Chapter 12
Tuesday 14 September 1993
For once, potions passed uneventfully. Professor Snape was a hawk, or perhaps dementor would be a more apt metaphor for the dour potions master. Whatever Professor Snape was, he kept a careful eye on the class. He would occasionally glance at Draco Malfoy who was focused on his work.
The Gryffindors, without the typical antagonism, kept their heads down and did their work. James and Neville powered through the assignment, but simmer times involved meant that everyone finished their calming draught at roughly the same time.
As the brew was finished and the class had been dismissed Professor Snape's voice cut through the quiet. "Lupin, remain behind after the class."
The rest of the class left quickly after that. James remained behind with his bag packed and ready to go, resting on his off shoulder. Professor Snape sat behind his desk his hands steepled.
"Fighting is not allowed in the corridors Lupin. While I did not see it happen, I do have to wonder why Mister Malfoy had his wand drawn and aimed in your direction. A most vexing question. Even stranger is the lack of sling and bandages I saw him leave the Hospital Wing with."
"Maybe he took them off?" James bluffed. He knew Professor Snape was closer to the events than his statement suggested. His hair had a very unique scent. He just needed to play the game like Dad said when dealing with Snape. Play the game and keep your head down.
"Maybe. Best it never happen again" Professor Snape said. "Now hurry along. I will see you tonight."
James looked up at him and for the first time that day looked Professor Snape in the eyes. James' brilliant green eyes met Severus Snape's black eyes for a moment. The potions professor had the strangest sense that he had seen them somewhere else before. Again, like the first few times he had interacted with this mutt of a boy, it felt like he was missing something important. James nodded "Understood sir."
XxX
Without another word, James Lupin left for his next class. There were a few minutes before the other half of the third years arrived for class. Taking a look around, Snape was satisfied the room was clean enough for them. He leaned back in his chair and thought on the pack of creatures running around the school he was trapped in.
Remus was a tormenter from his childhood, and very nearly the instrument of his murder. Quiet, contemplative, and vindictive, those were the characteristics Severus associated with his fellow professor. It seemed family life had mellowed the monster out. At the very least, he seemed happy. Severus wasn't sure if that was good and fair or not.
Next, Severus thought about his wife. He remembered nothing much of her other than that she had been his junior. He recalled the news when she was discovered missing after her family was attacked by Greyback on His orders. He remembered the rumors among his fellows in the ranks of what her fate was to be. He… pitied her then. Her fate and her families had been close to what was nearly his that dark moonlit night. It was much the same as he felt to all the others attacked by the monster during the war.
Yet, she was not like the others that had been so aflicked after the war. Either vagrants living in Knockturn Alley, a threat to everyone, or running with one of the secrets packs that dotted the Isle. A potentially even bigger threat should they ever stop hiding and decide to strike. The Ministry's advantage was their ignorance. So long as werewolves couldn't attend school they wouldn't pose a threat on any night other than the full moon.
The youngest, she was a brat. Totally beneath his notice if not for the simple fact she was as deadly and capable of transmitting the curse as her parents, and there was no doubt they were her parents. She was too much like them in appearance, and the lack of any scarring on her arms, legs, or face suggested she had never met a wolf on the night of a full moon. She was born a monster.
James though. That boy was interesting. He was not his parent's son. Those scars on his face told a far different story, but when had they been gained? He didn't rise to the bait, or complain as he expected. He did make the mistake of waving his wand potions were brewing, but he was a dog doing as he was trained. He hadn't made the same mistake twice.
He was an outlier. A transfer student that wasn't transferring. He was targeted by pranksters and didn't realitate. However, James had struck at his godson. He exposed Draco's plan for what it was and disarmed him. It had almost been amusing to watch. He figured the Weasley idiot would provide him with amusement that day, but instead things went differently.
Severus knew he could have played his normal game with the boy, but Draco did draw first. In doing so, Draco had ultimately blown his ploy. A bit of name calling and he crumbling in the face of an unknown opponent. So no, he hadn't intervened immediately. This would serve as a lesson for Draco in the future.
All in all Severus supposed he was lucky just having to deal with a Lupin rather than the missing Potter brat. He stopped for a moment when a stray thought crossed his mind. 'Unless the Lupin boy is the Potter brat.'
'Impossible.' He thought with a subtle shake of his head to drive the thought from it. Then he remembered the eyes. 'Surely not.'
He was deep in thought when the next class arrived. That single stray thought kept him distracted all class.
XxX
As Severus Snape was wondering if James Lupin could possibly be Harry Potter, the boy in question was settling into his History class with an important question for his peers.
"Hey Cedric, I've got a question for you?" James said as he pulled out a book he'd checked out of the library.
"What is it?" Cedric asked.
"So I have been skimming through this book. Figured it was a chance to get another nation's take on history right? And there is something in here that just doesn't make sense to me." James said flipping the book open to a mark passage. "Here."
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, considered the worst Dark Lord of the Twenty-First Century, waged a war against muggleborn…" James read. He stopped and laid the book open.
"Okay and?"
"Why is he considered the worst?" James asked.
The rest of the room, which had been quietly listening in, because when someone two years younger than you shows up in your class you are going to pay a bit of attention to them, reacted loudly to his question. James looked around wide-eyed as his classmates shouted and yelled about the atrocities committed, the families destroyed, and the fear that pervaded the nation.
Even Cedric, who until now had been fairly happy go lucky, had a cold glint in his eye. "How can you even ask that?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"Woah, I not saying he isn't. It's just that I don't see how he can be the worst when there were people like Grindelwald and Rasputin here in Europe, Bosco Lubanga in Africa, and Taim Tailk in Southeast Asia?" James asked, trying his best to be diplomatic.
In the front of the room, Binns droned on oblivious to what was happening. The class bristled with anger. While a few of them had been unaffected by the war, being muggleborns with no prior connections, all the half-bloods and purebloods in the class had either lost someone, knew someone that lost someone, or were otherwise affected by the war. Now here was the git telling them, "Oh he wasn't that bad."
"I'm not saying any Dark Lord isn't a bad thing, and I am sure it would have been terrible to live through, but I'm not seeing how fear and terror tactics measure up to concentration camps, mass blood sacrifices, attempting to summon demons, and armies of the undead." James said.
"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used armies of the undead." One of the ravenclaws said angrily.
"Sure, inferni. Not revenants or wraiths. Plus, I can only find one or two references to their use before someone wiped then out with Fiendfyre." At the glares he was getting, James again tried to placate his classmate. "Not saying inferni aren't terrible, just that they are kind of amateurish compared to some others in the past century."
The class smoldered silently in anger. Finally, Cedric broke the quiet. "James. You should go somewhere else for class today." He said, his voice cold and hard. "You don't know what you are talking about and you are just going to keep digging yourself deeper if you stay here. Go." Cedric ordered, banishing James' book and backpack with him.
James started to say something but stopped. He didn't want to back down, but looking at the angry faces in the room he saw it wasn't a fight he would win if he stayed. What right did they have to think he couldn't understand? Then again how could they know when he was keeping that part of him a secret.
Without another word, James walked out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. The telltale sounds of locking charms followed.
'That went poorly.' James thought as he walked away. 'Guess that gives me more time to work on The Plan.' As he headed to the library another thought crossed his mind. 'Or maybe that other project; Still, how am I going to get holy water?'
XxX
Wayne and Heather met James as he was working in the library after their potions class let out. They found him in an out of the way corner with a stack of various books on his table. Wayne picked a small booklet resting at the top of the pile and read the title aloud. "Compelling People. Interesting name for a charms text."
"Let me see that." Heather said reaching to take the book from Wayne. She leafed through it until she got to a page describing one of the spells within. "This is a book on compulsion charms!"
"Shh!" James said quickly. He took the book and hid it under the table making sure there was no one nearby who had heard them. "Be careful what you say. You never know who might be listening. Stupid librarian." He said muttering the last part. Why was it so wrong to put transfigured book sleeves on the tomes so no one could read your titles? Fair he had never felt the need to do something like that before, but all the prank attempts and the occasional success was making him paranoid. 'It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.'
"James what are you doing with that book? You can get in serious trouble for using com-"
"Don't say their name!"
"For use of those charms in the wrong way." Heather said.
"And how you're acting is only making things look even worse." Wayne said, taking a seat before smiling evilly. "What are you planning?"
James grinned back. Outside there was a crack of lightning and thunder despite the otherwise clear day. "I'm glad you ask, but first, do you know any privacy charms?"
Heather knew a few the older girls used to hide their gossiping. She cast them and waited for James to explain. As he explained his plan, Heather began to get a sinking feeling in her gut, which quickly grew a quagmire of concern. "James, I um… How should I put this? What you are suggesting-" Heather started to ask only to stop when James handed her a piece of paper.
"Read this first." James said.
Heather took the paper, but before she could read it she rushed off. As she disappeared from their corner of the library Wayne shot James a look that screamed, "explain now or suffer bodily harm."
"Compulsion charm. I have been testing it on different bits of paper. She is going to run to the bathroom then be right back." James explained.
"I also need to test time delay triggers with the charm for everything to work out right." James said, leaning back.
"James are you sure about this. It is kinda twisted. Plus when they start tossing coins, well." Wayne said pausing as a horrified look came over James.
"Oh. That's right. Coin based currency." Then after a moment. "Sucks to be them."
"What?"
"They are still getting it."
"James. James no."
"James, James yes."
"James. No. It will only get you in more trouble than it is worth. I don't disagree with the rest. It seems a bit overboard but we gave you the go in it. Just please, no 'makin' it rain' okay?"
"Fine. I'll take that part out. You have to help me to convince Hannah not to blab about it when she comes back though." James said, mentally rewriting his plan.
"Deal." Wayne said, breathing a sigh of relief.
James nodded and went back to reviewing the various texts before him, looking for what he needed to finish his plans. 'Soon. Soon I will have my revenge. Soon my new pa- friends, they are friends not pack. Soon me and my new friends will get even with you Miss Bell. I hope you're prepared to reap what you have sown. Mwhahahahaha.'
XxX
Dinner was a lively affair at the Hufflepuff table. James recounted the events outside the potions classroom, with minimal- er, with some- okay, it was a fair bit of embellishment. His theatrics set those around him laughing. Even the older students chuckled. Well, the fourth years did. The fifth years fought any grins that threatened their faces. They were still angry about earlier.
The second years listened carefully, caught between wondering if they could get away with using the name James created and wondering what it meant. The first years didn't fully understand what was happening and left it alone.
In the midst of his retelling, James missed the looks shared between Susan Bones and Zacharias Smith. Not that it would have mattered if he did see them. The politics of Britain was a quagmire he sought to avoid, not yet realizing he had made himself a player in the game. At the very least, a useful tool for other players.
AN:
Updated 6 Jan 2019
