Prompt: Being Competitive

James coughed, sputtering on his drink, and doing a double take of the placement of his seating card. Of course. Of course Slughorn would seat him right across from Evans.

"You alright?"

"Never better," he assured his date, pulling out her chair for her and taking the seat beside it. "Evans," he stiffly greeted the seated witch across from him.

"Potter," she returned, without any of her usual charm.

"Carmichael," he greeted her date, extending a hand towards him.

"Potter," Carmichael greeted, with a warm smile, "how's the Gryffindor team shaping up for next year?"

"Tip-top shape! But you can't expect me to give out details about my team to the competition– especially not to their captain!" James said with a joking wink and wave of his hand.

"Ah, yes, my boy!" Slughorn boomed, "I heard you received quite a few offers from teams who want you next year!"

"Yes," Lily chimed in, laying a hand on Carmichael's arm, "Oliver got offers from the Arrows, The Falcons, and The Cannons. Any I'm missing?" she asked, smiling up at her date sweetly. James downed his drink in one go.

"The Magpies and the Wasps also sent in offers," Carmichael mumbled, looking down to where Lily's hand rested on his arm, the tips of his ears turning pink– clearly embarrassed at the attention the professor directed his way.

"And Miss Greengrass," Professor Slughorn called, "Do you have any plans after your graduation this spring?"

Next to him, Charlotte tensed– clearly unprepared for the professor to inquire about her future plans. Charlotte was a daughter of the sacred twenty-eight, therefore her parents considered it uncouth to hold a profession beyond hosting or chairing galas. But James had always liked her. She wasn't as stuck up as some of the other pureblood girls he had the misfortune of knowing. Often when forced to attend events, they gravitated toward each other– solidarity in the face of the inane conversation they were forced to endure at these functions.

"I'm not sure what my plans are, post Hogwarts," Charlotte offered with a demure smile, a blush rising up her cheeks as she fiddled with the napkin in her lap. Slughorn's face turned down in a displeased frown, and Charlotte seemed to shrink in her seat.

"Oh, Lottie is just being modest!" James chimed in, laying a reassuring hand on her fidgeting ones. "She's been asked to be junior chair on the annual Ministry fundraiser. And I know for a fact that she puts in more volunteer hours at St. Mungos than every other volunteer combined."

"Yes, that's true!" Slughorn added, "And with your family, Miss Greengrass, I dare say you wouldn't even have to work if you didn't want to!" Though he clearly meant this as a form of praise, Lottie ducked her head even further– a humiliated blush sneaking up her face as the potions professor turned his attentions to some other lucky individual.

"Don't listen to what he says," James leaned over to whisper in Lottie's ear, "To Slughorn, it is the epitome of success to have had the skill to be born into the right family."

Lottie gave a half-hearted shrug. "I know the work I do at St. Mungos and with the other charities is important; but to listen to how people like Slughorn or my father talk, you'd think I was just another simpering debutante heiress with no real ambitions."

"From one aimless heir to another," James joked, holding up his glass in a sarcastic toast. Charlotte giggled, raising her glass as well and quickly downing it.

"So, Miss Greengrass," Carmichael said from across the table.

"Charlotte, I insist," Lottie interjected.

"Charlotte," Carmichael amended with a soft smile, "tell me more about your work at St. Mungos." Lottie instantly perked, and happily chatted away about her work at the hospital. Carmichael nodded along, clearly entranced with her. Evans, however, looked as if she'd smelled something foul. He arched an eyebrow at her, and she quickly looked away before rearranging her features into something more resembling a pleasant grimace.

By the time dessert was cleared, Carmichael and Charlotte were still engrossed in conversation. James took her elbow to assist her from her chair, escorting her over to where Slughorn had set up for the cocktail hour following dinner. Carmichael and Evans accompanied them, Carmichael still launching question after question about Lottie's involvement in the hospital.

"Quite impressive, your date," Evans said, under her breath to him as their two dates carried on like old friends.

"Yes, she is," James replied. "As is yours, of course!"

"Actually, Oliver is quite impressive," she said, "Five offers to professional teams!"

"Ah yes," James agreed, "And Lottie, actually, received around the same amount of offers to chair various committees both in St. Mungos and quite a few other organizations."

"Of course, she's the requisite pureblood heiress," Evans said with a slight roll of her eyes, "Oliver has done so much of that committee nonsense in school– what with him being Head Boy and all."

"Yes, the many important duties of the Head Boy," James drawled, "Lottie was president of the charms club, and a prefect."

Charlotte opened her mouth to interject.

"Oliver was quidditch captain and head of the transfiguration study group."

Oliver Carmichael also attempted to get a word in.

"Well Charlotte is set to get her potions mastery at the end of this year!"

"I–" Charlotte tried again.

"Oliver founded the dueling club, and even got offers from the Auror's office!"

"Oh? Well, Charlotte–"

"Charlotte," Lily said pointedly with a glance in her direction, "Is trying to say something. Yes, Charlotte?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask Oliver if he'd care to grab a drink with me. Before they start in on another round of 'my horse is bigger than your horse'," Lottie said, with a wink over at Carmichael.

"I would be delighted." Carmichael held out his elbow, which Lottie took– only pausing to send a backwards wink in his direction.

Evans let out a great huff of air. "That was all your fault, you know."

"My fault? How was it my fault?" he replied incredulously.

"Ugh. You're impossible." Evans snapped, sending him one last glare before stomping off, and a confused and utterly befuddled James Potter in her wake.

This chapter was very much inspired by that one scene in the garden party from Princess Diaries 2. So if you know, you know. (If you don't, go watch it!)