A Birthday Gone Wrong
Waking up one Saturday in early March, James stretched and gazed out at the still-dark sky beyond his bedside window. Watching the sun slowly rise over the horizon from the comfort of his four-poster, he lazily glanced at the sleeping forms of his roommates before looking back out at the fog outside. A few owls emerged from the Forbidden Forest and swiftly swooped to a lower window of the castle that led to the inside of the Owlery, apparently having finished their nightly hunt. Vaguely wondering if Hardwin would return soon, James reached over to his bedside table and grabbed 101 Quidditch Tricks Everyone Should Know, Remus' Christmas gift, and started to re-read the first few pages while he waited for the others to awake.
However, after a few minutes, James began to grow bored, and he shut his book with an impatient glance at Sirius, just an undistinguishable lump in the four-poster next to his. Placing his book back on the table, James got onto his knees and wobbled unsteadily on his mattress as he peered into his friend's face and waved his hand in front of it.
"Hey, are you awake?" he whispered. Sirius did not stir. Grimacing in frustration, James jumped up, placing his bare feet on the cold, wooden floor, and pulled out his wand.
"Inflo Vacuum!" he commanded, and a rubber balloon began to expand from his wand-tip. He waited until the projectile had reached an impressive size before removing it and dropping it onto Sirius' face, where it promptly burst with a splash of water.
Reacting with surprising speed for so early in the morning, Sirius jerked back and spluttered angrily. After wiping his face with his hand, he barked in a raspy voice, "Are you mental?"
Unconcerned, James simply repeated the incantation and waited as another balloon inflated in his palm while he walked along the row of four-posters. Removing the balloon, he gave his wand a final flick to send the last drop of water flying off its tip; satisfied, he threw his new weapon onto the back of Remus' neck, the only exposed flesh he could find amid the four-poster's sheets and pillows. Leaving Remus to press his face into his pillow in a sudden jerk, James repeated the Filling Charm and threw the last bit of arsenal at Peter's open mouth. As he turned around to walk back to his four-poster, he heard a loud thump behind him indicative of Peter's body leaving the mattress in surprise.
"Whatever was that for?" Sirius demanded again, giving James his best glare despite having huffed appreciatively at the loud noise.
"It's Saturday," James answered, plopping back down on his mattress.
"Exactly, mate, what's your problem?" Sirius asked again.
"Get your lazy backside off the bed," James retorted. "I've been waiting for you to get up all morning."
Blinking slowly, Sirius glared up at James with dilated eyes. "I'm going back to sleep," he announced, pulling his covers over his head in defiance. Sighing, James lifted his wand again.
"Inflo Va—"
"All right, all right!" Sirius yelled, throwing his covers off of his shoulders and hurriedly sliding to his feet. Grinning, James turned around to look at Remus and Peter, the latter of whom was peeking over Remus' four-poster in curiosity. As soon as he spun around, the two flew into action and began rifling through their drawers, more out of a need to appear busy than anything else.
In a little over half an hour, the four headed down to the Great Hall in full dress, a little ruffled from the morning's episode but none the worse for the wear. When they arrived, they took their seats near the end of the Gryffindor table and watched several other students gradually file in as they enjoyed their breakfast. Mentioning the latest match of the International Quidditch Tournament, Sirius conversed happily with James and Peter about their favorite teams for the majority of the meal. Remus listened politely until a Ministry owl dropped a copy of The Daily Prophet in front of him, and he instead began to read the inside of the front cover.
"No, Ellyn Tracker won't leave the team for another few years at least," James argued. "She knows she's too indispensable."
"But she's nearing retirement age," Sirius pointed out. "I'd be surprised if she could stay on her broom after this season."
"She'll stay unless a talented rookie pops out of nowhere or they make the trade for Young," James answered. "The team comes first, you know?"
Sirius shrugged, but Peter argued, "What if she has another accident? Her last crash kept her from playing for a week."
"That's what I'm saying," James explained. "For her age, it should have taken her longer to recover, what with the tampered Bludger and all, but she shouldered through it and got right back onto the pitch."
"My mum said she shouldn't have done that—" Peter started, but James cut him off.
"But just look at how badly Tracker wanted to get back!" James exclaimed with an air of finality. "It only took her a few days to recover. She'll keep playing even if it kills her."
"Not if something else kills her first."
Stopping abruptly, James, Sirius, and Peter stared at where Remus' face was hidden behind The Dailly Prophet. Bringing the newspaper down to rest on the table, Remus pointed at a section on the far right that showed a picture of a woman in a hospital bed. She stirred feebly as the four watched her, and James read the caption just beneath the photograph: "Ellyn Tracker in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for the second time this month." Grabbing the paper, James held it upright so the others could read the excerpt.
Ellyn Tracker – Out of the Game for Good?
Following the scandal of the Wimbourne Wasps and the hexed Bludger, no loyal fan of the Lucky Leprechauns would have believed it possible for any more misfortune to befall their beloved Keeper. However, against all odds, Ellyn Tracker has been hit once again with catastrophe.
"It was completely unexpected," Lucky Leprechaun Chaser Bill Stewart commented. "A really unlucky turn both for us and for her." Unlucky indeed it was, but what made Stewart especially astonished? "I can't believe anyone would wish to harm sweet Ellyn personally," he told one reporter.
Indeed, Tracker's new injury did not involve Quidditch at all. The Keeper was found in a patch of bushes just outside of her home in Somerset, England, following a search for the wounded after a Muggle attack in the same town early December 25th. Tracker had evidence of multiple hexes around her face and upper body, according to an unnamed Healer in St. Mungo's. Whether she was intentionally hurt or merely caught in the chaos remains up to question. When asked about Tracker's stance on non-magical folk, Stewarts appeared confused. "She's not against them, to be sure. I mean, I've never heard her talk about them much."
Whatever the case, the Lucky Leprechauns seem to be losing their charm. Thankfully, the Healers at St. Mungo's say Tracker will recover, though whether she will return to the Quidditch field is uncertain. For more information on the Somerset attack, see page 7.
"Well, what do you know," Sirius huffed when they had finished reading, and he turned to the others. "Wish to change your opinion, James?"
"Blimey," James said, scratching his head sheepishly. "What a coincidence."
Frowning, Remus snatched the paper back up and flipped through the pages. Pausing to scan a few paragraphs, he shoved The Daily Prophet back down and indicated another passage.
"But it's not a coincidence," he told the others, pointing. "Look."
Obeying him, James looked at the title of the indicated excerpt and read silently: "New Information on Muggle Attack in Somerset." Drawing his eyes down to where Remus' finger lay, he found the word "Dumbledore."
"Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and current Headmaster of Hogwarts, was called to examine the evidence," James read aloud. "After confiding with the Minister of Magic, he revealed his take on the matter. 'It was definitely of deliberate intent,' he commented, 'and a malicious one at that. It is most unfortunate the rioters responsible were not caught.'" Shrugging, James looked up. "He went to help out. So?"
"That's where he was on Christmas morning," Remus answered. For a moment, James stared uncomprehendingly into Remus' eyes until he remembered the Headmaster's strange absence.
"Merlin's beard, you're right!" he agreed, picking up the newspaper to look at it in more detail.
"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, still lost.
"Remember how we told you how strange the professors were acting on Christmas?" James told Peter, still engrossed in The Daily Prophet. "So Dumbledore actually was gone," he added to himself, and he put the paper down with surety. "There's nothing else in there. It just mentions his name a few more times."
"What do you think—" Peter began.
"Shhh!" Sirius demanded suddenly, forcefully closing the open newspaper and crumpling it as he shoved it to the side.
"Wha—" Peter tried again, but Sirius elbowed him in the stomach to silence him. Leaning casually back on the table, he glared icily at a passing student; turning around, James recognized the bony form of Snape and stared at him uninvitingly as he walked past. Following Snape's progress with his eyes, he ignored Remus as he sat up next to him.
"Good morning," Remus said politely, and James had to turn and face him before finally realizing that he was talking to Snape.
Stopping suddenly to stare at Remus, Snape glowered at him suspiciously. "Morning," he finally replied with an edge to his voice.
"How are you doing?" Remus asked.
"What do you want?" Snape snapped after another awkward pause.
"Nothing," Remus answered, flushing slightly as he shrugged and turned back to face the table. "I just thought I'd ask."
Disgruntled, Snape curled his lip and stalked off. Raising an eyebrow, James sneaked a glance at Sirius and Peter, who looked just as confused as Snape had been.
"Hello?" Sirius asked Remus, waving his hand in front of his face. "Is Remus in there?"
"I said I'd try to help, didn't I?" Remus replied, annoyed. "Didn't you want to figure out what he was doing?"
Huffing, James shook his head. "And you're complaining about me being too forward? That was about as subtle as a Bavarian Cretch."
"How are you supposed to find out what he's doing if you don't ask?" Sirius demanded.
"Well, I can't just ask up front, can I? You saw how suspicious he was, no thanks to you two," Remus retorted, pointing to James and Sirius with his fork. "If I did, he would just shut me out. If you want to know what he's doing, we have to take it slowly. Do me a favor and don't blow it with any unnecessary hostility, okay?"
Scowling, James wrinkled his nose over at where Snape was sitting at the Slytherin table. "You're asking us to be friends with him?"
"No, I'm asking you to be friendly with him. There's a difference. If you can't say anything nice to him, just don't talk at all, okay?"
Rolling his eyes, James tried to think of a way to work around Remus' logic. "Fine," he finally grunted, giving up, "but you're on your own, okay? I'm not talking to him."
"Excellent." Remus smiled. "Peter? Sirius?"
"Okay," Peter agreed hesitantly, throwing a quick look at James. Sirius merely huffed.
"That's that, then. I have your words." Standing up, Remus stretched and cracked a stiff spot in his back. "See you upstairs. I've got to study."
As he left, James gave Sirius an unhappy look, and he only rolled his eyes. Sighing, James held his head with his hand and stared down at his food. Several unpleasant memories flew back at him, all boasting the hooked nose and the snide arrogance of a certain Slytherin. By the looks of things, he had just promised to do the impossible.
Despite his heated resentment, James soon forgot all about their promise as March drew on. Every one of his professors had begun to pile extra assignments on him and the other students in preparation for the end-of-year exams, much to his and everyone else's chagrin. ("But they're not for months!" Sirius once complained. "Trust me," Professor McGonagall had answered, laying a thick pile of paper on his desk, "you'll be grateful you studied.")
At first James had started studying with good intentions, but after skimming over a few History of Magic textbooks only to receive more work the following class, he gave up entirely. All throughout the castle, students were complaining about the excessive amounts of homework—everyone, that is, except for Remus. Wherever he went, he walked with his eyes on a book in front of him, scribbling notes down on a piece of parchment he kept with him at all times.
When Andromeda heard Sirius making fun of this habit in front of Dill, she interjected, "You're laughing now, but he'll make a good student when it comes time for O.W.L.s."
"You mean Ordinary Wizarding Levels?" Sirius scoffed. "Those aren't until our fifth year!"
"And they come out of nowhere, trust me," Andromeda retorted. "I'm taking the Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests now, and I'm drowning in homework. You've been studying for two weeks—I've been studying for the N.E.W.T.s. for two years."
Although usually not one to get ahead in homework, James made an extra push to finish all due assignments before his birthday, which was sadly in the middle of the week. He expected to receive yet another bundle of work before night fell, but he decided to at least start the day right, practicing the Full-Body Bind Curse and the Unlocking Charm over and over again until he mastered them.
On the morning of his birthday, he woke up just a few minutes before dawn to find Remus already awake, eyes glued to his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Looking up at the sound of rustling bed sheets, he smiled at James. "Up already?"
"What do you mean already?" James responded, leaping out of bed and putting on his glasses to look at the orange-tinted sky. "I overslept."
Glancing back down at his book, Remus advised, "Don't wake up Sirius if you want to turn twelve today."
Grinning, James grasped the corner of his pillow and aimed it at the lump in the neighboring four-poster. "I was born just after midnight. I'm already twelve."
Fortunately, Sirius turned out to be in a forgiving mood when he remembered the day's occasion. After throwing his own pillow at James' head and missing it by inches, he smiled sleepily as it sailed over Remus and hit Peter on his four-poster. "Happy birthday, mate. If you want your present, leave me alone for five more minutes." Gesturing toward the whopping pile of gifts at the foot of James' four-poster, he turned over and buried his head in his mattress.
Delighted, James ripped open the packages from his parents and roommates, littering the floor with wrapping paper. When Sirius and Peter finally climbed out of their four-posters, he passed around his new collection of pumpkin pasties and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans before they got ready for the day. They were still enjoying their candy when they headed down to the Great Hall amid a crowd of tired students significantly less cheerful than they. Sitting down at their usual place at the Gryffindor table under the breathtaking dawn of the enchanted ceiling, they chatted amiably until a cluster of Slytherins passed close by, headed by the sneering Lucius Malfoy. As he walked by, Malfoy glanced coldly down at their group.
"Playing around with sweets, I see?" he commented as he slid past. "Not ones for studying, are you? Good luck on the exams."
Scowling at the backs of the laughing Slytherins, James felt a minor cloud of frustration wash over his otherwise pleasant mood. Blushing, Remus pulled out his book and began reading again.
"Hey, could you not do that?" Sirius asked suddenly, jerking James out of his thoughts as he addressed Remus. "You don't have to give in to them."
"I'm not giving in to anyone," Remus answered, slightly offended. "I'm just reading. I think it's a good idea to study, anyway."
"But you always read," Sirius complained. "It's James' birthday. Could you at least spend five minutes with him without burying your head in a book?"
Now defensive, Remus lowered his book. "I spend plenty of time with you guys. Maybe it's time you three learned to take your homework seriously. Exams are coming up, you know—maybe you've heard of them?"
Alarmed, James exchanged a quick glance with Peter, who shrugged helplessly. "Hey guys," James interjected, "maybe we should talk about something el—"
"They're not for months!" Sirius exploded. "Can you calm down and live a little? Life isn't just about grades!"
"What world do you live in?" Remus retorted, huffing a little.
"The real one! Not some blocked-off fantasy about scores and tests! The one with friends who need you!"
Stung, Remus looked about to say something, but he suddenly glanced over Sirius' shoulder and flashed a quick, pained smile. Attention diverted, James turned to see Snape walking right behind them.
"Hello," Remus called out to him, giving a short wave. Suddenly aware of who Remus was addressing, Sirius clenched his jaws and hunched his shoulders, blocking out Snape as he looked over warily. When he spotted Sirius' defensive posture, a light in his eyes seemed to spark, and his lips curled into a smile.
"What's with the bad mood?" he questioned, gesturing at Sirius.
"Bugger off, Snivellus," Sirius growled, not looking at him. Turning up his nose, Snape sneered.
"What a welcome," he responded. "Somebody's having a bad day."
"I said bugger off!" Sirius repeated, louder this time, and he turned around with his hand in his pocket. Horrified, Remus opened his mouth, but Snape beat him to it.
"What are you going to do if I don't?" he asked mockingly. "I'm not a pup to be ordered around by some blood traitor."
Snarling, Sirius whipped out his wand as Snape did the same, and James pulled out his own to defend his friend.
"Rursus Faciem!" Sirius yelled.
"Petrificus Totalus!" James cried at the same time.
"Tumescente!" Snape shouted back.
James' hex missed Snape by inches as he leapt aside, instead combining with Sirius' and expanding tenfold. Rippling down the Great Hall, the combined hex smacked into the opposite wall with a shudder and caused half of the Hufflepuff table to jump in fright. Unfortunately, Snape had more luck with his spell, and it hit Peter square in the chest. Falling off the bench, Peter let out a shriek quickly muffled by sounds resembling the Filling Charm; in seconds, a button had flown off of his shirt as his clothes struggled to contain his expanding torso, which bubbled over with large boils. As Snape whipped around and scurried off, Remus flew off the bench and pulled Peter up, but he kept expanding painfully.
"Professor!" Remus yelled towards the High Table, and Professor McGonagall slowly rose in shock as the other professors gaped unbelievingly. The entire Great Hall was now buzzing with shouted exclamations as McGonagall hurried to the scene, followed quickly by Professors Sprout and Flitwick.
"Get Poppy!" McGonagall told Professor Sprout as she reached Peter and took ahold of his arm, and Sprout rushed towards the double doors as Flitwick struggled to help McGonagall support Peter out of the Great Hall. Furious, James glared over his shoulder at the Slytherin table, where Snape had seated himself in the center of a crowd of admiring Housemates. Looking particularly pleased, Malfoy patted Snape appreciatively on the shoulder next to Narcissa, who smiled approvingly out of sight of the High Table.
"I'll kill him," Sirius glowered, scowling at the back of Snape's greasy head. Giving Sirius a sharp glare, Remus picked up his books and marched out of the Great Hall behind McGonagall and Flitwick. Sighing, James buried his head in his arms. He had just lost two roommates in five minutes: one to Snape, and one to Sirius.
"Not if I kill him first," he muttered darkly.
