"It was you, wasn't it, Potter?" Severus spat as he swept across the Great Hall during the breakfast. Mulciber and Avery in tow.
"Where?" asked James, pushing away his plate. He could feel irritation boiling in the pit of his stomach.
"You blew up our toilets!" Severus accused. His index finger pointed towards James as he narrowed his dark eyes.
"It was your bathroom the whole school is talking about?" asked James, blinking his eyes. He wanted to roll his eyes and tell Severus that it was them but he knew better.
"Don't pretend that you're innocent, it was you and your friend," Mulciber hissed. His teeth gritted together and fists clenched to his side.
James glared at Mulciber. "That's a nasty accusation, and on what basis?" retorted James.
"Lily saw you near the Slytherin corridor," proclaimed Severus. James bit the inside of his cheek, looking at his friends.
"What does that prove? We can't go around the castle as we please?" asked Sirius, rolling his eyes. The three Slytherin boys exchanged glances. Avery and Mulciber's eyes travelled down the Gryffindor table. James followed their gaze to see Lily Evans. She averted his eyes, looking at her plate.
"I reckon Snape might've put his head too close to the toilet and it puked," James retorted. It made his friends snicker.
"Nice one James," remarked Sirius, earning a grin from James.
Severus's lips curled back as he bared his teeth and he barked, "Potter!" His hands reached inside his robe. James assumed he was going to pull out his wand.
He sprang up from his bench, Sirius following his suit. "Going to use a hex on me again?" James challenged. "Do it then, I want to see you try," he completed, jerking his head in the direction of the hight table where teachers sat.
Severus's nostrils were flaring, his piercing black orbs bore into James. "This isn't over," said Severus from between his teeth.
"I hope it isn't," James spoke with a smug smile and his chest puffed out.
Christmas holidays begun. James had managed to convince his parents to take him to Diagon Alley. He told them he needed a new quill and extra parchment. "Mum, can I go and buy pumpkin pastry please?" pleaded James. His lips pushed out in a pout.
"Let's get your parchment and then we can go," Euphemia replied, patting her son's head in an affectionate manner.
"Oh, mum please! I will be back before you know it!" James whined. He took his mother's hand in his own and gave it a light squeeze.
"Sweetheart," said Euphemia, shaking her head.
"Euphemia is that you?" a nasal voice interrupted them. James turned around and came face to face with an old lady he recognized too well. It was his mother's old friend Florentina Desmond. She was a flair old witch who wore pink glasses.
"Tina!" Euphemia exclaimed, beaming at her friend. James let go of his mother's hand as she embraced her old friend in a warm hug.
"James? You've grown up so much," said Florentina in disbelief.
"Hello Mrs. Desmond," James greeted with a small smile.
Florentina smiled, ruffling James's hair as she said, "Hello, hello."
"How have you been?" asked Euphemia, turning her attention to her old friend. James let out a sigh and looked inside the shop where his father had disappeared to buy his quill. The shopkeeper and his father were having a deep conversation it seemed.
It stuck him then! He could slip now and go to South Side to the shop Remus had told him about. On his way back, he could buy pumpkin pastries and his parents might not notice.
"Mum, can I please go?" James mumbled. He had to test his luck, if his mother said no, he'd have to find another way.
"Where does he wants to go?" asked Florentina.
"He wants to go and buy pumpkin pastry. I told him we'd go later," replied Euphemia, shaking her head.
"Let the boy go. He isn't going to get lost," said Florentina. James had never liked the woman more than he liked her now. He grinned and then fixed his gaze on his mother, nodding.
"Fine, but don't go around anywhere else," his mother warned him. She opened her tiny purse and handed James more than enough money he needed to buy pumpkin pastries.
"Thank you, mum!" James exclaimed.
Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. The shop was nothing like James had expected! He had never seen so many joke items in his life. He wondered if he could come here again and buy more than he could fit in his pocket right now?
James had bought 4 Dungbombs and a pack of Stink Pellets. It was all his pockets could carry without his parents finding out. With limited time on his hand, James decided to visit the shop again sometime later. His final stop was buying pumpkin pastries.
When he returned to his parents, he was out of breath. His parents had not noticed his longer than necessary absence. They were still talking to Florentina.
"Dad," said James. He was sitting with his father in the library near the fireplace.
His father took off his reading glasses and looked up from the book he was reading. "Yes?" asked Fleamont.
"When you were in Hogwarts, didn't you engage in a lot of fights?" James inquired, his curious eyes studying his father's face. James jumped from his chair and walked over to where his father was sitting.
"Because of my name, yes," Fleamont responded, nodding his head. "Have you been getting into fights?"
"No," replied James. He shook his head, frowning. "But there is this boy, he hexed me."
Fleamont held James by his shoulders, bringing James closer to himself. "Which hex?" asked Fleamont.
"Knee reversal hex," mumbled James. He gazed into his father's hazel orbs. "I want to learn to block hexes."
"They'll teach you at school," Fleamont assured James. He ran his thin fingers in James's tresses to comb it down. But like always, James's untidy hair stuck out everywhere.
"But dad, he knows more hexes than me! What if he does it again?" mumbled James. He crossed his hands in front of his chest, his lips set in a semi pout as he turned his gaze to the ground.
Fleamont tucked his index finger under James's chin. He lifted his face to look into James's eyes. "It's not an easy spell James. Even people who work at the ministry can't perform a decent shield charm," said Fleamont.
"I can learn," James pleaded, his brows furrowed.
"You will when it's time," said Fleamont, giving James a small smile. "But if this boy does something again, report it to Professor McGonagall."
"Okay dad," mumbled James. Fleamont knew his son better than that. He knew James had taken it to his pride. It was written all over James's face.
"Did you do something in retaliation?" asked Fleamont, raising his eyebrows.
"Uh –" James started. 'How much should I tell dad?' he thought. Scratching the back of his neck, James said, "We blew up their toilets."
"We?" asked Fleamont, his eyes widening.
"My friends and I," replied James, nodding his head with a smile.
"Tell me about these friends," Fleamont marvelled. He patted the empty place next to him on the couch for James to sit. James grinned sitting next to his father.
"I have three friends," James started, turning towards his father. "Peter Pettigrew, he gets scared easily. But he always makes sure everyone is okay. There is Remus Lupin, we thought he was moody but it turned out his mum is always sick. He keeps visiting her every month."
"Sick?" asked Fleamont, his face tainted with worry.
"I don't know what is exactly wrong with his mum but he is always worried about her. I tried asking him, but seemed like a sensitive topic so I didn't press further," replied James as he shrugged. Fleamont nodded, his lips pressed in a straight line.
"Then there is Sirius Black, he is the funniest!" James exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with joy.
"The son of – Orian and Walburga Black?" Fleamont stammered. He tried to conceal the look of astonishment on his face, but James caught on it.
"Yes, but he is nothing like his family," said James, shaking his hand. "His family seems odd. Dad, if I got sorted into – say Slytherin – what would you do?"
"What do you mean? It doesn't matter which house you're in."
"Would you send me a howler?"
"No, why would I?"
"Sirius got a howler from his mother, because he wasn't in Slytherin."
"A howler?"
"Yes, she said he was a disappointment,"
"Sirius told you that?"
"No, I heard."
"Heard where?"
"He got a howler on the second day of school. He went to our room. He looked worried so I went to check up on him and heard it," mumbled James, looking at his father from under his lashes.
Fleamont let out a sigh. "Poor boy," he said, shaking his head. "James, there is nothing wrong with being in any of the houses. Each Hogwarts House has a rich history of its own and qualities worth praising. Only because his whole family was in Slytherin and Sirius isn't, doesn't make him any less worthy wizard."
"I know dad. He is the most amazing friend I've ever met. He's always had my back," James beamed.
"And you make sure you have his. Friendship is about give and take," Fleamont stated, his brows raising.
James nodded fervently and said, "I'll always have their back."
The Christmas holidays ended sooner than James had anticipated. But he couldn't wait to meet his friends again. He had to show them the joke items he bought and the surprise.
They were sitting in a compartment in Hogwarts Express. "Look," said James as he dug out the joke items from the pockets of his coat.
Sirius grinned, picking up the Dungbomb. He turned it around, looking at it from every angle. "This looks amazing!" he exclaimed.
"Where's the surprise James?" asked Peter. He looked at James's coat as if he was going to dig something out of it.
"It's packed away in my trunk. You'll have to wait till we reach Hogwarts," James replied. He was bouncing in his seat with excitement. He couldn't wait to show his friends the surprise.
"Remus, how was your Christmas? Is your mother doing better?" asked James after a long pause.
"Christmas was great. Mum is doing better, but I reckon I'd have to go again," Remus mumbled, looking at his hands in his lap.
James felt sadness drain through him. His heart broke at his friend's dejected expression. "I'm sorry mate, I'm sure she'd be fine." James knew he had repeated this sentence every time Remus told them he had to visit his mother. But he didn't know what else to do!
"Don't dampen your mood, it's alright," said Remus, giving James a tight-lipped smile.
"Do you reckon we can put this in Snape's trousers?" asked Sirius, pointing towards the Stink Pellets.
"Only if you want him to lose something more than just his dignity," Remus snorted, rolling his eyes.
"Let's try one on Filch and Mrs Norris," James suggested, a smirk playing on his lips. The other three boys' eyes grew wide in horror.
"Are you mad?" Sirius exclaimed, "We'd be out of school before we can blink."
"Not if they don't see us," said James with a shrug.
The boys gathered around James's bed after dinner. He had opened his trunk to pull out the surprise. "Oh! I forgot about this," he mumbled, his hands disappeared in his trunk. When they reappeared, he held a box of fudge. "Mum sent this. She said I should share with everyone."
"That looks delicious," Peter remarked, his eyes fixed on the fudge.
"You can have some," said James, handing Peter the fudge. Peter took it without a second thought, grinning from ear to ear.
"And now –" James announced, a sly smile on his lips. "Are you ready?" he asked. The three boys nodded in unison, without blinking. They feared that if they blinked, they'd miss something.
"Ta-dah!" James exclaimed, pulling out a cloak. A puzzled look crossed the boys' faces.
"What – James – it's a cloak?" asked Sirius, cocking his head to one side.
"Not any cloak," replied James. He jumped off his bed, and draped the cloak over his shoulders with a grin. As soon as the cloak dropped around his body, he disappeared!
"James!" Peter gasped.
"Is that –" Remus breathed, his eyes growing larger by the second.
"It can't be!" Sirius exclaimed, rubbing his eyes.
James nodded his head and said, "Invisibility cloak."
"Where'd you get it?" Remus asked, his jaw hanging open.
"It's my dad's. I inherited it from him on my 11th birthday. He said I cannot take it to Hogwarts, but I had to show it to you," replied James. He undraped the cloak and his body reappeared.
"This is brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed, inching closer to James. He squinted his eyes to get a better look at the cloak.
"You can try it if you want," said James. He extended the cloak towards Sirius, who looked taken aback.
"Can I?" he breathed, blinking his eyes. James nodded as he handed it to Sirius. Hesitant at first, Sirius took the cloak from James. He draped it around his shoulders. His body disappeared too! "Merlin's beard!"
"I reckon the four of us can fit inside it," said James.
No sooner than the words escaped his mouth did the four boys tried to arrange themselves under the cloak. It was big enough for them if they stood close to each other and that was the start of their new adventures.
Day after day someone played a new prank on the students of Hogwarts. The only problem was, no one knew who did it! No matter how many times the students tried to catch a hold of the pranksters, they failed. The four boys started understanding how to get around the castle. How to work under the cloak, and the more unstoppable they became.
By the time April rolled around, all students at Hogwarts were worshipping those pranksters. After all, they had kicked Mrs. Norris. It fulfilled the most ambitious desire of every student. All students liked them – except some.
"I'm telling you it's Potter and his friends," Severus grunted as he walked with Lily to the library.
"I don't know Severus," mumbled Lily, shaking her head. James and Sirius were walking right behind them and it seemed they hadn't noticed them.
"The whole school think so, why don't you? Haven't you seen it is always those four missing whenever something goes wrong?" asked Severus, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"I don't think Potter and his friends are smart enough to pull something like this." Lily's words made James fume with anger. "And even if they did, his ego wouldn't let him keep his mouth shut."
"Let's go," said James from between his teeth. With all the might he could conjure in his body, he dashed towards Severus and Lily. Passing from between them, he pushed them apart. Sirius followed James hot on his heels. James looked over his shoulder to see Severus picking up Lily's books that had fallen on the floor. Lily was glaring at him, James smirked before rushing off with Sirius.
"Forget her mate, she doesn't know," said Sirius, patting James's back.
"She either underestimates us too much. Or has overestimated herself and Snape," James spat. He could still taste the bitterness left behind by rage.
"Who cares?" asked Sirius, throwing his hands up in the air. But no matter what James tried, he couldn't shake off Lily Evans. He didn't understand why she would be friends with someone like Snape. She seemed like an okay girl, which is why the boys hadn't pranked her once.
James hadn't liked Snape to begin with but the day he hexed James the first time, James knew he could never tolerate him. If anything, he motivated James to learn spells faster. After all, in past seven months, Snape had used his superior knowledge to hex James. James with his limited knowledge had become someone he could toy around with. But now James was getting better, he had started picking up the hexes Snape used on him. Until he got something better.
"Look there he is," said James, jerking his head in Severus's direction. Their exams came to an end. Severus was sitting near the Great Lake alone, looking at the exam paper. James wondered if his nose would leave grease stains on the parchment.
"Let's go," Sirius smirked, as James and he led the way. Peter and Remus were following them.
"Snape," James bellowed, pulling his wand out from his robes.
Severus grasped the situation quicker than James expected. He pulled out his wand too, and was on his feet at once. Last week, Severus had hexed James in front of the whole school. His hex made bubbles spurt out of James's mouth.
"Expelliarmus!" James roared. Severus's wand flew up into the air and fell with a little thud near his feet. Severus looked bewildered at the sudden turn of events, his smirk dropping from his face. He looked around to find his wand lying in the glass.
"What happened?" asked James, raising his brows. "Can't use your hexes now, can you?"
James had been practising the spell for two months. Sirius and he practised in their room before he tried surprising Severus with it. In those two months, he had endured Severus's hexes. But watching Severus looking around in confusion was worth the wait.
"The next time you think of using a hex on me, remember this moment," said James, glaring at Severus. "Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."
James and his friends made way to Hogsmeade station. James could see the worry lines appearing on Sirius's face. He never seemed happy about going home. "Is everything alright mate?" asked James.
"Ye – Yes," Sirius stammered, his eyes on his feet. His slouched shoulders and frown told a different story.
"Don't you want to go home?" James guessed. He wasn't going to press it further if Sirius didn't answer.
Sirius remained mum for a long time, making James believe he wasn't going to reply. "I don't," replied Sirius.
"Why not?"
"It's boring,"
"That's nothing to be sad about, you can come to my house during the holidays."
Sirius's eyes lit up, his head shot up as he asked, "Can I?"
James gave Sirius a sharp nod with a smile. "Of course," said James.
"Your parents will be okay with it?" asked Sirius, frowning once again.
"Beyond okay," James assured him. "You can stay at my house for as long as you like."
"Thanks mate," Sirius breathed with a grin.
