The Marauders Year Five Part 2 #Wattys2017

A Matching Set

A Matching Set

James spent the morning before Patronus class hunting down all the members of the Order of the Phoenix to inform them that they would be meeting the next day in the Secret Meeting Room after lunch. He was eager to get started on trying to figure out exactly what was going on with the Ministry and how to find Harold Minchum before all of the Muggle-Borns had been forced to register and have to submit to being scrutinized - partly because Lily Evans would be one of the people forced to be registered, should it happen, and James felt that Lily had been through quite enough already. She didn't need that, too.

He was fiercely defending Lily every chance he got - snapping at people who tried to say anything derogatory about her or attempting to give him a high five. "Stop talking about it," he snapped at Annalee McKinnon, who was whispering to a fourth year Ravenclaw girl in the hallway on the way down the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor. "Nothing happened, alright?" he glared at her, "The rumors are a load of tosh and your fat mouth going on about it is hurting people. So shut it!"

Annalee scowled. "Rude," she hissed and she shoved on down the corridor.

Sirius came up behind James, slapping his mate over the shoulder, "Every time I hear Annalee's voice, I'm reminded again why I snog boys."

James smirked over at Sirius with bright eyes. "I know, I can't believe I used to go with her."

"Well she wasn't as much of a bitch then, was she?" Sirius said.

"Or maybe I didn't care as much," James answered with a shrug.

"Possibly. We were a bit more concerned with the idea of snogging anything with breasts at that point, weren't we?" Sirius grinned. "I'm mighty glad I've gotten over that particular addiction. You can snog all of them. Just leave one for Pete maybe."

James said, "Pete can have them all, s'long as he leaves me the one..." his eyes followed Lily as she went into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom ahead of them, her head down, hugging her book to her chest, trying to appear invisible, even as Remus walked along beside her, talking, trying to cheer her up.

Sirius laughed, "Bloody hell, Potter. You're a sucker for punishment."

James sighed, "I know."

Sirius wrangled his arm 'round James's neck and smushed up his hair as they ducked into the classroom, followed by Peter.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett put on their usual song and dance of a welcome to the Patronus session, reminding everyone of the method - happy memory, happiest memory you've got, cast the spell - and then set them all to practicing - some practicing in casting their Patroni more naturally, and others in producing it for the first time.

Everyone was working, crunching up their faces and waving their wands. Most of the patroni produced in the class were noncorporeal and nothing but hazy mists that hovered before their casters. James was only half-heartedly giving it a go, too busy thinking about the Order meeting the next day to concentrate fully on the patronus he was supposed to be casting. Suddenly a great ghostly dog ran past him, running in circles 'round him and then off down the room to where Regulus Black was sitting alone on one of the desks, casting the charm with ease, simply letting the patronus bounce around before him, as though it were a real dog that he were playing with.

James glanced at Sirius, who was busy fighting with Remus over whose wolf patronus was nicer looking, and Peter, who was struggling to make his lizard emerge from his wand, and he snuck away down the length of the classroom to where Regulus sat, throwing himself up onto the desk beside him. "Hey mate," he said quietly.