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SIYE Time:0:50 on 29th March 2024
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The Five-Minute Test
By cwarbeck

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, James Potter, Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black
Genres: General, Humor
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 66
Summary: A conversation in Grimmauld Place reveals some interesting details on how Harry's parents finally got together - and it was all because of a rather ingenious theory of one "Professor" Sirius Black.
Hitcount: Story Total: 16070
Awards: View Trophy Room


Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
If this story seems familiar to some of you, it's because it was originally a Marauders one-shot that I've posted elsewhere. I decided to rewrite it to make it more of a Harry/Ginny story, and I like this version better. I'm hoping you will too.



Set in a kinder, gentler OotP universe, before Harry saw Snape's worst memory and Sirius fell through the veil.




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The Five-Minute Test


Harry sat down beside Remus Lupin with a puzzled look on his face. Clutched in his hand was a piece of parchment covered in neat handwriting done in black ink. They were in the kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and Harry had just come down from the attic, where he, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had spent most of the morning cleaning and trying to decontaminate several old chests from Doxies and Bundimun.

Harry was looking decidedly worse for wear. His black hair stuck up in all directions, and there was a big smudge of dirt across one cheek.

“Erm, Professor…” Harry said hesitantly. Remus had popped into Grimmauld Place for a spot of tea and to catch up on his reading.

Remus peered at Harry from over his copy of the Daily Prophet, on the front page of which screamed the headline: Sirius Black sighted near Buckingham Palace! Aurors Sent to Guard Muggle Royal Family!

“Yes, Harry?” Remus folded the newspaper and placed it on the table in front of him. He took a sip of his tea. “Is something the matter?” He looked at Harry with some concern. The boy was really too thin for comfort. Damn those Dursleys.

“I found this amongst Sirius’ stuff while we were cleaning out the attic.” Harry handed the parchment over to his former teacher. “It looks like an old essay of his. Is it important?”

Remus took the paper and gave it a curious glance. His eyes widened, and he began to chuckle softly. “I can’t believe he actually wrote it down as an essay, that old dog,” he said, shaking his head.

“What is it, Professor? Is it Sirius’?” Harry leaned forward excitedly. “It has my father’s name in it,” Harry added helpfully.

“Yes, Harry. It’s about some bizarre theory of Padfoot’s that he kept pestering us about during our last year at Hogwarts.” Remus’ normally worn-out face was lit with a broad smile. “He claims that it was the reason your father and mother got together at last.”

Harry sat back, impressed. “Really?”

Remus nodded. “Why don’t you ask him about it yourself?” He turned his head and yelled out, “Padfoot! Get your sorry, flea-bitten hide in here!”

Sirius came bounding into the room, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. Following behind him were Ron and Hermione who were arguing as usual.

“I don’t care what you say, Ron,” Hermione was saying waspishly. “Kreacher is not a gigantic mutant form of Doxy, so you are not supposed to use Doxycide on him!”

“He deserves a lot worse, if you ask me,” Ron mumbled under his breath.

Both teens were also liberally streaked with dirt, Hermione’s bushy brown hair escaping from the violently orange and purple knitted headband that she was wearing.

“Did I hear your honeyed tones hollering for me, Moony?” Sirius drew a chair opposite Remus and plopped down heavily in it. Still exchanging heated words in loud whispers, Hermione and Ron settled down on either side of Harry, who ignored them, being too used to their bickering to pay any real attention.

“Harry here has found something interesting in your musty old attic.” Remus waved the parchment in front of his friend’s face. Sirius snatched it out of his hands.

“Ah,” Sirius nodded, his dark eyes gleaming. “The Five-Minute Test.”

At the word ‘test’, Hermione stopped haranguing Ron and turned her attention to Sirius. “Five-minute test?” she asked, puzzled. “What is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s because this mangy cur over here made it up.” Remus pointed to Sirius who was scanning the parchment, a delighted grin on his once-handsome face.

Sirius looked offended. “May I remind you, Moony, that this test is probably the reason for Harry’s very existence?” He sucked in his breath dramatically. “Why if James hadn’t administered this test, he and Lily might not have ever got together, and we would never have had young Harry over here, who — I might add — is getting more handsome every day, just like his godfather!”

Harry’s cheeks reddened and Ron sniggered, while Hermione looked intrigued. Remus rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Padfoot,” Remus replied wryly.

“So, what’s the test about, Sirius?” Harry prompted, curiosity shining from his green eyes.

Sirius grinned. “Well…”


* * * * *



“Psst! Prongs!”

“What is it, Padfoot?”

“She’s looking at you again.”

“Who?”

“Marlene McKinnon.”

“Oh. Is Lily with her?”

“No. Just Marlene. There she goes again!”

“Sirius, is there a point to this? I’m trying to finish this essay on the Fidelius Charm, so I can start revising for the Transfiguration exam tomorrow.”

James Potter put down his quill and stared at his best friend, Sirius Black, who was lounging on the sofa. His other friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, sat in adjacent armchairs, their noses in books. The Marauders, as they called themselves, were in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, supposedly working on their homework. All around them, other students were also bent quietly over their books and parchments, lending a solemn air to the otherwise ordinarily boisterous area.

Sirius, however, apparently had better things to do than something as trivial as school work. “I’m just testing out this new theory of mine,” he said casually, pushing his long dark hair out of his eyes in a practiced manner, causing a couple of first year girls nearby to sigh in admiration.

“Yeah? And what might that theory be, mate?” James pushed his glasses up his nose, looking interested despite himself. Usually the other boy’s theories and plans always ended up being the basis for another one of their more hilarious adventures, although this year, their last year at Hogwarts, James had tried to get his incorrigible friend to tone down his talent for mischief. After all, Professor Dumbledore had chosen James to be Head Boy probably for that very purpose.

“Well, according to my theory, I reckon that if a girl glances your way more than three times in the space of five minutes or if she stares at you for a full five minutes, she’s probably right keen on you,” Sirius adopted a scholarly mien. “I call it…the ‘Sirius Black Five-Minute Test of Approximating Physical Attraction’ or the ‘Five-Minute Test’ for short, or maybe just ‘F.M.T.’ What do you think?”


* * * * *



“Blimey, that’s a mouthful, Sirius,” Ron said, dumbfounded.

“I thought it was very professional-sounding,” Hermione declared approvingly. “Better than ‘F.M.T.’”

Ron gave her an annoyed glare over Harry’s head and opened his mouth to make a scathing retort, but Harry shushed him before he could speak. “Please go on, Sirius.”

“Where was I?” Sirius said, putting his hands behind his head. “Oh yeah…”



* * * * *




“…the ‘Sirius Black Five-Minute Test of Approximating Physical Attraction’ or the ‘Five-Minute Test’ for short, or maybe just ‘F.M.T.’ What do you think?”

Remus gave a snort of laughter from his seat besides James. “What do you need a test like that for, Padfoot? We already know that half the girls in the castle fancy you. They can’t resist that puppy dog look you give them.”

“I know that, Moony.” Sirius waved his hand impatiently. “But this test will help me find fresh meat.”

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend’s comparison of women to livestock. Peter gave a squeak of appreciation.

“Besides,” Sirius continued, “We can use it to find girls for you lot, even Wormtail here.”

Peter started at hearing his name and became pink around the ears. “Thanks, Sirius!” he said eagerly.

James shook his head and frowned slightly. “Thanks, but no thanks, Sirius. The only girl I fancy going out with is—”

“Lily!” chorused Remus and Peter.

“We know, Prongs, we know,” Sirius added exasperatedly.

Everyone knew that James had harboured a massive crush on the green-eyed, auburn-headed Lily Evans ever since their fourth year. His persistence and creativity in asking her out, even after being rejected repeatedly, was now the stuff of school legends. He had hoped that this year would be different, since she was Head Girl and he was Head Boy (much to everyone’s — including his own — astonishment), and he would get the chance to prove himself during their duties together.



* * * * *




“Dad was really into Mum, wasn’t he?” Harry said wonderingly.

Remus and Sirius both nodded, exchanging amused glances.

“Obsessed would be the correct term here,” Remus clarified, laughing out loud.

“Prongs was absolutely nuts over Lils.” Sirius shook his head, his voice taking on an affectionate tone. “A right nutter, I tell you.”

“He nearly drove us mad with his whinging and sighing about Lily,” Remus remembered fondly.

“Merlin, he was like a lovesick calf,” Sirius chortled. “His Animagus form should have been a cow or something, instead of a stag.”

Harry smiled at the idea of his father turning into a moon-eyed cow every time the Marauders would go on one of their adventures.

“I don’t think a cow would have been exactly a good companion to a blood-thirsty werewolf, Padfoot,” Remus pointed out mildly.

The rest of the group laughed at this comment. “I reckon you’re right, Remus,” Sirius agreed, grinning at him. “Although James would have made for a very skinny cow indeed.”


* * * * *




James still had not managed to go out with Lily, but they seemed to be getting along pretty well. Their conversations during their nightly patrols in the hallways were always something he looked forward to. He even dared to hope that she looked forward to them as well.

At least she had not gone back to shouting and hexing him all the time, like she had during the last two or three years.

“But since there hasn’t been any sign that she’ll be going out with you anytime this century, maybe it’s time to move on, eh?” Sirius went on, raising an eyebrow at his lanky black-haired friend. “Find other fish in the sea? Other deer in the forest?”

“I don’t know about that, Padfoot,” Remus interjected. “Whenever I talk to Lily these days, she’s always telling me how surprised and pleased she is at how much our James here has changed from the obnoxious prat that she knew back in fourth year.”

“She talks about me?” asked an astonished James. “Really? That’s bloody brilliant! What does she say about me, Moony?” he turned an eager face to the rather thin, perpetually tired-looking boy.

“Well, that doesn’t mean she fancies you, or else she would have already gone out with you,” interrupted Sirius pointedly, causing James to deflate somewhat. “Now, how about asking Marlene McKinnon out? She just looked this way again, which, by the way, makes that five times in a row, if you count the ogling she gave you when she came through the portrait hole.”

Taking a quick look at the corner where the pretty black-haired witch sat, James realized that, although Marlene was indeed looking in their direction, she was not interested in him but was rather staring intently at the boy sitting beside him.

“I don’t think it’s me she wants, Padfoot. I think she’s more into Moony over here,” he chuckled, inclining his head towards Remus.

Remus flushed and glanced cautiously over his book. Marlene turned a deep crimson when she realized that she had been caught staring. She hurriedly bent her head down, pretending to be reading.


* * * * *




“Who’s Marlene McKinnon?” Ron wondered out loud.

“She was a member of the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry explained. “Moody showed me a picture of the original Order when we first got here.”

Remus looked sombre. “She was a good person,” he said softly.

“Was?” Hermione whispered to Harry.

Harry nodded, looking at Remus with concern. “Yeah. She and her whole family were killed in the First War.”

Sirius patted Lupin on the back sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Moony. I forgot.”

Remus sighed and gave a small smile. “That was a long time ago, and I know she would have wanted to go down fighting Voldemort.” He motioned for Sirius to continue the story. “Go on, Sirius.”



* * * * *




“Oho! It seems I was mistaken in who Miss McKinnon’s object of desire was,” Sirius smiled slyly, tapping the side of his nose. “But you have to admit, she did pass the Five-Minute Test.”

The other boys groaned. “Can we please get back to revising?” Lupin asked. “This Transfiguration exam counts for half our marks, and yours aren’t exactly that great right now, Padfoot.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Sirius winked at them. “McGonagall would never fail me. I did the Test on her in class yesterday and she passed with flying colours.”

His friends laughed uproariously at that. Shoulders still shaking with mirth, James picked up his quill to work on his essay.

The sound of the portrait door opening caused him to lift his head, and, with a fluttering sensation in his stomach, he watched as Lily came into the room. She waved to the boys and smiled warmly at James before settling down next to Marlene. James could not concentrate anymore after that and spent the next few minutes sneaking furtive glances at the red-headed girl, trying to decide if that beautiful smile she had given him meant anything.

“Looks like you’re gonna be the next one to pass the Five-Minute Test tonight, Prongs,” Sirius smirked, slapping him on the back.



* * * * *




“Old Professor M?” Fred Weasley said, his eyes widening in shock.

“Never knew the old cat had a thing for you, Sirius,” George Weasley added, shooting an admiring glance at Harry’s godfather.

The twins had joined the little group around the table around the time that Sirius had picked up his story again. By this point, Sirius had Summoned butterbeers for everybody and some Firewhisky for himself, which Ron was eyeing with interest.

Ginny had also wandered into the kitchen, her freckled face shiny and gleaming; she had scrubbed it clean and changed into a fresh white jumper before going downstairs. She sat down in front of Hermione, greeting the others with a pleasant smile.

“Hi, Ginny,” Harry said, smiling back at her as he pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Hi, Harry." Ginny grinned at him.

Remus snorted into his tea. “He’s been saying that Minerva’s had a little crush on him only since we were in third year. I’ve yet to see any proof, Padfoot.”

“Oh, I have proof, alright. Loads of it, actually.” Sirius lifted his chin in a superior manner. “However, being the gentleman that I am, I just choose to protect the reputation of Minerva McGonagall.”

At this, Remus actually inhaled some of his tea. Harry and Ron had to pound on their old professor’s back for several seconds before he could get a word out.

“Wha-What are you on about?” Remus spluttered, wiping his mouth with a serviette. “You — you and — you and Minerva McGonagall?”

Ginny giggled at the incredulous look on Remus’ face. Sirius winked at her before lazily waving his wand to clean up the tea that Remus had inadvertently sprayed onto the table. “I never kiss and tell, Moony. Especially when it comes to pussycats.”

Ginny and Sirius both erupted into gales of laughter as everyone simultaneously gave groans of disgust, except for the twins, who started sniggering appreciatively, and Hermione, who could not seem to figure out what was so funny about Sirius’ last statement.


* * * * *



Much to the other Marauders’ initial amusement, Sirius kept administering his Five-Minute Test all throughout the week.

During lunch at the Great Hall, he claimed that no less that six girls were longing for James, while Remus had three fans and even Wormtail had two admirers: a timid, brown-haired fourth year girl from Hufflepuff, and — to Peter’s embarrassment — a short, stocky boy from Slytherin.

While at N.E.W.T. level Potions, he insisted that half the girls in the room had at one time or another been staring at either James or Remus. “Sorry Wormtail, no luck in here for you,” he told a hopeful Peter.


* * * * *



“Urgh,” Ron said, wrinkling his nose. “I always knew Wormtail was a loser.”

“What a poof!” Harry muttered.

“Hey Ronniekins, didn’t Scabbers use to sleep snuggled up to you?” Fred said slyly.

“Yeah, Ronniekins. And don’t you usually sleep starkers?” George teased, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully.

“Shut it, you two,” Ron snarled, his face slowly becoming scarlet when he noticed that Hermione was looking at him in wide-eyed shock. “I do not sleep starkers,” he proclaimed hotly.

“Only since he was about six or seven years old,” Ginny said in an undertone to Hermione, who was also turning a rather delicate shade of pink. “But when we were younger, he was always wandering around the Burrow in the nuddy-pants. I remember he had an unfortunate ‘incident’ involving the gnomes in the backyard…”

Hermione’s cheeks flamed, but she leaned forward willingly to listen to Ginny’s whispered story, her eyes darting to Ron’s increasingly thunderous face as the twins continued to tease him mercilessly.



* * * * *




Sirius also delighted in telling a disappointed James that although Lily Evans had glanced his way, it had only been two times, so technically, she hadn’t passed the Test.

After the class, though, James felt that she had more than made up for her lack of interest when she stopped outside the classroom to remind him about a meeting with Professor McGonagall that night. Lily’s hand rested on his arm all the time she was talking.

By the end of the week, however, his friends had become weary of Sirius constantly counting under his breath the number of times any girl looked in their general direction.

“Padfoot, you’re my oldest and best mate, but if you don’t shut up about this Test of yours, I’m going to have to hex you,” said James one Sunday, as they were lounging underneath a linden tree near the lake.

The afternoon was bright and clear with a cool breeze causing tiny ripples on the surface of the water. James and Sirius were sitting up against the tree, Remus was reading a book, and Peter was sprawled on his back, watching the clouds move lazily across the periwinkle blue sky.

A group of Gryffindor girls passed by, laughing and giggling as they walked towards the water. James caught a flash of red hair and straightened up, his hand reflexively reaching up to pat down his unruly hair. Lily smiled at them and waved hello to James who waved quite enthusiastically back.

“What? How ungrateful can you be?” Sirius said in mock outrage, bringing James’ attention back to the Marauders. “Here I am, practically slaving away so that you lot can get your pick of girls to go out with your sorry arses.”

“Thanks a lot and all that, Padfoot, but really, you’re driving us completely mental,” James said dryly, still trying to tame his obstinate hair.

“I don’t hear Moony complaining, yeah?”

Remus had finally become bold enough to ask Marlene to go to Hogsmeade with him, and much to his delight, she had accepted, colouring prettily as she did. They had spent a lovely time together wandering up and down the village, ending the day with a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. Remus smiled and looked up dreamily from his book.

“Come off it, it was pretty obvious that she fancied Moony, even without your Test,” James scoffed.

“Ah, but James, my good man, that’s where you’re wrong,” Sirius said, and put on a scholarly expression. “Now the way I see it, if I hadn’t given the Test to her, we would never have found out that she really, really liked Moony. So, it was only because Moony was sure that she was going to agree to go with him to Hogsmeade, that he actually found the nerve to ask her out and snog her.”

Peter blinked slowly, trying to follow Sirius’ train of thought. Remus gave a start. “I did not, as you so elegantly put it, snog her. I just thanked her for a wonderful time and kissed her on the cheek!” He hit Sirius on the arm with his book.

“Pitiful, really. You should have snogged her shamelessly. I would’ve,” said Sirius with a wicked and highly obnoxious grin.

“We all know that, Padfoot,” James said, smiling at the look on Sirius’ face. “But could you lay off the Test? I swear, it’s making me barmy.”

“Have it your way then,” Sirius said airily. “If you don’t believe in my Test, then I won’t tell you that the love of your life has actually looked at you several times in the past minute or so.”

James whipped his head around just in time to see Lily hurriedly turn her head away from him, a pink flush visible on her soft face even from that distance. She was with her friends, cooling their feet in the lake and tickling the Giant Squid’s tentacles floating in the water. He felt a huge grin forming on his face, and, as he watched, Lily gave him another shy glance, a small smile on her lips, her red hair glowing in the afternoon sunlight.

“So, how many has that been, Padfoot?” James reached up and ruffled his hair nervously. He could not seem to stop grinning like an idiot, but right now, he could not care less.

“I thought you didn’t believe in my Five-Minute Test,” Sirius said mockingly. Remus and Peter laughed at the goofy expression on James’ face as he continued to stare unabashedly at Lily.

“Well, that’s because you weren’t telling me anything I’d find useful, you git,” answered James, now positively beaming at Lily, who was smiling back just as widely.

“Oh all right, just so you’ll stop making eyes at each other. It’s getting really revolting, you know.” Sirius smirked. “She’s been shooting glances at you every second in the last five minutes. Must be a record of sorts.”

Remus and Peter pushed at James. “Go on, Prongs, ask Lily to walk with you,” Remus urged. “Before she decides she’d rather go out with the Giant Squid.”

Giving them all an enormous joyful smile, James unfolded his lanky frame from the ground, brushed the dirt off his clothes and walked toward Lily. They saw him stop beside her and hold out his hand. Her cheeks were positively glowing now, but she let him pull her to her feet. The two of them strolled away, their hands still clasped together, oblivious to the whistles and clapping that were sent their way by other students relaxing around the lake.


* * * * *



“Awww, that’s so cute!” Ginny sighed happily.

“Very romantic,” agreed Hermione, a wistful look in her eyes.

The boys looked at each other and made gagging noises.


* * * * *



Sirius sighed dramatically. “Another happy couple courtesy of the Sirius Black Five-Minute Test. What do you think, Moony? Reckon I’ve got a future as some sort of matchmaker?”

Remus chuckled. “I don’t even want to imagine you as some sort of Cupid!”

“Hmmm.…” Sirius said contemplatively. “Maybe I can branch out into singing Valentines. I could probably use some of the house-elves to deliver them, or maybe some dwarfs?” He trailed off, seemingly deep in thought.

“That’s mental, Padfoot!” Remus and Peter collapsed in hysterical laughter.

Sirius looked highly offended that they thought he was making a joke, but he then realized the absurdity of his statement and soon joined them laughing.

After a few minutes, Sirius took a look around the grounds. “Okay now, let’s just see if anyone else around here will pass the Test.”

Most of the students were standing up and heading back towards the castle. James and Lily were nowhere in sight.

“Sirius! We’d better go. It’s almost dinner time!” Remus exclaimed, as his stomach gave a growl.

“Oh all right, there’s probably much more action in the Great Hall anyway. I’ll do the Test there,” Sirius decided.

Peter and Remus shook their heads in resignation, and the three of them stood up and gathered their things.

“Shouldn’t we wait for James to come back?” Peter said worriedly.

“I have a feeling that he’s going to be rather busy for a while, Wormtail,” Remus said with a meaningful smile. “He probably wouldn’t want us to wait up for him.”

“Yeah, he’ll be too occupied in snogging Lily senseless,” Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Merlin knows he’s been waiting for an opportunity like this ever since he laid eyes on the fair Lily. He’s definitely going to make up for lost time!” He slung his arms over the shoulders of the other two boys. “Come on, let’s get a move on. I’m so hungry I could eat a hippogriff!”

And with that, the three boys made their way back to the castle for some dinner.


* * * * *



Sirius finished his tale to the sound of the twins howling with glee before singing wheezily about fresh pickled toads and blackboards. Ron was gasping out “Singing Valentines!” as tears of laughter streamed down his face. Sirius smiled at the three of them, pleased to find that his tale had been received so well.

Glancing over at his godson, he was taken aback to find Harry staring determinedly at the kitchen table, his cheeks flushed as he avoided other people’s gazes. Sirius then noticed that Ginny was staring daggers at her brothers, her face even redder than Harry’s if that were possible. Hermione was trying to suppress her own smile, whilst trying vainly to hold down Ginny’s wand arm.

Sirius raised his eyebrows at Remus, who shrugged his shoulders to indicate he had no idea what was happening. Sirius turned to Harry for an explanation but was distracted when the Weasley brothers’ merriment suddenly became screams of horror as enormous, flying, furry things erupted in their faces.

Ginny gave a final flick of her wand — causing the twins and Ron to yell even louder, nodded her head in satisfaction and regally left the room, her bright red hair streaming behind her. Hermione gave Ron a reproving look and also exited the kitchen.

The remaining Weasleys staggered into the next room, clutching at their noses and frantically flapping at the air, trying ineffectually to ward of the giant airborne objects.

Sirius and Remus stared after the boys and then at Harry.

“What was that?” Remus looked baffled. “What were the twins singing about?”

“Yeah, whose eyes are ‘as green as fresh pickled toads’?” Sirius asked curiously.

“Long story,” Harry mumbled, keeping his gaze trained on the kitchen table. “You had to be there.”

“We’ve got loads of time,” Sirius declared. “Why don’t you tell us?”

Harry refused to elaborate and continued to look intently at the counter, seeming to find the well-worn wood grain fascinating. Sirius exchanged amused glances with Remus, who decided to change the topic. “Was that the Bat-Bogey Hex?”

Harry finally looked up, his green eyes astonished behind his glasses. “You know about Ginny’s Bat-Bogey Hex?”

“I didn’t know Ginny could perform that hex. Lily used to threaten James with it all the time. She actually did hex him more than once, if I recall correctly. I haven’t seen one of that magnitude, however,” Remus said, his voice filled with awe. “That was an impressive bit of magic for someone so young.”

Harry suddenly looked concerned. “Hang on, I just thought of something. Won’t Ginny get into trouble with the Ministry for performing underage magic?” he asked worriedly.

“Considering that this is a Wizarding household, I doubt that the Ministry will even notice, what with all the spells cast on a daily basis,” Remus said thoughtfully. “They’re probably too preoccupied with the war anyway. And I suppose the fact that Grimmauld Place is unplottable will make it even harder to trace that hex.” He then grinned wolfishly. “That said, remind me never to get on Ginny’s bad side, Harry.”

“Yeah,” Sirius said approvingly. “Ginny reminds me a lot of Lily. You know — red hair, short temper, intelligent, great sense of humour and very pretty.” He smirked at Harry, who blushed again. “Uncanny similarities, right, Moony?”

Remus nodded, his eyes twinkling. “I remember James saying that the Potter men always did have a weakness for redheads.”

Harry cheeks became even more flushed, but he shook his head at his father’s old friends, his hair tumbling into his eyes. “I really don’t know what you two are on about. I don’t fancy Ginny. We’re just good friends. She’s Ron’s sister, for Merlin’s sake.”

He stood up and turned to leave the room. “Thanks for sharing that story, Sirius. It’s always good to hear about Mum and Dad.” With that, Harry waved good-bye and headed up to his room to get cleaned up.

After Harry had left, Remus smirked at Sirius. “That went down a treat.” The sounds of confused shouting could still be heard from the other room as the Weasley boys ran about, bumping into furniture and each other. “Well, Padfoot, my friend, what do you think? I caught Ginny looking at Harry around seven times just in the last five minutes of our conversation.”

Sirius gave a short bark of laughter. “From the time Ginny came into the room, I caught Harry about fifty-eight times, not counting the ones where he would just stare at Ginny for a whole minute without even realizing it. He even did the hair thing that James used to do all the time.”

“James would be so proud,” Remus chuckled appreciatively. “Like father, like son, eh?”

Sirius leaned back, put his feet up the table and gave a contented smile. “Yep, like father, like son.”

*-end-*



A /N: The term 'nuddy-pants' is something I borrowed from Louise Rennison, the author of The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson (No copyright infringement intended). It literally means 'nude pants', which means nude underwear, which means... oh you get it, don't you?

As always, loads of thanks to Chreechree who keeps me grounded and points out my many many mistakes to me. Thanks also to everyone who reviewed and voted for Excess Baggage. Hope you find time to review this story also.
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