"Oh… bugger!"

Our dear, loveable James Potter happened to shout. Why you may ask, for a very good reason. He had been walking down the corridor, swinging a Waldens Finest Indoor Pretty Cracker, the biggest and loudest indoor firecracker, around in his hand, and a few dung bombs in his pockets, holding three in his left hand. Along came a first year, whom James hadn't seen. All he heard however was a distant shout of "Incendio," and the next thing he knew was his Waldens Finest had been lit. He groaned loudly before he realized the dung bombs had been hit as well. He gave another groan. The fuses were lit, and he didn't have very much time left.

Quickly threw his Waldens Finest on the floor, and continued to throw his three lit dung bombs around the corridor, a two managing to slip into a room. And that would have been when he realized that if they all went off, and he was found with others in his pocket then he was in for something. So, one by one he lit off his dung bombs, and threw them all down the corridor, some even into various rooms. And that was when it had happen. The very first one that was lit, had got off, and that was right into front of him.

He instantly jumped sideways due to the rather foul odor and stumbled in what would have happened to have been the music room. Rather unfortunate for him an the others in the room, there was another dung bomb just in the door way. James looked down before saying, "Oh buggery," and moved out of the way just in time.

At the sound of the door being opened, and someone having stumbled in four students looked up. Three of them with well mannered scowls on their faces. Pansy Parkinson, Draco Malfoy, and Narcissa Black all stood at once, leaving the lone Gryffindor, whom had happened to have been Ginny to scramble against the wall. The four of them shared the same reaction to the smell that was sure enough seeping into the room.

All the bombs went off and to say that the corridor, and the very room he and three Slytherins, and one Gryffindor were in smelt of pretty spring roses would have been the understatement of the year. It smelt badly of shite of all sorts. "Allo' Snakies," James coughed, as he glanced around, using the sleeve of his shirt to cover his nose, listening as the rest of the bombs went off, going slightly green in the face. "I didn't do that." He said quickly, once he was certain that all the bombs had gone off.

"What do you mean you didn't do that," Narcissa snapped, holding the sleeve to her robes to her nose and mouth. The smell was horrid. "You bloody well did it - you're standing right there!"

The Gryffindor wrinkled his nose again. "What? Did you think I set those off by myself then?" James coughed. "A first year did it, the little bugger. And those were supposed to last me the month!" He groaned. Really, he made it seem as though he just lost all his money down the bath drain. Honestly, that was James for you.

With a rather long wiz and several loud cracklings, and bangs James groaned as he saw a flash of brilliant colors fly by the door. "However, I did do that," he groaned, his nose still covered. "Bugger and I was saving that, too!"

This time it was the other boy who scowled into the crook of his elbow, covering his nose and mouth. He narrowed pale gray on the raven-haired boy. "You did everything," Draco snapped, though his voice was hardly intimidating as it was muffled. "Only an idiot would set off thing like - wait, what the hell was that?" His question was quickly cut off by the sound of two whining girls who were sputtering and coughing into their hands and robes.

"I swear by Merlin, Potter," Narcissa sneered, glancing at her hair. Her eyes widened and she turned her attention back to Harry. "My hair - it smells like-"

"Shite!" Pansy cried, a bit of her own dark hair falling into view. "Its everywhere!"

Ginny, who was plastered against the far left wall, grinned behind her hand in an attempt not to laugh or breathe in those horrid fumes. She glanced at James, unsure at first which of the Potter boys it was. Though his eyes told her exactly which one it was, and she laughed even as the Slytherin girls continued to whine and fret about their hair.

The boy continued to cough through the fumes. His eyes were beginning to water. Oh, that was first! Merlin, he wasn't going to be able to make it back to the Gryffindor common room with out - well, without smelling like a cow to be exact. Rather a cows hind end. James wrinkled his nose. Well, that was a lesson then, wasn't it? Never let dungbombs be seen, first years clearly didn't know what they were doing. However, he rolled his eyes at the three girls that continued to carp with him.

"Come off it already," James said, though his voice slightly muffled through his sleeve. "It washes out - eventually." Well, wasn't that nice! Oh, he loved messing with Slytherin girls. They were all pretty much the same, all worried about their hair, looks, and Merlin forbid their robes! James waved his hand, removing his other from his nose bravely. "Oh it's not that bad! I mean really - Oh, wait, I lied," he choked, quickly covering his nose up again, grinning from behind his sleeve as he couldn't help but to notice the fourth girl at the wall. Well, at least one of them wasn't taking it seriously. Really. And he lost his favorite firecracker! Oh the humanity.

"Oh, the smell," Pansy whined feebly, scrunching her eyes shut.

At that, James couldn't agree more. He had never had light that many dung bombs at once before, and the smell was just getting to him. Oh, Merlin, he was going to wretch, he could just feel it. He pushed the sleeve closer to his nose just now pinching it, gag reflects getting ready to be put to use. "It's not going to get any better with you moaning about it!" James coughed, quickly shutting his mouth as he inhaled the stench.

Oh, this was just disgusting.

"You loathe some annoying little -" Narcissa had been about to say before she soon found herself once again gaining at the fumes in the room. She and Pansy were both choking on the horrible smell, both trying to choke out word directed at James, but every time they begun to speak they would begin to either cough or gag. It wasn't very pleasant.

"Little what? Arse, Gryffindor, boy, cockroach, bug, slug?" The boy listed, his voice muffled.

Pansy, before she had a chance to gather what she was saying, sneered out, "Mudblood!" Ginny looked up, and arched an eyebrow.

James had taken a small step back upon hearing that uproar. His left hand fishing in his back pocket. He grinned behind his sleeve has he grasped something in his pocket. Apparently he hadn't lit all of his dung bombs. There was still one left. Wonderful. He looked up again, at the three girls before him and only blinked. This was really beginning to amuse the boy - despite the awful smell.

He coughed twice before looking back the red facedPansy now lowering his right hand from his nose only to reveal a smirk. "But you see, I can't a Mudblood, I'm not a Muggleborn to begin with," James said confidently. "I, ma'am, am a Pureblood," he scoffed mockingly, crossing his arms, the dung bomb safe within his left hand.

Oh, he was going to die in this room. The smell was bad enough - but with more than one Slytherin? Oh, he was going to die, and he hoped it would be because of the stench, not the Slytherins. Oh, that would be just dreadful; James Potter killed by Slytherins before a horrid stench could knock him out. That wouldn't look to good in the papers, could it? Then again, he was sure that the Slytherins would just love to read that one.

"Whatever! You horrible little cockroach," Pansy and Narcissa both shrieked, trying to claw his eyes out, but neither of them dared to move forward in fear of inhaling more of the dungbomb fumes.

James bowed. "Thank you," he said smirking all the same. He was glad, however, that Lily was no where around. Merlin only knows what kind of hell he would get from her. Truth be told, she was the only girl he was actually afraid of. And that was saying something, considering all the people at Hogwarts that he's been known to taunt and prank. He learned his lesson long ago not to do that with Lily. She was brilliant - but scary.

Ginny laughed as the boy talked; she knew he was one of the biggest troublemakers in the school. Lily complained of him often, going on of how he made all the other students' lives terribly dreadful, and he should be hung up by his toes and various things like that.

Pansy let out a moan of indignance. "I am going to smell like poo forever!" Ginny only laughed. Oh. It was priceless, the look on all three of the Slytherins faces. It was just too much.

"Right," James snorted. "And I'm a Muggle."

Ginny edged up against the way, attempting to manuever her way out of the situation. Maybe she could make her escape when James made his exit. She coughed and sputtered; it was a funny prank, even if it wasn't intentional. It smelled awful though.

In the confusion, Ginny had managed to make her way over to James, and tried to hide behind the Gryffindor, nose pinched shut. She herself looked a really gross sort of green, she had inhaled too much of the stench when she was laughing. Ginny hoped she would be able to sneak out with him, she really didn't want to stay there with the Slytherin, especially now that the room was stinky.

"That was cool prank," she whispered. She never, not once figured she'd ever say those words to James Potter.

Blinking once more James looked over his shoulder slightly to look at Ginny. He grinned a bit before replying. "Just a bit too much stink, if you ask me," he said with a small wink. Ginny nodded, though she still thought it was funny. The Slytherin, Pansy and Draco, mainly, would be raving something awful later, but that couldn't be helped now. She hoped her clothes wouldn't stink for a long time. James turned to face the three in front of him once more, now dangling the bomb by the fuse.

"Alright then. You see, a brilliant mastermind, such as myself, never goes anywhere unprepared," He said, gesturing with right hand to the bomb. "Now, the question is; should I waste such a wonderful thing right this moment or not?" James paused, looking at the bomb with a thoughtful look. In the end, however, he took out his wand, and with a small muttered spell lit the bomb, and casually rolled it in front of him. He began walking backwards.

"Got about ten seconds before it goes off," James muttered over his shoulder as he started to move both Ginny and himself out the door, slowly.

Ginny gasped and looked up at James, both her eyebrows arched. "You have got to be kidding me," she hissed at him as she was being moved out of the room and into the hall. "You're insane, you know. Completely insane."

James couldn't help but to agree with that. The smell, while it was dying down, was killing him. Quickly however, after casting a glance to the lit bomb, turned around, taking Ginny by the arm, hauling the two of them outside. Promptly closing the door after, knowing that the bomb was getting ready to go off. And when it did, he took out his own wand, pointing it at himself he cleaned himself up with a quick scouring charm, he continued to do the same to the girl, just incase.

"Dung bombs," He said, placing his wand back into his pocket. "Gotta love them, gotta hate the smell," He said glancing around the hall before looking back to the girl. "Sorry about that by the way."

"Where did you get those? I thought those weren't allowed on school grounds," she asked excitedly. Ginny wasn't one for pranks, well, that was a bit of a lie, considering who her brothers happened to be, but when they were played Slytherins and the like, they were fine by her. She also wasn't one for squealing, but when she got excited, she was a bit unpredictable.

"They aren't. My mum didn't check my trunk before I left for Hogwarts this year. She never does actually," the boy said, trying to think if his mother actually even bother to check his things. "Dung bombs and Waldens Finest Indoor Pretty Cracker's aren't allowed on school grounds. Much less Zonko's isn't allowed to sell them to Hogwarts students. So sad," James said with a sigh as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm James by the way, James Potter." He said, with a small grin. Just because he could be an absolute prick didn't mean he was always such. James could actually be quite the charmer, if he wanted that is. But of course he took the route of a trouble maker.

Ginny grinned, brushing her hair behind her shoulder. Well, now she could clearly see where Harry got most of his personality from. It was almost enough to cause her to laugh, luckily she didn't. "I'm Ginny," she said, glancing around the halls. The castle was the same, but something about it was different. "Friend of Harry's." She glanced back at the room they had just gotten out of, thankful they weren't in there anymore.

"I knew you looked familiar," James said with a small grin, however that quickly faltered into a small frown as he glanced at the door. There were still gagging sounds coming from behind it, and he was sure that he had heard some mumblings, but that could have very well just been him. "Seen you with him before, around I think. You going with him?" He asked casually.

Ginny, who was still looking at the door felt heat rising in on her face. She shook her head. "No," she said. "I was last year though."

James sighed dramatically, however it didn't stop a grin from forming on his lips even as his eyes shifted once more to the door. Maybe it was all of the gagging that the girls in there were doing, but it just brought a grin to his face, and a smile to his heart. Oh, he didn't know. And who was he kidding? He did this sort of thing for fun, and when he was simply bored.

James grinned after noticing that Ginny had glanced back at the door. "Me and my friends have been at that sort of stuff since our first year you could say," he said with a shrug. "Never gets old really, and we love testing out new Zonko's products. Bloody brilliant, Zonko's."

Now, Ginny decided, it was time to do a bit of lying while she could, before she got herself into trouble. "My mum doesn't want me going in there," she said with a snort. "Says we don't need another prankster in the family. It's really quite tragic, the story of my life actually."

"So sorry," James said, unable to hold back another grin. "Only child myself, but sometimes its like I have a brother over the summer," He said, tossing Ginny a chocolate frog that he had swiped from Sirius' bag earlier that day. What he was a Chaser after all. He knew how to throw and how to catch. It was in his blood. And the only reason he was a Chaser was because the spot of Seeker had already been taken when he tried out for the house team.

Logical, no?

James frowned ."I'd die if I wasn't allowed there - it's like, my third home you could say," he said with a nod. "My mum would kill me if she knew I was the one that buys most of the things my friends and I use, of course, I'm not the only one who buys. But she'd have my head, says I should be spending my money wisely." He rolled his eyes. He was only sixteen. There were good reasons why he bought what he did! Really.

No, no… really, there were.

"Lucky you," Ginny said, "being an only child I mean." She shut her eyes. It was a lie, she told herself. She loved her brother. This was all for the sake of being in the past. The corners of her lips twitch a bit, a small smile threatening to break loose.

James frowned. He knew what she meant. Sort of. After all, he was friends with Sirius, and Sirius didn't really have the best of families. "Can't stand them most of the time?" He asked, looking at the door carefully, wondering if the bomb had finished. Sure, James could be a total prat, but he didn't like to find himself in the clutches of Slytherins without his friends. It just wasn't any fun.

Looking down at the chocolate frog in her hand Ginny tilted her head to the side slightly. This, she believed, was now the strangest thing that had ever happened to her. Not once did she imagine that she would be talking with - Harry's dad, the teenage Harry's dad of all people. When she realized the conversation had stopped she glanced down at the floor, trying to think of a thing to say. "You're Sirius Black's friend, aren't you?"

Again, James sighed dramatically before grinning widely. "Aye," He started. "Sirius is my best mate, actually," he said with a nod. Sirius Black was indeed James' best friend, even if at times he did become annoyed with some of the other boys antics around the common room, but otherwise enjoyed his company more than most. Who else was he going to rag on Slytherins with? Remus would probably rolls his eyes, and Peter would probably just agree with whatever James said. Or wet himself.