A/N: I have decided to upload two chapters at a time, at least for now...
nowt else to say... R&R of course... Lourdaise.
Our first lesson at Hogwarts was Defence Against the Dark Arts, to my delight. Dad, an Auror, had brought me up to have a basic knowledge of defence already. Thus it was that I breezed through the lesson, earning ten house points for Gryffindor and my share of malicious looks from the Slytherins. The greasy boy I had noticed the day before was particularly annoyed. "I suppose you've read the textbooks, have you?" he sneered as he slimed past my bench.
"No," I said smoothly. "Natural aptitude." I waited until he had passed by and then leaned towards Sirius. "Can I count on you as an ally against him?"
"Certainly," Sirius grinned. "Oily little Severus Snape."
"Me too," Remus added. He had received a similar comment, due to his own success. We three glared, united, across the room, as Snape rejoined his friends.
"Jealous git," Sirius sneered.
Next came Transfiguration, then Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology and finally Quidditch. I had few problems; both Sirius and I had quickly established ourselves as top of the class in almost every subject. Remus had replaced Sirius at the top in Defence against the Dark Arts, and me in Herbology, but apart from that we excelled. Inexplicable, really, as I had not touched a textbook, but I felt uplifted. Flying did not daunt me at all. I knew I was good.
"Looking forward to Flying with the Slytherins?" I asked Remus and Sirius. The latter turned faintly green, and his air of self-confidence dissipated a little.
"That's just great," he said. "How Malfoy will laugh - 'little Sirius Black can't fly'."
"You can't?"
"Scared of heights," he said shortly.
"Oh." I swallowed, unable to offer any words of understanding, as I didn't see what he could be scared of. Quidditch was the best sport in the world, as far as I was concerned, although I didn't play much due to my muggle- surrounded upbringing, and flying the best sensation. I was anticipating the lesson with joy. "What about you, Remus?"
He shrugged. "I've never really flown much. Don't worry Sirius, there'll be plenty of other new ones. And you've done brilliantly in everything else."
"Hmm."
We changed into sport kit in silence and walked out onto the pitch. I noticed that many of the girls looked wary of the brooms on the floor. True, they didn't look very high-tech, but I was not daunted.
"Good afternoon, class," said a woman with cropped hair. "My name is Madam Hooch. I will be teaching you to fly, and, eventually, play Quidditch. Is anyone here an experienced flyer already who would like to help demonstrate?"
My hand flew up immediately, beating Marcius Malfoy's and a couple of his cronies'.
"Mr...?"
"Potter," I filled in.
"Mr Potter, you seem confident. I will need you to help me with a few manoeuvres." I nodded. "Now, class, stand by a broom. Ready? All right. Hold your wand hand above the handle and say 'Up!'. As confidently as possible - brooms, like dogs, are good at sensing emotion."
My broom leapt into my hand and I quietly lifted Sirius' too. About half the class were successful - Lily Evans, I noticed, looked particularly delighted.
"Now, mount your brooms if you will. Mr Potter, I would like you to demonstrate a kick off and short rise, then land, if you would?" I nodded. "On my whistle, then - one, two, three!"
How I longed to shoot off up into the sky now I was off the ground, but I obediently returned to earth. Most of the girls looked impressed, I noticed - Lily Evans was unaffected.
"Now, everyone else?"
By the end of the lesson, I had been allowed one circuit of the Quidditch pitch, during which I could not resist the temptation to show off with a loop-the-loop and what I knew was a spectacular dive landing. Madame Hooch raised an eyebrow. "Impressive, I'm sure, but we won't be doing that quite yet. Generally unnecessary, too, the loop-the-loop," - Malfoy sniggered - "but that was a fine example. Take five points for Gryffindor."
I was triumphant as Malfoy fell silent.
"Where did you learn to fly like that?" Sirius moaned at dinner. "It was amazing!"
I shrugged - I could do better. "Dad taught me," I said. "Shame we're not allowed to play on the teams til next year."
Lily Evans, walking behind me, gave a cough that sounded suspiciously contrived. Why was she not impressed? I wondered helplessly, but it wasn't worth worrying about.
The first few weeks passed uneventfully - still, I came top in most things, although Lily Evans beat me with a sarcastic smile in Charms. "Well done," I congratulated her at the end of the lesson. "That thing with the feather was amazing!"
She rolled her eyes. "How patronising can you get?" she muttered and pushed past me.
Potions was the only other subject that I didn't surpass everyone in. Professor Sherwin and I did not see eye to eye, and for some reason I was clumsy with measurements and found following the recipes strangely hard. Snape, of course, came out best in the one subject I hated - but I cared little. The majority of our year disliked him by now, whereas I had earnt friendship.
Sirius threw down his pen in the middle of an essay. We had both been sighing and grumbling from the start. "What we need," he said, "are some pranks to play."
I brightened up. We had been generally unfruitful in finding jokes to pull in class. "Have you got something?"
"You bet I have. Bubble generating gloop, stink pellets, Dr Filibuster fireworks and... bucking broom powder!"
"Bucking broom powder?"
"Yup. Snape or Malfoy; which do you reckon? Snape could end up harmed more by it... but it would be fun to knock some of Malfoy's confidence."
"Yes... Malfoy, I reckon. I don't actually want to kill anyone, and Snape could be seriously injured."
Sirius laughed. "You have a conscience, James Potter?"
"Just a small one."
And so it was that I was first out on the pitch the following Monday afternoon - while Madame Hooch continued laying out the brooms, I shook some powder over Malfoy's normal place and slipped the pot back in my cloak pocket.
"Mr Potter, you're keen."
"Yes, well, I had... something to ask you."
"What about?"
"It's about brooms."
"Oh, Potter, you're not about to ask me for your own broom from home, are you? Because you know that first years aren't allowed..."
I feigned disappointment. Of course I knew, but it was as good a reason as any for my early appearance. "Oh, well, I thought it was worth a try... never mind."
The rest of the class straggled out in twos and threes. Sirius raised an eyebrow at me and I winked as Malfoy stepped forward.
We were up in the air, practising shooting the Quaffle, when I noticed something wrong. Lily Evans, flying a little below me, was having trouble with her broom - serious trouble. It seemed to be showing symptoms of... bucking broom powder! I looked around and gasped. Malfoy was using a different broom! As Lily's broom began to speed uncontrollably away from me, I shot into a dive and followed, ignoring Madame's whistle. I had to rescue her.
My practice at home paid off now as I reached out and grabbed the back of Lily's broom.
"Climb across," I panted. "Quickly!"
"Oh, leave me alone, Potter, I'm fine, I just lost control for a minute."
"No you haven't, it's bucking broom powder. Get on my broom!"
She glared at me. "And what is bucking broom powder? Nice try but no."
Had the girl no sense of urgency? Or realism? "Fine," I snapped. "We'll fly in convoy. Come on." And keeping tight hold of the tail of her broom, I swung round and pulled her after me.
Madame Hooch came running forward as we landed clumsily. "What happened, Miss Evans?"
"Somebody's jinxed her broom," I muttered.
Madame's eyes narrowed. "I see. Well, thank you for aiding her, Mr Potter, although, it would have been easier and perhaps safer to take her on your own broom. For future reference."
I nodded, although I was seething at the injustice. First our prank had failed, now this. And bar a curt 'thanks', Lily appeared to have no sense of gratitude either.
"How heroic," Remus teased me in the changing rooms.
"Hmm," I said. "Sadly I don't think she likes heroes."
"Ooh, does Potter like Evans?"
I groaned inwardly. Trust Snape to overhear.
"You like that mudbl-"
I forgot all magic as my fist connected with his jaw, and he was too surprised to do anything in return. He crashed to the floor and glared up at me. Blood dribbled down his chin from his lip.
"Go, James!" Sirius crowed.
I rinsed the blood of my hand under the tap, trying to calm my temper. It was a while since I had struck a boy, and I had never felt such a sense of rage. Then again, I had never won so easily either. But Snape had probably never fought like a muggle. I had the advantage. Maybe my parents had not been so stupid after all.
"This," Snape snarled as he staggered past us, heading for the hospital wing, "is war, Potter."
Our first lesson at Hogwarts was Defence Against the Dark Arts, to my delight. Dad, an Auror, had brought me up to have a basic knowledge of defence already. Thus it was that I breezed through the lesson, earning ten house points for Gryffindor and my share of malicious looks from the Slytherins. The greasy boy I had noticed the day before was particularly annoyed. "I suppose you've read the textbooks, have you?" he sneered as he slimed past my bench.
"No," I said smoothly. "Natural aptitude." I waited until he had passed by and then leaned towards Sirius. "Can I count on you as an ally against him?"
"Certainly," Sirius grinned. "Oily little Severus Snape."
"Me too," Remus added. He had received a similar comment, due to his own success. We three glared, united, across the room, as Snape rejoined his friends.
"Jealous git," Sirius sneered.
Next came Transfiguration, then Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology and finally Quidditch. I had few problems; both Sirius and I had quickly established ourselves as top of the class in almost every subject. Remus had replaced Sirius at the top in Defence against the Dark Arts, and me in Herbology, but apart from that we excelled. Inexplicable, really, as I had not touched a textbook, but I felt uplifted. Flying did not daunt me at all. I knew I was good.
"Looking forward to Flying with the Slytherins?" I asked Remus and Sirius. The latter turned faintly green, and his air of self-confidence dissipated a little.
"That's just great," he said. "How Malfoy will laugh - 'little Sirius Black can't fly'."
"You can't?"
"Scared of heights," he said shortly.
"Oh." I swallowed, unable to offer any words of understanding, as I didn't see what he could be scared of. Quidditch was the best sport in the world, as far as I was concerned, although I didn't play much due to my muggle- surrounded upbringing, and flying the best sensation. I was anticipating the lesson with joy. "What about you, Remus?"
He shrugged. "I've never really flown much. Don't worry Sirius, there'll be plenty of other new ones. And you've done brilliantly in everything else."
"Hmm."
We changed into sport kit in silence and walked out onto the pitch. I noticed that many of the girls looked wary of the brooms on the floor. True, they didn't look very high-tech, but I was not daunted.
"Good afternoon, class," said a woman with cropped hair. "My name is Madam Hooch. I will be teaching you to fly, and, eventually, play Quidditch. Is anyone here an experienced flyer already who would like to help demonstrate?"
My hand flew up immediately, beating Marcius Malfoy's and a couple of his cronies'.
"Mr...?"
"Potter," I filled in.
"Mr Potter, you seem confident. I will need you to help me with a few manoeuvres." I nodded. "Now, class, stand by a broom. Ready? All right. Hold your wand hand above the handle and say 'Up!'. As confidently as possible - brooms, like dogs, are good at sensing emotion."
My broom leapt into my hand and I quietly lifted Sirius' too. About half the class were successful - Lily Evans, I noticed, looked particularly delighted.
"Now, mount your brooms if you will. Mr Potter, I would like you to demonstrate a kick off and short rise, then land, if you would?" I nodded. "On my whistle, then - one, two, three!"
How I longed to shoot off up into the sky now I was off the ground, but I obediently returned to earth. Most of the girls looked impressed, I noticed - Lily Evans was unaffected.
"Now, everyone else?"
By the end of the lesson, I had been allowed one circuit of the Quidditch pitch, during which I could not resist the temptation to show off with a loop-the-loop and what I knew was a spectacular dive landing. Madame Hooch raised an eyebrow. "Impressive, I'm sure, but we won't be doing that quite yet. Generally unnecessary, too, the loop-the-loop," - Malfoy sniggered - "but that was a fine example. Take five points for Gryffindor."
I was triumphant as Malfoy fell silent.
"Where did you learn to fly like that?" Sirius moaned at dinner. "It was amazing!"
I shrugged - I could do better. "Dad taught me," I said. "Shame we're not allowed to play on the teams til next year."
Lily Evans, walking behind me, gave a cough that sounded suspiciously contrived. Why was she not impressed? I wondered helplessly, but it wasn't worth worrying about.
The first few weeks passed uneventfully - still, I came top in most things, although Lily Evans beat me with a sarcastic smile in Charms. "Well done," I congratulated her at the end of the lesson. "That thing with the feather was amazing!"
She rolled her eyes. "How patronising can you get?" she muttered and pushed past me.
Potions was the only other subject that I didn't surpass everyone in. Professor Sherwin and I did not see eye to eye, and for some reason I was clumsy with measurements and found following the recipes strangely hard. Snape, of course, came out best in the one subject I hated - but I cared little. The majority of our year disliked him by now, whereas I had earnt friendship.
Sirius threw down his pen in the middle of an essay. We had both been sighing and grumbling from the start. "What we need," he said, "are some pranks to play."
I brightened up. We had been generally unfruitful in finding jokes to pull in class. "Have you got something?"
"You bet I have. Bubble generating gloop, stink pellets, Dr Filibuster fireworks and... bucking broom powder!"
"Bucking broom powder?"
"Yup. Snape or Malfoy; which do you reckon? Snape could end up harmed more by it... but it would be fun to knock some of Malfoy's confidence."
"Yes... Malfoy, I reckon. I don't actually want to kill anyone, and Snape could be seriously injured."
Sirius laughed. "You have a conscience, James Potter?"
"Just a small one."
And so it was that I was first out on the pitch the following Monday afternoon - while Madame Hooch continued laying out the brooms, I shook some powder over Malfoy's normal place and slipped the pot back in my cloak pocket.
"Mr Potter, you're keen."
"Yes, well, I had... something to ask you."
"What about?"
"It's about brooms."
"Oh, Potter, you're not about to ask me for your own broom from home, are you? Because you know that first years aren't allowed..."
I feigned disappointment. Of course I knew, but it was as good a reason as any for my early appearance. "Oh, well, I thought it was worth a try... never mind."
The rest of the class straggled out in twos and threes. Sirius raised an eyebrow at me and I winked as Malfoy stepped forward.
We were up in the air, practising shooting the Quaffle, when I noticed something wrong. Lily Evans, flying a little below me, was having trouble with her broom - serious trouble. It seemed to be showing symptoms of... bucking broom powder! I looked around and gasped. Malfoy was using a different broom! As Lily's broom began to speed uncontrollably away from me, I shot into a dive and followed, ignoring Madame's whistle. I had to rescue her.
My practice at home paid off now as I reached out and grabbed the back of Lily's broom.
"Climb across," I panted. "Quickly!"
"Oh, leave me alone, Potter, I'm fine, I just lost control for a minute."
"No you haven't, it's bucking broom powder. Get on my broom!"
She glared at me. "And what is bucking broom powder? Nice try but no."
Had the girl no sense of urgency? Or realism? "Fine," I snapped. "We'll fly in convoy. Come on." And keeping tight hold of the tail of her broom, I swung round and pulled her after me.
Madame Hooch came running forward as we landed clumsily. "What happened, Miss Evans?"
"Somebody's jinxed her broom," I muttered.
Madame's eyes narrowed. "I see. Well, thank you for aiding her, Mr Potter, although, it would have been easier and perhaps safer to take her on your own broom. For future reference."
I nodded, although I was seething at the injustice. First our prank had failed, now this. And bar a curt 'thanks', Lily appeared to have no sense of gratitude either.
"How heroic," Remus teased me in the changing rooms.
"Hmm," I said. "Sadly I don't think she likes heroes."
"Ooh, does Potter like Evans?"
I groaned inwardly. Trust Snape to overhear.
"You like that mudbl-"
I forgot all magic as my fist connected with his jaw, and he was too surprised to do anything in return. He crashed to the floor and glared up at me. Blood dribbled down his chin from his lip.
"Go, James!" Sirius crowed.
I rinsed the blood of my hand under the tap, trying to calm my temper. It was a while since I had struck a boy, and I had never felt such a sense of rage. Then again, I had never won so easily either. But Snape had probably never fought like a muggle. I had the advantage. Maybe my parents had not been so stupid after all.
"This," Snape snarled as he staggered past us, heading for the hospital wing, "is war, Potter."