Mischief Managed Year One: Mayhem of the Moon

Chapter Sixty-Eight- Last Night at Hogwarts

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Remus admitted he needed to get studying done, cutting in just as the arguing about summer break was getting a little more intense as they all started back to the common room. While walking, the four boys weren't able to argue much longer. Sirius had particularly wanted to get James back for saying that his uncle's household ghost was boring compared to his own, but they had to stop bickering and calm Remus down who was freaking out slightly.

"You'll do fine on all your exams," Sirius reassured, wishing he had managed to get in one last sharp retort to James. But both of them were now focused on Remus instead of each other. Peter said something probably reassuring to Remus, but James talked over him so Sirius wasn't able to tell.

"Yeah! Bloody hell mate, you did better than anyone at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Professor Blah was nuts."

"'Professor Blah,' you just had to wait until it was too late to use that gem, didn't you?" Remus accused James. The boy shrugged and replied cheekily that you couldn't plan when genius hit.

"Let's hope we won't have him next year anyway. I personally believe the rumor he got sacked was right," James added thoughtfully.

"I can't wait until next year! We're going to have to come up with nicknames for all the professors then!" Peter announced eagerly. James and Sirius rolled their eyes at him and grinned.

"You sound like a swat when you say that," Sirius teased him fondly.

"But I'm going to miss you," he protested with a little pout.

"Don't worry, Peter. I think it's sweet. We'll just hang out without Sirius if he's going to be a berk," James cried dramatically. The boy then swirled Peter around in the hallway with more loud declarations of Peter and James' friendship being something Sirius just couldn't grasp.

Sirius highly doubted Peter knew James was mocking him and being sarcastic but he didn't really see the harm because everyone knew he, Sirius, was James' best friend and he certainly wasn't threatened by Peter of all people. Even if Peter and James might get to hang out a ton...a ton without him.

Nope, Sirius wasn't jealous in the slightest!

"Well, I'll run away to come to visit you, James," the Black replied just as dramatically as James had. Sirius stepped in to disrupt the awkward dance that James had pulled Peter into. James grinned at him, saying his parents already had a room set up for him.

Sirius wasn't expecting such an earnest response when they were clearly joshing around, but it still shouldn't have caught him that much off guard. James' parents were rich enough for it not to be a big gesture, but it sure seemed like one to Sirius no matter how he tried to push it aside in his mind. Luckily he pretended he had meant to stop dancing about abruptly, and then proceeded to spin around with James so fast that he was sure no one could tell if his eyes got a little, only a little watery.

"I give up, I give up!" James groaned. Sirius stopped the incessant spinning, both of them wobbling around badly before falling to the ground giggling like the little boys they still were.

"You two are absolutely mental," Remus laughed, amused. Sirius really did love the sound of his laugh. He grinned up at Remus, who appeared upside down, then collapsed as James barrelled into him and knocked him flat on his back. The tickling was what James called 'justified revenge'.

"I give up, I give up," he gasped, tears in his eyes from laughing so hard.

Sirius overheard Remus, who was trying to convince Peter to leave the two of them behind before someone saw them. But both he and Peter were grinning ear to ear.