Fifth Year

"What is the incantation to summon something towards yourself?"

I sighed as I slumped back into my chair.

"Accio," I replied.

Lily nodded and began combing through the massive textbook on her lap. It was our fifth year, and we were now studying for our O.W.L.s with Remus. Many fifth year students were doing the same. Remus was reading through Transfiguration Today and looked quite damn cute while doing it. His curls were messy and the scars on his face weren't visible with the firelight. Not that his scars made him unattractive. I'd always thought that they added mystery to his character.

Before Lily could quiz me again, the door opened and Sirius, James, and Peter walked into the common room. Lily groaned and rolled her eyes, shutting her book and getting ready to leave.

Lily hated James. Ever since first year, he'd had a crush on her, and kept asking her out. She just thought he was an 'arrogant toe-rag'. Which I found funny. For some reason, James didn't find it funny.

"Lily, don't leave me!" I whined. "I'll fail my O.W.L.s without you! Do you really want that on your conscience?"

Lily had become one of my closest friends over the years, despite our not-so-friendly introduction in first year. She scowled at me, and I used my best puppy-dog eyes. She groaned again and rolled her eyes but sat back down.

"You won't fail, N/n," Remus said, not looking up from his book. "You're one of the smartest people in our year."

I blushed and looked away but mumbled a thank you. James, Sirius, and Peter came to our little place by the fire.

"If you're going to bother us and not study, you can leave," Remus said to the boys.

"Wow, real nice, Moony," Sirius said. "Not even excited to see your bestest friends?"

"Bestest isn't a word," Remus said, not looking up from his book.

Sirius opened his mouth to say something back, but Lily interrupted him.

"You can stay if you study," she said sternly.

I watched as James sat down next to her and began skimming over my Charms notes. Sirius and Peter sat down near the fire and began looking at Remus's Potions notes.

We went about quizzing each other, and I watched as James tried flirting with Lily. At one point, I had to physically hold her back from throwing a book at James. I decided then that it was time for Lily and I to go to bed. Besides, we needed rest for our final three O.W.L.s exams the next day.

Lily and I walked up the stairs to our dorm. She was grumbling about how annoying James was.

↢⋄↣

The next morning, Lily and I got ready to go downstairs with our textbooks in our bags. We were going to do some last minute studying in the hall at breakfast. We were there early, but the food was already there, so we dug in. We sat next to each and read over our notes and quizzed each other until the Marauders arrived.

Marauders – that's what they called themselves, like they were in a gang. I hadn't been invited to join, and it hurt a little bit, seeing as they were some of my closest friends.

"Morning, Y/n, Lily," James said, sitting across from Lily.

Sirius plonked himself down next to James, Peter on his other side. Remus sat down next to me, and my stomach did a weird fluttery thing.

"Ready for the exams?" James asked, piling his plate with food.

Lily didn't answer, so I did.

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "There's not much more studying a person can do."

"I'm surprised your brains aren't leaking out of your noses, based on how much studying you three have done," Sirius said, pointing to Lily, Remus, and I with his fork.

"Just because you think you can ace it, doesn't mean we all have that same confidence, Padfoot," Remus said.

I always found their nicknames for each other weird. Moony, Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail – Wormtail! What kind of a nickname was that?

After about half an hour at the breakfast table, we left to the common room to put our books away and start our exams. First was Charms theory, and second was Defence Against the Dark Arts theory, and third and final was Transfiguration practical.

The Charms exam wasn't too hard. I was able to answer all the questions, but that might have been because I was naturally good at Charms. We had a break before we were back in the examination hall, taking our Defence Against the Dark Arts exam.

After Professor Flitwick dismissed us, I found Lily and we began discussing our answers. I heard laughter up ahead and I saw James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter all walking together.

"Hurry up, L/n!" James called.

I rolled my eyes and said goodbye to Lily, before rushing to catch up with my group of trouble-making friends.

We began talking about the exam and made our way down to the lake.

"Well, that paper was easy. I'll be surprised if I don't get an Outstanding, at least," Sirius said.

"Me too," James said.

I caught Remus's eye and we both rolled our eyes. Narcissists, the pair of them.

We sat down beside the lake and James pulled a snitch out of his pocket.

"Where'd you get that?" Sirius asked.

"Nicked it," James replied.

He then began playing with the snitch, letting it fly away before catching it. As Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he had fast reflexes.

Remus pulled out a book and began reading, but I decided to breathe in deep and enjoy the evening until our next exam.

"Put that away, would you? Before Peter wets himself from excitement," Sirius asked James.

"If it bothers you," James said with a smirk, putting the snitch in his pocket.

"I'm bored," Sirius said. "Wish it were–"

He stopped himself before he finished.

"We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me... Here."

Remus held his book out to Sirius who snorted and shook his head.

"I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all," Sirius said.

"So does Remus," I countered, "and yet he's studying."

"Like the good boy he is," James crooned.

Remus looked like he was about to throw the book at James, so I took it from him.

"I'll test you," I said.

"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," said James quietly. "Look who it is..."

Sirius's head turned, as did my own. He had become very still, like a dog that had scented a rabbit.

"Excellent," he said softly. "Snivellus."

I almost groaned and was tempted to hit myself in the head with Remus's book. Instead I just watched as James and Sirius stood up and called out to 'Snivellus'.

I looked back to Remus's book, not wanting to be apart of it. Students began to gather around and James and Sirius began using spells on Snape. I heard Snape begin choking, and I was going to get up and help until –

"Leave him ALONE!"

I sighed as Lily made her way across the lawn to the three boys. If James was going to listen to anyone, it would be Lily.

"All right, Evans?" James asked.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," James said, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean..."

A few of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Peter included, but Remus, Lily and I didn't.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toe-rag, Potter. Leave him alone."

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on... Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," Lily spat.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly, turning back to Snape. "OI!"

I looked to see Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled, and a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants. I looked away shamefully.

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, yelled, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," James said, and he jerked his wand upward.

Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, "Petrificus Totalus!" and Snape keeled over again at once, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted.

She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.

I almost snorted. As if James could take on Lily.

"Take the curse off him, then!" James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter curse.

"There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet again, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus—"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily blinked, some of the crowd gasped. I went to stand up, ready to beat the ever-loving shit out of Snape, when Remus grabbed my arm. He shook his head at me.

"Fine," Lily said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus."

"Apologize to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologize," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is!"

"What?" yelped James. "I'd never call you a — a you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can — I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me sick."

Lily glared at him once more before turning around and walking away.

"Evans!" James shouted after her, "Hey, EVANS!"

I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"What is it with her?" James asked, coming back to sit down with us.

"It's not her, it's you," I said.

"What d'you mean?" James asked, looking slightly offended.

I sighed deeply.

"She doesn't like you because you're immature," I said. "You don't have a chance with Lily if you keep bullying Snape."

James furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation, and I rolled my eyes again. It wasn't all that hard.

"Now that's over with, can you test me, please, Y/n?"