Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and events from J.K. Rowling's wonderful Harry Potter books. I am writing this for my own enjoyment and hopefully for the enjoyment of readers. Anything you recognize belongs to JKR. The rest belongs to me.
Chapter 7: The Chocolate Frog Incident
James, Sirius, and Peter searched the corridor until they found the food cart. Sirius had difficulty deciding what he wanted because it all looked so appetizing. James, on the other hand, had chosen a sandwich and a chocolate frog. Sirius saw what James had chosen and his stomach cried out at the sight of the chocolate frog. He turned to the food cart lady and asked for one.
"Sorry, that was the last one," she replied. "How about some Fizzing Whizbees?"
Sirius looked longingly at James' chocolate frog. "Oy mate, how about trading me that frog for something else?"
James looked down at the chocolate treat and back at Sirius. "Sorry, but this is looking pretty good."
"C'mon, James. I'll pay you for it," Sirius whined as his mouth watered. James shook his head with a grin. Sirius then gave an evil smile, snatched the chocolate frog from James and started running. He didn't get far before James tackled him and started wrestling for the frog.
James managed to pin Sirius down. Sirius, by that point had hidden the treat so James kept Sirius pinned. "C'mon, Sirius, you have it and I want it!"
"Oh, Merlin!" came a voice from a few feet in front of them. James and Sirius looked up and to their horror saw the same brown haired girl who had walked into their compartment earlier, the one who had mistakenly thought that Sirius had proposed to James. Only, to James' added embarrassment and horror, Lily and Alice were with her. James chanced a glance at Lily and noticed her eyes were wide with amazement at the scene. Alice, standing beside her, was trying to suppress a chuckle.
The two boys quickly stood up and Sirius turned to the girls. "Ladies, what and unexpected surprise," he said trying to sound nonchalant and charming. Most of his attention was directed toward Marlene.
Marlene gave Sirius a blank look before replying, "A surprise. Clearly, it was." She turned to Alice and Lily and said, "You know, I think I just lost my appetite. Let's head back to the compartment." The three girls started to walk away.
James looked at Lily's retreating figure before glancing at Sirius in panic. "Do something," he whispered urgently, "before she - I mean they - get the wrong opinion about us."
Sirius looked at James before turning toward the girls. "Hey, Lily!" She and the other two girls turned back to the boys. "Would you and your lady friends care to join us in our compartment?" he asked with a flirty smile and a grand bow.
Lily giggled and smiled back at Sirius, causing a pang of jealousy to hit James. "Uh, no thanks, Sirius. We had better get back to our compartment. We'll be getting to Hogwarts soon and we still need to change into our school robes," she replied. "See you later," she added. The girls disappeared down the corridor.
Sirius looked back at James, who continued to stare dejectedly at the spot where Lily had been standing. Sirius reached into his pocket, took out the stolen chocolate frog and handed it to James. "Here. Sorry about earlier."
James looked at the frog and shook his head. "Forget about it. Keep it. I am not very hungry at the moment." James handed Sirius his sandwich as well and watched with amusement as Sirius wolfed down the sandwich and frog in a few bites. How could he keep his appetite after what those girls thought they had witnessed? After what Lily had thought she had witnessed?
"What's the matter with you?" Peter asked James as the boys headed back to the compartment.
"James is upset that he loses the ability to speak in front of Lily Evans, the red-headed girl that was here a few minutes ago," Sirius replied. He directed his next question to James. "Will you just admit that you like her?"
James, as an 11 year old boy who had, up until recently, been convinced that all girls had cooties, was about to protest Sirius' statement. Looking at his new friend, James got the feeling Sirius would be able to see right through him, and instead of protesting he just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what I feel. I just know that she is pretty and that for some reason I can't form a sentence in front of her."
"Well, you need to snap out of it if we are going to have any fun at school. If you want to get her attention, don't do it by acting like an idiot. You need to charm her and show her that you're good enough for her," said Sirius.
The girls had arrived back at the compartment and were changing into their school robes as Marlene described what they had just seen to Emm and Dorcas. "Then they acted like nothing had happened! At least, the one boy did. The other just stood there and gaped at us."
"That Potter boy is so strange," added Lily. "He has yet to say more than one sentence, at least that I've heard."
Alice smiled knowingly and turned to Marlene. "I think Sirius and Potter were just horsing around and nothing else. We just happened to catch them at an awkward moment."
"You know them?" asked Marlene.
"Not really. Just met them earlier," replied Alice. "Lily, however, has known them for twice as long. She met them yesterday in Diagon Alley during her adventures."
Lily told Marlene about how she had met Sirius and then about her awkward encounter with Potter at the bookstore. As she described it Marlene and Alice exchanged a knowing look and silently deduced the reasoning behind Potter's inability to speak.
Marlene chuckled, thinking about Sirius Black and his attempt at nonchalance about the entire situation, between the supposed proposal to Potter, and the awkward situation by the food cart. With a glint of mischief in her eyes, she said, "Yeah, I guess maybe they do fancy girls. That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun teasing them about it, though. You know, make them think we believe otherwise." Everyone laughed.
They settled down for the rest of the trip. Outside the window the light was dimming as the day was drawing to an end. Not much later the train began to slow down.
An older girl with bright red hair and brown eyes opened the door to the compartment. As she stepped in Lily noticed a bright silver badge pinned to her robes that said 'Head Girl.' The girl smiled at them and told them that their things would be brought to the castle and that they just needed to disembark the train when it stopped. There would be someone waiting for them to guide them to the castle. After saying that she left to find the other first years.
When the train stopped the girls stepped off the train and heard a gruff voice shouting, "Firs' years over here! Firs' years!"
As Lily and her friends approached the source of the voice they all gasped in shock. He was enormous, larger than any person they had ever seen before. Lily started to shake in fear when the man looked down at her. Through his bushy dark beard she could see his warm smile. He had the darkest beetle-black eyes she had ever seen, however she could see they were warm and friendly eyes.
"Welcome to 'ogwarts!" he told her. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper 'ere. I'll be showin' yeh t' the castle."
Lily smiled back. "Nice to meet you Hagrid. I'm Lily."
By this time there was a large group of first years looking nervously at Hagrid. He looked up and said, "That everyone? No more firs' years? Ok then, follow me! Mind yer step, now."
They followed him down a steep path through some trees. It was dark out by now and in the strange forest, Lily felt a shiver trace her spine. Several students gulped nervously as they heard a distant cry, like the sound of an animal in pain. They stayed close to each other with the idea that there was more safety in numbers. Lily looked up to the sky, grateful to see the full moon. Without its light she was sure she would be stumbling down the steep path.
Soon they reached a clearing and Lily heard some cries ahead of her, cries of delight. She looked up and saw a large castle perched on a mountain across a lake. Lily was instantly reminded of the many fairy tales her parents had read to her when she was younger. It was the largest castle she had ever seen, with many towers and turrets. The grounds around the castle looked just as immense. Off to the side was a large forest. The trees looked so dense, like they didn't want anyone entering.
"No more'n four to a boat!" shouted Hagrid. Lily looked toward the lake and saw a bunch of rowboats by the shore.
She looked at Alice, Marlene, Dorcas, and Emm and noticed there were five of them. One of them would have to go to another boat. Marlene gazed at the other students and saw Sirius, Potter, and the other boy she had seen in the compartment and in the corridor. She gave her friends a mischievous smile and walked off to join them in their boat. Lily and the remaining girls climbed into an empty boat.
Lily looked around the tiny boat and noticed there were no paddles. How were they supposed to get across? She was about to wave to Hagrid when all of a sudden the boats started moving. She noticed Hagrid standing in his boat holding a big pink umbrella. Was it supposed to rain? She looked up at the sky. There were a few small clouds but other than that it was perfectly clear.
As the boats drew closer to the castle Lily spotted a small opening in a cliff where they were headed. The boats passed through the opening and stopped at a dock underneath the castle. As Lily and her friends got off the boat she heard Sirius behind her shouting, "We are not together, not like THAT!"
It was directed toward Marlene, who was walking away from the boys with the same mischievous smile she had given the girls before getting on the boats. She turned back to the two boys and said sweetly, "Whatever you say," then followed Lily and the other girls behind Hagrid.
James and Sirius had been surprised when Marlene stepped into their boat. Sirius took this as an opportunity to prove to her that he preferred girls over boys by showing her what a flirt he could be. She, however, just sat there smiling looking back and forth between James and Sirius like she knew something they didn't. James, seeing this, interrupted Sirius' charms toward Marlene by asking, "WHAT is it? Why do you keep looking at us like that?"
She gave them a sweet smile. "Oh, I was just thinking about what a cute couple you two make."
Sirius' jaw dropped. Hadn't she noticed his charms toward her? Was she blind? Peter was looking back and forth between Sirius, James, and Marlene, sporting a nervous and twitchy smile.
James, on the other hand, noticed something else behind Marlene's sweet smile. Was she toying with them, he wondered.
By this point the boats were docking and Marlene started to get off the boat. Sirius, seeing that he had to get this straight once and for all, shouted, "We are not together, not like THAT!"
Marlene turned back slightly and gave another sweet smile before chirping, "Whatever you say." She disappeared with her group of friends as they followed Hagrid.
James noticed how red Sirius' face was. He looked like he was about to explode. "Calm down, mate," said James.
"What are you talking about? Back on the train you were even more upset about what she was thinking!" Sirius snapped back.
James thought for a moment before replying. "You know, I got the feeling she knows the truth and is just toying with us."
Sirius raised his eyebrows as he thought about what James had said. "If that is true then we are going to have to teach her a lesson. You up for it?" he asked, his own mischievous smile forming.
James just smiled back as they headed into the castle.
Thanks to my reviewers - I made replies to the latest batch from Chapter 6. Can anybody figure out now where Remus is? If not, reread the chapter. If you still can't figure it out, then read it again!
Next chapter: The Sorting Ceremony takes place. What will Sirius and James do to retaliate against Marlene?