Never All Together

Chapter 18: Change of Heart

The very thought of you, and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do.
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king;
And foolish though it may seem
To me that's everything.
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above.

--- Ray Noble (The Very Thought of You) ---

"So you're together now?" Sirius asked in what he hoped was a cheerful voice. It was Sunday afternoon, and the common room was crowded with students bullying their brains into studying after euphorically milking yesterday's win well into the night. It was not proving to be easy for them, however, with the temperate weather luring them out to the grounds.

Hermione looked at James, who was sitting beside her and reading his Charms book with a look of peaceful concentration on his face. He glanced up at Sirius' question and slightly tilted his head to his left.

"Yes, we are," James affirmed without hesitation, a small, secretive smile curving his lips as he caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. She relaxed on the couch, reassured by his touch and the certainty in his words.

Sirius did not answer. Instead, his ice-grey eyes shifted from James to Hermione, both of whom had resumed reading the texts on their laps with barely concealed giddiness on their faces. He frowned and turned to Remus and Peter, their features almost comical with amusement. Am I the only one in this group who's not okay with this? He shook his head in resignation. I must be the only sane one then, he concluded.

"I'm going to the library to return this book," Hermione suddenly announced, stretching her arms outward. She leaned towards James to kiss him lightly on the cheek, but he had already turned to her as well and so received her show of affection right on the lips. His lingered on hers with intent for longer than necessary, sending pleasant tingles down her spine, and in those moments, she forgot that they were in a common room and were surrounded by people.

Sirius cleared his throat, causing her to jump slightly. Hermione had the grace to lower her eyes as she turned pink and stood to leave the common room without another word. Sirius looked hopefully at James, waiting for an explanation--for him to even notice them, but no. His best friend ended up alternating between staring at the page he was on, fiddling with its corners without really reading and glancing out the window. Either way, the contented smile did not leave his face, and being the concerned friend he really was, Sirius found the sight irritating. He could not understand how James could have fallen in love with this girl so quickly, no matter how beautiful or smart or unusual she was. And she definitely wasn't even one of those three. He glared darkly at James. She must've stealthily given him a love potion, he decided. Now if he could only find an antidote...

"Prongs?"

He looked up, his glasses glinting in the sunlight streaming through the window. From a distance, his eyes almost seemed dreamy, and Sirius struggled with his annoyance.

"What is it?" James enquired softly.

"How much Amortentia do you think she slipped you with?" Sirius asked before he could change his mind, drawing the words out in an effort to sound as though the question was of throwaway importance.

"What?" James's features hardened a second after the question hit him. His hazel eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you suggesting?"

Remus and Peter glanced in alarm from one black-haired friend to another.

"Just possible reasons why you're acting so irrational," Sirius flippantly threw back.

Unsure whether to be angry or pleased at these words, James let out a laugh that sounded like a bark. "I am irrational?"

"Have been lately."

"I don't know about you, Padfoot, but everything makes sense to me." James returned his attention to the book he was holding in utter dismissal of Sirius' remarks.

Sirius' face contorted in disbelief. "Do you hear what you're saying?" he asked incredulously. "Everything makes sense to you, but you yourself are not making any sense!"

James took a deep breath as he geared himself for battle, looked up defiantly and arched his brows in challenge. "Yeah? How come?"

"You--you--" Sirius tugged at his hair in frustration as he grasped for words. "You smile! You sit there reading idly with that stupid smile on your face as though you're in a wonderful daydream!"

"I am, actually, if you--" James began.

"Even your eyes are smiling!" Sirius exclaimed, getting the hang of it now. "No, not smiling. They're practically dancing!" He took a deep breath before continuing. "You hold her hand, kiss her in front of us, act like you're in love..."

James snickered, his irritation fading. "I didn't know you were this eloquent. And for the record, Sirius, I am in love."

Sirius' jaw dropped. "I knew it! You've been positively Confunded!" he concluded with relish, not noticing Peter shake his head disapprovingly.

"For the past three weeks, I suppose?" James retorted sarcastically.

His forehead creased as he hesitated, but Sirius plunged ahead. "She might have figured out a way to lengthen the effects of the Charm. That girl's cleverer than I've ever given her credit for."

"That she is," James agreed with a smile.

"But I'll help you out of this trance, Prongs; don't worry," Sirius rambled on. "I'll start working on it. I'll look for a countercurse and--"

"Sirius!" James exclaimed, grinning now as he held up one hand. "Relax. Frankly, I have never been more lucid. I understand everything completely. Perfectly." He looked squarely at his best friend, and several more heartbeats passed with the two of them staring at each other, willing the other to back down. Remus had never seen James look so resolute but knew that when his friend did, he was bound to get his way. Even the usually indomitable Sirius Black could not stop him.

Remus was proven right when Sirius finally broke eye contact and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, that's why after wasting so many years on Evans, you decide to give up just like that and go out with..." He shook his head, exasperated. "With her." His upper lip curled in a sneer. "Well, don't blame me if this ends up badly."

"Why don't you like her?" James wondered, confused. "You're the only one here who doesn't." He looked at Peter and Remus for confirmation, but they just straightened up in their seats and put on blank expressions.

Sirius exhaled in frustration. "Look. She's fine, okay? She's fine alone. I just don't like the idea of her with you."

"But why?" James persisted, getting close to anger once more. "Don't tell me it's because you think I should be with Lily instead."

"Well, you did say you loved her," Sirius accused. "You told us yourself that you loved her."

James shrugged. "Maybe I did," he answered casually. "But so what? Does it matter right now?" He laughed ruefully and added, "You know, Sirius, it's not really the first love that matters, but the last."

"So now you're telling us Regina's the last," Sirius replied, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I wouldn't say no if she were," James said, his lips curving in an impish smile. He watched Sirius roll his eyes and rub the lobe of his ear as he contemplated his next argument. "Go on, Padfoot. What else?"

"You don't even know where she came from," Sirius said, dead serious this time.

James's jaw clenched. "At the risk of sounding more irrational," he said quietly, "I couldn't really care less."

"Not even if she comes from a family of bloodhounds?" Sirius quipped.

James smiled wryly. "You, of all people, should know about not judging someone by how his or her family is like." His gaze swept over his three friends. "Right now, what matters is that she's with me. She loves me, I love her, and--I've never felt this happy." He beamed at them and held out his hands. "Come on, guys. Don't I look it?"

"You look like your dad when he's moony about your mum," Sirius grumbled.

"That's the best thing you've ever said this afternoon, Padfoot," James returned cheerfully, knowing that Sirius had just given him a compliment, however grudgingly. He scrutinised Peter and Remus through his glasses. "How about--"

Remus, who had been following the discussion with mild detachment, simply smiled lightly. "As long as you're happy, James."

Peter nodded his assent. "Yeah, as long as she makes you happy," he echoed.

"Regina should consider herself lucky indeed," Sirius commented in a still unforgiving tone.

James swept his hand through his already messy hair. "Funny, and here I was thinking about how fortunate I am to have her."

Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted. It was during times like these that going against James was like trying to stop an accelerating freight train in its tracks.

His best friend was a lost case.

* * * * * * *

She ran her teeth over her lower lip and then her tongue and swallowed as hard as she could, but the uneasy churning inside her stomach just wouldn't go away.

Lily was busy drawing countless circles on what was supposed to be her Advanced Charms assignment. Her doodles somewhat represented her feeling of nausea, and no matter how hard she tried to calm herself by breathing deeply in and out, the sensation was still there. From the corner of her eye, she saw Alice cease writing and look up only to fix her curious blue gaze on her.

If she asks me again if I'm all right, I swear I'm going to scream, Lily thought irritably as she pretended to pay her friend no attention.

Alice rested her chin on the palm of her hand and looked at her more closely, locks of her short blond hair falling across her face. She stifled a smile at the redhead's dismal attempt at nonchalance. "Did you see what happened yesterday?"

The vortex in Lily's stomach deepened so much that she could not even muster enough air to form a response. Her eyes narrowed in question instead.

"James Potter kissed Regina Weisz yesterday," Alice whispered conspirationally, eagerly awaiting her friend's reaction.

Lily became stone rigid in an instant, not daring to breathe. What was she supposed to say? She bit her lips once more as she struggled for the words that would put her pesky friend into place, but all she could see in her mind was the scene she had witnessed and Alice had reminded her of. Hot blood rushed through her veins. Calm down, Lily, she counselled herself. This is James Potter you're thinking about. You don't care about him. Hardening her resolve, she put her quill down and looked straight at Alice.

"Yeah?" she replied roughly. The image was burning in her mind now, and the flame seemed to sear through her insides.

"Yeah," Alice confirmed. "So they're together now."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she muttered.

"Aren't you happy for James?"

"I feel sorry for Regina," Lily answered nastily. "She just signed her own death warrant. But I wager they won't last a month."

Alice opened her mouth to reprimand Lily about being too harsh but decided not to continue. Her friend had always been that way about James anyway. She smiled weakly in return and looked back down at her parchment, and Lily took the gesture to mean that the conversation was over. Alice peered at her surreptitiously every now then while writing, wondering what the circles signified.

"Aren't we supposed to be working?" Alice asked her gently.

Lily brushed her hair out of her face as she glanced up, her brows knitted in slight annoyance. "I can't concentrate," she admitted grumpily.

Alice smiled wryly. She knew deep inside her that Lily was affected, even in the tiniest way possible, by the news of James getting together with somebody else. Maybe she just can't say it out loud. She reached for Lily's hand and squeezed it sympathetically.

"I'm fine," Lily reacted shortly, jerking her hand away. Alice shrugged and allowed her eyes to wander around the library, which was unusually full of students. She squinted into the distance at Madame Pince's desk; unless she was mistaken, Regina Weisz had just returned a book and was now on her way towards the door, which was only five tables away from theirs.

She watched Regina as she approached them. Even from a distance, it was easy to tell that she was very happy about something--and it certainly wasn't difficult to guess what that something was. Her brown curls bounced up and down as she practically skipped towards the exit.

"Hello," Alice greeted as she passed them.

Hermione stopped in her tracks, surprised and unsure whether somebody had really spoken to her. She acknowledged Alice with a small but pleasant smile, remembering that she was the one of the few people who had helped her find her way around when she had first arrived. "Hello."

"Have a seat," Alice offered her, tapping the chair beside her.

The sudden attention being given to her was baffling, and though Hermione didn't see anything wrong with that, she declined the invitation. "I have to get back to the common room," she explained. "But thanks anyway." Her eyes shifted to the girl sharing Alice's table, and she realised with a jolt that it was Lily.

"Er--hello," Hermione said, feeling a little awkward.

Lily gave a small, almost undetectable nod, but her eyes didn't leave Hermione, who felt as though she was being evaluated to her very core. She stood her ground and calmly met her scrutiny.

"You said you needed to get back to the common room?" Alice prompted a little worriedly. She had sensed the subtle chill in the air.

Hermione's shoulders eased, but before she could thank Alice for reminding her, Lily spoke in a low, deceptively cool voice.

"You shouldn't keep James waiting then."

Astonishment etched itself plainly on Hermione's face at Lily's words; she pursed her lips in quick recovery and nodded. "You're right. I should get going."

"So you're really with James now?" Alice asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Hermione nodded, a sudden shy smile softening her features.

"That's sweet," Alice remarked warmly, unmindful of the fact that Lily had returned to drawing circles on her parchment, dragging the point of the quill across the surface with enough force to tear it. "I'm glad he's finally with somebody. I always thought he would end up winning Lily here over, but then again..." She let out a tinkling laugh while Lily scowled at her paper. "Obviously not."

Hermione fought hard to maintain her composure; allowing herself to be drawn into a conversation with Lily and Alice about James was a very bad decision. She looked at Alice and saw so much of Neville, and at that instant, she was sure that Alice didn't mean anything malicious. That didn't stop the irritation from mounting, however. She resorted to a polite smile and flatly replied, "I'd best be getting back. See you around."

Without waiting for any of the girls to bid farewell, she purposefully marched towards the door and stepped out. The incident at the library flustered her so much that she could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. It was only when she was on the stairs to the Gryffindor tower that she had calmed herself down enough to think.

Alice assumed Lily should be with James.

"Hot chocolate," she told the Fat Lady when she reached the portrait. She clambered inside and absentmindedly made her way to the couch where James sat.

"Hi," he said with a sweet smile as she took her place beside him. She didn't answer, lost in her own thoughts. James encircled her small wrist with his large hand and stroke her pulse with his thumb, the way he always did whenever he greeted her.

At this intimate touch, Hermione panicked. She abruptly turned to look at him, half-hoping James could read the turbulence in her eyes.

He did, and he responded by taking her hand and guiding it to his lap, where he covered it with his other hand. The storm in her dark-brown eyes somewhat quieted down, but the shadows remained.

"What's wrong?" James murmured. He gazed at her with so much concern and, while she gnawed at her bottom lip, wondered what had drastically altered her mood.

Hermione shifted in her seat and managed a wobbly smile. "Are you really that sensitive, or am I just that transparent?"

"Maybe both," James said with a chuckle as he edged closer to her. "So what's wrong?"

"I saw Alice and... Lily in the library," Hermione began, apprehensively waiting for his reaction. She saw the beginnings of a frown and decided to stop.

James remained silent for a few moments before asking, "Did they say anything?"

"None that should really bother me," Hermione hurriedly assured him. "It's just that I felt uncomfortable with what happened, with having encountered them." Her misgivings resurfaced, and try as she might to tamp them down, they kept screaming in her head.

Alice assumed Lily should be with James.

Maybe she should be with James.

The thought frightened her, and she grasped James's hand more tightly as though afraid he would slip from her grasp.

"Alice was telling me about how long you've been vying for Lily's attention."

James's face clouded over, but Hermione continued, "I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it, of course. It's just that..."

He sighed and threw Sirius a dirty look like it was his fault all over again. "Funny, isn't it, that everybody except Lily and I keep on saying we should be together." James lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "But I'm with you, okay?"

Hermione searched his beautiful hazel eyes for the slightest hint of a lie but found none. Her heart melted.

"I'm with you," James repeated. "And that's all that matters." He slipped an arm around her waist, used his other hand to tilt her chin up and sealed his words with a kiss.

Even if the world burned to its doom and took them with it, Hermione wouldn't notice.

Consumed in his passion and wrapped snugly with his love, how could she care about anything else?

* * * * * * *

In a span of one week, the whole of Hogwarts knew about their relationship--and with this came a change in how their fellow students saw them. Hermione was no longer the obscure girl whose rather curious arrival did not spark enough attention. More than once, she had heard girls in the lavatory whispering and wondering about how she really was like and how she had gotten Gryffindor's resident golden boy to take a romantic interest in her. Meanwhile, James had stopped being the heartbroken Quidditch star who couldn't, for the life of him, finagle a date with Lily Evans. His reputation for being an arrogant jerk was also even being questioned. How could he be accused of being one in the first place when he was all over the place carrying Hermione's things, opening every door before she entered and pulling out her chair to seat her?

Once, in Potions class, James had even offered to slice her ingredients for her.

"I'm sure Miss Weisz is more than capable of doing that by herself, Mr. Potter," Professor Slughorn wryly remarked upon overhearing James's words.

"I know she is, Professor, but I've got to prove that I'm up to her standards, haven't I?" James answered cheekily.

The other students snickered while Sirius sighed in despair. What his best friend was doing made the rest of the male population look like lovesick saps, and soon, girls were going to expect so much more from them. No wonder Marlene McKinnon won't go out with me yet. He scowled as he saw Regina smile, thank James with a brief peck on the cheek and insist upon completing her own work.

James also had not neglected giving her something everyday, be it a flower he had picked from the grounds, a cup of hot chocolate he had procured from the kitchens or a cupcake he had saved from dinner. Almost the whole Gryffindor common room, which was packed with students doing their homework, was witness to his simple displays of love and affection.

"You should stop doing this, James," Hermione had protested even as she blushed after he had presented her a cup of hot chocolate with a pastry on the side on Tuesday night.

"Read the note first," James had insisted, settling beside her with his own cup in his hands. Hermione obeyed and flipped a small card on the saucer open.

For another sweet day.

Hermione had smiled, lifted her cup to her lips and leaned against him before tasting her drink. "You're spoiling me."

James ensnared his fingers in her hair first before answering, "You deserve it." He punctuated his statement with a kiss on top of her head.

And then just yesterday morning, she had been greeted at the common room before breakfast with three freshly-picked red roses. As usual, James had a short letter dangling from the stem of one flower.

My world is now rose-coloured, I wonder why?

Hermione had laughed, understanding the meaning underlying his cryptic words. "That was so thoughtful. Thank you, James." She threw her arms around him and rewarded him with a passionate, knee-weakening kiss that had both of them trembling afterwards.

When they had finished, James had murmured, "I now know what to do next time."

She had pushed his glasses up and nudged his nose with her index finger. "You never run out of ideas, do you?"

"Uh--huh," James had agreed. "You've shown what a wonderful incentive awaits three roses so I'm going to bring more next time."

Hermione had turned faintly pink and then whispered, "You don't have to risk making Professor Sprout; you just need to ask." She stood on tiptoes and touched his lips with hers once more, enjoying the way his arms tightened possessively around her waist in response.

"I love you, Regina Weisz."

"And I love you, James Potter."

Eyes closing briefly before opening again, Hermione sighed in reminiscence and glanced the tip of her tongue over her upper lip as though relishing the remnants of that kiss. She cast a fleeting look at James, who was beside her and was supposedly eating dinner, and directly met his steady gaze. She jumped at the realisation that he had been watching her--and for quite some time already, so it seemed.

"What?" Hermione asked self-consciously, unnerved by the look of mischief glinting in his eyes.

"Nothing," James replied, this time wearing a satisfied smile that was a little too arrogant for her taste. He turned to his plate, sliced a tiny slab of meat and popped it into his mouth, determinedly not looking at her.

Hermione observed him for several more moments, wanting to demand exactly what he was smiling about. He was doing a very good job of purposefully acting like he did not notice her scrutiny, his intent reserved only for his food. But then again her point-of-view provided her with an excellent profile of his face. She ran her teeth over her lower lip and held back another sigh. Despite her annoyance, she could not help but admire the way his hair stuck out messily in all directions and the strong cut of his jaw. For one crazy moment, she wanted to run her hand through his hair, trace that handsome jaw and kiss him right then and there.

Just as she blushed at the very thought of it, James looked at her questioningly. "What is it?"

She licked her suddenly dry lips. "Not--nothing," she stammered weakly, thankful that she had come to her senses in the nick of time.

James's face broke into a boyish grin as though he understood exactly what she meant. He allowed the back of his hand to brush across her cheek. "You look happy."

Hermione smiled and pressed his hand against the side of her face. It was during times like these that James somehow managed to make the rest of the world disappear. "I am happy. Never been happier."

"Because of me?" he asked playfully, bringing his hand down to under the table where he cupped her knee.

"Of course. Who else?" Hermione responded, and he beamed at her. She slid her own hand under and entwined her fingers with his. They stayed that way all throughout dinner and until after they had walked out of the Great Hall.

"I'll see you later," James said, planting a quick kiss on her lips. He let go of her hand and watched her walk to Remus, who was waiting by the stairs. Just before they started on the first rung, Hermione turned, smiled shyly at him and blew him another kiss. He jumped and pretended to catch it in the air, staggering as he landed with a hand clutching his chest. Her laughter at his silly antics rang out like the peal of bells, and it pleased him that he had made her laugh. She gave one last wave before finally making her way up.

Remus dragged his leaden feet with each step as he struggled to keep in pace with Hermione, whose toes seemed to only lightly touch the ground. He followed her as she deftly entered the portrait hole to the common room and saw her race up to her dormitory. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was up to but decided against it. Instead, he joined Sirius and Peter, both of whom were talking animatedly by the fire. As he neared them, he could hear some of the words but could not make neither head nor tail of their conversation.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a picnic by the lake," Peter was saying. "Wine--lots and lots of it--and food and birthday cake--"

Sirius rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Why is it all about food? It's not your day, Peter. Listen," he said persuasively. "We need to do something with a bang."

Remus sat down on the hearthrug beside Peter just as his round-faced friend replied uncertainly, "You mean like fireworks?"

"Honestly, Wormtail! I don't know how you even made it through school these past seven years," Sirius retorted disgustedly.

Peter frowned, and that was when Remus decided to intervene. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Our plans for James's birthday," Sirius answered, his eyes flitting briefly towards Remus before settling on Peter once more. "Look, Wormtail. We all want to make this day special for James, and trust me, he wouldn't want some dorky celebration."

"Just because we don't agree doesn't mean you're free to dress down my ideas any way you want," Peter replied stiffly, his expression reproachful. "Besides, we've been playing pranks either on him or in his name for the past six years."

Remus sighed, secretly agreeing with Peter. "Well, why don't we use both of what you want?" he suggested. "I'm sure we can come up with a new joke and throw a birthday party at the same time." Although now that he had come to think about it, he realised that it had been stupid of them to include the entire school in celebrating James's birthday every year. No wonder they all think he's more arrogant than really is.

"Well, maybe we can do the joke during the day and have a good time by ourselves during the night," Sirius acceded hesitantly.

"Have you got a trick up your sleeve yet, Padfoot?" Remus enquired, wondering if this was the reason he was being so insistent.

Sirius shook his head. "But I'm sure I'll come up with something." He glanced at the other two Marauders. "You try and help in that department as well."

Silence descended upon the three boys as each was left to their own contemplations. Peter toyed with the fibres of the rug while the other two stared into the fire until Remus heard soft footfalls approach. He looked up expectantly and saw Hermione. She flashed him a brief smile before curling up on a nearby couch, and he swallowed hard to calm the sudden fluttering of his heart. He found her beautiful--still.

An idea struck him like lightning. "Don't you think we should enlist Regina's help?" he tentatively asked his friends.

A blond and shaggy black head jerked up simultaneously at this question, and Remus was sure he knew what each of his friends were going to say.

"Fine with me," Peter said with a shrug.

"No way," Sirius said, shaking his head defiantly. "This is a Marauders' thing."

Hermione slowly lowered her book and surveyed them from afar, wanting to hear more of what they were talking about.

"But she's very special to him," Remus reasoned out. "He would be so happy if she were included in our surprise."

"Let her plan one of her own," Sirius snapped. "Like a romantic, candlelit dinner for two."

Hermione pursed her lips; her instincts were telling her that the girl the Marauders had been referring to was her. "What's that you're discussing?"

"It's none of your business," Sirius replied irritably.

"What a witty retort," Hermione said dryly, laughing afterwards at his immaturity. Sirius pulled on an even more dour face. "Just so you know, Sirius, I heard my name. So what were you talking about?"

Sirius did not answer, so Remus did. "James's birthday," he explained. "We were trying to plan something for him."

"James's birthday?" Hermione repeated with a squeak, her brows jumping. Why didn't I ever think about asking him that? She closed her book and put it aside. "When is it?"

Three jaws identically dropped open in shock at her question.

"How come you don't know that?" Sirius demanded. "Considering that you're his... His..." His voice trailed off. "Whatever. That's rubbish."

Hermione did not answer, knowing for certain that James didn't know when her birthday was either.

The look of quandary on her face made Remus feel a little sorry for her. "It's on the twentieth, Regina," he said gently. "It's just a week away, which is why we're scrambling for ideas."

"Oh." The twentieth of March. Why didn't I know? she berated herself. And what am I going to do for him? Hermione cringed at she thought about how sweet James had been to her ever since they had gotten to know each other a little better. He went out of his way for her every time, and she didn't even know his birthday was approaching!

"Yeah," Peter agreed eagerly. "Last year, we threw a Hogsmeade-inspired party for the whole Gryffindor house since his birthday coincided with a won Quidditch match, and the year before last, we had a hex-Snivelly-all-you-can day."

Hermione frowned, her mind snapping back to the ongoing conversation. "That was really mean."

"Then there was also one year when we tried to set up him up a date with Evans," Peter went on, oblivious to Hermione's remark. "But that didn't go too well--did it, Moony?"

"It was a fiasco," Remus confirmed, smiling slightly. "The thing is, Regina, we need something new this year. Something spanking new."

"I vote we host a small party for him," Peter said. "Just the four--er, five," he corrected hastily as he caught Hermione's eye. "The five of us."

Remus' forehead creased thoughtfully. "You know, I kind of like that," he contributed, earning a reproving glare from Sirius. "It's his last birthday here at Hogwarts, after all. He'd want to spend it with the most important people in his life."

"What about you, Sirius?" Hermione asked him, graciously soliciting his opinion. "You're his best friend."

"Damn right I am," he answered gruffly. "I know him better than anybody, and trust me when I say that he's going to want a night to remember."

"So what do you suggest? Another day of pranking?" Remus wondered.

Sirius shook his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Yes," he asserted. "But this time, the joke's going to be on James." He noted the suddenly bright expressions on his friends' faces, which could only mean that they had something naughty in mind. "Have you ever noticed how much James talks about his birthday days before it? I'm actually surprised he has not started harping on about it yet."

"He must have other things on his mind," Peter said with a significant look at Hermione. "But so what if he's like that? He wouldn't be James if he wasn't."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Wormtail, don't you see? That's how special Prongs think he is."

"Well, he is extraordinary," Hermione said with a smile, coming automatically to his defence.

"That's not my point, so if you will just let me finish," Sirius gritted through his teeth, "I was about to say that Prongs always expects us to do something for him because he think he's that important to us."

Remus scratched his head. "Does this mean we're not going to do anything for him this year? I thought you said you wanted something big, something he would never forget."

"Exactly," Sirius replied with satisfaction. "We're going to have something for him, of course--like a party or something--but we will act like we have none." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "James is used to getting his own way, and he is waiting for something special on the twentieth, which means we won't do it on the twentieth."

"I don't know. That sounds quite nasty," Peter commented. "He's going to have a fit if he doesn't get anything from us on his birthday."

Sirius shrugged. "We can handle a small tantrum. Besides, it will make his birthday even more memorable." He glanced sideways at Hermione. "Of course, you can be our saving grace if you don't want to go along with our plan."

Our plan? Remus echoed in his head. Have Peter and I agreed?

"What plan?" a booming voice said over from somewhere behind and above them. They all started and looked up to see James grinning widely, carrying a tray of five steaming chocolate cups. He sat down beside Hermione, took two cups and handed one to her before using his wand to direct the platter to his three friends on the floor.

Hermione took her drink blankly, too stunned at his unexpectedly early presence to speak.

"Our plan for the next Hogsmeade trip," Sirius covered up smoothly.

"I didn't see any new notice," James said blandly.

Sirius laughed. "Come on, mate. Since when did we ever need permission to visit the village?" The Marauders all snickered at that.

"Well, if it's on the twentieth, you should tell me soon so I can tell my mum she can't bring me home for dinner," James said after swallowing a gulp of hot chocolate.

"You're going home on the twentieth?" Sirius asked, perplexed. Hermione stifled a giggle. "How come?"

James narrowed his eyes at his so-called best friend. "It's my birthday on the twentieth, Padfoot. Don't tell me you've forgotten." He glared at the other Marauders. "Don't tell me you've all forgotten." He looked hopefully at Hermione, who smiled sheepishly at him as she took his hand.

"I didn't know until tonight," she murmured in apology. James shifted his hand so that it encircled her wrist and smiled forgivingly at her.

"Birthdays become more and more trivial as one grows older, Prongs," Sirius explained matter-of-factly. "But if you want something on your birthday, then I guess it'll have to wait until the twenty-first." He shrugged. "After all, we have that ten-foot long essay due for McGonagall on the twenty-first. You wouldn't want to miss submitting that, would you?"

James stared hard at Sirius for several long moments before he burst out laughing. "Okay, mate. I get it. It's a joke. You were trying to be funny." When none of his friends reassured him that they were indeed pulling his leg, he shook his head frustration. "Never mind. It doesn't matter." He drained his cup of chocolate and turned to Hermione.

"I'm tired. Good night." James kissed her briefly on the cheek and squeezed her hand again before standing up. He walked over to the hearthrug and set his cup a little too roughly on the plate. Just before he stalked off, Remus distinctly heard him mutter, "Merlin forbid you break a sweat over something as insignificant as your friend's birthday."

They all waited until he was out of earshot before eyeing each other warily.

"Maybe we should devise another plan," Hermione said cautiously. "I mean... I don't want him to get mad."

Judging from what his best mate said about this girl making him so happy, Sirius doubted James would be angry with her even if she did anything to cause him pain. "Regina," he started, surprising even himself with the fact that he had addressed her by her first name. "Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Besides, this is the only time I'll be allowing you to upset him. If you ever do anything like this again..."

Hermione met Sirius' probing gaze. "I would never do anything to hurt him," she promised softly.

For the first time, the usually irritable raven-haired boy smiled agreeably at her; her sincere words had pacified him, and a moment of meaningful understanding had passed between them. "Glad to hear that." Perhaps she does care deeply for James.

Peter sighed heavily. "We're going to go through with it then? Host the party on Saturday, one day later than the twentieth? Ruin his birthday on purpose?"

"You bet!" Sirius exclaimed, stretching his legs out before him.

Remus groaned in disagreement. "Terrific. With friends like us, who needs enemies?"

Author's Notes: I know, I know. It's boring because nothing new has happened yet. Sigh. There are chapters that you simply have to write to build things up for another twist, and this is one of those. :) For the curious ones, it will take two to three more chapters for the Marauders' seventh year to come to a close. That is where something heartbreaking (sniff, sniff) will happen, and then there will probably be two more chapters before Hermione goes back to her own time. How and why... Well, you'll just have to wait and see. ;)