Sorry I haven't updated in a week but I'll make it up to you by writing another chapter tomorrow and maybe putting it on the site. I don't know, we'll see what time permits. Disclaimer: HP is not mine
Sam and I were walking to the Quidditch pitch together. He was going to help me practice. He said Gryffindor's team wouldn't suck if he could help it.
"How's your girlfriend, Lisa?" I asked as we strolled down the corridors together.
He smiled. "She's doing fine. We've been dating for a month now. Can you believe it? Time just flies by…" His smile grew even larger the more he spoke about his girlfriend.
"A month? You're getting pretty serious," I joked. "When's the wedding?"
"Ha ha, very funny, Albus."
I shrugged my shoulders. "What can I say? I'm hilarious," I replied with fake cockiness. "I'm the quintessence of comedy." Sam stopped walking and looked at me like I was just stabbed in the heart. "What are you staring at?" I questioned while stopping with him.
"You've been hanging out with Rose too much. Do you even know what quintessence means?" I didn't even notice that I was starting to sound like Rose…oh dear Merlin! What was wrong with me?
"It means the best of the best. I'll just shut up right about now." We continued walking.
At that moment we were in the Entrance Hall. And approaching me was Aaron Eszes. To say the least, Aaron and I weren't friends. He was in the same year as me and was in Slytherin. He hated all Gryffindors and he took our house rivalry too much to the heart.
Aaron shoved me with his shoulder against mine. "Whoops," he snickered. I hated the little piss ant.
My eyes rolled to the back of my head. "Very mature," I muttered to him snidely. Did he really have to do that just because I was in Gryffindor?
"What did you just say to me, Potter?"
"I said you were very mature." I shoved his shoulders, hard. Aaron shoved me back. If he wanted a fight, he was going to get one.
"You want to go!" Aaron yelled.
Then he punched me in the nose. I heard it crack loudly. Shit. I punched him in the eye in retaliation. I was definitely on.
We were pushing, shoving, cursing, anything you can think of that happens in a good fight. Sam tried to pull us apart but I could tell it was only a half hearted attempt. Sam really just wanted to see me kick Aaron's arse.
The worst part of the fight was the fact that Aaron smelled so bad. And he always smelled terrible. Maybe that was a factor in why I hated him...
"Break it up!" I could feel someone tear me off of Aaron's body. It was Professor Indus.
Professor Indus was the Ancient Runes teacher. She was a tall, overweight woman. I didn't really know her so I had no idea if she was evil or nice or any other adjective to describe a person.
"What is going on here?" she demanded the information with authority dripping in her voice.
Both of us were breathing heavily as Professor Indus tried to keep us from tackling each other again. I bet you could hear me panting from a mile away. Hell, I bet my mother could hear me panting!
"It's nothing, Professor," Aaron declared.
I nodded my head in agreement. "Just boys being boys, that's all, nothing at all to worry about."
"That has got to be the worst excuse I've ever heard in my entire teaching career. Want to try again?"
I kept wondering how I went from talking about a cute Ravenclaw, Sam's girlfriend, to me talking like Rose now, to finally having a full out brawl with Aaron Eszes. Life is weird, to say the least.
Uriel Harkiss, a Hufflepuff in his first year, replied for us. "Aaron started the fight, Professor. He threw the first punch." I didn't even know Uriel was in the Entrance Hall at all.
"Why would you start a fight with Mr. Potter?" Professor Indus gave all her attention to the angry boy she held with her left arm.
Aaron shrugged his shoulders. His brown hair, with a tint of red in it, covered his eyes. When he moved his hair to look at Indus properly I noticed the bruise I left on him. Nice.
"That is not a proper response, Mr. Eszes. Please, try again."
"I don't know why, Professor," he said. "We were just fooling around. It was nothing big, really."
"Just fooling around? It was nothing big? One of you could have been injured! Kids these days, they don't know what the hell is going on in the world." What did that comment mean?
In the corner of my eye I saw Sam covering his mouth, trying not to laugh hysterically. He didn't like Aaron all too much either.
"Mr. Eszes, go pay Professor McGonagall a little visit. And as for you, Mr. Potter." She looked at me with her steel blue eyes that were obviously filled with fury. "You may leave," she instructed.
After Aaron and Professor Indus left, Sam finally let out the laughter that he was trying so hard to contain. Not. He gave me a high five and yelled, "That fight was awesome! I didn't know you had it in you! Just, wow."
"Why did you even pretend to break it up?"
Sam shrugged. "I enjoyed it way too much to stop it. I just slowed it down a little. I ALWAYS enjoy a good fight. Plus, I didn't want you killing him. Your mum would go insane if that happened."
I didn't even want to imagine what my mother, Ginny Potter, would do if I got into really serious trouble. Probably kill me brutally. And I'm not even exaggerating. She would not only murder me, she'd probably mutilate my body also.
Elden jumped on me from behind. "I saw the end of the fight, good job!" He got off me and kept a wide smile on his face.
I smiled at the delightful teenager. "Thanks, mate. I didn't even know you were there…" I picked up my broomstick and realized that it had wound up thrown on the floor during the fight. Quietly, I apologized to the Firebolt for the inconsiderate act. My Firebolt was practically my baby.
"Of course I was routing for you," he said loyally. His black eyes danced with joy. That's right, Elden disliked Aaron also. I'm telling you, NO ONE LIKED AARON. And I mean no one. I'm guessing even his mother resented him a little. That was probably too mean, but Aaron was a hated guy.
"That's good to know," I responded. "You can be my hit man if I ever need one in the future. I can be the godfather then, like I've always wanted."
"More like you'll be his hit man," Sam laughed heartily. "Now are we going to go practice Quidditch or what!" he declared with enthusiasm.
"Let's roll," I proclaimed happily. After fighting Aaron and not even getting in trouble for it, I felt like I was on top of the world.
#
"Nice!" James exclaimed after I told him what happened with me and Aaron. You have no idea how many times I had explained that story to people. No idea.
We two brothers were hanging out on a hill on Hogwarts grounds. James stated that we have 'brother time' so he could get some juicy details about what really went down that day. He wanted real information from one of the fighters.
"Of course, I always knew you had it in you. I mean, with a brother like me you HAVE to have it in you!" my big brother replied with a large grin. I could tell he was really proud of me and that felt good.
Usually I would never admit this to anyone, but I always looked up to James. Well, I didn't look up to the fact that he had started liking manga that year, but nonetheless I respected and admired him. Would I ever tell him that? Hell no!
"You know how you'll really impress me? Tell me about your many girlfriends that I know you've been hiding from me."
"Come on, you know I haven't even kissed a girl yet!" I exclaimed angrily.
"When I was your age, I went to first base with Saba. It's okay if you move a little slower with girls. I mean, not all boys can be me." The last part was definitely a dig at my self esteem. That was a low blow, James.
"Did I ever tell you that you are the worst brother ever?" I asked him casually. "And I mean THE worst."
"Every single day," he quipped with a chuckle. "But I'm your big brother, it's in the rulebooks that I can not be nice to you. Sorry, it's a fact of life."
"James, there aren't any rulebooks to being a big brother and you know that."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "And you're positive about that?"
I laughed loudly at his stupidity. "Yes, I'm positive about that. Why would there be rulebooks? I didn't get one for Lily."
"Yeah…that always was a bit odd that you never got one." James nodded his head solemnly. "Maybe you will one day."
"What are you talking about? THERE IS NO RULEBOOK!" I shouted. He was starting to frustrate me.
"Just because you never got one doesn't give you the right to dismiss the rulebook like it is garbage, Al."
He was too good of an actor sometimes. He sounded like he really believed there was an actual rulebook for being a big brother. But both of us knew there wasn't...right? That was total bull he was telling me. Yeah, it was...
"Seriously, stop making this crap up," I insisted. Soon he'd be making me believe him.
"I'm not making anything up!" He shook his hands violently in the air. "There. Is. A. Rulebook."
"Show me it then," I said.
"Well…I can't do that. Rule number one is you're not allowed to show the rulebook to anyone. And that includes family. Actually, I can show the rulebook to other brothers, but only if they have a rulebook themselves and obviously you don't have one."
"You can't be serious."
But he was.
"Oh, I am….Hey, Ray!"
Raymond Yates was walking towards us. His lean body was out of our uniform and into some more comfortable clothing. He greeted us with an eager smile.
"What's up with you two?" He sat down on the ground with us.
At that moment, Ray was wearing a Muggle T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms. I was extremely jealous, I had to admit. Ray worked out a lot and was probably the most muscular guy in Hogwarts and he was only thirteen. Insane, isn't it?
"Nothing, how 'bout you?" James asked.
"Well, I heard that Albus got in a wicked sweet fight with Aaron Eszes. I need some details, Al, don't leave me hanging," he answered.
And there goes another explanation of my story…