Sunday, so it had been a rather stressful semester. Also, nothing against any of you or this story, but me and my ADHD self haven’t felt inspired to write. And if I’m not inspired or wanting to write, it isn’t going to happen. Though, since I am only a few days away from graduating (and only 1 final to have to worry about this week), I’m going to have plenty of time to write. And as of late I have been getting back into writing, so I hope to write a few more chapters after I finish this one, but we will see. I might end up getting sucked into things for my current obsession which just happens to be One Direction (Niall’s my favorite and I absolutely love his solo music. I enjoy Harry’s as well. Louis is good too. Not too into Liam and Zayn, but that is just because their music isn’t really the music I like to listen to). Due to being my current obsession, I was listening to them and some of their solo music (mostly Niall’s) as I wrote this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the really late chapter that I meant to write so much sooner than now. 😊:)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 11: The Christmas Anniversary Extravaganza
It was finally Christmas Eve, and back at Hogwarts, Jasmine and Sirius were enjoying their time together. They were basically alone most of the time with Remus sometimes tagging along, especially when Jaz and Remus wanted to do some revising (NEWTs are coming up real soon). They didn’t do a whole lot of that since it had only been a few days since term ended but still. Most of Jasmine and Sirius’s time was spent fixing their broken relationship. After everything that happened the last month, they really needed this time to themselves, and Remus respected that. He didn’t really mind being alone most of the time as he spent most of it reading and thinking about what he could possibly do after Hogwarts. After all, most people weren’t going to hire a werewolf to work for them.
Anyway, it was Christmas Eve and Jasmine had just gotten a letter from Lily. She really missed her cousin and had been waiting to hear from Lily since she and James had left. It had worried her slightly, but Jaz figured that Lily had just been busy. Now that she had finally gotten the letter, though, the Gryffindor girl couldn't wait to open and read it. Though, she was able to wait long enough until Sirius was with her to finally do so. Because despite the letter coming from Lily to her, Jasmine figured there would be stuff about James that Sirius would want to know, so it would be easier to just read it with him present. Plus, she figured he was interested in what the couple has been up to since they last saw them. So, after breakfast that morning, which was the same morning as the couple's one-year anniversary, Jaz practically dragged Sirius back up to the common room and then to the Marauders' dorm without any explanation. She didn't want any prying ears overhearing their conversation or what was in the letter.
Once in the safety of the boys' dorm, Jaz took out the letter from Lily and took a seat on Sirius's bed motioning for him to join her. As he took a seat next to her on the bed, Sirius asked, "That a letter from Lily?" Jaz nodded. "What are you waiting for then? Let's see what the youngsters have been up to. Lily was taking James home with her, right?" Another nod. "Oh man, James and muggles. I'm sure it was eventful then."
Jasmine laughed as she finally opened the letter. It was rather long, but Jas was expecting that as Lily hadn't written to her in a while. And as soon as Jasmine starts reading the letter, she knows exactly why that was.
Dear Mina,
I am so sorry for not for not writing to you sooner. Despite my wishes for having a peaceful break, it had been the exact opposite of that. You see, I knew that there were likely going to be some issues because of Tunnie, but it was far worse than I thought it would be. Oh, how I wish you were here Mina because everything has just been a complete disaster. Anyway, I just want to say that I would have written you soon, but James and I didn't want to upset you with this news. I hope that Sirius is with you as you are reading to offer you comfort.
So, I came home with James and found that Tunnie was there because she was getting married. Remember that boy that she has been dating, Vernon; the one that we both really disliked? Well, that's who she married. I'm sure she purposefully didn't tell me about the wedding, so I'm sure she didn't tell you. Please don't take offense to that, Mina. Like I said, I didn't even know until I got home. And don’t worry, you didn't miss anything. It was a rather uneventful and dull ceremony. The reception wasn't anything special, either. In fact, James and I actually left early. Though, it was quite upsetting that Tunnie refused to have me, her own sister, as one of her bridesmaids. I'm sure part of it has to do with this other thing that happened before the wedding.
Jasmine paused reading the letter to process which she had just learned. She couldn't believe that Petunia had gotten married. And jazz wood bats that if Lily hadn't decided to take James home, neither of them would have known about petunia's wedding. The facts that petunia didn't like the two younger girls was not new information, but the fact that she didn't even think to at least inform her own sister about the wedding, pissed Jaz off. So, despite Liy telling her not to be offended, Jaz couldn’t help but be offended, but more on her cousins behalf than her own.
Sirius, who had been reading the letter over Jaz’s shoulder, was also a bit peeved. He already hadn’t like Petunia before all this despite never having met her before. “That is completely rude of her, Mare,” Sirius finally said breaking the tense silence.
“Yeah, but it’s not like I would have wanted to go even if she had told me about the wedding. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Petunia, as you well know, but you know it still hurts that she didn’t think of even informing me or Lily about it. I mean, we’re still family whether Petunai likes it or not.” Jaz could feel the tears building up in her eyes, but she was determined not to cry. She wasn’t about to let Petunia get to her again.
Trying to lighten the mood a little, Sirius joked, “Guess Petunia likes to upset you at this time of the year. Must be part of her master plan.” Sirius chuckled but stopped upon seeing the confused look on Jaz’s faces. “It was around this time last year that you and Lily got that letter from her that eventually led to you telling me about your mum and all you went through with her.”
Finally understanding what Sirius was getting at, Jaz giggled. “I guess she does, but I doubt she plans it,” Jaz joked. “But you know what, who cares? Let’s just see what else the happy couple has gotten up to since we last saw them.”
So, several days before the wedding, I convinced Tunnie and Vernon to have a double date with James and me. It ended up being a complete disaster. It was a disaster before we even got to the restaurant and the date started, and it surprisingly wasn’t James who started it. Instead, it was Vernon, who just had to brag about his car and money. It felt like he was kind of trying to one-up James, at least that is how James took it. Of course, James being James couldn’t just let it be, so he started to brag about his family’s wealth despite me elbowing him. Then they had this awful row that only stopped when I threatened them. So, by the time we got to the restaurant (in Vernon’s car), the tensions were high, especially between the two men. Eventually, while we were eating, they got got into another argument that led to Tunnie and Vernon storming out of the restaurant. Oh Mina, it was absolutely terrible. I started crying right there in the restaurant. James tried his best to comfort me, even promising to apologize to them. He never got to fulfill that promise though as we are now at his parents’ house. We are staying here at Potter Manor for the rest of the break, so if you write back, that is where James and I will be.
Anyway, I really miss you, Mina. I hope you are having a better holiday than I am. Tell Remus and Sirius hello from James and me. Also, Happy Anniversary, Mina (and Sirius). I’m so happy for you two making it work after a year together. I hope you have big plans! Have a wonderful anniversary and I will see you both in the New Year. Can’t wait to year back from you. Happy Christmas!
Love,
Lily
“Oh wow,” Jasmine said as she finished reading the letter. Sirius nodded in agreement. “Out of everything that I thought might be in this letter, I was not exactly expecting that.”
“Neither was I,” Sirius agreed. “But I wonder why they ended up going to Potter Manor earlier than they planned. I know they were going to be there for the second half of break, but it is much earlier than that.”
“I was wondering the same. I hope its just because of Petunia and not because something happened.” Jaz really hoped everything was okay. She would really hate to have something happen to the Potters, not only for James and Sirius’s sake but she really liked the Potters. Jaz leaned in and kissed Sirius's cheek. "I'm sure they're fine, so there is nothing to worry about, Sirius. Though just to be sure, I'm going to write Lily back and ask her if everything's good with the Potters." Jaz quickly pecked Sirius on the lips and stood up. "I'll see you this afternoon. I've got big plans for our anniversary later, so you best be ready." With that Jaz left the room to write that letter to Lily. In her wake, she left behind a rather pleased Sirius, who now couldn't wait for it to be later.
By the time afternoon finally rolled around, Sirius was absolutely buzzing with excitement at what Jasmine had planned. He had been a bit worried at first that they had no plans, especially after the last month, but he is glad to know that his girlfriend had still made plans despite the rockiness of their relationship as they healed.
Despite saying that she would see him this afternoon, Sirius had yet to see Jasmine since she left to go write that letter to Lily. It didn't annoy him, but he had been missing her since she left. He had felt like this when they were fighting too. Anyway, though, what he found instead of Jaz was a note from her that said: "Meet me outside of the Room of Requirement for your anniversary surprise." Sirius was grinning and quickly gathered his stuff to rush over to the Room of Requirement.
As Sirius turned down the hallway containing the Room of Requirement, he found his gorgeous looking girlfriends standing in the middle of the hallway in front of the Room grinning back at him as he approached. She wasn’t wearing anything too fancy like the last time they had a date in the Room. Instead, she was wearing a cute little off the shoulder pink flower lace dress. It looked absolutely fantastic on her and he couldn’t wait to see how his present for her added to her already amazing outfit. Jaz paired the dress a lovely pink necklace that she borrowed from Lily’s stuff (it wasn’t like the girl wore much else besides the necklace James got her last Christmas). She left her hair as is, just brushed through it a couple times before deciding it was fine as is. She also had a bit of blush on, but that was it in terms of makeup. She knew she didn’t need to get all dolled up for Sirius. He had seen the real her and he still loved her.
“Hello, Love,” Sirius greeted Jaz, giving her a peck on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”
Jasmine blushed but said nothing. She just took Sirius hand and dragged him in the already set up Room of Requirement. Now what awaited Sirius in the Room was not what he expected when Jasmine said she had told him that she had big plans for their anniversary. What he had been expecting was similar to what their first date in the Room was like, but the room wasn’t even the same as that. Instead, it rather looked like a fancy restaurant. There was a single table in the middle with a white tablecloth draped over it. There was a single candle in the room and the room was lowly lit. And on the table were two plates of food, but Sirius wasn’t sure what it was as there were covers over them. The romantic atmosphere in the room was a bit overwhelming, but Sirius loved it, nonetheless.
“Happy Anniversary, Siri,” Jaz said as she moved toward the table as Sirius took in the room.
“You did this all yourself, Mare?” Sirius asked not expecting an answer. “It looks fantastic. I love it.”
Jaz gave him a quick peck on the lips once he made his way over to the table where Jaz was currently standing. “Thanks, Pads. I appreciate it. I put a lot of work into this. Have to admit though, I did have some help from the house elves for the food, but I made most of it.”
“Wonderful. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us tonight,” Sirius said. Then he pulled out a seat for Jaz before taking his own seat and lifting the lid off the meal that Jasmine and the house elves made.
It ended up being a delicious meal. Sirius had nothing but compliments for the chef. “That was fantastic, Mare. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. If you keep cooking like this, I don’t think I’ll ever leave.”
Jasmine laughed before pulling out her present for Sirius. “Happy Anniversary, Sirius. I hope you like it.”
“I know I’m going to love it.”
“How? You haven’t even opened it yet.”
“Well, I know that anything that you give me, I will love. Not only because I have learned that you are an amazing gift giver, but also because you know me. I love you, so anything you get me I automatically love because its from you.” Sirius was blushing slightly as he finally opened the gift. What he found confused him slightly. “Okay, what is this?”
Jaz laughed. “It’s a couple of patches that you can put on your leather jacket. You know the one that I got you last year and that you are wearing right now. You can magically stick them to your jacket.”
Sirius pulled one out and simultaneously blushed and laughed. The patch he took out was a custom-made heart patch with the words “Sirius Loves Jasmine” written on the heart. It was adorable. “I see you are making sure to mark your territory,” Sirius joked. Jasmine smirked. Sirius continued to take out a few more patches, all of which he found very thoughtful and creative of Jasmine. They were all amazing and he loved them. He would have to use some charms to stick them on his jacket later.
Sirius assumed that the patches was it, but under the patches he found a piece of folded parchment. Curious, Sirius took it out and unfolded it. He almost immediately dropped it and looked up at his girlfriends. “You didn’t!” Sirius exclaimed. “How did you figure this you this out? I’ve been looking into it since you suggested the idea.”
Jasmine smirked and winked at him. “A witch never reveals her secrets,” Jasmine teased. “But in all Sirius-ness, pun intended, I just happened upon it. And I don’t think it will be too hard to do. We will just have to make a few tweaks to the spell so that it will work for the motorcycle since that spell is not originally intended for vehicles. But I’m sure it won’t be too hard. So, after we are finished, we can get it so that your motorcycle can fly.”
Sirius got up and kissed his girlfriend. He pulled back after a few seconds to say, “I love you so much. I hope you know that, Mare. You are the best thing to ever come into my life.”
Jasmine blushed but stopped Sirius from leaning back into to kiss her again. “Woah, there Pads. I love you too, but where is my gift?”
Sirius chuckled and went over and grabbed the girl’s gift and gave it to her. “I hope you like it. It was a real tossup of which gift I should give you for Christmas and which I should give you for our anniversary. I think I ended up making the right choice.”
Jasmine smiled and opened the present. Her smiled widened when she took out a lovely black leather jacket. “Oh wow. This is amazing Sirius, but why get me a leather jacket?”
“Well, you always seem to want mine, so I figured I would get you your own. Plus, now we can ‘match’ when we go out in our leather jackets.”
“I’m sure we will look super cool both wearing our leather jackets,” Jasmine said. “We can be matching now too. I’m going to put it on, and you can tell me how I look.” And when she put it on over that lovely pink dress, Sirius was sure he fell a little bit more in love with her in that very moment.
“You look stunning, as usual,” Sirius complimented. Then he gave her a peck on the cheek. “But I’m glad you like it. I was kind of worried that you wouldn’t or that I should have gone for the other gift that I got you for Christmas, but it seems I have made the right decision.”
At the words Christmas, Jasmine’s eyes widened. “Oh, um, yeah. About Christmas presents, I kind of just combined the anniversary gift and Christmas present into one. I spent so much time looking into the motorcycle and getting it to fly that I ended up running out of time to get you anything more for Christmas. I’m sorry, Siri.”
Sirius looked at Jaz with fondness. “It’s okay, Love. I understand. And really the fact that you ended up finding out how to make the motorcycle fly is the best gift I could have gotten. I absolutely love it and I love you,” Sirius said. “That does not mean though that I am giving you your Christmas present now. You will just have to wait until tomorrow.”
The smile that had appeared on Jasmine’s face was quickly fading. “You little…” Jaz started, but never finished her insult as a pair of lips suddenly covered hers. And that is how the rest of their evening went more or less. Overall, it was perfect for them, and they both thoroughly enjoyed their anniversary. They both hoped the next year would be much easier going on them, but they would just have to wait and see what the future would bring them.
Christmas morning at Potter Manor had a very different feel to it than last year. Instead of the Manor being filled with life and happiness, it was filled with dread and worry. With Mr. Potter still ill, it wasn’t looking like the Potter family would be having a very cheerful Christmas this year. They had already cancelled the annual Christmas Ball. This were not looking up for them. As the days passed and Mr. Potter didn’t get any better, James only grew more worried. Lily was also worried on his behalf.
So, the tone when Lily woke up on Christmas morning was drastically different than last year. Lily was prepared for the house not to be in much of a Christmas spirit, but it seemed especially down that day. Lily hoped she’d be able to bring some cheer back into the household, but it wasn’t looking like that would be an easy task. She at least hoped to cheer James up if nothing else with her Christmas present. He had been so worried since they arrived, she just hoped she might be able to distract him for a little bit.
When Lily entered the kitchen that morning, she found Mrs. Potter making breakfast. “Good morning, Mrs. Potter. Happy Christmas.”
Mrs. Potter turned around and smiled at the ginger girl, “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Euphemia, Lily.”
Lily chuckled. “I don’t know, Mrs– I mean Euphemia,” Lily answered. “So, what is for breakfast?”
“I’m making some pancakes, dear. And after we eat, we can open presents. In the meanwhile, will you go wake up James. He should still be in his room. I took him there after he fell asleep next to his father.”
Lily smiled sadly. “Sure. I’ll be right back. Looking forward to those pancakes.”
Soon Lily was back with a rather tired looking James. In order to get him out of bed, Lily had to practically drag him before reminding him about presents. Then he was willing to come down to the kitchen, but he was still sluggish and so un-James-like. It was odd seeing James like this, and all Lily wanted to do was make him feel better. She wanted a bit of happy James to come out because she just hated seeing him so upset. She wasn’t sure that her Christmas would do that, but there were other ways for Lily to try and cheer James up or at least distract him if all else fails.
Breakfast was a silent affair. Lily didn’t try to break the silence either. But as soon as the three of them were done with breakfast, Lily rushed to the sitting room where the presents were waiting. James followed close behind her with a small smile on his face. “Someone’s eager to know what I got her.”
Lily whipped around and laughed. “I guess I am, but I’m more eager to have you open up my present. I know you will just love it.”
“Well, let’s grab the presents then. I talked with my mum last night and we are going to open them in her room. That way my father can be there too.” So, the two of them gathered up the presents that they could (it was all of them really) and brought them upstairs to James’s parents' room. Mrs. Potter was already there as she had brought up Mr. Potter’s breakfast while James and Lily were getting the presents. Mr. Potter gave them a weak smile as they entered the room with all the presents.
It wasn’t long before they were opening presents and laughing. It almost felt like it had last year, but the worry was still lingering. But Lily was going to take what she could.
Suddenly, Lily heard a gasp come from her side. She turned and saw that James had opened her present. It was a muggle camera. She figured that he would enjoy it as he seemed to be fascinated with muggle stuff (not enough to take muggle studies though). The way that James was examining the camera, Lily could tell he thought it was a wizard camera. “It’s a muggle camera, silly. I figure you would enjoy taking some photos of all of us as we finish up at Hogwarts. Plus, you seem to love muggle stuff and I thought that it would be fun to see what you end up taking pictures of at the end of the year when I can help you develop it. You have to remember though that the pictures won’t move though since it is a muggle camera. So don’t try to take any moving pictures.”
It was too late as Lily saw James move as he took the photo just before Lily finished speaking. “Wait, what will it look like then if they don’t move?”
“It will come out all blurry. Don’t worry though. There should be plenty of film to last at least until we finish at Hogwarts.”
James flashed a genuine grin at Lily. He loved his gift. “I love it, Lils. Now smile for the camera.” Before the ginger could protest, James snapped a photo of her. He hoped that one turned out good. He couldn’t wait to show Sirius and take tons of photos. He was definitely going to take some pictures of him and Jazzy, possibly for blackmail purposes.
Since James had opened her present, Lily went to open her present from James. James stopped her before she could though. “Now before you open your present, I want you to know that I struggled a bit at coming up with something to get you. I had gone shopping with Sirius, and he was absolutely no help. I really wanted to get you something special, but I wasn’t sure what to get you. I hope you like it anyway.”
Lily smiled. “I’m sure that I will love it.” Then she opened the present. Upon seeing what James got her, the smile on her face grew bigger. There, lying in the wrapping paper was James’s quidditch jersey. “Oh, wow. Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I want you to be wearing it at our next match. I’m sure just seeing you in it will make me play that much better.” James had a dopey grin on his face. “It’s not my actual jersey though. I just made a copy of the original since I couldn’t give you my actual one necessarily. It wasn’t too hard. I know it’s not much, but I thought you would like it.”
“James, I love it. And I love you. This was extremely sweet of you,” Lily said. Then she leaned over and pecked him on the lips. It was shaping up to be a better Christmas that Lily thought it would be when she woke up that morning.
Meanwhile back at Hogwarts, Jasmine and Sirius were enjoying a nice Christmas breakfast before going back up to the common room to “exchange” presents. Sirius would really be the only one exchanging presents between the two of them, but that didn’t matter. They were still going to have a lovely Christmas together.
Once they got back to the Gryffindor common room, Sirius told Jasmine, “Wait here while I get your present.” Then he rushed up to his dorm room. He was back rather quickly with a small box in his hand. Jasmine wasn’t sure but it almost looked like a ring box, but that couldn’t be right. They were much too young for Sirius to propose. They were still at Hogwarts too. There was no way that Sirius was planning on proposing, and if he was, she would turn him down. Despite how much Jasmine loved Sirius, she was nowhere near ready to get married. So, she really hoped that she was mistaken, but as Sirius got closer, that hope dwindled. The closer he got, the surer Jaz was that it was a ring box that he was holding in his hand.
Sirius was standing in front of Jaz with a ring box in his hand, but before he could even begin to say anything, Jaz spoke up. “You better not be proposing, Sirius. I will turn you down if you are.”
Sirius chuckled. “Don’t you worry, Mare. I’m not proposing. I think we are much too young to get married. Plus, I’m not ready for marriage, and I don’t think you are either.”
Jasmine nodded in agreement. “So, if you aren’t proposing, why are you holding a ring box?”
“Well, instead of an engagement ring, I got you a promise ring for Christmas.” Sirius opened the box and showed her a beautiful little promise ring. It was silver with a heart in the middle. It was simple but elegant, just like something that Jasmine herself would wear. So, she had to say that Sirius knew her quite well or at least had good taste.
Sirius went on to explain more about the ring. “But it’s not just any old promise ring. I happened upon it in an antique wizarding shop and apparently, it’s a magical promise ring. The owner told me that whoever puts it on is bound to the promise similar to that of an unbreakable vow, but instead of dying, if the person who took on the promise breaks it, they will suffer great heartbreak. I know that is asking for a lot, Mare, but I love you so much and I know you love me just as much. I figure there is a highly unlikely chance of either of us breaking the promise.”
“Either of us? What do you mean? I’m the only one who’s got to wear a promise ring with a magical vow attached to it.”
“See that’s the thing. It would be completely unfair of me to ask that of you without also taking on the same vow, so I got one for me as well.” Sirius pulled another ring box from his pocket. Inside this one was a simple silver band with the words promise engraved on the inside of it.
“Oh, wow.” Jasmine was a bit speechless. She knew Sirius would get her an amazing present like he has since she met him, but this was something else. He was asking her to promise herself to him and if she broke that promise she would be incredibly heartbroken. Though, she knew that even without the vow attached to the ring she would feel that way if she ever lost Sirius. So, really, she knew what her answer was. “I love you so much, Sirius. So, let’s do this.”
Sirius smiled and pulled her in for a kiss before taking the ring out of the box and putting it on Jasmine’s finger. As soon as it was on her finger, she felt a force or something settle on her. Then Sirius took his out of the box and handed it to her. “Since I’m promising myself to you, you have to be the one to put it on my finger, so the magic knows that it is you that I have promised myself to. Also, you are allowed to take the ring off and the magic won’t be broken.”
Jasmine sighed in relief after realized she hadn’t thought of that. Then she took the ring from Sirius and slid it onto his finger. Then she pecked him on the lips. Of course, that is when Remus, who walked in just at the wrong moment, spoke up. “Okay, so I’m not sure what I just witnessed, but did you two just get engaged or something. Because if you did, don’t you think it’s a bit soon. You two haven’t even finished Hogwarts yet.”
Sirius and Jasmine jumped apart at the sudden sound of Remus’s voice. Since Sirius was the one to get the rings, he’s the one who spoke up first after several tense seconds. “Don’t worry, Moony. We didn’t get engaged. I agree that it’s a bit too soon and neither of us is ready for marriage anytime soon.”
“Then what just happened? What’s with the rings?” Remus asked.
“They are just some magical promise rings I found when I was shopping for Christmas presents with James a few weeks ago,” Sirius responded.
Remus’s eyes widened. “What do you mean magical promise rings?”
“It’s nothing Remus,” Jasmine assured him. “Don’t look so worried. Sirius explained the whole thing to me before I agreed to the whole promise ring thing. And I felt that the conditions were rather fair given that I would feel that way even without the ring.”
Jasmine’s reassurance did not reassure Remus in the slightest. “Are you saying there is some kind of curse attached to those rings? That’s extremely dangerous you too! How could you think that something like this was a good idea, Sirius?”
“Remus, relax. It isn’t a curse. It is just a vow, and if we break it, we will both feel really heartbroken, but like Jasmine said, I’m sure I would feel that way anyway if I lost her even without the ring.”
Remus just stared at them for a moment before realizing it was too late and there was no point in arguing this anymore. “Fine. I guess it is your lives, but don’t expect me to save you from Lily when she finds out.” Then Remus left and went up to the boys’ dorm.
Jaz’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Lily is going to kill me. I hope she understands though. Because even if she does kill me, I wouldn’t have made any other choice.”
Sirius smiled. “Neither would I.” Then he kissed her.
Notes:
Man, writing a Christmas-centric chapter in My is weird, but I hope you all enjoyed it, nonetheless. I hope to update the story more after I have graduated on Sunday since I will have more time to do things, but we will see what happens. At the moment I have like 4 more chapters planned (and hopefully that is it). Then I have another short sequel I am going to write dealing with their time after Hogwarts and in the Order. I have several chapters planned for that one already and I’m really excited to write it. After that I have more planned for Jasmine, but you will all have to wait and see. Let me know what you all thought of this chapter and what you think is going to happen next.
Enjoy
Knk6700
Chapter 12: The Disappearance of James Potter
Summary:
When students start coming back from their Christmas breaks, Sirius and the rest of the Marauders are excited to see their missing member again as well as their honorary member (Lily). But when only Lily comes back, they are left with so many questions that Lily refuses to answer. Where in the world is James Potter and is he okay?
Notes:
Sorry about the long wait for the next chapter. I had originally wanted to have it done before the 31st, but that didn’t happen. Anyway, I hope you still enjoy the chapter and be sure to let me know your thoughts.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 12: The Disappearance of James Potter
Before any of them knew it, the Christmas holiday was coming to an end and soon their final term at Hogwarts would begin. But before all that was to happen, James Potter had a decision to make. He had to decide whether to go back to Hogwarts with Lily or delay his return. He was leaning more toward the latter as his father was still ill and didn’t seem to be getting any better. James wanted to be there for his mother and father, especially if this was the last time he would see his father. James didn’t wasn’t to miss the chance to say goodbye to his father. So, James was leaning toward staying home, at least for a short while.
James discussed his decision with Lily, who encouraged him to write to Dumbledore before making a final decision. Lily figured the headmaster would be able to give James some time to stay with his family. Plus, if James did end up staying at home, when he eventually comes back to Hogwarts, he would a need a way to get there. Thus, Lily figured, Dumbledore could help with that too. So, with that advice from Lily, James wrote to the headmaster.
Upon getting a response from Dumbledore, James makes plants to stay at home for as long as his parents need him. When that time came, Dumbledore told James to owl him so that he could prepare for him to floo into his office. Though, when James finally told his mother his plans, she insisted that he only stay a week at most. “I won’t have you missing the entire term, James. You need to be there. N.E.W.T.s are coming up and I want you to do well. You won’t if you spend the whole term here. So, you better owl back Dumbledore and tell him you will be back after a week because you will be. This is not up for discussion, James.” Mrs. Potter then left to go tend to her husband, leaving James no room to even argue his point.
So, as James was unable to argue back, he did as his mother insisted and wrote back to Dumbledore saying he would be back a week after term started so that he could have the floo ready for James. After sending the owl off, James went to tell Lily his final plans. He knew she would understand, but he also needed to discuss what she would tell the other Marauders when she got back. Lord knows they will be worried when only Lily comes back with no James in sight. And yet he didn’t wasn’t anyone (read Sirius) rushing back to Potter Manor. So, they needed to figure out what to tell them so that that didn’t happen.
James found the feisty ginger in her room reading a book she had found in the library earlier. Her door was open, but James knocked anyway. She looked up upon hearing a knock on the door. Lily smiled upon seeing James and indicated with her hands for him to come in while she set the book down. James entered, closing the door behind him. He walked over to where Lily was laying on her bed. He didn’t take a seat, though. “Lils, we need to talk.”
“Of course, James.” After a few moments, James finally took a seat at the end of the bed but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t really sure where to starts, so he just kept staring down at his hands thinking until a smaller hand came and took one of his hands. James turned and looked at Lily who was now sitting next to him. “What did your mother say when you told her about staying?”
James smiled as Lily just resolved his internal debate with one simple question. “She insisted I only stay for a week. I would have argued for longer, but she didn’t give me the chance. So, I wrote to Dumbledore to tell him I would be back the weekend before the second week of term so that he can have his floo ready.”
Lily smiled, glad that Mrs. Potter was able to get her son to see reason. “That’s good. You shouldn’t miss too much, but I’ll be sure to take notes for you when I can. We can ask one of the boys or Mina or someone else if necessary to take notes in your other classes since we don’t share all of our classes. But I’m glad your mother insisted on only a week because if she didn’t, I would have.”
James chuckled a bit. “I’m sure you would have been very convincing, Lils.” Then James leaned over and kissed the ginger girl next to him. “But that’s not what I came in here to talk to you about,” James said, pulling away. “Or at least not the main reason,” James added as an afterthought. “We need to talk about what you are going to tell the boys and Jazzy when you go back alone.”
Lily sighed. She knew this was coming. She had been thinking about it since James first mentioned he might not come back to Hogwarts right away. “Yes, we do need to talk about that. I won’t tell them the truth if you don’t want me to, but then we will have to come up with a reasonable explanation if that’s the case.”
“I know, Lily, believe me I know. I’ve been trying to come up with a different reason than the truth. So far, I’ve got nothing that’s not going to worry them more.” James sighed, feeling rather defeated.
“Why can’t we just tell them the truth, James? I mean sure they will be worried, especially about your father, but I doubt they will do anything drastic. They will still be your friends at the end of the day.”
James sighed again. “I don’t doubt that, Lily. What I’m concerned about is Sirius and how he would take the news. My father is more of a father to him than his ever was. I’m sure that as soon as he hears my father is ill, he would find a way to rush over here. I’d prefer that not to happen. So, if I thought that wasn’t going to happen, I would say go for it and tell them the truth. Since that’s not the case, I’m not sure what you should tell them.”
Lily looked at James sympathetically. “I can see why you are concerned, James. But since I doubt we will end up coming up with an acceptable alternative to tell them, I can always just tell them nothing. I can tell them that you would like to tell them yourself when you come back in a week. I’m sure they will be worried not matter what we tell them, but this way they won’t know where you are so they can’t come to you. Plus, I’m sure they will respect your wishes.” James gave Lily a look. “Okay, so Remus and Peter will at least respect it. Mina will too. Though, I know she will be worried and thus, want to know what’s up so she will feel better about you being gone. I’m sure Sirius will be the same. Though, I’m sure after I tell them off when I get annoyed with all their questions they will give up and just wait to ask you. It’s the best option I can come up with, James”
James nodded and considered Lily’s plan. It really was the best option, considering James has yet to come up with anything else that would work. “I agree, Lils, its best you don’t lie to them because I’m sure they will eventually find out the truth and be upset with us. So, just go ahead with that plan. You can tell them if they keep bothering you that I asked you to keep my whereabouts a secret for the time being. That should get them to stop since they should know that you won’t reveal my secrets.” Lily smiled but doesn’t say anything. “And one more thing, Lils.” James pulled Lily in for another kiss before saying, “I’m going to miss you, but I need to stay. Not just for my parents but for my own sake too. I love you.” He kisses her once more before letting go.
Lily chuckled a bit. “Oh, James. I’m not leaving just yet. We still have a couple more days together. But for the record, I’m going to miss you too.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips before pulling James to lay down on the bed with her for an impromptu cuddle session. Lily wasn’t going to let these last couple of days slip by while she had James all to herself. It was likely going to be awhile before they had this opportunity again
James, for his part, just went with it. He could do with a good cuddle session. And like Lily, James knew he wasn’t going to get much of an opportunity to be alone with Lily in the coming months. It was just going to be a busy term what with NEWTs, quidditch, and the looming danger outside the walls of Hogwarts. James was going to cherish this peaceful alone time with Lily while he still could. So, the two cuddled and eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Too soon, it was time for Lily to head back to Hogwarts. James, not wanting to be apart from her just yet, took her to the station. Though, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to them, James kissed her goodbye just outside the barrier to platform 9¾. “Bye, Lils,” James said after the kiss. “I’ll see you next week, so don’t do anything drastic while we are apart.” Lily giggled but said nothing. “I love you, Lily. See you in a week.” He gave her another quick peck before reluctantly pulling himself away from the ginger. James knew if he didn’t leave soon, he might end up going back to Hogwarts with her.
Before he could go, Lily pulled him in for a hug and whispered into his ear, “I love you too, James.” Then she released him, watching him go before heading to the platform.
Once Lily was all settled on the Hogwarts Express, Lily suddenly remembered that she was head girl. That meant she was supposed to be in the prefect compartment at the front of the train. Thankfully, she had arrived early, so if she hurried, she could make it in just enough time where she wouldn’t be late. So, as Lily rushed to the front of the train, she was grateful she remembered until she realized that there were likely to be questions about the missing head boy. That realization almost stopped Lily in her tracks, but her own determination not to be late kept her going. As she went, Lily decided she would just say that James wouldn’t be joining them before giving out rounds’ assignments. That way it didn’t necessarily mean that James wasn’t on the train even though he wasn’t.
Eventually Lily arrived outside of the prefects’ compartment. She took a few minutes to gather her bearings before entering. She straightened out her uniform, dusting off her skirt and adjusting her head girl badge. Finally, she did her best to tame her hair, so it didn’t look like she just ran the length of the Hogwarts Express. Then Lily took a deep breath and entered the compartment. The head girl was met with a compartment full of prefects staring at her as she entered. They all had curious looks on their faces (probably wondering why the head girl was the last one to arrive. Lily didn’t let it phase her, though. She just held her held her head high and tried to look authoritative as she continued through the compartment.
Once Lily was at the “front”, she turned to face the curious eyes that were trained on her. “Now before any of you ask where the head boy is, he will not be joining us today. That’s all I’m going to say about that. Now, for rounds…” Lily went on to give out assignments for round on the train. She also went over rounds assignments for the coming week, but she added that she would post them in each of the common rooms too in case someone missed theirs and for the people who weren’t there. Lily was extremely thankful that she insisted that James and she do the rounds schedule for after the holiday before they left. It made her job as head girl a bit easier. “If you have any question about the schedule, let me know. Otherwise, you all are free to go. I will let you and the others who aren’t here know when the next meeting will be later on.” Lily smiled and started toward the exit. Thankfully, she wasn’t stopped, though Lily was sure some of them wanted to stop her.
Lily made it back to the compartment where her stuff was in record time and without incident. Sadly, the compartment was not occupied, but it was just some of Lily’s friends, thankfully. Lily entered the compartment and took a seat next to Marleen, who flashed her a smile before turning back to her conversation with Dorcas. Lily would have joined in on the conversation, but she really needed a moment to herself to prepare herself for what was waiting for her at Hogwarts.
She was trying to calm her worries about telling the others about James’ disappearance when she heard her name being called. She turned and saw that it was Mare you called her name. “Yes, Mary? What did you say?”
Mary rolled her eyes. “I asked where’s James? Ever since the you two got together you’ve been attached at the hip practically. I don’t typically see you without him.”
Before Lily could respond, Marlene added, “Yeah. And didn’t you bring him home to meet your parents? It seems a bit odd that he’s not here or you’re not with him like you usually are. Instead, you’re sitting here with us.”
All the girls in the compartment now turned their attention toward Lily, staring at her expectantly. “Something came up and James isn’t coming back to Hogwarts until next week. Now, before you ask, I’m not telling you what happened or where he is. I already promised I wouldn’t say anything. I’m not planning on breaking that promise, so please just drop it.” The girls did as Lily asked and changed the subject. The rest of Lily’s trip back to Hogwarts was uneventful.
Upon arriving at the Hogsmeade station, Lily became slightly worried about what was awaiting her at the castle. That worry only grew as the carriage she was in got closer to the castle. It continued to increase as Lily entered Hogwarts and headed up to Gryffindor Tower instead of dinner with everyone else. Lily knew that Jasmine and the other boys (except Peter) would be waiting for her in the common room so that they could all hear about her and James’s adventures without much interruption if any. What she didn’t know was that Jasmine and Sirius also had a surprise for Lily and well they didn’t need any nosy Gryffindors interrupting them.
As Lily approached the entrance, her pace slowed down considerably. But eventually she was standing in front of the Fat Lady giving the password and entering the common room. And as soon as Lily had stepped through the portrait whole, someone was on her period Jasmine, unable to hold back her excitement upon seeing her cousin, had ran to hug Lily and ended up throwing herself at the ginger girl.
It was when Jasmine pulled away and took a step back from Lily, that the ginger girl noticed the ring on her cousin’s hand. Immediately all the worry Lily had been feeling about the James situation vanished. It was replaced instead with worried that her cousin had gotten herself engaged while she was gone. So, Lily turned her attention towards Sirius, who is approaching the two girls. Lily was about to curse him out for his supposed proposal when she saw a ring on his finger to. And that is 1 Lily, in her already somewhat fragile state, completely flipped out.
Upon seeing the ring on serious finger, Lily immediately jumped to the conclusion that somehow the two managed to get married while James and her were gone. And with that, Lily knees buckled, and her vision blurred. She practically almost fainted on the spot. Thankfully she didn't, but she was still helped into one of the comfy seats by the fireplace with the aid of Jasmine and Sirius.
“You okay there, Lils?” Jasmine asked. She hasn’t been expecting this kind of reaction from her cousin.
Lily nodded, but then moments later she launched into what Lily would later term a hyperventilating rant. “I never should have left you two alone. I knew you do would do something stupid. It's like that date night all over again. You two always seem to do stupid things when I'm not around. I guess I'll just never be able to leave you two alone again. You're both too impulsive.” By this time, Lily was now pacing in front of the fireplace while Jasmine and Sirius watched her from their spot on the couch. “And Mina, I thought you were smarter than this! How could you go about doing this without list running a by me first? This is ridiculous! How could you?!” the last accusing question was directed more at Sirius then Jasmine, but it still hurt them both all the same.
While Lily was ranting, Jasmine shot a look over at Sirius to see if he had figured out what was going on with Lily. They had already figured this rant was about the rings, but they couldn't figure out what she thought the rings meant. Her rant was confusing, so when Lily paused, Jasmine took the opportunity to voice her confusion. “Lils, Calm down. What are you even going on about?”
Lily, still a bit hysterical, responded, “Those rings on your fingers! You can't have gotten engaged otherwise Sirius wouldn't have a ring too, so there's only one other explanation. Somehow while I was gone you two managed to get married, which I think is extremely stupid of the two of you. I mean how could you think that was a good idea?! You're both way too young. You haven't even finished Hogwarts yet!” Suddenly, another thought popped into Lily's head. “Oh my God! Mina! Did you two get married because you're pregnant?!” Lily ran over to her cousin. She had planned on checking her over, but it ended up the other way around with Jasmine leading a hyperventilating Lily over to the chair she had been sitting in earlier. Jasmine did her best to calmly down so that they could explain the truth to her. Sirius soon came over and helped her and soon after that Lily was finally breathing normally and had calmed down.
Having Lily back to normal (or as much as she could be) gave Jaz and Sirius the chance to finally explain what the rings were about. And since it was Sirius’s gift, he began to explain. “First off Lils, Mare is not pregnant, right?” Sirius looked over at the girl in question for conformation. Jaz nodded, and Sirius let out a relieved sigh and continued. “Mare is definitely not pregnant, nor did we get married. The rings are only promise rings not wedding bands. I happened upon them while I was out looking for a gift for Mare for our anniversary and Christmas. The shopkeeper told me that they were actually magical promise rings. Then he explained how they worked. I was so intrigued that I bought them and here we are.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed. She had never heard of such a thing as a magical promise ring. She was a bit skeptical. “What makes the promise rings magical?”
Jasmine took this question. “Well as Sirius explained to me before we put the rings on each other, it works the similar to an unbreakable vow or I guess any magical vow. The only difference with these rings is that instead of dying, if the person who put the ring on your finger leaves or breaks up with you or something similar, they will feel immense heartbreak despite being the one who broke it off because they broke the vow. But really Lils, I’m sure I’d feel that anyway if I ever lost Sirius. I mean you saw me when we were fighting. I know that with or without the ring, I’d be miserable without Sirius, so really the vow didn’t matter.”
Lily turned to Sirius. “I feel the same way, which is why I bought the rings in the first place. Right now I know neither of us is ready to get married any time soon, but I wanted to do something special for the girl I love to show her that she means the world to me. It’s even more significant after what happened before the holiday. That is not something I want to go through again. Though, I’m sure there will be more arguments in our future, but I just don’t want it to go that far again where we were constantly arguing.” Sirius turns to look up at Jaz as he says this last bit. “Mare, I want us to talk it out instead of just blaming and getting angry with each other.”
“Oh, Sirius.” Jasmine had tears threatening to fall as she pulled her boyfriend in for a kiss. “I want that too,” Jaz said, pulling back and resting her forehead on Sirius’s. Then she whispered so only Sirius could hear, “I love you, Sirius Black, with all of my heart.”
“I love you too, Jasmine Dupont, more than anything in the world,” Sirius whispered back. Then the couple pulled apart and looked at Lily.
“OK, I approve. Just be careful.” Lily smiled. They sat in a comfortable science in the common room until Remus walked in.
werewolf, who as he said wanted no part in when the couple told Lily about the rings, had been hiding away in his room. When he didn't hear anymore talking, he figured it was safe to come out. Though, when Remus looked down at the common room, he saw something was wrong. He rushed down the steps and headed over to the three Gryffindors and not four as he expected to see.
“What’s the rush, Moony?” Sirius asked. “You couldn’t have missed Lily that much. And…” Sirius stopped himself only just now realizing what was wrong and why Remus was in such a rush. “Never mind,” Sirius said to Remus as an afterthought as the werewolf passed.
Remus made a beeline for Lily. Then he asked the question that Lily had been dreading since her and James parted at the station. “Where’s James?”
Lily glanced nervously at Sirius before answering. “First off, He’s fine. Also, don’t worry about James. He will be back next week. And before any of you ask, I already promised I would let him tell you about his absence himself. So, please just leave it.”
Remus nodded and reluctantly accepted Lily’s answer. “As long as he’s okay, I guess I can wait until he returns for a proper explanation as to what happened. I don’t like it, but I’m sure you’re not about to break your promise, Lily.” And with that Remus sighed and headed down to the kitchens to get them all some food as they skipped dinner.
Once Remus was gone, Sirius and Jasmine tuned their attention (and questions) toward Lily once again. “What do you mean James will be back next week?” Sirius asked worriedly. He feared something had happened at home (aka Potter Manor), which concerned Sirius. “And I know you said James was okay but what about his parents?”
Before Lily could respond, Jaz piped up. “Yeah. What exactly could be keeping James away for a weak? I doubt that he would miss being away from you, Lils, for very long if he didn’t feel he had to.”
Lily’s only response was to stare at them. She never said anything, instead opting to just go up to her dorm and get some rest. She knew this week was going to be a long one without James and the Head Boy.
Lily was right. The week without James seemed to drag on forever. So much so that by Wednesday (the half-way point), Lily was missing James so much that she hardly ever stopped thinking about him and his parents. Not only that but Wednesday also happened to be her breaking point.
Ever since that night Lily arrived back at Hogwarts, Jasmine and Sirius had kept worriedly asking what happened to James. Now Lily hadn’t answered any of their questions which when Jaz realized that Lily was never going to, she gave up (that was on Monday evening). Sirius, however, had no intention of giving up and kept trying. He was really worried, not only about his best mate, but the rest of the Potters as well. Plus, Sirius, despite Jaz’s company, was really missing having his best mate around. Thus, he kept up with questioning Lily, that is until Wednesday evening when the ginger finally snapped.
It was just before dinner that evening, and Lily was coming back from the library when Sirius spotted her. Sirius, being the annoying git that he is, just had to stop Lily before she reached her destination, the Gryffindor common room. He caught up with Lily in a deserted hallway, which Lily took to avoid running into anyone. Lily was at her wits ends and just wanted to avoid any more people coming up to her to ask about James or questions about rounds or other Head Girl questions. It was a bit tiring, especially since she also had to make time for revising for her NEWTs at the end of the term (which is why she had been in the library). Though, really part of the reason she had been revising was mainly to distract herself from missing and thinking about James. Also, went to the library in order to avoid people interrupting her. It was a win-win, except when her boyfriend’s git of a best mate happens to catch up to her in a deserted hallway as he did that Wednesday.
Anyway, when Sirius caught up to Lily in that deserted hallway, he stopped her in the middle of the hallway. “Lily, wait up. Can we talk?”
Lily really wanted to tell Sirius to f-off, but she knew that it wouldn’t stop him from bothering her. She really didn’t want to deal with him at the moment. It had been a tiring day and she was ready to just scream into her pillow before passing out. She would just have to delay that screaming session for a few minutes to deal with the pestering she was about to get from Sirius. So, Lily stopped and waited for Sirius to catch up to her. “Yes, Sirius? What did you want to talk about?" Lily asked as soon as he reached her.
Sirius gave her a curious look. “James, what else?”
Lily sighed. “I’m not telling you anything, Sirius. I promised James I wouldn’t. Why can’t you just get that through your thick skull like Mina already has?!” Lily was already starting to get upset. She needed to get out of this conversation before she lost it, and she was close to doing just that. Sirius really needed to just leave her alone. Sadly, he didn’t do that.”
“I get that, Lily, but I’m worried. James is basically my brother in everything but blood. His parents are my parents as far as I’m concerned. I just want to know that everything is okay. I would hate if I couldn’t be there when James needs me.”
Lily’s temper was rising with every word Sirius said. She could understand where he was coming from, but she just wasn’t up for it at the moment. She was about to erupt if Sirius said anymore, so Lily tried to get out of there before that happened. “I know you’re worried, Sirius, but everything is fine. And I’m sure if James felt like he needed you, he would have told me to tell you the truth.” Lily said trying to placate Sirius. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to drop off my books and things before dinner.”
Lily started to walk away, but Sirius stopped her. “Lily, wait. I just want to know where my best mate is. I miss him so much. I want to know that he is okay.”
The pleading look Sirius gave Lily did nothing for her temper. And it was with that, Lily broke and was pushed over the edge. So, she turned back around to face Sirius. She marched straight up to him getting pretty close to him. She stared he straight in the eyes and Sirius knew then that he messed up. “WHY WON’T YOU JUST DROP IT, SIRIUS?! I’M NOT TELLING YOU ANYTHING. Just wait patiently for James to get back like everyone else!” Tears started to form in Lily’s eyes. She tried hard to keep them from falling, but after all the stress that she’s been through this week (the pestering about where James was and how much she was missing him), Lily couldn’t stop the tears from falling. As they fell, Lily quietly told Sirius, “You’re not the only one who’s missing him, Sirius.”
Before Lily could turn and run back to the common room, Sirius pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sirius said into the ginger’s hair. “I know you miss him too. I’ve just been worried, and that’s made me act like a git. I’ll stop pestering you about James, but you don’t have to miss him alone. You can talk to me or Mare. I can imagine you miss him as much as I would miss Jaz if she was away from me for too long.”
Lily smiled a tearful smile into Sirius. She waited until the tears let up before responding and pulling away from the hug. “I would really appreciate that, Sirius. It’s been a pretty stressful week what with the Head Boy not here and everyone else coming up to me asking about James. I had completely forgot we were heads together and well, doing it alone has not been fun. It also hasn’t helped that I haven’t stopped thinking about him. I love him, Sirius, and it’s been hard to be away from him for more than one reason. And I’m not elaborating on that.”
Sirius grinned at that last part. “I wasn’t planning on asking. But if you are feeling so stressed about your Head Girl duties, I’m sure Mare and Moony would be willing to help you for the time being.” Sirius paused, going back over what Lily just said. Then he realized Lily had said that she loved James. “Wait a minute. Did you just say that you love James?”
Lily, feeling much better now, started to walk with Sirius back to the common room. “Yes, and James already knows how I feel. I told him over the holiday. He said it back to me after teasing me of course.”
Sirius chuckled. “Sounds like, Prongs. Though, I do have to say that I’m surprised he waited for you to say it first. I always figured that when the two of you finally got together, he’d be the first one to say those words.”
Lily giggled. “Not saying I blame you for thinking that, but I’m happy he waited for me to say it first. And it was the perfect moment to say it. I’ve known I love him for a little bit and was just waiting for the right moment to say it to him.”
Sirius was happy for his best mate. “That’s great, Lily. I’m happy for you two.” They were now standing outside of the painting of The Fat Lady, who was waiting for them to give her the password. Lily was smiling brightly at Sirius. Though her eyes were still a bit puffy from her breakdown, she looked happy again, a bit lighter too. Sirius was happy to see this side of Lily again.
Soon, Lily turned to the Fat Lady and gave her the password. She entered the common room first, followed closely by Sirius. Then Lily bid Sirius good night. “Goodnight, Sirius. I’m going to head to bed a little early. I definitely need some sleep, so let Mina know that’s where I am when she doesn’t see me at dinner.” Lily smiles and starts to go up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. Before she gets to far up, though, she turns back and says, “Thank you, Sirius. I really needed that.” Then she heads up to her room and bed.
Sirius just watches the ginger until she disappears form view. He had not been expecting that breakdown from Lily, but he should have. It appeared it was inevitable, which is why Sirius was grateful that it had been him that she blew up at instead of someone else. And despite still being worried about James, he didn’t miss him as much after talking to Lily. He could make it through the rest of the week (hopefully). Then he would finally get the chance to ask James what exactly happened over the Christmas holiday.
Eventually, it was finally the weekend and the “week from Hell” (as Lily termed it) was finally over. It was finally Saturday and James would be back. He was going to floo into Dumbledore’s office late that evening. Now, Lily was actually the only one to know this as James only wanted her to know. This was mainly because he didn’t want to be bombarded with questions from the Marauders right away. He didn’t really feel up to it right away. Plus, from the letters that he’s gotten from Lily, James knows that they all have been curious and a bit worried, especially Sirius and Jasmine. So, knowing those two won’t let him leave until all their questions are answered, James decided to come back secretly, Saturday night. He originally had planned to come back Sunday morning, which is what he told Lily to tell the others. The change in his plans were in part due to the afore mentioned reasons, but also because James really wanted to see Lily first. He really missed her this past week and just wanted some alone time with her before everything got crazy again.
So, that evening after dinner, Lily tells the Marauders that she has “rounds” and sneaks away from them to go to Dumbledore’s office. She is going to meet James in the office, thankfully with Dumbledore’s permission. So, when she reached his office, Lily gave the password and excitedly ran up the stairs in anticipation at finally getting to see James again.
Dumbledore smiled at the Head Girl when she entered his office. “Welcome, Ms. Evans. I’m sure Mr. Potter won’t be much longer.” True to his words, James suddenly popped out of the fireplace in the office.
The first thing that James registers is Lily once he has gathered his wits. Immediately he goes over to her and pulls her into a hug. The couple stay like that for several minutes before the headmaster coughs and interrupts them. They break apart and look over at the headmaster a bit embarrassed. “Ah, young love.” Dumbledore muses. “I know you two must have much to catch up on. So, please, if you’ll excuse me, I have work I must attend to.” James and Lily glanced at each other before making quiet a hasty exit from the headmaster’s office.
Once they are back in the hallway, James hugs Lily again before pulling her into a kiss. When he pulls back, he doesn’t go too far, resting his forehead on Lily’s. “I missed you so much, Lils,” James whispered.
“I missed you too, James. It’s been a week from Hell. I’ve had to do all the Head duties all by myself because you weren’t here to help. Eventually I got Mina and Remus to help me,” Lily whispered back. “But enough about my week, how is your father? Is he doing better?”
As they make their way to Gryffindor Tower, James tells Lily about what happened during the week that they were apart. Just as they are about to reach the Fat Lady, James tells Lily, “Though my father is doing a bit better, I still feel guilty about leaving. I feel like I was abandoning my mum when she needed me most. It was terrible.”
Lily flashes him a quick smile before first giving the Fat Lady the password. Once they were in the now empty common room, Lily responded. “I can understand why you might feel that way, James, but you can’t think that way. Your mum wouldn’t have insisted you come back if she really needed you. I’m sure she is quite capable of taking care of your father herself.”
James gave Lily a quick peck on the lips. “I love you, Lils. And I appreciate you’re attempt at trying to alleviate my guilt.” James pauses and turns away from Lily mumbling something under his breath.
“What was that, James?”
James turned back to look at Lily. His cheeks were now stained red as he repeated himself. “I asked if I could stay in your room for now. I just don’t think I could handle being alone right now. I want to spend as much time together as we can before the others find out.”
The look on James’s face was enough for Lily to say yes, not that she didn’t also want to spend as much time as possible with James. “Of course, you can, James.” And with that Lily stood on the steps to the girls’ dormitories so that they wouldn’t turn into a slide as James climbed up them. Once James was safely on the landing of the 7th year girls’ dormitories, Lily quickly and quietly made he way up to join him.
Lily peaked into the room to make sure none of the girls were still up before ushering James in. James went and laid down on Lily’s bed while Lily got herself ready bed. When Lily returned, she found that James had fallen asleep in her bed. Lily figured he could really use the sleep. Plus, she didn’t really want to wake him up. So, instead, Lily closed the curtains around her bed after taking off James’s glasses and putting them somewhere safe. Then, Lily snuggled up next to James, who reacted by pulling Lily closer to him. It was like that that, snuggled up in James Potter’s arms, that Lily fell asleep that night. Her last thought before falling asleep was about how glad she was that James was finally back.
The next morning, James is the first one to wake up. And at first when he wakes up everything is blurry, which is concerning. Then James realizes that he must have actually remembered to take his glasses off last night before he fell asleep. Suddenly James becomes concerned again as he registers that he isn’t alone in his bed. And when he turns and sees a slightly blurry Lily curled up in his arms, the memories from last night finally come back to him. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep in Lily’s bed, but he was glad he had. He almost didn’t want to wake her up, but he really needed to know where she had put his glasses since he didn’t remember taking them off last night, thus Lily must have done it for him. “Lils?” James shakes her with his free arm. The ginger girl stirs but doesn’t wake up. “Lily, I need you to wake up. I need my glasses before I can sneak out of here.”
Lily, who had been having a fabulous dream that she fell asleep in James’s arms, suddenly woke up when she realized her dream was not just a dream. Her eyes shot open when James mentioned his glasses. It took her a few more minutes for her to gather her thoughts and remember where she had put James’s glasses. She quietly got them making sure that none of the other girls were up yet. She was extremely grateful (as was James) that none of them were much of an early riser. So, as Lily handed James his glasses, she whispered, “The coast is clear. I’ll see you soon.”
James gave her a quick peck on the lips before sneaking out of the room. Then he realized that when he got to the steps that they would turn into a slide as soon as he stepped on them. That was not going to help him make a stealthy exit. So, he snuck back into Lily’s dorm room and over to his bed. Thankfully she was still awake. She looked up at him curiously, so he explained himself. “I need you to stand on the steps, so they don’t turn into a slide.”
Lily giggled quietly. She had forgotten about the steps. So, she followed James out of the dorm and stood on one of the steps as James made his way down. She watched as he snuck across the common room and up the steps to the boys’ dormitories. Upon reaching the 7th year landing, he turned and blew Lily a kiss before turning to sneak into his room and into his bed.
Lily blushed before going back into her room to get ready for the day. There was no way she would be able to get back to sleep now, so she might as well get ready and get some work done since she’s up. So, soon the ginger girl was sitting at table in the common room doing some of her assignments as she waited for some of the others to wake up so they could go to breakfast. Lily wasn’t alone for long though as James soon joined her with his own books. He flashed her a smile before taking a seat across from her at the table. “So, where are these notes you promised?” James joked.
Lily didn’t take it as a joke though and handed James the copies that she had made of her notes for him. “There’s also a list of the assignments you missed in there as well, though it only has the ones that you must do, at least for the classes that we share. Most of the professors were understanding and don’t expect you to finish all the assignments that you missed. There’s not much for you to do though.” Lily smiled at James before turning back to her own work.
James glanced through the notes Lily had handed him and he was quite impressed. They were very through. He really appreciated the effort Lily had made for him, so he got up and pressed a quick kiss on her lips before taking the seat across from Lily again.
They worked mostly in silence for the next couple of hours before the rest of their friends started to wake up. The first one who made their way down to the common room was Remus. Upon seeing James, Remus’s eyebrows raised in surprise but said nothing. Instead, he took a seat with one of his books on the sofa by the fireplace. Soon after Remus, came Peter, who just scurried over to one of the armchairs near Remus upon seeing that James was back.
It was about half an hour later that both Jasmine and Sirius both emerged from their respective dorms. They saw each other first and Sirius flashed Jasmine a smile before making his descent down the stairs to say good morning to his girlfriend. Though, it wasn’t until after Sirius gave Jaz their usual good morning kiss that Sirius finally noticed his best mate. The reason for that being that James had been chuckling, which drew Sirius attention. As soon as Sirius spotted James, his eyes went wide and he ran over to his best mate, completely abandoning Jasmine. It didn’t really matter as Jaz was right behind him.
As Sirius and Jasmine got closer, James happened to see something glint from Sirius’s hand as well as Jasmine’s. James’s face scrunched in confusion. He thought they were rings, but that couldn’t be right. So, once they had reached the table that James and Lily were still sitting at and James saw that they were in fact rings, his confusion only increased. And James wanted to clear up this up before he was bombarded with questions. So, he held his hand up to stop them from asking any questions. “Okay, before I’m interrogated, what is with the rings? I know you both didn’t have those before I left, so what happened while I was away?”
Sirius sighed a bit impatiently. He really wanted to know where James had been. Plus, this was the 4th time he had to explain the rings and what they were and what they meant. Though, despite being slightly annoyed, Sirius knew he needed to explain because James wouldn’t drop it until he did. So, Sirius did his best to quickly explain the promise rings and the vow that came with them once again.
Once Sirius was finished, James was a bit surprised at the sudden step the couple had taken but was overall happy for them. “Okay, you two. Just be careful and don’t do anything stupid.” James paused before continuing. “Before any of you ask any questions, I’m just going to tell you that I was gone the past week because my father had become ill, which is why we ended up heading to Potter Manor earlier than we intended. When I left, he was doing a bit better, and I’m sure he’s going to be fine, especially with my mum taking care of him. But I wanted to be there for them. And the only reason I didn’t have Lily tell you what was going on is because I didn’t want any of you making any rash decisions and come rushing to Potter Manor. It was nothing too serious, I was just overreacting a bit because I was worried about my father.”
Everyone seemed to accept this explanation, nodding their heads in understanding. All except Sirius. “James, you realize how much it would have hurt me if your father didn’t make it. He’s basically my own father as far as I’m concerned.” Sirius bowed his head.
“I know, Sirius, but I was sure that my mother would have sent you right back. If it was really the end, I’m sure she wouldn’t have made me come back to Hogwarts until. I wouldn’t have left you in the dark if my father really was on his death bed, Sirius,” James promised. “I know how much you care about him, Padfoot.”
Sirius nodded before pulling his best mate into a hug. “I missed you, Prongs.” James smiled and released Sirius. Then Sirius turned his attention back toward Jasmine, but to everyone said, “How about we go down and get some breakfast. I’m starving.”
Notes:
You know when I originally wrote that scene about the promise rings, I really felt like Jasmine and Sirius (Sazzy) had been dating for so much longer than a year. I guess that might be because it has been over a year since I started this series (but it feels so much longer than that). I don’t know how you guys feel, but I feel like they’ve been together forever. Let me know your thoughts (please, with sprinkles on top). I really love to hear from you guys and would love some feedback on this chapter or other chapter or the story as a whole. Reviews really motivate me to want to write more. On another note, I have about 2-3 more chapters left of this story planned out. Then I have 1 more story in this series that I have planned. I’m going to try and outline the last couple of chapters of this story out and the first couple chapters of the next story out. Hopefully that will lead to me updating sooner rather than later. 😊
Peace Out,
📚 Knk6700 📚
Chapter 13: The Final Prank
Summary:
The Marauders are almost finished with their final year at Hogwarts. Though, they can’t just leave the school quietly. They plan to exit with a bang. What could they have in store for their final prank?
Notes:
I was originally going to put a chapter between this one and the last one, but I wasn’t sure where I planned to go with that anymore, so here we are. Also, sorry for the long wait between chapters. My only excuse is that I haven’t really found the inspiration to write (bit of writer’s block and interest in other things). I’ve been knitting a lot lately as well as working. Anyway, I’ve just been a bit busy, but enjoy the second to last chapter of this book. Please let me know what you think. And I’m sorry if it is a bit short.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 13: The Final Prank
Shortly after James returned to Hogwarts from his extended stay at home, he received news that his father had recovered and was doing much better. That was a relief for James, and he was happy to hear that his father would be okay. He wasn’t sure how much longer his parents would be around for as he knew they were on the older side. He just hoped they lived long enough to see him get married. And hopefully they would be seeing him marry Lily, but that was a thought for another time, a time when they weren’t facing a war and NEWTs as their time at Hogwarts was nearing its end.
Also, as the term continued, the Marauders and Lily continued to study hard for NEWTs. James and Lily continued to try and set the best example they could as Head Boy and Head Girl, whilst simultaneously keeping up with their schoolwork and studying and revising for NEWTs. Also, in the case of James, taking the Gryffindor quidditch team to the quidditch cup final which they won, in part thanks to James as well as Sirius. The others were thrilled and the party in the Gryffindor common room afterwards was legendary, though most of them don’t actually remember most of it (too much Firewhiskey).
Now, it was nearing the end of term (about 2 months left) and Hogwarts was in a flurry, particularly in the case of the 7th years what with NEWTs coming up so soon. But for 5 certain 7th year Gryffindors, NEWTs were not their main concern. Rather the Marauders were focused on how they were going to leave their mark on Hogwarts before they left for good. They knew they had to pull the ultimate prank before they left otherwise what would their legacy even be. It would all be for not, really. So, with about 2 months left at Hogwarts, the 5 Marauders gathered for one of the last times in that empty classroom they usually met in to start planning the most amazing prank ever (at least they hoped it would be).
“Well, since we will be leaving Hogwarts soon, we must figure out what we should do for our very last prank. It should be the prank to end all pranks,” James announced to the others. “So, anyone have any ideas as to what that could be?”
“I think I remember seeing some rather promising ones in some of our old prank ideas, when we were looking through them at Halloween,” Remus said. “I’ll go back over those, but otherwise, I’m not sure what else we could do.”
“It’s as good as place to start as any,” James agreed. "Maybe some of our old prank ideas will spark some ideas.”
“I agree,” Jaz said. “But before we go on with looking through the ideas, might I suggest something?” All four boys turned to look at her, “There was this one prank I always wanted to pull back when I was at Beauxbatons, but it was way too extravagant for me to pull off all by myself. I had tried to get some of my friends involved, but none were willing to risk getting caught.”
“Well, what is it, Mare?” Sirius asked.
“My idea was to turn a few random objects into portkeys that would send students to random locations around the grounds and castle that Beauxbatons was located at. I thought it would be funny if students happened to just touch a doorknob and then are transported to the bathroom or something. It would be so funny, at least I thought it would be.”
The boys stared at Jaz in awe, but really by now they should know that she was particularly clever, especially when it came to coming up with prank ideas. Though the stunned silence didn’t last long as Sirius broke it a few moments later. “That is absolutely brilliant, Mare. We will probably tweak it slightly, but that idea is the perfect last ever prank.” At that point Sirius strode over to his girlfriend and kissed her.
“Okay, so now that we have our prank idea, we need to come up with the logistics of how we are going to pull it off, especially given how extravagant this prank is going to be. We really need to be careful not to get caught,” James said. And with that the Marauders set off to plan their biggest, most extravagant prank yet.
Throughout the next couple weeks, when they get the chance in between classes and revising for NEWTs, the Marauders meet up to plan the prank. It takes them the about 2½ weeks but by the end they have a solid plan for what they are going to turn into portkeys, how they are going to get the portkeys where they need to be, and where they portkeys are going to take students. They decided to limit the number of locations to only about 10 to make it a bit easier for them. The locations they decided on are: outside the greenhouses, outside Hagrid’s hut, in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, McGonagall’s office, the Hospital wing, on the shores of the Black Lake (they wanted to do in the Black Lake, but Jaz brought up that they didn’t know if anyone couldn’t swim or was afraid of water), the Potion’s classroom, the Divination classroom, the library (specifically the restricted section), and a random classroom/room on the third floor.
For what the actual portkeys would be everyday items around the castle. They decided to replace some of the forks and serving spoons, at least two or three at every table. They figured since they are in pretty good with the House Elves, it shouldn’t be a problem to convince them to go along with their plan. They would also replace certain doorknobs, specifically ones to certain classrooms that were used frequently so that would ensure that they would be used and not just left. Also, they decided to replace some quills with portkeys, that one was going to be the hardest to pull off, but they believed they could do it. They figured that they could just offer the quills to students or just slide them in with their stuff as they passed by. They could eve just offer to let their fellow classmates borrow one of their quills if necessary. And by replacing or making all these things portkeys, it would likely ensure that most students would fall for the prank.
The only part of the prank that needed to be researched at this point was how to actually make a portkey. Now Jasmine knew the basics because she had wanted to try it at Beauxbatons, but she wasn’t sure if what she knew actually would work. Thus, over the next 4 weeks, they researched and practiced turning things into portkeys when they had free time. Their first few attempts were unsuccessful, but by the end of the first week, they had been able to turn a book into a portkey. The next 3 weeks were spent practicing and figuring out how to make the portkey go to a certain location. It took quite a while before they got one to successfully go to the place they wanted it to go. It took them 2 more weeks to create all the portkeys. And as they were making the portkeys, they also figured out how to set the specific time at which the portkey would transport someone. The Marauders were actually able to figure out a way for the portkey to activate as soon as someone touched it or was using the item. That really helped out with their prank.
Now, with only a couple weeks left of their final term at Hogwarts to go, the Marauders were all set to go on with their last ever prank at Hogwarts (and possibly their last prank ever given what awaited them outside the walls of Hogwarts). Though it was during this time that Jasmine came up with another idea.
The Marauders were setting up the final details for their pranks when Jasmine suggested it. “Guys, since we have been talking about leaving a legacy and such with this last prank, I have something I want to suggest.”
The boys paused their discussion and turned their attention toward Jaz. “What is it, Mare?” Sirius asked rather curious as to what she might suggest. He knew it would likely be ingenious give how her earlier idea was turning out.
“I just thought that since we are leaving Hogwarts, we won’t really need the Marauders’ Map anymore. So, I thought that we could ‘accidentally’ lose it to Filch or something.” Jasmine paused in case any of them had any objections. None of them did at least not at the moment, but quickly reassured them, nonetheless. “Obviously we wouldn’t let Filch know it was a map or anything like that. And I’m not quite sure how we would go about it, but I just thought we could leave it for the future pranksters of Hogwarts to find and use. That was the original purpose of the map after all, is it not?”
The boys glanced quickly at one another, unsure of how they felt about this idea from Jasmine. “Well, that is an interesting idea, Jazzy. I will say, I hadn’t really thought about what would happen to the map after we left Hogwarts. And we can’t necessarily hand it down to our children as that would be unfair to the rest of the Marauders since their children might not have access to the map as well,” James said, thinking out loud. “Overall, I think that is a great idea, Jazzy. What do the rest of you think?”
Remus readily agreed, as did Peter. Sirius agreed as well, but his agreement was given through a kiss to Jasmine’s cheek rather than any words.
“That settles it then,” James said. “Guess we are going to now come up with a plan to lose the Marauders’ Map and have Filch find it.”
“About that, I kind of already have an idea in mind,” Jasmine revealed. Then she dove into her plan about causing a food fight at the final feast of term. Then somehow having Filch see the map (when it is just a parchment of course) fall out of one of their pockets, likely James’s of Sirius’s as he will see anything from either of them as “dangerous” and therefore will confiscate it immediately. By the end, they boys all thought it sounded like a pretty good plan and agreed it sounded like the best idea. And thus began the planning and tweaking of a secondary “prank” to lose the Marauders’ map.
This secondary “prank” didn’t take nearly as long to plan as the first one did as this one was much simpler and didn’t have as many moving pieces. The actual main issue that they had to figure out with this “prank” was how they would make sure that Filch would see them drop them map. They definitely would have James or Sirius drop the map, but they couldn’t agree on how to do it or the best that would make sure that the caretaker would see it. In the end, they just decided to wing it as really the best way to actually get Filch to see the map fall out of their pocket would be to actually see where he is so they can make sure that he sees it happen.
By the time that all of this was decided and planned, it was about time for them to set up their last final prank at Hogwarts. They had decided to set it up the night before, as they did with the first prank that Jasmine ever helped them with. That way they could divide and conquer, which would get everything in place in time (hopefully). Also, they could make sure that the places that students and possibly faculty would appear would be clear enough to few a few dozen people or so. It was all so brilliant and fantastic, and the Marauders were all super excited to see what would happen the following day. They just couldn’t wait to see the madness that would endue due to their prank.
Obviously though, they would also need to get “pranked” as to not make it obvious that this was their doing. They all planned to go to different places as if they all ended up in the same place, that would be too suspicious.
The next morning was one of the best days ever for the 5 Gryffindor pranksters. They were so excited that Lily noticed and asked about it at breakfast. “What’s got you five so cheery this morning?” Before any of them (*cough*James*cough) could tell her, Lily said, “Wait, no. I don’t want to know. I’m sure this has to do with a prank, and at the moment I want no part of that.” Lily then abruptly stood up to leave, but before going gave James a kiss. “Don’t get into too much trouble now. Term is almost over, and it wouldn’t look good if the Head Boy ended the term in detention.” Then she turned to leave.
Before Lily had gotten too far though, James “ran” after her. “Lils, hold up.” Lily stopped and waited to see what her boyfriend wanted. “Do you need a spare quill? I’ve got a bunch extra and wanted to make sure you had enough just in case.”
“That’s sweet, but I’m sure I have enough,” Lily answered, but then hesitated. “Though another wouldn’t hurt. Thanks, James.” And so, James handed Lily one of the portkey quills, which wouldn’t activated until she would use it, as long as it was after or around lunch time. Hopefully she would understand why he gave her the quill later. James also hoped she used the quill before she used any other portkey items.
Once James made it back to the table, Sirius spoke to him. “You sly dog, you. You purposefully gave Lily that quill because it will take her to the same location that you will be at later.”
“Pretty sure you’re the dog, mate,” James said. “And I didn’t even notice I did that. I had no idea.”
Sirius rolled his eyes and turned back to his food. Sometimes even James was a bit much for him. “I wish I could do that with my girlfriend,” Sirius mumbled under his breath.
Jasmine, who was sitting right next to him, heard him. She whispered in his ear, “What’s stopping you?” Then she got up to follow Lily out of the Great Hall. She walked at a somewhat slower pace than she normally would to see if Sirius would take the hint to take his chance now. Thankfully he caught on, but rather than do it in the middle of the hall, he pulled her out of the Great Hall Instead. And after a short snog session, he gave her a quill that would send her to the same location he would be at later.
“I know this wasn’t part of the original plan, so I didn’t want the other to see us breaking the plan a slight bit,” Sirius explained.
Jasmine smiled and nodded. “Wouldn’t want the others to know what we’re up to,” Jasmine smirked before giving her boyfriend a kiss. “We better go now, wouldn’t want to be later to class.”
Sirius smiled at Jasmine, taking her hand as the walked to class together. It was nice to have a bit of alone time because of how rarely they have been privy to it as of late. And even though they weren’t truly alone, it was nice to just be together without the other Marauders interrupting them.
As the day continued, the Marauders only got more excited. They tried to hide their enthusiasm as best they could as not to let on that they had something planned, but it got harder as noon approached. Some of the students were starting to be wary of what the day could hold, especially those that knew the Marauders well. But soon it would all be over, and really the Marauders almost couldn’t wait.
By the time it was almost noon and time for their prank, everything was all set and in place. James had made sure to swing by the kitchens to check on if the house elves had made sure to use the serving spoons and utensils that they gave them to use for lunch when they were preparing for the meal (they had). Meanwhile, Remus and Sirius had given out most of the quills they had. It was all going according to plan, and it appeared that they would be able to pull this all off without a hitch. That is until just before lunch, Jaz came running up to Sirius looking rather frantic.
Jasmine, who had a free period before lunch, had been tasked with making sure the locations they had set were still set to hold the amount of people that were to be there around lunch time. As she was checking around the potions’ classroom, she ran into Snape and some of the other unsavory Slytherins Snape hung out with. The exchange did not go over well, which she knew was not what they needed right now. So, after the incident with the Slytherins, Jasmine ran to go find Sirius. And that is how Sirius found himself walking down the corridor and only to suddenly get an armful of Jasmine.
“Mare? What are you doing here? I thought you we were supposed to meet up in the Great Hall.” Sirius was worried. This wasn’t something Jasmine typically did.
Jasmine, having had her head buried in Sirius’s cloak, pulled back so she could answer him. She had tear tracks on her face, but before Sirius could say anything about it, Jasmine spoke up. “I was down by the potions’ classroom checking to make sure it would still do for our plan and such. Well, as I was leaving, I ran into Snape and some other Slytherins. The wanted to know what I was doing down by the dungeons. Of course, I didn’t tell them my real reason for being down there, but they were convinced that it had something to do with a prank. Evidently, we didn’t hide our excitement for the prank very well. They were convinced I had done something to their common room of something. They cornered me and I don’t know what they could have done if Slughorn hadn’t happened to come by at that very moment. And I will say that I wasn’t sure I could manage them all by myself. There were like 5 of them against just me. As I left though, because I wasn’t about to let them off that easy, I cast a nonverbal jinx on Snape. I would have done the others too, but I didn’t want to get caught.” Jasmine took a breath before continuing. “Anyway, I got out of there as soon as I could and went to find you. I really just needed a hug, so I’m glad I found you rather quickly, Sirius.”
Sirius was angry. He couldn’t believe those Slytherins had the nerve to threaten his girlfriend. But he knew it would get them nowhere if he went after them now. It was just not worth it (at least at this point). He would have to get his revenge later, although, Jasmine already did get them back a little, so that was something. “I’m so sorry, Mare. But I’m glad you are okay and that Slughorn was there before anything could happen. Also, I can’t wait to see Snivellus’s face after the jinx you used.” Sirius pecked her on the lips and took her hand. He started to lead them toward the Great Hall. “Also, I can’t wait to see his face when he suddenly disappears a lunch, at least I hope that is when he disappears. It would be rather disappointing to not see that happen.”
Jasmine nudged him in the side, but that didn’t do much to knock down Sirius’s spirit. He couldn’t help but feel that the Slytherins deserved what was about to come to them and the rest of the school. It would be pretty amazing to watch half of the student body (or at least a quarter), disappear in a few minutes. The rest wouldn’t happen until later as the other items that they enchanted to be portkeys (the doorknobs and quills) would have to be used first before they would activate.
Now the way that this was supposed to work was that Remus and Peter were going to disappear at lunch in the Great Hall as to not arouse suspicion. Originally Jasmine was going to disappear as well, but well Sirius had changed that. Plus, he didn’t really want her going off without him, especially if any of the Slytherins tried to corner her again for some kind of revenge on Snape. Later in class, when Lily would evidently use the quill James gave her (as she has been using it all day), James would disappear too, but not immediately after as that would raise suspicion. Rather he would wait a few moments before disappearing by breaking his quill and getting out a new one, which will end up being a portkey. Then in class, as Sirius is opening the door to go inside (having been early for once) he will disappear. It won’t be until Jasmine starts using her quill that Sirius gave her that she too will disappear due to the portkey. And hopefully, no one will be able to prove that they were the ones that orchestrated this whole thing.
Jasmine and Sirius entered the Great Hall and joined the other Marauders at the Gryffindor table. It was just in time too because soon after they took their seats, some of the students disappeared. At first no one noticed that anything was going on as most of the student body was there. It took a couple dozen more students and a bit of screaming from their friends before people started to notice that something was going on. And soon after that, Remus and Peter both disappeared, which “freaked out” the other Marauders. They started “panicking” about their friends disappearing in thin air. By the time it was “over” (meaning all the portkeys that were in place had been used), about a third of the students had disappeared. Also, Dumbledore had stood up and quieted the Great Hall down. “Now students, I assure you that we are just as concerned as you are about where the missing students have gone. We will do our best to find them quickly. Rest assured, I am sure they are not hurt or injured.”
Before Dumbledore could say anymore, a student rushed in. They were one of the first ones to disappear when the portkeys had activated. “Don’t worry. I’m okay. My fork was a portkey for some odd reason.”
Dumbledore glanced toward the Gryffindor table. Jasmine caught his eye and could have sworn she saw a twinkle in it. “Well, there you have it. It appears as though the whole this is some elaborate prank. I believe that the other missing students have also been transported to places by portkeys that replaced the usual items at the tables. I’m sure they will all return soon. For now, you may all continue on with your meals as there is nothing to worry about.” Dumbledore took his seat back at the faculty able and resumed his conversation with McGonagall, but not before throwing a wink toward the Gryffindor table, specifically in the direction of the Marauders.
Jasmine, who saw the wink, said to James and Sirius, “Dumbledore knows. I don’t know how he knows, but he does. He just winked at us.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” said James. “Who else would have dared pull off a prank like this? Dumbledore’s not stupid after all. He’s headmaster for a reason.”
Jasmine couldn’t argue with that logic and decided to just drop the issue. Even if Dumbledore knew it was them, there was no way he could prove it. They hadn’t left any evidence behind that would tie it to them. Even the quills couldn’t be tied to them as they looked like every other quill. So, Jaz decided it was best not to question it and decided to just continue eating her lunch. It was about 10 minutes later before Peter and Remus rejoined them as did the rest of the students who had disappeared. For the rest of the meal, Peter and Remus filled the other Marauders in on what happened in the location that they went to. It was actually rather comical at how freaked out everyone was until they realized they hadn’t actually left the castle or the grounds at all. Once they figured that out, the students were rather actually annoyed that they had to now walk all the way back to the Great Hall.
Overall, their prank was going over quite well. Though, just as they were leaving the Great Hall to head to class, James remembered, “Hey, Jazzy, weren’t you supposed to disappear at lunch as well? What happened?”
Jasmine glanced at Sirius before turning back to James, “Well, I know it wasn’t part of the original plan, but you gave a quill to Lily so you would be stuck together. I felt that was unfair, so Pads gave me a quill so that we will be together as well. Also, I ran into some Slytherins earlier who were might suspicious and I’d rather not chance being alone so they can corner me again.”
“Wait, what? When did that happen?" James asked, but he was talking to no one as Sirius and Jasmine were running down the hallway toward their shared class. James rolled his eyes and followed after them. He would just have to ask Jasmine about it later as he planned his revenge with Sirius.
It didn’t take James very long to reach his next class. He took his seat next to Lily and took out a quill he knew was not the portkey along with the other stuff he needed to take notes. Luckily it was only History of Magic, so he doubted that Binns would even notice if anyone went missing. It was going to be an interesting class period. James almost wished he could see what would be happening in the other classes too.
It wasn’t long before students started to disappear and soon Lily, who had been sitting next to James was gone. A few moments later, James’s quill broke, and he took out his portkey quill. Not long after, he disappeared too. And during all of this, Binns didn’t notice a single thing. Nobody interrupted him either, despite some of the students freaking out that their desk mate disappeared. It wasn’t as bad as in the Great Hall though, as many of the students were sure that this was also the work of the Marauders and a continuation of their prank.
Meanwhile, James was now in that random empty classroom with Lily and a few other students, none of whom he really recognized. Most of the students were aware of what had happened at lunch. One of them even cried out, “Not again! This just happened to me at lunch.” That almost broke James. He couldn’t believe they had managed to get someone twice. That was just pure luck, and it was hilarious. Too bad James didn’t have time to enjoy the hilarity of that statement as he now had an angry Lily glaring at him. And at that moment, James knew he was in trouble.
Lily had heard about what had happened at lunch. She hadn’t made it to the Great Hall as she had been doing a bit of revising in the library, which was when she found out about what had happened at lunch. She had overheard it from some students who had suddenly appeared in the restricted section of the library. Lily heard them talking about portkeys and how they had only just been in the Great Hall moments ago when this all happened. Thankfully it seemed as though Madam Prince understood that it was not their fault that they had ended up in the restricted section without a note from a teacher. But what Lily got out of what she overheard was that the Marauders had pulled off one incredibly advanced prank. Plus, given that there wasn’t much time left in the term, Lily assumed this was their last hurrah. She had to admit, it was a pretty good prank. But now as she was standing in what appeared to be an empty classroom, she was pissed off. She couldn’t believe them. Then when James appeared the same way she had, she knew exactly whose idea this was.
Lily marched over to James and dragged him right out of the room. But as soon as she exited the room, Lily wasn’t exactly sure where they were right away. So, James decided to take over from there. He dragged her into a different empty classroom and cast a few spells and charms so that no one would hear them. James didn’t really want any nosy students hearing his girlfriend chew him out.
After James was done casting his spells and such, he turned back to an angry Lily. He tried his best to look innocent, but he knew that it was pointless at this point. Lily marched right up to him, and James braced himself. Instead of getting a punch like he expected, Lily pulled him into a kiss. Now James wasn’t complaining, but he was incredibly confused.
Lily pulled back after a few moments. “James Potter, I can’t believe you. How could you do this when you know how worried about NEWTs?!”
James still a bit confused didn’t reply right away. “Hold up. So, you are angry with me?”
“Only a little bit. It is incredibly annoying that you chose now to do this, but I really needed a break. I think I’ve been going a bit too hard with my revising for NEWTs. So, I appreciate that you did this and made sure that you would be with me.” Lily kissed him on the cheek. “Now, fill me in on the whole prank. I know this morning I wanted nothing to do with it but given how I saw students coming out of the restricted section of the library earlier and that is not where we are now, I want to know everything. How did the five of you manage to come up with such an elaborate prank and send people to different locations around the castle?”
James smiled down at Lily. “Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” James started. Then he went on to explain to Lily all about the plan and how it was Jasmine’s idea. He told her how long it had taken them to figure out how to set everything up and plan it. “And we were doing this while also revising for our NEWTs,” James ended with.
“I’m impressed you all managed to pull off such a prank. This is amazing.” Lily smiled. “We better get back to class now though. I’m sure that some of our other classmates that disappeared have returned by now.” Lily grabbed James’s hand and led them out of the room, but soon remembered that she wasn’t entirely sure where exactly they were. “Wait, where are we exactly?”
“An empty classroom on the third floor. Don’t worry, I know the way back to History of Magic,” James answered as he started to lead Lily toward History of Magic.
Later when Sirius and Jasmine both disappeared, they also delayed their return to their class in the way that James and Lily had. Though, there delay was mainly due to them snogging rather than an explanation. It was rather nice that they were able to actually have a little bit of alone time again.
By the time everyone convened in the Great Hall for dinner, the prank was the talk of the school. Everyone was sure that it had been the Marauders who had pulled it off. Most students were amazed at the complexity of the prank. They didn’t know that the Marauders had it in them to pull off such a complicated prank. Other students (mainly the Slytherins) were just annoyed at refused to speak of the prank as anything more than a distraction. Some other students also felt that it was a bit annoying, but they also were amazed by the prank. Plus, in the end most students felt it was definitely something that they needed as the school year was coming to a close in a few weeks’ time.
Meanwhile, the Marauders were just glad that the prank went off without a real hitch. Everything went according to plan. Now all that was left was to finish out their final term strong and make sure they lose the Marauders’ Map to Filch. Hopefully they were able to accomplish both of those without any issue as well.
Notes:
Well, that wasn’t exactly how I originally thought this chapter would go, but I think it turned out pretty good. And despite it being almost 4 months since I last updated, it didn’t take too long to actually write this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I got one more chapter left of this ‘book’. I am hoping to have that one done by sometime next week (maybe even tomorrow). I have several parts of the chapter already planned and some even written out already. So, it shouldn’t take me too long to write that chapter, but who knows?
Peace Out,
Knk6700
Chapter 14: Recruitment
Summary:
Now that the Marauders (including Jasmine) have ensured that no one will forget them at Hogwarts anytime soon, they need to focus on finishing the school year on a good note. Plus, they still have a few tricks up their sleeves before they leave for good. But what happens when they all, along with Lily, get called up to the headmaster’s office. What could Dumbledore possibly want from the six of them?
Notes:
A/N I’ve finally made it. Yay! This chapter is basically the chapter I have been wanting to write the most since I started this sequel story. Mainly because I had already written some scenes for it, and I had so many notes for what I wanted to happen in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I had fun writing it.
Also, as a side note because I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, the idea for the prank came from “Top 25 Pranks of the Marauders” by darshitshah009 on Wattpad. The food fight idea was also from that same story, so I appreciate the inspiration and the ideas.Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Chapter 14: Recruitment
Finally, NEWTs were over and done with and now the Marauder and Lily could finally relax and enjoy their final days at Hogwarts. Over the past couple weeks since the infamous portkey fiasco as it has been dubbed, the Marauders have been busy revising and studying for their NEWTs. Though, they are quite proud that students are still talking about their amazing prank even several weeks later. It was an amazing feeling to be the talk of the school.
Anyway, the Marauders and Lily were enjoying their time until their final end-of-term feast at Hogwarts by enjoying a nice day out by the Black Lake. They were lazing out under a tree just enjoying doing nothing for once after the weeks and weeks of revising and studying. It was nice to finally be able to enjoy themselves and not have to worry about exams or what the future held. They needn’t worry, despite the fact that by this same time tomorrow, they would be heading back to London on the Hogwarts Express for the final time. It was actually quite a daunting thing to think about but something none of them really wanted to think about at the moment. Right now, they were enjoying living in the moment (and also the prospect of the food fight they would “accidentally start” later that night).
Eventually, it started to get dark, and the Marauders and Lily had to go back inside and get ready for their last end-of-term feast. This one was sure to be one none of them would soon forget, thanks in part to the food fight.
Soon enough, Lily, Jasmine, and the rest of the Marauders were heading down to the Great Hall for the last time (as far as they knew). All their stuff had been packed away in their trunks. James had gotten his owl from the owlery earlier. Overall, they were all set to leave Hogwarts the following morning and head out into the unknown scary world that awaited them.
The beginning of the end-of term feast was nice enough. The Marauders were joking around, and the girls were making plans to meet up soon. It was going well, at least until half-way through the feast, when suddenly out of nowhere, a dish floated up in the air and tipped over onto an unsuspecting Severus Snape (Sirius had to have his revenge after all). After that, a voice (read: James) shouted: “FOOD FIGHT!” and all hell broke loose. Suddenly food was flying across the hall in every which way. It was a mess, but also the best thing ever (for the students, not so much for Filch who was staring in horror at the mess he was going to have to clean up).
As the food fight continued, Filch got angrier and angrier because the longer it lasted the more of a mess it made for him to eventually clean up. The caretaker knew just who was responsible too, so he started to march toward the Gryffindor table where the Marauders were currently sitting. Sirius spotted Filch coming first and signaled to the others to initiate the next part of their plan, which was to basically scatter. And scatter they did, but as they did so, James made sure to “accidentally” drop the cleared Marauders’ Map so that Filch would see it. He only hoped the caretaker would be more interested in the parchment than he was in catching them. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. Instead of going after any of the boys or Jasmine, Filch decided to confiscate the parchment that had fallen out of James’s pocket. He had assumed that it was something bad or at least something to do with their many pranks that irritated him to no end. Whatever it was, he was going to be keeping it in a safe place.
While Filch was distracted, the Marauders snuck out of the Great Hall to wait until the food fight had dies down a bit before they returned. Sirius was going to spend this time with Jasmine until he happened to notice his little brother Regulus sneaking out of the Great Hall. Regulus seemed to be looking for someone too, but Sirius couldn’t be sure as to who it could be that is until Regulus spoke. “Sirius? I know you’re out here. I need to speak with you.”
Sirius had been hiding just around the corner with Jasmine in case Regulus was actually just coming out there to get them in trouble. Upon hearing his brother call for him, he stepped out from around the corner. “Reg, I’m right here. What is it you want to talk about?”
Regulus glanced around as if to check if anyone else was listening. “Not here. Come with me, please.”
Sirius shot a glance back to where Jasmine was still hiding. He almost wanted her to come with, but he could feel that what his brother wanted to tell him, Regulus wouldn’t talk about with Jasmine or anyone else around. So, Sirius nodded and followed Regulus outside of the castle into the cold night air.
As they walked, Regulus thought about why he was doing this. While he was sitting at the Slytherin table during the end-of-term feast before the food fight started, Regulus couldn’t help but look over to the Gryffindor table where his brother was sitting. He saw Sirius was laughing and joking around with Potter and his other friends. He had his arm around Jasmine, whom he hadn’t spoken too since before the Christmas holidays, which only further reminded Regulus as to why he wanted to talk to hie brother.
Regulus saw that Sirius was so happy, and that only made Regulus sadder. He hadn’t spoken to Sirius much over the past term. He just always seemed to be incredibly busy. It made Reg miss Sirius in a way and almost made him wish that Sirius had never left home. It made Reg wish that Sirius hadn’t been sorted into Gryffindor and be the first Black in history to ever be a Gryffindor. And well, maybe if he and Sirius had talked more before the Christmas holidays, Regulus wouldn’t have needed to talk with Sirius right now. For that reason, among others, Regulus knew that he needed to talk to Sirius once again before he left for good. This would be the last chance that he would get to see his brother, at least for a long time, if at all.
As they approached the Black Lake, Regulus decided that they were far enough away from any prying ears and stopped just short of the shore of the lake. He looked up at his elder brother who was standing next to him, now, and before saying anything, Regulus double checked to make sure that they were in fact alone. He really didn’t want anyone interrupting them or overhearing them. It appeared that they were alone, though. None of the Marauders had followed them out, including Jasmine at least as far as Regulus could tell.
So, once Regulus was sure the coast was clear, he took a seat on the ground. Then, he gestured for Sirius to join him on the ground. Soon the two brothers were sitting in companionable silence staring out at the Black Lake. It was several minutes before Regulus finally spoke up. “I’m going to miss you, Siri,” Regulus admitted using the nickname he used for his elder brother when they were younger.
Sirius spoke up after a few minutes. “I’m going to miss you too, Reg. I wish I had taken you with me when I ran away and left that horrid house. I never wanted to leave you there.”
Regulus smiled sadly at Sirius. “I wouldn’t have gone with you, Siri. I couldn’t have gone. I’m not like you Sirius. I’m not as brave. I’m no Gryffindor, despite what that dreaded hat might think.”
This catches Sirius’s attention. He isn’t sure what Regulus means, and he is about to ask, but suddenly, James comes up and interrupts their moment.
The head boy had gone to find Sirius and Jasmine to tell them the coast was clear to go back into the Great Hall, but he hadn’t found either of them where he thought they would be. And since they had already lost the map, James couldn’t even check that to see where his two friends had gone. So, James went to look for them and decided to start by looking outside. He figured that they might have gone outside to have some alone time without any interruption. And so that is when James spotted Sirius sitting and talking with someone by the Black Lake, at least he thought it was Sirius. He couldn’t be sure until he got closer since they were so far away, and it was dark outside. So, James slowly approached the two, and when he was sure it was Sirius, threw caution to the wind about who the other person was and walked right up to them, interrupting their conversation.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of them, Jasmine was standing a little bit away from Sirius and Regulus as she followed them outside of the castle. She still didn’t trust the Slytherin boy even if he was Sirius’s brother. She didn’t want anything to happen to Sirius. But she knew by Regulus’s hesitation to tell Sirius whatever it was that she couldn’t be seen. So, she had cast a disillusionment charm on herself once she was outside and moved slowly so she wouldn’t be spotted. She hid in the shadows when James came and interrupted the moment between the Black brothers.
“Hey, Padfoot,” James greeted. “What are you doing…” The question died in his throat upon seeing Regulus. James smiled at the younger Black, and just to mess with Sirius he winked at Regulus because he is just that type of person even if he is with Lily now. He couldn’t miss a chance to mess with his best mate. James was so occupied with watching Sirius's reaction and Sirius was so busy glaring at James (both for interrupting their moment and winking at his brother) that neither of them saw the slight blush that crept onto Regulus’s face after James winked at him. Jasmine didn’t catch the blush either as she was too far away to see it. But she did slap herself on the forehead because she couldn’t believe how stupid James was for interrupting them like that.
Eventually, James turned his attention back to the younger Black to greet him properly. “Hey, Reggie.” James had always called Regulus, Reggie ever since he first met the boy on the train in their second year. ‘Reggie’ was James’s personal nickname for the boy because he believed it pissed him off, and it did. Though at times, Regulus almost found it endearing, but he hated himself for thinking such a thing. It was annoying this slight attraction that he felt for Potter at times, especially when he wanted to hate James for corrupting his only brother.
Upon greeting the boy, James attempted to pull Sirius up and drag him away since they needed to get back to the Great Hall. They couldn’t have it look suspicious that they were the only ones absent once the food fight was over. Plus, James still had to find Jasmine. But James’s attempts were stopped as he finally realized that he interrupted something between the two brothers. So, he apologized, “Sorry, boys. Didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll be going now. I just wanted to let you know that the coast is clear, Sirius. And also, to ask if you knew where Jazzy was, but I’ll just find her on my own.” James backed away from the brothers before finally turning away and heading back up to the castle. He resigned himself to being in the dark for the moment. He figured that Sirius would tell him about what happened with his brother later, but for now, James would keep it to himself. Since Sirius hadn’t told them about his rendezvous with Regulus until this past year, James assumed he would want to keep this one quiet, at least for now. Anyway, James had other things to worry about like where Jasmine had wandered off too.
Instead of following James back into the castle, Jasmine decided to stay. This seemed more important than letting James waste time looking for her when she was actually just there. Jasmine would definitely have to ask James about what happened when he interrupted Regulus and Sirius. She was a bit too far away to hear anything really. The only reason she was staying was because she wanted to be there for Sirius afterward because she had a feeling that whatever Regulus wanted to tell his brother, would not be received well. Also, she wanted to make sure that Regulus didn’t try anything, though she doubted that he would.
Sirius, once James was out of earshot, brought the conversation back to what they were talking about before James had rudely interrupted them. He turns and looks Regulus right in the eye and asks, “What did you mean by ‘despite what that dreaded hat might think’? Are you trying to tell me that hesitation from the sorting hat during your sorting meant that you were almost sorted into Gryffindor?”
“What else did you think I meant, moron?”
Sirius stares at his younger brother. “What?!” He couldn’t believe what he was just now learning about.
“Yeah, and I chose to go to Slytherin because I remember how our parents treated you after you were sorted into Gryffindor. I was only 11 years old, and I couldn’t bear to go through the same abuse our parents put you through, so I told the hat to put me in Slytherin. I wish I hadn’t. I wish I had been brave like you and stand up to our parents.”
Sirius just stared at his younger brother for several minutes, not saying anything. He couldn’t believe what his brother was telling him. He couldn’t comprehend what he was being told. “Reg, it’s okay. You were 11 years old after all and had seen what I had to go through for the past year. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone, especially not you, little brother.” Sirius smiled sadly at his younger brother. “It’s not too late, though, Reg. You don’t have to keep staying in that house. You can come and stay with me and Jaz in the place we bought together.”
Regulus smiled sadly at Sirius. “I wish I could, Siri, but it’s too late now. I made some really bad choices that I wish I hadn’t made now.” Regulus looked around them to make sure no one else was watching. He hadn’t noticed Jasmine who was still hidden by the disillusionment charm she had cast. Seeing no one, Regulus pulled up the sleeve of his robes. Sirius gasped upon seeing the dark mark upon his brother’s arm. “You see, Sirius, I can’t. I wish I could come live with you, but I just can’t. I can’t put you in that kind of danger even if I already put myself in that kind of danger.”
Sirius could feel the tears prickling in his eyes, but he was determined not to cry, especially in front of his brother. “Oh, Reg!” Sirius pulled the other Black into a hug. “I wish you had told me about this before you went and did it.” Sirius was regretting leaving Regulus behind when he ran away to the Potters. He had never felt more regret or guilt about his choice to leave Regulus than right at that moment.
“I know, Sirius. I wish I had too. I just got in too deep, and I didn’t see another way. Plus you were a bit busy at the time what with you just having made up with Jasmine.” Regulus hugged his brother back before pulling away. “I have to go Sirius, but I’m glad I got to see you one last time before you left.” And with that Regulus got up and slipped back into the castle, with only James and Sirius (and Jaz) knowing that he was there.
After Regulus left and was safely back in the castle and out of sight, Jasmine reversed the disillusionment charm. Instead of waiting for Sirius to come to her, she walked over to him and took Regulus spot that he had only vacated moments ago. They sat in silence for quite a while before Sirius finally spoke up. “I’ve lost him, Jaz. Despite everything that I’ve tried to do to keep him away from all that darkness, it didn’t work.”
“Pads? What are you talking about? What happened? What did Regulus need to talk to you about?”
Sirius turned to Jasmine, a few tears having escaped by now, and he whispered, “He signed up with you-know-who. He got the mark of his followers, which based on what I heard from my cousin Bellatrix before I left is called a Dark Mark. There is nothing I can do for him now.” And that is when Sirius broke. He cried into Jasmine as they sat there. It wasn’t much longer before he stopped crying, knowing that they needed to get back to the Great Hall before they were caught. And as they slowly made their way back to the castle, Sirius told Jasmine everything. He needed to get it out and tell someone. He would later tell James about it as well, but that was it. They were the only two to know about his brother’s appearance, and Sirius intended to keep it that way. He didn’t need it getting out that Reg was questioning his loyalties to you-know-who. He was afraid for his brother’s safety and wished that he had a way to get him out, though he was sure there was no way now without the man himself coming after them. For now, he would just have to worry at a distance. Hopefully, he wouldn’t lose touch with Regulus all together.
By the time Sirius and Jasmine returned to the Great Hall, the food fight was basically over. What was left was a huge mess and tons of food everywhere. Most of the food that had been on the tables was on the walls and floors of the Great Hall. Basically, it was a disaster.
As soon as everyone had settled done some and most everyone was back in a seat if not their original seat, Dumbledore stood up and the whole hall quieted. “*Ahem* That was quite a way to end a term I must say. And I see some of you had more fun than others.” Dumbledore glanced over at some of the students who were completely covered in food, lots of whom were Slytherins. “Despite all of that and the fact that this was an excellent way for you to let off steam, I expect this not to happen again. I best no see anyone attempt this in the future lest he or she face possible detention upon returning to Hogwarts. Also, they will be forced to clean up the Great Hall in its entirety without using magic. Thus, unless you want to face those consequences, this shall not happen again.” Dumbledore smiled. “Though, for this time only, that won’t be the case as I am unsure exactly who the perpetrator or perpetrators are, but I am sure that they, whoever they are, will not be attempting something like this again.” And with that, Dumbledore waved his wand, and the mess was gone. He thought he would save the poor caretaker some work this time as the Great Hall was in a terrible state.
“On a separate note, it was a wonderful term. I look forward to seeing the returning students back here come September. Otherwise, I hope you all have a wonderful summer holiday.” Dumbledore retook his seat. And as soon as he did, students started to file out of the Great Hall. Some would need to wash up before going to bed and others had a bit of last minute packing to do. The Marauders had planned to have one last night together in the Room of Requirement, something that before they left, Sirius promised to show them all. Little did all of them know, those plans would soon change once they reached the Gryffindor common room.
Upon entering the common room, James went up to the boys’ dorm to get his invisibility cloak. They would need to be extra careful not to get caught since they no longer had the Marauders’ Map. But upon entering the dorm room, James found letters on each of their beds with their names on them. So, he gathered all of them and took them down to the common room to the rest of the boys. “Hey, guys, I found these on our beds. Not sure who they are from but there is one addressed to each of us,” James said to the boys.
James handed out the letter and the boys immediately opened them. Meanwhile, Lily looked over James’s shoulder and Jasmine over Sirius’s shoulder.
The Letter simply read:
Please report to the Headmaster’s office as soon as you receive this letter.
It wasn’t signed or anything. This not only confused but also worried the boys. “Do you think that he is actually going to punish us for that food fight? I thought he said he wouldn’t be punishing anybody!” Peter stated rather nervously.
“If he was going to punish us Peter, Jazzy would have gotten a letter too,” James said.
“Well, I don’t know if I got a letter yet Prongs. I haven’t actually checked my dorm yet,” Jasmine said. Then she promptly went up to her dorm room only to find it empty with a letter on her bed as well as Lily’s. She grabbed both and headed back to the common room. As she came down the stair she announced, “I got a letter too, but so did Lily. So, as long as hers says the same thing, I am sure that this isn’t about the food fight.” Jasmine handed Lily her letter as soon as she reached her cousin. Both ripped open the letters only to find the same message written on there as the boys had on theirs. “There, it isn’t about the food fight. But we best get down to Dumbledore’s office. Guess the Room will have to wait until later.”
And so the group exited the common room and headed toward the headmasters office. It didn’t take long as they knew all the shortcuts to get there quickly. Though, as they approached the office, they realized that none of them actually knew the password to get up to Dumbledore’s office. It turned out they didn’t need to know though as when they reached the entrance it opened for them as if it was waiting for them. Soirée was odd, but even so the six Gryffindors still headed up the stairs to find out what this mysterious meeting was about.
Upon entering Dumbledore’s office, they found they weren’t the only 7th years to receive a mysterious note from the headmaster. Also in the office we’re Lily and Jasmine’s dorm mates (Marlene, Alice, and Mary). There were also a few scattered students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well as a few other Gryffindors. There weren’t any Slytherins there though, and hey were about to find out why when Dumbledore appeared coming down the steps in his office.
“Welcome, welcome. I’m so glad you all could make it. I see you all received my letter. I apologize for any confusion they may have caused, but you see I needed to keep this meeting a secret thus the late hour and the unsigned notes. I wouldn’t want anyone else outside this room to know about this.” Dumbledore paused and smiled before continuing. “Now as for why I’ve called you all here. Well, now that is quite simple. As I’m sure you all know, a war is being fought outside these walls. And well, there is a group I have established called the Order of the Phoenix. I’m telling you this because I want to extend an invitation to each of you to join the Order and fight against Voldemort and his followers. I’ve chosen you all specifically because you are the best and the Order would be lucky to have you join us.
“Now you don’t have to give me your answer tonight, but I expect an answer within the next week. If you don’t give an answer tonight, you may owl me. Otherwise, you all are dismissed. I expect you to go straight back to your dorms after you leave.” Dumbledore glanced over at the Marauders before saying that last bit. A twinkle could be seen in his eye as he smiled at them.
As soon as Dumbledore was finished talking, chatter broke out amongst the students who were present. Many of the student were debating amongst themselves about whether they should accept Dumbledore’s invitation/proposal. Many were on the fence and decided to sleep on it. They figured a clear head would give them the clarity to make the decision they felt was best. Other students thought about it and gave their answers to the headmaster before they left his office. That included Mary, Alice, and Marlene, all of whom accepted Dumbledore’s invitation to join the Order. Alice had already knew she would join as Frank was also in the order.
Soon everyone was gone and all that were left were the Marauders and Lily. Now they hadn’t stayed because they still hadn’t decided. No, rather they had all taken one look at each other after Dumbledore announced his invitation and all knew immediately what their answers would be. They had actually only stayed because they wanted to give their answer to Dumbledore after everyone had left. They liked the headmaster, and rather than offhandedly give him their answer, they wanted to make it more sincere. So, they waited until they were the last ones left.
Once the 6 of them were all that were left, they approached Dumbledore. James grabbed Lily’s hand and Sirius grabbed Jasmine’s as they approached the Headmaster’s desk. As head boy and head girls, James and Lily stepped forward. As they did so, Sirius gave Jaz’s hand a little squeeze. “Dumbledore, we have decided we would all be honored to join the Order and fight the good fight,” Lily said, rather proudly.
Dumbledore smiled, “I figured you 6 would join. Now there a few things that you must know, but we will go over those things at the first meeting you all come to. I’m sure Mad-Eye will appreciate some more skilled duelers to help with missions and such. Otherwise, I will send you all messages on when that meeting will be, so be on the lookout. It won’t come by owl though. I fear owls can be intercepted. Rather it will come in a different for, just be prepared for the message. Otherwise, you may all go back to Gryffindor tower. It was a pleasure being your Headmaster.” The 6 of them started to head out, when Dumbledore remembered something. “Oh, Miss Dupont, would you mind staying back for a moment. I have something I would like to discuss with you before you go.”
Jasmine glanced over a Sirius. She kind of wanted him to stay. She was getting nervous and quite anxious about what lie ahead. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that she was leaving Hogwarts for good. And well, having Sirius just be there has really helped assure her that everything is going to be fine. As long as she had him, everything would be alright. Though, given Dumbledore only asked her to stay, Jasmine reluctantly let go of Sirius’s hand. She shot him a look that hopefully conveyed ‘I’m going to be alright.’ And with that the only people left in the headmaster’s office were Dumbledore and Jasmine.
“Come, child. Take a seat.” Dumbledore smiled and motioned toward the chair across from his desk. “You needn’t be nervous. I just wanted to have a chat. I haven’t actually been able to talk to you much since you started here 3 years ago. I hope Hogwarts was as accommodating as Beauxbatons. I know it’s not the same, but I hope you at least enjoyed your time here while it lasted.”
Jasmine hadn’t been expecting this topic of conversation but indulged in it, nonetheless. “Sir, it was wonderful. I almost don’t want to leave. I think I’ve enjoyed my three years here almost more than I enjoyed my time at Beauxbatons. That’s not to say that I didn’t love Beauxbatons, but rather that I met some of my best friends here. I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything else in the world.”
“Ah, yes. I see. And from what I have observed, you have also met what I can only assume is the love of your life. You and Mr. Black have something special; I can tell. He loves you very much from what I’ve seen.” Dumbledore smiled. “Though, that is not why I wanted to speak with you, but as I look at the time, it seems a bit too late. I will have to speak with you about this another time. So, off to bed with you, Miss Dupont. You don’t want to be tired for your train ride back to London tomorrow.”
Dumbledore started to usher Jasmine out of his office. “Wait, but what was it that you wanted to talk with me about? Please, I would like to know before I go to bed.”
Dumbledore sighed. “Dear girl, if you don’t know that, then I see we didn’t really have anything to talk about. I just assumed you might know something about your father’s work. I see that is not the case.” Dumbledore smiled sadly before closing his door, leaving Jasmine to ponder outside about what he meant about her knowing something about her father’s work. She thought about it all the way back to Gryffindor tower. She would have to see what the others thought about this parting thought Dumbledore left her with in the morning. Too bad they never got the chance to go to the Room of Requirement. Maybe they would come back some day when their children were at Hogwarts, and then Jasmine and Sirius could show there friends the Room. And with that parting thought, Jasmine entered the Gryffindor common room and found her friends waiting for her.
“What are you all still doing up? It is quite late. We should probably get to bed,” Jasmine told them.
They had all been sitting around the fireplace with their backs to the entrance, all except Sirius who was watching the entrance waiting for Jasmine to appear. When she did appear, Sirius stood up and started walking toward her. Everyone else stayed seated but turned toward Jaz as she spoke. Sirius, walking toward her, answered her question though. “We we’re waiting for you. What did Dumbledore want to talk to you about?” Sirius asked, as he led Jasmine over to the fireplace where everyone else was. She took a seat on Sirius’s lap. She really needed to be close to him, especially after Dumbledore had just brought up her father.
Upon taking her seat, Jasmine “answered” her boyfriend’s question. “Well, I planned on telling you all on the train tomorrow morning. I assumed you would have all gone to bed. It is quite late and after all, we don’t want to oversleep.”
Sirius sighed as did Lily. Jasmine was obviously avoiding the question, which meant that Dumbledore asked her about something personal. And given how much Jaz was cuddling into Sirius, the headmaster likely asked her something about her family. Given that, Sirius figured they would have to wait until morning to get their answer as to what Dumbledore asked Jasmine about. So, instead of pushing her, they all said goodnight and headed up to their dorm rooms for the last time, all except Sirius and Jasmine. Sirius couldn’t actually leave until Jaz got up off of him, but he didn’t mind. Rather he shooed the rest of them away until it was just the two of them left in the common room.
Once they were alone, Sirius whispered in Jaz’s ear, “Mare, love, would you rather sleep in our dorm room tonight or your own bed?”
Jasmine smiled and lifted her head up from Sirius’s chest to look him in the eye. “See that right there is one of the many reasons I love you, Sirius Black.” Jasmine said. “But that said despite how much I would love to cuddle with you tonight, I really want to sleep with the girls. It’s the last time I’ll get to do so. Soon you’ll have me all to yourself, but for tonight, I’d like to sleep in my own bed.” And with that, Jasmine got up off Sirius.
Jaz turned and helped Sirius up before pulling him in for a kiss goodnight. As they broke apart, Sirius whispered on her lips, “I love you too Jasmine Dupont.” And then they parted ways and headed up to their dorm rooms for the last time ever (or so they thought).
Jasmine fell asleep with thoughts about Sirius and her father. What Dumbledore had said had really gotten to her and she just could shake the feeling that there was more to her father’s feather than what she had been told.
It wasn’t long before the 7th years were heading to the train station at Hogsmeade via the boats as they had their first year coming to Hogwarts. Now Jasmine had never been on the boats as she had taken the carriages up to Hogwarts when she first arrived, so this whole thing was a new experience for her. And what an experience it was. She finally got a view of the whole Hogwarts castle (at least for the most part). It was absolutely breathtaking and something she wished she could have seen earlier. And whole Jasmine was taking in this whole new experience, Sirius was right by her side, holding her hand. He was admire Jasmine and all of her beauty, which was really something as he watched her awe over her first time on the boats. Also in the boat with them were Lily and James. Not far behind them in another boat we’re Remus and Peter with Mary and Marlene.
Before they all knew it though, their boat ride was complete, and they had officially left Hogwarts for good. It was a sad moment, and they would miss the wizardry school, but what they gained from their time would be something none of them would soon forget.
Not long after the Hogwarts Express was off, and they were headed back to London. And as the 6 of them all sat there in the compartment, they all shared, 5 of them all had one thing on there mind: ‘What had Dumbledore wanted to talk to Jasmine about?’ They would soon get their answer.
About a half an hour into their journey, Jasmine decided they had waited long enough. “Okay, I know you all are wondering what it is Dumbledore wanted to talk to me about. And you see, even I’m not clear about what he wanted to talk to me about. He didn’t actually end up talking to me about anything much. Just apologized for not getting much of a chance to speak with me during my time at Hogwarts. Also, he mentioned that I was luckily to have found Sirius, or something to that effect. It was basically all small talk, that is until the end. He didn’t actually tell me at first why he wanted to speak with me. He actually dismissed me and told me to go to bed that we would speak at a later time. But I couldn’t just leave like that. I had to know why he possibly wanted to speak with me. And that is when he left me with a rather peculiar statement. He said that if I didn’t know that then I wouldn’t have been any help, anyway. He apparently wanted to speak with me about my father’s work. But therein lies the problem. I don’t actually know what my papa did for a living. No one ever told me and I don’t even know if my mother ever actually knew. I never really thought about that much either, especially since I was so young when I lost him.” Jasmine started to tear up a little toward the end. She tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't stop them from falling, which is when Sirius pulled her into a hug/cuddle and comforted her. Eventually the tears stopped, and Jasmine fell asleep on top of Sirius, leaving them all with a thought as to what could Jasmine’s father have possibly done for a living that would draw Dumbledore’s attention. But in the end that was a thought for another day.
As far as the future goes, though, most of the Marauders had big plans. Obviously Sirius and Jasmine as well as James and Lily were planning on staying together post-Hogwarts. With Jasmine and Sirius, they had already bought that house they had talked about getting months ago. It was hopefully going to be money well spent. Though, they had no immediate plans to move their relationship to the next level past living together. Both were still a bit insecure about themselves. Also, neither thought they would be ready for marriage, if they even would because at the moment both of them believed they were still too broken too be a good spouse for the other. So, for now, they planned on hopefully enjoying their time living together in a house they could call their own. Plus, given the magical promise rings on both their fingers, they both were in this for the long haul. Before they move in together though, Jasmine is going to spend a few days with her aunt and uncle. She also needs to pack her stuff up as well.
In terms of James and Lily, well they had been occasionally looking at places to possibly get together. And out of the few places they have looked at, Lily really likes this cut little place in Godric’s Hollow. It’s a cute, quaint little place that Lily adores and to top it off, it’s in a wizard oh neighborhood, which was a big draw for James. They haven’t bought it yet, or at least that is what Lily thinks. However, James. Bought the house already and plans to surprise Lily with it in a few days. For now, Lily is going to head back home to see her parents. Her and James have plans to meet up in a couple days for a date, which is when he will surprise her with the house. James thinks it is the perfect plan and has been so excited to see Lily’s reaction to his surprise.
Meanwhile, Remus and Peter weren’t actually sure what they were going to do after Hogwarts. Peter hadn’t really discussed his plans with the others. While Remus was in a bit of a predicament as it was hard for werewolves to get a job in the wizarding world. That was mainly due to the fact that they were scared of werewolves and at the moment there was no cure for them. It was going to be a rough life for Remus and he didn’t have much money to begin with. Though, James has told him multiple times since he had plenty of money that he was more than willing to help Remus out. Remus is one of his best mates, so of course he would offer his own help. James knows how difficult being a werewolf is for Remus. The only problem with James’s generosity is Remus’s stubborn pride. Remus has protested James’s offer to help Remus out by at least helping him get a flat. Eventually though by the end of the year, Remus finally relented to James and agreed to accept some help to obtain a flat after they leave Hogwarts. So, now reluctantly Remus has a flat thanks to James. He swears to only let James help him at first. Remus isn’t about to take advantage of James’s generosity and help.
So, as far as they all know, everyone has a plan for what they are doing as soon as they get back to London. Once they step off the Hogwarts Express for the last time, they know that is not the last time they will see each other. They have made friendships that will last a lifetime and they don’t plan on losing something that special anytime soon.
Though, there is still some doubt about Peter, especially from Jasmine when halfway through the train ride (after she has woken back up), she remembers her plan to watch Peter. Upon realizing that is not what she did, Jasmine shoots a quick glance over at Peter, who doesn’t notice. Thankfully no one else noticed Jasmine glance either. They were a bit busy reminiscing over their time at Hogwarts, back over the early days before Jasmine joined them. So, while they all did that, Jasmine silently cursed herself for forgetting about her plan. She almost couldn’t believe that she had, but then she remembered just how busy and hectic the beginning of this last school year was. So, really, she couldn’t blame herself for forgetting about Peter. Anyone else would have probably forgot about it as well under those circumstances.
Despite all of that, Jasmine would keep an eye on Peter. She wasn’t sure whether to trust him. And she couldn’t bring this up to the others because well she didn’t actually have any proof that Peter was actually up to anything. After all, it could have just been a case of wrong place wrong time. Or Peter could have been being bullied by those Slytherins. Which is why Jaz had planned on watching Peter, but since that was now out of the question, Jaz would just be leery around Peter. But soon Jasmine would forget all about her suspicions about Peter as the Marauders and Lily continued to reminisce. Jasmine learned a lot about her friends lives before she graced them with her presences, and well, she enjoyed hearing about it. She had only gotten glimpses of it from Lily’s perspective when she was at Beauxbatons. It was a wonderful time as they filled the rest of the ride back to London with their various stories. Jasmine even shared a few stories from her time at Beauxbatons.
Before any of them were really ready, they arrived back in London and got off the Hogwarts Express for the final time. As they stood on Platform 9¾, the group turned and gave a short wave to the train that held so many memories for them including the memory of meeting Jasmine for the first time. Then together, they walked out of the station and into the unknown.
Notes:
A/N Gah! I finally did it. I finished this story. I am so very happy because I have so many more ideas for the next story/book. That one, at the moment, has tentatively been named “From Hogwarts [Going] Onward” or “The Journey Onwards.” I’m still not sure about the title, so if you like either of those titles or you have a better on, let me know in the comments.
I will say, this story did take a bit longer to write than the last story (or so it felt). That being said, I think I am going to write at least a few chapters of the next story (which will go until James and Lily’s death) before I post anything to that story. I’m looking forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter and the whole story. Also, the sequel to this story will take place almost immediately after the end of this story (maybe give or take a few days?)Until the sequel,
📚 Knk6700 📚
hellosupernova on Chapter 1 Mon 17 Jan 2022 11:33PM UTC
Comment Actions
knk6700 on Chapter 1 Sun 06 Feb 2022 12:07AM UTC
Comment Actions
knk6700 on Chapter 1 Tue 01 Nov 2022 03:45PM UTC
Comment Actions
Gilgamesch on Chapter 14 Fri 17 May 2024 10:13PM UTC
Comment Actions