WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU PUMPKINS , james potter

━ thirteen. moody mads and juicy jay

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
- moody mads and juicy jay -
1977

JAMES HAD A SIMPLE, YET DAUNTING task: make Madeline Winston laugh. Okay, maybe that wasn't simple, but it sure as hell was daunting. So daunting, in fact, James could not recall a single time he'd seen her laugh, much less (genuinely) smile. Did she have any other emotion besides annoyed? Unlikely. Perhaps that was what was so exciting about this. It was no easy job, but James would stop at nothing to achieve it. A simply chuckle would even do!

Now that the two were "officially friends" or, as Madeline liked to call it, "officially even", James felt it was his duty to spend as much time with her as he could. They'd missed out on six years of getting to know each other. And what place other than detention was better for getting to know someone who, up until last week, sorta kinda hated your guts?

Oh yes, that's right, Ms. Stickler-for-the-rules, no nonsense, fun-sucking Slytherin Madeline Winston had scored a detention. Honestly, James was a tiny bit offended it took the teachers nearly two weeks to investigate the prank against the Marauders. Nearly everyone was surprised when Madeline had taken the fall.

James would say he were proud if he hadn't been the butt of the joke (but let's face it, he was totally proud of her). Sure, the joke had been a bit of an inconvenience, may have made him look like a fool in front of the entire school, and break his only pair of glasses, but hey, it got him out of potions.

But really, how hard could it be to get her to laugh? James was hilarious. First, he had to get through one obstacle: a first-year who didn't know how to shut up.

"You're the guy that poured that weird potion in Madeline's pumpkin juice." Asmara accused, crossing her arms. "I told you not to do it."

     James scoffed, "Hey, you're not innocent either. Don't forget you're the one who agreed to help us. Not to mention you helped prank my friends!"

     "Did not!"

     "Did to!"

     "Did not!"

     "Did to—"

     "Will both of you shut up!" Madeline's raised voice silenced the bickering between the seventh and first year.

"She started it!" cried James.

     Asmara's mouth fell open. "What?! You were the one who—!"

Their complaints were silenced by Madeline's glare.

     Asmara eyed James, suspiciously, absentmindedly rubbing her eyebrows. "What are you even doing over here? In case you haven't noticed, this is the Slytherin table."

     James laughed. It was hard taking a first year with a chocolate stained mouth seriously.

     "Did Madeline not tell you?" James's cheeks hurt from all the smiling. His grin only grew wider at Madeline's face. "Miss prefect here has detention."

     "Madeline has detention?"

     "Don't talk with your mouth full, it's disgusting," said Madeline.

     "Ah, ah, don't try and change the subject. We have detention with Slughorn in—" James checked his bare wrist— "about right now actually."

     Asmara furrowed her brows. "Why did you check your wrist, there's nothin' there."

     James ignored her. "I wonder how Slughorn feels about his favorite student receiving a..." he paused for dramatic effect, "... detention."