A Night Patrol

The weather on the Hogwarts ground had been dull since the beginning of November. Rain was pouring down heavily, blurring the dark figures of treetops at the edge of the Forbidden Forest in the grey cloudy sky. Gusts of wind continually rattled the Transfiguration classroom's windows, adding to the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice and dozens of quills grazing on parchment paper. The rattling and the scraping only further emphasized the silence covering the room while she was speaking. The Gryffindor and Slytherin seventh-years were engaged in the lecture as dull as the weather on the Cross-Species Spell. All, except for three of the Gryffindors at the back of the room.

"James! James... JAMES!"

Alerted by Lily's nudge, James raised his head and instinctively ruffled his constantly messy black hair. Her urgent whisper also woke Sirius, who was resting his chin on his left palm, and Peter, who was drooling all over his sleeve. He hurriedly wiped the corner of his mouth, then grabbed his quill to continue taking notes. James and Sirius immediately did the same, as Professor McGonagall's eyes darted towards them while she was presenting the demonstration of the spell.

Even when the class moved on to practising turning their rats into guinea pigs, the boys were so sleepy that they just flicked their wands lazily, trying to stay awake. Peter's rat's fur was singed and almost set ablaze if Lily hadn't been quick with Aguamenti.

When the bell rang at last, all Gryffindors quickly cleared up their desks before leaving for Charms. James was the last one to leave his desk and was to follow his friends out of the classroom when McGonagall's words held him back.

"Mr Potter."

Hiding an exasperated groan, James turned around to face the Head of Gryffindor House. This couldn't be good.

"It seems something has been extracting your attention from my lesson, hasn't it?"

James began raking his fingers through his jet black hair. "I'm sorry, Professor. Last night I was up going through my notes on Teapot to Tortoise."

"And so were you two?" McGonagall's gaze turned to Sirius and Peter.

"Yes, Professor."

Judging by McGonagall's expression, she didn't believe any word of their lame excuse. They quietly waited for her declaration of detention.

"I appreciate your dedication to my subject outside class," she gave all three of them a stern look. "However, your concentration in class contributes greatly to your preparation for N.E.W.T.s as well. You're among the brightest, but that's no excuse for overlooking anything. Now off you go, the next class is about to start. Oh, and please remind Mr Lupin to hand me his homework next Thursday."

Despite McGonagall's strict words, three boys couldn't stop themselves from dozing off during Professor Flitwick's lecture. James was now resting his whole face on his arms, while Sirius was leaning his head against his wand arm. A couple of Ravenclaw girls occasionally threw a glance over their shoulders at his sleepy yet elegant face in the middle of their passionate conversation. Peter was lounging at the desk right behind James and Sirius, scattered some of his belongings over the empty seat next to his own. The seat was supposed to be filled by Remus. He was staying in the Hospital Wing. It had been another rough full moon for the four of them. Lily was fully aware of their exhaustion, therefore she didn't bother to wake them up.

The boys were still yawning at the Gryffindor table at lunchtime. Lily scanned the afternoon timetable for them.

"Potions after lunch, two Defense Against the Dark Arts, then we're free."

"Great, we'll have more time to help Moony catch on. Can we borrow your Transfiguration notes then?" asked James.

"Sure. I can lend you my notes on Charms too. Don't leave Charms out." Her voice was stern.