Wednesday, September 1, 1976
Rule #37 Don't underestimate James Potter
"Hullo. Good summer?" Nards stepped through the open compartment door, closely followed by Bransnog. They both found empty seats and sat down before Nards turned to James, looking businesslike. "Right, I hear Bubbles has a friend he reckons is a good fit for Keeper. What do you know about her?"
James tossed a Bertie Botts across the compartment. Sirius leapt out of his seat and caught it in his mouth, then landed rather unsteadily and grinned. "Landing could be smoother, Padfoot. I've seen you do much better," James said, then shrugged and met Nards's gaze. "I dunno much about her, to be honest. But I trust Bubbles, so if he says she's good, I'll seriously consider her." He selected another Bertie Botts from the box and tossed it into the air. Sirius caught this one much more gracefully, then gave a dramatic bow.
"Is this how you spend every train ride?" Nards asked, laughing.
Peter nodded. "Pretty much. It helps pass the time."
"What do you do when you run out of Bertie Botts?" Bransnog asked curiously.
"Send Peter out for more, usually," Sirius answered, sprawling out on the floor.
"Hello, friends," came a voice from the doorway, causing everyone to turn and look in surprise. Standing slightly awkwardly with one hand in his pocket and a shy smile on his face was Nards's Hufflepuff friend Ryan. This time he munched not a piece of bacon, but what appeared to be a half-eaten steak.
"Oh, hello, Ryan," Nards said. "Would you like to join us?" She gestured at the empty seat next to James.
Ryan shook his head. "No thanks, I'm sitting with some of the Hufflepuffs, I just wanted to stop and say hi. Did you all have a good summer?"
Nards nodded. "It was brilliant. The team got together for a summer practice before that party I invited you to - you should have come, by the way, it was a lot of fun!"
"Yeah, thanks for the invite, but like I said, I'm not much for parties." He gestured at the steak clutched in his hand. "Anyone want some steak?"
Sirius glanced at James and raised his eyebrows. "Are you going to tell me off again for accepting food from someone we're about to mock, or are you trying to be nicer to the sort of people we usually hex for fun?"
James grinned. "The second one. And Ryan, I suppose I owe you an apology. I was a bit of a prat to you before, and there was no need for it, so I'm sorry."
Ryan shrugged. "That's all right."
"Right," said Sirius. "In that case, toss that steak over this way. No, actually toss it, and put a bit of arc on it, will you?"
Ryan looked slightly taken aback, but tossed the steak as requested, and Sirius jumped from his seat to catch it in the air easily.
"Thanks, mate," Sirius said thickly, his mouth full.
"No problem," Ryan said, amused. "Well, good to see you, Nards. I'll see you around. Bye, everyone." He waved, then stepped through the door and pulled it shut behind him.
James glanced at Nards. "You invited him to my party and asked him to join us today?" he asked curiously. "How did you know I wouldn't be a git to him again or ask him to leave?"
Nards smiled. "I know you, Potter. It takes a lot to get something through that thick skull of yours, but once something does get through to you, you listen. Rule number 37: don't underestimate James Potter."
"How many times do we have to go through this? Only I get to make rules," James protested.
Nards ignored him. "I knew you'd actually make an effort to be nicer because despite your best efforts to convince people otherwise, I know you're actually a decent bloke. And what do you know, I was right, wasn't I?"
Before James could reply, the compartment door slid open again to reveal Lily Evans.
"All right, Evans?" James said, breaking into a huge grin and running a hand through his hair involuntarily.
"Hello," she replied, looking at James apprehensively. "Remus, I'm going to go patrol the corridors in a few minutes, if you'd like to join me."
Remus nodded. "Yeah, all right. Good summer?"
"Not bad. How was yours?"
"Al lright," he replied. "It's good to be back, though."
"You missed a good party, Evans," Sirius said. "You should have come."
She smirked. "Yeah, Mary told me you two really enjoyed yourselves. Can't believe I missed that." She rolled her eyes. "I love Mary, but she makes some bloody questionable choices sometimes."
"Rude," Sirius retorted.
"Hey, Evans-" James began, but Lily cut him off.
"Listen, Potter, if you're going to ask me out, you can just save your breath, because I'm going to turn you down."
"No, that's not what I was going to say," James replied evenly. "As a matter of fact, I'm actually trying to be less of an annoyingly persistent git this year. No, I was going to ask if your parents cried with joy when they saw your excellent O.W.L. results." He met her gaze, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly.
She blushed. "Oh, I just assumed - you had that look on your face, so I just figured - anyway, sorry. And my parents were really pleased! My mum cried, and my dad was so proud he decided to teach me to drive his car - but hold on, how did you know about my scores?" She frowned at him suspiciously.
He grinned. "Oh, come on, Evans, it's no big mystery. You're one of the best in our year, right up there with me and Sirius, and you know I hate admitting I'm not the best at something, so I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. Come on, how many 'Outstandings' did you get?"
She shook her head, but he couldn't help but notice the self-conscious smile on her face. "Not everyone needs to brag about their accomplishments. I did well enough to continue on in all the classes I wanted, and that's all you need to know." She looked at him curiously. "How many 'Outstandings' did you get, then?"
"Now now, Evans," James replied, crossing his arms and assuming a self-righteous manner. "Not everyone needs to brag about their accomplishments. I did well enough that my mum forgot to shout at me for letting a Bludger loose in the house, and that's all you need to know." He reached for the box of Bertie Botts and selected one for himself, then tossed one across the room for Sirius to catch before offering the box to Lily. "Bertie Botts?"
She accepted the box and shook several beans into her hand, selecting two green ones before offering up the rest to the group. "Would anyone like these? Or do you mind if I put them back in the box?"
"Which flavor did you pick out?" Bransnog asked with interest. "I only like the chocolate and candyfloss ones myself."
"Oh, I really like the grass ones," she replied, looking slightly embarrassed.
James and Sirius both burst into laughter. "You like the grass ones?" James repeated incredulously. "As in, you specifically seek them out? Evans, the grass ones are the ones you spit out, or the ones you leave in the box and offer to someone you don't really want to share with, or throw for Sirius to catch."
"Evans, I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I'll eat basically anything," Sirius put in.
"Oh, I'm aware," Lily retorted, rolling her eyes.
"But even I don't like the grass Bertie Botts," he finished, ignoring her interruption.
"Just because you two don't like something doesn't mean it's not good," she argued. "Don't yuck my yum, all right? If you're going to be prats, I'll go ahead and leave." She took a step toward the door.
"Hold on, hold on, we were only joking," James said hurriedly. "I mean, I do still maintain that you're a freak for preferring the grass flavor, but then again there are a lot of things that Sirius and I like that you don't prefer, so to each his own, I suppose." He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, to make it up to you we'll show you what we spent most of the summer perfecting." He turned to Sirius. "Padfoot, are you ready?"
"Hang on, are you talking about the one I think you're talking about?" Sirius asked,
frowning. "Because I don't think I'm quite drunk enough to pull that off. Also there isn't enough space in here."
"Are you drunk at all?" Lily asked in surprise.
Sirius grinned. "'Course not. Moony's a prefect - he wouldn't allow such a flagrant disregard for school rules to occur under his watch," he said, winking at Remus.
"Anyway, that's not the one I meant," James interjected. "I meant the other one."
"Because that clears it up," Lily muttered sarcastically, but Sirius seemed to know exactly what James was referring to, because he placed himself in the center of the compartment and said, "Right, Evans, prepare to be amazed."
James plucked one of the rejected Bertie Botts from Lily's hand, then gestured for her to stand on the opposite side of the compartment. "Okay, when I say go, throw it across the compartment, but aim a bit low, because we mostly practiced this with one of my house elves."
"Hey, I practiced this with you, too," Peter protested.
"Yeah, well, you're not much taller than a house elf, are you, Pete?" Sirius pointed out. "Aim low, Evans."
"Okay, everyone ready? One, two, three, go!" James and Lily both tossed their bean from opposite ends of the compartment. Somehow, Sirius managed to jump into the air and execute a graceful turn to catch both beans in his mouth and land perfectly before bowing deeply.
"That's what you spent all summer working on?" Lily asked over everyone's laughter and applause. "Merlin, you two know how to waste time."
"Black, you eat everything, including half-eaten steak that a Hufflepuff you barely know had already bitten, and you do tricks and catch food in your mouth. Do you realize that you are exactly like my dog?" Nards asked, still chuckling.
Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter looked at each other, then burst into hysterical laughter. Sirius was laughing so hard that he almost choked on the half-chewed Bertie Botts still in his mouth.
"What in the world is so funny?" Lily asked, but nobody could speak to answer her question. "You're mad, all of you." She shook her head in confused amusement, then offered Remus a hand up, as he had slumped to the floor in a fit of laughter. "Come on, get it together so you can come patrol with me." They left the compartment, Remus still trying and failing to contain his laughter.
"Bloody hell," Sirius said, wiping away tears of mirth.
"What?" James choked out, still shaking with silent laughter.
"Do you realize you just managed to have a civil conversation with Evans without making a complete prat of yourself?"
James blinked several times, then grinned. "I did, didn't I?"
Nards patted him on the back. "See? It's because you took my advice. Rule number 37. As long as you keep up with trying not to be a git, I think you'll have a lot more civil conversations. Of course, she now thinks you're barking mad for rolling on the floor laughing at nothing, but it could be worse, I suppose - what's so funny now?"
The three of them had dissolved once again into laughter. Sirius managed to gasp "Barking - get it?" in between peals of laughter.
"You are mad," Nards observed, chuckling, before helping herself to a Bertie Botts.
Saturday, September 4, 1976
Rule #38 Ignore the hecklers
Rule #39 Don't drunkenly distract your teammates when they're trying to focus on Quidditch
"All right, team," James said, striding back and forth purposefully and addressing the group of players clustered in front of him. "Today is important, so I want everyone fully focused."
"As opposed to any other team-related activity?" Bubbles asked, smirking.
"Rule number four, Bubbles," James said, holding up a hand. "Now, as I was saying, today is important. Crash was a bloody good Keeper, and he won't be easy to replace, but we'll have to find somebody decent if we want a shot at the Cup again this year. I want you all to pay attention, because it's not just raw talent we're looking for. We also want a Keeper with a good work ethic, someone who is able to make the time commitment, someone who has the right personality to fit in well with the rest of the team. I want your input on this, so if you have an opinion about someone, don't be afraid to speak up, okay?"
They all nodded, then headed out onto the field. A group of Gryffindors sat on the first row of bleachers, clutching brooms and gazing at the Quidditch team in excitement. Most of them appeared nervous, fiddling with items of clothing or jiggling their legs, but one girl with long dark hair merely looked bored. There were more of them than James had expected, but he couldn't decide if this was good or bad.
"Potter, what the hell is that all about?" Nards asked, pointing at a spot a few rows up the bleachers where Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat. A large sign propped next to them proclaimed "YOU SAVE A GOAL, WE DRINK!" and the three of them were laughing loudly.
"Oh, just ignore them," James replied, waving his hand dismissively.
"How are we supposed to ignore that?" Nards demanded. She had to practically shout, because Sirius had chosen that moment to begin calling out a mixture of encouraging and disparaging remarks to the potential Keepers through a megaphone.
"Just tune it out," James said, shrugging. "Same as you would during a game when the Slytherins are shouting all sorts of foul nonsense."
"But what happened to the rule about distractions being dangerous?" she persisted. "You're just going to let them sit there and distract us all after you've just finished rattling on about how important the tryouts are?"
James ran a hand through his hair and frowned slightly. "Well, normally I wouldn't, but there are, er, extenuating circumstances," he said evasively.
"And what exactly does that mean?" Nards asked.
"Never you mind," James said, but Seven spoke up.
"Yesterday Sirius tried to talk to his brother for the first time since he ran away from home this summer. It didn't go well, and he was pretty down about it, so this is their way of trying to cheer him up." She surveyed the three Marauders thoughtfully. "I'd say it's a success."
James gaped at her. "How the hell do you know that?"
She shrugged. "I'm observant. Plus I'm quiet, so people say all sorts of things in front of me because they don't notice I'm there."
James chuckled. "Fair enough. Well. you have no business knowing that, but you're absolutely right. The best way to distract Sirius from his family problems is to give him some sort of project to get behind and get him excited about. Well, that and to get him drunk. So this idea is great because it checks both boxes." He grinned. "Right, are we ready to start tryouts?"
James had decided to begin the tryouts by making everyone run. This would quickly identify the whiners and weed out anyone who wasn't willing to endure the grueling monthly team runs. The rest of the team loved this idea, mostly because they enjoyed getting to watch from the bleachers as the prospective Keepers huffed and puffed their way around the field.
"Oh, look," Unicorn observed in amusement. "They've added to the sign."
Indeed, "YOU PUKE, WE DRINK" had been added to the sign below the original slogan. Almost as if on cue, a girl near the front of the line bent over and barely managed to avoid vomiting all over her shoes.
"Lovely," Unicorn said, looking disgusted, but Sirius shouted "Cheers!" through his megaphone, then he, Remus, and Peter all took long drinks from their respective flasks.
After two of the Gryffindors were eliminated after they were unable to complete the run, James had them take turns blocking goals from the Chasers. The first couple of prospective Keepers barely saved any goals. Their skill was not helped by the almost constant stream of heckling that issued from Sirius's megaphone. They were clearly not limiting themselves to only drinking when a goal was saved, because their level of obnoxiousness quickly became impossible to ignore. When one poor fourth year boy failed to block a goal for the sixth time and Sirius began belting out a made up song about his lack of Keeper ability, Nards crossed her arms and glared at James.
"Come on, Potter, you can't let this go on," she said, gesturing angrily up at the three Marauders. Remus was currently attempting to grab the megaphone from Sirius's hands, but was so unsteady on his feet that he only managed to topple over into Peter. "Nobody can pay attention, that's why they've saved barely any goals."
James shook his head. "We're just going to keep ignoring it, Nards. If none of these prospective players can ignore distractions, they don't stand a chance during an actual match. Rule #38: Ignore the hecklers. Now, let's get back to the tryouts. I have a good feeling about the next two."
The tall boy who tried out next saved almost every shot, but missed one when Sirius shouted "DON'T MISS!" and started doing a particularly distracting dance. He slunk off the field, looking frustrated and muttering under his breath. The next prospective Keeper, a short girl with long dark hair called Leigh-Anne who was friends with Bubbles's girlfriend, saved the first few goals. However, when Unicorn approached her with the Quaffle and aimed, the three Marauders began throwing things in their general direction. Aided by some sort of spell, the unidentified items went much further than would have been possible without magic. Snatching one out of the air, Unicorn realized with a burst of laughter that they were various articles of Sirius's clothing.
"You've got to be bloody kidding me!" Leigh-Anne said indignantly as she had to duck to avoid one of Sirius's boots. "That's it!" She turned to Unicorn. "Can we pause the tryouts for a minute?" she asked, then flew off toward the bleachers without waiting for a response.
The rest of the team looked at each other blankly, then hurried after her, not wanting to miss anything. When they reached the section of the bleachers where the Marauders had been causing a ruckus, Leigh-Anne had landed next to them and was glaring at them with her arms crossed and her eyes flashing dangerously. Sirius, wearing only boxers, looked amused; Remus gaped at her in total shock; Peter looked terrified.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, causing a scene like that when we're trying to have tryouts here?!" she demanded. "How am I supposed to save any goals when I have your smelly boots flying at my head?"
"We're really sorry-" Remus began, but Sirius cut him off.
"Don't apologize to her, Moony, she's yelling at us like a madwoman!" He took a sip from his flask and met the girl's gaze. "We're just having a bit of fun - relax!"
"No, I will not relax! This is my day, and I won't have it ruined by your idiotic antics!" She snatched the flask from his hand and shoved it into her pocket.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sirius protested.
"I'm putting a stop to your shenanigans. You'll get this back when I'm allowed to finish my tryout without clothing being thrown at me or having to watch your horrendous dance moves or listening to you heckle me! All right?" She fixed him with a piercing stare.
Sirius looked at Remus and Peter, both shocked into silence, then at the members of the Quidditch team. Nards and Unicorn were both doubled over in laughter, but the rest of the team, including James, stared in stunned disbelief.
"Prongs, are you going to let this girl overrule you at your own Quidditch tryouts?" Sirius demanded.
This finally seemed to jolt James into action, because he shook his head slightly and said, "Right, you can't talk to my friends like that, and you're not in charge here - I am. I don't know why you think this is 'your day,' but this day isn't about you, it's about the team. And I'm not sure if you've ever heard this before, as I know it's a rather revolutionary concept, but there's no 'I' in team. So you can go ahead and return Sirius's flask, and then you may as well head back to the castle, because you're never going to last on this team if that's the way you're going to act."
The girl's eyes widened in disbelief and anger, but before she had time to respond, Nards held up a hand.
"Don't go anywhere. We're going to have a brief team meeting," she told the girl, before grabbing James by the arm and pulling him down onto the pitch. The rest of the team followed, looking very confused.
"What do you think you're playing at, Nards?" James asked, crossing his arms and scowling at her. "I had that situation under control, thank you very much."
Nards rolled her eyes. "Just shut up for a minute and hear me out." She took a deep breath. "Okay, I think you should give her the Keeper spot."
Her statement produced quite a commotion. Bubbles dropped his broom; Unicorn squealed "What?!" then clapped her hands over her mouth when she realized how loudly she'd spoken; Seven looked from Nards to James to spot on the bleachers where Leigh-Anne still stood as if she couldn't make sense of the situation. The rest of the team stared at Nards in disbelief.
"Why the hell would I do that? Yes, she's good, but you heard her - we can't have someone like that on the team," James argued.
"No, we need someone like that on the team. Listen," she said, putting a hand on James's arm, because he had opened his mouth to argue. "I know I've had my share of issues, but you have to admit, I'm the one who isn't afraid to call you out when you're being a prat, or any of the rest of us, for that matter. She's the same way, and we need more of that, because you're a prat rather often." She grinned at him. "And like you said, she's good. She's no Crash, but I think with some training she could get there." She paused, trying to read his expression. "I know she was a bit intense, but you have to admit, it's pretty impressive to be able to shut Black up like that. If she could channel that intensity into Quidditch, she'd be unstoppable. And I think if you give her a chance, she'll appreciate it and be willing to do whatever it takes. And Bubbles vouches for her, and you know he wouldn't say that unless he thought she could cut it."
James ran his hand through his hair, a thoughtful expression on his face. He stayed silent for so long that several members of the team began to grow antsy. Finally he looked Nards in the eye and took a deep breath.
"Nards, I think you're a genius."
She raised her eyebrows, taken aback. "You do?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I do. I mean, at first I thought you'd hit your head or taken a few swigs from Sirius's flask or something, but the more I think about it, the more brilliant I think it is. You're right - she's exactly what this team needs. And before she tore Sirius a new arsehole, I was ready to offer her the Keeper spot right then and there. Now, after what you said, I'm even more confident that she's the right choice. I mean, Sirius was shirtless right in front of her and she didn't even bat an eye, just went right on shouting at him, so clearly she's immune to his charms, which is more than I can say for you and Unicorn." He grinned at both girls, then continued. "If everyone else is on board with this, I'll go ahead and offer her the spot." He looked around at his teammates, but everyone remained silent. "Come on, anyone? Seven, what do you think?"
She blinked several times. "Me?"
James chuckled. "Yeah, you. You're observant. You notice things that other people don't, and you have an excellent grasp of what will and won't work for this team. So I'll ask you again, and I want your honest opinion. Will this girl be a good fit for our team?"
Seven didn't hesitate. "I really think she will. As long as she doesn't shout at you like that, that is, because if she does I doubt she'll survive to play in the first match."
James grinned. "Fair enough. What do the rest of you think? Is anyone violently opposed to the idea?" He glanced around at his teammates, and finally Bubbles spoke up.
"I think she'll be brilliant, Potter. As you saw, she can be a bit, er, hot-tempered, but overall she's a hard worker and a damn good Keeper. I say, give her a chance."
After a minute, James shrugged and nodded. "All right then. Come on, let's go get our new Keeper."
He strode off toward the bleachers, and the rest of the team followed bemusedly.
"Right, crazy yelling girl, I'd like to offer you the Keeper spot," James announced. "On the condition that you never shout at me like that. Also, you'll have to give Sirius back his flask."
She stared at him, looking slightly embarrassed, then smiled slowly. "All right," she said. "I promise to never shout at you like that, if you promise to never drunkenly distract me while I'm trying to focus on Quidditch."
"Fair enough," James said, nodding. "I promise. In fact, I'll make it a rule. Rule #39: Don't drunkenly distract your teammates when they're trying to focus on Quidditch."
She frowned slightly but nodded. "Right. Thanks. And here you go." She handed the flask back to Sirius, looking sheepish.
"Cheers," Sirius said, accepting the flask and taking a large sip from it before offering it back to Leigh-Anne. "Want a sip? It might calm you down a bit."
She grinned and accepted the flask, taking a small sip before handing it back to Sirius. "Thanks. And I'm sorry for shouting at you like that, although to be fair you were being quite obnoxious."
Sirius shrugged. "It's quite alright," he said with dignity. "And I've been told I have a tendency to be obnoxious, so I suppose I might've deserved it just a bit."
"Right," said James, plucking the flask from Sirius's hands and taking a swig before handing it back. "It's your call, but I'd suggest going back to the castle while Moony is still able to walk on his own." He jerked his head in Remus's direction and raised his eyebrows meaningfully before turning to Leigh-Anne. "Is that one of the school brooms?" he asked, eying her broom doubtfully.
She frowned. "Yeah, it is. I don't have my own."
"Hmm," James said, looking thoughtful. "Well, I'm even more impressed with how well you played on that old thing. It won't do for matches, though. Can you get your own? I'd recommend a Cleansweep, they're really the best for Keeping, but it's your call."
She hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Sure. I'll write home and ask my parents tonight."
"All right, it's settled," James said, satisfied. "Come on, then, Miss Shoutypants. We're going to have a team meeting." As he steered her back toward the Quidditch pitch, he couldn't help smiling to himself. It had been an unconventional tryout, but nevertheless he felt that it couldn't have gone better.
Monday, September 6, 1976
Rule # 40: Don't let a lack of resources get in the way of real talent
James took a sip of his pumpkin juice and glanced down the Gryffindor table at Lily. She and Mary Macdonald chatted animatedly, giggling loudly before clapping their hands over their mouths to stifle the sound. James enjoyed the way Lily laughed with her whole body, throwing her head back and sending her dark red hair flying. Completely absorbed in her conversation, she paid him no mind, which was fortunate, because someone tapped him on the shoulder and jarred him from his reverie, causing him to jump and spill his pumpkin juice all over the table.
"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, turning to see who had startled him and finding Leigh-Anne standing there, looking almost as surprised as him.
"Sorry," she said, attempting to mop up the spilled pumpkin juice with a napkin. "I didn't mean to startle you, but I called your name three times, didn't you hear me?"
"Oh, he doesn't hear a thing when he's staring dreamily at Evans like that," Sirius chimed in before James could reply.
"I wasn't staring dreamily," James protested.
"One time he didn't notice his trousers were on fire because he was too busy watching Evans stirring a potion," Remus added, smirking and ignoring James.
"Why were his trousers on fire?" Leigh-Anne asked. "Did you stand too close to the flame, Potter?"
"No, Sirius set them on fire," Peter replied, grinning.
"You set your best mate's trousers on fire?" Leigh-Anne asked incredulously through peals of laughter.
"I was proving a point! And I put them out once it became clear he wasn't going to put them out himself," Sirius explained, smiling at the memory.
"First of all, Evans gets this look on her face when she's concentrating hard in Potions, her tongue pokes out and she kind of furrows her brow and it's bloody adorable and makes it impossible to concentrate on anything else," James said, as if this should have been common knowledge. "And second, you can all sod off." He looked at Leigh-Anne. "Did you want to ask me something, or did you come over here specifically to make me knock over my drink and then to laugh at me?"
She laughed, then her face fell. "Er, yeah, I have to talk to you about something, but could I talk to you alone, if that's all right?"
He shrugged. "Sure." He stood, then waved at the remaining Marauders. "I'll see you in class. And quit laughing, Moony!"
Remus tried unsuccessfully to force the smile from his face. "I'm sorry, I can't help it! I keep picturing the way Slughorn's eyes got all wide when he saw the flames coming off your trousers."
"You're a terrible friend," James said over his shoulder, but his grin contradicted his statement.
He followed Leigh-Anne across the Great Hall and into a deserted corridor, then stopped when she turned to face him. Her previous amusement was gone from her face, and had been replaced by a nervous frown. She fidgeted with a ring on her ringer, turning it around and around and not meeting James's eye.
"I, er, I wanted to tell you that I won't be able to get a new broom after all," she said, now looking determinedly at the ground.
"Oh?" James asked, surprised.
"My parents wrote back to me today. They can't afford to buy a new broom right now." She bit her lip, looking entirely forlorn. "I'll have to keep using one of the school brooms, and if you don't want me on the team now, I understand."
"Don't be silly," James said. "Of course I want you on the team."
"But you said the school broom won't do," she argued. "And you're right, none of them are any good, I'll be far too slow."
"Don't worry, we'll work it out," James assured her, giving her a comforting pat on the arm.
"Really?" she asked, finally meeting his eye, her face full of earnest hope.
"Of course. I'll see you at practice later, yeah?" He strode off to meet up with his friends without waiting for a response.
Friday, September 10, 1976
"Potter, you want to explain what this is?" Leigh-Anne stood in front of James, arms crossed and face set in a scowl, clutching a brand new broom in her hands.
James set down the box containing the Quidditch balls he had been carrying and looked at her quizzically. "In my expert opinion, I'd say that's the new Cleansweep."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I managed to figure that out on my own, thanks. I mean, how did it just magically appear in my dormitory, on my bed, in a package from Quality Quidditch Supplies?"
He shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. Apparently someone ordered it for you, and whoever it was has excellent taste, by the way."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "Nobody else knew I needed a new broom but couldn't afford it, Potter." She lightly traced the raised gold lettering on the broom handle, then thrust it into James's arms. "Here, send it back. It's really nice of you, but I can't accept this."
James refused to take the broom, taking a step back so Leigh-Anne was forced to stand there with her arms outstretched, looking slightly foolish. "Of course you can accept it," he said, pulling the Quaffle from the box and tossing it idly from hand to hand. "You needed a new broom, and now you have a new broom. You were great on the old school broom, but now you're going to be unstoppable."
"But you shouldn't have-" she began, but he cut her off.
"Of course I should have. You're a member of my team, and I look out for my team. Just like when I made sure Bubbles got caught up in his classes, or when I taught Nards the best ways to sneak around the school after hours to avoid detention. I wouldn't be a good captain if I didn't do whatever it takes to help my team. Rule #40: Don't let a lack of resources get in the way of real talent."
She stared at him for a moment, flattered by his praise, then burst out, "But I know what this broom costs! It's far too expensive to just buy for someone!"
James laughed. "I don't know how to say this without sounding like I'm bragging, because honestly I'm not, but do you know how much money my parents have?"
She hesitated. "I mean, I know they're well-off, but-"
"No, well-off is an understatement," he said, cutting her off. "They're stupid rich. And nothing brings them more joy than to spoil their darling little angel of a son."
She chuckled and eyed him doubtfully. "Darling little angel isn't a phrase I'd ever use to describe you."
"Well, yeah, I suppose it's a bit of a stretch. But the point is, if I ask for money, they send it, no questions asked. So I have plenty of money, and I spend it how I want, and I wanted to buy my Keeper a new broom. So do me a favor, and stop worrying about it, and get on that thing and show me what it can do."
She smiled. "Yeah, all right," she agreed, mounting the broom and kicking off into the air to zoom around the field gleefully. James watched her for a moment, smiling to himself, before mounting his own broom and following after her.
Monday, October 18, 1976
Rule #41 Use the nicknames, they create a sense of bloody community among the team,
damnit!
Rule #42 Rule number 16 trumps rule number 19
James strode up to Leigh-Anne, where she stood outside of the History of Magic classroom rummaging through her bag.
"Hey, can you come down to practice a few minutes early?" he asked. "I need help setting up a new drill." He grinned mischievously. "The team's going to love it.
She looked at him skeptically. "That sounds ominous. Why do I get the feeling we're not actually going to love it?" She glanced out the window, where a cold rain had been falling steadily all day. "Why are we even practicing in this weather? It's freezing out there and we'll be soaked the second we step outside."
"You know we practice in all weather, Leigh-Anne. We've got a match coming up, and we've got to be ready for all sorts of conditions."
She frowned but nodded. "All right, I'll be there. Oh, by the way, did you hear Brandon's landed himself in detention? I think he's going to miss at least two practices."
James looked scandalized. "First of all, his name is Bransnog, and why the bloody hell has he gotten detention? He knows every practice is of utmost importance right now." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
She bit her lip thoughtfully. "Er, I think it was something to do with Danielle-" she began.
"Her name is Unicorn! Rule number 41: Use the nicknames, they create a sense of bloody community among the team, damnit!" James exploded.
"Sorry, it's hard to keep the nicknames straight," she complained. "Also, I still don't have a nickname, so how is that fair?" She looked out the window again and crossed her arms. "I'm getting shouted at, I've got to sit through History of Magic, and I have to play Quidditch when it's bloody freezing and raining. What a great day."
"Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine," James observed sarcastically, then grinned. "Hey, I've found you a nickname!"
She looked confused. "What?"
"Sunshine!" He gave her a pat on the shoulder, then headed off down the corridor. "I'll see you later, and cheer up! Try playing tic tac toe during History of Magic, it helps pass the time."
At lunch, James hunted down Bransnog and pulled him aside, wearing a stern expression.
"What's this I hear about you getting detention?" he demanded. "What happened to rule #19, especially with our first match so close? And when were you going to tell me about this - I had to hear it from Sunshine!"
Bransnog thought for a minute. "Sorry, am I supposed to know who Sunshine is?"
"Oh, right, I haven't told you lot yet - Sunshine is our Keeper's new nickname. Cause she can be a bit of a negative nancy - get it? It's ironic. But anyway, you haven't answered my questions. What gives, Bransnog?"
Bransnog sighed. "I hexed Mulciber right in front of Slughorn. And I called him a bigoted fucking arsehole rather loudly. And I may have thrown several of my Potions ingredients at him." He grinned sheepishly.
James raised his eyebrows in appreciation. In all the years he had known Bransnog, James had barely ever heard him swear, never mind hex and throw Potions ingredients at someone. Bransnog had always been a calm, even-keeled presence on the Quidditch team, so this lapse in judgement took James by surprise.
"For the record, I think Mulciber is indeed a bitoted fucking arsehole, and I wholeheartedly believe he deserved to be hexed and have Potions ingredients thrown at him, but may I ask why you decided to do these things today, when I don't think I've seen you in trouble at all since I've known you, besides maybe losing five house points once or twice?" James looked at Bransnog with interest, his anger overshadowed by his curiosity.
Bransnog shrugged. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have lost my temper, but I couldn't help it. Mulciber called Unicorn a mudblood, and I just lost it - I could barely think straight, I was so angry." He met James's eye, wearing an expression of deep regret. "I know I messed up, and you're probably really angry-"
James held up a hand and interrupted. "I'm not angry, actually."
Bransnog raised his eyebrows, confused. "You're not?"
James shook his head. "No. I'm really bloody proud of you, to be honest."
"But I broke rule number, er, whatever the one is about avoiding detention."
"Rule number 19," James supplied. "And that's true. However, you upheld rule 16, which, if you don't recall, is look out for your teammates no matter what. Rule number 43 is that rule number 16 trumps rule number 19. I probably would have done even worse to Mulciber if I'd heard him say that, so there's no need for you to apologize. Serve your detentions, and we'll carry on at practice without you and catch you up on anything important that you'll miss, all right?"
Bransnog was silent for a minute, looking thoughtful, then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, all right. And thanks, Potter."
Before James could respond, Unicorn rushed up to them, looking harried.
"Potter!" she called, slightly out of breath. "It was my fault! Don't be upset with Bransnog. He was just defending me because Mulciber called me-"
"It's alright, relax, Unicorn," James said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Bransnog's just explained, and I'm not mad."
"I know he broke your rule about avoiding detention, but he was just…" Her voice trailed off as she realized what he'd said. "Wait, you're not angry?"
James shook his head. "Nah. I would have done the same thing. He was just looking out for a teammate, which is rule number 16, and which is more important than avoiding detention, even if we do have our first match coming up and are going to have to work extra hard to make up for the lost practice time with one of our Beaters…" He took a deep breath, then grinned. "It was nice of you to try to take the blame, Unicorn, but it's not necessary." He paused. "I am going to need you both to do one thing for me, though?"
"What's that?" Bransnog asked.
"Please describe in exact detail how Mulciber looked when you threw Potions ingredients at him. I want to almost feel like I was there, because I'm bloody upset that I didn't get to see it."
Bransnog and Unicorn both laughed before launching into the detailed description James had requested.