i just have a bunch of these laying around pre-written. i hate leaving things unpublished. i remember this one was particularly hard for me to write. not entirely sure why. JKR owns, and without further ado, the third installment of twenty things. cheers!
James Sirius Potter
1. He's always struggled with the thought of having to live up to his namesakes.
2. James Sirius Potter is four years younger than Victoire Weasley, but has always felt like the oldest because of the awkward in-between age of Vic and Teddy- too young for the adults, too old for the kids, starting with James.
3. He loved his name. He felt practically invincible, what with being named after two of the greatest Marauders. When he asked his Mum (because he'd never dare ask his dad about his name choices) why he hadn't been named 'Remus,' she told him it was because she and his dad had wanted to save that one for Teddy, should he ever have a child of his own.
4. When he was a kid, he wondered why his dad was the only one in his immediate family that didn't have red hair. He thought maybe his dad wasn't his real dad. When he asked him about it, Harry pointed to the mirror in front of them and asked his son to look past the color. That's when James realized that it was almost the exact same style, just the same color as his mum's. After that, whenever his mum tried to comb his hair, he shrugged away and told her to quit fussing.
5. He was absolutely fascinated Ginny was pregnant with Al. He was two at the time, and so excited to have a little brother he could play with, one that he could pull pranks with. Then the kid was actually born, and when their mum brought him home, he was jealous. Why did his little brother get everything special? He looked freaking exactly like their dad. That just wasn't fair, because everyone said that their dad looked like Granddad Potter, and wasn't James supposed to be filling James Potter's shoes? Then his mum told him to say hello to Albus Severus Potter, and then James couldn't hold a grudge against a kid with that sort of name, now could he? The poor kid would have enough problems as it was.
6. That same year the Weasley-Potter clan said hello to not only his brother Albus, but also Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, Rose, Fred and Roxanne, and Louis and Domnique Weasleys. The sudden explosion of babies, and three sets of twins, nonetheless, made little James Potter's head spin. And the crying! Every birthday that year, Christmas that year, so loud. James stopped crying and throwing tantrums after Uncle George's birthday because having a little brother and three sets of twins in the house, not even counting Uncle Percy's one year old Molly, crying their heads off every two minutes was just too much to bear.
7. His first bit of accidental magic still comes up every now and then when the family sits around and talks Quidditch. When his whole family had been playing the usual weekend Quidditch match, he managed to get out of his grandmother's watchful eye, and at age 6, levitated in next to his Uncle George, and try to go for his beater's bat. Luckily, George wised up really quick and brought the bouncing, giggling baby to his sister, who was so ecstatic at her firstborn showing his first sign of magic, that she stopped playing in the middle of the game.
8. He used to Idolize Teddy Lupin. Since Teddy lived with them, he would follow him around every chance he got after he could walk. He was so excited when, in a fit of anger at his mum for trying to cut his hair, he turned his hair green. To his horror, he couldn't turn it back and his dad, Teddy, and Al just sat there laughing and laughing at his poor 8 year old self. He still liked Teddy after that, but his desire to become exactly like his mentor waned a bit.
9. When he got his first Hogwarts letter, Al didn't talk to him for a full week. James suspected it was because he couldn't stand the thought of his only brother leaving him to deal with their eight year old sister by himself. He consoled himself by saying, Al was anything but alone. Afterall, he had Rose, Fred, Roxi, Lorc, Zander, Lou, Dom, and the one year older than the rest, Molly. Lily could play with Lucy, like she always did.
10. Surprisingly, James was an okay student. Not Aunt Hermione okay, but not Uncle Ron okay either. He didn't have to try very hard, and he received fairly decent grades. He tried not to show anyone, though, because he wanted to keep up the image of the rugged Quidditch player and the hardcore prankster. He supposed, to do that, he would actually have to secure a spot on the house team.
11. Not so surprisingly, he was sorted into Gryffindor. Where else would he go? His mum, dad, and both sets of grandparents had been Gryffindor. His only mentor and oldest cousin were Gryffindor. His character had been shaped by these people, and there was no doubt in his mind whatsoever when he sat on that stool and put that old hat on.
12. When Al was sorted into Slytherin, he was shocked, and he blamed himself. If he hadn't teased him so much, maybe he would have his brother in the same house as him. He had been so excited to have his brother at school with him, and now they weren't even in the same house! Then, the morning after the sorting, Al came to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to James and a bowl of oatmeal, and James knew that nothing had changed between him and his brother. Even the next day, when Al brought his friend Scor over and introduced him, he thought a little inter-house unity might be a good thing.
13. When James tried out for the Quidditch in his second year, he thought he had a slim chance of making it because of his tiny build. The rest of the team laughed when he showed up holding the bat, but not Teddy or Vic. Teddy gave him a fair shot and the rest of the team learned not to judge a book by its cover when James was able to knock the bludger straight to the other side of the pitch, into the stand in keeper for the other goal hoops. The rest of the House's doubts were quelled when James effectively broke the Ravenclaw seeker's hand right as it was about to close over the snitch. There was nothing like the glory of having his whole house cheering his name at the age of 12.
14. In the middle of his 6th year of school, he started to notice something different about Molly Finnigan. She had always been his friend, and he had always thought that she was incredibly funny. He thought it was strange when his mum smiled knowingly at him when he told her that Molly had red hair, too. Now, he noticed how pretty and shiny that red hair was. And how bright those blue eyes exactly were.
15. Rose was the one that told him. Rose told him about how Potter men always fell for redheaded women. When he laughed at her and told her to come talk to him again when she had proof, he regretted it. Why? Because the next day, he woke up to Rose pulling the curtains open around his bed, and dumping a box of old photographs on him. Each photograph had a smiling, waving couple on the front, the man with dark hair, the woman with red hair, and names scribbled on the back- Harry and Ginny Potter, James and Lily Potter, James and Lorraine Potter, Harold and Ellen Potter- he stopped. He got the idea. This isn't what he regretted though. Rose had walked in wearing her pyjamas, and he had to hear his four dorm mates talk about his fifteen year old cousin for the next year and a half in ways he didn't even want think of.
16. In his 6th year, he was named Quidditch captain. About bloody time too! He had been on the team for four years as a magnificent beater. He had to tread carefully though. With Rose as a chaser, Louis as his other beater, and Dom as the seeker, he was treading in dangerous, nepotistic waters. A lot of their house ridiculed the team for the first few weeks at school. Most of them were probably jealous, because there really wasn't a change in the lineup of players from the year before. It wasn't his fault if his family decimated the competition at tryouts!
17. His team won the Quidditch cup both years as captain. With Lucy McLaggen and Kendra Zabini as his other chasers, and Colleen Wood as his keeper, they were practically invincible. They'd given Gryffindor their first perfect season in thirty years. Not since his Uncle Charlie had captained the team. His family was quite proud of him, but nothing made him so happy as much as Molly's pride and her father's approval.
18. When he introduced Molly to the family, they laughed at him. They seriously laughed at him. Uncle Percy, the last one he expected, said, "What, don't have enough red hair in your life?" but Molly took it into stride. She laughed with the family and joked that she couldn't help but have the red hair, she was mostly Irish, after all. Aunt Hermione remarked that she looked much like her mother. The family burst out laughing at that one too. James was about to bet good money that the girl of his dreams was going to leave him, but she laughed with that one too. When they were sitting in the Hog's Head, hours later, she said, "You know, I liked your family. Much tamer than mine usually is."
19. The wedding was hilarious. With the gathering of so many Hogwarts friends, how could it not be? Tables sat eight, and with the parents of the bride and groom, there was room for two more couples. Two couples like Dean and Parvati Thomas and Ron and Hermione Weasley. It was impossible for them to reminisce on their Hogwarts days without scaring their children for life, and James and Molly got a kick out of it.
20. Marrying his best friend was the best choice he ever made. Better than keeping his family members in Quidditch, better than telling his sister she was better off without Thomas McLaggen (and by Merlin, was she ever), most definitely better than letting Teddy and Vic shave his head that one night when he was in his third year. Yes, having his beautiful redheaded Potter wife was the best decision he'd made, and he had generations of Potter men to prove it.
I promise to be this good at updating for the rest. I don't know who's next. Probably Rose or Scorpius or Albus because i'm obsessed with that age group. Review, please? Any sort of feedback is appreciated.
