Chapter 7

The next few days past as the previous few had done. James had adopted the nickname 'prongs' due to the exceptionally large antlers his stag (which he took the liberty of producing every evening) bore. "Well fine." James snapped after Sirius had introduced his nickname to a group of chattering first year girls who giggled madly and asked 'prongs' if he'd teach them how to produce a patronus. "But you'd better watch out Sirius or you might find yourself landed with the nickname 'flea infested scruff ball.'

"I do not have fleas!" Sirius growled. "I wish I knew what Peter or Remus' are..."

Next day, James was summoned to see Professor McGonnagal by a pompous Gryffindor prefect who had earned herself many unflattering nicknames by the four. "What have you done now James?" Lily Evans asked in exasperated tones.

"Nothing!" James said indignantly. "Well, not that I know of..." He looked at Lily and grinned. He began to wonder when she would get the message that he believed her to be the most attractive girl at Hogwarts.

Lily smiled back. "See you later then." She said and went over to join some other Gryffindor first years who were having a game of gobstones. This was certainly an improvement. She was actually talking to him like another human... Perhaps he really did have a chance with her...

James arrived at Professor McGonnagal's office slightly panicking about what she had in store for him. "I haven't done anything wrong!" He spluttered at the look on McGonnagal's face as she opened the door to her office.

"I should hope not." Professor McGonnagal said raising her eyebrows and pointing him into her office. "I have just been informed by Professor Gryllus that Mr Black has deliberately exploded another rotting root potion into the face of a certain Slytherin boy. I do hope you had nothing to do with this?" She questioned, eyebrows soaring yet higher.

"No of course not," James said smiling slightly. He did not need to be told who the Slytherin was.

"Well I brought you here to show you something." Professor McGonnagal explained as she sat down opposite him, pushing a piece of parchment in his direction. "This arrived today. It is a letter from your parents."

James took the letter, looking at McGonnagal. He was not sure anything they could possible say could change his mind about them...

Dear Minerva,

We are writing this letter for reasons you can probably imagine owing to the rather accusing letter from the Potions master Professor Gryllus. We feel very strongly about the situation this places our son James in who we did not imagine would find out as he is still to young to understand the situation As it is however, Ludan Gryllus told him and this puts us in an uncomfortable position. Perhaps you could explain to him that our lives were at risk, we are aurors and Anthony LeStrange was a vicious murderer. We do regret what happened of course and please explain this to our son. We are writing this because we doubt he will pay much attention to a letter from us to him.

Many thanks,

Mr and Mrs Potter

James looked up at Professor McGonnagal who was watching him closely. "Well? How do you feel about this?" She asked him.

"I..." James did not know how he felt. This hardly made up for their behaviour in the slightest, but if their lives were at risk... "What's an auror?" He asked at last.

"It is a dark wizard catcher." McGonnagal replied briskly. "They are often very well respected witches and wizards. The wizarding world is very thankful to your parents."

Thankful to the, for murder? James was still thinking about this as he made his way back to the common room.

"Prongs!" Sirius leapt on him as he entered.

"Don't call me that!" James tried again.

"Rubbish! I know you like it really! So how was it?" Sirius asked, bouncing round him like an overexcited puppy.

James heaved himself into an armchair and told them what had happened.

"Well..." Sirius said at a loss of what to say. "Well hopefully they'll fire Gryllus for this!" He looked at James' expression. "You're not annoyed at them are you?"

"Sirius!" Remus said in exasperated tones. "Do you have any feelings whatsoever? What do you think!"

"Well, I don't think I would be annoyed. Better dead than alive really..." Sirius said.

"Well, I don't know." James muttered. "It'll take time."

"Yeah, I wouldn't blame your parents James!" Peter said smiling nervously.

A day before Halloween, Sirius discovered yet another nickname for yet another victim. "Good morning Snivellus!" He said cheerily to Snape who, gnashing his teeth with rage turned to a fellow Slytherin boy and began spitting furiously insults about the four. The name had evolved from a famous potions lesson with the rotting root potions. Instead of screaming insults at them as his face began decomposing, Snape merely sat down, put his head in his hands and began to cry.

"C'mon Sirius, enough is enough!" James said angrily after potions.

"Well it was funny!" Sirius chortled.

"I didn't think it was particularly funny actually." James said coolly. "Now he's going to spend then next week in the hospital wing. You're going too far."

James' sympathy for Snape, or Snivellus quickly evaporated as he approached them that evening.

"You'd be nothing if you weren't good at quidditch!" Snape had informed James while Remus and Sirius watched him race round the pitch on his new broomstick while Peter kept a look out for teachers since first years were not strictly allowed their own brooms.

"I'll tell Gryllus about your broom!" Snape tried. (Gryllus was Slytherin's head of house.)

"I'll tell Gryllus about your long nose, now push off." Sirius growled.

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius as Snape stalked off. "You and your insults Sirius! I wonder how long it'll be till you get a nickname too... How about Snuffles? I've got a toy dog called snuffles." Remus was still looking peaky from the full moon but had almost returned to normal.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah right! Snuffles?" He grinned up at James who was waving frantically to get their attention, then went into a spectacular dive.

"He's so talented isn't he?" Remus sighed.

"He's not bad..." Sirius said smiling. "Anyway Lupin, I've been meaning to ask you, how come you only visit your mother when there's a full moon?"

James had landed without them noticing and was hovering near the stands catching snippets of their conversation. "What's this about full moons?" He laughed as he placed his broomstick on a seat.

"About Remus visiting his ill mum." Sirius explained.

"Well you don't exactly like moons do you Remus?" James said. "I mean, you're always really miserable round them and you..."

"I've got a name that'll cheer you up whenever we say it! Moony!" Sirius chortled.

"Very funny Snuffles." Remus said though he was laughing.

Peter was running at them. "Look out! Flitwick's on his evening stroll!"