Chapter Twelve
GETTING FAMOUS
The sun shines. There are no clouds in the sky. Grass is lightly green. Flowers smile to your eyes. A gentle breeze caresses your face. Your friends are here. Your parents, too. Everyone is happy. Everyone smiles. Suddendly, a thick darkness coming from far away covers the scene. Happiness is changed into fear. Smiles in cries. Life in death. Walking among your parents' and friends' corpses, you find a red flower sprouted out of a rock. A sibling. Behind you, a dark snake. Huge. Terrifing. He wants the flower. He'll kill; you have it. But you won't allow him to. You can't. For the flower is your last hope. The snake attacks. It tears your body apart. Pain comes quickly together with the consciousness that you are dying. But while your body is falling on the ground, you see the flower getting bigger and bigger. It shines, and its light destroyes the snake. Wake up, now. Wake up.
* * *
"Wake up, James! We'll be late!" Peter Pettigrew was shaking him. He was already half dressed in the school uniform.
James opened his eyes slowly, yawning. His three roommates were up already. Peter, the young boy he had met at dinner the night before. He had asked so hopefully to be with him and his best friend, Sirius, that they had been forced to say yes. He was not bad, but he was on the heavy side. James wasn't sure how much he liked Peter.
The boy in the bed next to him was, of course, Sirius Black. They had been friends since the age of five, because they had the same private teacher preparing them before entering Hogwarts.
The last component was a boy that Sirius had met during the boat-trip. A boy called Remus Lupin. He had long hair tied back in a ponytale. Unusual. Even more unusual since he was very closed and shy. Nevetheless, Sirius had found him nice from the very first moment, and James agreed.
"Come on! We'll be late!" Peter was jumping around the room, fully dressed already.
"Oh, shut up Peter. We're coming," groaned Sirius, pulling on his trousers. They had overslept, but they weren't that late. Why the hell Peter was so restless?
James managed to get washed and dressed in less than ten minutes, and they were down in the Great Hall before breakfast began. All the decorations of last dinner had been taken away, and the room looked much more like a (huge) everyday dining room.
They sat about in the same seats as the day before. The plates were empty, and they wondered about when breakfast began.
"Hey! There's Slytherin girl there! Haven't you taken the wrong table, Slytherin girl?" said Peter loudly. James noticed that the girl of the day before was sitting alone, at the end of the table. Lily. That was her name. She looked incredibly sad and lonely. James felt guilty for his behaviour.
"Shut up, Peter," he said harshly.
"But... but..." began the boy. He was interrupted as Dumbledore got up from teachers' table. Everyone looked at the headmaster.
"Good morning, everyone," said the old wizard. "I hope you slept well. Or, at least, better than me. I had to fight with my bed because it tried to escape my room..." People shared concerned looks, but Dumbledore just smiled. "Anyway, this is our very first day of lessons. You'll find the schedule posted in your common rooms when you return from breakfast. Lessons shall begin at 8:30, and end at 2:00, with small pauses of a quarter of an hour between one lesson and the following, to allow you to get to the classrooms... or amuse yourself a bit. That's all I have to say. Let's eat!" he clapped his hands, and the plates filled with food.
"I hope we'll have lesson with him as soon as possible!" said Sirius taking some potatoes "He was an Auror, you know. One of the best! I was really afraid when I heard he was to be the headmaster. I didn't want him to stop teaching!"
"Yep!" agreed James.
"I am a bit afraid of the flying lesson," said Remus.
"You can't FLY?!" exclaimed James.
"No. Never done it."
"That's really a pity!! Don't worry, I'll teach you! I'm great at flying!" said James, proudly. "At home we have a Quiddich field nearby, and I always play with my dad and friends!"
"Wow, really?! I've never played Quiddich myself because I was too young. But I always watch the matches!" said Peter.
"Quiddich's great! It's the best sport ever!!" added Sirius
"I watch the matches, too. But I never tried to fly or play, myself." Remus looked sorry.
"Don't worry. James's great, he'll teach you! He taught me," said Sirius with a smile
"Yep! I'm the best!!" said James.
"But he needs to learn some modesty," said Sirius launching some bread crumbs at James's face.
"AH! You want the war, then!" answered James, throwing some pieces of potatoes toward his friend. In some moments, the four were engaged in a food fight.
"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!" shouted a witch coming from the teachers' table. It was Professor McGonagall, Gryffindor's head of house. The four remained very still, scared."
"What are your names?" asked the woman, harshly
"James Potter, ma'am," said the boy softly.
"Sirius Black."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Remus Lupin."
Each of his friends responded with the same tone.
"Very well. I'll remember you. Compliments, you've just made Gryffindor loose five points for each one of you, and the year has barely started!" said the witch before going back to her table.
The four swallowed, looking around. Every single Gryffindor was staring at them angrily.
"I think we'd better hurry and go back to the dormitory. We've done enough for today," whispered Remus
"Yeah," agreed Peter. They finished breakfast quickly and headed to their room.
"Well," began James when they were out of teachers' earshot, "at least everyone at Hogwarts knows our names. We're famous!"
"Yes, but I don't think they'll like us much, since we made Gryffindor start the year at points -20!!" precised Sirius.
"You can't have everything," said James, smiling.
GETTING FAMOUS
The sun shines. There are no clouds in the sky. Grass is lightly green. Flowers smile to your eyes. A gentle breeze caresses your face. Your friends are here. Your parents, too. Everyone is happy. Everyone smiles. Suddendly, a thick darkness coming from far away covers the scene. Happiness is changed into fear. Smiles in cries. Life in death. Walking among your parents' and friends' corpses, you find a red flower sprouted out of a rock. A sibling. Behind you, a dark snake. Huge. Terrifing. He wants the flower. He'll kill; you have it. But you won't allow him to. You can't. For the flower is your last hope. The snake attacks. It tears your body apart. Pain comes quickly together with the consciousness that you are dying. But while your body is falling on the ground, you see the flower getting bigger and bigger. It shines, and its light destroyes the snake. Wake up, now. Wake up.
* * *
"Wake up, James! We'll be late!" Peter Pettigrew was shaking him. He was already half dressed in the school uniform.
James opened his eyes slowly, yawning. His three roommates were up already. Peter, the young boy he had met at dinner the night before. He had asked so hopefully to be with him and his best friend, Sirius, that they had been forced to say yes. He was not bad, but he was on the heavy side. James wasn't sure how much he liked Peter.
The boy in the bed next to him was, of course, Sirius Black. They had been friends since the age of five, because they had the same private teacher preparing them before entering Hogwarts.
The last component was a boy that Sirius had met during the boat-trip. A boy called Remus Lupin. He had long hair tied back in a ponytale. Unusual. Even more unusual since he was very closed and shy. Nevetheless, Sirius had found him nice from the very first moment, and James agreed.
"Come on! We'll be late!" Peter was jumping around the room, fully dressed already.
"Oh, shut up Peter. We're coming," groaned Sirius, pulling on his trousers. They had overslept, but they weren't that late. Why the hell Peter was so restless?
James managed to get washed and dressed in less than ten minutes, and they were down in the Great Hall before breakfast began. All the decorations of last dinner had been taken away, and the room looked much more like a (huge) everyday dining room.
They sat about in the same seats as the day before. The plates were empty, and they wondered about when breakfast began.
"Hey! There's Slytherin girl there! Haven't you taken the wrong table, Slytherin girl?" said Peter loudly. James noticed that the girl of the day before was sitting alone, at the end of the table. Lily. That was her name. She looked incredibly sad and lonely. James felt guilty for his behaviour.
"Shut up, Peter," he said harshly.
"But... but..." began the boy. He was interrupted as Dumbledore got up from teachers' table. Everyone looked at the headmaster.
"Good morning, everyone," said the old wizard. "I hope you slept well. Or, at least, better than me. I had to fight with my bed because it tried to escape my room..." People shared concerned looks, but Dumbledore just smiled. "Anyway, this is our very first day of lessons. You'll find the schedule posted in your common rooms when you return from breakfast. Lessons shall begin at 8:30, and end at 2:00, with small pauses of a quarter of an hour between one lesson and the following, to allow you to get to the classrooms... or amuse yourself a bit. That's all I have to say. Let's eat!" he clapped his hands, and the plates filled with food.
"I hope we'll have lesson with him as soon as possible!" said Sirius taking some potatoes "He was an Auror, you know. One of the best! I was really afraid when I heard he was to be the headmaster. I didn't want him to stop teaching!"
"Yep!" agreed James.
"I am a bit afraid of the flying lesson," said Remus.
"You can't FLY?!" exclaimed James.
"No. Never done it."
"That's really a pity!! Don't worry, I'll teach you! I'm great at flying!" said James, proudly. "At home we have a Quiddich field nearby, and I always play with my dad and friends!"
"Wow, really?! I've never played Quiddich myself because I was too young. But I always watch the matches!" said Peter.
"Quiddich's great! It's the best sport ever!!" added Sirius
"I watch the matches, too. But I never tried to fly or play, myself." Remus looked sorry.
"Don't worry. James's great, he'll teach you! He taught me," said Sirius with a smile
"Yep! I'm the best!!" said James.
"But he needs to learn some modesty," said Sirius launching some bread crumbs at James's face.
"AH! You want the war, then!" answered James, throwing some pieces of potatoes toward his friend. In some moments, the four were engaged in a food fight.
"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!!!" shouted a witch coming from the teachers' table. It was Professor McGonagall, Gryffindor's head of house. The four remained very still, scared."
"What are your names?" asked the woman, harshly
"James Potter, ma'am," said the boy softly.
"Sirius Black."
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Remus Lupin."
Each of his friends responded with the same tone.
"Very well. I'll remember you. Compliments, you've just made Gryffindor loose five points for each one of you, and the year has barely started!" said the witch before going back to her table.
The four swallowed, looking around. Every single Gryffindor was staring at them angrily.
"I think we'd better hurry and go back to the dormitory. We've done enough for today," whispered Remus
"Yeah," agreed Peter. They finished breakfast quickly and headed to their room.
"Well," began James when they were out of teachers' earshot, "at least everyone at Hogwarts knows our names. We're famous!"
"Yes, but I don't think they'll like us much, since we made Gryffindor start the year at points -20!!" precised Sirius.
"You can't have everything," said James, smiling.