James Sirius Potter

"Alright James. One night, yeah?"

"One night." I agreed with a firm handshake.

There were cheers all around, bouncing off the elaborately decorated walls of the Gryffindor common room. There were fist pumps and slaps on the back while every Gryffindor from, first year to seventh, stared at me. Most were in awe whilst others held expressions of complete bewilderment.

I knew exactly what they was thinking; that I was a real whackjob. I accepted mentally and physically challenging dares on a regular basis, that no other Gryffindor would even dream of enduring. Hey, maybe they were right, but they couldn't understand the thrill. No one seemed to. To them this was simply the usual crazy bullshit that my cousin Fred and I pulled on a weekly route, each challenge growing more demented by the second.

Just last week Fred had dared me to swim out into the middle of the Great Lake and provoke the giant squid. If you asked me, it wasn't much of a challenge. It had been at least two decades since the last sighting of the squid and I was sure he wasn't going to make a special appearance for the great James Sirius Potter.

All I had to brave was a little bit of swimming and pretend to drown for a few moments before resurfacing. Of course nothing was ever that simple. The thing with Fred was he was like my shadow self; he held all my deepest secrets, knew of that place within me that swarm with my darkest desires and impulses, and he was the only person who could truly make me fear.

Everyone gathered around the lake that day, standing and watching with eager eyes as I prepared for the swim. There was not a time before then when I had failed a challenge and it was like hell I would fail then.

But, much to everyone's disappointment, I did fail. I let down the Gryffindors, my cousin and my two namesakes whom I was sure were snickering down at me from above.

For I, James Sirius, was a coward that day. A bloody weak wizard who had such a trivial fear of swimming and Fred damn well knew that. He knew I would chicken out last minute and he had won. Until now that was.

The aim of the game was simple with the dares; you fail, you try again the next week until success. You win, you set a challenge for the other participant and so on.

"You sure you can handle this, mate? You never know, you might come across a puddle in the forest and run out screaming," Fred thrusted his head back in laughter and I threw a punch to his arm, knocking his tall stature back a few steps.

"Bugger off," I retorted, earning another round of laughter from the Gryffindors. "Need I mention the Whomping Willow incident from last month?" Raising an eyebrow, I knew I had him.

His eyes, the colour of rich country fudge, grew clouded and he ran a hand through his black buzzed cut hair. "Bollocks," he said to me under his breath and turned towards to the crowd, "so we all know the rules, James has to stay in the Forbidden Forest till sunrise. If he comes out before then, well-" Fred grinned, "then that's another challenge for another week, and-"

"If I succeed-" I intervened, trying to bite back the smirk as Amber Finnegan, the sixth year well known for having her amble breasts on show, threw a wink my way. It was a shame she had the personality of a troll. "-Then Freddy here will have to face a dare himself. What would that be, Fred? Your sixth challenge this school year so far? And I mean we're only in October, that's five challenges you've lost and only one for me. I think we all know who's the real winner around here."

I knew I had pissed him off and it was not just from the annoyed expression he glowered at me. Fred was easily the most quick-tempered person I knew. The majority of people, mostly my parents, thought he would adopt his father's gentle manner and more soft sense of humour. But alas, like myself, he took after his namesake's vindictive streak and we both often fought over the role of ring leader. As much as he did not like to admit, he was also a lot like his mother than he let on; at times he could be too serious to handle, or too 'sirius' as I often joked with him. Usually it was best to leave him be and let him cool off, but tonight was not that night.

The rest of the Gryffindors pushed us both out of the common room before he could make a break for it and had us heading toward the wooden bridge. The sun shined bright for an October afternoon and had students from other houses indulging in its glory. They all stopped their games of gobstones and exploding snap, watching cautiously as we all wandered past them.

Well it probably did look somewhat suspicious with a herd of thirty something Gryffindors marching through the courtyard of the school. Especially when said herd was lead by Fred and myself, we seemed to have gained ourselves quite the reputation over our six years at Hogwarts.

The wooden bridge, which had been rebuilt after the war, was still as derelict and sagging as my dad told me it was back in his day. I probably could have done a better job at building it myself. Stuffing my hands in my trouser pockets, I refused to let anyone see them trembling. With so many of us walking across the bridge, I could not help but feel a little anxious it might give way and only basked in the relief once we were across.

"Alright, this is where we leave you," Fred folded his arms across his chest.

We stood close to Hagrid's hut and just a small walk away from the forests entrance. Everyone was gathered in the shape of a crescent and my glance caught those of my siblings. Albus, who was a good headshot shorter than me, held the usual look of concern, he picked away at the loose thread of his school robes and I didn't need a genius to tell me he was frightened I wouldn't come back.

I tried to offer him a smile but he disregarded me with as much as a glance and stalked off.

"James, James-" Fred prodded me with his elbow and I mumbled an apology for not listening. "As I was saying, It's now sixteen hundred hours and sunrise tomorrow is at seven hundred. We'll meet you back here at sunrise, if you're not a coward-"

"I'm no coward," I said sternly, a glint of mischief in my eyes.

Holding up his arms in mock defeat, Fred shared my grin, "Alright, well have fun mate, and if you find gramps' Ford Anglia, remember it's whereabouts. He always used to say it was the one thing he loved more than our grandmother." He smiled sadly and I shared the same expression as he walked me closer to the forest edge where we were out of eavesdrop, "and while we're at it, hand me over the invisibility cloak. Can't have you hiding from the acromantula now, can we?"

Merlin knows how he knew, but I removed the cloak from the backpack that was slouched over my shoulder and regretfully handed it over.

"Think you're forgetting that you're the poor bastard with the deathly fear of spiders, maybe I'll bring one back for you," I slapped his back and Fred glowered at me again.

Miserable bastard he could be sometimes.

"FILCH! HE'S COMING! ABORT, ABORT!" a first year we had put on look out at the bridge, cried out in utmost fear. Why they were afraid of a squib baffled me.

The group of Gryffindors disbanded faster than the Firebolt Supreme, leaving myself and Fred behind. I caught sight of a red faced Filch before being pushed into a thorn bush in the Forbidden Forest. I hadn't even a chance to call Fred the wanker he was as he gallivanted after the other students, his laugh loud and thriving in the distance.

"Son of a banshee," I swore and crouched low as Filch grew closer.

An hour or two must had passed as Filch and his budding kitten Mrs Norris II, patrolled the school green. I dared not even flinch; the damned cat seemed to sense every movement and after appearing satisfied there would be no more trouble, they finally returned to the castle.

With a clear conscience of knowing there would be no detentions today, I made my way further into the forest without the worry of looking over my shoulder.

Fred clearly had no idea when he set this challenge that I would pass with flying colours. In his mind I would not last a minute in these woods; they were swarming with creatures that could possibly kill me and others that would likely enjoy the need to torture me. But unlike the lake, I held no fear in these woods. Death did not scare me, I had seen enough of it to know it was just another chapter in our lives. For losing people close to me only gave me hope to dream there was something beyond that, a place where there was no fear, no loss, just pure bliss.

Pulling my glasses out of my pocket, I slid them onto my face and continued to trek easily through the forest, careful not to trip on branches or wake any unwanted company. Thanks to years of practise on the quidditch team, as well as my father's genes, I was luckily gifted with physical nimbleness that prevented me from falling flat on my face. Moving through the forest came somewhat easy and I knew the exact location I wanted to go.

It was roughly a mile in distance and once there the sun was beginning to set. To other wizarding eyes, this place most likely appeared empty and rather eerie. To me, it was one of the few openings in the forest where sunlight flooded in, kissing the ground with its glow that lit up the small space and vanquished any of the darkness within its reach.

A creature with a dragon like face who bared glittering white eyes, peered at me through the bush of a tree. Like before, I pulled a bag of raw meat from my backpack and threw a slice toward it.

Known for being sinister and cruel, the thestral was anything but. Over the last few years I had come to learn they were loyal creatures, easily knowing a friend from a foe. They always accepted my gift of the raw meat and somehow they also brought me peace when I was around them. Something I could never find amongst the grounds of Hogwarts.

The thestral was wary at first, creeping through the bushes to reveal its bone-like stature that was glossed with a leathery, sleek finish. It was drawn to the blood of the raw meat and hungry, I could tell, from the way he swallowed it so quickly.

"There's more where that came from, buddy." A grin played its way onto my lips, it baffled me how anyone could think of these animals as sinister.

Pulling out a larger piece of meat this time, I extended my hand in invitation for the creature to take the meat. "Go on," I encouraged, and as if understanding me, the thestral inched towards me sheepishly.

He, as I gathered from its particular parts, bent his head down towards my hand and progressed to take the piece of meat. I was even granted the honour of being allowed to stroke its slimy exterior. As if in a state of bliss, the thestral let out a shrill like noise that sounded somewhat like a horse on helium. I couldn't help but throw my head back in laughter, these creatures, though not cruel, were definitely strange.

Three more thestrals appeared from the forest and I learnt perhaps that noise was a beckoning call. The thestral I had been feeding nudged my hand again for another piece of meat. I proceeded to empty the contents of the bag into the forest floor when-

CRACK

The thestrals bolted from the clearing, the one I had been feeding almost taking my hand with him. I snapped my head around in the direction of the loud sound that had scared them off, thinking it was probably just a branch breaking off from a tree. But I couldn't be more wrong. My eyes met those of a curious green pair, a shade of green that brought forth memories of rolling down hills in the spring as a child. Yet these eyes held no happy memories; though they showed a sense of interest, they looked scared and at a loss.

It was when I saw who those pair of eager eyes belonged to that I had to hold my breath. A girl or a woman? I couldn't be sure, her face was young and innocent, with raven coloured hair that fell in spirals down her back. But she had the body of a woman; she was slender but built in all the right places; just staring at the way her hips curved had me swallowing in desire. Her trousers were baggy and covered in paint, and she wore a top obviously too small for her that I couldn't help but notice how her nipples was showing through them.

Fuck.

Too busy staring at the girl, it took the growl of a wolf to snap me out of the transfix she had me in. Wait, a wolf?

Built on pure reflex, I grasped my wand from my trouser pocket and cast it towards the wolf just as it lunged for me.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I yelled as the power of the spell coursed through my veins, leaving a satisfied smile on my lips.

The wolf's body became stiff and unyielding as it dropped mid air to the ground with a heavy thud, and the once quiet girl let out a piercing scream. It was not until now, with my eyes wide and focused, that I noticed this girl was definitely not all there. Deep gashes lined both her wrists, and they were followed by more scares, old and new ones that travelled the length of her arms.

Her heart shaped face, which I thought was faultless from a distance, was infact tired and worn. Though still beautiful, she looked like she hadn't slept in at least a week. She wore her feet bare and those green eyes bore into me with daggers.

I tried to be careful, kneeling down to her with at least a small distance between us as if not to scare her. "Are you okay?" I asked her but received no answer. It took everything within me not to laugh at how strange this situation was. "I mean what the bloody hell are you doing out in this forest? It's no place for a girl."

Waiting for a few moments, she still only returned so much as a glare my way. Merlin, I thought when you saved a girl's life, they were suppose to grateful at least.

I watched in confusion as she stroked the wolf's fur and a small cry escaped her lips. That was when it clicked; she wore the same expression as I had when I lost someone close to me just last year. It was the sort of pain so visible on ones face that it was almost impossible to hide.

So I done the only thing I could think of as rectifiable and flicked my wand, even if this beast tried to kill me again, "Finite Incantatem."

The wolf's body, no longer affected by the Body Binding Curse, was once again functioning as it coiled into a ball and propped its furry head on the girl. Tears began to fall from her sad eyes and as the realisation that her pet was not actually dead set in, she quickly diverted her glance toward me, questions written all over her face.

I held up my wand in response and this only caused her to shrink further away from me until she was backed up against a tree.

"I swear I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanna help," I explained and offered my hand to her.

She looked from my wand hand, to my face, and then to my offered hand, her eyebrows creased into a frown that appeared as if she was having an internal battle with herself.

"What if I put the wand away?" I asked, sliding my wand back into my trouser pocket.

This was all too bizarre, I thought, did she even know what a wand was? By her reaction, she definitely appeared to be frightened by it. But this only made me think that perhaps it was the first time she had seen magic, and if so did that make her a muggle, or even a squib?

With questions running through my mind a mile a minute, I hadn't even begun to notice how the sky had so quickly grown darker. Clouds were rolling in on what was supposed to be the sunniest day in October, the Daily Prophet had said so itself. However, the sun had disappeared and in its wake was an angry looking storm. I peered toward the sky, waiting. No rain poured but the sound of sudden thunder shook the air, causing the wolf to whimper.

As I glanced from the sky to the girl and her wolf, I soon learned the weather wasn't some form of freak mother nature but that it was being controlled by the puzzling girl who was fixated on the sky above her. Her body shook with the tears that streamed her cheeks, her pale skin becoming a flustered pink. With every cry she let out, a bolt of lightning struck from above, as though they synchronized within each other's frequency.

My only guess was this girl had no idea she was a witch, and this insane thunderstorm was simply normality to her.

"Hey-" I tried to grasp her attention and knelt down before her, "-Hey! -that's it focus on me, c'mon, everything's going to be okay." Smoothing my hand across her cheek, I had no idea if I was crossing some sort of boundary, but I seemed to be doing something right.

Her eyes locked with mine and something snapped within them; the deafening sound of the thunder came to a halt and the shadow that once loomed over us was now replaced the evening's setting sun.

"That's it, deep breaths." I gave a small smile, continuing to stroke her soft cheek. She truly was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen, more so than Clarissa Raine from sixth year and I had never seen a girl as pretty as Clarissa, until today that was.

Once her breathing was running at a normal pace, I let my hand fall from her cheek and took a step back. It made me wonder if she often suffered from these panic attacks.

"What are you doing out in these woods anyway?"

She blinked at me, wiping away the tears that were no longer there.

"Do you have a name?" I asked.

Once again, she furrowed her dark eyebrows.

"Do you even speak english?" This time I sighed. It was no use, like speaking to a brick wall but I had to keep trying. "How about that you're a witch, did you know that?"

"I'm not a witch!" At first I thought perhaps I had imagined what she said yet she spat the word with such venom, it was my turn to be taken back.

"So you do speak english," I shook my head and grinned down at her, "I knew you could understand me."

"I'm not a witch," she repeated with a slight accent I recognised, "do you understand me?"

She was now standing in front of me with her arms folded across her chest and a growling wolf in tow. I raised my hands in defense, almost feeling the hatred that was radiating from her. "Loud and clear," I almost laughed nervously, "Merlin, what do you have against witches?"

"Who's Merlin?" she asked and I was almost sure I knew that voice, that accent. "My name is Charlotte."

"Charlotte?" She gave me a curt nod and the name sounded foreign on my tongue, "Well Charlotte, you never answered my question- about witches?"

Her face screwed up in disgust at the word. "They're an abomination; witches and wizards alike. And those wands you use? Do you realise the evil they have done to this world?"

I wanted to laugh because everything that came out of her mouth was absurd, I had never heard such troll shit. "Who has you believing all of this?"

"My mother said if I ever came across a witch or wizard that I should run, she said you're dangerous," Charlotte said and it explained her attitude towards me; the fear, the hate.

"So why aren't you running away?"

My question caught her at a standstill and I noticed she could not stop looking down at a book she held in one of her hands. My only guess was it was the book that had prevented her from running.

"What's your name?" she inquired out of the blue that I was now the one blinking at her, "You know my name, I only think it fair I know yours."

"James."

"James," she repeated as if questioning my name.

It was the first moment we had both fell silent and a moment in which we shared by staring at one another in curiousity. I wondered if she knew the name Charlotte did not suit her and if she knew that this mother of hers was a liar.

"Have you ever been to France, Charlotte?" I went and sat myself down on one of the forest's tree stumps, still wary of the wolf who followed my every movement.

I seemed to have once again caught her off guard as her head so suddenly snapped my way, "Excuse me?!"

"France?" I cocked an eyebrow, "have you ever been?"

"No, but- how- why…" she was confused and I couldn't blame her, this was a strange day for the pair of us. But I thought what the hell, I was tired of beating around the bush, I had to know if it was really her.

"Your accent," I explained, "did you know it has a bit of a French twang to it?"

"I'm not French," she shook her head furiously, "I'm- I'm-"

"What?" Standing, the wolf still growled and Charlotte forced the animal to move behind her. "Do you live here in these woods? Do you even know where here is?"

"STOP!" she yelled over me and like a child would, she covered her hand over my mouth. "Just please, be quiet! I can't think, you're asking too many questions and I just can't think!"

I removed her hand from my mouth and towered over her, watching as eyes grew clouded with intense worry.

"I- I don't know where here is, okay? I don't know who you are and how you came about our land, but you need to leave and never come back, and you can't ask me any more questions!"

She was starting to back away from me, shrinking into the woods and I knew I couldn't let her leave.

"Charlotte!" I called after her but she began to run from me and even as I chased after her, she was a lot faster than she looked. No matter the amount of times I called her name, she never looked back until I called out the one name that had been haunting my dreams for the last nine years.

"Iris?!" She glanced back at me for what felt like an eternity, yet wasn't long enough, before taking off and running until I could no longer catch up with her.