James flashed his signature smile. He was fourteen and already considered himself to be a well-trained ladies man, between his smile and the arrogant smirk on his partner's face I wasn't sure what annoyed me more. "Hey," James began, his voice shifting awkwardly on the pitch that plagues all pubescent boys, "um, I've seen you around before and well, I thought it was time we were properly introduced," he finished by raking a shaking hand through his messy hair.
"The boy's bonkers for you," Sirius kissed the words into the air, that was until he had the wind knocked out of him by James's angry fist. As Black doubled over to catch his breath James moved closer to me, his hands out in a peace gesture, trying to explain and deny all at the same time.
"He's brainless, don't mind him, bit daft," James knocked on his own skull as if to better illustrate the issue to me.
"I am not sure why you have decided to begin pulling your pranks on me, I've never bothered either of you. In fact I've always made a point of it to avoid the both of you and your little clique altogether. I can't believe you would say such mean things to me," and like the teenage girl I was I began to cry in frustration, confusion, and embarrassment.
Why did I start to cry you might ask. Well, I was fourteen and was new to the whole hormonal thing. Couple that with seriously underdeveloped social skills and I was a train wreck just waiting to happen.
Just then the sound of clicking heels and sweeping robes sounded at the far end of the hall, a busy Professor McGonagall rounded the corner looking stern, "Potter, Black? Is that the two of you?" and as she neared, "Miss Evans, is that you? What are the three of you loitering about the hall for? Oh, dear, why on earth are you crying girl?"
Both boys began to try to explain as McGonagall turned on them with a glare and a threat on her face. "I'll hear no excuses. You two are in detention, I don't mind your pranks and games, but when you sink to hurting feelings for no reason--well, that is to say, I won't have it!"
She sent a sympathetic look my way and turning one more time on the two boys said belligerently, "Head back to your room you two, it's getting late and I know you have plenty of transfiguration homework to catch up on. I had best not hear of any more trouble coming from the two of you. And don't forget, detention this Saturday, my office."
And with that she seemed to disappear out of view as quickly as she'd arrived.
"Good job Miss Priss, we're friends for five minutes and you've already gotten us into a scrape," Sirius had a dour expression now, he pulled on his friend's robe and motioned to leave. Apparently I was no longer worth his time.
Potter seemed to have no words and reluctantly he left.
For the next few weeks I avoided the halls and tried not to spend too much time in the common room. I had heard rumours that the "Marauders" (the name of James's group of friends) were known to deliver revenge whenever crossed and oftentimes it was quite severe. Most of my afternoons were spent in abandoned classrooms finishing up my assignments for the following week. One particularly dreary day in February I happened to find myself in the empty potion's classroom, finishing up a rather lengthy essay on werewolves when I heard a sniffle from the back of the room. Curious, I turned around to find the culprit. Finding no one, I turned my attention back to the scroll laid out in front of me. Until I heard it again. This time a bit weary I got up to look around when just then the sniffly head of Severus Snape looked up and in my direction. I recognized him immediately, the both of us had been battling for the best grade in potions for over two terms now. He looked out from between the greasy curtains of his black hair, a snarl on his face. "Filthy mudblood," he muttered before going back to scribbling in his potions book.
I was used to racism. Being a muggle born had always been a bit of trouble, sometimes people will find any difference in you they can in order to explain why they're better than you. I remember now meeting one Lucius Malfoy, then a sixth year during my first year at Hogwarts. He had made a great game of picking on me my first few weeks at school by sending his bumbling posse to plague my days with as many taunts as possible. It culminated with him sending me threatening enchanted notes under my bedroom door riddled with threats of hexes and pain which lead to quite a few weeks of detention for him. So when Snape cursed at me under his breath I was not moved.
I began re-reading what I had written, making certain to continue on with my current train of thought when there was a thud as the door to the classroom slammed open. James and his motley crew were standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light behind them. I gasped a bit, nervous that they had come to exact revenge on me at a time when I was neither mentally nor physically prepared (I'd left my wand up on my bed earlier by accident). But luckily I was not their preferred target.
Snape was.
"You'd best not try anything funny here, Professor Slughorn has only just left" Snape threatened, glaring at them.
"The risk is worth it Snivelly," James spat back. Behind him Sirius grinned like a jackal as a nervously excited Peter Pettigrew giggled shrilly like a hyena. Remus Lupin, the only member of the gang that I had not properly met stood serenely behind the three, trying to go as unnoticed and remain as uninvolved as possible.
"Are you trying to get your greasy hands on little lovely Lily here slimy Snape?" Sirius viciously asked.
"You'd best stay away from her Snivellus," James said in the most mature voice he could muster, "because she's not interested I can guarantee you that. You don't like this twitchy prat now do you Evans?"
I was speechless, but an infuriated Snape who had had too much teasing answered for me, "I do not have the time for filthy know it all mud bloods like her!"
I held up my empty hand (not quite realizing it was empty), my mind racing with possible hexes but the chaos that ensued was hex enough as James and Sirius (encouraged by James, but simply wanting a fight) shouted out spells and curses in Snapes direction.
plot to come.