Girl Talk in the Marauders' Dorm

Girl Talk in the Marauders' Dorm

It was the final day of exams for the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the fifth years had just finished their final O.W.L., Transfiguration. The seventh years still had one more N.E.W.T. to take, so instead of the usual six o'clock dinner, it would be pushed back to seven to give the older students enough time to finish the last N.E.W.T..

"Seven! That's an hour later than normally! I need my food now!" complained a sixteen-year-old Sirius Black. He and his three closest friends, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, had just heard the terrible (in Sirius' opinion) announcement.

"Oh stop whining you big baby. We can just go down to the kitchens. The house elves will be happy to help, I'm sure."

"They better, or else I'll eat you instead Remus."

The foursome continued walking down the hall and towards the Gryffindor common room when all of a sudden James, who was leading the group, stopped abruptly and groaned. There, standing no more than ten metres away was Lily Evans, one of the prettiest girls in all of Hogwarts history. She was busy talking to her friend Rook, but as soon as she saw the Marauders approach she flipped back her fiery hair, took Rook by the hand, and left, but not before giving James a very dirty look. James groaned again.

Sirius gave James a sorry-mate-but-I-can't-do-anything-about-it look, and patted James on the back. Remus gave a similar look, while Peter was still staring after Lily.

"Let's go," said James and he quietly said the password to the Gryffindor common room.

James had been acting very gloomy for the last couple of hours, and practically everyone knew why. James liked Lily very much, she was smart and pretty too, but the majority of the student body also knew that Lily hated James, he was arrogant, and a bully.

Lily had almost always openly disliked James because of his constant pranking and tormenting of others, but today it had come to a breaking point in their already notsogood relationship. Lily had had enough. For what seemed like the millionth time James Potter and Sirius Black had gone too far. They had teamed up against a defenceless Severus Snape, and embarrassed him to the extreme. Sure, Snape deserved some of the tormenting, he wasn't completely innocent, but still. Even if someone calls someone else a name that makes the other feel like they're worth less, it doesn't justify what James did.

The Marauders walked through the common coom and up to the room that had a sign on it that read, "Fifth Year Boys Dormitory".

"Finally! No more test or classes for the rest of the year! And no more O.W.L.s for the rest of our lives!" stated Peter enthusiastically as the friends entered the dorm and plopped down on their respective beds.

"Yes!"

"Hey guys, I wouldn't be getting your hopes up too much, the O.W.L.s may be over, but in two years we have N.E.W.Ts, which are way worse," Remus said reasonably.

"You always have to ruin the party, don't you Moony?"

"Yes Sirius, I always have to be the party pooper, and I'm definitely not put in that position because neither of you three have any real take on reality. You especially are just bursting with wisdom," Remus said all of this in a very sarcastic tone.

"Touché dearest Moony. Sarcasm eh? Full moon approaching?" Sirius inquired, knowing full well the answer to his question. The full moon was in three days, on the twenty-third and Remus always got moody and sarcastic in the days leading up to it.

"Whatever," responded Remus as he rolled his eyes.

"Ok, now, we've settled that matter, onto the next order of business...."

"Sirius, this isn't a company meeting," said Peter smiling, even though he was trying to keep a straight face.

"Yeah, sure it isn't....dun dun dun dunnnnnnn! Or is it...."

"God. Is there something you actually want to discuss?" Remus asked.

"Actually, yes. Jamesy c'mon over here for a second."

At this James just shook his head no, but that didn't really matter. Sirius, Peter, and Remus just got up off their own beds and sat on James' bed anyway. Who cared if he wanted to be left alone? These three didn't for one.

"Okay, fine! What do you want Padfoot?" James asked annoyed.

"No, not what I want, it has more to do with what you want. And that "it" that you want is Lily Evans."

James grumbled at the mention of her. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"Tsk tsk. Prongsie, you may not want to talk about it, but you do need to talk about it."

"Yeah, for once in your life it might be a good thing to listen to Sirius right now," said Peter, who was ducking to avoid being hit by a pillow Sirius had just flung at him.

"I hate you guys sometimes, you know that right?"

"Mmhmm, sure you do Prongs. I dare you to look into my eyes and say that. C'mon, I dare you!" Sirius prompted.

"I can't do it."

"Thought so.

"We're beating around the bush here guys. Now, let's drop the fun talk and have a no joking conversation," continued Sirius.

"No joking conversation? You're one to talk," muttered Peter under his breath, luckily no one heard him save Remus, who chuckled quietly.

"Lily Evans. James, we know you have the hots for her, and we know she has anything but the hots for you, so what are you feeling?" Sirius asked, the last part in a mock imitation of a psychiatrist.

"So much for that," whispered Remus, now it was Peter's turn to laugh.

James clearly missed this exchange between Remus and Peter, and started talking. "Why does she hate me so much? And how can she stick up for Snape, when all he does it call her a Mudblood!? I'm not really arrogant, am I? Or a bully? I mean, can't she take a joke? That's all pranks are!"

"Apparently they aren't in her book," mumbled Remus.

"...or McGonagall's," added Peter.

"But I'm not arrogant though. Please say I'm not!"

Sirius got up and started pacing, looking down at the floor in thought. A few second later, he stopped. "I've got an idea!"

"What is it?" asked James desperately.

"Well, it isn't so much an idea, as a statement. To boost your self-confidence."

"Great. Let's hear it then," said James, but his voice was flat, like he wanted to get it over with, and quickly at that.

"Ok, here we go," Sirius paused for effect, "Prongs you aren't arrogant, or conceited, or cocky. You are none of that. James, you say this to Ms. Evans next time she calls you cocky," he paused again," 'I'm not cocky; just overly self-confidant!' Isn't it great?" James frowned.

"Padfoot, you idiot, those are the same things! They're just synonyms of each other!"

"Yes, but Moony, it's all in the connotation. Cocky and arrogant are so negative, but overly self-confidant? No, that is positive!"

"Hmmm, he's right, overly self-confidant does sound better..." Peter thought aloud. Sirius gave his I-told-you-so smile.

If anything, this bit of "advice" just made James even more depressed.

"Come on James! Perk up!" whined Peter. "If I was a girl, I would totally go out with you!"

Both Remus and Sirius backed up just a bit at this, but James still sat as still as a stone on his red bed comforter, head in his hands. "Didn't need to know that Peter..." Sirius muttered.

Peter turned red at this, but still tried to defend himself. "I didn't mean it like that! Sickos!"

"Ok, we know you didn't mean it like that. Well, at least I hope you didn't mean it like that..." joked a grinning Remus.

"Guys! We were talking about me here, and my situation, not Wormtail's sexuality!"

"Sorry Prongs. Back to you and Lily."

"We can make a list of how it could be worse?" Sirius suggested.

"Good idea." Remus transfigured a stray sock (probably Sirius', he always had things lying around) into a pad of parchment, and picked up a quill from James' bedside table. "Number one..."

"...you are smart, and not a complete idiot when it comes to academics," offered Sirius. Remus wrote this down.

"Number two: you are popular, you could be a complete loner, but you aren't. Everyone loves you," added Peter.

"Ugh, no! Moony, don't write that one down," pleaded James. "That is exactly why she doesn't like me! Because everyone else does!"

"Fine. Well, at least you aren't a werewolf," Remus said bitterly.

"Oh god Moony. Don't do this again. So what? You're a werewolf. It-doesn't-matter!" Sirius said, stressing the "it doesn't matter".

"Amen to that!" exclaimed James. Before the other three Marauders could get their hopes up that James had stopped wallowing in self pity, he went right back to his dispirited state.

"OK I'M FED UP WITH YOU JAMES POTTER!!" shouted Sirius, catching the others off guard. It was always impossible to tell when Sirius' patience was going to wear thin. "GO DOWN THERE AND ASK HER! NO MORE OF THIS RUBBISH!" Sirius went over to his best friend and picked him right up off the bed (when he remained on the bed), walked over to the door of the dormitory, and threw James out. With his wand, Sirius locked the door and waited.

"Wow! Sirius, don't you think that was a little bit...er...extreme?" asked Peter. "I mean you just threw our friend out of his own dorm, to ask a girl out that doesn't even like him!"

"Peter's right. Don't you think you should let him back in?"

"Tsk tsk my compadres. Listen." Sirius pointed to the door and Peter and Remus listened, and heard nothing.

"What? There's nothing to hear."

"Exactly. If this really was such a bad idea, then why isn't Prongs banging on the door and yelling at us to let him back in? He's not a Gryffindor for nothing."

"Good point..."

"But still, what about Lily? She's the problem here, not James. We know he wants to ask her, that isn't the problem. Her response is the problem," Remus pointed out.

"When will you learn Remus? Don't you realize that I, Sirius Black, am a genius and that I think about these things? Lil' olde Jamesy won't make a fool of himself, and I am pretty darn confidant that he won't be joining us on the next Hogsmeade weekend."

"Oh great. What did you do now?" asked Remus, not really wanting to know the answer. Sirius had that glint in his brown eyes that no teacher, nor student liked to see, unless you were in on the joke.

"Nothing, technically."

"It's the word 'technically' that we don't like the sounds of," replied Peter.

"Let's just say, Prongs' good side will show through more than his so called conceited one."

"No! You didn't!!" Remus saw the triumphant look on Sirius' face and his fears were realized; Sirius had performed some sort of personality charm.

"Don't bite my head off. It isn't an altering charm. Like I said before, his good side will shine through. He's still the same old James, but good qualities only." Sirius stopped when he saw the blank looks on Remus' and especially Peter's faces. "Oh c'mon then! I'll show you!" He walked up to James' trunk and took out the Invisibility Cloak; James wouldn't mind.

Carefully and quietly the three friends snuck down the stairs to the nearly empty common room. It was 7:15, dinner had already started so most of the students were already down in the Great Hall. Sirius had long forgotten about his grumbling stomach.

James Potter was standing with is back to the Gryffindor fire talking to Lily Evans, whom was sitting on the scarlet couch.

"So, umm, yeah, uhhh, I'm really sorry about everything. It's just that when people treat others like dirt because of their blood it really bothers me! I can't stand it! Snape is one of the biggest gits I've ever met! Sirius and I may hurt people by playing pranks on them, but Snape doesn't. He goes for the most harmful approach, judging people by their blood. That is just wrong! And the pranks? I just do all the pranks and stuff cause I feel as if I have to. My family's always been a very smart bunch of wizards, and my dad was one of the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen. When I was little he always told me that he was glad to have a son, to carry on the family, er, tradition. Since I'm a pureblood Potter, people expect me to be one of the best jokers in school. Oh, I just can't explain it!! It's so complicated! All I know is that, Lily Evans, I REALLY REALLY like you, a lot!" James stopped rubbing the back of his neck nervously, and looked up from the floor into Lily's emerald eyes. To his surprise, Lily was smiling though vaguely, it was there.

"Potter, you have got to be one of the biggest idiots I have ever met in my life! You do know that very little of what you said makes up for what you've done to others?" James nodded and looked down again. "Good. And I think I am taking a HUGE chance on this, but...that little speech there was, er, funny!! I have never seen strapping James Potter, hero of all heroes, smartest of the smartest, bravest of the brave, so uhhh...NERVOUS!"

James looked up at this, and his face had a very confused look on his face, confused, but cute in Lily's opinion. His hazel eyes had pulled the "puppy dog eyes" trick on her.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but I will have one butterbeer with you this coming up weekend, it's a Hogsmeade weekend. Mind you, this is only because you are so pathetic when you are nervous, so it doesn't mean anything got that? It means nothing."

"Uh-hun, got it. Thanks....Lily."

Under the cloak Remus and Peter were shocked, they had never seen this side of James. They had no idea that James had such a strong opinion about wizarding blood, or about his reasons behind the pranking. He reallly was quite...noble. No wonder he was made a Gryffindor. They had always thought that pulling pranks was something to keep him and Sirius entertained, and true, this was part of it, but not all of it.

"Guys, let's go! James is going up now. He's going to know something's wrong if we aren't there," Sirius said, his all knowing expression fading off his handsome face as he started quickly towards the stairs.

Luckily, James had to go to the washroom, which was one flight of stairs up, so the other three were back with time to spare.

"Well, I told you it would work."

"It worked, but I still think you should have left it as it was. And how are you going to get the charm off?" Remus asked. This little spell discovery was quite clever, and against his better judgement, Remus was impressed with Sirius.

"Easy. As soon as Prongs walks through that door, he will be back to his old self because he asked her and she said yes. Hence lifting the spell."

"You've got this all figured out, haven't you?" an impressed Peter said.

"I have for a while in fact. Ever since the last Hogsmeade weekend. I even set something up there for the two lovebirds, I was that confidant," Sirius stated with a huge grin.

"And Lily calls James big-headed," muttered Remus.

"Shhh! He's coming back!" warned Peter.

Sure enough seconds later a self-satisfied looking James walked into the room. He was no longer blue, he was now grinning like an idiot.

"Sooooooo....what happened?" Sirius inquired trying to hide the smirk on his face.

"Mmmmm nothing much. Just that you guys are....GOING TO BE WITHOUT ME THIS SATURDAY!!"

"Hurrah!" Remus, Peter, and Sirius cheered.

The Marauders sat quietly listening to James retell his version of what had happened down in the common room. James was oblivious to all the knowing grins on his friends' faces.