Apparently Sirius's mother is fine with his friends. After all, his friends are purebloods (he conveniently doesn't mention Remus' surname and squeezes his name between Greengrass and Lavensque) with reputable blood-lines.
And Sirius gleefully informs them that he used Camilla's not-going-into-Slytherin-logic with his mother, saying that, "I wanted to test my allies, mother. I wanted to test how cunning they actually were. Blacks have always been in Slytherin, mother. A Slytherin not going into Slytherin, but Gryffindor, as in the complete opposite of the den of snakes? It would be the most Slytherin thing to do, to you know, do the unexpected and deceive appearances." And apparently once his mother had heard that her son was an actual snake in disguise of a lion, she was so proud that he had deceived everybody ("Perfect Slytherin behaviour, Sirius. Then again, you are a Black. This is to be expected..."). Since then, his relationship with his mother had improved considerably.
Their friends are all excited for Hogsmead Weekends and for the upcoming Quidditch matches. Sirius declares that he is going to try out for the beater position.
The Sorting seems boring. They play a game of making-funny-faces-until-somebody-laughs. The boys at Gryffindor win, but manage to disrupt the entire sorting ceremony. Professor 'Minnie' is fuming at the interruption, but there is amusement visible in her eyes. She takes five points from Gryffindor, claiming that it is the fastest she's ever had to take off points. Catherine and Camilla are not spared either, they lose five points from Ravenclaw. Selina Greengrass 'disowns' them.
They are in third year now, and they have taken almost the same electives. They study together and bug Camilla's cousins in their free time (who are both currently in their fifth years).
Sirius get's the beater position for the Gryffindor team. Regulus is the Slytherin's new seeker.
At their first Hogsmead trip, they go to Zonko's and use up most of their allowances. Then they go to honeydukes and try their very first butterbear. Sirius makes Selina laugh so hard when she tries to drink it, that -in a very un-Selina like manner- she ends up spitting out her whole drink on Catherine, who in turn, throws her drink at Selina, but misses and ends up hitting James instead. And that was the start of how Camilla, James, Selina, Sirius, Catherine and Remus were put on probation for Hogsmead trips and their parents were asked to pay compensation for all the drinks they threw at each other and all the objects they accidentally broke.
It's the first Quidditch game of the season, with Ravenclaw playing against Gryffindor. As a show of house unity, James and Camilla walk to the grounds together with interwoven fingers and shoulders brushing with each other's as they walk. They don't speak, their nerves are acting up; but more importantly, because even a simple look or the slightest change in body language is already a silent conversation.
They don't see Professor Sprout gushing over their cuteness and how they would make the most adorable children, nor do they see Albus Dumbledore smiling smugly as Professor Slughorn grumbles and hands him ten gallons over a bet on which year the two would start to hold hands.
They play pranks throughout the year. The deal still stands- the Slytherin password, as long as Theodore Nott, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black do not get pranked. Some Slytherins criticise the move as 'weak', but when they are faced with the heat of Lucius Malfoy's glare and are simply told it is called 'self-preservation', they wisely shut up and agree.
James accidentally discovers a secret entrance while leaning against a portrait one night while hiding under his invisibility cloak. The next morning, he declares that they must find a way to map out all the secrets of Hogwarts along with it's students.
Camilla helps Professor Flitwick with the Charm work on the Christmas tree. James tries to copy Lord Lavensques' tradition of setting up mistletoes everywhere. Lucius finally kisses Narcissa Malfoy. At the end of the day, many couples have got together and broken up because of the little herb.
Camilla forces James to reveal all the locations where he planted the missile-toes to her, threatening to order all her one hundred and four house elfs to kiss him otherwise. It works.
The Lavensque's travel to the United States with Regulus and Sirius, who received permission to stay with them over the course of Yule. James invites Remus to spend the holidays with him, an offer which is accepted. They exchange presents on the Yuletide day and write to each other throughout the holidays.
They come back to school. Quidditch practices are getting harder. James ends up in the infirmary for three days. Camilla visits him every evening with a set of notes, homework assignments, gossip updates and a handful of his favourite brand of white chocolates.
It's a beautiful Sunday morning a month later and the two of them are reading together outside, near the Black Lake. James is laying on Camilla's lap with his eyes closed peacefully, concentrating on the sound of her voice as she reads to him a book about Goblin wars. She has the ability to even make the most boring subjects sound interesting, at least to him. She is unknowingly gently running her fingers through his hair as she reads the book in a soft voice. James silently listens as her voice slowly falls into a natural rhythm and he finds himself shockingly immersed in the story that she is bringing to life.
Catherine found the entry to the kitchens from her cousin who is the current Hufflepuff Prefect. The House Elves are so happy to see the group of six. The Kitchens is then dubbed as their 'official' hangouts.
The year is almost over again, and the exams are a nightmare. They all have their own ways of showing stress- Sirius pranks, James -if he's not in the library or study groups- can only be found in the Quidditch grounds, Selina is cranky and shouts at anything that moves, Catherine mumbles arithmancy formulas and history dates constantly under her breath and Camilla has to be taken to the hospital wing and fed calming potions.
It's the end of the year feast now, and somebody has made Headmaster Dumbledore's beard green. Camilla maintains her top position in terms of academics -much to the frustration of a Gryffindor girl named Lily Evans- and Ravenclaw wins the House Cup. Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup this time (much to a certain French girl's dismay, since she was so sure they would win it again) and James spends the whole train ride back by bragging to Camilla about the 'awesomeness' of Gryffindors- only stopping when she puts a silencio on him (and even then, his hand gestures leave no room for guessing on what he means to convey).
Camilla curses him in French before getting off the train and hugging her parents. James winks in reply. Catherine is already planning their wedding and Sirius and Selina agree to share the position of god-parents. Remus is left wondering which deity he insulted in his previous life to gain such friends (even though he is secretly happy).
YOU ARE READING
The Lion and The Raven ~ James Potter AU
Fanfiction"I fell in love the way I fall asleep. Slowly, then all at once."-- John Green He was dynamic. She was dramatic. He was cheeky. She was sassy. He was reckless. She was passionate. They were by no means perfect. But they were perfect together. ~*~*~*...
