Year 5! Please enjoy, and remember: reviews are greatly appreciated!
Quidditch wasn't the only thing James excelled at. As the year progressed, James found that nearly everything came easily to him. As a result, James became used to being better than everyone else, and felt the need to prove it every chance he got. One of the most common forms of entertainment for the Hogwarts student body was to watch the Marauders terrorize anyone who crossed their paths, namely Slytherins. However, one certain student was the main target of the Marauder's pranks: Severus Snape.
Snape was a Slytherin in their year, who was a loner and very unpopular. The reason that James hated him so was because of Snape's views on Muggle-born students, and his interest in the Dark Arts. James and Snape hated each other with a passion, and it was not uncommon for the two to duel with little to no exchange of words.
Although most students considered their duels one of the highest forms of entertainment at Hogwarts, the one person that James showed off for the most seemed not to care about what James considered his own brilliance. In fact, Lily Evans seemed to consider him a conceited bully. This irked James to no end, considering that he was willing to do anything to win Lily over.
We join James at Hogsmeade, as he and his friends exit Zonko's joke shop on the Hogsmeade trip in February.
"Can you believe the opportunities, Prongs? A whole new line of pranking tools! We could become legends!" James rolled his eyes at Sirius's excited rambling. "We already are legends, Padfoot. We're the Marauders. That name will carry through Hogwarts for centuries." Sirius grinned. "At least there's one person who's certain to never forget us." Remus shot Sirius a quizzical look. Sirius's grin widened. "Minnie, of course!" They all laughed. Sirius seemed to have the God-given gift to drive Professor McGonagall absolutely insane. However, their laughter was interrupted by a series of shouts coming from the area of the Three Broomsticks. James glanced at his friends, then took off at a sprint towards the commotion, the other Marauders close behind him.
They reached the Three Broomsticks to see Snape with his wand pointed at Lily and her friends, who also had their wands out.. "Do you really think you can duel against us?" Snape spat. Lily glared at them. "Well, if your knowledge in dueling is at the same level as your intelligence, it shouldn't be a problem." She said coolly. A few bystanders laughed. Snape's eyes were smoldering. "Hold your tongue, you filthy Mudblood!" James whipped out his wand, but someone else beat him to Snape. Leila made a swirling motion with her wand that James had never seen before. Snape shrieked as the spell hit him, causing his robes to disappear. The crowd burst into loud laughter at the sight of Snape in his gray underwear, in the cold February air. Leila turned to say something to Emmeline. However, Snape wheeled around, wand in hand, and made a slashing motion.
It was Leila's turn to scream. The spell hit her, ripping open the skin on the left side of her face and, counting on the dark stain now seeping through her robes, on her right forearm. It didn't take the Marauders long to react. James waved his wand and yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Snape fell into the melting snow, his arms pinned to his sides. James turned to see Remus tracing his wand over Leila's face and arm as he murmured a healing spell. Lily put an arm around the shaking Leila, whispering softly to her. James walked over and put a hand on Leila's shoulder. "You OK, Lae?" He asked softly. Leila nodded, her head bowed. James gave her a light squeeze, then back to Snape, his eyes full of hatred. However, he felt a soft hand around his wrist, and turned to see Lily standing next to him, a pleading look in her eyes.
They looked at each other for a moment, then James gave a resigned sigh and put his wand back in his pocket. "You'd better get her back to the castle. I'm pretty sure she'll need a blood replenishing potion after that." Lily stared at him for a moment longer, then released his wrist. A soft smile formed on her lips. "Right." She gestured to her friends, who were sitting by Leila. They all stood and followed Lily back to the castle. However, before they were out of earshot, James turned to Snape. "Go. Now." He snarled. Apparentally, the spell had worn off, for the underwear-clad Snape set off at a run in the opposite direction. James looked back over his shoulder. He could have sworn that Lily turned around for a split second, then turned back. James rubbed his eyes, for he also could have sworn that there had been a small smile playing on her face.
Letting out a sigh, James joined his friends by the Three Broomsticks. With a nod, the four friends opened to door to the pub, letting the warm air defrost their frozen bodies. They found a table in the corner and, after paying for their drinks, leaned back in their chairs to enjoy the heat and chatter of the Three Broomsticks. Remus turned to James. "Lily seemed different today." James gave him a quizzical look. "How?" Remus shook his head. "I don't know. Just…different." Sirius let out a low growl. "I don't know about Lily, but when I get my hands on that little greaseball after what he did to Leila…" James tuned out the rest of Sirius's rant. The only thing he could seem to focus on was the look Lily had given. It had been the first look since 2nd year that hadn't been full of anger or loathing. A small smile played on James's lips as he lifted his butterbeer to his mouth. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
Sorry, guys, but this is another chapter that I felt obligated to write. I needed to get Snape in there somehow! I've got an idea for the next year, though: some spotlight on Remus's 'furry little problem.' Anywho, remember, anyone who reviews gets...well, just review, OK? Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon! (Well, as soon as I get some reviews...)
