Earning Appointments

Sirius awoke to find James in a better mood than he was last night but he let him be before he yelled at him for another one of his ‘helpful’ remarks. He got dressed quickly as he was already late getting up and hurried down with his friends to the breakfast table before heading off to their first lesson of the year, which happened to be Defence Against the Dark Arts.  
“Wonder if this teacher will be better than the one last year,” said Remus through a mouthful of bacon. “I was so glad to see that bloody Professor go.”
Peter nodded in agreement.
“I don’t give a damn what she teaches like, I just wanna baggy the front row so I can get a constant view of her arse,” said Sirius, pouring more sugar on his bowl of cereal.
“Nervous Peter?” Mocked James, Peter didn’t answer but looked down at his toast instead which he began to find very interesting.
A bell rang, signifying that breakfast was over and students began slowly filtering out of the Great Hall. Peter left the other three quickly gobbling up their meals, to go help first years off to their lessons.


Sirius was delighted that Remus was able to get the front row of desks in the classroom. He didn’t want to know how he did however, because competition for the front tables between the boys had been huge. (The other boys now sat at the very back, seemingly to be as far away from Remus as possible. Sirius worried this was related to the fact that one of the chairs now had to be magically fixed and that Remus suddenly appeared to be very chuffed with himself.)
The classroom had changed since last year and was decorated with new and exciting looking equipment. The blinds were fully open but without any candles burning, the room still appeared quite dingy.

The door to the office at the back of the room opened and revealed the cheerful face of the beautiful teacher.
“Welcome students, I am your new Professor,” she said as she strolled gracefully up to her desk that sat in the front right-hand corner. “My name is Melody Haffen, but you shall address me with either Miss-“ (“Ohh yeah, she’s single!” Whispered Sirius to James.)
“-Or Professor Haffen,” continued the Professor, oblivious to Sirius’ statement. “I take a very physical but challenging side of this subject that you will all struggle with if you do not pay your fullest attention in my classes. However, if you do, we will get along brilliantly. Understood?” All eyes in the classroom were on her, (especially the boys’) and she nodded as though it answered her question.

As she began explaining what their first few lessons would contain, James turned to look at Sirius. Who he noticed was staring at Professor Storm intently with a dazed look in his eyes. He then twisted round in his seat to try and spot Lily, the scene of the night before still strong in his mind.
He spotted her sitting in the middle of the classroom with Kriss and Alice, her group of friends, her quill brushing the side of her face as she listened to the teacher. She joined eye contact with him, dropping her quill away from her cheek as though being caught pulling an embarrassing face. She thinned her eyes a little, angered at catching James staring at her. He felt the need to look away but thought it would show as a sign of weakness, so he waited for her to. Neither of the pair’s eyes flickered away for a second and for minutes the two sat in silent combat.

James quickly scanned Lily’s face like a map, the face he had memorised so long ago. Her green eyes almost glowing in the darkened room, her small nose positioned perfectly in the middle of her slender face and her soft red lips, which James was so desperate to kiss.
“Potter is it?” Said a voice interrupting his trail of thoughts, making him blink and spin around. “Have you been listening to what I’ve been saying?” Asked Professor Haffen her faced creased into a scowl.
“Er…” Said James shrugging, smiling lightly.
“I thought not,” she tutted turning to face Sirius. “Maybe your friend here can tell the class instead.”
James nudged Sirius, who still seemed to be in some sort of trance. His eyes came back into focus as he looked from James to the professor, clueless to what was going on.
“Neither of you?” She growled, “Well it doesn’t seem that we are going to get on at all if you both have attitudes like that.”
James breathed heavily, brushing a hand through his hair and slouching down into his chair as Professor Haffen continued. The rest of the class grinning slightly as, right on queue, Potter and Black were the first to be approached by the new Professor.

The door to the classroom opened briskly to reveal Peter, who was short of breath and red in the face.
“Sorry I’m late!” He squeaked, “I had some trouble in the corridors, while I hel-”
“I do not need to hear the entire story,” interrupted the teacher crossly. “I don’t want any more disturbances this lesson. Just go sit down.”
Peter’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as he placed himself next to Remus.
“Nice entry, Wormtail,” joked Sirius, laughing under his breath.

The group of boys exited the room, eager to move on to the next lesson.
“Dear God, she’s evil,” moaned Sirius.
“She isn’t evil, just a little strict. And you didn’t help making a good first impression either.”
“I can’t believe you’re saying that Remus! Even Peter agrees that she was blatantly picking on me and James out of the entire class.”
“Yeah, but she would like you if you had answered at least one of the questions.”
“They were hard! I mean who in their right bloody mind knows the answer to ‘how many weeks is a dementor pregnant for and what should you do if in the presence of the birth?’”
“You would’ve known the answer if you’d listened to her in the first place, not just following her butt around the room. Besides the answer’s flippin’ obvious: - run for it!”
“Don’t you start getting clever with me Moony. Anyway, first impression is the important one and she is now completely off my list. Like I said before, Wormtail can have her.”      
The boys came to a crossing in the corridor where they turned left towards the dungeons, for double potions with Professor Slughorn.  

That night the boys stayed up late finishing homework that they had already been given. Unsurprisingly, they were given an entire book to read for tomorrow about ‘Evil Creatures in the Wizarding World’ from Defence Against Dark Arts. Sirius was in a fowl mood and growled at anyone who came within 3ft of him.
“That bloody woman!” He barked, throwing the book towards the fire but in his anger it regrettably missed.
The other three ignored his outburst and continued to read. James, who was being easily distracted by his surroundings, wasn’t even half way through the book yet. (Unlike Remus who was on the last few pages). He finished the sentence he was on, slammed the book shut and stretched.
“Well, I’m not sure about you guys but I’ve had enough of that crap book. I’m off to bed.”
Peter looked up from his page, “Er, James, I need to tell you something…”
“Well can’t you tell me in the morning? It’s too late.”
Peter raised his eyebrows and said sarcastically, “Ah, well. It’s just about Lily, it’s pretty important but I won’t forget it till tomorrow. Have a good sleep!”
James turned to face Peter, “Don’t you start acting all high class with me just cos you’re head boy! “
Peter flinched dumbly, “All right! All right, I’m s-sorry James I-I was only kidding!”

Peter guided him over to the bottom of the stairs that headed off towards the boy’s dormitories.
“Well, you know when I came in late for Defence Against the Dark Arts? I had gotten into a fight that was going on within the corridor. It was with this guy in 5th year and a girl our age in Slytherin,” he said quietly.
“They were fighting over a ‘deal’ the boy had made with the girl. When I tried to separate them, he just kept repeating ‘Matchmaker, my arse!’ So she shot a silencing charm at him and yelled, ‘My matchmaking NEVER fails, you were just such an unlikely couple. Listen next time, ya slimy toad.’ And I managed to book her for a detention this Fr-”
“And this has got to do with Lily because…?” James interrupted.
“Well, she said she’s a matchmaker to me! She threatened that if I told anyone about this, I’d eat and crap out of the same hole.”
James laughed, “That’s a brilliant threat! I wonder if that’s actually possible!”
“W-well. Um… I-I know how upset you are that Lily turned you down again.”
James stopped interrupting and started listening at this comment and Peter continued, “And- well if what she says is true, she could help you and Lily get together…?”
James’ face lit up wildly. “Oh my god! You’re right Peter! This is the first time you’ve put yourself on the line for me!”
Peter smiled weakly, nervous if the matchmaker girl would realise that James got the information from him.
“I’ve got to get into that detention to meet this girl. Peter, book me in too.”
“I can’t do that unless you actually do something naughty.”
“Sod that, I need to be in that detention, it’s like it was meant to be or what ever that destiny shit is,” he said, moving over to the main area of the common room.

James cleared his throat and shouted one spell after another. Paper from other students’ tables went flying and portraits dropped off the walls. Sirius flew upside down with a small yelp of surprise as though being held up by some invisible rope and, to top it all off, James released a spray of water from the tip of his wand, soaking the remaining students in the room and drenching the carpet and furniture. He turned away from the devastated room, grinning at a god-smacked Peter, “Go on – say it,” he said eagerly.
“De-ten-tion,” replied Peter, barely able to speak.
“Wahoo!” Cheered James. “See ya in the usual room, Friday at 5.” Patting Peter’s shoulder, he left the others to sort out the mess in the room and put Sirius the right way up. Being turned upside down had not help improve his mood but James couldn’t care less. He’d just earned an appointment with the matchmaker.