the_debt_of_time

James looked at her hand and sucked in a sharp breath. "Evans. Is that...
an engagement ring?"
Everyone turned and stared at Lily, shocked. It was not completely uncommon for
witches to be betrothed so early, at least among old-fashioned pureblood families, but
everyone knew Lily was a Muggle-born.
"What?" Lily held up her hand in obvious shock and rolled her eyes at James. "This
is a mood ring, you dolt. My parents bought it for me this summer." At his continued look
of utter non-comprehension, she shook her head. "It's a Muggle thing."
Mia laughed at her brother when he sighed in loud relief.
"How do Muggles make rings that tell your mood?" James asked. "That sounds like
magic."
"It's not magic," Mia answered. "There are crystals in the ring that react to changing
temperatures thus altering the colour of the ring." When she turned to see James—and
several others—staring at her perplexed, she rolled her eyes. "Oh Jamie, honestly, read a
book!"
"So what's your mood right now, Evans?" James grinned, staring at the ring on her
finger.
"Annoyed," Lily answered immediately and turned away from him, putting her
focus back on her cauldron.
Mia shook her head at James, and he frowned up at her innocently, looking
genuinely confused over how he had messed that up. She grabbed his full attention by
snatching his chin in her fingers to prevent him from staring at Lily. "So. Remus. What did
he say to you?"
"Not much. A lot of stuttering. Sirius is still taking the piss out of him for it."
They both looked back to the Marauder table, where Sirius was indeed whispering
to a consistently red-faced Remus, who was angrily trying to grind his moonstone into a
powder.
Mia frowned. "Be nice."
"Absolutely not. He's a bloke that wants to snog my sister. Friend or not, there's a
process he's got to go through," James said firmly, the hint of mischief in his eyes.
"He does not want to snog me." She gripped his face harder, and James's eyes
widened at her volatile reaction. "He's a perfect gentleman and always has been. Much