Chapter 6

The world was different as she floated through the air, feeling the soft breeze of the early November air floating around her as she fluttered her wings, the soft buzzing she was giving off was barely in her ears, and soon was she dipping into the patch of flowers, minding her own business.

She hated to admit that she had stung someone before, though she couldn't deny that they deserved it. It was for her own personal benefit after she had gotten a particularly sore black eye from bullies that hurt to even cover up with makeup, though she tried her best.

She pestered the boy for ages, buzzing behind him, tickling his neck, he seemed deathly afraid whenever he would flinch away. It made her truly wonder why he picked on her when she stood below a foot smaller, and yet he was terrified of a tiny bee.

She had heard before that the worst place to get stung was on the neck, so sticking the small stinger into his was something she didn't regret in the slightest, satisfied when he yelped in pain, gripping his neck tightly. She knew already that she wouldn't die from stinging him, but she was rather surprised when the stinger automatically grew again after she had stung the boy.

Violet was sitting amongst the flowers, hoping that the bee right beside her was, in fact, Bea but knew soon enough that it was when she landed on the girl's hand, tickling her skin with the fur of her stripes before flying away in the direction of her brother who had quickly entered the courtyard with the boys.

She loved to tease the boys, floating past their ears, landing on their skin, the reaction was truly hilarious, "so, James," she heard Sirius say as she floated near them, right beside Peter on the bench who was completely oblivious to her buzzing beside him.

"I know that tone, Pads, what is it?" he groaned, throwing his head back whilst Sirius couldn't help but snicker.

"When were you going to tell us that you beat up a bunch of fourth years?" asked Sirius, oblivious to Bea who had floated near him in a best attempt to get him to stop talking.

"You did?" asked Remus, turning to the boy beside him, "why?"

"Well, Moony..." Sirius trailed off, patting James' shoulder, "our dear Prongs over here was defending - ow! Bloody bee!" he exclaimed, almost hitting Bea who had flown out of the way quickly, watching Sirius as he gripped his neck in pain.

Though she was completely oblivious to the stare she was getting from James who saw the bee that had just stung his best friend as very much alive, even though he was under the impression that bees died after stinging someone. He couldn't say he wasn't curious, and the thought that was whirling through his mind seemed quite impossible, though he wasn't sure.

The bee soon buzzed away quickly, but James kept his eyes on it, ignoring his friends as he watched it disappear behind a tree that was hidden from students. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, wondering if there was a beehive back there for the small thing, far too curious to know how it was possible that the creature hadn't died.

But he almost did a double take when he saw what happened next, his lips parted, eyes wide as he watched none other than Phoebe Lupin emerge from behind the tree just a few moments later, running a hand through her sandy brown hair, she failed to meet his eyes when she looked around for anyone who could have seen her but when her head moved to look in his direction did he quickly push his attention back to Sirius.

"Oh Merlin, I'm dying!" the boy exclaimed, holding his neck in pain, James couldn't get the thought out of his head that Bea was an animagus and that her animagus was a bee, it seemed to wedge its way into his mind and stay there whilst he tried to calm Sirius down.

"Bloody hell, what's happened?" asked Bea, her voice calm and her manner completely nonchalant as she rushed over to the boys, feeling completely guilty about stinging Sirius, she thought it would be the only way to shut him up.

"Sirius got stung by a bee," Peter scoffed, earning an amused smile from Bea who nodded.

"Maybe the bees are telling you to stop flirting with Bea?" Remus joked, "they could be on her side."

"Oh yes," Bea nodded, pushing James out of the way of Sirius, "stay still."

"What? Why?!" he exclaimed, watching her glare at him as she moved his hands away, "Bea-"

"I'm going to get it out!" she huffed, "Remus can you please look away?" she asked sweetly, turning to Remus who looked completely wary.

"Why?"

"Because you won't like what I'm about to do," she trailed off, catching James' eye who looked completely confused.

"What are you going to do-"

"Well, I'm going-"

"Can we all just hurry up so that my neck can stop throbbing?!" Sirius screeched, running a frustrated hand through his hair whilst Bea bit her lip to stop her amused smile.

"Alright, stay still," she warned, pushing herself forward she pressed her lips to the place she had stung him, completely oblivious to Sirius' wide eyes, James looking away, and Remus' fists curling in anger.

And well, Peter wasn't even paying attention.

"Right I think we can all agree that the sting is out now," James snapped after about twenty very long - and irritating - seconds, rolling his eyes whilst he finally lifted his head to stare at the two.

Bea soon pulled away, her nose scrunched up as she discarded the Bea sting, trying her best to ignore her flushed cheeks when she realised she had left a small bruise on Sirius' neck as though she had given him a hickey.

Sirius couldn't keep the smirk off his face when he turned to Bea, his eyebrow raised and soon throwing his arm over her shoulder, he spoke, "I should get stung more often."

"Oh, piss off, Sirius," she huffed, nudging his stomach, meeting Remus' eyes with a small sheepish grin, "alright, Remy?"

"I'm just trying to process how getting a sting out results in a hickey," he whispered, rubbing his temples and slightly oblivious to Sirius' lips twitching into an even bigger smile than before.

"If you just wanted to give me a hickey, Bea, you could've just said so," Sirius trailed off, patting her head whilst she couldn't help but scoff.

"Sirius, I would gladly go and find a bee hive and set them all on you solely so that you can have a million bee stings-"

"And you can kiss me all over?"

"No so you can die a painful death," she grumbled, her cheeks redder than ever, and very aware that James hadn't uttered a word. She lifted her eyes to meet his, seeing an odd look in his eyes, she was entirely curious as to what it was.

"Alright, James?" asked Peter, "you look a bit-"

"I'm fine, never better - actually," James nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets, seeing a perfect opportunity to leave, he quickly shouted, "Oi, Evans," and soon pushed past his friends in the direction of the red head who still wasn't giving him the time of day.

"What was all that about?" asked Bea, frowning ever so slightly, turning her head to look at James, only to see him vanish around the corner.

"Probably jealous that it wasn't his neck you where-"

"Can you please stop, Sirius?" Bea groaned, "you know if you weren't so bloody annoying I'd actually like you!"

"I am...still...processing," Remus whispered, unable to believe that he had just watched his sister basically give his best friend a hickey.

"Oh, don't be so shocked, Remus," Bea smirked, thinking that winding Remus up was a better hobby than being angry at Sirius, "it's not like it's the first time I've done that!"

"That didn't - Bea! That didn't help anything!" he exclaimed, watching his sister walk away with a laugh falling from her lips and for Sirius and Peter to soon join in.

-

"So, Screechsnap's, I need help with them because I didn't exactly understand the definition you gave me-

"James-"

"And well I didn't want to just ignore them so I wrote something down which I think might be what I got from-"

"James-"

"From what you said but I don't really know so-"

"James, please," she snapped, glaring at the boy from across the table, "why are you acting so...odd?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he shrugged, shaking his head, "I'm not acting odd at all!"

"Yes, you are, you have barely spoken a word to me unless it's about herbology!" she huffed, "that's not even remotely like you."

"You are the one that said we weren't friends, Bumble- Bea, not me!" he exclaimed, both of them quickly hiding from the glare the librarian was attempting to give them.

"James why are you so mad at me?" she whispered, she hated that she cared so much about his attitude, that he was able to make her so easily upset with the hostile attitude he had drowned himself in.

And whilst she hated that it cared so much, he hated that she was able to make his bad mood disappear with the look of her eyes. His shoulders slumped, running a hand through his messy hair, he spoke, "I'm not mad at you, Bea, I swear, just some anger with classes that I shouldn't take out on you."

That was a complete lie, "I'm sorry," he quickly said, seeing her eyebrow raised, and it didn't take a genius to realise she was entirely unconvinced.

"Alright," she nodded, frowning ever so slightly, "Screechsnap's can feel both pain and pleasure, they're not very fond of irritation - and when the seedlings are babies they are usually potted together."

He nodded, quickly writing it down whilst she took the time to write out more notes for him, switching between that and her Transfigurations homework that she had to get done by tomorrow, "what's that?"

"Wha- Oh, homework," she grumbled, tapping on the page, it was an essay she had to do on a robin bird transfiguring into a china tea cup, though she was having a hard time with the effects and the spell movement.

"Class?"

"Transfigurations," she huffed, shaking her head, "if there were any two classes able to make me realise how stupid I was, this, and Potions."

"You're kidding, right?" James asked, his eyebrow soon raising, "how can you possibly say that you're even remotely stupid when you could name plants and spells to do with herbology off of the top of your head."

"Some people are good at all subject, James, I'm good at one," she trailed off, watching him take her parchment paper and reading over what she had to do.

"I'll do this for you," he finally spoke after a few moments of silence, "it's pretty easy, really, well that is if you know what you're doing and some people don't pick up on subject's easily, Bumble, that's just how it is."

She smiled softly, nodding her head, soon whispering, "thank you."

She was trying her best to ignore the fact that she felt almost relieved that he had called her Bumble again, knowing that his attitude had disappeared she was rather thankful for the nickname, she would never admit it, of course.

The two worked in silence across from each other, Bea was completely oblivious to James' occasional glances in her direction, watching her write quickly with no notes around her, mere information from the top of her head. He was so curious to ask the questions about the events that occurred previously but he absolutely didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"So," James finally spoke, trying his best to act as casual as possible, "you and Sirius, huh?"

"What?!" her head snapped up, her eyes wide, and soon did she furiously shake her head, "no - no of course not!"

"Wait, really?" asked James, "I thought you liked him?!"

"Are you serious- don't," she suddenly spoke, seeing him ready to speak and making sure it wasn't anything to do with the god-awful pun, "no, nope, no I don't like him like that, I mean I barely know him as it is, he's friends with you and with Remus and he's the biggest flirt, and I mean he's not exactly horrible to look at but that doesn't mean I like him!"

"You think he's nice looking?" asked James, his eyebrow raised.

"Well I mean yeah, I think you're nice looking but that doesn't mean I li-" she cut herself off after she realised what she had said, her cheeks filling with blood and soon did her head fall onto the table, her voice muffled as she spoke, "I am not good at speaking with people."

He was trying his best to suppress his smile, soon reaching over to pat her head, "I just thought since today," he trailed off, making sure to leave out the part of basically seeing her transform out of an animagus, he had a thought in his head before coming here that she stung him just so she could do that, but it seemed as though that wasn't the case.

"I was just trying to help him get a bee sting out, I- it's the most effective way and I felt quite bad for him, I didn't know that it was going to leave a mark," she groaned, hiding her head in her hands, "It was so embarrassing!"

"Well Sirius seemed to be enjoying every second of it," James scoffed, unable to ignore the fact that he was evidently cheerier to know how she truly felt about Sirius.

"Yes well the next time he gets stung I'm going to stay well away," she sighed, making a note to never sting the boy again, no matter what secrets he would be spilling.