Pranx Chappie 6.
Special thanks to Matryoshka (Yes, Lily will prank our dearest Jamesie into a conceited pulp) and Blue Phoenix Fire (I'm Write Write Writing, teehee!) Soooooooooo sorry it took so long- I was on vacation in Yellowstone (it was great) w/o a laptop!!!! On a trail in Yellowstone, I actually saw a Great Gray Owl, the type of owl Uretha (Jamesie's owl) is… It was just as beautiful as Lily thought…
James strode in confidently, flanked by the friends he made in the Hogwarts Express. He was angrily fuming. What a crazy girl! She doesn't know why she should stay away from Paulo, not as I do! I'm just trying to protect her and she just goes and-…
Anyway, he turned to Sirius. "Hey Si, did you see that girl? The one with the green eyes?"
Sirius, then nicknamed 'Si', gave his trademark lopsided grin. With a roll of his black eyes, he spoke, sarcastic and amused. "No, 'Jay' (nickname for Guess Who), we've only been on a half-hour boat ride with her. Yeah, I've heard of her."
"She thinks Paulo is nice!"
Sirius raised an arched eyebrow. "Really? From what I've heard from you (, and trust me it was a lot) about that man, you couldn't put Paulo and nice in the same sentence without the word 'not'!"
Remus rolled his eyes. "God, let's just watch the sorting. Besides, maybe we should listen for when we're called. Who knows, it could be interesting!"
"My word is one thing you abide
Be your brim thin, be it wide
Be you Muggle-Born, be you pure
My word is not one to abhor
So this task at hand,
I ask again
You wonder where you go
Well be proud and stout
All around, all about
For you are soon to know!" The Sorting Hat proclaimed its song with glee. Some kid looking suspiciously like Simon Cowell, with a British accent disdainfully proclaimed, "You sound like a beluga-" until a bug-eyed professor shushed him, slapping him on the back in a supposedly menacing manner, exclaiming, "My tea leaves told me yesterday that was true! I don't need a repeating of that fact!"
James nodded, noting the wisdom of Remus's suggestion- the sorting was turning out to be funner than he expected. "Hell, that's wasn't such a bad idea…"
Running quickly to get front row seats (though they were standing), they managed to get in almost the front of the crowd of first years.
Peter grinned. "So, here we are, at the scene of the crime."
Sirius laughed out loud. Peter cracked a small grin.
James gave a nod to Peter.
"Berness, Paulo!" Paulo stepped up nervously, waving a hasty good-bye to Lily. He put on the hat, and it sat there for a moment, before screaming, "Hufflepuff!" With a nervous smile, he sat down at the table, while Norvie grinded his teeth, pleased that he had captured the attention of the many eyes rested on him, despite the fact their expressions were of fear, disgust, and horror.
"Black, Sirius!" Crowed a stern-looking woman.
Sirius took a deep breath. Confidently, wearing a casual carefree smile, he strode to the front. With a sweeping gesture, he took the hat and threw it high in the air to his. He ran so that the hat when it fell would land on his head. It actually was not an easy feat (the hat was crumpled and fell every which way very swiftly), but he pulled it off.
Peter stared in awe, his mouth an 'O.'
James grumbled wryly, "Just like Si to show off on his first day! Sucks, how am I going to beat that?"
After a few minutes, he looked up, hearing a familiar name. "Evans, Lily!" Before she went up, James could have sworn that he saw her telling someone under the table to 'Stay where they are and don't bite anyone'. Nervously, hand on that cat of hers, intertwining her finger's in its fur for comfort, she breathed deep and walked up to the stool. She put on the hat and sat down. After five seconds, the hat shouted out, "Gryffindor!" With a longing look in the Hufflepuff table direction, she walked over to the Gryffindor table. McGonagall pointed at someone, James guessed her roommate- a girl in the same village as James- Veruca Ann Beauregard, a girly snob if there was one…
Names passed. "Lupin, Remus!" Paler than ever, he treaded to the hat. Almost instantly the hat said, "Gryffindor!"
After a few others, James heard "Pettigrew, Peter!" Peter trotted up to the front, face pale. "Gryffindor!" the hat shouted after a few minutes. Sighing with relief, Peter sniffled and went to his seat.
"Potter, James!" James took out his wand and muttered a charm he wasn't supposed to know. For a second, the hat shone gold, the moment he put it on his head. First-years around the room oohed and aahed, they thought James was a chosen one, or special, or better than all of them. James smiled. Now he had beaten Si, and made people think he was special to top it off!
Clutching Uretha, James brought her to the Owlry- he was shocked! He had expected little bird cages or something (or hopefully for Uretha, a big bird cage or something), but instead saw pine trees, a clear cold blue lake, and white lab rats everywhere for the owls to eat.
James saw Paulo in the Owlry, admiring the lovely environment, as was he, but crying.
"What's wrong, you dork?" Asked James angrily.
"They eat rats, like Norvie! And they're white, so they stand out, so they're easier to catch! If they were gray like Norvie, they'd stand a chance, but they're not even given a feeble hope to survive. Does it not at all move you that every rat in this room but Norvie is fated within the next month to be killed by these owls?"
"When you put it that way… Wait a second, what am I thinking?! They're rats! Rats all the same. I can't believe I let one of your kind talk to me!" James shoved Paulo aside. He saw a trace of nervousness flash in Paulo's eyes for an instant.
"You know Paulo," James taunted, "I know who you are, or shall I say, what you are. I had suspicions, growing up with you in the village with you, but your talk with Lily, most of which I heard, proved it to me. One thing you said made it clear- you are one of them, Paulo, and don't try to deny it. And not only are you one of them, you're related by blood to one of the greatest ones, aren't you, Paulo!? I tried to protect Lily from you- she is innocent, your kind is news to her, what can I say?"
Paulo attempted to hide his gasp. Over his fear, he slid on an often-used mask- one of cool, in control, indifference, one of a master instructing an inferior.
"I know not what you speak of, Potter," Paulo said icily. "But mark my words; nothing will stop me from being close to Lily. She is clean-slated, and does not come with the prejudice many have with my kind." His voice took on a pleading note. "Please, don't you see? I'm not like what you think of my people! I just want to live like most people, like you. I want to love and be loved, to know that I am not a killer, to have a friend."
James glared at Paulo. "Okay, you have one chance with her. Do anything, one thing to her, and meet my wrath!"
Take a wild guess as to what James means when he refers to Paulo as 'one of them'. Shouldn't be hard, no, not at all! Especially with the obvious hint I dropped in. I will review all of your stories (if there's ten or less of them) if you review and get the right answer (gee, that won't be hard, tho!) Happy guessing!