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James opened his eyes blearily, his head spinning dangerously as he sat up. He looked around his four-poster bed and rubbed away the blurriness. The alarm clock, which sat on the left side of his bed on a rather nice bedside table, read 06:11. He groaned in irritation and flopped back onto the pillow, squeezing his eyes shut so hard, he could see white lights behind his eyelids. Sleep was not coming easy for him as of late, but the reason why was much murkier.

James gave in and sat up, pulling back the curtains and slipping on his shoes, making his way to the lavatory. The cool tile felt cold on his bare feet the moment he removed his shoes and set them aside. He put his new cloak and uniform on the benches beside the showers and turned them on, gasping when the cold water hit him square in the chest. Unlike his home, the water did not take long to heat up and James soon found himself muttering under his breath to himself as he showered.

"Quidditch, school, and Evans," he recited and cracked open an eye, taking a look at the wand that sat beside him, almost as if it was keeping him company. "What do you think?"

James remembered the day he received his very, first wand. It was, after all, not too long ago. The smell of the wand shop made his eyes water but James was determined to finally claim something of his own—a new wand. His mother had told him all about the uniqueness of each wand from Ollivander and even went into great and long detail about her own wand, evidently very proud of it. James began to wonder what his was going to turn out to be.

Mr. Ollivander had told him his wand was very in-tune with Transfiguration, which just so happened to be James's favorite subject and the one he was most eager to learn, however, did Mr. Ollivander really know? Was James going to be this great sorcerer, who had unlimited powers and could turn anyone into anything? His first thoughts went straight to Snape and a pit of great dislike surged from within. James did not know why he hated Snape so much, but the boy's large nose seemed to always be in his business.

Or perhaps it was because it was he who had Lily Evan's attention. James sighed in exasperation and rubbed his eyes again as if he was trying to rub something out. Was he really going on this far about a girl he barely knew? James's head scolded him for being so ridiculous, but the other half of his mind was reminding him of the fluttering feeling Lily Evans gave him in the pit of his stomach. She was, after all, like him, wasn't she? James thought they were very compatible and they were in the same house!

"James?"

James started and poked his head through the curtain where he saw Frank Longbottom brushing his teeth in the lavatory's sink. From the mirror's reflection, Frank could see James looking at him.

"You're up early," the pure-blood observed through a mouthful of toothpaste. "What's got you awake an hour earlier than everyone else?"

"I could ask the same," James replied slyly, though he was grinning in a playful manner. "I wanted the chance to take a warm shower before you lot hogged all the hot water for yourselves."

"You're in a school of magic," Frank snorted, although he seemed to reciprocate the other's teasing manner. "Just use a little charm to warm the water up if it's cold."

James chuckled and stuck his head back in the shower, finishing quickly and changing into his school uniform. His new Hogwarts robes were practically shining and the Gryffindor crest pinned on his left definitely had a gleam. He walked back into the dormitory and sneaked over to his bed where he began packing his book bag full of his school supplies. He had several rolls of parchment, three sets of quills, four ink bottles, and his textbooks. But, most importantly, James had three rolled up pieces of parchment that were only for his friends.

He waited impatiently as the others began to rouse from their slumber. Sirius, who was sleeping the hardest, still looked handsome and flawless with not a hair out of place. Peter and Remus looked a little more disgruntled, but the moment the sandy blonde laid eyes on the clock, he jolted right out of bed. James could not help but chuckle to himself because Remus was always very hyper and not in the fun way. The bloke was constantly worrying about one thing or another—perhaps it was the reason why his hair was already graying in some areas.

About a half hour later, James was finally accompanied by his other three friends, who were all hopping around the dormitory, looking for their belongings. Remus, who was the most organized, managed to find everything he needed around and underneath his bed; he pulled out his pre-packed book bag, grabbed his wand, stowed it away in the folds of his robes, and finished up with a straightened tie. James envied Remus's organization.

"Sirius," Peter said as he passed the eldest Black heir for the third time, who was positioned in front of the mirror for the past seven minutes. "Move on, you blighter! You've been stealing it this entire morning."

"Welly...yes," Sirius said as if it was the most obvious and acceptable thing in the world. "These good looks do not come naturally, you know. I do have to spend some time and effort to look presentable for the public."

"Quiet," Remus groaned and dragged Sirius away from his reflection by the crook of his elbow. "Let the poor boy through so we can go to breakfast. I don't fancy being late. We're getting our schedules today!"

"Well, it's not like we won't get them if we're a bit late," Sirius said begrudgingly but let Peter have the mirror. Instead, he tried to peer over the shorter boy's head and admire himself. "Besides, I'm all packed."

"Are you now?" said Remus, folding his hands over his chest. "So if I were to look at your bag, it would be filled with our school things?"

"Time for breakfast!" James said to interrupt the two quarreling friends. He leaped to his feet and threw the door open, hoping his friends would catch the hint. "If I don't get some sodding food, I'll concave!"

Fortunately, he managed to rally his friends down for breakfast in time; the Gryffindor table was rather empty when they came down but soon filled with tired and groggy students. The only ones who seemed wide awake were the first years, excited to begin their first day at their new school. The four boys were not hesitant to begin eating, shoveling as much food as they could.

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, the strict witch who looked as intimidating as she actually was, came round the table with their schedules in hand.

"Longbottom, Frank?" she called out and passed the schedule on when the first year raised his hand.

"Royland, Finn?"

James watched a rather tall but burly-looking boy raise his hand and thank the professor for his schedule. He quickly brought it down to eye-level and nudged the boy to his left, who was presumably his best mate. The two of them began looking it over, muttering too softly to themselves so James could not hear.

"Potter, James?"

James's hand shot up in the air and when Professor McGonagall came over to hand him his own schedule, James mock-saluted her. This earned him quite a glare, but she dared not take the bait from a cheeky first year. Instead, she rolled her eyes, recomposed herself, and moved on to the next student.

"Fortescue, Alice?"

A girl with very short, light brown hair and brown eyes, raised her hand. Her full face beamed with excitement as she turned to face Lily Evans and together, they looked over the schedule, pointing and murmuring hurriedly to one another.

"Vance, Emmeline?"

Another girl, slightly older than James, held out her hand as Professor McGonagall passed her by. This occurred with several other students, including a Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, and Mary MacDonald.

Remus, Peter, and Sirius were some of the last to receive their schedules. James looked them all over as he had set them side by side on the table and roared in delight when he saw they were all the same. Sirius reached over Remus's head and gave him a high-five.

"First up is potions with Professor Slughorn," the werewolf said, finger trailing over the words as he seemed to think about them.

"That's good, right?" Peter asked as his voice quivered with nerves.

"Personally, I don't mind Potions. In fact, I read something not too long ago—"

"Nothing interesting," James interrupted and nudged Peter in the ribs with a rather sharp elbow. He did not notice Peter wince and rub the spot afterwards. "Potions is easy anyway. All you have to do is throw stuff in a cauldron."

Remus scoffed before he could stop himself; he looked at James with his eyebrows raised, shocked at the boy's lack of modesty.

"James, potions is not at all easy," he chided after he looked at him disapprovingly. "It is a precise study not unlike Muggle chemistry and to become a chemist in the Muggle world, you have to go through a load of school and then get—"

"I dunno what a chemistry is," James said dismissively, waving a hand before pulling out his wand from the folds of his cloak, twirling it lazily in one hand. "But, I know I'll be fine. Anyone can do it—"

There was another scoff though it did not come from either of the four boys. In fact, it did not seem to come from anywhere from the Gryffindor table. This caught James's attention and upon looking around, his lip curled back in disgust and anger. His eyes narrowed maliciously the moment they landed on Snape, the greasy-haired boy from the train.

"Worried?" he sneered. "Worried that I'm better looking and smarter than you, Snivellus?"

Snape made another noise but it sounded suspiciously like a mocking cough. This seemed to anger James but the bespectacled boy took in grace and turned to Sirius, who showed equal dislike.

"Can you hear something?" James asked loudly, now drawing attention to themselves. "It sounds like a poor, friendless git who has nothing better to than grovel at the feet of a witch who clearly does not feel the same about him."

Snape's usually pallid face turned to the color of sour milk mixed with red. He opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out. This seemed to have sparked something in James for he rose to his feet and bore down on him.

"That's right," he whispered, now for only Snape to hear. "You snivel, Snivellus. All you do is chase after her like some pathetic, little sod. You're in your world and she's in mine...so stay out of it."

This time, Snape seemed to have found his voice.

"Well, Potter, at least I'm not friends with a blood-traitor Black. That's right...you really wouldn't belive what the Slytherins are saying. I wouldn't get too used to that being around here because from the sounds of it, it's dreadful."

"Is that so?" James snarled, now bristling.

Sirius, who had heard the snide commentary, began to grow angrier, too. Both of the Gryffindor first years were on their feet and facing Snape with contempt.

"I guess the perfect Sirius Black is just the family disappointment—" he began but was cut off when James's entire demeanor changed; it went from mocking to downright threatening.

The Potter boy drew out his wand and pointed it right between Snape's eyes. Sirius, who had heard the insult, let out a roar of rage and grabbed Snape by the front of his robes, looking like he was ready to strike.

Remus, who was doing his best to ignore the scene, finally intervened. He jumped to his feet and launched himself across the table to stop Sirius from bashing Snape's face in. The Black heir and lycanthrope went flying backwards.

"What're you doing, Remus?" Sirius spat as he sat up, panting heavily and glaring at his friend. "What'd you do that for?"

"Look who's watching, you prat," Remus spat back and pointed furiously to Professor McGonagall, who was marching over with her own look of fury. "You would have been expelled for fighting!"

Meanwhile, Peter was wrestling James away from Snape, who was glowering with utmost hate. However, the moment the Headmistress came over, they relinquished their grips on one another and took a few steps back. The funny ringing in James's ears prevented him from fully hearing what Professor McGonagall was saying, but he caught the words "detention" and "inappropriate behavior".

Remus, on the other hand, was smart enough to have stopped Sirius from doing anything rash before Professor McGonagall could see him, thankfully blocked by the crowd of students, who were all starting to gather round. Professor McGonagall finished yelling herself hoarse before turning on her heel and stalking away with Snape following close behind.

After the boys were separated, the four Gryffindors seated themselves at the table once more and settled down for breakfast; although, it seemed like everyone had lost their appetite. James was stabbing his eggs angrily while Sirius pushed his food away. Remus picked up the Daily Prophet, which was rumpled and torn in places and buried himself in its text, too annoyed to say anything let alone chide them for their foolish behavior.

To everyone's surprise, it was Peter who spoke first.

"James, he isn't worth it," the boy squeaked, almost afraid to speak up as if he thought that he did not have the right.

James looked up from his plate with mild surprise but more indignation and said, "I reckon not but who's to say what is and isn't worth it? It's relative, mate, and he was asking for it...talking about Sirius like that...you'd think he'd have more common sense."

"I doubt he expected you to start a fight in a room full of professors," Remus pointed out fairly though there was a definite, icy tone to his voice. "He thought you might have more common sense than that."

"Fair point," James said with a half-laugh, taking Remus by surprise, who thought he would have been angry at the rather direct jab. Instead, the bespectacled boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't like anyone talking about my friends like that, especially greasy gits like him."

Remus could not deny James's instant attachment and now unwavering loyalty to Sirius; the two seemed to have bonded quickly over the train ride and first night at Hogwarts. He could not, in good nature, disapprove of good friendship. Instead, he merely grunted but said nothing further on the subject. They did not speak much until the very end of breakfast when Peter began fretting over Potions once more despite his friends' attempts to appease him.

The party of four ventured from the Great Hall, as many other students were, and began weaving their way around the castle corridors and bustling crowds. Remus set off at a brisk pace, not daring to be late for his first lesson. Students milled about, making it harder to move around, but it did not take long for them to find the stairs to the dungeons where potions was being held by Professor Slughorn.

The doors to the classroom were quite impressive, but the professor, himself, looked nothing like a potions master. The wizard was plump and had a bit of a boyish face. His graying, black hair was tousled and slightly unruly (not quite on the same level as James's), but he adorned emerald green robes, a clear mark. This was the Head of the Slytherin House. James could already feel a great dislike brewing somewhere in his chest.

"First years?" he called out. "We are all first years in this class, right? If not, you are in the wrong lesson."

The moment Sirius Black sauntered into the classroom, laughing at something James had said, Professor Slughorn stopped, words faltering as his eyes landed on the Black heir. It was evident that he was watching Sirius intently, almost as if he was surveying the boy and trying to memorize every detail.

"Professor," Sirius said, catching onto Professor Slughorn's unwavering stare, and gave him a bit of a sharp, mocking nod.

"Mr. Black," Professor Slughorn replied though he said nothing further. Instead, he turned to address the rest of the classroom, which was starting to fill up with eager students. "Today, we are going to cover some basic Potions information before you try your hand at brewing a Wiggenweld Potion."

"A what?" Peter whispered nervously.

"Your types of cauldrons are all laid out in front of you, so if you'd please step forward and allow everyone to see..." Professor Slughorn began, beckoning the class over to the front of the room where there was an assortment of cauldrons in a line. "We have our common brass, copper, and pewter cauldrons, each with their own, unique traits..."

Remus opened his notebook and began jotting down notes, writing at an alarming pace while James and Sirius stood back with their arms folded over their chests. Peter, however, looked completely lost and rather panicked.

"Brass cauldrons are considered more practical than pewter even though they are relatively the same size. However, brass cauldrons brew potions at a medium speed..."

Peter opened his own notebook, intent on copying Remus's actions. He began taking notes, but he had already forgotten what Professor Slughorn had said. This seemed to catch the attention of the wizard for he stopped his lecture and faced the class with a gentle shake of his head.

"I expect all of you to be writing this down, not just your select few," he said and raised both his hands to capture their attention. "Let's go. I will repeat what I said..."

His eyes lingered on Peter for a moment, giving the poor boy an understanding nod (meanwhile, Remus was already prepared to write the next part of the lesson). Professor Slughorn then continued on, finishing his speech about cauldrons, with phials.

"Phials are particularly useful little things that are often created from glass or crystal. Glass phials will obviously be your most popular and cheapest option. Crystal phials are used when you desire to preserve your potion a little longer. Glass phials are also more easily broken, making them slightly more fragile..."

Peter was writing so quickly, blotches of ink splattered his nose and the others around him...Remus could feel a particularly large glob of ink splash him on the cheek.

"While it seems like everyone here seems to be falling asleep perfectly on their own, we are going to be learning about sleeping draughts and their antidotes," Professor Slughorn said, earning himself a scattered laugh. "A sleeping draught is a very useful potion for those who experience trouble sleeping at night. When done correctly, the sleeping draught will put the user into a temporary but deep sleep. We will practice brewing sleeping draughts next class. Today, we are going to brew the Wiggenweld Potion."

Remus began writing down his own schedule even though it was completely unnecessary.

"If you'd open your books to page 18..."

Wiggenweld Potion Ingredient List:

1.) Wiggentree bark

2.) Moly

3.) Dittany

4.) Horklump juice (1 pint)

5.) Flobberworm Mucus (2 drops)

6.) Chizpurfle fangs (7)

7.) Billywig sting slime

8.) A sprig of mint

9.) Boom berry juice

10.) One stewed mandrake

11.) Honey water

12.) Sloth brain mucus

13.) Moondew drops

14.) Salamander blood

15.) Lionfish spines (10)

16.) Unicorn horn

17.) Wolfsbane

Wiggenweld Potion brewing instructions:

1.) Add salamander blood until the potion turns red.

2.) Stir until the potion turns orange.

3.) Add more salamander blood, this time until it turns yellow.

4.) Stir until the potion turns green.

5.) Add more salamander blood, until the potion turns turquoise.

6.) Heat until it turns indigo.

7.) Add more salamander blood until the potion turns pink.

8.) Heat until the potion turns red.

9.) Add five lionfish spines.

10.) Heat until the potion turns yellow.

11.) Add five more lionfish spines.

12.) Add flobberworm mucus, until the potion turns purple.

13.) Stir until it turns red.

14.) A dd more flobberworm mucus, this time until it turns orange.

15.)Stir till it turns yellow.

16.) Add Honey water until it turns back to a turquoise colour.

17.) Add another few drops of boom berry juice.

18.) Stir the potion again, then let it simmer for thirty minutes.

19.) Take the potion away from the heat and allow it to cool, when it is cool its ready for use

Eager to get started, Remus practically jogged over to his cauldron, set up at a table for four, and began sorting out his ingredients on the table. James and Sirius followed close behind, but Peter, who tripped on his way over, looked positively sick with worry.

Soon, the four of them began their work in silence.

Remus looked into his cauldron and saw a clear liquid already simmering. He added the salamander blood, pouring it slowly until it began turning red. He stirred with his wand until it turned an orange color, just like the book said! Remus felt a sharp pang of excitement, chest tightening with anxiety, but he could not help but smile to himself. He was really learning like a wizard!

Peter, on the other hand, had accidentally poured all his salamander blood into his cauldron at once, not reading ahead. His potion, which successfully turned red then orange after a few stirs, stayed orange. On the verge of tears, he looked around helplessly. Remus opened his mouth to aid, but someone already beat him to it.

"Forget the book," James whispered and tapped Peter's cauldron with his wand. "You just need to keep stirring longer than we do. You skipped a few steps, but it's not the end of the world, Pete."

"And you'll need to boil it a little higher and longer, too," Sirius added and pointed his wand to the bottom of the cauldron; below it, the fire began to grow, getting hotter and changing color. "Keep stirring in one direction and don't stop until you see indigo."

Remus hardly had any time to fathom their knowledge because he was busy being impressed by their instant support. He half-expected them to mock Peter for messing up so quickly based off their nasty attitude towards Snape. Before long, Remus's potion turned to the color of the night sky and he admired its beauty before he had to add more salamander blood until it turned pink then red.

"That's more a rose than a red," James said to Peter quietly, putting a hand on his to prevent the boy from adding the lionfish spines too soon. "And you need five lionfish spines, not all ten right away."

"I'm hopeless," Peter mumbled dejectedly.

"You're fine, mate."

Remus added his five lionfish spines and increased the heat of his fire just a touch. The potion began to turn from red to yellow, which fascinated him the most. He added the last of the lionfish spines and flobberworm mucus, watching it go from yellow to purple with the more flobberworm mucus he added. He stopped when it was a nice shade of royal purple before continuing on.

Deciding to spare some time, he looked over at Peter, who was getting too enthusiastic with his flobberworm mucus, which had surpassed the color purple and went right to a navy blue.

"Too much," Remus muttered from the corner of his mouth. "Oh! Don't add more salamander blood! It won't turn it red like you think it would."

Peter was trying to sneak some blood from James's stock.

"Just heat it up some more and wait a little longer," he continued and pointed to the cauldron, which began to bubble more. "Professor Slughorn will hardly notice."

Once again, Remus waited until his potion was red before adding more flobberworm mucus, making sure he read and reread the instructions carefully. It had to be an orange before he could stir it to a yellow. He looked ahead frantically, afraid that his potion was too orange or scarlet. However, when he stirred his brew, it turned to a daisy yellow, relieving him immensely. He began adding the honeywater a little at a time, giving his potion a bit of a prod here and there to stir but not disturb. The potion began reverting to a turquoise before adding four drops of boom berry juice.

Remus completed the tasks and let his potion sit for its required time frame, taking a look at Peter, who was struggling to turn his potion to a yellow color. He, then, looked up to see how James and Sirius were doing but were shocked to see they had already finished, too.

He bit his lip. Why was he a little disappointed? Those two were cheeky about Potions but their confidence was warranted. Their potions were flawless...

But, to his surprise, they were not boasting loudly about how easy Potions was or how simple today's lesson was. Instead, they talked amongst each other about Quidditch of all things. Remus thought they would have been bragging loudly by now...and when Peter would ask for help, James and Sirius were only too happy to offer their assistance. The lycanthrope was, perhaps, wrong about his friends and perhaps he judged too quickly...

After thirty minutes, the students began removing their cauldrons from the heat source and letting it sit aside to cool. Professor Slughorn was walking around the dungeons, looking impressed, scared, or disappointed. When he peered over Snape's cauldron, he let out a little exclamation of happiness before moving on. When he looked over Lily Evans's shoulder, he let out another stifled cheer and stood there for a few extra moments.

Lily, evidently receiving high praise, seemed to glow with happiness and pride. She beamed up at Professor Slughorn, who was indeed, gushing about her potion. Lastly, he went over to Remus's table and gave them approving pats on the back, pleased with their work. However, he suspiciously left out Peter, who was too busy trying to make sure his potion was the right color.

"What a wondrous batch of students!" Professor Slughorn said after they began finishing their lessons. The students had put their potions away in a locked cupboard for they were going to need it for their next lesson as the antidote for the sleeping draughts. "I would like to applaud each and every one of you. However, I would like to point out select few students who showed exceptional work!"

Professor Slughorn waited until everyone was finished moving about the room.

"Ms. Lily Evans," he began, gesturing her to join him at the front of the room. The applause from the other students began, except the Slytherin house. "Mr. Severus Snape..."

Now the Slytherins clapped as Snape made his way next to Lily. The look the two of them gave one another was undeniable. They smiled warmly at one another, which did not seem to sit well with the Slytherins. They began to whisper. James gritted his teeth and set his jaw the moment Snape stood next to Lily and it worsened the moment they smiled at each other.

"Mr. James Potter," Professor Slughorn continued, gesturing him forward. James stiffly walked up and stood opposite of the teacher's side. "Mr. Sirius Black!"

Once again, the Slytherins began whispering suspiciously, glaring at Sirius like he had personally offended each one them. The ravenette, however, paid them no mind and even went as far as to "accidentally" bump into a whispering crowd, nearly knocking three over.

"And Mr. Remus Lupin," Professor Slughorn finished, holding up his hand to the lycanthrope, who looked shocked. Remus gingerly stepped forward as the class clapped, some more enthusiastic than others.

"I hope you had a good first lesson, first years," Professor Slughorn said after the applause died out. "And I will see you back here again!"

The class dispersed after the lesson had ended and soon enough, students were filing out the door, eager to get to their next class. Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James all made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, where James seemed to go from agitated to antipathetic. Professor Rooks, their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, stood in the middle of the room, looking excited.

"I'd like to introduce you to Defense Against the Dark Arts, the first year! I've got loads of practical lessons mixed with more traditional lessons. Our semester will be organized as such. We will begin with traditional lessons first, this including spells and Dark Creatures—"

James could have sworn he saw Remus flinch.

"—with one roll of parchment handed into me by the next lesson covering what we learned. If you hand in your written assignment, you will be eligible to partake in our practical lessons that take place after our classroom days. Each practical lesson will be hands-on only. The classroom will be set up differently for every practical lesson so that you may experience and use these spells in a natural setting."

The students began to murmur to one another excitedly, especially at the prospect of the hands-on practice. Professor Rooks raised both hands to silence the class, who listened intently.

"We will begin today's lesson in a classroom setting," he said and waved off the disappointed groans. "It won't be terrible. Now, I forgot to mention that if your roll of parchment is not sufficient enough or is not turned in at all, you will not be able to participate in the practical. Please open your books to the first chapter."

Remus, very intrigued but apprehensive, flipped it open and read the first heading. It was all very well until they reached the section of Dark Creatures. He, to no one's surprise, spotted half a page dedicated to werewolves, which all said the same thing: dangerous, kill on sight, and monster. He sighed before he could stifle it.

James, on the other hand, was looking particularly sour this lesson. He frowned sharply at the notes he was writing and the text he was reading. His hazel eyes flickered a few times to a few seats and three tables ahead of him where he saw Severus Snape scribbling furiously, lips moving at an immeasurable speed as he muttered thing to himself under his breath. In fact, more than once, Snape raised his hand and corrected the professor...

"It says here zombies are traditionally South African, not South of America...not to say that they are not found in South of America. However, the origin of zombies root in African culture...the book does not explain that well..."

"Right you are, Mr...?"

"Snape," Snape said breathlessly, not taking his eyes off his textbook. "Severus Snape, sir."

"Well, right you are Mr. Snape," Professor Rooks said and corrected himself.

This made James scowl even more. Remus noticed this throughout the entire lesson, which bewildered him until his mind, which was a bit foggy, finally snapped. He understood why his friend did not like Snape much but decided not to mention it yet. Instead, he waited until Defense Against the Dark Arts finished and they were dismissed before speaking up.

"Seems like this is an interesting class..."

"Horrible stuff," James said at once, waving a dismissive hand and shaking his head. "It's barbaric, Dark Magic. The stuff my parents tell me...it makes me sick. I can't understand why anyone would want to teach this dung let alone practice it..."

Remus knit his eyebrows.

"So I suppose this class isn't something you fancy?"

"Not at all," James said shortly and hoisted his book bag over his shoulder. "And I'm hungry. I'll see you down at the Great Hall. I need to grab something first..."

With that, James disappeared from the group. Sirius, who had been mostly silent, which was uncharacteristic of him, watched his friend's retreating back. He waited a few moments before he voiced his worries.

"My whole family loves this stuff," he said gloomily, admitting it like it was somehow his fault. "Dunno how much he's going to like me when he figures out I'm associated with it."

"I think James doesn't care about that," Peter piped up. "Look, let's stop worrying! I'm hungry, too, and I think Professor Dumbledore said we're having ham and chicken sandwiches with soup!"

With food in their minds and their bellies yearning for some, the three friends set off.