Chapter Eight: Brooms and Betrayals

It had taken James until the wild party in the Gryffindor Common Room to realize that Albus' desire to actually do well in his classes was not turning him into a complete book worm. Unfortunately, just as soon as he came to realize this, Albus managed to shatter his faith in him once again.

"What do you mean you're not trying out for the team?" James asked indignantly.

Albus looked shamefaced, as though even he was having doubts about what he had decided. "I dunno James, I just don't reckon I have much of a shot at making the team."

"That's bull Al!" James interrupted flippantly, "I can tell when you're lying, your ears start to go all red and you always look down at your shoes."

It was true, that was exactly what Albus was doing, unfortunately for Albus, James knew his brother far too well. Ironic when one considered how oblivious he was to other things.

"Now tell me why you're really not trying out." James demanded.

James was shocked that his brother had even considered the notion of not trying out for the Quidditch Team. After all, the two boys had been playing Quidditch together in their yard for as long as James could remember.

"Cause maybe I've got more important stuff on my mind right now!" Albus snapped, grabbing his books up off the Gryffindor Table, "We can't all just play stupid games all day like you James!" he said in a huff as he got up from the table and left the Great Hall with his shoulders hunched.

James just stared after his brother, shaking his head as though pitying the younger boy for some terrible misfortune that had befallen him. "Well, you guys are definitely trying out then, right?" he asked Zach and Andrew, neither of whom had been on the team the year before.

If either boy had been reconsidering their decision to tryout, James' fury immediately changed their minds, as both boys quickly nodded and said "Oh yea, totally."

"Well, at least some of us have our heads on straight." James grumbled. Despite how he professed to be unable to stand his brother, he had always dreamed of the two of them playing Quidditch for Gryffindor together: and unstoppable dynasty that mowed over the other teams year in and year out.


Quidditch Tryouts were held on a cool morning in early October, and while there were a large number of turnouts there were not quite as many as had been there the year before.

The new Gryffindor Captain was Alex Dellapina, a Seventh Year boy who had been on the Team for the last four years: he was a Beater. Other than Alex, there were only three members of last years team remaining: Gryffindor had lost three players to graduations, and would lose at least two more this year.

The holdovers from the previous year were Lena Roberts, a flaming haired Seventh Year girl who was a lightning fast Chaser, James and Jeremey. However, unlike Teddy Lupin, Alex was not making any promises.

"I don't care if you've been on this team for five years or if you've never been on a Quidditch Pitch before in your life. Everyone gets an equal shot and no one is getting preferential treatment. So if you were on the team last year, your job is still up for grabs."

James and Jeremey nodded at this, it had been no more than they had been expecting, if they wanted to remain on the team then they were going to have to prove that they were still the best at their position. Lena, on the other hand, looked as though she had never heard something so insulting in her entire life.


In the end though, Lena had nothing to be upset about as she made the team after an exceptional tryout. However, she was outraged to find that she had been dropped down to 'Third Chaser' slot. After being 'Second Chaser' behind Teddy Lupin for so many years, she had assumed that the job would be hers by Seniority. Instead, she was playing third fiddle behind James and a burly Fifth Year boy named Mitchel Gate.

Alex would be joined at Beater by Zach Tolentino, who had surprised everyone during what was his first Tryout as he had been in the Hospital Wing the year before. The position of Keeper had been filled by a slight but quick Seventh Year named Nicholas Hayden, while Jeremey had earned back his role as Seeker.

Andrew, to his immense disappointment, had not made the team once again; although he had been told by Alex that he was his next choice in case of an injury … something that, unsurprisingly, did not cheer the boy up very much.

"I was twice as good as Lena." Andrew complained, "She only made the team because she's a bloody Seventh Year!" Andrew was in full on rant mode, he didn't blow his lid often, but when he did it was better to be very far away.

The door of the Dormitory swung open and Albus glanced in at them asking "What's with all the screaming? Darren's picked something up and he's trying to sleep."

"Picked what up?" James asked thickly, thinking that his brother had meant physically picking something up off the floor.

Albus rolled his eyes at his brothers stupidity and replied "A bug you idiot, I think it's the flu, but Luke reckons it's nothing serious."

"Oh…" James muttered, realizing that what he had said had been incredibly stupid. Trying to draw attention away from himself he said "Well, Andrew's ticked that he didn't make the Gryffindor Team: he thinks that he got cheated out…"

"I WAS cheated out!" Andrew interrupted, not bothering to lower his voice like Albus had said, "It was complete and blatant favoritism!" he shouted, his face growing red from anger and probably some embarrassment.

James turned away from Andrew and rolled his eyes before saying "I'm telling you Al, you should have tried out. You could easily have made the Team. I mean, can you at least tell me what's so important that you had to skip tryouts? I mean, you love Quidditch, don't deny it!"

Albus merely shrugged, not really the answer that James was looking for, and said "Just stuff alright." James could tell that his brother was annoyed that he was trying to interfere in his life like this, but he was too annoyed to care. His brother was ruining his dream of an undefeatable Potter Quidditch Dynasty.

"Look James," Zach said, "If he doesn't want to tryout he doesn't have to!"

"Since when did you become such a nancy-boy?" James demanded.

"The same time that you pulled your head out of your arse!" Zach shot back, rising to his feet in outrage.

James had been about to shout back at Zach when Jeremey calmly mediated the situation saying "I think that James is suggesting that Albus did want to try out, but didn't. And if that's the case I'm very curious to know why."

Albus remained mute, and paused only to show his brother a rather obscene muggle hand gesture before leaving the Dormitory, leaving them all to wonder whether or not James had a point.


When the night came for the annual First Year Initiation Ritual, James knew that his plan was going to have to be supported by the Seventh Years in the Common Room if he wanted to go forward with it. After all, it was they who had the privilege of deciding what task they were to set the First Years to.

So when James told Alex and Nicholas about his plan, he knew that their opinion would decide whether or not his plan would be allowed to go forward. If they didn't like it, or thought that they had a better idea, then that would be the end of that.

"This…" Alex said when James told him of his idea, "is without a doubt the most epic idea that I have ever heard in my entire life!"

"Definitely!" Nicholas agreed, "You've got a good head on those shoulders James Potter, just keep cranking out ideas like this and you'll do alright."

James was pleased that they had liked his idea, not only because it would be great to see the look on Albus' face, but also because it instantly made him cooler to have his idea accepted like that by the Seventh Years. Because once Nicholas and Alex went along with something, the rest of them would all just fall in line as well.


That night, as the clock approached midnight, the Gryffindors met in the Common Room to set the night's events into motion. Albus, Fred, Luke, and Darren … who apparently had gotten better over the last two days … were all going to go through with it. James had tried to convince Rose to do it, but the girl had adamantly refused, despite James' repeated pestering.

"Come on Rosie!" James pleaded, using his cousin's least favorite nickname, "Just give it a try! What do you have to lose?"

"Only my self-respect and dignity!" Rose had replied in a huff, gathering together her belongings as she stormed towards the Girl's Dormitory shouting "Do you honestly expect me to break that many school rules at once James?"

Honestly, James didn't even know the girl anymore!

"New Gryffindors," Alex said, "we have called you here tonight so that you can prove yourself as worthy new additions to our House. In order to prove yourselves, you must complete this task that we set before you now."

The silence seemed to stretch on and on for an age, no one spoke, everyone was waiting to hear what Alex was going to tell the First Years to do. James, who already knew, was still breathless, waiting to see how they would react.

Finally, Alex spoke, "You are to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room, and jinx the First Year Slytherins. By doing so you will prove to us that you are superior to those Slytherin scumbags, and worthy of being Gryffindors!"

James grinned victoriously at the look of outrage that crossed his brother's face. He had suggested this particular idea because; unbeknownst to anyone else, he had seen Albus and Rose hanging around with Scorpius Malfoy and a group of other Slytherin kids. But after this, he doubted that Scorpius would want to so much as see his brother ever again!

Of course, this was rather hypocritical of James, seeing as he had Andrew had been talking to Leon Bartlett earlier that very same day, but in James' mind the two were completely unrelated.

"Hey, some of those kids are our friends!" Albus said angrily, drawing looks of ire from all around the Gryffindor Common Room. Surely no Gryffindor would ever say such a thing about a Slytherin Student?

"They can't be your friends!" Alex roared furiously, "Slytherins are evil! Pure evil! And no Gryffindor is ever going to associate with such trash!" he said, spitting out the last word of his rant.

"But, we don't even know any jinxes!" Luke protested, at which the other First Years nodded furiously.

"No matter, we'll teach you some." Nicholas said.


Thirty minutes later, armed with a new supply of jinxes to use, the four Gryffindor First Years were thrown out of the Common Room and told not to come back until they had accomplished the task set before them. None of them had even the slightest idea of where to find the Slytherin Common Room, much less how they were going to sneak in and jinx them.

They had been wandering around the Castle for about twenty minutes, looking for any Slytherins wandering about that they could follow, when they heard a dull voice saying "I'm telling you Scorpius, the Gryffindor Common Room is definitely in one of the Towers."

"Shut up Ed! I know what I'm doing!" Snapped the familiar voice of Scorpius Malfoy. The Slytherin boy's voice sounding from just around the corner, the Gryffindors would not have to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room at all. But wait…they hadn't even wanted to do this!

"Scorpius, I don't know if this is a good idea." Said another voice that they recognized as belonging to Ace Carrington, the other Slytherin boy they had met on the train.

"You think I like this?" Scorpius asked, "You think I fancy the idea of jinxing my friends? No, I don't! But you heard what Remington said? He'd Curse us halfway to London if we didn't do it."

Albus exchanged a swift glance with Fred, who muttered, "I guess they got the same instructions that we did."

"Yea," said Darren, "But I always thought that this was a Gryffindors only kind of tradition." Apparently though, it was not.

As the Slytherins passed the corridor where the Gryffindors lay in wait, Albus saw the choice before him. He could either jinx the Slytherin students and betray his friends, or he could let them pass and accept that he'd be a loser for the rest of his life.

Talk about no right answer.

"So, they told you to jinx us too didn't they?" Albus asked, addressing the Slytherin First Years as he stepped out of the shadowed hallway that he and the other Gryffindors had been hiding in. One way or another, he had made his choice. He would not jinx his friend, or whatever Scorpius was.

Scorpius stiffened at the sight of him, as though half expecting to be cursed, but relaxed after it was clear that Albus had no intention of drawing his wand.

"Some people," He said dully, "Seem to have a problem with Gryffindors and Slytherins getting on. They expect us all to hate each other's guts."

Albus nodded, hating that he was expected to jinx the boys standing in front of him, several of whom he regarded as his friends. "It would seem that both our Houses have similar thoughts on the matter." Albus said coolly.

"So what do we do?" Scorpius asked simply. A simple question, but a difficult one to answer. Were they to jinx each other to earn the respect of their Houses, but lose any chance of friendship that they'd ever had? Or ignore the charges that they'd been given, but lose the respect of their House Mates?

"I tell you what we do, we jinx those good for nothing Gryffindors!" shouted one of the Slytherin boys, prompting Darren and Fred to draw their wands threateningly.

"Shut up Josh!" Scorpius hissed, "Nobody is jinxing anybody!"

"So what are we going to do then?" The Slytherin boy, Josh, as Scorpius had called him, asked again, this time his voice betraying hints of anxiety and fear.


"Did you do it?" James asked eagerly as Albus and the other First Years clambered through the Portrait Hole, looking as though they had just been in the middle of two trolls trying to arm wrestle.

"Yea!" Albus said, "But you'll never believe it! They told them to do the same thing to us!"

James shrugged at this news, "They're always stealing our ideas, been doing it forever. But come on, what did you do to them?"

Albus grinned and said "We taught them a lesson that they won't soon forget. Let's just leave it at that."

James did not question his brother further, "Great job Albus!" he said, "I knew that you'd come around sooner or later. I know it sounds crazy," he began, pausing as though what he was about to say was the most ridiculous thing anyone had ever heard. "but for a while there I thought you might have actually been friends with Scorpius Malfoy!"

"Oh please, remember James, I'm the smart one. Like I'd ever associate with trash like that!" Albus replied coolly.

James burst out laughing, as though the very idea of his 'fears' being realized was completely absurd, Albus somewhat reluctantly joined in, waiting for his older brother to let them be.


That night in the First Year Dorms, Fred turned to Albus and said "We should have just jinxed them you know."

Looking up at the ceiling as he lay in his four poster bed, Albus shrugged and said "I still think that we did the right thing. Notice that they didn't jinx us either."

"It's never going to work out Al." Luke said from the next bed, "You guys could never be friends, there's just too much bitterness there."

Albus shrugged, but did not reply as he pulled the curtains around his bed and closed his eyes. Maybe no one else thought so, but he knew that he was going to prove them all wrong. A Potter and a Malfoy could be friends, and two of them almost were.