The Marauders

~%*******%~ Chapter Four ~%*******%~

"I've got to get to her!" Sirius struggled, trying to wriggle free from James's and Remus's grasp.

"You've just seen her mate! Holy Merlin, do you have to watch over her, like a hawk?!" James asked his best friend, surprised over Sirius's sudden obsession, "The fruit was only nicked, you heard Professor Sprout!"

"Clearly two hours isn't nearly enough time!" muttered Remus so that only James could hear. James snickered, still holding Sirius's shoulders firmly.

Remus's mood had improved slightly since he had last seen Enna. Either that or he's doing a better job of hiding his feelings than I thought, James pondered.

The three struggling boys entered the Great Hall together. The smell of food combined with Sirius's growling stomach obviously did the trick. Sirius stopped struggling and the thought of escaping to the hospital wing left his mind. All three boys raced to their usual place at the Gryffindor table, and were shocked to see that Lily was the only girl there.

~%*******%~

Kira was lost in her thoughts about Sirius for a while, but Severus brought her back to reality, clearing his throat nervously.

"Severus I want you to know I really appreciate you being here." Kira stated. As if to prove her point, she stood and kissed him on the cheek.

Severus stepped back, stunned. Kira, equally astonished by what she had done, was about to step closer to him, to try and explain herself, when she noticed two coffee-colored eyes, peering incredulously at them from between the curtains. Severus must've noticed them too, for he ripped the curtains open and bolted, his face redder than a ripe tomato.

"Enna Cabarell!" yelled Kira, dangerously, edging down onto her bed.

Enna stepped toward the bed, careful not to show Kira her surprised expression or the smirk on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kira demanded.

"What do you mean 'What do I think I'm doing?' What do you think you're doing?" Enna asked Kira, now staring at her determined. "Why, in the name of Merlin, did you kiss that git?" Enna inquired. "He's Snivellus for Merlin's sake! What evil possessed you, what little demon told you it was okay for you to kiss Severus Snape, the jerk of the class that uses first years to test his pranks?"

"Stop," yelled Kira, accusingly. "Stop calling him Snivellus, and stop calling him a git. You have no idea what he's like! At least he's caring enough to come up here... unlike some people." Kira muttered the last part softly to herself, not wanting Enna to hear. She put her head down, and closed her eyes, determined not to let the prickling sensation of tears out.

"Oh Kira!" sighed Enna, dejectedly. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. Well I had some idea, of course but I didn't think it was this bad!"

"Trust me Enna, you have no clue." Kira sighed looking the other way.

"Ok, hang on but before you get all defensive of Snivellus again..."

"Severus, and who's getting defensive?" Kira asked.

"Fine Severus," Enna repeated, "Just hear me out ok?" Enna pleaded. Kira turned her head over to Enna and gave her the best ok-I'll-try-not-to-blow-up-at-you look she could muster, so Enna continued. "I've found one of the letters he wrote to you, and frankly I'm a little worried about you. I know Severus wants to take you to the Winter Ball with him, but I also know someone else, who you would prefer to go with, who wouldn't mind going with you too." Enna paused letting this all sink in before she continuing. "I'm afraid, Kira, that you've just given Severus the answer he was hoping for," She finished, staring at Kira, expectantly.

"O Merlin's beard, you're right!" Kira gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. "What am I going to do?"

"I guess you should just tell him, tomorrow I think. Just tell him you were not, er, feeling yourself," Enna suggested

"Oh yeah and break his heart?" Kira asked indignantly.

"What heart?" Enna said cruelly.

She sighed when Kira glared at her.

"Wow Kira, you've really done yourself in this time."

~%*******%~

"Hey Lily," said Remus, looking around sadly. "Where's Enna? Are you still having trouble getting her out of the dorm?"

Lily looked at him, regrettably. "Well the trouble right now isn't getting her out, it's finding her! I've just been up there and there's no sign of her anywhere!" Lily exclaimed, worriedly.

"Don't worry Lily." James said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "Enna's a big girl! She can take care of herself."

Lily stared at his arm as though it were flobberworm mucus, then at James as though he were the flobberworm producing it. She quickly shrugged it off her. James looked rejected for a second, then shrugged and began to eat his potatoes. Sirius and Remus sat down opposite the two of them and began eating. Not long after, Sirius saw something that almost made him regurgitate his food.

A certain Slytherin had just walked, no maybe that's not the right word, had just waltzed into the Great Hall, looking as though he had just been kissed by a goddess.

"Ho, ho Sirius, look who it is," said Remus. "Didn't you say you wanted to 'try a few curses' on our favorite Slytherin?"

"Oh Remus!" Lily said, her head shooting up angrily, "Don't give him, or James for that matter, any ideas."

"I was only kidding, Lily." Remus said reassuringly, but obviously not reassuringly enough, because just as he said this, a piece of mashed potatoes went flying through the air, hitting Snape square in the face.

The whole student body exploded with laughter. But Snape appeared as if he didn't even notice the white fluffy piece of food, plastered on his forehead. Instead, he gave Sirius a smirk that seemed to say, "I know something you don't know." Severus sat down with his fellow Slytherins, and with one last look at Sirius, he mouthed, "I won," wiping the white muck off his face. Sirius stared at him open-mouthed.

"What does he know that I don't?" thought Sirius, "And what did he mean by 'I won'." He pondered this for sometime, getting angrier and angrier every second.

"Mind if we join you?" a voice asked from behind, interrupting Sirius's thoughts.

"Kira!" Sirius exclaimed, standing up and moving as if to hug her.

"Oh hi Sirius," Kira stated, not meeting his eyes and quickly sitting down, so as to avoid the act Sirius was about to do.

Sirius sat back down, looking slightly forsaken, and began playing with his food and casting murderous glares behind him at his least favorite Slytherin.

"Enna!" Lily cried, surprised by her friend's sudden appearance. "Where were you? I've been looking everywhere for you!" As Lily said this, Remus looked up at Enna hopefully, but she did not return his gaze.

"Lily, honestly I'm fine. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." Enna stated, sitting down next to her red-haired friend.

"See Lily, just like I said. She's fine!" James said, sniggering.

"Oh shut it Potter!" Lily huffed, flinging a pea at him, hitting his nose.

"Evans that was weak! I reckon you can do better than that!" James challenged.

"Oh yeah?" and with that Lily carefully picked up a forkful of her Yorkshire pudding, and flung it at James. It hit his glasses and slid off, leaving a greasy trail across one lens.

"That's it," James said angrily, though hardly meaning it. He picked up some meatloaf and aimed it at Lily. Lily ducked and it hit Kira on the cheek.

"James!" Kira yelled angrily.

"Nice shot mate!" Sirius laughed.

"You think that was a good shot?" Kira asked, turning her attention firmly to Sirius. "How about this?" she said, flinging some mashed potatoes in Sirius's direction. Sirius's quick Quidditch reflexes reacted, and instead of hitting him, the potatoes landed on Remus.

"Oy Sirius!" shouted Remus.

"Hey don't look at me," Sirius said, abashed. "It was Kira, I swear."

"You want to start something? Take this!" Remus said, picking up a handful of peas and spraying it in Kira's direction. The peas hit both Kira and Enna. Enna, who had been sitting back, watching the fight, responded quickly from the attack, flinging her potatoes at Remus.

Pretty soon the whole Gryffindor table had joined in the fun, food flying everywhere. Then some brave Gryffindor threw his apple core at a Slytherin, and soon enough the entire Great Hall was filled with flying food. The fight had just started, when a 2^nd year Hufflepuff threw mashed potatoes at his friend missing horribly, and hitting Dumbledore on the nose.

The entire hall froze with shock, pudding, potatoes, and meat trickling off the students. Dumbledore stopped chewing. With a long, thin finger he wiped the mashed potatoes from his nose, and put it into his mouth.

"Delightfully delicious!" he cried, his eyes twinkling merrily. Then Dumbledore did something quite unexpected. He took his fork, filled it full with pudding, and aimed it directly at Professor Kuraré. The pudding landed in her hair. The entire hall erupted in roars of laughter, as Dumbledore smiled apologetically.

"Sorry Katrina," he said. "Must've missed my mouth."

The other professors all tried to hide their smirks, but Professor Sprout, who had been absorbed in a conversation with Professor Kuraré, failed miserably. She sputtered into her food, giggling insanely.

"Professor Dumbledore," Professor Kuraré asked, smiling coldly. "Do you really think it wise to behave in such a manner during dinner?"

"Oh stop it Katrina. Learn to have a little fun!" the headmaster replied, aiming a forkful of potatoes at Professor Flitwick.

And with the assumed permission of Dumbledore, the students continued to throw food at each other. The hall was once again filled with cries of glee as students tried to dodge each other's food.

"James!" Lily whined, a few moments later, as James knocked over a goblet of pumpkin juice. "Look what you did to my skirt!"

James looked down at Lily's skirt, narrowly escaping a piece of meatloaf targeted at him by Sirius. "Oh I'm sorry Lily. Would you like me to help you get that off?" James asked with a wild, sexy look in his eyes that gave Lily the impression that he wasn't talking about the pumpkin juice. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her safely out of the Great Hall.

~%*******%~

Kira nudged Enna across the table. Enna smiled as she watched her friends exit the hall, then looked at Kira, her eyes dancing with apprehension. Remus took this opportunity to fling his remaining pudding straight into Enna's hair.

"REMUS JASE LUPIN!" Enna screamed, turning to face him, her eyes flashing dangerously now. Then she did something that caught Remus and the others around her completely off guard. Enna clambered onto the table, and leapt down in front of him. He stared at her, praying she wasn't mad at him.

"You git!" Enna cried, her cheeks flushed, grinning from ear to ear. She grabbed the rest of his peas of his plate and tried to force them into his face. What was the matter with me before? Enna thought curiously, watching with glee as Remus backed up. How could I not see? He's just as normal as the rest of us, werewolf or not. Enna grinned to herself, glad her problem was now solved.

She tried one last time to stuff the peas into Remus's mouth, but his hand caught her wrist. She looked up at her captor. Her eyes met his tawny-brown ones, which were twinkling like mad, and saw him smile mischievously. Merlin, she loved that smile... Enna felt her face grow warm at his touch, her legs quaking like mad.

"Now Enna," Remus said, as if scolding a five year-old. "Do you really think it good manners to try and shove food down other peoples' throats?" He asked her, teasingly.

"No I don't," Enna answered, trying to get free from Remus's grasp, only succeeding in drawing herself nearer to him. Enna was so close to him she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. "But do you think it proper to waste perfectly good Yorkshire pudding by throwing it into a young lady's hair?" Enna continued pointedly.

"You've got me there!" Remus confessed, laughing at her wit.

"And you've got me here!" Enna persisted, pointing fixedly to the arm Remus was still holding. He quickly released it and stepped back, embarrassed to realize how close to one another they had just been.

~%*******%~

James and Lily stopped running when they were a few feet away from the Great Hall. They were still holding hands. Lily shook hers out of James's quickly, trying not to show him that she had, indeed, enjoyed it. James looked at Lily as she removed his hand off hers and he stifled a laugh.

"What's so funny Potter?" Lily asked, hoping to sound as angry she wanted to, but failing miserably. "How would you like to be covered in pumpkin juice?" Lily asked, and not waiting for an answer she held up her wand and muttered a spell. A large goblet, filled to the brim with juice, appeared in her free hand. "Let me show you what it feels like!"

And she poured the entire contents of her goblet onto his head. James Potter stood there, dripping from head to toe with pumpkin juice. Lily looked at him triumphantly, but was disappointed when he showed no signs of anger or annoyance. Instead he appeared to be enjoying himself. James lifted his head, his jet-black hair was sticking to his forehead dribbling juice on his glasses. He smiled at Lily.

"What's so funny, Lily, is that you obviously enjoyed that little romp we had together in the Great Hall." James stated. "And, what's even more amusing is that you're afraid to admit it to yourself!" He finished happily.

"Humph!" Lily said, turning her head away.

"Oh come off it Lily," James pleaded. "You know you like me..." He stepped closer and put a wet hand on her face, making her look at him.

"James, get you're slimy hands off me!" Lily yelled.

"Sorry Evans," James quickly said, "It's just I think that a good-looking boy like me needs an equally good-looking girl to take the ball with him."

"Are you proposing that I attend the Winter Ball with you?" Lily asked, not a little sardonically. The sight of seeing him standing there, pumpkin juice dribbling off his chin, looking at her expectantly was more than she could bear.

"In your dreams Mr. Potter!" she said, and with that, Lily turned to leave.

"Wait a minute, Lily!" James said, grabbing her wrist and whirling her around. "Why won't you come with me? It's not like you've got someone else who's dying to go with you."

Lily's eyes began to fill with tears. What is the matter with me? He's said worse before and I hardly flinched...but now... It only took a moment for her to decide on her response.

"You pompous asshole!" Lily cried, slapping James across the face. She had never really cursed before, but the fact that she had gotten this off her chest made her feel m0re relieved. "What makes you think no one else asked me?"

"Who is it then?" James said. Lily thought she caught a hint of jealously in his voice.

"None of your business!" Lily said. She whipped around and dashed up the stairs towards the common room, leaving James standing speechless and dripping.

~%*******%~

Meanwhile, Kira and Sirius were having the time of their lives. Kira had somehow managed to get mashed potatoes all over Sirius's head, covering his dark black hair with the white goop. In return, Sirius had grabbed a handful of cooked cabbage, and smeared it all over Kira's front. Kira looked up at Sirius, quickly meeting his bright, blue eyes before turning away embarrassed. She pretended to keep herself occupied by peeling the soggy white cabbage leaves off her.

"Sirius! These were my good robes!" Kira shouted at her attacker.

"And that was my good hair," Sirius remarked cleverly, motioning to the white mush on his head. Kira laughed.

Merlin knows how much she had longed to touch Sirius's perfect black locks, just to run her fingers through them. I could do it, Kira thought, And pretend I'm just trying to get the potatoes out...

Slowly Kira raised her hand and lightly began to run her fingers through it. Sirius, enjoying the feeling of Kira's hand in his hair, slowly put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Without even realizing what he was doing, he smiled seductively down at her.

"Come now Mr. Black," Kira giggled, seeing him smiling oh so suggestively at her. "Do you really want cabbage all over your perfectly clean robes?"

But Sirius, instead of answering her, only drew her nearer to him, the smiled never wavering. Kira could've sworn she heard a low growl escape his lips.

Oy Merlin, what is he doing? He's going to kiss me! Kira thought, watching Sirius's face drawing closer and closer to hers. As if he had heard her thoughts Sirius bent down to catch Kira's soft lips on his.

Well, almost...

XXVI