In the Gryffindor Common Room...
"Well, are you sure that is the spell, Fabian?" Remus questioned.
Fabian looked even more confused than he was.
The way Remus was staring at him made him question every life decision he had ever made.
"I mean... I think so? I don't know." Fabian groaned. "Maybe it's wrong."
He trailed off, looking as though he was desperately holding back tears.
"I don't know, alright? I don't know how you keep up with all of this, Remus. I am so confused."
With all the dramatic flair of a dying hero, Fabian collapsed onto one of the couches.
Immediately, Gideon moved to calm his twin down, shoving a glass of water into his hands.
"There, there. Try not to expire before exams."
"What is happening?" James asked Sirius, who appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
"Well, you see," Sirius began, sounding like a commentator narrating a sporting event, "these two here—"
He pointed at the Prewett twins.
"—are trying to learn from Remus."
James nodded.
"And?"
"They are failing. Spectacularly."
Sirius burst out laughing.
"You must understand, Gideon," James said, turning toward the twins. "Remus is a very strict teacher. His methods can be... overwhelming for beginners."
"That's one way of putting it," Sirius muttered.
"As a matter of fact," James continued proudly, "you would be much better off learning from me."
The room immediately went silent.
"Because even Sirius is a perfectionist when it comes to things like this."
"Hey!"
Both Sirius and Remus looked deeply offended.
"Prongs, I will have you know that it's for their own good," Remus said with dignity.
"Oh, sod off, Moony. The poor lad is about to faint."
"It's not my problem if he's as dramatic as Sirius."
"Why am I being dragged into this?" Sirius demanded.
He pointed at himself indignantly.
"All I did was sit here and watch. I caused no trouble. I made no snide remarks. No comments. Nothing."
The entire room stared at him.
Sirius stared back.
"...Alright, maybe a few comments."
Remus simply rolled his eyes.
"Well, this is what you get for not bringing me my chocolate."
The tone sounded eerily similar to that of a toddler throwing a tantrum.
James groaned.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake."
He reached into his bag and tossed a chocolate bar across the room.
"Here. Now go back to being a happy little boy."
Remus caught it out of the air with impressive reflexes.
The transformation was immediate.
His eyes practically lit up.
Without a word, he unwrapped the chocolate and started eating it as though he had been stranded in the wilderness for weeks.
"He is not himself when he doesn't get his daily dose of chocolate," Sirius whispered to the Prewett twins.
Both nodded solemnly.
They understood.
Fabian was still quietly sniffling from the trauma of his lesson when Sirius suddenly let out a whistle.
"Ohhh."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?" James asked suspiciously.
Sirius grinned.
"Look who it is, James."
James followed his gaze.
Across the common room, Lily Evans was walking toward them.
The effect was immediate.
James sat up so fast he nearly fell off the couch.
"Oh, Merlin."
He hurriedly fixed his hair.
"Wait. Sirius. Do I look alright?"
Sirius looked him up and down.
"You look dashing as ever, mate."
James immediately straightened his robes.
"What about now?"
"You still look dashing."
James adjusted his collar.
"And now?"
"Still dashing."
James ran a hand through his hair.
"And now?"
"You somehow look worse, but still dashing."
Satisfied, James turned back toward Lily.
Meanwhile, Sirius leaned farther into the couch, making himself comfortable.
This was going to be entertaining.
Even the Prewett twins had forgotten their academic suffering and were now watching with complete attention.
Only Remus remained focused on his chocolate, blissfully unconcerned with the unfolding drama around him.
*****
Along with Lily came Marlene, who winked at Sirius. He winked back with a smile of his own, which immediately made a few nearby girls swoon.
"Well, you know…" Lily started. She had clearly come towards them in a hurry, but now she seemed to be struggling to get her words out as she watched James, who was also making an absolute fool of himself.
James, upon seeing her, immediately tried to walk towards her with what he probably thought was confidence. The only problem was that there was a large table right in front of him that he completely forgot existed.
He might have been saved if Remus had not been completely engrossed in his chocolate, but unfortunately, Remus was very much focused on his food and not on James' impending disaster. As a result, James tripped and fell flat on the floor.
It was Sirius who quickly pulled him back up, straightening his clothes and fixing his glasses.
"Well, thank you, Padfoot. At least now I know who my true friend is," James said dramatically.
But even that comment failed to reach Remus, who was still happily eating his chocolate.
"Well, boys," Marlene stepped in, clearly trying to save both Lily and James from the awkwardness. "You know, we were wondering if you could help us conduct a party."
"Party?" Fabian immediately perked up. "What party?"
"And why didn't we know about this?" Gideon added.
"Well, you know about the recent victory in our chess tournament by Gryffindor," Marlene explained.
Silence.
All the boys stared at her.
Fabian slowly leaned towards Gideon.
"We had a chess tournament?"
"I didn't know either," Gideon whispered back.
"Yes, yes, obviously we knew about the tournament," Sirius quickly said, which only made everyone look at him suspiciously.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? I keep track of all the competitions. I always cheer for our teams," Sirius defended himself.
James only raised an eyebrow at him, making Sirius sigh.
"Alright, alright, just continue, Marlene."
"Well, hardly anyone knows about this tournament, and we're trying to celebrate it properly. We want to bring attention to it because those students worked incredibly hard. They actually have a chance of representing Hogwarts at the nationals."
Lily, who had finally recovered, continued.
"That's why we came to you. You're good at, you know… getting people interested."
"Charming," Sirius supplied.
"Charismatic," James added.
"Handsome," Gideon said confidently.
"Outstandingly spectacular," Fabian finished dramatically.
"Fabian, sit down," Remus said without even looking up from his chocolate. "Before we start, let's make sure you survive your exams."
The twins immediately quieted down.
"And yes, Lily," Sirius said, amused. "We'll make sure people show up."
"Will these guys actually behave?" Lily asked, looking suspiciously at them. "I don't want anyone ruining the party."
"Of course, Evans," James said confidently. "It will be a spectacular party."
"Whatever. Just make sure you all come," Lily replied.
Her eyes briefly met James' before she looked away.
The twins immediately flanked James dramatically.
"We shall ensure everyone attends, Lady Evans," Gideon said with a mock bow.
Lily rolled her eyes, though there was a faint blush on her ears, before walking away.
Marlene waved at Sirius, threw him another wink, and hurried after Lily.
"Well, now that was something," Sirius said, leaning back and looking at James.
James was still staring in the direction Lily had gone, looking completely stunned.
Fabian waved a hand in front of his face.
"Mate, you're still alive, right?"
James blinked.
"I think so."
Sirius laughed.
"Merlin, Prongs. You're hopeless."