After the craziness that had been his last three days of Easter Vacation, James was ready to go back to Hogwarts. Uncle Charlie's secret life had been a bit much to absorb and his entire family had been going crazy with the news. He just wished he hadn't left and had gotten to see the fight between Annika, Alex, Roxanne, and Molly. That would have been funny.
The seventh years were working overtime already due to NEWTs coming up. Ellie had turned their common room into a ridiculously organized studying room. Each wall had diagrams and lists posted in every area represent subjects. There was an entire wall donated to charms with wand movement diagrams and lists of charms to know for the test. It was color coded too, with potions green, transfiguration yellow, herbology purple, charms turquoise and so on.
James made fun of her for it, but had secretly copied her technique in the locker room with quidditch plays. He had color coded them to position, chasers yellow, beaters blue, keeper pink (much to Murphy's dismay), and seeker green. With the quidditch final coming up at the end of April and only about two weeks to practice, it was busy for the team. They were practicing seven days a week with two practices on Saturdays. However, it worked well for James because Ellie was so wrapped up in NEWTs and he was in quidditch. His team mates weren't as happy. Scorpius and Al complained quite a bit, especially because their best friend Rose was nagging them constantly to study for OWLs.
With three of the marauders engrossed in quidditch, and Elaine taking on the majority of James' heads duties while he was so busy, there were two people that were quite alone for the time period leading up to the quidditch match. Victoire usually spent her evenings with Elaine because Sarah usually snuck off with Frank Weber to the Ravenclaw common room, and ShiShi usually went with her to flirt with David Lee. This left Victoire alone in the common room the third night after break while Elaine was busy doing head duties and studying.
Twirling her quill in her hand, she pretended to read her arithmancy notes while she was surreptitiously watching her cousins Al and Rose while they sat in the corner with their friend Scorpius. James must have let them out of practice early since they had a big test tomorrow that all of the fifth years were whining about. Rose was arguing as Al and Scorpius tried to pressure her into lending them her History notes. Victoire could tell by the look on her face when she looked at the blond's handsome pout that Rose was about to give in. Finally in a huff, her cousin tossed the notes on the table and stalked upstairs to go to bed.
Victoire smirked and turned to her notes. Arithmancy was her best subject. She was basically amazing at it. She supposed she had gotten an innate ability for math from her parents who both worked for Gringots. She sighed and frowned, scrunching her brow. Her mother had been pestering her all break about trying to get a job at Gringots after graduation. She wasn't changing her mind about healing anytime soon, and her mom just didn't understand.
"Having problems again?" came a voice startling Victoire.
"Teddy! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she said clutching her hand to her heart. "I'm just studying arithmancy. "
"Oh, well that's what I was asking, if you were having problems with it again. I haven't tutored you in a while. Normally you and Ellie are pretty busy most nights, and we haven't had time since before James' birthday."
Oh, she still felt bad whenever Teddy brought up Arithmancy. She had lied a bit to him when she said she wasn't doing so well in that class. Sure, she had gotten one E on a paper instead of the normal O, but she didn't really need a tutor. She was pretty sure she might be better than Teddy at Arithmancy. Too bad he was decent and she didn't need to actually tutor him. However, "needing a tutor," had been a good excuse for Victoire to spend some time with Teddy.
"Yeah, we really haven't had time to study together. However, with the way the Gryffindor team has started practicing for the big match, and how Ellie has taken over most of James' head duties and is studying for NEWTs tirelessly, I'm free every night at least until the match. I'm sure you probably are too with James, Orion and Murphy all on the team."
"Yeah, it is a bit annoying, but I'm sure you remember from when we were little that I don't care. I can always find a good book to read or something when James isn't around."
"Or you come and bug me, and then convince me to do something entirely stupid and we get in trouble," quipped Victoire seeing exactly where this conversation was headed.
"We don't always get in trouble!" laughed Teddy.
"Well, let's think on this. I can remember several times. Remember when we were about six and my mom finally went back to work after having Louis? Louis was about two or so at the time, and so my mom needed to find us a babysitter. Your grandmother just happened to present herself as the perfect person. After all, she babysat the Potters whenever Aunt Ginny had to work. I spent the next four years with you, and I'm fairly sure, if I recall correctly, we got into loads of trouble. For instance, remember when James was sick with the dragon pox and we, more accurately you, decided we needed to make him some food and then bring it to him?"
"If I recall you were the one who insisted we had to bring him some food, I just wanted to see him. And you wanted to go too, it didn't take much convincing," said Teddy smirking.
"Oh ho! Not much convincing? You offered me half of your chocolate frog card collection!" pointed out Toire returning his smirk.
"You didn't take it! And besides, it was your idea to fly there on those old brooms in my gran's shed! I was perfectly happy to take the floo network but you didn't want to get soot on your new dress! I believe that was the main reason we got in so much trouble."
"How was I supposed to know that it would cause a major magical catastrophe if two eight year olds tried to fly across London? I didn't realize we caused the Muggle relations department the biggest headache since Voldemort when we let half of England watch us fly overhead on our way to the Potters."
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure it was also your fault we got hopelessly lost when we ended up practically in Scotland!"
"Well, you're the one who lost the map!" she said remembering how the tattered piece of paper had flown out of Teddy's hands as they had hovered high above the city trying to figure out where to go next. That map had been totally foreign to her at the time and she wasn't sure she could have read it today.
"That was a map of the muggle underground that you stole from Grandpa Weasley. He didn't even know what that was or how to read it!" Yeah, Toire was pretty sure she didn't think she would be able to read it ever if it was a muggle thingy. She hadn't taken that class.
"We were hopelessly stupid eight year olds," laughed Victoire as they both remembered the hilarious adventure where they had tried to bring some horribly burnt biscuits to James but had gotten lost somewhere above London and ended up in Scotland, being found the next day by a team of Aurors lead by Uncle Ron. Their families had been angry to say the least.
"So here we are again, James is MIA and I'm looking for some trouble with my next best friend ever. What do you say to a trip down to the kitchens for a bit of a snack. I bet I could get the elves to make Chocolate Profiteroles ." Teddy knew the French dessert would tempt Toire, both a lover of chocolate and all things delicious and French.
"And orange cake with rasins?" she added hopefully thinking of the delicious birthday cake her grandmamma Delacrour made every year.
"Sure, whatever you want Tor," said Teddy with a lopsided grin.
"Say the magic words, Sir Theodore!" joked Toire.
"Pretty Please Princess Victoire Georgette," he proclaimed holding out his hand gallantly.
"Well, when you say it so nicely. Lead the way good Knight," she said getting up from her armchair and following Teddy out of the common room for some dessert. Inevitably, they would be caught and house points would be taken away. They always got into trouble when they were together, but the fun was always worth it.
With their friends busy over the next few weeks, Teddy and Toire spent most of their days together, sneaking down to the kitchens, playing pranks on their friends and family, studying together in the library, and just talking and joking in the common room. They got two or three detentions, quite a few house points taken away, and Teddy did have to go to the hospital wing once for a spell gone wrong, but that's how things went when they were together. It was as if the years had peeled away and it was them as children when they were best friends, except James wasn't around.
Teddy's nineteenth birthday had been somewhat overlooked, but Victoire had made sure the house elves prepared a special dinner and cake for them. He had recently told her about his job in Egypt for Gringots that he would be taking after graduation, so her gift had been a little wooden writing case. She made him promise to write her as much as he could and the writing desk would be perfect for it. He had enjoyed the mini-party, and James and Orion and Murphy had later taken him to the Hog's Head for drinks to celebrate. He hadn't drank much for fear of another episode.
Before they knew it, the big game against Slytherin had arrived. The chances of Slytherin winning were slim as they would have to win by over 200 points, but the slytherin team was really optimistic. The match started off well, and soon it became obvious that the slytherins had been preparing quite a bit for this match. James and Lily worked hard along with their third chaser Partil. They were aggressive and overwhelming toward the slytherin chasers who couldn't handle them.
Unfortunately, the beaters were playing dirty. One of the beaters had taken a swing with their bat at Lily which she had been forced to deflect with her hand. Lily was nearly knocked off her broom and her hand looked as if it might be broken. James, being the over protective big brother had attacked the miserable beater who had done it which had ended up with both teams receiving penalty shots. Raymond had been the only chaser calm enough to take it, and had missed, but James had been wrapping Lily's hand so she could still play.
Suddenly Elaine appeared. "Here, let me try some things. This is a charm that will numb the pain, and let me wrap it. You don't want to make it so she can't play by wrapping to much but you want support." Elaine had read quite a bit of healing books and this was simple for her. Lily smiled in relief that somewhat of an expert was going to be helping her. Murphy made two amazing saves and kept the slytherins from scoring on the penalty and the game continued.
Orion and Scorpius were working hard to protect the chasers when the slytherin beaters made a double bludger attack on Murphy, a highly illegal ploy to hurt the keeper. However, Murphy was always on his feet and so good at quidditch that he managed to avoid both bludgers and catch a well aimed quaffle, preventing the slytherins from scoring once again. After an hour, the score was already 180 to 20, and the slytherins had mostly given up hope of winning. Krum was searching desperately for the snitch to end the game and their embarrassment, but it was not to be. Albus caught it, pushing the final score to 330 to 20, a devastating loss for the slytherins who had used every dirty tactic in the book to try and foil the gryffindors who had made most of their penalty shots and pushed the slytherins to their limit without even making it look hard.
After the initial celebrations on the field, James dragged the rest of his team to the locker rooms, including Orion who was lofting the trophy above his head proclaiming that they would need a lot of firewhiskey so that he could drink out of the cup later!
James happily congratulated his team after they had cleaned up and dismissed all of them while he said goodbye to the locker room for the last time. It was his last game at Hogwarts, ever. It was a bit depressing. He turned to Lily who he had promised to take to the hospital wing and with a last look at the room exited with his sister.
"Hello, James," said a man as soon as he exited the locker room. James looked to Murphy who was grinning spectacularly and then back to the tall burly looking man with brown hair that was only beginning to gray at his temples. "I'm Oliver Wood, I played quidditch with your dad at Hogwarts and later played as keeper for Puddlemere United and the English National Team. I now help coach Puddlemere United, and I came to Hogwarts several times this year to scout. I wanted to talk to you and your keeper Murphy here."
James looked to Lily whom he knew needed to have her hand looked at, but suddenly a boy came out of the shadows. He recognized him as Prince, the slytherin boy that chased after Lily quite a bit, and who James thought was better than the other one, Prewitt, who seemed to like her too. "Lily, I could escort you to the nurse, if you would allow me to be so kind," he said in a charming voice and a slight smile.
"Eww, Prince, honestly, I can wait for my brother."
"Lils, why don't you let him take you on the five minute walk. He knows that me, Al, and the Weasleys will kill him if he's less than a gentleman. I'll talk to Mr. Wood, and then meet you up in the Hospital win. From there I can escort you to the common room for the party."
She gave him a look that screamed "JAMES! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME!?", but went with the slytherin all the same. James turned to the professional coach. Murphy looked ecstatic, and was grinning from ear to ear as Mr. Wood began talking.
"I love quidditch, it's in my blood, my entire family before me were players, and now my children, all seven of them, are all quite good. I don't know if you know my eldest two, they are sixth years, so only a year below you. Oliver Junior and Olivia Wood, twins in Gryffindor, your house. Ollie plays keeper but can play chaser too while Olivia is quite the chaser. Neither of them has ever expressed a desire to play on the house team although their mum and I encouraged it. Olivia's friends don't play, one of them, your cousin I believe thinks that quidditch is too manly, and so Olivia has never wanted to play at Hogwarts. However, she's very good. I don't think Ollie would ever be able to settle for playing chaser when he was keeper, and by the time he was old enough to try out seriously Murphy was playing. At least that's what he told me in his letters when he was a third year and decided not to try out. Maybe next year, maybe both of them will try out."
"Yes, there will be quite a few spots on the team and they will need strong players to fill them if we want to win the cup again," replied James not sure what the long winded speech was leading into.
"This brings me to the point of my visit today. I had long heard about the wonderful Murphy Finnigan and James Potter from my son who writes about quidditch to me monthly in his letters. I had to see for myself, and sure enough, I do think that I have positions for you. I am fairly sure that this next season will be the last for my current Keeper, William Hillman, and Chaser, Peter Parkinson. I am offering positions to both of you on Puddlemere's reserve team. If you accept, you would play reserve for a year and provided that you do well, next season you will be playing for Puddlemere in the big leagues. Starting Keeper and Chaser for my team. The pay wouldn't be as great on reserve, but when you move up to the official team next season, it's much better. What do you say?"
"I would be honored, I've wanted to play professionally my entire life!" replied Murphy happily.
"Great! You remind me of myself, excellent form, superb awareness of the game around you, and of course, almost flawless when it comes to saving. I coach the reserve team and will have you entirely prepared for anything you could possibly encounter in the future by the end of the year. I will have you primed to perfection! How about you James, what do you say?"
"Well, Mr. Wood, sir, I've already been accepted into the Auror Academy and my heart is truly set on being an auror. I've never wanted to do anything else while I have always loved quidditch. Perhaps if I hadn't been able to be an auror, I would consider it. However, I am greatly honored by the offer and if things don't work out at the academy I will let you know. "
"That's perfectly fine, your father turned down several similar offers himself. Must be in the blood. In any case, the offer is still open, and you can owl me if you change your mind. Do say hello to your father for me. Tell him that Oliver and Katie Wood send their regards, and that we should meet up at the Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks for a few pints sometime."
"I will definitely tell him. He would probably love to catch up. He's always talking about his Hogwarts years when he played quidditch. Thanks again Mr. Wood, but I need to go check up on my sister, I think she broke a hand."
"She was quite good, I wouldn't be surprised if the Harpies or some other team offered for her in a few years, like your mum that one. Your mum was quite good, played against her myself. It's too bad that Puddlemere is all the men's team in the league while Harpies is only women. The rivalry is so bad, otherwise I'm sure I would have gotten to know her a bit better. Well, congratulations Potter on the win, and do congratulate your sister. Finnigan, why don't you stick around and we'll work out the details? I'm quite excited to hear what you think of the new practice schedule I've recently devised."
James went up to the Hospital wing to find a red faced Lily looking annoyed with Donnell Prince who looked a little let down but smiled at James when he arrived. "Looks like your brother has arrive and I may leave you in his safe hands, Fair Lady Lily. Until Potions!"
"URG!" exclaimed Lily as she left with James. "He's so annoying! I honestly don't know how the slytherin girls can stand him! Imagine sharing a common room with that, that, that… git!"
"Can't be as bad as sharing it with what's his face, the one that's always making you cry. What's his name again, oh yes, Patrick Prewitt."
"Don't remind me, he's probably going to try and hit on me at the party! Maybe I shouldn't even go!"
"Don't let him stop you, just have a good time with your friends."
"You're right, I even invited Austrina to come. It will be fun, especially if Orion gives me some firewhiskey!"
"WHAT! NO! You are not being corrupted!"
"I'm just kidding Jamie! I wouldn't touch the stuff at a party at school! But I'm already 'corrupted' James. Mum and Dad don't really notice much at the New Year's Ball in the state they are in. Austrina and I weren't going to get caught, so we let ourselves have some fun. Not that you and your drunk friends noticed. I thought Toire was going to pass out." James was shocked, sweet little Lily had gotten drunk on New Years, she was only a fourth year! He and the marauders hadn't gotten drunk for the first time until what, oh, fourth year. Well, it was different! He looked at her indignantly but she smirked and slipped into the common room and away from his already forming talking to about underage drinking. He sighed and entered the common room deciding he would sit down with his sister later.
The pulsing music of the common room soon distracted James from all thoughts of Lily as he danced with Ellie and drank Firewhiskey by the bottle. The food was all great, and every single Gryffindor seemed to be enjoying themselves. The younger years were sipping butterbeer in a corner designated to them while they played chess, exploding snap, gobstones, and surreptitiously observed the older years who were having far more fun playing roudy drinking games, dancing, and hanging around the fire being loud and crazy.
By the next morning, over half of the Gryffindor upper years had headaches and had fallen asleep in the common room. The party had raged until dawn when most had decided to go to sleep or had basically passed out on the softest surface they could find. The marauders, Ellie, and Toire were sleeping under a long table that had been brought in to hold all of the food for the party. Sometime in the early morning, Teddy and Toire, the two least drunk of the bunch, had lifted the tablecloth and decided it was like a tent underneath and brought all of their friends into the tent to tell ghost stories. They had stole all of the pillows from around the common room and had all gotten under the table but most had fallen asleep right away. In fact, the only two to stay up very long and tell drunken stories that made no sense but were hilarious rather than scary were Teddy and Toire who eventually fell asleep.
After the quidditch cup, James' schedule slowed down, but his head duties picked up as he began helping Ellie plan the graduation ceremonies and seventh year graduation ball. It was a lot of work, and they were often found in the library studying or planning the celebrations. They only had two weeks until NEWTs Week, and then two weeks after that of mostly relaxation. James couldn't wait until they could stop worrying about the stupid tests. Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests was an accurate name. The only way James could think to improve upon it was to add Stupidly Unecessary in front of it.
Orion had actually decided to crack down and study for his NEWTs which was odd, but James suspected it had something to do with wanting to make sure he didn't mess up his chances with Auror training. Since he had to be in the library or working quite a bit, he dragged Murphy with him so they could study together and when Orion got bored, do something entertaining for a bit. This was helpful to Murphy because if he had it his way he would have played quidditch and practiced for the Reserve team he would be on.
With Orion and Murphy, and James and Ellie monopolizing each other's time, it was inevitable that Teddy and Victoire would continue spending most of their time together. They too studied quite a bit together, especially Arithmancy. One night Ellie commented on it.
"Why do you have Teddy tutor you in Arithmancy so much? It's your best subject!"
"He doesn't know that!" laughed Toire. "Besides, when we graduate, I'll be so busy with healer training and he's going to go work for Gringots in Egypt. It's my last chance to spend time with him before he probably leaves me forever and finds some beautiful Egyptian witch named Cleopatra or something and forgets all about me. I don't mind him thinking I'm shite at Arithmancy if it means I get to be closer to him for at least a few more weeks."
"Or you could just tell him how you feel."
"And ruin seventeen years of friendship? Face rejection!? Lose one of my best friends!? I don't bloody think so!"
"Or he might feel the same! Some Gryffindor you are!"
"Teddy thinks of me as his little sister that needs constant protection. Just like James sees me. And while I see Jamie as a big brother, Teddy, he's so much more. But he can never know that because if I tell him, it's over. You just don't understand Ellie. He will never see me as a woman. I'm just little Toire Weasley who he's known since he was a baby."
"Maybe he will if you just told him!"
"Ellie! How long did it take you to admit to James you liked him? A year? Yeah, that's right, just shut up!"
"FINE!" exclaimed Ellie before storming off to the Head's Dorm and leaving an angry Toire in the girls dorm. They were over their fight the next day, but the conversation wouldn't be brought up again until the following winter.
NEWTs started the third week of May, and the night before the first tests, which happened to be transfiguration and divination, most seventh years were high anxiety. The next morning, they ate nervously and then waited to take their written exams. James, Orion, Murphy, and Teddy had practically laughed at how easy the written had been. That afternoon, the practical had been almost as easy. Being animagi made transfiguration at a NEWT level seem insignificantly easy. Teddy had amazed his examiner by showing off his metamorphogus skills, and each of them were almost sure they had gotten O's. Murphy was the only one still taking Divination and said it was fairly stupid as always.
The next days had passed in a whirl with Defense Against the Dark Arts and Arithmancy the next day and Potions and Muggle Studdies on Wednesday. History, and Herbology on Thursday had been different with no practical for History making the written twice as long. Charms and Ancient Ruins had been on Friday and afterword everyone of the seventh years had been extremely relieved.
That night, over half of the grade had snuck out of the school and headed to the Hog's Head for a few drinks, the marauders, Ellie, and Victoire included. It had been a much needed escape, and by the end of the night, the whole grade had been dancing on tables and celebrating in a very rowdy manner. Slytherins were sitting alongside gryffindors and Ravenclaws were slurring their words. It was a good thing that Ellie was related to the management, because for some reason, Aberforth, the barkeep who was Ellie's uncle, had allowed them to stay very late, even after kicking out most of the other patrons.
The seventh years were just warming up their partying skills though. The fifth years were taking their OWLs next week, and the seventh years were basically done. The classes weren't really classes as most of the teachers allowed them to do what they wanted if they even required them to come. They had the Seventh Year Ball next Saturday and then graduation was on the Thursday after that. They would leave Hogwarts for the final time on Saturday morning. However, most of them just wanted to forget about that and enjoy the time they had left.
One chapter left! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please!
If you were lost about what happened with Charlie's secret family and stuff, read that one shot!
Ellie