19 Years and a Couple of Minutes
James shoved his way onto the train, Rose and Albus following him closely. At last they came to an empty compartment and entered. James flung himself onto a seat whilst watching his parents, little sister Lily, Ron, Hermione and Hugo fade into the distance. For some time James watched his brother and Rose comparing wands absentmindedly until a voice made him start. "Please James, show us some magic." It was Rose; her light blue eyes stared pleadingly at him. "Yeah James, come on, just a bit seeing as how that's all you can manage." This second voice was cold and mocking. James leapt to his feet. Over the chatter of Albus and Rose he had not heard the compartment door slide open. In the doorway stood a tall slender boy with short, black hair and a pointed nose. Malcolm Rookwood was the son of a Death Eater, and he despised James for what Harry had done to his father. In one swift movement, James leapt to his feet and withdrew his wand from his robe as if he was unsheathing a sword.
Malcolm jumped back in alarm, but covered it up by flourishing his own wand and pointing it at James' neck. James glared at Malcolm with a look that was nothing short of pure hatred. Albus looked from James to Rookwood, his eyes filled with anxiety. Rose seemed absolutely terrified; "D...don't James, you'll get into trouble" she stammered, but James did not appear to have heard. "Why are you here?" he said, "Looking for Azkaban? I'm sure Daddy will tell you all about it once he gets out." Malcolm broke. He lifted his wand but James was quicker-
"Diffendo!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Malcolm went rigid and fell to the floor. His spell missed James by a hairs-breadth but hit the shelves holding the trunks, the owls (Tyrone and Withers), and Pippin the Pygmy Puff. In a matter of seconds, James was under an avalanche of animals and objects. Albus and Rose ran to his aid and after a couple of minutes of heaving, they pulled James out of the wreckage. Rose flopped back into the seat, trying to calm a very disgruntled Pygmy Puff, whilst Tyrone flapped his large, brown wings, and Withers hooted, grey feathers crumpled. Albus too had returned to his seat and was staring at his brother. "Won't you get expelled for this?" he whispered to James, who was trying to move Malcolm without much luck. "What'd you mean? Oh, this!" he said, jabbing Malcolm squarely between the eyes, "Nah, they'll give me an award for this; services to the school for ridding it of an imbecile who thinks he's so tough, just 'cause his daddy's in little old Azkaban." Albus laughed and strode over to help James carry Malcolm and fling him into an empty compartment.
When they returned there was yet another figure in the doorway; this time a squat boy with a round face; James's best friend, Jacob. As James and Albus approached him, Jacob swung round and smiled at them. "Hi!" he beamed. "By the way, what happened here?" he said, gesturing to the hanging shelves, the pile of trunks and the owl cages which now stood upright at the side of the mess. "Fight." James said simply. Albus shrugged and regained his seat next to Rose, who now had her nose in a book. "Oh, by the way," she said, as James and Jacob settled into the seats opposite, "The lady with the trolley came by; she said we'd be arriving soon." Although Rose tried to act calm, she couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice.