Valentine's Day
The school had set up decorations throughout the hallways and great hall, and a few classrooms had opted to decorate as well. Hearts and cupids were hung everywhere, pink flowers decorating the tables in the great hall.
And James barged into his dormitory at eight in the morning with a wide grin and a parcel in his arms. He was dressed in a pink shirt and white trousers.
"It's Valentine's Day!"
"Who cares?" Peter moaned, shoving his face in his pillow.
Sirius glanced up at James with a scowl, "That's for couples, James. We're a group of twelve and eleven-year-olds that have never had any romantic experiences."
"It's not for couples, it's for love. Besides, we can chat about our crushes, and eat chocolate."
"And where are we getting chocolate from?" Peter huffed, resigning himself to being woken up at eight on the weekend.
"My parents!" James held up the parcel, "They sent me a bunch for Valentine's Day. Because it's for love, not couples."
Sirius sat up properly and threw back his duvet, "Is Remus still asleep?"
James walked over, throwing back the curtains to reveal Remus' bed empty, "Strange. He's usually last to wake up."
"Maybe he’s meeting up with his secret girlfriend or something", Peter laughed.
Sirius pulled a face, "Merlin. That'd be Evans, wouldn't it?"
James frowned, "He's not dating Evans, they're just friends."
"Why do you care?" Peter muttered, on his way to the bathroom.
"I don't!" James defended, "I just don't see why they'd keep it a secret. He's probably just fallen asleep in the library or something."
"I don't think Pince would allow that", Sirius commented.
"Then he's probably just already up and at breakfast."
Sirius shot him a disbelieving glance but shrugged, "If you say so."
"I do say so", James huffed, sitting down on his bed and shoving the chocolate into his bag.
Sirius looked over whilst grabbing clothes from the wardrobe, "Are we going somewhere?"
James grinned again, "I have planned our entire day. So, once you two are ready, then we're going to head down to breakfast. Hopefully, find Remus down there. Then we'll have a bit of free time to hang out and chill, and then there's an art club at ten that's painting vases and Alice said she'll be there and will teach us how to charm paper to fly around and how to control its shape, speed, and direction. Afterwards we'll have lunch, then we'll go to the Transfiguration club. And Minnie said she'll focus on something Valentine themed for us. Then we'll go outside and have a picnic with the chocolate I've got and just play around outside for a while and chat about any crushes we may have. Then we'll have dinner, and afterwards they're throwing a party in the common room and first years can stay till ten. But afterwards we'll all go to our dorm and Marlene, Mary, and Emmeline will come and we'll play some games together. Marlene said she'll also ask Lily to come, so I guess she might be here too."
Sirius grinned, "You're going to make a lucky girl very happy one day."
James beamed, "Thanks, mate."
Peter left the bathroom; fully dressed, in his usual weekend outfits, jeans and a t-shirt with the doors logo his mum had given him, with wet hair. And Sirius ran past him to get into the bathroom. Peter grabbed his denim jacket from the hooks on the back of the door and put it on, before grabbing a comic from his bedside table and shoving it in the jacket's pocket. As Peter grabbed a pair of shoes, James knocked heavily on the bathroom door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming", Sirius shouted through it.
He appeared a moment later in his black school trousers and white school shirt. Neither Peter nor James commented on his choice of clothing. Sirius had seemed to prefer wearing the uniform to his own clothes. He hadn't worn his own clothes since the first weekend of school.
Sirius rushed to his bed, slipping on a pair of shiny black shoes and grabbing his cloak from the door hooks, "Alright. I'm ready."
James whooped, grabbing his own coat, and a blue and purple pinstripe suit jacket.
They chatted loudly as they made their way to the hall, starting up a game of jumping up to hit the paper hearts strung up in the hallways. James was winning by the time they reached the great hall, Sirius accusing him of somehow cheating.
Mary waved them over, and they sat with the girls, to the irritation of Lily.
All four were dressed somewhat appropriately for the holiday. Marlene, although in her usual grey jeans and trainers, had opted for a pink jumper. Emmeline in a colourful floral shift dress with pink tights. Lily in a pink jumper dress with a white shirt. And Mary, the most dressed up, sat in a pink mini skirt and t-shirt with a heart-shaped belt. Her hair was tied back with a pink, heart-patterned headband.
"Where's Remus?" Peter asked Lily.
She shrugged in reply, "I'm not sure. I assumed he'd still be sleeping."
"We'll he's not there", Sirius snipped.
"He's probably in the library, he usually is, isn't he?" Mary hummed, spreading jam onto a slice of toast.
James picked up the jam after Mary was finished and poured the entire pot onto his plate. He scooped up a handful of it and turned to Sirius and Peter.
"First one to get it in someone's drink without them realising?"
"You're on", Sirius grinned, scooping a large portion of it himself.
The two stood up and walked in separate directions in search of a victim.
Peter moved up the bench to where James sat a moment ago.
"What are you competing for?" Emmeline asked.
"Nothing", Peter answered as he scooped up the rest of the jam into his hand, "Whoever wins just wins."
"Then why do you do it?"
Peter grinned, standing up Kingsley deep in conversation with Frank, his cup of tea to the other side, "It's fun."
Just as Peter snuck to Kingsley's side and was about to drop the jam into the mug, a shout came from the teachers' table.
Everyone turned. Sirius stood in front of the teacher's table, McGonagall was standing up, berating Sirius about respecting his teachers. As Slughorn vanished his tea, jam was still all over his face.
Sirius nodded when she was finished giving him detention, "I'm deeply sorry, Professor. I promise I won't do it again."
He held his hand out for her to shake, and she sighed before taking his hand.
A large frown came onto her face as soon as she touched his hand, and she immediately let go.
She grabbed her wand, instantly cleaning her jam-covered hand, "Make that two detentions, Mr. Black."
Sirius grinned, trying to stop himself from laughing as he walked back to the Gryffindor table.
Kingsley's eyes narrowed at Peter's hand, "Hey, not happening. No."
Peter swore, wiping the jam on the edge of the tablecloth and going back to the seats just as Sirius arrived.
James came back a moment later, "They kept noticing me coming", he put the jam back on the plate with a pout.
"I am the winner!" Sirius cheered.
"How is getting two detentions for a stupid prank winning?" Lily frowned.
Sirius leaned over, tapping her on the nose with his sticky finger, "How is it not winning?"
He turned to James, "You've gotta get Minnie to give you two detentions now."
James nodded, "I'll do it during the club."
Lily wiped her nose with her napkin, as James started playing with the jam still on his plate, making a smiley face from it. And then proceeded to throw the eye of the face at Sirius who tried to catch it in his mouth.
"I can't be around you lot anymore. I'm going to the library to find Remus."
James called to her as she stood up to leave, "Tell him to meet us in the art club at ten!”
Mary nudged Marlene, nodding in James’ direction.
Marlene glared, but turned to the boy, “Happy Valentine’s Day James.”
James smiled, “You too, Marlene. Are you doing anything today?”
“Me and the girls are just going to hang out a bit until your party. I think Snape wanted to spend the day with Lily, though, which is so gross.”
James laughed, before awkwardly twirling his spoon in his porridge, “Did you, um, want to hang out at the party?”
Mary squealed from beside Marlene, a huge smile on her face. Sirius slouched further in his chair, glancing between James and Marlene in confusion.
Marlene paled slightly, but nodded, “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”
James grinned, “Class. Um, you look pretty today.”
Marlene gripped the table, “Thanks. You look good too.”
Mary immediately clutched Marlene’s hand, whispering to her with excitement.
Sirius scooted closer to James, “What in Merlin’s name was that?”
Peter laughed, from the other side of James, “That, was the reason James wanted to chat about crushes later.”
-
James, Peter, and Sirius spent the rest of the day together. Following everything on James’ planned schedule, they found themselves in McGonagall’s transfiguration club. Only a few people had gone, being Valentine's day, and the three found themselves amongst a couple of 5th and 7th years that surrounded themselves with notes and workbooks. The only fourth years were Narcissa Black and Emma Vanity, sat on the right side of the room. Sirius steered them to the left. As they sat down, in the back row as always, Lily came in with Severus Snape.
“Evans!” Sirius yelled, “Where’s Remus?”
Lily turned to them, walking over as Severus refused to follow and sat down in the front, waiting for her.
“He wasn’t in the library, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I thought he might have gone back to your dormitory.”
Peter shook his head, “We went back there just a second ago, and he wasn’t there. But his bag’s still there.”
Lily frowned in thought, but before she could speak, Mcgonnagall entered the classroom and Lily went to sit down.
“Welcome, students. I’ve had a request to do something in theme for this day. However, I know there are some of you here for revision for your exams in a few months so today I’d like you all to either focus on a specific topic you think you need help on, and I will come around to help out. Or, if you want to learn something just for some enjoyment, then please put your hands up and I will show you how to create chocolate flowers.”
“Class”, James grinned.
All three immediately put their hands in the air, as well as Emma and Lily.
McGonagall stood at the front of the classroom, holding up a single sheet of paper, and pointed her wand at it, her eyes deeply focused on the item. The paper twirled around itself, becoming paper flowers, extremely realistic looking. She then tapped it with her wand again, and it turned into chocolate. She showed it to the students, every dent and line of a normal flower shown.
She turned it back into the sheet of paper, passing several sheets to each of the students, “Practice whilst I help out the other students.”
James immediately picked up one of his sheets, trying to transfigure it. He tapped his wand against it, and closed his eyes, trying to picture clearly a bouquet of flowers, and then pictured the paper turning into exactly that.
Peter picked a sheet up, trying it himself. Whilst Sirius picked up a sheet and bundled it into a ball. He glanced to Mcgonagall, and seeing her back turned, he threw it at his cousin.
It hit her on the back of her head, and she turned around immediately, “Hit me again, and your Mother will find out exactly how misbehaved you are here.”
Sirius rolled his eyes, and as soon as she turned around, he threw another paper ball.
It flew through the air, and just as it was about to graze the back of her head, she caught it with one hand.
Narcissa turned again, “I’m the Slytherin seeker, Sirius. I can catch a paper ball, go bother someone else.”
Sirius pouted, leaning back in his chair. He glanced to Lily and Severus a few desks in front of them, and started to make another ball.
He threw the ball directly at Severus’ head. The boy didn’t turn. So Sirius threw another. And another. Until he ran out of paper, and turned his attention instead to his friends.
James had transfigured the paper into a single chocolate flower, and was now attempting it again with the next sheet.
Peter hadn’t gotten it yet, although he had managed a small paper flower.
Sirius tapped James, just as he made another chocolate flower, “Can I borrow some of your paper?”
James frowned at the request, before glancing around the room and spotting the crumpled balls on the floor, and grinned. He passed him two.
Sirius got his wand out, closing his eyes and picturing a bouquet of borage, his favourite flower. He pictured the paper turning into it, imagining it becoming chocolate.
He opened his eyes to see exactly as he had pictured. The small flowers, made of chocolate.
Sirius popped one in his mouth, tasting a mixture of paper, flowers, and chocolate.
Peter had made a few more paper flowers, and was now seeming to have given up on actually transfiguring the paper, and was now folding it himself. Sirius was impressed, watching his friend carefully fold, rip, and curl the paper into perfect paper roses.
James had made even more chocolate flowers, a variety of different types of flowers on his desk.
Sirius heard Lily congratulate Severus on making a chocolate lily. Sirius instantly crumpled up his final piece of paper and threw it at Severus again.
Lily spotted him, "What are you doing?"
Sirius held up one of the small chocolate flowers, "Making these."
"Leave him alone", Lily glared, before turning around again. Her desk was filled with chocolate flowers, almost as many as James'.
James placed another chocolate flower on his desk, then folded the next into a paper plane. He nudged Sirius, who instantly grinned and nodded his head towards Lily and Severus.
James squinted, aiming, and threw the plane.
It hit the back of Lily's head, just as McGonagall turned around.
"Mister Potter!" McGonagall yelled out.
"Fuck!" Peter shouted, a moment later.
McGonagall's eyes widened, "Mister Pettigrew, that language is not-" She spotted his finger, blood pouring from just underneath his nail.
"You better head to the infirmary."
Peter nodded, grabbing his jacket. Sirius and James stood up, grabbing their own things and running to catch up with him.
"Papercut?" James asked, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulders.
Peter nodded.
They walked together to the infirmary, and as soon as they entered, Sirius started shouting that Peter was dying.
Poppy Pomfrey ran out of her office in a panic, before setting eyes on the trip and folding her arms.
"Come sit, I'll clean that up for you."
Peter sat on the edge of one of the beds, James and Sirius standing by him.
As Madame Pomfrey headed to her office, James stood up, looking around.
"It feels very clean in here."
"Probably needs to be", Sirius commented, "So dust and stuff doesn't get in people's open wounds. And so sick people wouldn't get worse."
James nodded, looking around the empty beds, his eyes catching the one bed with the curtains pulled around it.
He stepped towards it, looking at the stack of books on the bedside table, and the pair of brown, worn-out shoes, that he vaguely recognised, by the side of the bed.
James frowned, pulling back the curtain a little to see who was there.
A boy seemed to be sleeping, an open book on his stomach and the blanket pulled over their head. All that was visible was the top of his head, light brown curls peeking out from the duvet.
"Remus?" James whispered.
"Leave the sick person alone, James!" Sirius called out.
James shut the curtain, "It's Remus. He's asleep, but it's definitely him."
"Remus?" Peter asked, "He's sick?"
James shrugged, "I guess. He did look a little off yesterday, and disappeared before dinner. Must have been here since then."
Pomfrey came back, a large plaster in hand, as well as things to clean the cut.
Sirius turned to her as she tended to Peter's small injury, "What's wrong with Remus?"
Pomfrey frowned slightly, keeping her eyes on what she was doing, "He's just a little under the weather at the moment. He should be returning to your dorms this evening or tomorrow morning."
"Did he throw up or something?" James asked, fiddling with the pillow on the bed opposite Peter.
"I'm sure he'll tell you once he's feeling better. There you go, all sorted."
She stood up, "Off you lot go. I don't want you lounging around here."
They made their way out, Sirius paused by the bed Remus was in. He grabbed a few of the chocolate borage and placed them on the bedside table before jogging to catch up with Peter and James.