Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Harry Potter.

The Rise of James Potter

Chapter 1: Odd Things

It was true that Harry Potter's scar had not pained him for many years. Everything did seem to be well, but that did not mean that a new threat was not forming right under the savior's nose. Someone else, someone who never knew what it was like to live in fear, or to be hated or feel powerless was plotting.

Albus and Lily Potter were likely the only ones who saw what their brother was and expected what he would become. James had flawlessly fooled everyone else. To others, the boy was a prankster, just a silly boy looking for a laugh. He slithered his way out of detention. He always kept outstanding marks and all classes. He played for the Gryffindor quidditch team. But he could never fool his little siblings.

James was cruel to them. Their mother called it sibling rivalry, but they knew it was much more than that. The oldest kid bullied Albus, usually because the middle child was the one in their family to be a Slytherin or that the boy was terrible at quidditch. James teased Lily about her love of reading and the eagerness she always had whenever she learned something. This was not the worst of it. Besides making the other Potter children's lives torture, James was always up to odd things.

Once, Albus caught him casting a memory modifying spell on the family owl. The poor bird never quite delivered mail as speedy as it did before and whenever Albus tried to explain why, no one but his sister believed him. Another time, Lily found James forcing a mysterious potion down a house elf's throat. James often took pleasure in transfiguring pebbles into small bugs and tossing them into the lake to drown. After a while, Lily and Albus stopped telling everyone what their brother did. They had lost hope in getting someone to believe them, so they made it their own responsibility to stop their brother from doing such horrible things.

.

"James," Lily Potter glared up at her oldest brother who was clutching a silvery cloth in his hands. "That cloak isn't just yours. It belongs to Albus and I too. You have to let us use it."

James smirked at her.

"I'm using it."

"I'll write to Dad," Lily threatened. "If you don't let us use it."

"And what will you say?" The boy asked and then started speaking in a very high voice, imitating his sister. "Daddy, I stole the Invisibility Cloak that you specifically told us not to bring to school and I brought it anyways. Now James won't let me play with it!"

"What are you lot fighting about now?" Someone yelled as they descended the staircase from the dormitories. "I swear if Albus was a Gryffindor, you three would have the common room in ruins by now."

"Hugo!" Lily looked relieved. "Would you tell James to give me the cloak? He won't let me use it."

"Just give her the bloody cloak, James. You haven't let go of it once this term," Hugo said, annoyed with both Potters.

"I don't think two fourteen year olds who can barely transfigure a match into a needle are going to stop me from using what is mine."

"But it's mine too!" Lily shouted, but her brother was already stepping out of the portrait hole and pulling the cloak over himself.

"You'll get it back later," Hugo reassured her. "He probably just needs it to prank some of the Slytherins. Come on. Everyone else is at dinner already."

Lily didn't bother telling him that James likely needed the Invisibility Cloak for something much worse.

.

"What do you think he needs the cloak for?" Albus asked Lily after she explained what happened earlier. "He has been wearing that cloak more often lately."

"No idea," Lily shrugged. "Torturing animals? Practicing dark curses? Who knows? But I've been brewing a batch of Veritaserum and I plan to find out what he's been up to."

"Lily!" Her brother gasped. "You know that stuff is really dangerous. If you mess up even just a little when brewing, it could kill him," Albus dropped his voice to a whisper.

"Don't worry," Lily said, seemingly irritated that her brother would even suggest that she might brew a potion wrong. "It wouldn't kill him. Could hurt him a bit, but it won't. I know what I'm doing."

"You better," Albus grumbled. "If he's dead, we'll never find out what he's doing."

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A Note From the Author:

Thank you so much for reading! If you have the time, please leave a review! What do you think about this beginning? Any predictions about what James is up to? Constructive criticism would be great as well! Thanks again!