A/N: Just something I've been trying to do for a while. Don't know how good it turned out. I hope at least a few people like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything recognizable. Flora Longbottom belongs to SlytherinPrincess82 (you can find her in Things You Don't Know About the NEXT GENERATION under "James"). That's it.
James looked incredulously down at the badge on his bedroom floor. It made no sense at all, none whatsoever. It seemed Professor McGonagall was just as insane as they said Professor Dumbledore was. But, if his grandfather could be a fabulous Head Boy, so could he. Something about him had to make him fit to get the badge or McGonagall wouldn't have honored him with it. It couldn't be his devilish good looks and it couldn't be his penchant for pranking anyone in sight. Those weren't exactly Head Boy traits. His grades were very good (straight Os on his last exam and he had gotten straight Os on his O.W.L.s, too) so that might be it. Maybe he was the only extremely smart Seventh-year. Though he knew that it was highly unlikely. It wasn't the sensible thing to do, and McGonagall was the most sensible person in the world.
Now, he could imagine his brother Al becoming Head Boy next year, and he could see Lily becoming Head Girl in her Seventh-year, but him?
Then, still staring at the badge on the floor, he remembered the letter in his hand. Maybe that would explain the unexplainable badge. Perhaps they had sent it to the wrong person. Yes, that had to be it. Slowly, he opened up the piece of parchment and started to read it, searching fervently for an explanation. And his stomach plummeted as he saw his name at the bottom of the paper.
Dear Mr. James Potter,
Your good grades and sense of leadership have led me to believe that you are the best choice for Head Boy amongst all of the Seventh-year boys. I am hoping that you will show responsibility and take the job sensibly. I find myself inclined to remind you that you are not to abuse your power on anyone, no matter what House they are in. You do have the ability to dock points and hand out detentions, however. Your pranking will, of course, have to be brought down to a minimum, as you must show a good example for the younger students. You will have no problem with exerting authority when problems arise, I believe. Also, you might want to think about keeping your friends under control as well.
We expect you at Platform 9 3/4 on September 1st. You are reminded that the train leaves at exactly 11 o'clock.
Hoping you are well,
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall HeadmistressJames blinked in surprise. He really was the Head Boy. He wasn't just seeing things and it wasn't just a prank. A smile came over his face.
"Mum!" he yelled across the house. "Dad!"
He ran down to the kitchen and found them both seated at the table. His father was reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal at the same time. His mother was listening to the WWN and eating a piece of toast. His brother Al was reading a book while his sister Lily flipping through a magazine. They both had a two pieces of untouched toast in front of them.
"What is it, James?" his mother asked kindly.
"I'm Head Boy!" he said excitedly.
There was an uncomfortable silence at this exclamation. Lily had dropped her magazine, Al looked up from his book (which was always a rare occurrence), and his parents just stared at him. Then, his father grinned.
"Well done, James. I have to admit that I'm not surprised. You'll be a wonderful Head Boy."
Now it was James' turn to stare. He wasn't surprised? But James was a prankster, a person who got into trouble as much as he could and caused mayhem everywhere he went. How could his father not be surprised?
"Are you sure it's not a prank, James?" Albus asked.
James shook his head. "Nope. It's got McGonagall's signature and everything. I positive it's real. Here, you can look at it."
Al took the letter in his hands and read it over. When he was finished, he nodded. "It's real," he said. And then he picked up his book again and didn't say another word.
Lily was still gaping at her oldest brother. "B – b – but you're a prankster," she managed to get out. "You'll bring down the school and send the teachers into a state of turmoil! Professor McGonagall's off her rocker! You can't be Head Boy!"
James glared at her. "I won't bring down the school!" he said indignantly. "And besides, Hogwarts would be such a dreary place without any pranksters. You need pranksters to keep peoples' minds off of the real world. That's our job. And I do it pretty well, I think."
"You've definitely taken it to heart," his mother said finally. She was smiling, though, and the surprise seemed to have gone away. "I'm proud of you. It'll be a good experience."
"Thanks, Mum," he said.
He turned to his father. "Why weren't you surprised? I am a prankster. Which means that I'd be one of the worst people for the job."
His father smiled. "Because my father was Head Boy in his day. And as you know, your grandfather was one of the most notorious pranksters to ever go to Hogwarts. If he could be a good Head Boy, then you could too."
James frowned. "But Uncle George wasn't Head Boy and Uncle Fred wasn't either. They were both pranksters."
"But they wouldn't have been very good for the job. They… definitely would have abused their power. If they had been given the post, they would have put every Slytherin in detention because of bad hair, or something like that. Remember, my father became an Auror, and the twins chose to run their own joke shop. Doesn't that show you anything? Pranks meant more to the twins than almost anything, except for family. Your grandfather wanted to do something active in the war, he wanted to fight the Death Eaters and put them where they belonged. He couldn't just sit back and watch others do the work. You're that same kind of person. You like to take action and do like to be a leader, and you're good at it. People listen to you, James. I think you'll make a wonderful Head Boy."
James knew that his nose had now turned pink. "Thanks, Dad," he mumbled. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm still Quidditch Captain, too."
"Good. We didn't expect anything different. You're still the best player on the team. Everybody knows that." Lily always stated the obvious.
"Lily, come on. Be nice to your brother," his mother said.
"It's fine, Mum. Really. I'm used to her by now."
Lily stuck her tongue out at him.
"That's so immature, Lily. You're acting like a baby."
Lily idolized her Aunt Hermione and was a stickler for rules. Also, as the youngest child, she always wanted to seem older than she was. Therefore, James got a well-crafted Lily-glare for his comment. She turned back to her magazine and steadfastly ignored her oldest brother for the rest of the morning.
James himself sat cheerfully down at the table and reached for a piece of toast. This Head Boy thing might not be so bad after all. His parents would be proud, all three of their children had straight O grades and would become Head Boy or Girl in their Seventh-year. It would probably make his Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron immensely jealous. Rose was definitely on her way to becoming Head Girl, but Hugo was not as good in his classes as his sister, nor was he Head Boy material. He was incredibly shy and hated being in control. Yes, his Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron would probably think that McGonagall had gone bonkers, too. So would everyone else in his family for that matter. But that was fine with James. He knew that it was real, and he was definitely going to have fun this year. He had heard that the common room for the Heads was extremely comfortable.