No Good

The boys watched as Lily Evans sprinted away. Jane slowly followed after waving goodbye to James and Sirius. Many other students slowly dispersed as well. Remus Lupin stood to leave as well.

"Oi Lupin!" Sirius said. He stood up and grabbed Remus's arm. To his surprise Remus pulled back in shock with an unusually strong force and a panicked expression.

"Oh sorry, mate," Sirius said when he realized he had startled the other boy. "I just wanted to thank you for what you said back there. I owe you one."

"Oh," Remus mumbled. "I wasn't trying to help you or anything I hadn't even meant to say anything at all really."

"Well it was still Brillant!" Sirius exclaimed and James nodded with him.

"Oh er thanks I guess," he said awkwardly rubbing his next. "Well I've got to go to class."

"We'll join you!" James said cheerily.

"Oh uh no that's ok." Remus replied, turning away. Even though he kind of liked the idea of having company, he knew better. He needed to stay away. He thought of the howler they had heard this morning and the rumors he had already heard about Sirius Black's family. He had a feeling he was exactly the sort of filth Black's mother would not like around her son.

"Nonsense!" Sirius grinned and slumped an arm around Remus causing him to flinch. "We all have the same class right? Might as well go together!"

Remus realized he didn't exactly have much of a choice and allowed the boys to follow him to their first class, Transfiguration. None of them noticed the fourth boy that followed quietly behind them.

Their classes hadn't been too eventful. Remus was determined to work extra hard. He took careful notes and made sure to pay close attention. He didn't want to get in any sort of trouble so that the professors would have absolutely no reason to kick him out.

Unfortunately, however, James Potter and Sirius Black had taken a liking to him for whatever reason. And it soon came very apparent that the two of them were constantly up to no good. They went with Remus to every class and sat themselves next to him.

The problem came in their History of Magic class. Which was only their second period of the day. They had Professor Binns, a ghost much to the group of first years surprise. And he sat in his chair quietly and read to them straight from a textbook. Remus Lupin dutifully tried to take notes and follow along. But even for him it was quite boring.

"Hey," James Potter whispered next to him. "Do you think he would notice if I threw a wad of parchment through him?"

"You will do no such thing!" Remus scolded quietly. "He's a professor. And that's disrespectful."

"Oh lighten up," Sirius said from James's other side. "He's dead. I'll give you ten points if you get through his stomach without him noticing."

James crumpled up a piece of paper and chucked it. Around them several students gasped. The paper went straight through Binns and he hadn't even paused in his droning lecture. Remus gapped.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," he muttered. James snorted, causing Remus to realize that he, once again, spoke out loud.

"My turn!" Sirius said. And he sent another piece of paper flying. But he barely missed and the paper seemed to only graze his arm. "Aww man, how many points for that?"

"You missed," Remus couldn't help but mutter back. "You get nothing."

"Ha!" James whispered. He took sim and made it right through Binn's forehead. He smirked. "How many points was that?"

"25," Remus shrugged. "50 if you can get it through the nose."

"Oi!" James whispered to Jane who sat directly in front of him. "Jane. Bet you can't hit him more."

"Not now James!" She turned around hissed back.

"Why not? You already know this stuff," he insisted.

"Yes but others don't," she retorted.

"It's not like it's interrupting his teaching he doesn't even notice." James countered.

"No!" She said. And turned back around.

The boys decided to continue their game anyways until Lily Evans spun around from next to Jane and demanded that they stop. Remus felt bad but James and Sirius simply snickered.

Nevertheless, they stopped for the remainder of the class. Throughout the day whenever the boys would see a ghost they aimed an object through their heads. Peter Pettigrew found them to be entertaining and tagged along, cheering for James and Sirius whenever they managed to hit their marks. The two boys preened from the attention.

After their lessons ended for the day, Jane Potter approached them with an idea none of them had thought of.

"What if you knocked off nearly Headless Nick's head?"

The boys gaped at her.

"I thought you didn't approve of this game, Potter," Sirius smirked at her leaning close to her and towering over her.

"Only when we're in class trying to learn," she rolled her eyes and pushed him away.

"Not sure that's very ladylike of you," Sirius teased.

"What Mother doesn't know won't hurt her," Jane said with a shrug.

"What about that Evans girl you've been with all day?" James asked. But Jane merely shrugged.

"Looking for her Slytherin friend probably," She said with a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"Snivellus?" Sirius asked.

"Be nice," she scolded, "his name is Severus Snape."

She joined the boys in their game making a few points for herself but overall just observing like Remus. Other students who passed them found it hilarious and cheered them on. Jane turned to the fourth boy, Peter, and kindly encouraged him to give it a try.

They were in a corridor on the ground floor having just come up from their potions class with the Slytherins. It was quite a bit crowded with students moving to get some fresh air outside before dinner. And Peter, they soon found out, had terrible aim. he aimed for a ghost at the end of the hall and instead of the rolled up parchment soaring through the ghost, it veered to the side and hit an unsuspecting Severus Snape who seemed to be hurrying away from something.

When the parchment hit him, he looked up and scowled. His eyes immediately caught Sirius and James's.

"Potter, Black," he scowled. "You'll pay for that!"

He whipped out his wand. Peter squeaked and jumped behind the group of boys and Jane.

"Praefringo!" He hissed and an icy blue jet of light came speeding in their direction. Sirius's eyes widened at the spell and jumped in front of them.

"Protego!" He shouted. "The Hell!"

Sirius sent a jinx back at him and the two of them started dueling. James pulled Jane back and wrapped his arms around her protectively when a spell from Snape came a little too close. James, Remus, Peter, and Jane watched in surprise as the two went back and forth. They were only in first year and yet the two seemed to know some fairly advanced spells.

A red-head flashed behind Snape as Sirius sent a simple leg locker curse at him.

"Evans lookout!" James called. Severus dodged the curse but Lily wasn't so lucky. Her legs snapped together. And she started to fall backwards. Remus was surprisingly the fastest and managed to catch her before she hit her head.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Professor McGonagall had appeared. She glared down at them. "My office now."

She released Lily from the Leg locker curse and made sure she was alright before beckoning her to follow as well. They gathered in her office and Sirius noted that it didn't feel as warm as the night before.

"Explain yourselves."

James, Sirius, Lily and Snape all started speaking at once. Remus, Peter and Jane stood watching in silence. Remus had his head down.

"One at a time," Mcgonagall said sternly. "Miss Evans. Why don't you explain first."

"I don't actually know I was trying to talk to Severus but he ran ahead of me and by the time I caught up to him they were already fighting and then Potter yelled at me to watchout. I must have dodged too late but Lupin, I think, caught me."

Mcgonagall pursed her lips into a thin line. She turned to Remus. "Alright then, Mr. Lupin, explain."

"Oh erm," he began mumbling. He decided it wouldn't hurt to tell the truth. Since he didn't think they had done anything wrong with their little. Though he refused to look her in the eye. "Peter had accidentally hit Snape with a piece of parchment and then Snape sent a curse at us but I didn't hear what it was."

"And why were you throwing parchment Mr. Pettigrew?" Professor Mcgonagall said.

"I..uh.. meant to make it in the bin but I might've missed." Peter lied, figuring he would get in less trouble for that than if he had said was aiming for a ghost. "I didn't get the chance to apologize before Snape sent a curse."

"So, Mr Snape, you retaliated by cursing your classmates over a piece of parchment?" Mcgonagall arched her eyebrow at him.

"No! That's not true!" Snape protested. "Black and Potter have had it out for me! They did it on purpose! Black sent the first curse and he hit Lily!"

"That's not true!" James and Sirius protested.

"Professor! He used the freezing bind curse! Praefringo!" Sirius insisted. "I was trying to defend myself and the others! That spell could have seriously hurt someone! I didn't mean to hit Evans I swear!"

"He's lying!" Snape snarled.

Mcgonagall whipped her head over to Sirius. "That is a very serious accusation. Mr. Black and quite impossible for a first year to know that spell."

"I know it sounds ridiculous but I know what I heard! And maybe it wasn't strong enough or accurate enough but I couldn't take the chance and the intention was there!" Sirius pleaded. "Besides we both threw out spells we're too young to know! If you actually saw any of the fighting I'm sure you saw that."

He was right, of course. Mcgonagall had seen some of the fight after being alerted by another student that two first years were dueling. She didn't believe it of course as they were only first years. But well when she heard one of the students was young Sirius Black, she knew it was possible. She was well aware that the Blacks were likely to teach their children dark magic before the start of school. And if it was possible for a Black to be taught such magic it was possible for other students too.

"Professor, if I may," Jane Potter raised her hand and stepped forward politely. All eyes turned to her. "While it's true that James and Sirius have antagonized Snape in the past, that was only with brief words and Peter really did accidentally hit Snape with a ball of Parchment. Although it's not entirely his fault, James, Sirius, and I dared him to throw it. But it really was Snape who threw the first curse and he did say the word praefringo. When he got hit with the parchment he must have thought it was James and Sirius, which makes sense since it's already day 2 and they already dislike each other."

James and Sirius looked like they wanted to protest but Jane stepped on each of their feet under her robes and they settled down.

Mcgonagall was in a difficult position, all four of them were new students. And she had yet to know many of their personalities. But Remus Lupin, Jane Potter and Sirius Black's stories all aligned, even with Peter Pettigrew's admission that he had started it by throwing something. But the four of them were in the same house. And she had known the Potter's for quite a bit and knew that the two before her were very mischievous. She had met Lupin and Black the night before. Lupin had been a quiet boy and it seemed highly unlikely for him to cause such problems. Black on the other hand, she knew immediately would be trouble. But even he had admitted to having been dueling using advanced magic and didn't even bother to try and hide it.

"Miss Potter, please retrieve Mr. Edward Tonks from Hufflepuff for me." Professor Mcgonagall instructed. She knew the girl would be familiar with many of the older students given who her parents were even if this one was a Muggle Born. "Miss Evans you are dismissed. As it is clear from both parties you were simply caught in the crossfire. If you feel the need to, please visit madame Pomfrey please do so."

The girls left together and a few minutes later Jane returned with a tall blonde haired boy with a Head Boy badge pinned to his chest.

"Mr. Tonks, you were the one who alerted me of this fight." Professor Mcgonagall said. "What happened? Did you see who started it."

"Yes ma'am," the older boy said. "I saw the Slytherin boy send the first curse after one of the other ones hit him with something. I'm sorry Professor, I knew I should've stopped the fight but I didn't want to risk hurting one of them. They were quite impressive for a couple of first years if I do say for myself."

"Thank you, Mr. Tonks," Professor Mcgonagall said. "You may go now."

The Hufflepuff turned to leave. And Mcgonagall turned back to the first years and stared them down sternly.

"Mr. Lupin you are dismissed as well." Professor Mcgonagall. Remus looked at her wide eyed and quite surprised that he wasn't in trouble. He hurried away. He didn't want Mcgonagall to change her mind or to see the looks of hatred from the others because he had gotten off scotch free.

"Mr and Miss Potter, 5 points from each of you for daring a student to mess around. You're both dismissed as well. Mr. Pettigrew 10 points from you for your carelessness," Mcgonagall said sternly. James looked like he was about to protest again but Jane simply nodded and dragged James away. Giving Sirius an apologetic look as they left. Peter scurried after the two Potters.

James Potter hurried after Remus Lupin (while Jane went to go find Lily). When he reached him he linked his arm with the tall boy and almost knocked him over in the process.

"That was a close one wasn't it?" He said cheerily.

"Too close," Remus said, slipping his arm away from James and pushing ahead. But James was stubborn and hurried after him.

"Ahh come on," James said. "It wasn't so bad! You got off scot-free. Not even points taken off or anything."

"I- we could have gotten expelled!" Remus exclaimed loudly. "Black and Snape probably are getting expelled as we speak!"

James just laughed. He casually slung his arms around Remus.

"Over something silly like that?" James said. "Definitely not. Student's duel in the corridors all the time, right Pettigrew?"

He turned to their small and plump companion.

"Er, I guess," he said with a shrug.

"Well I know!" James said. "My dad told me so. Especially Slytherins and Gryffindors. It's practically tradition."

"Just because others do it doesn't mean we should," Remus protested.

"Hey I didn't say that," James said, defending himself. "Besides, neither of us did any actual dueling. All I'm saying is this isn't something they'd expel anyone, especially first years, over. Also I find it hard to believe they'd ever expel you, mate. It's hardly been a day and I can already tell you're going to be every teacher's favorite."

"That's most certainly not true," Remus said with a small blush. He tried to brush James off again. But James's arm was wrapped around Remus's shoulders again hardly a second later.

"Oh but it is," James insisted. "Besides, they hardly expel people. Honestly I'm pretty sure the only reason they'd expel anyone would be if they killed someone, which you would never do anyways, and even then it might just be suspen—"

He didn't get to finish. Remus threw James's arm off from around his shoulders with such a surprising amount of strength that it actually caused James to stumble a bit.

"Just stop and leave me alone!" He practically growled at James. The. Realizing what he had done stepped back in fear. He shrunk into himself, turned and ran away. Leaving Peter and James staring after him in complete shock.

James turned to Peter with a confused expression.

"Was it something I said?"