"So how did practise go?" asked Bella, when James and Darren returned to the Gyrffindor Common Room.
"Tiring" moaned James. "It was all running and push ups."
"That's real exercise for you" grinned Darren. "At least you've built up some muscles today."
"Seekers are supposed to be light though" protested James.
"You'll have to cut down on some food then to make up the wait" replied Darren. "No chocolate dessert for you tonight."
"I bet dad never had to give up chocolate dessert" James moaned. "Anyway Bella; did you know that Darren here is made of muscle?"
"What" gasped Bella in disbelief.
"Oh yes" Darren chuckled, then lifted up his top.
"I see what you mean" said Bella.
"You were supposed to be embarrassed" moaned James.
"Why would I be embarrassed that I'm fit?" asked Darren.
"You were supposed to be embarrassed by the fact I was telling girls about your muscles" replied James.
"I used to take showers with like ten other boys at the same time" Darren shrugged. "Showing off my skin doesn't bother me anymore."
"You turned red when you were talking about how McLaren wanted to check out your abs" retorted James.
"Well… she's older" muttered Darren.
James spent the rest of the day chilling out, too exhausted from the day's exercise. Darren was still full of energy however, and declared that he was leaving to do a jog around the castle grounds.
"How can anyone run for so long?" James asked in disbelief.
When he went to bed that night, a few recurring dreams filled his head. Some of them involved him being in the car with Silverstone McLaren when she was racing. Others were about them racing each other on their broomsticks. The last one had him playing against the Slytherin quiditch team, and McLaren was in the stands cheering him on.
"Oh James" she spoke dreamily as James snatched the snitch to secure victory. "You really are the best seeker ever."
James flew over to meet her eye to eye, but woke up the second he got a good look at her face. He sighed irritably once he accepted the reality; both the fact that it was a dream, but also that he was dreaming of it in the first place.
"Get a grip of yourself Potter" he muttered to himself. "McLaren already has a boyfriend, and is like four years older than you."
"Why are you talking to yourself James?" asked Bella, when James reached the lounge area.
"It's because he has a crush on the Ravenclaw captain, and he's trying to convince himself that he doesn't fancy her I bet" replied Aoiffe.
"How…?" James gasped.
"Jackson Lestrange told me" replied Aoiffe. "He was telling me that you got a very good look at her."
"She was, I mean is a pretty girl" James argued.
"I'm surprised you noticed" Aoiffe teased cheekily. "According to Jackson, you were more interested in her… figure as he put it."
"That lying little cockroach" roared James. "I can assure you I…"
"The noticeboard" shouted Hyacinth.
Everyone who was awake and in the lounge ran over. James immediately recognised what had caught Hyacinth's attention. The note that Benedict had written for the Traitor of Gryffindor to take to prove that they've confessed to Professor Longbottom was gone, but a new one had been put in its place.
Nice try Gryffindor, but I'm not giving myself to anyone. Five hundred points are on the line, and I'm going to let Thicknesse take every last one of them. And I'm warning you now, I'm not finished yet. I'm going to betray Gryffindor again, and again, and again, and there's nothing you can do about it. And to prove that I mean what I say, I've sent an owl to Sebastian Gorren.
Yours truly
The Traitor of Gryffindor
"What the heck" gasped Bella. "So not only did they trash Professor Thicknesse's classroom, but they're going to ruin our lives more."
"Someone get Sebastian down" ordered Patricia Muggs.
Cameron Corner ran up to his dormitory, then a minute later, Sebastian Gorren came hopping down the stairs, trying to put his shoes on as he went.
"Why did you all need to see me?" he moaned. "I was hoping for a nice long sleep."
"You have a letter waiting for you in the Great Hall" explained Patricia. "Get it, then get back up here."
Sebastian stared at her as if she was mad. Reluctantly he left the Common room, grumbling about wanting to have remained in bed as he went. It was a tense few minutes waiting for Sebastian to come back. Corner waking up Sebastian had caused a chain reaction of new people waking up and coming downstairs.
"What's going on?" Darren repeated the same words as almost everyone who woke up after Sebastian.
"The Traitor of Gryffindor has struck back" replied James.
"That creep starting to become a real pain" moaned Aoiffe. "When I find out who it is, I'll kick him in the…"
She was interrupted by the portrait door opening, and Sebastian Gorren walking back inside. When he left, Sebastian was bitter and annoyed; but James could see that now he was furious.
"Why's there such a crowd here?" Victoire Weasley asked as she just came down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. "Shouldn't you all be getting some breakfast?"
"Victoire, follow me" Sebastian ordered.
"What?" gasped Victoire. "You have no right to boss me around like…"
"Victoire, trust me" Sebastian interrupted with more sincerity than James ever saw from him. "James, Donnelly; you too."
Now James was worried. What could the Traitor of Gryffindor have possibly sent Sebastian that required an emergency meeting with Sebastian. James glanced at Aoiffe, and she looked just as horrified as he did.
"We need a private room" Sebastian declared. "We'll borrow one of the dormitories to discuss…"
Sebastian was trying to enter the girls' dormitory whilst he was talking, but as he tried to walk upstairs, the staircase collapsed and he slid back down.
"What just happened?" asked Aoiffe.
"An anti-male charm" explained Victoire. "If a man tries to enter the girls' dormitory, the staircase turns into a slide so that he can't spy on women getting changed."
As Sebastian got back up onto his feet, the Gryffindor chaser Tulip just entered the main lounge via the slide.
"Ooh, which one of you boys was in a naughty mood?" she asked teasingly.
"Be quiet" Sebastian screamed. "We'll use the boys' dormitory instead."
Sebastian smashed the door to the boys' dormitory open, as if he was trying to break it. Tulip looked like that he had just punched her; still unaware of what was happening. James, Aoiffe and Victoire all followed Sebastian up the boys' dormitory staircase. They were all very worried about what had caused him to be so angry.
"In here" he ordered, after opening the door to the first years' room.
Jackson was still asleep, but their sudden appearance had caused him to slowly wake up.
"Why are you so loud Sebastian" he said drearily, his eyes not yet open. "After all those push ups you made me do yesterday, you could at least…"
Jackson opened his eyes slightly, but the shock of seeing Victoire and Aoiffe in his room shocked him wide awake.
"What are you girls doing here?" he demanded.
"Out" Sebastian roared.
Jackson huddled up at the back of his bed, burying himself in his duvet as much as possible.
"I'm not even dressed" protested Jackson.
Sebastian advanced on Jackson, and dragged him out of his bed. In James' opinion, Jackson was severely overreacting. He wasn't fully dressed, but he was still wearing long pyjamas and boxer shorts. Aoiffe and Victoire giggled slightly, but James believed that they all agreed that Jackson's embarrassment was significantly overblown.
"Get down there" Sebastian ordered.
"But I'm still wearing my pyjamas" complained Jackson.
Sebastian forcefully shoved Jackson out of the room, and down a few steps.
"Be grateful that you're not naked" he spat, and slammed the door shut.
"Can someone now explain what's going on" demanded Victoire.
"I got a letter from the Traitor of Gryffindor" replied Sebastian irritably.
He got out an envelope from his robe pocket, and got out three photographs.
"I believe you'll want to have a look at these" he said.
He handed out the first photograph to Victoire, the second to Aoiffe and the third to James.
"What the hell?" screamed Victoire. "How… what… why?"
James looked at his photograph, and felt his heart beat twice its normal rate. The photo showed himself and Silverstone McLaren sharing a car, and McLaren then kissing him on the cheek.
"This photo's fake" Aoiffe declared anxiously. "I refuse to… I just… how?"
"I know it's not actual real life events" Sebastian said carefully. "I know this because I know James wasn't really kissed by McLaren."
"Hey" James shouted back. "I wanted to keep this photo to myself."
"Your photograph's the cleanest one of the bunch" Sebastian retorted. "A simple kiss on the cheek from a pretty girl. Aoiffe was more… passionate in her photo, and let's not get started on yours Victoire."
"Did anyone else see this photograph?" Victoire demanded, he whole body shaking with both fear and anger.
"Yes" replied Sebastian. "And don't worry, I only saw your faces."
"Well I never snogged anyone in my life" argued Aoiffe. "How could this photograph exist when…"
"I was dreaming of McLaren last night" James admitted.
"You were dreaming of F1 girl?" Victoire sounded aghast.
"I was in a car with her in one of those dreams" James went on.
"A dream-o-graph" Sebastian muttered.
"Sorry" snapped Victoire.
"With a certain type of enchanted camera, you can take photos of people, but instead of printing out their pictures, it prints out their dreams instead" Sebastian explained. "Aoiffe do you have a crush on J… the boy in the photograph?"
"Maybe" blushed Aoiffe.
Sebastian felt too awkward to ask Victoire the same question. Instead she gave a small, reluctant nod.
"So now we know that someone came up here last night, and used a camera to take all these dream-o-graphs" concluded Sebastian. "No doubt that boy Jackson Lestrange is…"
"The Traitor of Gryffindor is a girl" James deduced.
"How dare you" Aoiffe replied sternly. "That's a very sexist thing to say. I bet the Traitor of Gryffindor is a boy, and a real slime ball at that."
"A boy could not have gotten these dream-o-graphs" James explained. "Sebastian already proved why."
"I have?" gasped Sebastian, not realising how he proved anything.
"If a boy tried to enter the girls' dormitory, then the stairs would collapse" explained Victoire.
"Oh…" muttered Aoiffe.
"Jackson Lestrange is also came from a muggle orphanage" Victoire elaborated. "I've never even heard of dream-o-graphs myself until this morning. I don't think anybody from a muggle background would hear about these in a month."
"Ok, so maybe it wasn't Lestrange" Sebastian said reluctantly. "We'll find out who took these, but right now, I'm going to go and see Professor Longbottom about these…"
"You can't go yet" shrieked Victoire. "You left everyone downstairs in suspense over what's happening up here. They'll want to know what the Traitor of Gryffindor sent you."
"If we don't give them something, then everyone will just come up with a load of rumours" Aoiffe moaned.
"Well I'm not going to stand here, and let two innocent girls get humiliated like this" Sebastian declared. "I presume you don't want people to be talking about that" he pointed at Victoire's dream-o-graph. "What are you suggesting that we do instead?"
"Use me" answered James.
"What do you mean, use you?" asked Sebastian.
"All this dream-o-graph shows is me being kissed on the cheek by a girl people already know I have a crush on" James explained. "Jackson was going round spreading rumours about me, so the whole school will find that out regardless of this."
"And how does this help us out?" asked Aoiffe.
"Just say that the other two dream-o-graphs were all mine, just with a different girl in each one" James replied. "If you destroy them now, we can just say that they were burned in disgust in the heat of the moment."
As soon as James made his suggestion, Victoire casted Incendio and burnt her dream-o-graph to ash. Aoiffe handed over her own dream-o-graph, and Victoire repeated the process.
"Keep the plan between us, and our closest friends only" said Sebastian quietly. "You two, look at James with disdain as we leave."
James found the next few days to be a very dismaying experience. The second James had re-entered the Common Room lounge, both Aoiffe and Victoire began shouting at him. They were so good at keeping in character; it hurt James as if they weren't acting at all.
The news that the Traitor of Gryffindor had taken dream-o-graphs of James quickly made its way around the school. Several girls, particularly older ones made leering faces at him whenever they saw him. On Monday morning, James was talking to Sebastian about quiditch practise, when he got confronted by a very angry sixth year boy, who looked like he had some giant blood in him.
"Don't let me see you near my girl again Potter" Kevin Bletchley warned. "If I even hear you mutter her name again, I'll use every curse on you that you haven't learned yet."
"Silverstone McLaren" James replied, confident that Bletchley wouldn't actually be so bold as to try anything dangerous with other students nearby. "Or is that Silverton McLaggen."
"Is this funny to you Potter" Bletchley screamed. "Mark my words boy, when I get the chance I'll…"
"Try to an attempt a curse, and fail miserably at it" Sebastian interjected. "Listen here Bletchley, you attempt anything to any Gryffindor, and I'll get our own back on Slytherin."
"Keep your business to yourself Gorren" ordered Bletchley.
"You mess with Gryffindor, you mess with me" Gorren barked back.
"What are you pair doing fighting in the corridors?" demanded Professor Lee. "Get out of here, and go to your classes."
On Tuesday evening, Benedict Falcon stood by the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room to demand a piece of written work from any student who passed. Whenever a student refused, Patricia would stand up and persuade them with more threatening reasoning.
"What do you want it for?" demanded Aoiffe.
"We want to compare the handwriting that was left behind on the notice board" explained Benedict. "It may be an area that the Traitor of Gryffindor forgot to cover their tracks."
"Aren't you forgetting I was one of the victims?" screeched Aoiffe.
"I haven't but… how should I put this? We can't deny the possibility of you intentionally victimising yourself to draw suspicion away."
"You think I'm that smart?" asked Aoiffe. "Don't answer that" she barked when Patricia opened her mouth to speak.
On Wednesday, after a lengthy lecture about the dangers of devil's snares, Professor Longbottom asked to see James and Aoiffe after class.
"You get to have some alone time with Aoiffe now at least" Abraham Abraham joked rudely as he left.
"Do you have something to say to James, Aoiffe?" asked Professor Longbottom, once he was certain that the greenhouse was empty.
"I don't want to ever see you again" Aoiffe screamed. "I don't want anything to do with you, you disgusting, awful…
"Sebastian told me everything Aoiffe" informed Longbottom.
"Oh" Aoiffe said, as if a switch had turned her dramatizing off. "Yeah, thanks James for taking the heat."
"I concur" said Longbottom. "It was a very brave thing of you to do James, and I'm proud of you for that."
"Thanks Sir" James blushed.
"Ten points to Gryffindor" Longbottom continued. "Well done Potter. Your father would be very proud."
Jackson was very displeased to hear that James got rewarded for taking the brunt of the bullying, considering what he had to put up with.
"Jackson Lestrange gets bullied and nothing happens" he complained on Thursday night as he went to bed. "But when the son of the chosen one, James Potter gets a little uncomfortable, he's suddenly rewarded for it."
"You get plenty of points already from all your lessons" argued Darren. "Some of us haven't earned any points yet."
"It's not my fault that you suck at everything Darren" spat Jackson.
James was unsure of how wise Jackson's outburst was, considering Darren was now glaring at him with murderous intent.
"Whatever happened to being sorry back at Hagrid's place?" Darren demanded.
"I was sorry then, but I'm not sorry now" replied Jackson. "Simple."
Friday afternoon was the most difficult day James had at Hogwarts so far. Thicknesse was able to repair the classroom, but that didn't appear to change his mood at all.
"Before we begin our lesson today, I want you to write down the contents of these books into your notes" said Thicknesse.
He waved his wand, and textbooks then slammed onto all the desks. James' heart sank as he noted how large the books were.
"How much are we supposed to copy sir?" James asked, after raising his hand.
"Crawford, come up to the front" ordered Thicknesse. "You will start copying the text now, and end when Crawford here successfully performs Transforium."
"What?" gasped Darren.
"To the front" ordered Thicknesse. "Now, Donnelley sit next to James."
Aoiffe left her seat, and sat where Darren just vacated. Thicknesse waved his wand, and James and Aoiffe were now holding hands. James tried to release his grip, but his fingers wouldn't obey him.
"What have you done that for?" complained Aoiffe.
"I've heard about James' dreams" replied Thicknesse. "I thought it would be romantic for the pair of you to spend this lesson together. I'm sure James will consider it a treat."
James scowled. Aoiffe had her right hand free, so at least she was able to write more efficiently. James on the other hand had his right arm locked with Aoiffe's left, meaning that he was struggling to write as badly as Violet and Dranzebar had last week. No matter which hand was free though, whenever James or Aoiffe had to move to the side slightly, they'd move the other person with them, which in turn tug their writing hand and create a mess on their parchment.
"Stop moving" Aoiffe hissed.
"I need to turn the next page too" James hissed back.
As everyone spent the first hour copying a book so boring, James believed even Benedict wouldn't touch it with his bare hands. Darren was constantly shouting Transforium at the front, be he seemed no closer in completing the spell.
"This isn't fair" muttered Travis Gant. "It was the Traitor of Gryffindor that messed this place up, and I get punished with all the Gryffindors."
"Thirty points to Slytherin" Thicknesse announced. "Providing that the moaning stops."
Gant didn't say anything again afterwards; indeed he suddenly seemed rather chipper, and was writing faster than everyone else accept Jackson.
"Transforium" Darren shouted in an almost bored voice.
He had finally reached the conclusion that everyone else reached ages ago, that he wasn't going to be able to cast the spell, and end the tedious exercise.
"Do you see those two in front of you, holding hands Gorren?" Thicknesse asked Bella.
"Yes" Bella replied.
"You know, it had only just occurred to me" Thicknesse grinned. "You spent all three weeks with Potter, yet when he was dreaming about all the girls he wanted to be kissed by, you were not one of them."
James turned round furiously, causing Aoiffe to spell an ink jar all over her work.
"So what" muttered Bella.
"I'm just saying that despite how much time together, he never saw you as attractive, or desirable" Thicknesse replied cruelly. "I think that really tells you something. He might call you his friend, but in reality he sees nothing in you."
If James didn't know that Thicknesse would retaliate, he would have sworn at him repeatedly. Bella was one of the few people that James told the truth to, and he highly suspected that Thicknesse was told by Professor Longbottom that him dreaming about Aoiffe and Victoire was just a cover for them not having their dreams exposed. It was the intention that angered him; that Thicknesse purposefully tried to make Bella upset enraged him.
The rest of the lesson seemed to take forever to complete. Thicknesse continued to peruse the class, commenting on the quality of their work.
"Terrible Lang; James and Aoiffe are ahead of you, and they're having a romantic date. Not bad Gant, at least you appeared to have put some effort in. Disgraceful Gorren, though not unexpected. Good work Lestrange, you've put a good amount of effort in; ten points to Gryffindor."
"Transforium" Darren said in a monotonous, droning voice.
"Three weeks now, and you're still struggling our very first lesson" Thicknesse scolded. "You really are pathetic Crawford."
The bell signalling the end of the lesson finally rang. Everyone started packing up, before Thicknesse told them they could leave.
"No homework today" he announced. "Consider it a treat. Class dismissed."
"Can you please release me sir?" begged Aoiffe.
"Why would I do that?" replied Thicknesse. "The day is still young, and your date has barely started."
"You're just going to keep me stuck like this?" shrieked Aoiffe.
"Have a good afternoon" Thicknesse sniggered.
"Thicknesse you…" Aoiffe tried to insult, before James trod on her foot.
"Don't push it" he hissed. "He'll just make things worse. Let's just find Professor Longbottom."
Bella and Darren were required to help them pack their things together, though nothing could prevent the embarrassment of having to walk through Hogwarts' corridors holding hands. Many people were wolf whistling, or jokingly wishing them to enjoy themselves.
"Why can't more people get after class detention?" moaned Aoiffe after a second year Ravenclaw student told her that she could have done better with James.
"James" Benedict shouted from just ahead. "Nigel just told me what happened. Fortunately I know how to fix it."
"Please do" begged James.
Benedict casted his spell, and then at long last, James and Aoiffe were able to release their hands.
"Oh thank god" sighed Aoiffe. "I am giving this hand an extra wash tonight."
"My hand wasn't dirty" protested James.
"I'm afraid to say that my efforts to deduce the culprit from their handwriting has failed" Benedict muttered. "I'm sorry to see that the contents of your dream-o-graph, has attracted more attention than the traitor's actions that produced it."
"Thicknesse was really angry today" James replied. "He humiliated me and Darren, and tried to crush Bella."
"Oh my word, are you ok?" Benedict asked Bella.
"I'm fine" Bella muttered darkly.
"He's somehow worse than usual" noted Darren.
"My lesson with him was more difficult as well" said Benedict. "I believe he's treating every Gryffindor class like second class citizens, in the hope that through process of elimination, he's punishing the student who destroyed his classroom and book."
"We need to find out who did this and fast" James warned.
"That note said that they haven't stopped yet" reminded Darren.
"Yes" murmured Benedict. "The Traitor of Gryffindor seems to be a dangerous character. And I fear his reign of terror has only just begun."