McGonagall was upset. "Alright, this is the fourth time this has happened. I want to know who has done this?" She looked around and narrowed her eyes at the four Gryffindor boys she had been suspecting ever since the first time it had happened. But they feigned nonchalance and nobody had seen them do anything, nor were there any traces of what they had been doing. She had even confiscated their wands once to see which spell they had used last but none that could emit a farting noise. She rather aggressively dismissed the class and people were still chuckling about it.

Leah was laughing and walked up to the boys "Now I thought it would be childish and get annoying after a while but honestly it is just really funny. Great job you guys."

"Thanks Leah, means a lot to us. And thank you again Lily." James said.

Leah added "Yes please thank your aunt for us. This is incredible. Muggles are geniuses."

Lily smiled "I will pass on the note. But this is the first and last time I will help. I don't want to get in any trouble."

"No worries, Lily. Even if we get caught, which we won't, we would never rat you out. This stays between us." Remus smiled at James words.

Sirius nodded "And remember if you ever need anything, come to us."

Lily nodded and mentioned that she wanted to grab a book before going to the Great Hall, the rest said they were going to meet her there.

X

The boys sat down at the table, grinning as Sirius walked past the teachers table to apparently get a good look at the House Points and discreetly put a Whoopie Cushion on Dumbledore's seat. He then grinned at Slughorn as he entered and moved to his friends. As Dumbledore entered and sat down the whole Hall was laughing. McGonagall looked furious but even Dumbledore chuckled.

Fabian and Gideon started walking towards them, laughing "Nice one guys."

"Thank you very much."

"Now how did you guys do that?"

"Ah Gideon, I don't know if we can trust you with this information."

Sirius nudged James "Now don't be like that, they are notorious for their pranks as well."

"Fine, from a Muggle joke shop, we got these Whoopie Cushions, which emit a fart noise once somebody sits on them and our genius Remus, here, made them invisible and once the noise came they would evaporate."

"Brilliant" Fabian grinned. "Now we are close to giving you what you want and deserve but first we need your help with a prank we have been planning for quite a while. Are you interested?"

All four nodded. "Brilliant, we will need to meet in one of the bigger hidden passageways" Gideon said to Fabian and James raised an eyebrow "Passageways?"

They nodded "There are a few. Some will lead you to different parts of the castle faster, some lead you to Hogsmeade. We won't show you those yet until you have experienced Hogsmeade for the first time next year but there is one, which is huge and can store everything we need in there."

Sirius was grinning "What is the plan?"

"We shouldn't talk about this here and it needs some planning, we should discuss it later."

James nodded and Remus added "We have about 15 of those Cushions left and then we are all yours."

Fabian regarded them real quick "Have you already learned the glass or cauldron transfiguration spell?"

Peter queaked "No, we started with the theory but we won't start the incantation until next week."

"Alright, we will be able to help with that and Aguamenti?"

"Gideon, that is a spell from year 5. We will need to show them that as well."

Gideon nodded and claimed it would be no problem. They saw the girls approaching, as they had gone to the bathroom before and had then waited for Lily so they changed the subject quickly. "Are any of you going to see the Quidditch tryouts?"

"Yes we are, our very own James is trying out for the team this year." Sirius beamed.

"Well Congratulations. We will be sure to show our support. Which position?"

"I always wanted to be a Chaser and since Kani, one of the Chasers last year graduated I thought I would give it a shot."

"Great! We were never really that into playing Quidditch but we will definitely watch. I think after that we can show you the place. Friday in the evening? Sound good?"

"Perfect. Thank you, guys." Remus smiled and the twins left.

Lily looked at the 4 boys closely "What was that all about?"

James grinned lazily "Just some help for Transfiguration." She narrowed her eyes but decided she really did not want to be a part of another one of their schemes.

X

"Why is it already so cold?" Leah whined, trying to pull her light jacket closer, wrapping her arms around her. Emma nodded, rubbing her hands together.

Lily and Caitlin chuckled, wearing thicker jackets and a scarf "Why did you wear such a light jacket and thin tights?"

Leah rolled her eyes "Because it is not yet winter. It should not be this cold yet, it is the first week of October for Hecate's sake."

"Also this might be the only time to wear fall clothing, before it gets way too cold and one has to huddle up in layers and layers."

"A scarf would not have hurt."

"Oh a scarf would not have worked with this skirt at all and then also nobody could see my beautiful necklace." Leah explained.

Remus chuckled "The necklace is nice but we are at the Quidditch field and nobody is seeing it."

"You just don't get it Remus." Sirius said, rubbing his legs "It is all about the completeness of the outfit. Also this necklace is superb. It matches her eyes and her jacket."

"Aw thank you Sirius." He nodded and then waved as Leah's sister Michelle was approaching.

"You seem cold."

Lily smiled "It is not time yet for winter clothes apparently."

"Ah I understand."

Leah whined "How are you not cold?"

"I am wearing one of mom's sweaters."

"Oh, I should have worn the one she got me. They are surprisingly warm for fall sweaters."

Michelle answered "It would not have worked with the skirt. And the jacket would then also clash because it is almost the same color."

"You're right. We should have brought blankets."

"What about the Warming Spell, did you forget that?"

"No but I am in no mood to hold my wand towards me the whole time."

Sirius agreed "If there ever were a way to just warm yourself without holding the wand the whole time that would be brilliant" he looked over at Remus, who nodded slightly and made a mental note to look into it at one point.

Michelle pulled out two pieces of parchment and murmured a spell and they transfigured into two blankets, handing them to Leah and Emma. They thanked her and snuggled up. Sirius shivered again and Leah relented and gave her a part of the blanket and they moved closer to each other. Sirius attempted to put his arm over her to keep her warmer as she had lost half of the blanket but he seemed reluctant before he shrugged and placed his arm over her shoulder.

Remus muttered "How come he gets part of the blanket but I don't?"

"There is not enough room!" Remus pulled out his wand and said "Engorgio." The blanket grew twice its size and the two boys snuggled in and Leah was warmed from all sides. Sirius sighed and cried out "Oh look there is James."

James sauntered out onto the field with a training broom, his father had promised to get him a new broom if he made the team this year and have it sent immediately. But for now James had to work with a training broom. Sirius could tell he was a bit nervous about it, having relied on a good broom during practices at home, but he faked it well enough that nobody else noticed. He pushed up from the ground and was floating beside the other contestants for the position of Chaser. He looked over to his friends and suddenly his face paled a bit and he waved to somebody to the side of them. Sirius looked over and saw Mr. Potter walking to them.

"Mr. Potter, how nice to see you."

He smiled "You too Sirius, Remus, Peter, Leah, Michelle. I am afraid I am a bit late, has it already started?"

Leah said "No not yet. These are my friends; Lily, Emma and Caitlin, girls this is Mr. Potter."

"Pleasure." He sat down and watched his son. James paled a bit but shrugged it off and tightened his grip on the broom. This years captain, a seventh year Sirius had already forgotten the name of, explained the importance of the position of the Chasers and how Quidditch was an important factor for Gryffindor and how every member was important. He went on to talk about what he wanted from his new Chasers and how to handle certain situations. Sirius sighed "Oh this is going to take forever. Why does he do that to every position?"

Emma answered "He wants us to freeze to death." Everyone laughed. After another 10 minutes he blew his whistle and 4 of the 13 flew up to test their worth. James was in the second group and was watching the others and started to chew on his nails. Mr. Potter laughed "A nervous habit he got from me, I am afraid."

Leah laughed and asked "How is Mrs. Potter and Jenny?"

"Good, they are currently at her mother's house to visit and will come back in 2 weeks. When Jenny heard that I was coming here she almost flooed back to visit Hogwarts and James but Annie convinced her otherwise."

"I miss Jenny, she is such a ray of sunshine and can bring James to his knees so easily." Sirius sighed.

"Believe me she misses you too. I hope we see you again this summer, you always have a room with us. Of course you are also welcome during Christmas and Easter."

"Of course I will come over. Thank you very much."

A whistle blew and James and three others flew up. James rubbed his eyes once, twice and then shook his head again. The captain blew his whistle again and the Quaffle was thrown up into the air, James and a 5th year dove for it and James missed it by a few inches. Sirius, Remus and Peter groaned. This went on for a while and James wasn't bad but he had missed the Quaffle quite a few times. Mr. Potter narrowed his eyes and adjusted his glasses. After 20 minutes James' turn was over and the group of Gryffindors watched the rest of the Tryouts, nobody cold anymore, talking softly about different players and some about the teams they supported. Even Lily joined with a few insights into Quidditch, now knowing a lot more than last year. She had secretly bought a book Quidditch Through the Ages to learn more about the game her friends liked so much. A final whistle blew and the Captain called everyone back. He was talking to a few of them and some left the pitch. When he was talking to James the whole group held their breath, and as James walked back to the Changing Rooms everyone ran towards them. He came back out after 10 minutes, wearing his normal clothes and a disappointed look on his face.

Peter asked "And?" Sirius nudged him slightly but Peter didn't understand.

James shrugged "I didn't get it, I missed too many. I was off."

"No worries mate, you can always try again next year. Maybe today was just not your day." Sirius tried. James nodded slightly "Sorry you came all this way out here just to see this dad."

Mr. Potter smiled "Never apologize. You did well considering."

"Considering what?"

"Come I will explain on the way. I would like something warm to drink." James waved to his friends as he left with his father.

Emma said what everyone was thinking "I wonder what all of that was about."

Remus nodded "Maybe James will tell us tonight. I guess he is not getting a new broom."

X

After an early dinner, the 7 Gryffindors were one of the few in the Common Room when James entered.

"Mate what happened to you?"

"I was in the Hospital Wing for the last two hours."

Everyone was shocked "What? Why?"

"I need glasses. That is why I had such trouble today on the pitch. I couldn't see the Quaffle properly. Madam Pomfrey said it is a miracle that I was able to see everything for so long. Apparently my sight is really bad. Should have seen it coming. Both of my parents wear glasses."

Sirius was the first to break the silence "So when will you get them?"

"They will arrive in a few days."

"Well mate. I bet you will still look as dashing as now, so no worries there. And it is good that you found that out now before something serious came along and you couldn't see properly."

James laughed. Leah added "Yeah glasses are awesome. My mom would never admit it but she needs them too and she wears them when nobody is around and you know my dad wears his all the time. I bet I will need glasses one day. We can start a club."

James laughed again and some of the tension seeped out of him. He was thankful for his friends who understood. He flopped down on the empty lounge chair next to the couch which occupied Remus, Leah, Sirius and Caitlin, with Lily and Emma on the floor and Peter opposite of him in the other lounge chair. There was an ease and relaxedness about them all, which they all enjoyed. It seemed simple enough and at the same time very fulfilling. The portal opened and Elise Momsten walked in, Lily smiled at her and she seemed taken aback but smiled slightly. Leah looked over and saw her "Hi, would you like to join us?"

She seemed to think about it for a while but then shook her head "I still need to finish the Astronomy essay."

"Alright" Leah smiled. Elise smiled back and left.

Sirius stretched "I wonder about them sometimes."

Emma nodded "They do mostly keep to themselves. I guess some people just don't adapt well to others."

"I wonder why that name sounds so familiar to me."

"Which name?"

"Momsten."

Lily smirked "Because she is in our year, as is her brother."

"Haha, very funny. No I heard that name before."

Sirius sighed "Well it is not a Pureblood name that is for sure."

Lily looked taken aback "Why would you say that?"

Leah added "Cause they are not."

"How would you know?"

"There are very few Pureblood families left and most of us all know each other, having some relation to them."

Sirius added "Plus my parents forced me to learn all the names of Pureblooded families and which are the ones we should surround ourselves with."

Caitlin gulped "Really?"

"Oh yeah and that was considered fun in our household." He turned to Leah "Congrats by the way, you would be on the list of people I can be around."

"Really?"

"Your father was a Slytherin, your mother has connections to France, both from highly regarded and a long line of Pureblood families and your father is the Minister of Magic, of course my family would deem yours acceptable."

James added "I come from a long line of Potters and they have always been held in high regard."

"True but to my mother your family are Bloodtraitors."

"Oh yeah, that thing."

Leah shook her head "It shouldn't matter. We are all the same and all have the same potential."

Remus mumbled "In here." Leah looked at him and then looked down again.

Sirius registered what had happened and continued "But it does, doesn't it?"

James asked "What?"

"It does matter, at least in a way."

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Leah continued "I guess it does. We tend not to think about it but there are certain privileges and a way of thinking connected to being a Pureblood."

"The need to prove yourself." Sirius supplied.

"To live up to your family's name." James added.

Leah said softly "To not screw up and embarrass that name."

Lily looked at them shocked; they looked defeated in a way. Peter gasped "Are you saying that your lives are hard? Because let me tell you, even just being Half has gotten me treated badly at times."

Leah shook her head "No, not at all. Like I said there are plenty of privileges coming with it but as you struggle with your bloodstatus, so do we. But differently. There is a lot planted in our heads on how to behave, even if like my or James' family see it simpler and don't care that much, there is still that need to be accepted and approved by the whole family. I still sometimes see my dad look for the approval of my great- grandmother when she is around, by supplying things which are considered mainly Pureblood. He wouldn't care of course if any of us married someone not 'pure' but I can tell he and his family were relieved that my mom is also a Pureblood. And believe it or not so were my mom's family. It is hard to understand."

Lily asked "So if the time were to come, would you consider marrying someone 'pure' as you just put it?" Like Leah she had used air quotes around the word.

Leah was silent for a while "I don't know. I mean it would mean life would be easier for a while with my great- granny but at the same time I want to marry for love. Like my parents and grandparents. My great- granny was married off, they fell in love over time of course but she only had my grandmother, so my dad's mom, and her siblings surrounded by other Purebloods and my granny fell in love with a Pureblood, who is actually a distant cousin of hers, like very distant but he then took her name to continue the Parker name. I honestly don't know. And who is there even? The Malfoys? Their son is too old and involved with the Blacks. Who else is there?"

"The Potters?"

"Right okay, James any good looking cousins?"

"Most of them too old or too young."

Sirius supplied "Weasley?"

"Right, they have some. But I remember being somewhat related to them. And I don't know any, there aren't that many I know and none currently our age at Hogwarts. Next?"

"Shacklebolt?"

"None our age. And way too closely related. My grandmother's sister on my mom's side is married to a Shacklebolt so no."

"Rosier? Rowle?"

"No thank you, too dark. Same for Parkinson, Nott, Goyle, Lestrange, Carrow."

"Longbottom or Prewett?"

"Longbottom only has 3 children I think and all of them too old and the others already involved with someone else. Prewett? Well maybe."

"James or me?"

Leah laughed "My great- granny would probably really love that."

Emma rubbed her arms "Let's just drop it. It isn't important right now and no amount of talking about it will change anything today."

Remus sighed "You are right. Sorry I provoked a bit." He gave Leah a half hug and she leaned into him.

The portrait swung open again and Fabian and Gideon came inside "Hello all of you."

Gideon continued "We need to meet some other time. Filch is lurking around and we can't risk getting seen. We will contact you soon."

James nodded and Lily gasped "You said you guys were working on something for Transfiguration."

James gulped and Remus answered "We are but we need a room to practice in. No worries Lily, everything is fine."