Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'
Once in a While
Chapter One- James' decision
It was early December and the village of Hogsmeade was bustling with Hogwarts students and the Three Broomsticks was a riot of activity. All tables were taken up with groups of teenagers, laughing and joking. Younger students scuttled, heads down, past the older students, who ignored them and carried on their previous activities. Occasionally a large bang or a flash of smoke would stun everyone into silence, before the babble of noise took over once again.
A boy in his late-teens sidled up to the bar, ruffling his hair and conjuring up a lopsided grin. Sitting down on one of the worn stools, he turned to the red-haired witch on his right. "Alright Evans?"
"I was." The girl twisted so her back was to him. This didn't deter the boy, on the contrary, he just kept going. "Shall I buy you a drink?"
She didn't answer, so the boy flagged down the barmaid and ordered two butterbeers. Within moments two steaming tankards were in front of him and the boy lifted one, taking care not to spill it. He stretched round the redheads shoulder to brandish it in front of her nose. "Come on Evans!" He cooed. The girls green eyes narrowed and she stood up abruptly, causing him to yell and spill the drink down his front. He glared at the girl, who had smiled smugly and was now striding out of the bar, her dark red hair bouncing on her shoulders.
Irritably, the boy made his way towards the table in the corner, where three boys of his own age were applauding his latest 'performance'. The tallest stood and clapped the boy from the bar on the back. "Better luck next time Prongs."
James Potter muttered darkly and slid onto a bench, pulling a wand from his back pocket and waving it at his robes, causing the butterbeer to vanish instantly. He threw his wand on the table and slid down on the bench, until only a creased forehead and a mop of messy black hair was visible. "I hate you all."
This only caused more loud laughter from the tall boy and several heads to turn in their direction, only to smile slightly and turn back to whatever they were doing. Sirius Black or 'Padfoot', had always been loud, almost to the point of being obnoxious. It was lucky he was good looking, or he may have been in deep trouble. As it was, he was one of the most respected and admired students in the school, tied only with the others sitting with him.
"Shut up Sirius. People are staring. Do you want to get kicked out again? Because if you do, we're not coming with you. I'm not going to the Hogs Head again." The brown haired boy had spoken over the top of his butterbeer, which he was warming his hands with. This was Remus Lupin, known to his friends a 'Moony' due to a slight 'problem' he had with full moons. The voice of reason in the group, he was probably the only reason the other two had made it to seventh year without getting expelled. Or locked up.
Sirius laughed again, a short bark-like sound which made him sound curiously like a dog. "I like the Hogs Head."
James spoke from beneath the table. "Only because they don't care about you being underage."
The final member of the group gave a squeak of laughter, and then stopped short when he realised James wasn't joking. Peter Pettigrew was the smallest out of the four teenagers, and, truth be told, the least attractive. He had dirty blonde hair, small eyes and a slightly round face. However, the fact that his friends were the great 'marauders', as they called themselves, meant that he wasn't unpopular round the school, and still looked up to by the general student body.
The four sat happily in the corner of the Three Broomsticks, laughing and joking loudly, as they had been all evening. Soon, Sirius was sent to get the next batch of butterbeers and James made an announcement to the other two. "This year will be the year. The year that Evans finally realises that she and I are meant to be!"
There was a moments silence before Remus commented that James had obviously been overdoing on the butterbeer.
"No!" James objected, "I'm serious!"
Sirius, who had just appeared at the table, opened his mouth to comment. But James cut him off.
"Padfoot. If you even think about making that joke, I will drown you in your own butterbeer." He turned back to Remus and Peter, "Anyway, Evans doesn't like me because," he looked grandly around the table, as if he was about to reveal a huge secret, and the other three leaned in, "she thinks I'm too big-headed."
Another thundering silence, which Remus again broke. "Please don't tell me you only just worked that out."
"And that is why," James carried on as if Remus hadn't spoken, "I have decided to stop randomly hexing and pranking people. Even Snivellus. Hey!"
Sirius had just spat out a mouthful of butterbeer onto James' recently-dried lap, "What!" He gasped.
James shrugged, and Sirius stared at him, gob smacked. His mouth was actually hanging open. Remus also looked shocked, and Peter had a hand over his mouth. He lowered it to whisper. "You're going to stop pranking people?"
"Woah!" James held up a hand, "I never said that! I said I'd stop randomly pranking people. If they deserve it then, well, that's not random." He lifted the butterbeer to his lips, a familiar smirk playing round his lips. Sirius was still looking shocked, but less so than before, and had recovered enough to wipe up the butterbeer he'd spat across the table with Remus' scarf.
It was a few hours later when the marauders decided to finally leave. The pub was emptying and the usually placid Madame Rosmerta was giving them evil looks, obviously wanting them to leave her to pack up. They grabbed their cloaks and scarves and, laughing at Remus who had just realised his scarf had been soaked in butterbeer, exited the pub to the cold street outside. Christmas lights blinked at them from inside windows and their breath formed clouds in front of their faces. The four boys made their way towards Hogwarts, calling out greetings to the few lingering students and talking loudly amongst themselves. It wasn't long until they were passing the lake. Its surface was already beginning to freeze, a light layer of ice clouding the water and slowly creeping towards its centre.
The bright lights of the torches greeted them as they stepped into Hogwarts castle, and Sirius absent-mindedly froze a few, the flames turning into icy swirls as he waved his wand lazily. They were all tired now and there wasn't much talking, except from the occasional swear as someone stubbed their toe or got in the way of one of Sirius' freezing charms.
Remus and Peter were already in bed as James left the bathroom and began to get changed. The air was heavy with the kind of sleepy silence that only grows during dark winter nights.
"How can you not prank anyone?" Sirius yawned as the pulled on his pyjama top.
"I dunno." James replied, "I'll find a way."
"You'll never do it."
James chuckled quietly and threw a shoe at Sirius. "We'll have to wait and see won't we?"
Sirius dodged the shoe and snorted with laughter as it hit Remus in the side. He groaned, groped for the shoe and threw it back in the general direction of Sirius, though it fell short and landed on Peter, who ignored it and carried on snoring.
A/N: Hi Guys! Thanks for reading! I've posted this story once before but it had to be taken down - and now it's back! Yay! Anyway, I hope you liked it and please, don't forget to review!