As the four boys sat down at the breakfast table and began tucking into bacon and eggs or porridge or toast, since there was everything imaginable on the tables, they recognised a farmiliar voice that was soon matched with a farmiliar face.
"Hello boys!" Peeves sneered. "How was your little trip around the castle last night?" He asked, pretending to lie down on his stomach with his head propped up by his hand but actually floating just over everyone's heads.
"It was good..." James said, not wanting to walk into the poltergeist's trap.
"Just approximately how long did it take?" He asked with a smirk.
"Several hours." Remus muttered. Peeves burst out laughing.
"Did it really? Firsties are so stupid!" He exclaimed, pretending to wipe tears of joy from his eyes. "I sent you in directly the wrong way! Of course if you saw past my plan and went the right way then I would have annoyed you every step of the way but that's completely off the point!"
"What did you gain out of doing that?" Asked Peter who immediately regretted speaking when Peeves turned to look at him.
"Because if I slow you down getting to the dungeons then you're more likely to get a detention which then means there's less teachers around the corridors so I can go and annoy more people!" He said cheerfully.
"The dungeons! What did you need to go to the dungeons for?" Lily asked from across the table. This was when Peeves realised that everyone was watching them.
"No reason!" Remus snapped before Peeves could say anything.
"Not at all!" Peeves agreed sarcasticly. "Not like you were escorting your 'Slytherin' friend to his new dorm room. I don't think you ever did explain why you didn't want to be in Gryffindor little boy!" Peeves added, floating next to Sirius and pulling on his hair. Whispers began to pass around the nearby area that soon spread further and further away.
"Peeves!" Boomed a deep voice that was rather intimidating. "Leave the first years alone!"
"Right away Oh Bloodiest of Barons!" Peeves said with a little bow before turning invisible and his cackling voice fading away.
"Thank you Sir!" James said to the ghost who looked down at him as if he were superior to him.
"You're welcome first year." He sneered before glancing to the other Gryffindors. His eyes rested on Sirius for a few moments. The ghost opened his mouth to speak but before he could make a noise, Sirius had got up and walked directly through him (shivering slightly as he emerged) and went out of the Great Hall.
The moment he left, all the owls with the morning post came swooping in. James noticed that a large black owl was coming very close to him and when if flew over his head, it dropped a letter. Jame didn't recognise this owl but when he checked the front of the envelope, it read:
Sirius Orion Black
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Gryffindor table
James didn't want to pry into Sirius' privacy so he got up and chased after him with the letter in his hand. When he reached the common room, he saw Sirius curled up on the sofa infront of the fire, half his face burried in his robes.
"Sirius..." James said gently. Sirius whipped his head around, clearly a little shaken up by all the attention.
"What?" He snapped nervously.
"You got a letter." He said, handing the envelope over to Sirius who looked terrified of the thing. Nevertheless, he snatched it from James' grasp and ripped it open, scanning the words on the page. When he reached the bottom of the parchment, he scrunched it up and tossed it aside before rushing upstairs to the dorm room.
James picked up the scrunched up parchment and unfolded it cautiously. He may not want to pry but he had to know what was wrong with his friend.
Dear Sirius Black,
I am writing on behalf of Mr and Mrs Black, known to you as mother and father, to inform you on their recently descovered information concerning your arrival at Hogwarts SSchool of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It has come to their attention through your relative Lucius Malfoy that last night you were sorted into Gryffindor house- this is a serious issue since the house of Black has associated itself with Slytherin house ever since it's existance became known. Also they will be serving the correct punishment when you return due to your outlandish behaviour.
Written on behalf of the Black family by Kreacher, house elf and servant
James was upset on behalf of Sirius. He had only known this boy for a day and he already knew that he didn't deserve any of that. James stuffed the letter in his robe pocket and followed Sirius up to the top of Gryffindor tower and into the dorm room.
"Sirius..." He said, half knocking on the door. Sirius was sat by the window, looking out onto the quidditch pitch and the black lake and the hills and feilds beyond it all. He didn't look around when James came in, he just subtley rubbed his eyes and continued to stare out of the window.
"This is why I wanted to be in Slytherin. I knew I should have stayed- it would have been a good match considering I'm a Black." Sirius mumbled, resting his chin on his knees.
"Look at me." James said, sitting next to him on the windowsill. "You are not your family! Over the past day I've seen someone kind, friendly and brave. That's why you were sorted into Gryffindor- you're brave enough to be here!"
Sirius looked up at James with his eyes but didn't move his head. His eyes didn't have the glistening spark they had done before breakfast and there was no longer a smile spread across his lips.
"You call it brave, I call it stupid and wreckless." He muttered, pulling his eyes away from James and curling into a tighter ball. James wasn't really sure how to respond to that, he just sat and looked at the eleven year old infront of him. This wasn't how he pictured kids his age. He would usually imagine someone happy and carefree but this boy infront of him, his best friend no less, was the opposite of that. James had to do something about that!
"You aren't stupid! From what I've heard you've gone through more than anyone else in this dorm room!" He said as Remus and Peter walked in. "And from what I've seen of you, I can tell you didn't deserve any of it! Doesn't matter that I don't know what it was!"
"He's right! James is always happy and so are Remus and I!" Peter added. "But you have been put through something you shouldn't have!"
"Yeah- no one deserves anything like that!" Remus sighed, looking past James and Sirius and out of the window himself.
"We all want you to be happy. So let us help you!" James said, patting Sirius' shoulder. He just sighed in response and got up from the windowsill.
"It'll be class soon. We need to get going." He said as he picked his bag up from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.
James, Peter and Remus shared a look of helplessness before collecting their bags and following Sirius out of the dorm. Their first ever lesson was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. From what the four of them had seen from her, she hadn't shown a huge liking for the four of them.
"Good morning class. I hope you've all settled in nicely to Hogwarts and got to know your house mates well. I know some have!" She said, swiftly glancing at James and Sirius and then Remus and Peter just behind them. "May I warn you that Transfiguration can be very dangerous so any messing around and you will be out of my classroom and not allowed re-entery faster than I can turn my chalkboard into a writing desk!" She added, making all of the students quite nervous. "May everyone take out your copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration."
The class took out their textbooks and placed them on the desk infront of them. McGonagall pointed her wand at her chalkboard and the chalk sprung to life and started scribbling down information. Everyone pulled out some parchment and ink and dipped their quills into it as all the questions were written onto the chalkboard.
"I shall be coming around and inspecting your work. If the amount or quality is insufficient then, despite it being the first day, I will make sure the proper punishment is served." McGonagall announced when the lesson was almost over. She briefly scanned over all the students' work and stopped when she reached the back where Remus and Peter were sat. "Mr Lupin does this work look complete to you?" She asked, holding Remus' parchment a little closer to her face.
"No Professor." He sighed.
"Then why is this all you've done?" She asked.
"It's my fault! I needed help." Peter squeaked.
"Well surely if Mr Lupin was to bring it upon himself to teach another on his first day then he would ensure he has the work done first!" McGonagall suggested, placing Remus' work down.
"Sorry Professor." He sulked.
"You will be serving detention with me on Sunday night Mr Lupin." She said.
"But Professor it's my fault!" Peter snapped. "He doesn't deserve detention!"
"Mr Pettigrew, how about we make a deal?" McGonagall offered. "If Mr Lupin can turn this matchstick into a needle and back again, the detention may just slip my mind. However if he can't then he will be seeing me this Sunday as arranged!"
Remus pointed the wand at the matchstick that McGonagall had placed infront of him on the desk and said an incantation that sounded remotely Latin. The matchatick didn't transform. It just went from having a pink end to being black like it had just been lit and blown out immediately!
"Too bad Mr Lupin. My office on Sunday at 7pm." She said before dismissing the class. Everyone collected their textbooks, ink and quills into their bags and filed out of the classroom.
"That's so unfair!" James exclaimed as they rounded the corner. "Giving you detention on the first day for not being able to do something I bet no first year can!"
"Yeah well can't do much about it now!" Remus replied.
"I'm really sorry!" Peter sighed.
"Don't blame yourself." Remus said. "It's not a big deal."
On the wall in the common room that night there was a poster. Many students went to look at it but all but the first years walked away looking mildly disappointed.
Attention all First years!
Starting on Monday 6th September, you will be taking flying lessons. Any students who do not wish to take these lessons for personal reasons are to speak to the head of house.
"Why wouldn't you take them?" James asked. At home him and his parents often played mini quidditch matches. Him and his dad would score as many points as possible before his mum caught the snitch- that of course had a limiting charm put on it otherwise they may never find it!
"Maybe some people are scared of heights." Peter gulped, scuffing his shoe nervously.
"Come on you've got to do it!" Sirius said. "If you don't then that's just boring!"
"Not everyone likes flying Sirius!" Remus said as they went up to the dorm room to drop off their bags.
"But you've got to at least try!" James agreed with Sirius. "Don't quit before you've seen what it's like."
"Fine. I'll give it a go." Peter reluctantly agreed.
"Don't worry. I'm scared of heights too." Remus whispered, comforting Peter slightly since he wasn't the only Gryffindor scared of something.
Sunday came by quickly and Remus dragged himself off to detention with McGonagall in her office. Apart from that, the boys' first week had gone very well! No homework had been set and no one else had landed themselves in detention. Out of the four of them, Remus seemed the least likely to get a detention, never mind in the first week, but everyone knew that it wouldn't be wise to argue with Professor McGonagall. She just looked like the kind of person who would always manage to win- even if she was wrong! But that probably wouldn't happen!
When 9pm rolled around, James, Sirius and Peter began to question Remus' whereabouts. Surely McGonagall wouldn't make him stay in detention for that long over some incomplete work! The sun was starting to set and Sirius was sat looking out of the window. He could see the full moon rising in the distance. His eyes flicked downwards to see McGonagall transform from a cat.
"Guys look at this!" He exclaimed, beckoning the two others to the window and pointing down at McGonagall. "She just transformed from a cat!"
"What?" Peter asked, confused as to what Sirius was on about.
"McGonagall! She was a cat and now she's... McGonagall." Sirius explained, just as confused as Peter was.
"Well it isn't lights out yet so we could ask her if she's seen Remus. Because if she's there then where is he?" James said and the other two immediately agreed.
There were a few groups of people in the common room who were just sat talking. They didn't notice the three boys go past, and if they did, they payed no attention to them.
When they got to the double doorway that lead out to the back of the castle, where the dark forest was, they saw that it was unlocked- most likely meaning that McGonagall was still outside. James, Sirius and Peter pushed the heavy door open and ran outside into the cool September night air and saw McGonagall nowhere. However there was a tabby cat on the ground that seemed to have a sort of greyish coat of fur.
"Thats her!" Sirius exclaimed, pointing at the angry looking cat. The trio ran over to it, alerting her that they were there. Immediately, she transfigured from her cat form.
"What are you three doing outside now?" She snapped, looking agitated.
"We just want to know where Remus is." James said, making McGonagall look even more on edge.
"He's in the hospital wing at the minute. He won't be out until tomorrow!" McGonagall said before trying to push the boys away.
"Why?" Sirius asked, worried for his new friend.
"He's injured himself, must have fallen down some stairs. I just heard him fall while I was in my office." McGonagall replied, getting more anxious by the minute. "Don't go and visit him right now though. He hit his head and it probably asleep by now if Madame Pomfrey has him on painkillers." She added quickly.
"Can't she just use magic?" Peter asked.
"Don't question it! And go back inside- it's not safe right now!" McGonagall snapped.
"Why not?" Sirius asked before going as pale as a sheet of parchment. McGonagall whipped her head around and was face to face with a werewolf.
"Inside!" She yelled before transfiguring into a cat. The werewolf no longer seemed too interested in her once she was an animal and instantaneously sought after one of the three boys. As he was running, James felt the beast pull at his leg and he tripped, his glasses flying off his face so he couldn't see properly.
"James!" Sirius yelled, running back to save him. James looked up into the werewolf's eyes with terror. Suddenly, a blast of red light flew past his head and the wolf was sent flying sideways and hit the wall to the castle with a low wimper. However, as it did, one of its long claws scratched through James' trouser leg and created a deep cut in his leg.
"Boys- inside now!" McGonagall yelled as the werewolf began to stand up. Sirius and Peter both let James put an arm around them and the trio hobbled inside, slamming the door behind them.
"Are you alright?" Peter asked, looking at the gash in James' leg.
"Don't look at it!" Came a voice from behind them. "I'm Lily Evans by the way." She said, realising that she hadn't properly introduced herself.
"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked as James tried to stand himself up.
"I saw you through the window. My dorm mates, Marlene and Mary have already gone to sleep." Lily said. "But I would go to the hospital wing if I were you."
"Can't- it's closed." James said, leaning on Sirius and Peter to keep himself upright.
"Ever heard of knocking? Someone might answer the door!" Lily exclaimed, her voice laced with sarcasm before walking away and back up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
Sirius and Peter helped James hobble through the halls to reach the hospital wing. There was a small notice on the door that looked quite fresh, like the ink hadn't fully dried yet.
Sorry if this causes any inconvenience but the hospital wing will be closed for tonight. If you have any severe injuries that must be attended to, please knock and I will come and see you.
-Madame Pomfrey.
Peter knocked on the door since James needed both his arms for stabilising himself and the scuff of shoes could be heard across the floor. A lady who must have been around thirty slipped through the door that was ever so slightly ajar before closing it after her.
"Yes. What is it?" She asked. "You're not here to see Mr Lupin are you?"
"No I was attacked by a werewolf. Just now!" James said, sticking his leg out so Madame Pomfrey could see. She went a shade paler than before and told the trio to wait outside while she sorted something out.
When she emerged again, she ushered the three inside before closing the doors again. James sat down on a hospital bed and noticed there were white curtains surrounding another bed in the corner of the room. That must be where Remus is.
"Pop your leg up on here!" She said, patting the bed before slipping on a pair of gloves. "It's not a bite is it?"
"No it's a scratch." James confirmed. If it had been a bite then he would nost likely turned into a werewolf himself. Luckily (he wouldn't really consider being attacked by a werewolf lucky but being scratched is bettet than bitten) he had managed to get away before it had the chance to bite him.
"Have you lost alot of blood?" Pomfrey asked, cleaning out James' wound. Before then, James hadn't actually looked at it and it made him want to vomit when he saw the huge cut that was turning a weird green colour.
"I don't know." James admitted.
"I think you lost a bit but considering the size of the cut, not much." Sirius explained. "But you might have outside- it was too dark to tell."
"Well I just want to tell you that this won't heal properly. You'll always have a scar there." Pomfrey warned. "Werewolf scars don't fade."
"That's fine- as long as I don't die! I won't die right?" James said. Madame Pomfrey pulled her wand from the little apron she was wearing and pointed it at James' leg. Without a word, his leg began to rebuild itself, leaving only a deep red scar that still looked very painful.
"No, you wont die. I'm going to put a bandge on it, I don't mind how long you keep it on its just to add a but if support to your leg. It's your choice whenever you take it off." She said, pulling out a bandage and wrapping it tightly around James' leg.
"Thank you." James said with an innocent smile.
"Yes, yes. You're welcome! Now off to bed no one should be outside their dorms right now!" She said, practically pushing the three boys outside of the hospital wing.
James' leg ached as he made his way up the many flights of stairs to Gryffindor Tower but he didn't let it bother him- at least now he could walk on it! The only person in the common room when James, Sirius and Peter was the little red head girl who had come to talk to the trio before they went to the hospital wing.
"Hey. Evans, right?" Sirius asked, making the girl jump.
"Yeah, Lily Evans." She confirmed. "I'm sorry but I can't remember your names." She admitted sheepishly.
"James Potter!"
"Sirius Black. The best one!"
"I'm Peter. Peter Pettigrew."
"So, Potter, Black and Pettigrew!" Lily double checked, pointing at each boy respectively. "Where's the other boy?" She asked, remembering that there were four new Gryffindor boys- not three.
"He's in the hospital wing. Broke his leg or something like that." James explained. "His name's Remus by the way."
"How has he broken his leg already? It's the first weekend!" She asked, slightly skeptical.
"McGonagall was pretty vauge. That's why we went to see her, to find out if she knew where Remus was." Sirius said.
"Well anyway, what actually happened to your leg?" Lily asked, gesturing to the scar on James' leg that was showing through the rip in his trouser leg. The three of them looked at each other with an expression that asked do we tell her?
"When I was ouside I was attacked by a tree." James said, hoping that Evans hadn't seen anything.
"Really? Because I saw you all go outside to Professor McGonagall and when I got downstairs, there was a large gash in your leg." Lily said skeptically.
"Yeah it was a tree." Peter insisted.
"But it was a really cool tree- one that fought back!" Sirius added. "It's branches were swinging everywhere! Even ask McGonagall!"
"I'll believe it when I see it!" Lily said, rolling her eyes.
"Well the tree is currently hidden for safety purposes." James said. "But I found it and it attacked me!"
"Yeah, you told me." Lily said. "If I say I believe you will you stop trying to convince me?"
"Most likely!" Peter said.
"Anyway why are you here on your own?" Sirius asked, taking a seat on one of the many sofas.
"I told you downstairs, Marlene and Mary are already asleep and I have nothing else to do!" She replied, curling her legs up into her chest.
"But why don't you talk to someone else?" James asked.
"Maybe because it's empty apart from me!" Lily replied, starting to become annoyed with the mini interrogation.
"So everyone left you on your own?" Peter asked.
"When I came back after talking to you everyone had gone." She said. "But why does it matter? You're all talking to me now."
"I just wanted to know why you're on your own!" Sirius said defensively.
"Well now you know!" She said simply.
James attempted to cool Sirius and Lily's conversation down since they were both getting at each other's throats a little. They all talked about how they were settling into Hogwarts and being away from home. Both Peter and James missed home a little but loved the freedom that school had to offer. They felt as if they could get away with more, even though it probably wasn't true. However, Lily and Sirius admitted that school was much better than home. James and Peter had some idea of what went on in the Black family but wasn't sure about Lily's home.
"I don't want to pry or anything but is there something going on at home?" James asked anxiously, unsure of how Lily would react to this question.
"Just my sister. You know how siblings can get." Lily replied as vaguely as she possibly could.
"Is your sister going to come to Hogwarts?" Peter asked.
"No she's not magic. There was a word for that..."
"Muggle." Sirius said. "So is she a squib or are you muggle-born?"
"I'm sorry I'm not really sure what that means." Lily admitted as her cheeks flushed a pale pink.
"If your parents aren't magic but you are then that makes you muggle-born." James explained. "Then if your parents are magic and you're not then that makes you a squib."
"In that case I'm muggle-born." Lily replied.
"Not many people use the term squib anymore. Alot of people can find it offensive." Peter added quickly as he didn't want this girl to get into trouble for not understanding something properly.
"Alright. I'll make sure I remember that then!" Lily said, taking a mental note not to bring up the word squib.
Eventually, the conversation steered away from blood status and onto how each of the others were finding lessons. It wasn't long before moring came since everyone had fallen asleep on the sofas and just around the fire.
"Oi! Firsties! You might want to get up soon." Called a fourth year who was passing through to go to breakfast. James checked the time- it was almost 8am so breakfast was just over halfway through and lessons would be starting in about 45 minutes.
"I need to go and get ready." Lily mumbled before getting off the sofa and running up the stairs to the girls' dorms. James, Sirus and Peter headed up to the boys' dorms and got into a new uniform. They rushed down to breakfast and hoped to see Remus waiting there- as good as new- but he wasn't. He must still be in the hospital wing. Seemed a bit silly really, over a broken bone or something of that nature.
When breakfast was over and lesson one had begun, James, Sirius and Peter turned up to the classroom along with everyone else and Remus was still nowhere to be found.
"Where is he?" James asked as they were sat in History of Magic. "This is the most boring lesson of all- of course he gets to miss it!"
"How am I meant to know?" Sirius exclaimed.
"Silence whilst doing your work." Called the ghost, Professor Binns, teaching the lesson.
When there was only around fifteen minutes left of the lesson, the doors to the classroom opened and an exhausted looking Remus who wasn't wearing his uniform entered the classroom with large bags under his eyes and a head of messy hair.
"Why have you not been in my lesson? And where is your uniform?" Binns asked in a monotoned voice.
"Did they not tell the whole staff then?" Remus asked but not quite in a genuine tone- more like he was almost mocking the Professor.
"What's your name boy?" The old ghost asked.
"Lupin." He replied simply.
"Doesn't make any explanations come to mind. Tell me why you're late and take your seat." Binns requested.
"I was in the hospital wing." Remus said, nervously shifting his weight between his right and left legs.
"Why were you..."
"Just shut the fuck up!" Remus snapped before taking a seat at the back of the classroom on the same table as James, Sirius and Peter. Everyone stared at him as he did so. They weren't even a week in and this kid was already swearing at Professors- it didn't matger if they were dead or alive!
"Carry on with your work, class. You'll get detention with me if you don't complete the work." Binns ordered in the same tone of voice he usually spoke in.
"Are you alright?" Peter whispered across the table to Remus who looked like he was about to fall asleep.
"I'm fine. Didn't get much sleep that's all." Remus said, dragging his head up off the table to look at him.
"As long as you're alright then." Sirius said awkwardly. He had never really been a people person in his life since, apart from his Uncle, everyone he was around was horrible.
The next lesson they had was Transfiguration and everyone was expecting Remus to get yet another detention from McGonagall for not only turning up without his uniform, but also falling asleep halfway through the lesson. However, McGonagall seemer kinder than ever towards him and only woke him up because people were starting to stare.
"How did you get away with that then?" James asked when they left McGonagall's classroom.
"With what?" Remus asked with, following the reply with a large yawn.
"Fall asleep in McGonagall's lesson. Baring in mind that she gave you detention for not doing quite enough work!" Sirius said.
"When do I need to go to that detention?" Remus asked.
"You went to it last night." Peter replied skeptically.
"Oh yeah! I forgot that's why I tripped down the stairs." Remus replied. "I'm going to go and put my uniform on. You three go ahead."
Remus turned in the opposite direction to the way they had been going and made his way up the many staircases towards Gryffindor Tower.
When he got to the common room, it was empty. He threw his school satchel on the floor by the sofa, not entirely caring if anything in it smashed. He sat down on the sofa and rested his head in his hands and trying not to fall asleep. He chewed the collar of his jumper nervously before standing up and kicking the small table in the middle of the common room.
"Are you alright?" A small girl asked as she emerged from the portrait hole.
"Lily... Yeah I'm fine. Just... Yeah I'm fine." Remus stuttered.
"You don't look it. And also how do you remember my name? I swear we've only talked once or twice." Lily replied sympathetically.
"I try my best to remember everyone's names. Not many people remember mine back home." Remus sighed, picking up his bag and trying to head up to his dorm room.
"Are you not going to tell me what's wrong." Lily asked expectantly.
"It's alot better if you didn't know." Remus said before running up the stairs to get into his school uniform.
He pulled a fresh white shirt out of his trunk and neatly draped his jumper over the end of the bed. He fumbled with the buttons for a while before finally getting them all done up. As he tied his tie around his neck and folded his collar down, he heard a knock on the door.
The small red haired girl was stood in the doorway.
"What are you doing? This is the boys' dorms!" Remus snapped, trying to close the door. "Are you fucking stalking me?"
"When I first met you, you weren't like this. Please tell me what's wrong." Lily begged with a sympathetic look plastered all over her face.
"You already know: I was in the hospital wing and I didn't get much sleep." He replied.
"If you had been let out of the hospital wing then why would Madame Pomfrey let you go to lesson without your uniform?" Lily asked with a proud glint in her eyes.
"Fine I ran away. But it's not like she can force me to go back!" Remus admitted. "I just don't want to fall behind."
"Why would you fall behind? We're only a few days into the year and it's one time."
"But it's not one time! It's every month; since I was four! Shitty life if you ask me!" Remus complained, immediately regretting it. "Can you just go now? You've probably already figured it out, you seem like a smart girl. I knew it wasn't a good idea!" He moaned, faceplanting into his bed.
"Remus, I honestly haven't got a clue what you're on about." Lily replied, feeling guilty that she had pried into his life. "Potter, Black and Pettigrew told me that I was something begining with m or something. But it meant that my parents aren't magic."
"Muggle-born." Remus sighed into his pillow with slight relief.
"Yeah. Muggle-born. So I really don't have a clue what you're on about. But if you ever want to tell anyone then you're more than welcome to talk to me." Lily said before leaving the boys' dorm room and closing the door behind her.
Remus changed into the rest of his uniform and noticed that Lily had gone- she had most likely gone down to see her friends rather than chase Remus for an answer he was determined no one would ever get!
By the time Remus had made it downstairs, it was time for potions. Throughout the whole lesson, people were pointing and whispering at him. He hated the attention and wished that he hadn't acted out in Binns' class. This caused him to get distracted and blow up his potion completely!
"Oi! Sleepyhead! Next time have a nap so you don't blow up your next potion." Called a Slytherin called Evan Rosier.
"Shut the hell up Rosier!" James snapped.
"One of your friends are feisty! I wonder what Black is going to do- since his whole family has been in the best house and now he's a reckless little Gryffindor!" Rosier taunted, gesturing to the jade green on his robes and tie. Sirius reached for his wand in his pocket but before he could throw any spells at him, Rosier was already bolt upright and unable to move. This meant that he couldn't stop himself from toppling over and falling on the floor.
"Wait... What happened? I didn't even do anything!" Sirius exclaimed. "Is he dead?" He added hopefully.
"I petrified him." Remus whispered so only their table could hear. He still didn't want to attract any attention to himself and also, Slughorn was now close by, inspecting what had happened.
"Did you just do wandless, non verbal magic?" James asked.
"Since when was that possible? I we can do that then why do we need to buy wands and learn all this Latin?" Peter asked, stepping back from his cauldron as a large air bubble popped.
"We learn it furthur up in the school. Past OWL level or something." Sirius replied.
"No I just had my wand up my sleeve and whispered it so no one would catch me. Obviously it worked." Remus replied with a slight smirk. He was relatively proud of himself for the first time since he was four years old and it felt nice!
"You know before today I thought you would be that kid who follows all the rules without fail over the seven years we're here, but you've proved me wrong!" James exclaimed. "Well done!"
"Why are you congratulating me? All I did was petrify him." Remus whispered as Slughorn went over to the cupboard to get something to revive Rosier.
"And that's even better- he makes it seem like no big deal!" Sirius added excitedly. "I think we should keep this one- don't you?"
"Definitely!" Peter exclaimed and for one of the very first times in quite a few years, Remus genuinely smiled. He had never really felt welcome because where he grew up, there were alot of very judgemental people, both magic and muggles and he was always told to hide who he was when he wasn't at home but now, he felt like he fit in; even if he didn't really!
Their last lesson that day was flying. James couldn't be more excited, Sirius wasn't quite as excited- but they all doubted that anyone could have been as excited as James but Remus and Peter were dreading it. Peter had always had a fear of heights, he wasn't quite sure how he ended up in Gryffindor since he considered himself to be scared of pretty much everything. But Remus simply just didn't trust that the broom would stay in the air. Gravity was a thing- he had learned that from his mother who had gone to muggle primary school- and gravity should make all the brooms fall to the ground!
"First things first class- choose a broom and stand to it's left." Madame Hooch announced from the middle of two rows of broomsticks. "Now you must summon your broomstick by saying up!"
"Up!" The whole class said simultaneously, some people's brooms flying up into their hands. Sirius and Remus managed to get their brooms to fly into their hands and catch them with ease.
"How did you do that?" Peter asked as the two boys stood proudly with their brooms in their hands.
"I just did it." Sirius replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"UP!" James shouted at his broom, determined to get it into his hand. It just lay on the ground, rolling over every so often.
"Still excited?" Remus asked with a smirk creeping across his lips.
"Shut up!"
"Up!" Peter said firmly and his broom flew up into his hand, knocking him backwards slightly.
"That's just not fair!" James moaned now that the other three had got their brooms.
He stood there for around a minute, repeatedly saying up and getting rather bored since all he wanted to do was fly around. When he had played quidditch at home, he had just picked his broom up off the floor since he didn't deem it necessary to use magic to do such a simple task; he also hadn't been amazing at quidditch back home, alot of the time missing the quaffle and often getting hit by a bludger- he didn't even try looking for the snitch because he was never able to catch it no matter how hard he looked.
James had got so distracted by his thoughts that he didn't notice his broom in his hand until it was too late and had fallen to the ground again.
"Oh come on!" James complained. "I'm just going to cheat now." He muttered, waiting for Madame Hooch to look the other way before bening down and scooping the broomstick up.
After another minute, Madame Hooch properly started the lesson.
"Alright- now we all have our brooms, we are going to try mounting them. Everyone swing your right leg over and grip the end of it so you shan't fall off once we begin to fly!" She announced. Everyone did as she asked, some more confident at the mention of flight than others.
"Tighten your grip."
"Yes Madame Hooch."
"Try placing your other hand on top- you might find it more comfortable."
"Yes Madame Hooch."
"Mr Potter is it?" She asked when she reached James, he gulped nervously- how come she knew his name and no one else's?
"Yes Madame Hooch."
"I've heard a good deal about you from Professor McGonagall!" She replied. "Now put your right hand furthur up so you'll be able to steer your broom better." James didn't have incredibly long arms so reaching the end of the broom was a bit challenging but if it meant he could actually maintain control of the broom, he decided it was a good idea to do as she said.
Madame Hooch individually helped everyone kick off from he floor and touch back down so she barely got round the whole class before the lesson was up.
"Well done today class- next lesson we will be kicking off unsupported! If you want to come down and practise then by all means come and get me from my office. That will be all for today!"
"That was so much fun!" James exclaimed. Even though he had flown before, he had always been limited so he wouldn't die or get caught by muggles because he'd flown out too far. Now, he had the whole of the Scotland highlands to fly through!
"You're going to be doing extra practice aren't you?" Peter asked, chuckling to himself.
"Yeah- why wouldn't I? I'm not going to get her help though- I've flown before!" James replied.
"I'll come with you and make sure you don't die. Never ridden a broomstick until today but I doubt that matters!" Sirius offered.
"And that sounds like a plan!" James exclaimed, high fiving Sirius like his dad did to him when they did something fun together.
"Why did you just hit my hand?" Sirius asked.
"It's a thing some people do. Kind of like to say well done." Remus explained. "Mostly a muggle thing."
"And that explains why I don't know it." Sirius grumbled. Around 100% of the time, he hated his blood purity. He didn't care about family traditions or what not- he just saw everyone as people. Maybe that's why the sorting hat sorted him differently. He was different! He didn't fit in there- he fit in with these people: his friends!