Right Hand Witch
A/N: As per usual, I do not own any of the characters or the music attached to this story.
So, for some reason, my brain thought it to be a good idea to build more on the universe I'd created in Duel Less, Study More and thus this story was born.
James as Washington to Lily's Hamilton almost felt right in some way, plus I felt it was time to establish more of the characters. Plus, a dash of insecurities as they grow up.
Please, let me know what you think! Also suggestions for songs and/or characters are always welcomed!
James Potter was an odd sort, at least that's what his friends thought. Despite the fact that he was named after two of the greatest pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen, James' main focus was not on pranks. Sure, he'd throw a prank here and there for laughs, mess with his siblings and cousins, and of course defend them from any gits messing with them but pranking was not something he wanted to base the rest of his life on.
While his uncle's shop was cool, James didn't see himself as the type of person who would run a shop. No, James wanted to be an Auror like his father before him. That was one of the reasons why he spent so much time in the library this past school year. If he did become an Auror, James did not want it to be because his father was, well, Harry Potter. Boy Who Lived, Tri-Wizard Champion, Man Who Conquered, Head Auror…you know, the works.
Plus, it would just be embarrassing to fail Defense Against the Dark Arts when your father was Harry Bloody Potter.
Sighing, James leaned back and tried to get to sleep. It was nearing the end of July and they still had not received their OWL results, and James was starting to go off the wall. Louis had been owling him once a week, asking if he'd received his results yet. Of course he hadn't. No one in their year had.
As James turned over on to his side, a sudden lump formed in his stomach as a dreaded thought began to form—what if he actually failed his Defense OWL? I mean, there was that period of time when he stopped studying to give those Slytherin prats a hard time for messing with Louis when Lily told him about it. Could that have been the difference between an A and a P?
James honestly didn't know what would be worse—outright failing the exam or passing but not getting the mark needed to take the class at NEWT level. Teddy was filling in this year as part of his Auror training—something about making sure he could instruct a lower ranked member or something. All James knew was that it'd be so cool to be taught by Teddy. Er.. Professor Lupin.
But he was requiring an O to make it to the NEWT level classes. Only reason James even knew that was because he overheard his dad and Teddy talking about it one night. Thank Merlin for the extendable ears.
Sighing, James turned back on to his back and stared at the ceiling, hoping something would come that would force him to sleep. But all he could hear was the thumping of his heart.
Thump
Thump
Wait, that was too loud to be his heart. James sat up and put his glasses on before going over and looking out the window. Shaking his head in amusement, James stared as his little sister kept flying back and forth, using apples as pretend bludgers and trying to hit the same target each time. Trying being the operative word.
Opening the window, James breathed in the early morning air before focusing on his sister's antics.
"Lily, what in Merlin's name are you doing?" he called out as softly as he could, not wanting to wake their parents. Lily, though, seemed to hear him call to her as she turned the broom and flew up to the window.
"Practicing Quidditch, what does it look like?" Lily asked with a smirk.
"At three in the morning? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" James asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Shouldn't you?" Lily shot back.
"Touché," James sighed. "Seriously though, what are you doing?"
Lily looked down at the bat in her hands and then looked back at him, shooting James a sheepish smile. "I'm thinking of trying out for the Quidditch team this year."
"Why?" James asked, leaning on the ledge of the window. "Quidditch isn't exactly your thing. You've told us that before."
One of the things he had to admire about his sister was the fact that she didn't change who she was because it might be easier to handle. Being the only Potter or Weasley who didn't at least play in the pick up family game had to be rough for her—especially when Uncle Percy's kids were better at the sport than she was.
But Lily never saw a problem with it. She was fine sitting under a tree or curled on the couch and reading whatever book she'd brought along. Lately it was all about Alexander Hamilton, an obsession that James was not so secretly hoping she'd grow out of.
It was bad enough when it was just Hugo that was obsessed with her but then she dragged Louis into it! He couldn't have a conversation with his cousin without the man interjecting some fact about Lafayette that he had discovered.
"I know," Lily rolled her eyes and leaned back a little on her broom. Despite not being into Quidditch, it was almost genetically impossible for a Potter to not be a good flyer. Their mum and dad had them on brooms since they could walk. "But I heard Uncle Percy talking to Aunt Audrey the other day and he said he was worried about how 'standoffish' I was."
"Uncle Percy said that?" James scoffed. "The man practically invented the phrase 'standoffish'. At least, that's according to Uncle Ron. Besides, unless you're planning to work at the Ministry and then abandon your family due to a new job that puts you in a position of power, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"That definitely won't be a problem," Lily giggled and James grinned. All the Potter siblings were pretty close but there was a time when he was Lily's hero. She followed him everywhere and wanted to only spend time with him. Since that spot went to Hugo, James felt almost uninvolved in his sister's life.
"James?" Lily asked, breaking James out of his thoughts.
"Yeah Lils?"
"If we're going to continue to talk, can I come inside? This broom's starting to become really uncomfortable," Lily stated, shifting from side to side.
"Sure," James chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant. "I'll meet you downstairs."
Quickly making his way downstairs as Lily dove down to the ground, James made his way into the kitchen and started boiling some water for a cup of tea. Something told him he was going to need it.
"Since when did you become mum?" Lily chuckled as she walked in to the kitchen, the broom she was using draped over her shoulders.
"I don't know, probably when you became Uncle Percy," James shot back and Lily chuckled. Sitting down at the table, Lily set the broom down next her and rested her head in her hands.
"Is that my broom?" James asked as he started pouring the tea into the cups, having decided to make an extra cup for Lily as well. He wasn't mad per se, just wished Lily had asked before borrowing his broom.
"One of Mum's old brooms," Lily told him. "You know Mum has that collection in the shed just gathering dust. One of the perks of being on the Harpies I guess. You always had to replace your broom."
"Well Mum was a chaser," James told her as he added the milk and sugar into their cups. "With the amount of action those players see, it's not surprising to have to replace your broom more than once."
"Why haven't you?" Lily asked as she took the cup from James. "I mean, you're one of the best chasers Gryffindor has seen since Mum. According to Teddy, that is."
"Fred keeps the bludgers at bay," James chuckled and took a sip of his tea. "So, you all of a sudden started giving a crap of what Uncle Percy thought?"
Lily sighed and wrapped her hands around the mug. "It's not just Uncle Percy. I know I've been the dark sheep of the family ever since I had that outburst when I was eight."
"Yeah, shouting you hate Quidditch when Mum arranged for you to have her former team mates at your party probably wasn't the wisest move," James nodded and Lily flushed at the reminder.
"It's just, with the Hamilton stuff now, I'm just worried everyone's going to remember I'm the freak of the family. You know, overly obsessed with muggle music, not involved in Quidditch," Lily said softly, looking into the depths of her mug and so not able to see James frown.
James looked at his youngest sibling in shock. I mean, he didn't exactly keep it a secret how his sister's Hamilton obsession baffled him, but she was not the 'black sheep' as she put it. She was twelve!
Twelve year olds are weird! Everyone was weird at twelve and if you insisted you weren't, then you were lying!
"Lily, is anyone giving you a hard time?" James asked, reaching over to put a hand on his sister's arm.
"Not really," Lily told him and James sighed in relief. "But that doesn't mean they won't start."
"Yeah right," James scoffed. "If anyone in our family even thinks something bad about one of us, Dad'll set them straight before they have the chance to say it out loud. Plus, you've managed to convert Louis and Hugo to your little Hamilton fan club. I'm sure they'll set them straight too."
Lily gave him a weak smile but looked back down at her mug. James sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Hey, you know when I get my OWL results and end up failing my DADA exam, we can form a club," he said and Lily shot him a look.
"You're not going to fail your DADA exam!" Lily exclaimed, seeming to get a little bit of her confidence back. "Dad's been training us ever since we were old enough to know who Voldemort was."
"So?" James asked and sighed. "I've never tested well Lils. You know that. I just…it's different between taking the exam and doing the spell in real life."
Lily shook her head. "You're wrong. I know you're going to pass your OWL for DADA. In fact, I'll even make a bet with you."
"What are the stakes?" James asked, slightly intrigued. The last bet he had made with his sister had been the night before his first year at Hogwarts. Lily still hadn't paid up the five chocolate frogs she owed him from betting that he'd end up in Hufflepuff.
"If you get an O on your DADA OWL, you have to listen to a song from Hamilton of my choosing," Lily said smirking and James groaned. "What?"
"You just got through saying you were worried about what the family thought and now you're dragging me into it?"
"Hey, if more of us listen to it, maybe they'll leave me alone," Lily shrugged. James sighed.
"Fine, but if I fail my exam or even get below an O, you have to confront Uncle Percy about what he said," James said and Lily made a face. "Come on, where's that Gryffindor bravery?"
"Asleep," Lily muttered but took a long sip of her tea. "Fine, I agree to the terms."
The two siblings shook on it and, after finishing their tea, went up to try to get some sleep. James watched as his sister disappeared into her room and sighed. Hopefully she would be alright. Hopefully, they would both be alright.
0000
The next day, James didn't wake up until around noon. A rare occurrence for him despite the fact that he was in fact sixteen years old. But it was their father's birthday and their mum wanted them up early to help make breakfast. Jolting out of bed when he realized what time it was, James grabbed the nearest robe he could find and bolted out the door.
"Oh Merlin, I am so sorry mum!" James shouted as he raced downstairs, jamming his glasses onto his face now that he didn't risk jabbing his eye out with the ends of them.
"James, calm down," Ginny shook her head from her spot by the stove. "I figured you were up late, judging by the two tea mugs in the sink. I thought it would be better for all of us if you got some rest."
James nodded and went over to hug his father, who gladly returned it before going back to attempt to take over cooking his own birthday breakfast. "Happy birthday dad."
"Thank you James," Harry grinned and looked around, frowning slightly as he noticed Lily was still not downstairs. "Where's your sister?"
"Probably still outside," Albus said with a chuckle from his spot at the breakfast table. "I saw her practicing hitting apples with a beater's bat earlier. Maybe she's thinking of going out for the team this year."
James didn't say anything, not wanting to give his dad any bad news on his birthday. Also keeping silent meant he didn't risk spilling Lily's secrets.
"I'll go check on her," he offered and Harry shot his eldest son a smile. Then James paused. "Wait, Al, how much earlier did you see her?"
"Bout five," Al told him, sneaking a piece of bacon from the tray in front of him. "Why?"
James didn't answer, instead he stormed out of the kitchen and into the backyard where his little sister was still…battling an owl? What in Merlin's name?
"Come on you stupid bird! I'm a Potter—it's got the name Potter on the bloody envelope," he heard Lily mutter but the owl would not release what was in its talons.
"LILY LUNA POTTER!" James shouted to her, needing no magic as he was still fairly peeved about her only getting about two hours of sleep last night. Lily, to her credit, looked sheepish as she flew down to him—the owl now perched on her head.
"Hey James," she said in a would be casual voice but then immediately dropped the act and seemed to blurt the first thing that came out of her mouth. "The owl has your OWL results!"
"What?" James blinked, not expecting that at all and all feeling of resentment or anger toward his sister vanished. Walking up to the bird, he saw the envelope wrapped around its ankle. Untying the envelope, James had to stop several times to prevent himself from shaking too much and injuring Lily in the process. Finally getting it off, the owl hooted once before taking off from its perch on Lily's head.
"Well?" Lily asked, eager to see his results. "Aren't you going to open it?"
"When we're inside and you've wished Dad a happy birthday," James told her. "Also, you're taking a bloody nap today before we go to the Burrow."
"I am not!"
"You want me to tell Mum that you were up at three in the morning with me and then got back up at five to practice Quidditch?" James asked as Lily stored the broom in the shed. Lily flushed but didn't respond—something James took to mean that she agreed with him. Together they made their way back into the house, where Lily quickly gave their father a big hug.
"Happy birthday, dad!" she exclaimed.
"Why thank you Lily!" Harry chuckled as he returned the hug. "Well, it looks as though I'm not going to be cooking breakfast today."
"You got that right," Ginny nodded as she finished setting the massive spread she'd created at the table. "James, what do you have in your hands?"
Oh, right. He'd completely forgotten about his OWL results.
"My scores came in," James said and a hush fell over the room.
"Aren't you going to open them son?" Harry asked, leaning in and Ginny quickly making her way over to him to rest a hand on his shoulder. James, trying desperately to quell his shaking hands, opened the envelope and pulled out the thing he'd been dreading ever since he finished his last exam.
THE ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVELS FOR JAMES SIRIUS POTTER
O.W.L. SCORES
O—OUTSTANDING
E—EXCEEDS EXPECATIONS
A—ACCEPTABLE
P—POOR
D—DREADFUL
T—TROLL
ASTRONOMY: A
CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES: E
CHARMS: E
DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS: O
DIVINATION: P
HERBOLOGY: E
HISTORY OF MAGIC: P
POTIONS: E
TRANSFIGURATION: O
James read through the parchment and stared in shock. He'd done it. He got an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts!
"Can I see it James?" Harry asked and James handed over the parchment. Harry read through it and smiled as he finished. "Seven O.W.L.s, that's excellent work James."
"You're not upset about the two Ps?" James asked.
"In Divination and History of Magic?" Ginny asked, having read over her husband's shoulder. "James, the last person who passed their History of Magic O.W.L in this family was your Aunt Hermione. You certainly scored better than your father."
"I'm not even going to deny it," Harry chuckled. "I take it Ron told you my scores?"
"Yeah, it was back during Christmas when Louis was freaking out about the tests," Ginny told him and then stood up and clapped her hands. "Well, scores like that should be rewarded."
"How about I take you to the office sometime?" Harry offered and James thought it might be possible for his face to break from how wide he was smiling.
"Seriously?!"
"Well yeah," Harry said, leaning back in his chair. "Don't think I didn't notice all the subjects you passed were Auror requirements."
James went to respond but just then Lily cut him off with a jaw splitting yawn. She might have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for the fact that the sound she made was loud enough to be heard over the general breakfast noise.
"Lily, I think someone was up late last night," Ginny said, giving her daughter a stern look.
"Sorry mum," Lily looked down. "Is it alright if I take a nap before we go to Grandmum's?"
Ginny blinked in surprise but nodded. "I was just about to suggest that. That's very mature of you Lily."
"Well, someone twisted my arm into doing it," Lily muttered and James elbowed her in the side to get her to shut up. Breakfast finished up without any fanfare and James got up to help with the dishes as he missed helping with breakfast.
"Oh James, leave it," Ginny insisted as she gathered up the dishes. "I've got it."
"Ginny, you made breakfast," Harry said, gently tugging a plate out of his wife's hands. "James and I can handle the clean up. Why don't you make sure Lily actually takes that nap she said she was going to take?"
Ginny raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Fine. I'm not happy at having you clean up on your birthday Harry, but I'll concede your point. Merlin knows what Lily will do instead of napping."
Turning on her heel, James heard his mum walk upstairs to check on his sister. Harry shooed them out of the kitchen, insisting that he would handle the clean up. Truth be told, James didn't need much convincing to get him out of dish duty. He was still tired and an extra couple hours in his bed felt like heaven.
The problem being was that there was something on his pillow, preventing immediate snoozing. James sighed in annoyance as he remembered the bet with his sister. He'd honestly hoped Lily would forget but nope!
The last thing James wanted was to bail on a bet, especially when he knew Lily was going to ask him about the song later. Putting in the, thankfully new, headphones, James picked up the odd device that Lily used to sneak her Hamilton fixation and pressed the triangle button.
British General Howe's got troops on the water….
Well, this is actually pretty soothing, James thought as he scooted up to the edge of his bed, resting his head on his headboard.
Thirty two thousand troops in New York harbor,
Thirty two thousand troops in New York harbor,
When they surround our troops,
They surround our troops,
When they surround our troops….
And we're getting to boring, James inwardly grumbled. Honestly, if this was the song Lily picked for him, he wasn't seeing the appeal.
As a kid in the Caribbean I wished for a war,
I knew that I was poor
I knew it was the only way to
RISE UP
If they tell my story,
I am either going to die on the battlefield in glory or
RISE UP….
Why am I getting a serious Uncle Oliver vibe right now? James chuckled to himself, taking a quick look at the clock to make sure he was still good on time. But seriously, he could almost imagine his godfather saying the words that were being sung.
I will fight for this land
But there's only one man
Who can give us a command so we can
RISE UP
Understand? It's the only way to—
RISE UP! RISE UP!
Here he comes!
Okay, now it's getting interesting, James perked up as the tempo picked up and the beat seemed to change.
Here comes the General!
Ladies and gentlemen,
Here comes the General!
The moment you've been waiting for!
Here comes the General!
The pride of Mount Vernon…
Ugh! Seriously, did this general really come from a place that shared the same name as Great-uncle Vernon? I feel sorry for the place, James thought, shuddering a bit as the thought of his Great-Uncle passed through his mind.
Here comes the General!
George Washington!
We are outgunned
What?
Outmanned
What?
Outnumbered
Outplanned,
Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!
We gotta make an all out stand
Ayo, I'm gonna need a right-hand man.
James shut his eyes and began to relax as the song progressed.
0000
"James, it's time to wake up," Ginny shook her son awake a couple hours later. James groaned as he woke up, his neck stiff from having it rest on his headboard. Looking down, James blinked as he saw that the two lines that had appeared when the music was playing was now back to the triangle button.
"Sorry mum," James gave her a half smile. Ginny shook her head.
"Bet with your sister?" she asked.
"How—"
"I'm the youngest of seven, James," Ginny said as she walked out of the room. "I know when people do things they don't normally do, it's either because they're trying to impress someone or they lost a bet."
James stared at the doorway his mum walked out of and then shook his head. Nothing seemed to get past his parents.
Jumping off the bed, James looked at the odd music device once more. It was strange, but now that he'd heard a bit of the music, he wanted to hear more of it. Maybe he'd ask his dad for one of the strange music devices for his birthday.
"So, how was it?" Lily's voice echoed from the doorway and James almost jumped out of his skin.
"Merlin, we need to put a bell on you!" he exclaimed, turning to face his little sister.
"Sorry," Lily giggled. "But dad says we're leaving for the Burrow now so you're to get your butt downstairs."
"Did he say that last part?"
"It's dad," Lily said, turning her back on her elder brother. "What do you think?"
James shook his head in amusement and followed his baby sister downstairs where the family was waiting by the Floo powder.
"I hate Floo powder," James heard Lily mutter as she grabbed her handful from the flowerpot.
"Me too. Just once I'd like to make it without breaking my glasses," James muttered back to her and chuckled as she flushed; clearly not expecting a response. The five of them quickly made their way through the flames, where James thought himself very mature at not laughing at his dad's stumble out of the fireplace. His uncle Ron, however, had no such control.
"Defeat the darkest of wizards, can't manage to exit a Floo without falling," Ron chuckled before coming over to help Harry up. "Happy Birthday mate."
"Thanks Ron," Harry nodded and James quickly broke away to find Fred or Louis. Lily had found Hugo and the two of them were off in a corner somewhere. Well, that's what he thought anyway. What else could explain Lily's sudden disappearance?
"Madame Hamilton!"
"Monsuier Lafayette!"
Oh wait, there she was. Palling around with Louis, off to the side where the grownups couldn't find them.
"Louis!" James called.
"James!" his cousin looked up and grinned. "Did you get them?"
"Oh merlin! Is that all you're going to talk about? At least Quidditch was somewhat interesting!" Lily griped and James smirked.
"Yeah, seeing as you're thinking of going out for the team," he teased and Louis shot her a shocked yet excited look.
"Lily! That's great!" he exclaimed. "You'd be a great addition to the Gryffindor team. I didn't even know you played Quidditch."
"Louis, I don't even know if I'll get on the team," Lily stated. "Whoever's captain might not want not want me on the team."
James rolled his eyes. "Well, I want you on the team—and it's the whole team's vote. Not just the captain. Besides, where would I be without my right hand witch?"
Lily froze and began to turn around. James had never seen his sister's eyes shine with such excitement before.
"YOU DID LISTEN TO IT!"
"Merlin Lily!" James rubbed his ears, aware of everyone staring at them. "Not so loud!"
Over the din of all the party guests, he somehow heard his aunt Angelina sigh. "How'd she manage to ensnare another one?!"
Lily, though, hadn't noticed as she was hunting down Hugo for their little gathering. Hopefully, James thought as he watched his little sister drag her cousin into their little circle, the rest of the family would get on board the Hamilton train. It honestly wasn't that bad-and he really needed to listen to the rest of that song again!