Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or Hogwarts—they are the creation of JK Rowling.

Chapter 1: Tutoring James

James had just come from his career advisories with Professor Flitwick, in shambles that his future as an Auror was in jeopardy. He found Sirius Black leaning against an old oak and paid no attention to the fact that he was fully absorbed with something else across the lawn. James looked over at his friend with utmost urgency. He was thrown off that Sirius was too busy eying the raven-haired Gryffindor, Alice Finchley, who sat among her following of sixth years.

"Eh, mate?" No response.

"Sirius…" he began, but still the black haired boy stared off.

"Sirius?" he tried again, with no luck. James was getting annoyed. He had something very important to tell his best mate.

"Sirius?"

"Shh…James…"

"Sirius?"

"James can't you see I'm—"

"SIRIUS!"

"WHAT IS IT?" Sirius turned so quickly and glared at James with such infuriation that James dared not speak up now...as this was really going to set him off.

"Sirius," he began slowly. "This is serious."

James had barely a second to duck before Black lunged at him and began to chase a laughing James across the lawn. The two stopped as Sirius caught up with James by the black lake.

"Okay, okay. Don't kill me." James panting, holding his pounding heart in place. "Look, I just got back from my career advice session with Flitwick"—Sirius perked up, curious—"and he said I need to pull up my Charms grade. He doesn't see me getting my N.E.W.T. next year if I can't keep up. He noticed how I was struggling with the Striking Jinx." he uttered the words as if they were curses, narrowing his eyes in disgust.

"Having trouble?" Sirius laughed.

"Listen, Padfoot." James spoke gruffly. "You know I'm not an idiot. But it's true I haven't been paying attention lately in that class." James gave a far-off, sideways look. "Can you help me catch up? Can I borrow your notes? I've already asked Remus, but you know how he doesn't approve of….well you know how he calls everything cheating." James rolled his eyes, looking utterly forlorn.

"Sorry mate," Sirius said, placing his arm around Potter. "But did you actually think I have been taken notes either?" Sirius grinned, but stopped, seeing James's crestfallen face.

"Oh hell, why don't you just ask Evans?"

"Because she hates to even be in the same room as me." James confessed with a sigh as the two Gryffindors began to head back inside the castle.

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Lily has finally agreed to tutor James, but mostly because Remus was accompanying James and she had complete faith in here fellow prefect to keep Potter's raging hormones in check. Lily had just come down from the shelf, having found a large book on basic spells produced by the Room as soon as she had mentally requested it.

"Okay," she began as she climbed down the ladder slowly. Striking spells are…." she flipped through the pages to the table of contents. "Here. Right. It says a simple spell to knock down an opponent is the Striking Jinx; can also be channeled to push objects. Use a stabbing motion and say Advertum."

James was already on his feet. "Sounds easy enough. Okay, Room. Set up some targets."

At by command, several potions bottles made of warped glass in various colors appeared on the table's edge. James took three large steps back and aimed him wand. Remus, still sitting at the table, quickly looked from the bottles to James and began to say something, but before he could— "Advertum!"

The next moment, Lily gave a scream as James and Remus began to pick themselves out of a cloud of dust that was swirling around the destroyed table and the glittering shards of glass.

"My god, Potter, can you say overkill?"

"Yeah," Remus coughed. "I was going to tell you this spell has various intensities that are controlled by various degrees of stress in the incantation, but you went and blew me up first." He coughed as he finally pulled himself up. "I couldn't warn you".

Lily was repairing the table and simply magicked the broken glass shards away, relying on the Room to replace the bottles. "The book says nothing about the stress we need to say the incantation with to simply move the bottles," she glared at James, "and not blow them up."

Clearly, Remus had decided that trial and error was the best approach because he took up his wand where James had been the first time. With less of a jabbing motion and a quiet "Advertum," the yellow jet shot from his wand in a thin flash of light. They all looked disappointed the next second as the middle bottle laid in pieces on the tabletop.

"Well" said Remus, recalling his wand and sitting back down. "At least the table's still intact."

"Lily," James piped up, "it's your turn. Perhaps this is a job for a girl."

Lily glared at him. "What? Like washing your shirts and checking your homework isn't enough? I don't see why I'm even trying to help you. You won't tell me what you are up too and at worst I am helping you in your constant quest for tomfoolery."
"At worst." James smiled, coolly conjuring Lily from thin air as Remus rolled his eyes.

"Haha, Lily. Aren't you glad I'm here?"

And Lily fell for his hazel eyes and swooned for his careless innocence and smiled back.

She gave the spell a try, but this time the bottles rattled and did nothing. James tried again, blowing up the table again, and in turn each tried to send the bottled gently across the tabletop. They tried various stresses on various syllables, different jabbing motions, singing the incantation. At best, one bottle would move a millimeter. At worst, the three found themselves blown off their feet. They were all very frustrated after several hours.

"This is ridiculous! I'll move the bloody bottle myself!" James yelled, throwing the bottle against the wall. It shattered in shimmering glassy dust,

"Why are you so angry? This is obviously a very tricky spell, Potter, relax!" James was storming around the Room and aiming spells at the bottles, blasting them to pieces on purpose.

Remus took to repairing the bottles as James broke them. He looked very tired and apologetic. "I'm sorry Lily. James really needs to master this spell and—"

Lily tore in. "That gives him no reason to act like a first year who can't mount a broom! Potter needs some self control—stop blowing up the bloody place with every spell! Look, Remus," she said, hands on hips, "if I can't get this Advertum thing to work, then…."

But just as she said it, the yellow jet shot from her wand and splashed against the large rosy twisted bottled. The three looked at it, and just when they thought it would do nothing, the bottle gently slid three feet across the table, stopping right at the edge.

James was clearly delighted. His wand shot off red sparks and he relished in the shocked look on Lily's face.

"Score, Evans!" He hurtled onto Remus, crushing him in a bear-hug.

"His dream come true," she replied sarcastically. She pocketed her wand as James turned from Remus to her.

"Oi," huffed Remus. "I need to stop accompanying Prongs on his dates."