November 2018 – Fourth Year

James Sirius 'effing Potter.

Who does he think he is?

I know what he is. A bloody prat, that's what.

And honestly, who does he think he is that he can just do things like this and not piss anyone off. I can only gather that he doesn't care if he does.

That pisses me off even more.

I furiously brush out my freshly cleaned and dried hair. I even made an effort on my hair this morning and he had to go and ruin it.

I look at myself in the mirror and sigh. Even with the extra effort, my hair this morning didn't look any different than it does right now without the effort: straight as a board with not even a hint of a wave. Even though Mum says plenty of girls would kill for hair like mine, I still wish it did something. I honestly find it kind of boring.

What I didn't have in mind for this morning was James Sirius 'effing Potter coming in and spraying jam all over the Great Hall at breakfast. I didn't have time to get back to Gryffindor Tower before my first class and I had to sit through History of Magic with strawberry jam in my hair.

I gotta admit, though. The look on Professor Chang's face was priceless.

And Potter got detention.

Justice.

That doesn't change the fact that I am furious that he filled my hair with jam, even if it was inadvertently. I had to skive off Muggle Studies to clean it all out since I didn't fancy spending my lunch break doing so. I need to work on my Star Chart for Astronomy during that time since we have class tonight and I'll probably have extra Muggles Studies homework since I missed class.

Prat. He's definitely going to pay for this. Thankfully, I'm on fairly good terms with the Muggle Studies professor, so she probably won't give me detention when I explain what happened later.

The door to the fourth year girl's dorm opens and I look over my shoulder to see the one thing that could have made this morning even worse.

"Julia," I acknowledge, placing my brush on my dresser.

"Meredith," she responds. Her snooty voice grates my nerves and I force myself to take a breath before turning around and gathering my things for Defense.

I really don't have any real reason for why I don't like Julia Carter. We've been roommates for three and a half years and I just can't stand to hear her speak. She has a tendency to say nasty things about other girls and she is Queen of the Rumor Mills of Hogwarts, but I'm not really a part the gossip chain she supports, so I've never been directly affected by her. It's probably hard to talk about someone you don't know anything about. I keep to myself mostly. I don't really have any friends.

Maybe I'm just being too introverted. I glance over at Julia applying a layer of powder over her face. Maybe we could be friends if I actually spoke to her. "Do you want to walk to Defense together?"

Julia turns and gives me a strange look. It strikes me as a cross between annoyance and pity. She doesn't say anything, but nods and picks up her school bag.

The walk to class is just about the most awkward I've ever experienced. Neither of us says anything to each other, and while I enjoy a comfortable silence, this is anything but.

Definitely not one of my best ideas.

I am very much relieved when we finally arrive at our Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. I rush in and quickly find my normal seat in the middle of the room.

I don't talk to anyone. No one talks to me.

Julia walks in behind me and sits herself next to her boyfriend, Fred Weasley.

Wonderful. Weasley's here which means…

"Bloody hell, Finnigan! Do you have to rub it in?"

"Merlin, James. You don't have to shout."

I roll my eyes and do my best to ignore them.

Unfortunately, James Sirius Potter and his crew are not to be ignored. He's so incredibly loud I can't even hear myself think.

"Could you have at least backed me up this morning? You were in on it, too."

"True, but I like to avoid detention as much as possible."

"Some mate you are." I chance a glance in their direction and see Potter pouting. What a baby. I shake my head and start pulling out my things for class.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not sitting with you, today, you tosser." I smirk and keep my head down. Eavesdropping isn't something that I mean to do, it just happens… when the person you're listening to shouts everything.

There's a thump to my left. Surprised, I move my eyes to the space next to me and see a stack of books stuffed with spare parchment. No one usually sits next to me.

I look up fully and see none other than Potter grinning at me cheekily. "Mind if I sit here today?"

Bullocks. What do I do? I really don't want him to sit there, but there's no way to say that without sounding incredibly rude. I mean, I don't have to talk to him.

I shrug.

"Brilliant." Potter flops himself down in the seat next to me and immediately leans his chair back on the back legs. "Meredith Blount, right?"

I look at him again and nod silently.

"I'm James Potter," he says unnecessarily, holding out his hand. I shake it, smirking in disbelief at his introduction. Does he really think I don't know who he is? He's the oldest son of Harry Potter! Who wouldn't know who he is?

Maybe he's just being polite?

No way. This is James 'effing Potter. He's not polite. He's a prat.

Potter gives me an odd look, cocking his head slightly. "You know, you can talk to me, right?"

I shrug again and turn myself forward and return to pulling out my supplies for class. If I make it clear I don't want to talk to him, maybe he'll just leave me alone. It usually works on other people.

But Potter is not other people.

"Can I borrow a quill?" I sigh and hand over one of the quills I pulled out. "And some ink?" I rub my forehead and hand over a pot of black ink without a word. "Thanks."

I glance at my watch and groan inwardly as I realize I still have five minutes left before class starts. I just want to sit here quietly, but James Potter has other plans.

"How come you never sit with anyone? Class is way more interesting when you have someone to talk to." Ugh. Seriously? Can't he just leave me alone?

"I actually like to learn during class, thanks," I say finally looking to him once more.

Potter returns all four legs of his chair to the floor, runs his hand through his messy hair, and grins broadly. "So she does speak." I roll my eyes at him. "And has sass," he adds raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Shut it, or I'm going to take my quill back."

Potter laughs lightly and holds up the quill I handed him before. "I'd gladly give it back. It doesn't look like it's in the best shape."

It's true. I gave him one of my older quills. It's rather dull and the feather is a little… well, ruffled. I wasn't about to give him one of my better ones.

"You could sharpen it yourself if you're so upset about it," I snip back. This is ridiculous. I'm helping him out and he's being a right prick about it.

"Right… I didn't bring my own quill to class, but you think I brought something to sharpen a quill with." I give him an unamused look. "Do you have a sharper one?" Without permission, Potter reaches over and grabs the two other quills I pulled out and looks at them. He holds the three quills tip-up in front of his face.

All three are dull.

Potter raises an eyebrow at me and I snatch the quills away from him with a scowl. "I really hate writing with quills, alright? There's too much work that goes into taking care of them." He better be careful. I'm already angry with him and he's not making that any better.

"Alright, alright," he replies holding his hands up in mock surrender.

I just cross my arms and sniff hard in frustration, looking dead ahead. I'm giving him all the normal signs that I am not happy and would like him to shut up.

"Weren't you supposed to be in Muggle Studies this morning? I don't think I've ever seen you miss a class."

Merlin, he's thick. He's not going to leave me alone. I'm not even being subtle about how much I don't want to talk to him.

Before I can respond, Professor Gaines arrives and the rest of the class finds their way to their seats. I take a much-needed calming breath and focus my attention on the teacher.

"Good morning, class," he wheezes, stumping down the aisle on my right towards the front of the room. Professor Gaines reaches his desk at the front and turns slowly to face us. "You have all made great progress so far this year and I must say I have been very impressed with several of your performances." I smile to myself. I aced our last practical and getting a little recognition for that feels pretty good.

"Since this is the case we will…"

A poke in my left side almost causes me to call out in alarm. I throw a glare towards Potter and he smiles like the cheeky bastard he is. "So why weren't you in class?" he whispers.

"I had to take care of something," I hiss back, evasively. "Now, shut up. I'm trying to listen." While I would love to tell Potter off for being the reason I missed class, it will have to wait.

"… and Shield Charms. I think this has made each of you quite ready for…"

"Something?" he whispers again. "Care to be a little more specific?"

"What's it to you? You don't even know me." Potter falls silent and I direct my attention back towards the hunched figure droning on before us.

"… but keep in mind that this isn't a game and you should all be aware that…" I have no idea what he's talking about. This is all Potter's fault. If he wasn't trying to annoy me, I wouldn't be so lost.

"Aren't I trying to now?" Potter asks with a note of confusion in his voice.

I am slightly taken aback at his words and his tone. I look to my left and see Potter looking at me with his head cocked again. Why would he be trying to get to know me?

The sound of chair legs scraping across stone floor brings my attention back to the class. People are standing and seem to be pairing up for something. My anger at Potter returns in full force.

"Thanks, Potter," I say sarcastically. "Now I have no idea what's going on."

"We're pairing up to duel," he says simply.

I stare at him for a moment. "How do you know that?"

"Professor Gaines just said so."

I continue to stare at him, dumbfounded. How did he catch that? He was talking the whole time. Potter turns towards the back of the class where he and his mates normally sit. Julia has already paired up with Weasley and Finnigan has paired with Thomas, leaving Potter the odd-man-out.

I look around for a partner for myself, but to my horror, there is no one else available.

"Looks like we're a pair," Potter states.

Bullocks.

I'm paired with Potter? Merlin, what did I do that today has to be so awful?

"Blount?" I face Potter. He's looking at me, concerned. "Is everything alright?"

"Perfect," I say somewhat nastily. "It's always been my dream to be paired with you during class."

Potter straightens up slightly and frowns. "No need for that," he says before jutting his thumb over his shoulder, indicating his mates at the back of the room. "If you don't want to duel me I'll just ask Phil or Roger to switch with me…"

"No!" I exclaim, suddenly smiling. An idea has just formed in my mind. This is the perfect opportunity to get back at this smug prick.

Potter opens his mouth and closes it without saying anything. "Okay, then," he finally replies after a moment.

I smirk. Since we've been in school, this is the first time I've ever seen James Potter speechless. We set ourselves up in the center aisle facing each other.

Potter appears to be studying me closely. His eyebrows are slightly contracted and his mouth is set. "Are we going to do this or not?" I ask, crossing my arms across my chest.

He shakes his head slightly and pulls his wand out of the pocket of his robes. "Alright. Let's go."

I pull my own wand out and we take our dueling stances, waiting for signal to start. I am determined to win. Potter won't know what hit him.

"Begin," Gaines signals.

I quickly cast a Shield Charm and I can feel Potter's hex bounce off harmlessly. He raises his eyebrows at me, apparently impressed. "You're quick," he compliments, but he doesn't have a chance to say anything else as I begin my offensive.

"Stupefy!" Potter dodges easily, but is forced to cast his own Shield as I throw a Stinging Jinx at him immediately afterward.

Potter does his best to parry and dodge my blows, but he's falling behind. I continue my assault, fueled by my frustration with him. Both of our faces are grim. I see the sweat on the sides of his face and can feel the sweat on mine.

"You know this is just supposed to be simple dueling, right?" Potter manages between casting spells.

"Sorry, Potter. You're not getting off easy with me!" I shout back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Unlike the rest of the school," I start shielding myself and casting another hex, "I don't worship the ground you walk on."

"Who says that they do?"

"It's common knowledge, you daft idiot!" I'm not sure where this is all coming from. It's completely out of character for me to act this way with anyone. "Do you think that you would be able to do half the stupid crap you pull if they didn't think you were some sort of god?"

"I don't ask them to!" he defends, dodging another of my spells.

"You don't have to!" I feel the adrenaline pumping through me. It's probably to blame for my behavior at this moment, but I can't stop. "And you don't try to stop them! You just go around doing whatever the hell you want and not caring who's affected and how."

I pause briefly, pretending to catch my breath and Potter smirks triumphantly and sends a hex at me. I throw up a Shield to deflect the blow and am pushed back a few inches at the force of it.

I make eye contact with Potter and throw on a smirk of my own as I remove the Shield an instant after his attack and immediately counter. "Stupefy!"

I watch with no little satisfaction as Potter realizes he has been duped; that he has lost.

And to a girl.

My spell hits him in the chest and sends him flying backwards several feet, unconscious. Raucous applause and cheering breaks out around me and I realize the entire class stopped their own duels to watch ours. I blush causing my already flushed face to redden further.

Every fourth year in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw just watched me take down the James Potter.

Weasley is leaning over Potter with a smug grin on his face saying something to him. Weasley must have revived him while I wasn't looking because Potter flips him off and sits up rubbing his back.

"Excellent work!" Professor Gaines arrives at my side and places a wrinkled hand on my shoulder. "I've never seen a finer duel from fourth years. Many fully qualified wizards cannot perform that well."

Potter walks up to us and extends his hand to me, again. "I gotta say, Blount that was something."

I take his hand and shake it firmly. "Thank you, Potter. You didn't do too bad, yourself."

The crowd of students starts breaking up and returning to their own seats. Professor Gaines pats my shoulder twice and makes his way back to the front of the room.

"I would like to thank Mr. Potter and Miss Blount for such an impressive display." Potter winks at me and gives me a thumbs-up as we sit back in our seats. "I want to take the rest of our time today breaking down the different strategies each of them used and the advantages and disadvantages of each." Gaines flicks his wand at the chalkboard and the piece of chalk starts writing on its own accord. "First, Miss Blount's Shield-Return strategy…"

Another poke in my left side brings my attention to a rather bemused-looking Potter propping his head up on his desk with his left arm and facing me. "I didn't think you would be that good," he whispers.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I whisper back. "Because that sounds more like an insult, to be honest."

Potter smiles and closes his eyes for a second. "Sorry. I just didn't take you for the dueling type. You usually are so reserved."

"You just don't know me well enough to know what type of person I am." Potter nods, conceding the point. We don't say anything for the rest of the class.

Class lets out twenty minutes later and I pack my belongings back into my school bag and sling it over my right shoulder. I turn to leave, but Potter grabs my arm. I look to him questioningly. "I'm sorry if I ever did anything that made you angry," he says to me, awkwardly. He's obviously not used to apologizing.

I can tell his apology is sincere, even though he doesn't know what specific event he's apologizing for. I give him a half-smile. "Thanks. I just really don't want to have to wash jam out of my hair, again."

His eyes widen in realization and he gives a little laugh of disbelief looking at the desk he was just sitting in. "Bloody hell," he says, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry." He looks up to me and smiles. "Why'd you let me sit next to you if you were so annoyed with me?"

I shake my head. "I have no idea," I admit. "I didn't want you to, but I guess my desire to not come off as rude trumped my annoyance in that moment."

Potter's stomach growls loudly and we both look at each other.

We burst into laughter simultaneously.

"James!" someone calls from the doorway of the classroom. We look towards the door trying to stifle further giggles and see Roger Thomas looking confused at the two of us. "James, I'm starving. Can we please go to lunch, now?"

Potter looks back to me. "Do you mind if we eat lunch with you today?" he asks, smiling widely.

I stare at his hopeful expression for a second. He's waiting expectantly, hands in his pockets and wild hair sticking up in every direction.

Is this real life?

Did James Sirius Potter just ask to eat lunch with me? Only half an hour ago I was throwing curses at him with everything I had and now he's asking to sit with me like we're friends.

I stunned him and left him on his back on the floor!

Honestly, I'm less surprised with the fact that he wants to sits with me than I am with my thoughts on the situation: I actually want to sit with him.

I return his smile. "I don't mind at all, Potter."

His smile widens. "Call me James."