History Repeated

So, I don't own Harry Potter...Damn.

Thanks to those who have followed, favored, and/or reviewed.

I apologize for the long wait. I recently moved into a new place and have been working more and haven't had much time to write this story, but I'm back now and plan on writing more of this.

2 September 2015

"Why are you packing all your books into your rucksack?" James heard Louis ask.

Looking up, he saw his cousin staring at him, he was sitting on his four-poster bed half-dressed. James, meanwhile, was already dressed in his Hogwarts uniform, though he failed to tuck in his wrinkled shirt or wear his Gryffindor-colored cloak. His tie was tied around his neck loosely and he wore his shoes from home because his feet decided to grow overnight without informing him first.

Bryce Bones, whose bed was across from James', was still knocked out cold, and he envied the other boy for his inability to wake up at the proper time.

"I don't feel like carrying them in my arms," James said as though it were obvious. To him, it was, but maybe not to Louis, he realized, as his blond-haired cousin stared at him as though he were mad. "And I don't know what classes we'll be having until the schedules are passed out, so I'll just take all my books down with me," he added on as he shoved his last textbook into his rucksack and zipped it up with minimal problems. "I'll come back here after breakfast and dump the books I don't need on my bed before class. At this point," he looked down at his watch, "there will be enough time to do it all and make it to our first lesson."

"Merlin," Louis said as he rubbed his eyes. "You put too much effort into your education. You sound like a Ravenclaw."

James shrugged as he slugged his heavy rucksack over his back. "I like being prepared," he said as he walked towards the door to their dormitory. It was only the three of them, him, Louis, and Bryce, so two of the beds went unused unless one were to count Olaf the Kneezle commandeering the bed between James and Louis.

"Bloody hell," James heard Louis say. "I can see you now, Jimmy: James Potter, Head Boy. You'll be a disgrace to the Weasley name."

James smirked as he sarcastically waved his cousin goodbye. "It's a good thing I'm a Potter then," he retorted as he walked away from their dormitory.

He could hear Louis' sharp laughter as he headed into the Gryffindor Common Room, which was empty except for him and the red and gold-themed furniture. The fire was roaring in the fireplace, causing him to briefly wonder who had lit it this morning before shrugging it off as he made his way out of Gryffindor Tower.

He glanced down at his watch, nodding as the numbers blinked "7: 15" at him. Breakfast, he heard from Freddie last night, didn't start until 7:30 a.m., and classes didn't start until 9 a.m., which meant he had a lot of time to kill after he ate, which was fine with him. He'd have time to wander about the corridors and get a good idea of where he had to go for each of his classes.

"Oi, little godbrother!" James heard as he walked away from the portrait of the Fat Lady. Turning his head, he saw his godbrother, Teddy, walking towards him. He, like James, held little regard for his school attire, though his tie was visibly sticking out of his trousers' back pocket. His Head Boy badge, meanwhile, was nowhere to be found.

"Morning Teddy," James said, grinning at the teenager. He liked Teddy. The older boy never expected anything out of him and never smothered him with too much information.

"Morning," Teddy replied as he ruffled James' already messy hair. "Don't you have something to flatten this mess?"

"It got lost somewhere up here," James answered as he motioned towards his head, causing his godbrother to howl with laughter as his hair turned from black to turquoise. His eyes remained grey, and a few freckles splashed across his face. He couldn't hide the dark circles under his eyes, though.

"How come you're up so early?" Teddy asked as he and James walked down a flight of stairs. James had to hold on to the railing as the staircase moved from one side to the other.

"I wanted to explore the school a bit before classes start."

"Brilliant, need a tour guide?"

James grinned. "Sure, after breakfast?"

"Gladly," Teddy replied as he snorted. "You'll want to stop by your Common Room after, though. That rucksack of yours looks like it's going to die on your back with how much junk you got in there."

"Already on my list."

"Please tell me you don't have a list. If so, I'm going to tell people you're from some alternate world where you like school and following the rules."

"I like school," James said. "But not so much the rules."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the first part of what you just said."

"How are you Head Boy?"

"I don't know," Teddy admitted. "The Headmistress is going mad, that's my best guess."

When they got to the Great Hall, not many students were there, but most of the professors were. To James' surprise, Teddy sat down with him at Gryffindor's table.

"Aren't you supposed to sit with the other Hufflepuff's?" James asked his godbrother as the teenager next to him grabbed some fruit and bacon from the piles of food in front of them.

"Yeah, but who gives a damn about those duffers."

"Doesn't that make you a duffer too?"

Teddy grinned. "You're catching on, Jimmy," he said as he took a bite of his bacon strip. "Now, hurry up and eat so I can give you the grand tour of this cesspool of portraits and moving staircases."

James nodded and began filling his plate up with food. He barely noticed when his Aunt Hermione walked over until she tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to look up and see her smiling face.

"Morning, Aunt Hermione," he said.

"Good morning, Jimmy," Hermione said. "Did you sleep well? Nothing was too uncomfortable, was it?"

James shook his head. "No, everything was fine."

"Good." She glanced down at the sheets of heavy-looking paper in her hands and shuffled through the pile until she handed one to James. "Here's your timetable," she said before looking at Teddy. "Shouldn't you be with the other Hufflepuff's, Teddy?"

"I should be," was the older boy's reply. "But I'm with this kid right now, so they all can go f–"

"Not another word, Lupin," Aunt Hermione quickly warned, her face growing stern. "Your language has always been a problem; I see nothing's changed."

"Why would it?" Teddy asked.

"Edward Lupin."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"I know but you're a professor and you could take points off my house and the last thing I need is an angry horde of Hufflepuff's chasing me through the corridors' over a negative amount of yellow rocks."

Aunt Hermione sighed. "This is your last year here, Teddy," she said. "And you're Head Boy. Don't cause too much trouble this year, your parents wouldn't be pleased if they were here."

With that, James' aunt left, and Teddy's hair color went back to being black as he shook his head.

"My parents, what would she know about what they'd want for me?" he muttered, sounding as though this wasn't the first time the older wizard had heard something similar. "They're dead, so they don't want anything, especially something so trivial as school."

James said nothing as his godbrother sighed.

"Sorry," Teddy said, sounding more sincere than he had been with Hermione. "I just get tired of everyone expecting better of me. They always bring up Mum and Dad." His green eyes settled on James as he continued speaking. "Don't let anyone do the same thing with you, James. It's not fair on your parents and it certainly isn't fair for you."

"Don't you worry about what they think?" James asked and was surprised when the teenager next to him nodded.

"Of course, I do," Teddy said. "But that's my problem, no one else's. I don't need anyone telling me what my parents might think of me if they were here, I already do that on my own."

James didn't say anything else. He simply turned his attention back on his food as Teddy's hair turned purple.

When they finished with breakfast, Teddy walked up to his Head of House, grabbed his own timetable, and led James out of the Great Hall as more students began entering it. Lucy, Louis, and Bryce were coming through the doors, and James and Teddy exited them, so James only had enough time to wave them hello and goodbye as he followed his godbrother back towards Gryffindor Tower.

"How do you know where Gryffindor Tower is?" James asked as he and his godbrother climbed the stairs leading to his house's designated space.

"An incognito mission involving one Weasley and a boatload of their uncle's prank products," Teddy revealed. "But you didn't hear that from me. As far as your cousin knows, it was a certain Weasley from another house."

"Who were the Weasley's involved?"

"Good question, little godbrother," was all the Hufflepuff Head Boy said as James and he walked up to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

When her painted eyes landed on Teddy, the figure in the painting gave a sharp "No!" as she pointed a finger in the Head Boy's direction.

Teddy blew a raspberry in response and the Fat Lady looked offended as she loudly gasped.

"Comploratus," James said, causing the Fat Lady to look at him and sigh. The portrait swung open and James and Teddy entered. A mass of Gryffindor's was in the Common Room, doing last-minute adjustments to their clothing, tying ties, tying shoes, and a few buttoning of shirts. James saw Willow Thomas and Gemma Finnigan talking, though judging by the looks on both their faces, neither seemed pleased with one another.

"Get out, Lupin!" James heard Freddie say from his spot at a red armchair. James noted the joking tone in his cousin's voice, and when he looked behind him, Teddy was smirking as he shook his head and grabbed James, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. James could feel his godbrother bumping his arm against his rucksack.

"I've got an excuse to be here, Weasley," Teddy said as he ruffled James' hair again.

James rolled his eyes half-heartedly as he pulled away from the older boy.

"I'll be back," James said as he made his way up to his dormitory. He went over to his bed, grabbed the books he didn't need, and placed them on top of his trunk. He glanced at Olaf, who was still curled up on the empty bed. He was tempted to walk over and pet his animal, but he didn't want to wake him up.

When he left the dormitory, he found Teddy waiting by the exit.

"Let's go, Jimmy," Teddy said when James walked up to him. "I've got to give you the grand tour before it's too late."

James said nothing and followed the older Hufflepuff out of Gryffindor Tower.

Louis brushed his blond hair out of his eyes as he sat down next to James, who was drawing on his parchment with a quill, frowning each time he had to dip his quill into his ink bottle.

"Not a fan of quills?" Louis asked.

"Not in the slightest," James grumbled as he attempted to add more ink into the eye of the character he was drawing. "Are we attending classes with Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff? I remember Bryce mentioned we're doubling with one of them. If he doesn't look pleased, I imagine it's Hufflepuff."

Louis frowned as he glanced around the Charms classroom. Amongst the Gryffindor cloaks, there were Ravenclaw's and a relieved-looking Bryce Bones-Fletchley from across the room. Lucy was sitting between him and Willow Thomas, talking to both of them about something Louis couldn't hear.

"Is this seat taken?" Louis heard. Looking away from the three Gryffindor's and towards the voice, who was on the other side of James, who had stopped drawing and looked up at the boy wearing a cloak with the blue and gold eagle crest.

"No," James said as the Ravenclaw boy sat down, his hands fumbling with his books as he set them down in front of him. His hair was darker than James' and his eyes grey as a murky day.

"Nice drawing."

"Thanks."

"I'm Morgan."

"James."

"Louis."

Morgan smiled and nodded at Louis and his cousin. "Nice to meet you both," the Ravenclaw boy said.

"You too," James said as Louis smiled back, nodding his head in agreement.

"Is using quills easy?" Morgan asked, he was staring at the quill next to James' parchment. "I've never used them before."

James began to open his mouth, but Louis answered first.

"You'll get used to it," he said, to which James scoffed at. "And ignore my cousin, he wasn't raised in the wizarding world."

"I was too," Morgan said and Louis blinked. "I'm muggle-born."

"You are?" Louis asked, surprised. According to his Aunt Hermione, the number of muggle-born admissions was dwindling for Hogwarts, something that confounded everyone at Hogwarts, and even the Ministry. She wouldn't say much on the topic, but the troubled look on her face was enough to say everything at the time.

"Yeah," Morgan said, an uneasy look crossing his face as he looked at Louis. "Is that alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" James asked, sounding as confused as Louis felt.

"There were some kids on the train," Morgan said as his eyes glanced at the door. "I think some of them were sorted into the snake house–Slytherin?"

"Yeah, Slytherin," Louis said as he scowled. "Some of them aren't nice, you'll find. We don't care if you've got muggle parents."

"I was raised by muggles," James said. "Though, the word muggle is weird." He looked at Louis and continued speaking. "Why are non-magical people called muggles?"

"I don't know," Louis admitted as he shrugged. "They just are."

"They just are what?" Louis heard. Snapping his head towards the voice, he saw a boy with high cheekbones and an upturned nose walking towards him, James, and Morgan. He wore the same cloak as Morgan, though his tie looked more like silk, shiny and expensive-looking. His black hair was combed back and styled as though he had his mother hidden in his trunk, working on his hair as though he were attending a fancy ball instead of class.

Louis noticed the slight grimace on Morgan's face. "N-nothing, Landon," the muggle-born boy said.

"I wasn't talking to you, Burridge," Landon Zabini sneered, his brown eyes glaring as though he was staring at something disgusting. His eyes flickered towards Louis and the expression on his face didn't waver. "Well, Weasley? Got anything to say?"

"Not really," Louis said, his tone not as brave as he was hoping for.

"What about you, Potter?"

"What about me?" James questioned, not looking up from his drawing. Louis stared at his cousin, surprised by his nonchalant reaction.

"Muggles," Landon spat out, as though the mere term offended him. "You asked why those bloody beasts are called muggles. Why?"

"You'd ask the question too if you were in my shoes."

Landon snorted. "Yeah, well I'm nothing like you," he said, "I've got my parents, don't I?"

Louis glared at the Zabini boy, feeling anger over Landon's cruel remark about his late aunt and uncle. He was about to get out of his seat, but James' voice made him freeze.

"At least I wasn't raised by bloody twats."

"Don't call my parents twats!"

"Don't talk about mine then."

Landon scowled, glaring at James but said nothing else as he stormed away. Louis watched as the Ravenclaw boy made his way towards the other side of the room, sitting as far away as he could from everyone.

When Louis looked away from Landon Zabini, he saw his cousin looking up at the other boy with a strange look in his eyes. The look in James' eyes didn't last long, as he bowed his head, focusing once more on his drawing as the heavy doors to the Charms classroom opened and Professor Flitwick entered, oblivious to what just occurred as he walked up to his desk and began class.

"–Much like the standard alphabet we use today," Professor Fawley lectured. "The Transfiguration alphabet uses twenty-six characters. Tell me...Weasley, why twenty-six?"

"Which Weasley, Professor?" Lucy asked as she raised her hand. "There's two of us here."

"Right, of course," the professor commented as he rubbed his chin. "You, then, Lucy Weasley. Why are there twenty-six characters to the Transfiguration alphabet?"

Lucy bit her lip. "Um...because there are twenty-six letters in the normal alphabet?" she guessed, glancing at her cousin Louis, who was sitting next to her. He shrugged as Professor Fawley let out a brisk snort.

"Indeed, Miss Weasley," the man said as Lucy looked back up at him. Only the right side of his lips was perched into a smile, the other side twitching as the scar slicing through it appeared to prevent it from moving completely.

"The Transfiguration alphabet," Professor Fawley said as he flicked his wand towards the blackboard behind him. A stick of yellow chalk rose and began writing out strange symbols. "Has twenty-six characters to match the standard alphabet we use when writing letters or reading books," the professor continued as a green chalk stick rose and began writing the English alphabet underneath the symbols. "Turn to the back of your textbooks, students. You will find both alphabets there, including little notes regarding the history of Transfiguration and its reason for needing its own set of characters."

"Professor?" Lucy heard her other cousin, James, say. She turned her head and saw his hand raised, he was sitting next to a boy from Ravenclaw.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Why isn't there a chapter focused on the alphabet for Transfiguration?" James asked. "If there's history for it, shouldn't there be a section for it?"

"Oh, but there is a section for it, Mr. Potter."

"One that matters, sir."

A fair few bouts of stifled laughter broke out amongst the Gryffindor's, while the Ravenclaws appeared annoyed or irritated by James' response. The boy next to James, though, had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide the grin on his face.

Lucy looked back at their professor when he chuckled. The strange smile on his face hadn't disappeared, if anything it had grown as the left side of his lips jumped up and down erratically.

"Indeed, Mr. Potter," Professor Fawley said. "A section that matters is very important for a book, but doesn't every page in a book matter?"

The laughing stopped and Lucy looked back at her cousin, who merely shrugged.

"Not always, Professor."

"Oh? Why is that, Mr. Potter?"

Lucy bit her tongue when James lifted his textbook, revealing the page filled with reviews dated from its initial publication to the recent additions added in with the newest edition.

"I was told Rita Skeeter writes rubbish."

"Clever, aren't you, Mr. Potter?"

James shrugged as he lowered his textbook. "No, it doesn't take a clever person to realize Skeeter's a nutter."

Professor Fawley blinked. "...You're not wrong there, either, Mr. Potter."

Teddy rubbed his temples as he walked through the darkened courtyard outside the castle. From a distance, he could still hear the pounding chatter and clatter of his fellow students.

The dreariness of the night sky was calming to him as he looked up. The moon was out, not full but quietly creeping towards there. Merlin, there never was a moment of peace for Teddy, it seemed.

Sighing, he shoved his hand into the pocket of his jumper, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out, put it in his mouth, and shoved the pack back into his pocket. He fumbled, grabbing the matches out of his trousers, silently cursing his clumsiness as he dropped the smaller pack of fire-starting sticks.

He wondered, given his mother's reported clumsiness, if his own bout of tripping over his feet and dropping his pack of matches was her way of telling him to bugger off with what he was about to do.

Shaking his head, he doubted it. His mother was dead, along with his father. They didn't care, seeing as they were long gone. They were six feet under the ground back home, but for some time, their bodies laid in the very room he was now avoiding.

Teddy dragged a match across its pack, and a small ember of light appeared until it collided with his cigarette. He took a drag of it, allowing the nicotine in and a wave of smoke out.

"You know that'll kill you one day, right?" Teddy heard his godbrother say.

Frowning, Teddy glanced at the younger boy. Much like himself, James was out of his Hogwarts uniform, though without a jumper as he hugged himself, clearly cold thanks to the wind slicing through the air like killing curses.

"One day," Teddy mused as his godfather's son walked closer to him. "Why aren't you inside?"

"You're not."

"That's not an answer."

James frowned. "Dominique said your dad was a werewolf."

"And?"

The boy pointed up at the sky, at the looming moon. "It'll be a blood moon this month and you look really tired. Could that be why?"

"You still didn't answer my question, Jimmy."

"You weren't inside, so I wanted to come see if you were okay."

Teddy flicked at the protruding ashes on his cigarette. "I don't know much about blood moons, other than it's blocked by earth's shadow. I get tired when the full moon comes about, but I'm never this tired before one arrives." He was reflecting, but he was in no mood to care about that at the moment as he rubbed at his temple again. "Not to mention the bloody migraine."

"That's why you're out here?"

"Sure, yeah...I guess so."

"Do you want me to leave you alone, then?" Teddy's godbrother asked.

Despite his head killing him, Teddy smiled as he threw his cigarette off to the side. He unzipped his jumper and held it out for James, who stared at him in confusion.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "This is my answer, little godbrother," he said and the boy next to him took his jumper.

Teddy watched as James wrapped himself up with his jumper, not even bothering to attempt to see if his arms were long enough to fit into the arm sleeves.

Teddy, amused, looked away from his godbrother and back up at the sky. Along with the partial moon, stars were blinking down at them. They were dead, Teddy knew. Just like his parents, and James'.

Pity, he thought, they were bright up in the sky. They made everything else less dreary.

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