Ignore the following if you hate Author's Notes:
Ok… so! My first story! Yay :P This was all written on an iPod using the notepad app thingy so the spacing is all messed up! Poo… Oh, well. It's the only way I can write because I'm super busy and I can't carry around my dinosaur of a computer with me. Hate it! Anyway, just wanted to say I'm super excited for this one! It's going to be a mix of adventure and romance so it's not too lovey-dovey and stuff (but it won't start off that way. It will develop). I plan to have this be a pretty darn long story but ahh… C'est la vie, it might not work out that way. So! Also… I'm going to try and update at least every other day. Quite the challenge. I'm up to it. And, the whole story isn't "Pros and Cons", kay? It's just the beginning, people! Love ya! Now, on with the story!
The Pros and Cons of being star quidditch player James Potter's twin:
Pro-I have my father's looks; sparkling, ice-blue eyes, pale skin,
and blonde hair that falls in shiny ringlets to the small of my back.
Which means when we meet new people they don't immediately go, "Hey are
you guys twins? So, Jane, why aren't you as popular as Mr. Perfect,
James, here?"
Con- I have my mother's stature, which means my head is the perfect
height for my brother (and his friends) to use as their personal arm
rest.
Pro- Our personalities, though different in many ways, are the same
in our senses of humor. Which means that we have a lot of fun. No
guarantees that by-standers will.
Con- Our idea of fun means practical jokes. Lots and lots of
practical jokes. Which means flat out prank wars. 24/7.
Pro- I live for prank wars.
Con- You can't always be on your guard. So when you've checked and
double-checked every possible thing in the room that could explode,
light you on fire or turn your hair a violent shade of pink... THAT'S
when he strikes. And he gets you BAD.
Pro- It drives James nuts when you take a perfectly planned prank and
make it look like you're enjoying it. Flat out bonkers. So, in the
end, I always win.
Con- It doesn't matter to him if I win. He never gives up. THAT
drives ME bonkers.
Pro- Being a natural prankster and the twin of James which
makes us really great friends, I am consequently admitted
into the highly exclusive group called the Marauders.
Con- Being a Marauder means detention. A lot of detention.
Pro- It is impossible not to have fun when you're with James, Sirius,
Remus and Peter. So detentions aren't the punishments they're intended
to be.
Con- In 5th year, they began to separate us during detentions. We set
Filch on fire. Ah... Good times.
Pro- Being a marauder means being an animagi. The. Coolest. Thing.
On. The. Planet. I'm an owl so I blend in nicely with the school owls
and I can spy on anyone really easily.
Con- I look forward to full moons, honestly. But staying up all night
running around with a werewolf really weighs on me. If I don't sleep,
it shows, and I am NOT a happy camper. And Lily notices.
Pro- Did I mention I get to run around with a werewolf? A werewolf!
Con- James Potter is madly in love with Lily Evans, one of my best
friends. On one hand, Lily can be a flat out jerk to James. On the
other hand, you can only send a girl flowers so many times...
Pro- James Potter is absolutely, positively, no question about it my
best friend in the whole world.
So you're probably wondering why I'm writing this. Well first, I'd
like to pass on all my knowledge of the castle and, well, OTHER things
to a student in the future to use to honor of all practical jokers.
I find myself asking who is worthy. Well, if you've found this, let
me tell you, you are worthy. Second, I believe my story worth telling
because A) You'll get a kick out of my friend and I's crazy antics,
and B) I want you to learn that love- and people- can flat out,
knock you off your feet, surprise you.
So this journal morphed from an instructional "Secrets of The
Castle: A Manual" to a story. The story of my final year at Hogwarts.
Lush, bright green fields, rimmed in wild, dark green forest shot by
outside the shimmering scarlet train, steam billowing behind it. It
was a bright, impossibly clear day, not a cloud in sight. Strange for
this time of year.
I turned from the window and smiled at a joke James just told. You
know, the one about the warlock, the hag, and the veela who were riding
on the Knight Bus.
I sat cross-legged in my muggle clothes between Sirius and James, Remus
and Peter across from me. Sirius was smiling his dazzling smile next
to me, his perfectly tousled black hair practically screaming "touch
me!". He was tall, muscular, a heart throb and a flirt.
Yeah.. Ok. I'm in love with Sirius. I'm just as bad as all of those
other obsessed girls. Ever since 3rd year when he stood up for me
against Evan Morris, the Hufflepuff that used to pick on me. Turned
out he had a crush on me and was vying for attention and asked me out
a year later. But, nope, too late Evan, the seeds of love were sown. And thus, I love
Sirius.
Remus, golden eyed, sandy haired, too-smart(and mature)-for-his-own-
good, Remus sat across from me apparently telling James he got the
punch line wrong. What they say is true. Bad things always happen to
the best people. Remus is the werewolf.
Next to him sat Peter in his mousy, short, boy-ish-ness. I've never
quite liked Peter. With his small, beady, watery eyes, round face and
his habit if worshipping "The One on Top", I've always thought of him
as a leech almost.
Black hair, green-eyed, tall-and-fit James sat beside me, arguing his
case about the punch line.
My boys.
My friends.
My family.
The last six years had been a blur. A laughter-filled blur consisting
of numerous memorable pranks, full moons and detentions. But this
year, this year was going to be the best.
A hand passed in front of my face a few times and I heard Sirius's
voice say, "Earth to Janey, can you hear me?"
"Huh?" I shook my head. Wow... Real witty.
James and Remus were standing at the compartment door, poised to leave.
"Will you nick me some extra stuff off the trolley, Jane?" James asked,
tossing me a few Knuts.
"Sure, fatty," I joked, slapping his tummy lightly, "Why?"
"I just told you," he replied, exasperated. "Honestly," he murmured,
then explained. "Remus, for whatever stupid reason-" he looked
pointedly and annoyed at Remus who smiled slyly.
"He won't tell him why," Sirius interjected.
"I have to go with him to the prefects meeting," James told me.
"Probably to give me late punishment for something I did last year,"
he mumbled as an afterthought.
"Well! Somebody's grumpy!" I laughed.
"I'm not! Well, I am... I just don't want to start off the year with
detention!" he pouted.
I cocked an eyebrow. "Aww... Poor Jamesy..." I said sarcastically.
He pouted more.
"Well, did you do anything late last year that's pretty bad?" Peter
reasoned.
"Um... I cursed Snivellous on the train back..." said James.
Snivellous isn't a person's real name (I'd pity anyone who did).
Snivellous is our personal nicknamed for Severus Snape, a greasy-
haired, vile, slimy little git who happens to be Lily Evan's best
friend and the Marauder's sworn enemy.
"Yeah, you're screwed," Sirius said.
James left the compartment in a huff and Remus looking very excited.
"And then there were three..."
I snorted.
The trolley came minutes later. I bought James and I some lunch and a
couple of extra treats.
"Hey, Beaky?" Beaky's my nickname "Wanna play a game of exploding
snap?" Sirius asked after we finished eating.
I said I'd like to and we were halfway through when we heard a yell, a
girl shriek "JAMES POTTER!" and two sets of footsteps; one running
and one stomping.
James threw open the compartment door, his face simply glowing.
"Guess. What." he said from the doorway, bursting with excitement.
"JAMES POTTER!" I heard again.
Our exploding snap cards suddenly burst into flames. We ignored them
and they put themselves out, angry that no one was paying attention to
them.
"Omigosh. James. What did you do?" I stood and leaned out of the
compartment door. Stomping up the hallway was Lily Evans, her green
eyes flaming and face as red as her hair. Curious heads were popping
out of their compartments.
"Nothing," he beamed. "Absolutely nothing."
"JAMES POTTER! YOU. ARE. DEAD." she shrieked as she threw open the
compartment door.
"Oh, how I love it when you say my name, Lily flower," he cooed
dreamily.
Normally, she would've screamed more about this nickname James has for
her, but she was obviously too angry about what ever James apparently
did (or didn't?) do.
I sat back down on the bench and Sirius's laughing (stunningly
beautiful, I might add) silver eyes met mine. He laughed more and I
rolled my eyes.
Lily entered our compartment and closed the door behind her. Oh,
man... I was officially scared.
"Lily... Please calm down..." I said, in what I tried to make sound
like a soothing voice. "What did James do?"
Angry silence.
When she spoke, it was in a deadly whisper.
"James... was made Head Boy and-"
"WHAT?" three voices (Sirius, Peter and I) shouted simultaneously.
"Dumbledore is off his rocker!" Sirius offered.
"Yeah! Definitely!" Peter agreed.
"Aww... I like Dumbledore. He gave me lemon drops when I was in
detention." I countered.
"That made you breath fire!" Sirius said.
"Which is, like, the coolest thing ever!" said I.
"And I was made Head Girl," Lily finally finished.
"Not for the people around you," Sirius continued. "I had to carry
around a mini fire extinguish- wait, WHAT?"
James was beaming, Sirius shocked, Lily livid.
I sank to the floor, my face dramatically in my hands.
"The school will be going down in flames by the end of the year..." I
murmured into my palms.
Sirius sat down next to me on the ground and put his arm around me.
Even though I knew he was totally joking, I still felt like I just
swallowed a bunch of helium.
"Aww... It's ok... I'll protect you!" Sirius cooed, simply playing.
Oh, why did he tempt me so?
His good looks, his silver, dazzling eyes, strong muscles pulling me
up from the floor and info a fake hug I so desperately wanted to be
real, his ambery scent I seemed to crave...
Oh... This year will be fun.
And now, the boring part:
Please, oh, please, review. You can be mean. I don't care. Just review. Ok, maybe I do care but still, review! Give plot suggestions, corrections, compliments (maybe? Pleeeeease), anything! And I will loooooove you! :P
Keep dancing!
XO
Zoe
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(-.-) It's a bunny! Tee, hee
o_(")(")