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For the record, James would swear up and down that this wasn't his fault this time. It was Sirius that'd picked a fight with Snivilus and gotten all of them dragged into this mess.
Not that the slimy git didn't deserve it, but still, James hadn't started it...he finished it though.
Or maybe Lily had.
He glanced at her from under the fan of his eyelashes, the redhead was right across him, staring down at the small cauldron in her hands. She was a sight for sore eyes to be sure, rust-red hair spilling across her shoulders and her face tight with concentration.
James felt heat crawl up his throat, a sickly smile tugging stubbornly at his mouth he turned his head away. He feared he went around the bend this year.
Though he thinks it might be worth it to be a loon.
"Hey Jamie, do that thing again." it's Sirius that breaks the silence, to no one's surprise. His best mate and fellow Gryffindor slouched lazily, head tipped back to keep the hair from his face. He too had a small cauldron, covered in water and suds.
James smirks, but Remus, the level-headed love of his life thwarts their tomfoolery "We aren't supposed to be using magic for this, it's a punishment ." he looks from James to Sirius, amber eyes shrewd and suspecting.
Lily stops moving, and Snape even stops.
Sirius pays them little mind "Oh come one Remmy--"
"Don't call me that."
"Look mate, I know I don't want to be punished, you don't want to be punished. Neither does Evans or Snape. Jamie could help us with that..." he nods to the two across from them.
"It'll be a binding promise, a cease-fire...for now." a smile twitches across his eyes, grey eyes narrowing into something mischievous. Snape, direct across Sirius and right next to Lily scoffs.
"We wouldn't be here at all if not for you , Black." he sneered, brushing a hand across his hair. Snape's face was washed out in the dim light of the dungeons, making his already severe features take an angry turn.
Or he was angry, James wasn't sure.
Sirius sniffed, lifting a single brow in mockery "Maybe, Snape. If you'd kept your sniviling gob shut, I'd not have had to curse you at all!" he looks at James, "You heard him, didn't you Jamie? Prattling whatever you please about good old Mini!"
Lily looks warily between her, her mouth flattening into a little line as she found she didn't love what she heard. She turned to Snape.
"Severus? What were you saying about--" the lanky boy scoffed, cutting her off "I didn't say anything that wasn't true, Lily." he jerks his head at the three Gryffindor boys. "She very obviously favors them, it's not fair ."
Lily squints, leaning her head back before looking down at her cauldron "...Your right...to a degree. She does let them get away with a bit too much but that comes from a fond, reasonable place. She's not letting them run the halls." her eyes dart over to them for a moment.
James is torn between swooning for her dashing rescue of Mini's character and huffing from the implication that The Marauders were anything less than a delight. Snape aside everyone loved them...
He thinks so at least. Might have to check around about that.
"Anyway, you can't say that Professor Slughorn isn't the least bit biased himself? The man hosts parties for merlin's sake." she rebuffs, sticking up a finger.
She then snaps around, her eyes, as green as summer leaves. James would say that this might be the most excited he'd ever been to be scolded "But regardless , mere words should not give way to brawls, least of all magic ones!"
She sets her jaw "Your both wrong."
James can't really fault her for that, or at least he doesn't want to. He makes a show of visibly wilting, putting on his best-kicked puppy face in hopes to earn all the brownie points.
Sadly, given Lily's unimpressed face, it didn't work. Shame really.
Severus has no time for any shenanigans, however, and makes a point to plead his case. " Lily , no matter what I said they shouldn't have cursed me at all! Why am I getting in trouble for self-defense?"
The red-headed girl levels him a look "It might be because you escalated the issue, Sev."
His cheeks turn angry red, and dark eyes shone with fury. It's not a bad look, James considered. It reminded him of Sirius amid a great prank. A liveliness that was found nowhere else.
"They spelled my trousers into snakes!"
"You tried to send him down the staircase, Snively." the greatest surprise is that it's Remus that rebuffs him. Or maybe it makes the most sense?
Lily rounds on him, affronted. Her eyes damn near flash was she's angry, it's all rather fetching, honestly.
"And you ! I expected better from you, Lupin. Why'd you get pulled into this?" she puts her hands on her hips, and James thinks briefly of his mother.
Remus, cool and calm as ever, only lifts his chin. "Same as you, I suppose. I'm not gonna let my friends fight alone." he raises his brow.
Lily, sour-lipped, sighs. "Potter was already helping him, three on two isn't fair."
Remus only shrugs, "Using dangerous curses when your opponent isn't isn't fair either."
Snape's entire head is prune red, and sweat beads down his nose " He turned my pants into snakes! "
Sirius, sounding terribly bored, makes his case "In my defense the snakes weren't poisonous."
James can really feel it all going wrong, but instead of adding his voice, he decides to make himself busy. Looking down at his dirty cauldron, he stealthy turns all the filth coating the cauldron into flower petals.
"Potter!" he snaps his head up, caught as he looks into the accusative of Severus Snape. The entire table has turned to look at him.
Drat.
"I've done nothing, Snape. You've got no proof."
Remus, the traitor, plucks up a flower petal. Giving James a look of long-suffering.
Sirius is the only sensible one "Me next. Me next."
Lily, bursting with justice scolds them both "This is supposed to be punishment, we all did something wrong and we should deal with it." her cheeks are pink in anger.
"Are you really so arrogant, that you'll just skip out on punishment when you're actually in the wrong?"
"Oh come off it, Evans. It's not skipping out if we all do it. Stop being a killjoy and--"
"Don't call her that, Black. We'd be done with this by now if you'd not opened your mouth in the first place." Severus snaps, a wand suddenly in his hand.
Lily turns to him, her eyes round as saucers "Wait, what are you--"
Sirius has never backed down from a fight and he won't start now apparently, he lazily twirls his wand between in fingers.
Remus sighs loudly.
James vanishes the flower petals, which is very cool given he's not using his wand. But as a side effect, he also vanishes the table and winces as all the cauldrons fall to the ground.
The crash is deafening.
He stoically looks away from the disappointed faces of both Lily and Remus.
Sirius starts to laugh at him, bending at the waist and cackling.