A/N:

So there I was, continuing with this chapter, still having no idea where this story is going, when BAM! it hits me. I'm now super excited to finish this story. Summer assignments will have to wait...

*acgormy

DISCLAIMER: HP belongs to JK

James POV

Chapter 4: And so it Begins…

"FOOD!"

McGonagall had just sat down from giving the start-of-term speech, and the plates had begun to fill. I pulled a plate of lamb chops and a bowl of carrots toward me and began devouring. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kate cutting up a piece of chicken and pouring gravy all over it. Her hair was in a long braid swept over one shoulder, and I chuckled when the end of it trailed in the gravy. She scowled at me.

I replayed our conversation on the train in my head. She seemed open to the idea of not hating me (although the glare she just sent me said otherwise). She had shaken my hand and had even asked my opinion with the prefect's schedules instead of taking over herself. That was an improvement, right? I tried to do everything Rose told me to do: smile, call her Kate and be serious about Head Boyship. I wonder if she'd noticed.

Before I knew it, the desserts were vanishing from the golden plates and I was feeling sleepy. I couldn't wait to go up to my good old four-poster bed and have a good nights –

"Potter," Kate appeared behind me and tugged on my sleeve, "We have to go see McGonagall. She's going to show us our dorm." HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THAT? Well, at least I was wide awake now.

We fought our way through the crowd heading up to the dormitories to where McGonagall was standing waiting for us.

"Ah, well if it isn't our Head Boy and Girl." McGonagall looked through her spectacles at us and gave us a small smile. "I trust you sorted out the prefects schedules and got acquainted on the train? Although you two already know each other quite well, don't you?"

I looked sideways at Kate. Why was she blushing? We did know each other. We'd been going to school together for six years, for Merlin's sake!

"Well, as you know," McGonagall continued, "The Head Boy and Girl have their own private dormitory. I'll show you there now. Follow me Miss Turner. Mr. Potter."

Professor McGonagall showed us up to the sixth floor to a portrait of woman on a horse, looking like she was about to go into battle.

"You can come up with your own password." McGonagall told us. "I hope you find yourselves comfortable. You can tell me if you have any complaints." She walked away.

Kate looked up at me. "Do you care what the password is?"

"Not particularly. How about Godric Gryffindor? That's easy to remember." I said, shrugging.

"Alright. Godric Gryffindor." She told the painting, and it swung forward.

The layout of the common room was exactly the same as up in Gryffindor Tower, except there weren't as many squashy armchairs; only one red couch and two chairs situated around a small coffee table. There were two staircases up to our rooms, and a bathroom in the middle. I walked toward the staircase up to my room, and Kate followed, but turned right to go to her room.

Wow, I thought, this is a nice room. It was square and decorated with red and gold curtains along with a red and gold bed covered in pillows. There was a wardrobe and a desk and (they must have known I was coming) a stand for my brand-new Cleansweep Nineteen that Mum and Dad got for me for becoming Head Boy. The more I looked around the room, the more I liked it. Not only was Kate next door, but I wouldn't have to endure any snoring roommates! I totally scored.

Turning back to the door, I poked my head out to see if Kate was out there. She wasn't, so I contented myself with shouting at her closed door, "Goodnight, Kate!"

"Night, Potter."


My alarm woke me up the next morning with some random Weird Sisters Song. I stood up, stretched, left my room and headed toward the bathroom, only to find the door locked and the sound of water running coming from it. I had no idea how long it took Kate to shower (I'm not that stalkerish), so I ran back up to my room and grabbed my robes, shirt, pants, and tie before hurrying back down the stairs. Kate was still in there. I heard the water turn off, but the door still didn't open. I waited a few minutes before reaching out to knock, but she beat me to it by opening the door. She was in her uniform, minus the robes, and her hair was still damp. She was carrying her pajamas and a towel.

"It's all yours, Potter." She said before turning away to put her things in her room. I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, only to be assaulted by a rush of heat and a heavenly scent.

It was an intoxicating mix of vanilla and cherry and jasmine and something else I couldn't describe. It smelt like Kate. I took a deep breath and told myself to always shower after her so I could smell her wonderful smell for a perfectly innocent reason.

I don't know how long I stood there, doing nothing but just breathing deeply, when my Kate-smell trance was broken by Kate herself, knocking on the door and shouting "Potter! Breakfast is half-over, you'd better hurry up in there if you want anything to eat!"

I checked my watch. Blimey, I'd been standing in there for near twenty minutes. I only had another twenty to change and eat if I wanted to get to History of Magic on time. What's become of me? I thought. Actually wanting to get to History of Magic on time? This whole Head Boy thing is turning me into a stick in the mud.

With that thought, now I only had nineteen minutes. Well, I guess I wasn't showering today.


Not long later, I found myself in the History of Magic classroom, wondering why in the name of Merlin I had wanted so badly to get here on time. Professor Binns (yes, he was still here. I think he's gotten worse since Mum and Dad had him) was droning on and on about the persecution of merpeople in the 12th century, and I could feel myself slowly drifting off to sleep. I know! I could record his voice and listen to it the night before a Quidditch match! I could never sleep before matches, and his voice would be an instant insomnia-killer. I'm such a genius.

Three rows to the right and two seats ahead was Kate, who was scribbling frantically, in danger of breaking the tip of her quill. She appeared to be taking notes. I guess she was immune to the sleep-inducing qualities of Binns' monotone.

After what seemed like a lifetime later, (but really it was only an hour) the students who had made it to NEWT level were heading down to my favorite class: Potions. Dad told me I was lucky that I was good at Potions, but that I was even luckier to have a nice professor. I knew all about Snape, obviously, and how he had tormented Mum and Dad when they were at school. So I counted my blessings as Professor Pullman walked into the room. He was probably the coolest teacher at Hogwarts, after McGonagall.

"Welcome to NEWT Potions!" Pullman practically shouted at us, he was so excited. "We're going to get right down to business. Since this is a double period, we're going to brew for the first half, and talk about a long-term project for the second half. Everyone take out your potions kits."

There was a rustling as everyone pulled them out of their bags. Once they were all out, Pullman waved his wand and words started appearing on the blackboard.

"You have one hour to brew the Pepperup Potion. And if Madam Pomfrey deems them hospital wing-worthy, you'll get extra credit. Begin."


As the second hour of class started, Pullman went up to the front of the class to tell us about the project.

"You will be in pairs," Pullman said, looking at us all through the rising steam of our finished potions, "and you will brew an NEWT level potion that I will assign. You will also complete an essay about the history of the potion and its modern uses."

At that, everyone started looking around the room, mentally figuring out who they most wanted to be partners with. Pullman always paired boys with girls, to "allow the two sexes to work together in a productive way," which everyone knew was a load of bollocks. It was common knowledge that he fancied himself a matchmaker.

"The partners are," he continued, pulling out a piece of parchment, "Robinson and Caldwell, McKinley and Brown, Pellicano and Ellis…" He continued naming a few more pairs before –

"Turner and Potter."

The Hallelujah Chorus started playing in my head and my stomach did a million somersaults. I had heard him properly, right? He had just done exactly what I had prayed for him to do? Just to make sure, I stole a look at Kate. She was wearing an unreadable expression, and was chewing on the inside of her cheek, looking at Professor Pullman as though she wasn't sure what to think.

"Go on then," Pullman said, "Go on and sit with your partners."

It was then that Kate finally looked at me. Her eyes told me that she wasn't moving, so I picked up my bag and walked over to her table, sliding onto the bench next to her. Now she was looking up at Pullman, who was handing out slips of parchment to everyone with what potion they were going to brew. He handed ours to Kate, who took one look at it, then slid it over to me before promptly covering her face with her hands and resting her elbows on the table, groaning.

What potion could possibly garner that reaction? It couldn't be that bad, could it?

But I took one look at the piece of parchment and understood. There, in the professor's loopy handwriting, was one word.

Amortentia

Oh, bloody hell.