Status: ACTIVE AGAIN!!
The Misadventures of Padfoot and Prongs
You Seem… Oddly Enthusiastic About This, Moony
After dinner the next night, Sirius Black made his way out of the Great Hall and headed down the long corridors toward the Transfiguration classroom for his detention with McGonagall. Silently hoping it wouldn't last all night, Sirius opened the classroom door to find McGonagall at her desk and Snape already seated at the front of the room.
"Take a seat, Mr. Black," McGonagall said, not caring to glance upwards from the papers on her desk. Sirius obeyed her and sat at the opposite end of the room, as far as possible from Snape. McGonagall waved her wands and a blank sheet of parchment, a quill and an ink bottle floated out of an open drawer at her desk. They landed in front of Sirius, and he did not hesitate in picking up the quill. It was quite clear that today's punishment would be writing lines.
"What will I be writing, Professor?" Sirius asked, uncorking the ink bottle and dipping the end of his quill into the black liquid.
"I must not initiate fights with other students," said McGonagall.
"How many times?"
"One hundred."
Sirius lowered his quill to the page and started scribbling the words down as fast as he could. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get back to his friends. Casting a glance sideways, he saw Severus hunched over the paper, hooked nose almost touching the parchment as he wrote his lines. The idea of casting a jinx at him crossed his mind for the briefest of moments, but he knew he'd never get away with it and he'd just get more unwanted detentions.
It took Sirius nearly twenty minutes to complete the assignment, his right hand cramping badly near the end of it. Putting the stopper back in the ink bottle and blowing on his parchment to make it dry, he got out of his seat and returned everything to McGonagall.
Leaving the classroom, Sirius shook his right hand out in an attempt to alleviate the cramping. He climbed the many staircases until he reached the seventh floor and hurried down the corridor, stopping in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" she asked.
"Billywig," Sirius walked through the portrait hole as the painting swung forward. Red and gold filled his vision as he entered the common room. There were still students hanging around, some doing homework and others just sitting with friends. He spotted James and Remus in the large, squashy armchairs near the fire.
"BLOODY HELL! IT'S A MOUNTAIN TROLL! Ah, nope, just James," Sirius yelled, causing several people to laugh and a few more to give him strange looks.
"You're so hilarious, Padfoot," said James as Sirius joined the two of them.
"Where's Wormtail?" asked Sirius, noting the absence of their friend.
"He's not feeling well. Ate a few too many sweets, I think. Said his stomach was bothering him," said Remus.
"Oh, that's a shame. So it'll just be the four us then?" asked Sirius, taking care to keep his voice low.
"Looks like it," said James following suit. "What time do you think we should do it?"
"When it's just us in the common room and Evans is far, far away," said Sirius.
"How was detention?" James said, changing the subject as Lily was now paying close attention to the trio.
"Nothing special," said Sirius. "Just writing lines."
Remus and James nodded, now trying to think of a topic that wasn't the pageant too keep a certain prefect off their trail.
"When do Quidditch tryouts start?" Remus asked James.
"Not for another week or so. I haven't really thought of when to have them," said James. "Any of you trying out this year?"
"With my... uhmm..."
James cut in for Remus saying, "Furry little problem?" Remus blushed, but mumble a quiet yes.
"So, no," Remus spoke up a little louder,
"And you know I'm more of a spectator than a player," Sirius replied. "Besides, I'm sure we would get into more trouble if we were on the team together than we are now, mate."
"Do you think Wormtail will try out this year?" Remus asked.
"He seems to every year, but I don't think he'll make the cut," said James with a shrug. The first time Peter tried out and didn't make it, James was upset but the Captain at the time explained that no matter how good of a friend someone is, it doesn't mean they get favored. Everyone gets an equal chance, and only those who work hard and prove themselves will get the position. Peter just wasn't cut out for the team, but still, like every year, James hoped he would eventually get a chance to play.
They continued to talk of Quidditch and other things for a bit longer, and before long everyone dispersed from the common room, including a worn looking Lily Evans.
"Do you have the mirror?" Sirius whispered to James, who nodded, pulled it out, and handed it to Sirius.
"Thanks," Sirius repiled to his friends silent yes. "Lyra."
A moment later, her face appeared in the glass, blue eyes shining in excitement, brown hair that was usually down, up in a ponytail.
"Is it time yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's time," Sirius smiled at her eager-ness. "James, get the map."
James reached into the inside of his robes and retrieved a blank piece of folded parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered, giving it a light tap with the tip of his wand. Black ink spread from where he touched it and words formed. Unfolding the parchment, James searched for the Ravenclaw common room on the fifth floor.
"Can she leave yet?" Sirius asked.
"No, not yet," said James, "Mrs. Norris is wandering the corridor." Sirius walked over to where James had laid the map on the table and looked on with him.
"Okay, Lyra," he said, looking back to the mirror. "I want you to leave your common room, but not until I tell you to, okay?" She nodded once. After a moment, the dot labeled "Mrs. Norris" trailed down the hallway and onto a different part of the map. "All right, leave the common room now, and stay very quiet,"
She nodded, and Sirius pointed to James' pocket where James' invisibility cloak stayed hidden.
James shook his head, pointing towards the portrait hole, indicating that he would rather wait until they were standing out in the hall. James checked the map real quick, seeing that the area around the Fat Lady's portrait was clear, and motioned for the other two to follow him out. Quickly and quietly, they exited Gryffindor tower, stretching a moment before James pulled out the cloak and threw it over all of them.
They hurried along the corridor, taking a few shortcuts via hidden passageways and reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, continuing to give Lyra instructions along the way.
"Okay, you two go in, and make sure you stress that it will let Lyra and I in as well, alright?" both Remus and James shook their head 'yes'.
With one last check on the map to make sure the coast was clear, James removed the cloak from them and shoved it in his pocket. He then walked back and forth in front of a bare wall, stressing everything they would need for the pageant, and making sure it will allow the other three entrance as well, and no one else.
Finally the door appeared and Remus and James entered shortly afterwards.
"Sirius?" the boy moved the mirror away from his chest, which he has pressed it against, and looked down on blue eyes.
"Sorry, love," he took a look down at the map once again, "Take a left now. Good. Now a right the first chance you get and you'll see me a bit down that corridor." Lyra nodded, and followed his directions.
Sirius watched the map, for any sign of Mrs. Norris or Filch when something popped up behind him.
"Well, looky looky!" a voice loudly spoke.
"Peeves, go away before I go get the Bloody Baron," Sirius grumbled, turning to him.
Peeves just shook his head, took a breath, and yelled out, "SIRIUS BLACK IS OUT OF BED!" over and over again, flying down the hall so everyone would hear.
Sirius frantically looked at the map for any sign of Lyra, wishing he had James' cloak. He inwardly sighed as he heard her footsteps racing down the corridor to him.
"Sirius!" she said in a harsh whisper. "I saw Mrs. Norris just now-"
Sirius held up a hand to quiet her, glancing down upon the map to see that, indeed, Mrs. Norris was hot on their tails, and Filch on her's.
Quickly, Sirius grabbed a hold of Lyra's wrist in one hand, and opened the door in the other, pulling them both inside.
"GET BACK HERE," Filch's voice was heard saying before Sirius slammed the door.
Breathing heavily, Lyra said, "Th-that was a cl-ose call."
"I've had closer," smiled Sirius.
Taking a look at their surroundings, Sirius saw that the Room of Requirement had provided them with what looked identical to what you would imagine a dressmaker/stylist's shop to look like. There were dresses, dressing rooms, pink cushions filled with needles, sewing kits, a four lounge chairs, mirrors, wigs, a couple of vanities with a chair at each, make-up, and everything you would need to style someones hair.
Sirius looked at Lyra and smiled at her amazement. She was staring around the room in wonder, pink lips slightly parted, as she took in the scene before her.
"Wow," she said. "I know you said it would do this, but.. wow."
"Glad you like it," he said, and spotted James and Remus lounging on sofas in the corner of the room. "Oi! We may have a problem," he walked towards them, beckoning Lyra to follow. "Peeves saw me waiting for Lyra and he screamed to the whole world that I was out of bed and Filch and his bloody awful cat came running."
"Well, we'll just wait here until he leaves," James suggested. "He can't prove he saw you, can he?"
"And Peeves is always trying to get you in trouble, so everyone will think he's just lying anyways," said Remus with a shrug.
"What do you all want to start with?" Lyra asked.
"The dresses, I think," said Sirius.
"Wait, dresses?" Lyra asked, confused.
"Oh, did we not tell you?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, we'll be wearing dresses."
"Well, all right then," said Lyra. "You really are mad. Make-up wasn't enough for you?"
"I didn't make the rule, James did," Sirius pointed an accusing finger at him.
James scoffed, "You were the one who said 'full out drag'!"
"And I quote," said Sirius, smugly, "'Rule Two: You must wear a dress! Not a skirt, a dress'!"
James opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again when he realized Sirius was right, and shrugged.
"It will be brilliant," Remus said, a bit starry-eyed. James and Sirius looked at him questioningly. "What?"
"You seem… oddly enthusiastic about this, Moony," said James.
"I just think that out of all the bloody things you two come up with, this is the most entertaining," replied Remus. "And no one else, save McGonagall, will be caught in the crossfire."
"What does McGonagall have to do with this?" asked Lyra, causing the three to grin.
"Well," James began.
"Let's just leave that as a surprise," finished Sirius.
Remus stood up and walked toward the rack of clothing, "So which one for James, and which one for Sirius?"
Lyra smiled at the other two and got up to meet Remus and help. The first dress she picked up was a vibrant green one, but Lyra cast it aside with no more thought. A yellow dress was in her hands one second, and then then on the floor the next. Again and again Remus and Lyra would pick up a dress, hold it up in the direction of James and Sirius, then cast it away to grab another.
"I found it!" Lyra said, holding up a dark grey and white striped dress. She ran over to Sirius and held it up to him. "Try it on," she said.
Sirius took the dress from her and walked over to the dressing room. He stripped out of his robes and, saying a sad farewell to his masculinity, pulled the dress on over his head. It stopped around his knees, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he started laughing at himself.
"How does it look?" he heard James ask from outside. Sirius opened the latch on the door and stood before his peers, who all busted out laughing.
"It matches your eyes, Sirius," Lyra said, trying to stifle a giggle.
"Hey, look at this, mates," Remus said. He had gone back to looking at the rack and picked up a short pink dress off of it. "I think I just found James' dress,"
"Give it here!" James said grabbing it and running into the changing room. He stripped his clothes in haste and shoved on his dress. "Alright, lady and gents, what do you think?"
The laughter was a bit louder this time, "Prongs, I think you have a sure fire win," said Lyra. "Pink is definitely your color," she said, more giggles following.
James laughed, "So, Padfoot, may I have this dance?" Sirius laughed and placed his left hand in James' right, and an arm around his waist. "Now what a second, mate, I'm leading."
"Oh no," said Sirius, keeping James hand in his, "You look more like the woman, you follow!"
"Sure, mate," James said, rolling his eyes, but following Sirius' footsteps anyways, "We'll just wait until you win the pageant."
"At this rate, I think you'll win, Jamey," said Lyra, how was trying to contain her giggles long enough to find them shoes.
James and Sirius stopped spinning around. "What do you mean by that, Sumner?" James narrowed his eyes, mockingly, towards her.
"Ah, poor Prongs," Sirius said, leaning on Remus, "Our boy is in denial."
"That he is, Padfoot," Remus replied, patting Sirius' shoulder. "That he is."
"Why do you call yourselves those ridiculous nicknames?" asked Lyra suddenly. James and Remus opened and closed their mouth several times, trying to think of an excuse.
"It's one of those secrets," Sirius spoke up. "One day, we'll tell you, when we know you are ready for it."
Lyra gave her best puppy dog face, in hopes that it would work, but Sirius didn't budge. She turned to James and Remus to try it on them, when she saw the worried look James gave Remus, and the ashamed look Remus had, she decided to drop it.
"Okay, let's move on to hair and make-up," said Lyra, changing the subject. "Who wants to go first?"
"I volunteer Sirius," said James. "He's already got long hair."
"Okay then, Sirius, go over there and sit down," Lyra gesticulated toward a rotating chair in front of a mirror. Sirius sat down and looked back down at his dress, shifting uncomfortably.
"This feels weird," he said, playing with the end of the skirt. Lyra just laughed and walked over to him, leaning against the ledge of the vanity. She stared at him for a long while, first looking into his eyes, then more closely at his hair. "See something you like?" he asked teasingly, causing Lyra to flush slightly. She gave side of his head a light smack.
"Quiet, you," she said. "No talking. I'm trying to figure out how to do this," she circled him once and Sirius started to feel slightly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Stopping directly behind him, she looked at his face through the reflection the mirror. "I think I'll start with your hair, and then we'll move onto the make-up," she ran her fingers through the long strands of black that ended near his shoulders, trying to decide what she wanted to do with it.
Sirius tried to ignore how good her hands felt in his hair, but he just couldn't. He leaned his head into her hands slightly, closing his eyes.
"Do you have any preferences? Is there anything you-Did you just moan?" Lyra asked, looking down at him.
James and Remus sniggered, and Sirius just smirked, "I also purr when you rub me the right way."
"I wouldn't say 'purr'," James responded to his friend's statement, "He more or less growls."
"Speaking from personal experience, James?" Lyra asked, shooting him a sidelong glance.
James smirked, "Of course, Lyra. See, in reality, Sirius and I are lovers and this competition is to see who really is the woman in the relationship. Apparently he believes that he should be the one on top."
"Well, James, if you weren't such a little bitch about everything, maybe I'd consider letting you be top for a night," Sirius countered, smirking towards the mirror.
"Well this joke just took an awkward turn," said Remus.
"I'm with you there, Remus," said Lyra. Sirius looked up at her smiling, his head tilted back until he almost touched her stomach.
"How will you be styling my hair?" he asked, still amused with the awkwardness he and James had caused.
"Well, I'm not cutting it. It would be a crime to cut your hair, so I think I'm just going to straighten it and see how it looks then," she said, taking out her wand. She performed a hair-straightening charm on him, and his lustrous black hair obeyed. It fell even longer now, just past his shoulders. "What do you think?" she asked.
"Well, honestly, I liked it better the other way, but then again, this does look girlier, so I suppose you did your job well," Sirius said, taking a few strands between his fingers and looking at them.
"Shall we move onto the make-up now?" Lyra questioned.
"Yes," said James. "I need to see this."
"Okay. Do your worst," Sirius said. This was the part he was least looking forward to.
"Now, you're going to have to stay very still for me," she said. "I don't want to poke you in the eye with this."
Sirius promised he would try and Lyra began her work. First, she applied a light shade of concealer to his the area under his eyes and his lids. Next, she took the black eye pencil and started to line the rims. She had to stop several times because Sirius kept blinking.
"Would you quit it?!" she yelled, growing frustrated. "I can't finish if you keep blinking."
She then grabbed a small eye shadow brush and softened the edges of the eye pencil line. Taking a dark gray eye shadow, she went over the pencil area and smudged lightly with her finger, taking care not to poke him in the eye. Next, she applied a lighter gray shadow, encircling the entire eye area, softening the color as she moved outward. The mascara took a while to put on him, as he once again kept blinking and was afraid she would stab him in the eye with it and go blind. Brushing away any shadow that had fallen below his eyes, she cleaned up any areas that has smudged.
"Are you done yet?" Sirius asked, listening to the sniggers his friends were making.
"Almost," she said. "I need to do your lips now." Looking through the different shades, Lyra decided on a light, natural-looking pink lipstick. "Okay. I'm done."
Lyra stepped away from the mirror and let Sirius see his reflection. As soon as he looked, he started laughing.
"Bloody hell," he looked up at Lyra. "You've turned me into a woman."
Sirius Black did indeed look like a woman, albeit a very masculine one.
"That's what you asked me for," Lyra said, looking proudly down at her work.
Thrity minutes later, James sat, fully dressed and with make-up (eyes outlined in black eye liner fading into charcoal eyeshadow, which faded into hot pink), as Lyra tried to work with his hair. The charm worked with giving it length, but the untidiness of his hair was another issue altogether.
"You can't be serious," Lyra said through gritted teeth as she tried to give James what the Muggles called a 'Farrah Fawcett cut'.
"Well, I'm not," James said, "but he is." Lyra smacked his finger that pointed to the other 'pretty lady'.
"Really, James, I know it will be very difficult for you, but shut the bloody hell up and let me work in peace!" she said, quite frustrated. "Alright, I'm cutting some of it!"
"Ok, but don't mess it up!" he half threatened, knowing that she wouldn't dare.
Around another twenty minutes and James was done up just like a dark-haired Farrah Fawcett. Lyra smiled, proud of her work and pulled out a camera.
Sirius immediately wrapped an arm around James, and they posed in the most girliest way possible. She snapped the shot, smiling at how goofy they looked, and feeling lucky that they asked her to help them with this stunt.
"Take a seat, Mr. Black," McGonagall said, not caring to glance upwards from the papers on her desk. Sirius obeyed her and sat at the opposite end of the room, as far as possible from Snape. McGonagall waved her wands and a blank sheet of parchment, a quill and an ink bottle floated out of an open drawer at her desk. They landed in front of Sirius, and he did not hesitate in picking up the quill. It was quite clear that today's punishment would be writing lines.
"What will I be writing, Professor?" Sirius asked, uncorking the ink bottle and dipping the end of his quill into the black liquid.
"I must not initiate fights with other students," said McGonagall.
"How many times?"
"One hundred."
Sirius lowered his quill to the page and started scribbling the words down as fast as he could. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could get back to his friends. Casting a glance sideways, he saw Severus hunched over the paper, hooked nose almost touching the parchment as he wrote his lines. The idea of casting a jinx at him crossed his mind for the briefest of moments, but he knew he'd never get away with it and he'd just get more unwanted detentions.
It took Sirius nearly twenty minutes to complete the assignment, his right hand cramping badly near the end of it. Putting the stopper back in the ink bottle and blowing on his parchment to make it dry, he got out of his seat and returned everything to McGonagall.
Leaving the classroom, Sirius shook his right hand out in an attempt to alleviate the cramping. He climbed the many staircases until he reached the seventh floor and hurried down the corridor, stopping in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" she asked.
"Billywig," Sirius walked through the portrait hole as the painting swung forward. Red and gold filled his vision as he entered the common room. There were still students hanging around, some doing homework and others just sitting with friends. He spotted James and Remus in the large, squashy armchairs near the fire.
"BLOODY HELL! IT'S A MOUNTAIN TROLL! Ah, nope, just James," Sirius yelled, causing several people to laugh and a few more to give him strange looks.
"You're so hilarious, Padfoot," said James as Sirius joined the two of them.
"Where's Wormtail?" asked Sirius, noting the absence of their friend.
"He's not feeling well. Ate a few too many sweets, I think. Said his stomach was bothering him," said Remus.
"Oh, that's a shame. So it'll just be the four us then?" asked Sirius, taking care to keep his voice low.
"Looks like it," said James following suit. "What time do you think we should do it?"
"When it's just us in the common room and Evans is far, far away," said Sirius.
"How was detention?" James said, changing the subject as Lily was now paying close attention to the trio.
"Nothing special," said Sirius. "Just writing lines."
Remus and James nodded, now trying to think of a topic that wasn't the pageant too keep a certain prefect off their trail.
"When do Quidditch tryouts start?" Remus asked James.
"Not for another week or so. I haven't really thought of when to have them," said James. "Any of you trying out this year?"
"With my... uhmm..."
James cut in for Remus saying, "Furry little problem?" Remus blushed, but mumble a quiet yes.
"So, no," Remus spoke up a little louder,
"And you know I'm more of a spectator than a player," Sirius replied. "Besides, I'm sure we would get into more trouble if we were on the team together than we are now, mate."
"Do you think Wormtail will try out this year?" Remus asked.
"He seems to every year, but I don't think he'll make the cut," said James with a shrug. The first time Peter tried out and didn't make it, James was upset but the Captain at the time explained that no matter how good of a friend someone is, it doesn't mean they get favored. Everyone gets an equal chance, and only those who work hard and prove themselves will get the position. Peter just wasn't cut out for the team, but still, like every year, James hoped he would eventually get a chance to play.
They continued to talk of Quidditch and other things for a bit longer, and before long everyone dispersed from the common room, including a worn looking Lily Evans.
"Do you have the mirror?" Sirius whispered to James, who nodded, pulled it out, and handed it to Sirius.
"Thanks," Sirius repiled to his friends silent yes. "Lyra."
A moment later, her face appeared in the glass, blue eyes shining in excitement, brown hair that was usually down, up in a ponytail.
"Is it time yet?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's time," Sirius smiled at her eager-ness. "James, get the map."
James reached into the inside of his robes and retrieved a blank piece of folded parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered, giving it a light tap with the tip of his wand. Black ink spread from where he touched it and words formed. Unfolding the parchment, James searched for the Ravenclaw common room on the fifth floor.
"Can she leave yet?" Sirius asked.
"No, not yet," said James, "Mrs. Norris is wandering the corridor." Sirius walked over to where James had laid the map on the table and looked on with him.
"Okay, Lyra," he said, looking back to the mirror. "I want you to leave your common room, but not until I tell you to, okay?" She nodded once. After a moment, the dot labeled "Mrs. Norris" trailed down the hallway and onto a different part of the map. "All right, leave the common room now, and stay very quiet,"
She nodded, and Sirius pointed to James' pocket where James' invisibility cloak stayed hidden.
James shook his head, pointing towards the portrait hole, indicating that he would rather wait until they were standing out in the hall. James checked the map real quick, seeing that the area around the Fat Lady's portrait was clear, and motioned for the other two to follow him out. Quickly and quietly, they exited Gryffindor tower, stretching a moment before James pulled out the cloak and threw it over all of them.
They hurried along the corridor, taking a few shortcuts via hidden passageways and reached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, continuing to give Lyra instructions along the way.
"Okay, you two go in, and make sure you stress that it will let Lyra and I in as well, alright?" both Remus and James shook their head 'yes'.
With one last check on the map to make sure the coast was clear, James removed the cloak from them and shoved it in his pocket. He then walked back and forth in front of a bare wall, stressing everything they would need for the pageant, and making sure it will allow the other three entrance as well, and no one else.
Finally the door appeared and Remus and James entered shortly afterwards.
"Sirius?" the boy moved the mirror away from his chest, which he has pressed it against, and looked down on blue eyes.
"Sorry, love," he took a look down at the map once again, "Take a left now. Good. Now a right the first chance you get and you'll see me a bit down that corridor." Lyra nodded, and followed his directions.
Sirius watched the map, for any sign of Mrs. Norris or Filch when something popped up behind him.
"Well, looky looky!" a voice loudly spoke.
"Peeves, go away before I go get the Bloody Baron," Sirius grumbled, turning to him.
Peeves just shook his head, took a breath, and yelled out, "SIRIUS BLACK IS OUT OF BED!" over and over again, flying down the hall so everyone would hear.
Sirius frantically looked at the map for any sign of Lyra, wishing he had James' cloak. He inwardly sighed as he heard her footsteps racing down the corridor to him.
"Sirius!" she said in a harsh whisper. "I saw Mrs. Norris just now-"
Sirius held up a hand to quiet her, glancing down upon the map to see that, indeed, Mrs. Norris was hot on their tails, and Filch on her's.
Quickly, Sirius grabbed a hold of Lyra's wrist in one hand, and opened the door in the other, pulling them both inside.
"GET BACK HERE," Filch's voice was heard saying before Sirius slammed the door.
Breathing heavily, Lyra said, "Th-that was a cl-ose call."
"I've had closer," smiled Sirius.
Taking a look at their surroundings, Sirius saw that the Room of Requirement had provided them with what looked identical to what you would imagine a dressmaker/stylist's shop to look like. There were dresses, dressing rooms, pink cushions filled with needles, sewing kits, a four lounge chairs, mirrors, wigs, a couple of vanities with a chair at each, make-up, and everything you would need to style someones hair.
Sirius looked at Lyra and smiled at her amazement. She was staring around the room in wonder, pink lips slightly parted, as she took in the scene before her.
"Wow," she said. "I know you said it would do this, but.. wow."
"Glad you like it," he said, and spotted James and Remus lounging on sofas in the corner of the room. "Oi! We may have a problem," he walked towards them, beckoning Lyra to follow. "Peeves saw me waiting for Lyra and he screamed to the whole world that I was out of bed and Filch and his bloody awful cat came running."
"Well, we'll just wait here until he leaves," James suggested. "He can't prove he saw you, can he?"
"And Peeves is always trying to get you in trouble, so everyone will think he's just lying anyways," said Remus with a shrug.
"What do you all want to start with?" Lyra asked.
"The dresses, I think," said Sirius.
"Wait, dresses?" Lyra asked, confused.
"Oh, did we not tell you?" Sirius asked. "Yeah, we'll be wearing dresses."
"Well, all right then," said Lyra. "You really are mad. Make-up wasn't enough for you?"
"I didn't make the rule, James did," Sirius pointed an accusing finger at him.
James scoffed, "You were the one who said 'full out drag'!"
"And I quote," said Sirius, smugly, "'Rule Two: You must wear a dress! Not a skirt, a dress'!"
James opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again when he realized Sirius was right, and shrugged.
"It will be brilliant," Remus said, a bit starry-eyed. James and Sirius looked at him questioningly. "What?"
"You seem… oddly enthusiastic about this, Moony," said James.
"I just think that out of all the bloody things you two come up with, this is the most entertaining," replied Remus. "And no one else, save McGonagall, will be caught in the crossfire."
"What does McGonagall have to do with this?" asked Lyra, causing the three to grin.
"Well," James began.
"Let's just leave that as a surprise," finished Sirius.
Remus stood up and walked toward the rack of clothing, "So which one for James, and which one for Sirius?"
Lyra smiled at the other two and got up to meet Remus and help. The first dress she picked up was a vibrant green one, but Lyra cast it aside with no more thought. A yellow dress was in her hands one second, and then then on the floor the next. Again and again Remus and Lyra would pick up a dress, hold it up in the direction of James and Sirius, then cast it away to grab another.
"I found it!" Lyra said, holding up a dark grey and white striped dress. She ran over to Sirius and held it up to him. "Try it on," she said.
Sirius took the dress from her and walked over to the dressing room. He stripped out of his robes and, saying a sad farewell to his masculinity, pulled the dress on over his head. It stopped around his knees, and as he looked at himself in the mirror, he started laughing at himself.
"How does it look?" he heard James ask from outside. Sirius opened the latch on the door and stood before his peers, who all busted out laughing.
"It matches your eyes, Sirius," Lyra said, trying to stifle a giggle.
"Hey, look at this, mates," Remus said. He had gone back to looking at the rack and picked up a short pink dress off of it. "I think I just found James' dress,"
"Give it here!" James said grabbing it and running into the changing room. He stripped his clothes in haste and shoved on his dress. "Alright, lady and gents, what do you think?"
The laughter was a bit louder this time, "Prongs, I think you have a sure fire win," said Lyra. "Pink is definitely your color," she said, more giggles following.
James laughed, "So, Padfoot, may I have this dance?" Sirius laughed and placed his left hand in James' right, and an arm around his waist. "Now what a second, mate, I'm leading."
"Oh no," said Sirius, keeping James hand in his, "You look more like the woman, you follow!"
"Sure, mate," James said, rolling his eyes, but following Sirius' footsteps anyways, "We'll just wait until you win the pageant."
"At this rate, I think you'll win, Jamey," said Lyra, how was trying to contain her giggles long enough to find them shoes.
James and Sirius stopped spinning around. "What do you mean by that, Sumner?" James narrowed his eyes, mockingly, towards her.
"Ah, poor Prongs," Sirius said, leaning on Remus, "Our boy is in denial."
"That he is, Padfoot," Remus replied, patting Sirius' shoulder. "That he is."
"Why do you call yourselves those ridiculous nicknames?" asked Lyra suddenly. James and Remus opened and closed their mouth several times, trying to think of an excuse.
"It's one of those secrets," Sirius spoke up. "One day, we'll tell you, when we know you are ready for it."
Lyra gave her best puppy dog face, in hopes that it would work, but Sirius didn't budge. She turned to James and Remus to try it on them, when she saw the worried look James gave Remus, and the ashamed look Remus had, she decided to drop it.
"Okay, let's move on to hair and make-up," said Lyra, changing the subject. "Who wants to go first?"
"I volunteer Sirius," said James. "He's already got long hair."
"Okay then, Sirius, go over there and sit down," Lyra gesticulated toward a rotating chair in front of a mirror. Sirius sat down and looked back down at his dress, shifting uncomfortably.
"This feels weird," he said, playing with the end of the skirt. Lyra just laughed and walked over to him, leaning against the ledge of the vanity. She stared at him for a long while, first looking into his eyes, then more closely at his hair. "See something you like?" he asked teasingly, causing Lyra to flush slightly. She gave side of his head a light smack.
"Quiet, you," she said. "No talking. I'm trying to figure out how to do this," she circled him once and Sirius started to feel slightly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Stopping directly behind him, she looked at his face through the reflection the mirror. "I think I'll start with your hair, and then we'll move onto the make-up," she ran her fingers through the long strands of black that ended near his shoulders, trying to decide what she wanted to do with it.
Sirius tried to ignore how good her hands felt in his hair, but he just couldn't. He leaned his head into her hands slightly, closing his eyes.
"Do you have any preferences? Is there anything you-Did you just moan?" Lyra asked, looking down at him.
James and Remus sniggered, and Sirius just smirked, "I also purr when you rub me the right way."
"I wouldn't say 'purr'," James responded to his friend's statement, "He more or less growls."
"Speaking from personal experience, James?" Lyra asked, shooting him a sidelong glance.
James smirked, "Of course, Lyra. See, in reality, Sirius and I are lovers and this competition is to see who really is the woman in the relationship. Apparently he believes that he should be the one on top."
"Well, James, if you weren't such a little bitch about everything, maybe I'd consider letting you be top for a night," Sirius countered, smirking towards the mirror.
"Well this joke just took an awkward turn," said Remus.
"I'm with you there, Remus," said Lyra. Sirius looked up at her smiling, his head tilted back until he almost touched her stomach.
"How will you be styling my hair?" he asked, still amused with the awkwardness he and James had caused.
"Well, I'm not cutting it. It would be a crime to cut your hair, so I think I'm just going to straighten it and see how it looks then," she said, taking out her wand. She performed a hair-straightening charm on him, and his lustrous black hair obeyed. It fell even longer now, just past his shoulders. "What do you think?" she asked.
"Well, honestly, I liked it better the other way, but then again, this does look girlier, so I suppose you did your job well," Sirius said, taking a few strands between his fingers and looking at them.
"Shall we move onto the make-up now?" Lyra questioned.
"Yes," said James. "I need to see this."
"Okay. Do your worst," Sirius said. This was the part he was least looking forward to.
"Now, you're going to have to stay very still for me," she said. "I don't want to poke you in the eye with this."
Sirius promised he would try and Lyra began her work. First, she applied a light shade of concealer to his the area under his eyes and his lids. Next, she took the black eye pencil and started to line the rims. She had to stop several times because Sirius kept blinking.
"Would you quit it?!" she yelled, growing frustrated. "I can't finish if you keep blinking."
She then grabbed a small eye shadow brush and softened the edges of the eye pencil line. Taking a dark gray eye shadow, she went over the pencil area and smudged lightly with her finger, taking care not to poke him in the eye. Next, she applied a lighter gray shadow, encircling the entire eye area, softening the color as she moved outward. The mascara took a while to put on him, as he once again kept blinking and was afraid she would stab him in the eye with it and go blind. Brushing away any shadow that had fallen below his eyes, she cleaned up any areas that has smudged.
"Are you done yet?" Sirius asked, listening to the sniggers his friends were making.
"Almost," she said. "I need to do your lips now." Looking through the different shades, Lyra decided on a light, natural-looking pink lipstick. "Okay. I'm done."
Lyra stepped away from the mirror and let Sirius see his reflection. As soon as he looked, he started laughing.
"Bloody hell," he looked up at Lyra. "You've turned me into a woman."
Sirius Black did indeed look like a woman, albeit a very masculine one.
"That's what you asked me for," Lyra said, looking proudly down at her work.
Thrity minutes later, James sat, fully dressed and with make-up (eyes outlined in black eye liner fading into charcoal eyeshadow, which faded into hot pink), as Lyra tried to work with his hair. The charm worked with giving it length, but the untidiness of his hair was another issue altogether.
"You can't be serious," Lyra said through gritted teeth as she tried to give James what the Muggles called a 'Farrah Fawcett cut'.
"Well, I'm not," James said, "but he is." Lyra smacked his finger that pointed to the other 'pretty lady'.
"Really, James, I know it will be very difficult for you, but shut the bloody hell up and let me work in peace!" she said, quite frustrated. "Alright, I'm cutting some of it!"
"Ok, but don't mess it up!" he half threatened, knowing that she wouldn't dare.
Around another twenty minutes and James was done up just like a dark-haired Farrah Fawcett. Lyra smiled, proud of her work and pulled out a camera.
Sirius immediately wrapped an arm around James, and they posed in the most girliest way possible. She snapped the shot, smiling at how goofy they looked, and feeling lucky that they asked her to help them with this stunt.