MISCHIEF MANAGED

Chapter Sixteen – Snide and Prejudice

The socks sailed through the air and dropped into Remus' waiting hands. He placed them neatly in his trunk. 'I almost wish I was staying here with you,' he said to James and Sirius, who had elected to stay at school to avoid their family reunions.

'I know,' Sirius joked. 'Who'll be here to tell us to stop having fun?'

'I heard Lily was staying,' Peter piped up, looking knowingly at James, who in return shot him a threatening look.

Remus closed his trunk with a loud thud. 'Peter, I think it's time to go or we'll miss the train,' he said, dragging his trunk to the door. 'See you guys next year!'

Noticing James' scowl, Peter scrambled out the door, shouting a quick goodbye as he went. Sirius flicked his wand so that the door slammed shut, almost catching Peter's heels. He turned to look at James, mischief in his eyes. 'So what now?'

After visiting the kitchens for a quick snack consisting of Pumpkin Pasties, James and Sirius were bored. Not having any grand schemes in mind, they ambled along the corridors looking for something to entertain themselves.

A loud clang from behind caught their attention. Turning around, they saw Severus Snape sprawled on the ground, the books he had been carrying littering the floor. They smiled at each other before beginning their assault. 'Snivellus can't seem to keep his balance,' James taunted.

Sirius kicked a thick book entitled Creatures of the Night. 'Looking for some friends, eh, Snivellus?' He picked it up and opened it, reading from the contents page, 'Banshees, Ghouls, Lethifolds, Manticores, Vampires, Werewolves – they do seem your type.'

Snape's face was contorted with rage. In a swift movement he pulled out his wand and whispered an incantation which narrowly missed James' elbow. His two tormentors reacted immediately, shooting curses back at the pitiful figure, now desperately trying to get away. 'Eat Slugs,' James yelled as Snape rounded the corner into another corridor.

'Bugger, you missed him,' Sirius grumbled, picking up one of the books Snape had left behind. 'I would've liked to see the effects of that one.' At that point, the boys heard a yelp. A faintly familiar blonde-haired first year had innocently strayed into the path of the oncoming jinx and had started coughing up slugs. Her bewildered expression turned to fear when she saw the boys and she ran off, leaving a pool of slugs behind her.

James' forehead creased in worry, 'We should go check on her.' Sirius nodded in agreement and they followed the stricken first year.

'Charlotte, what happened?' they heard a kind voice say from afar.

They heard a strangled gurgling noise before she answered. 'Some boys hit me with a jinx and now I can't stop-' she was interrupted by another burst of slugs.

Sirius and James turned the corner to see Lily comforting the afflicted girl. A look of utter horror filled Charlotte's face when she saw that the boys had followed her. Lily followed the terrified girl's gaze and jumped up abruptly, her hands on her hips.

'What have you done?' she asked angrily. 'Why didn't you pick on someone your own size?'

'But-' Sirius interjected, but was cut short by Lily's ferocious glare. He shrank away and looked to James for support.

'Lily, we were just coming to check she was alright,' James took over. 'The jinx wasn't meant for her.'

'And that makes it better, does it?' she snapped. 'I hope this will stop you cursing each other in the corridors.' She turned back to Charlotte, who had just brought up another pile of slugs.

'Come on, James, let's get out of here,' Sirius murmured.

They were stopped in their tracks by an inquiry from Lily. 'Who was this jinx meant for then?'

'Snivellus Snape,' Sirius said proudly.

Lily's face contorted into a dreadful snarl, leading the boys to bolt. 'Petrificus Totalus,' they heard her call and ducked behind a tapestry just in time.

James, in a brave move, stuck his head from behind the curtain and yelled back to Lily. 'I thought you said we shouldn't curse each other in the corridors!'

They heard a cry of anger and then continued their sprint through the castle, not stopping until they got to their dormitory.

The rest of the holidays passed relatively quietly. Sirius' boredom led him to read the book he had taken from Snape, and he discovered a newfound obsession with werewolves. He borrowed every book on the subject from the library, and much to James' dismay spent most of the break reading.

On one of his many trips to the library he came across his cousin. 'Meda!' he called gleefully. 'Avoiding the Blacks, are we? What was your excuse?'

Andromeda answered tentatively, going red. 'I told them I was studying for my exams.' She paused, and a puzzled expression clouded her face. 'What are you doing in the library?'

'I was looking up werewolves!' Sirius responded with great enthusiasm. 'Did you know that a wizard in Animagus form can't contract the lycanthropy disease? Or that…'

'Wow, Sirius, you read a book?' she interjected, shocked by this change in character.

'I read seventeen! All about werewolves,' Sirius replied.

Andromeda snorted in amusement before glancing at her watch. Her cheeks went red and she mumbled, 'Sorry, Siri, I've got somewhere to be.'

Sirius watched her walk away, bemused by the suddenness of her departure. Sensing that something was up, he determined to follow her.

Just as he left the library, James came around the corner, a large pile of food from the kitchens stacked in his arms. 'You look like you're up to something,' he exclaimed gleefully. 'What are we doing?'

'Meda's up to something,' Sirius whispered as James dumped his sweets into the arms of a passing first year. 'And I want to know what.'

Keeping a safe distance, they followed Andromeda through a maze of corridors. At last they spotted the tail of her robe disappear into a classroom, and the boys crept up slowly to peek through the keyhole.

'What is she doing?' James mumbled curiously. 'I can't see a thing.'

'Me neither,' Sirius said, standing up. 'I'm going in.'

He pushed open the door with great force and let out a gasp of surprise. 'Are you snogging?'

Andromeda, red to the tips of her ears, squealed, 'Sirius, what are you doing?'

Recognising her companion as Ted Tonks, Sirius' face lit up with a mischievous grin. 'A Muggle-born, Meda? The family will love this!'

'Sirius, get out!' Andromeda shrieked.

Sirius remained standing at the door, arms folded over his chest. 'So Ted, what are your intentions with my cousin?'

Ted's cheeks reddened slightly and he gave a weak chuckle.

Sirius felt a slight tug on his jumper. 'Come on Sirius, we should go,' James mumbled, with his eyes cast down so as to avoid the gazes of the older students.

Sirius looked back to be greeted by Andromeda's seething glare. 'Yeah mate, probably not a bad idea,' he murmured, slinking out the door after his friend.