Title: Sticks and Stones
Author: smolder
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Angel the Series belongs to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling.
A/N: These drabbles won't always be in strict chronological order.
A/N 2: Some of these drabbles will be about people surrounding Winifred's life or who will come into her life at a later date.
A/N 3: Reviews are Good. This has been a subtle hint from the author - Please return to your regularly scheduled reading.

James hadn't meant to let it get as far as it did.

It was just - she was always there.

She came first, was born first, and maintaining a relationship with her had become such an obvious priority to his father. And the twins were the youngest and needed extra care and watching over - he understood that. But it left him in an odd awkward place, where he would have been firstborn in his family.

If she hadn't been born outside it.

And at school everyone knew. Everyone knew she was Harry Potter's illegitimate kid and her mother was now living with Draco Malfoy (the Draco Malfoy, almost as infamous as his own Dad) but it didn't seem to bother her one bit. In classes he tried to make his parents proud and do good (and at least Gryffindor wasn't paired with Ravenclaw so he didn't see her constantly) but she was beating him in everything except Potions. And she didn't even seem to be trying, didn't even seem to notice they were competing.

But Quidditch, Quidditch was supposed to be his thing. She had the book smarts. And all of the older family members except for Grandma seemed to be on her side (yes, he could tell there were sides). She had taken all of his cousins – made friends with them first. And now she even had Albus in her House and where Albus went, so went Lily (and vice versa – it didn't matter that Lils was a Huffle).

Didn't he at least deserve Quidditch as something to show his father and everybody else that he was worth something – better than her at something? But of course not. She played Quidditch, too. A beater against his chaser. Had been taught by his Uncle George. And when Mom and Dad came to see the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw match it wasn't just to root for him. It was to see both of them.

So, he was angry.

And when one of the other Gryffindor chasers was injured by her bludger and a time out was called by Madame Hooch while Madame Pompfrey came on field to tend to the broken bone (not a serious or uncommon occurrence in Quidditch). No one was over looking both grounded teams on the side lines and they were standing close bad mouthing each other. Some of the words were vicious (and used a lot of vocabulary he didn't understand – they were Ravenclaws after all). But it was him who was angry for a personal reason, him who crossed the line.

Him who hissed, "Breaking bones like your mother tried to break up marriages, eh Lovegood?" As soon as the words left his mouth he knew he was wrong – what he said wasn't even accurate. And the effect was immediate: a hush went over both teams, Hugo was staring at him like he didn't recognize him, and Fred….

Fred's face quicksilver registered shock and betrayal before anger set in. Then she threw her broom and beater's bat down and pounced on him taking them both to the ground. She got quite a few good punches to his face before she was pulled off.


Madame Pomfrey, already on the field, was able to take care of most of the damage before bruising even set in. But, sitting awkwardly in the Headmistresses office surrounded by his parents, Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Malfoy, and Fred (who had refused treatment claiming her hand was fine since it was already wrapped in tape for the game). Well, the uncomfortable feeling in his face was probably only partially due to the remaining swelling in his jaw and the sensitivity if his magically healed busted lip.

"So," Headmistress McGonagall asked coming in the door from where she had stayed to oversee the rest of the game after they both had been thrown out. She sat at her desk in front of them and seemed to stare at them all at the same time with her feline eyes, "what happened here?" she finished her question.

When no one answered she turned to Fred who was running her fingers over the blood specks on the tape that was still on her hand (his blood – her blood too maybe, they were the same at least partially so he realized with a start).

"You were the one to physically assault another student, Ms. Lovegood. Would you please explain your actions," it was a request but it sounded more like a command. Fred slowly looked up from her knuckles to the Headmistress then she glanced over at him, her eyes still burning like earlier. But, she stayed quiet.

"Very, well," McGonagall said after the long silence. "Attacking another student is a serious offense. If you are not going to explain yourself, you will serve detention for a month and I will be forced to take you off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team," she watched everyone's reactions closely.

"What!-.." Harry exclaimed leaning forward in his chair.

"You can't!...," Draco demanded and Luna grabbed his arm to calm him down and keep him from standing up.

Ginny was watching her son. "It's my fault," James whispered.

"It's my fault!" he said again louder trying to get everyone's attention (wasn't he always) over their own screaming .

When all eyes turned towards him he tried to breathe evenly and not feel intimidated.

"How is it your fault, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked. His father's head swiveled towards her – what seemed to be an almost automatic reaction and the Headmistress' lips twitched slightly. "For once I don't mean you, Harry."

Mr. Malfoy laughed at him and his father glared, but, he could see his mother trying not to smile as well. Only Ms. Lovegood seemed effortlessly serene, which made what he was going to say that much harder.

"I-" James swallowed, "I said something bad and wrong to Fred," she glanced up at him meeting his eyes. "And I'm sorry," he whispered. Fred bit her lip and looked down.

"I'm not sorry I hit, ya," she said tracing her bloodied knuckles again, "you kinda deserved it. But I do forgive you," she glanced up and smiled at him faintly and he felt as if a hippogriff had finally stopped sitting on his chest.

"As stirring as this all is," Mr. Malfoy said dryly and James startled slightly – he had forgotten about the adults involved here for a minute, "but I still have no clue as to what Potter's kid actually said to get our Fred all riled up. She's never punched anyone before."

"I must admit a certain curiosity myself. Although I appreciate that you have reconciled your differences these types of actions and reactions cannot be permitted within my school. To properly punish both of you I need to know something a little more concrete about what was said then that it was 'bad and wrong'," McGonagall stated adjusting her glasses.

James' eyes automatically darted to Fred's again.

"There was some trash talk goin' on from both teams," Fred tried to help him out.

"And then I said something," he looked down at his feet, "something that wasn't even true. About," he finished in a shamed whisper, "about her mother."

The quite in the room was deafening.

He dared to glance up and the first thing he noticed was the way Mr. Malfoy was glaring at him, Ms. Lovegood whispering in his ear soothingly and shooting him sympathetic glances. He really did not understand that woman.

But then his eyes shifted to his parents. And oh, Mr. Malfoy's anger paled in comparison to his Mom and Dad.

"You said something about Luna," his Mother stood up and looked down at him, obviously keeping her voice level with an effort. He reluctantly nodded his head. He knew whatever trouble he got in at school was nothing compared to this. Luna was his Mom's best friend. She had made Lily's middle name Luna.

"What did you say?" his father asked not getting up from the chair but clutching its arms tightly and watching him sharply from behind his glasses and that, that, was just as bad.

"It doesn't matter," Fred tried to defend him from her seat, "it wasn't even true anyway."

His Dad glanced at her his face softening somewhat. "That's what makes it even worse," he turned back to James. "You know the drivel that people say about us. We don't spread it about others. About family," he stressed.

James nodded keeping his head down.

"I have heard enough to make a decision about my own punishments," McGonagall cut into the drama smoothly and James let out a breath. "You are free to use one of the empty classrooms to talk later," he swallowed hard.

"As I see it," the Headmistress said folding her hands, "you are both in the wrong. Yes, James should never have said what he did, but, Fred, you need to learn restraint. People, as you have already learned in your life," she gave the young girl a knowing glance, "will say many things, you cannot always react with violence."

"But sometimes she can?" Mr. Malfoy muttered a bit too loud to be actually whispering and James tried not to giggle in his nervousness.

"So," McGonagall continued as if nothing had been said, "you will both have detention every evening for 3 weeks and 50 points will be removed from both your Houses. But," she held up a finger, "you will be allowed to continue playing Quidditch. Just no more violence." She considered what she said for a second. "No undue violence outside the game," she amended smiling slightly.

"Now," she continued, "why don't you allow the children to go to lunch in the Great Hall. We can dine together and catch up and then you can speak again before you leave," she suggested.

James held his breath as his parents took a minute before giving in. Maybe, after a bit of time, they would have cooled off some. He watched Fred easily hug her mother and joke with Mr. Malfoy before throwing her arms around him as well.

His own parents turned to him. His mother grabbed the sides of his face gently, turning it from side to side to look for any lingering injuries. Then she looked into his eyes intently for a long moment.

"We will be talking about this later," she said seriously. Then she let go of his head and hugged him. James held on hard for a second grabbing the back of her shirt in his fist and trying to soak up comfort. This day had been crazy – his fault, sure – but crazy none the less.

When she let go his father was there (her father, too) to pull him into a quick hug and ruffle his already crazy hair. "You were playing good before the time out," he said, "really good flying."

James felt like something in him was glowing. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered.

"But this, this kind of behavior," he shook his head, "Merlin, James, she's your sister. Would you talk to Lily like that? I know the same sort of words wouldn't apply," he said with a frown, "but the meanness the anger?"

He pictured Lily looking up at him her usually happy innocent face and wide eyes clouding over with the shock and betrayal he had seen run across Fred's before she had gotten mad. It made him feel sick.

"No," he shook his head appalled, "I would never say anything like that to Lily."

"Then you shouldn't to Fred," his father said putting a hand on his shoulder again. "Now, head on to lunch. We'll talk more later."

"Yes, Dad. Mom. Later. Love you," he murmured stumbling over his words as well as his feet as he headed out the door and down the stairs.

When he got to the hallway he found that Fred had waited for him. He bit his lip and his eyes darted down to her hand again. Their shared blood on her knuckles – his sister.

James met her eyes, "I really am sorry," he whispered. "We both know it wasn't anywhere near true. We both know," he swallowed thickly but kept eye contact, "that there's not really much of a real marriage there to break up anyway."

She continued to stare for a long moment that made him increasingly nervous. Then abruptly she smiled and hooked her arm around his. "Don't sweat it, Peaches," she said cheerily hip checking him slightly, "at least they didn't take away our Quidditch."

James turned his head and made a face at her as she towed him along towards the Great Hall. Merlin, his sister was crazy, but, at least she wasn't mad at him.

She had a mean right hook.