So I have recently been hit with a lot of inspiration, as you can tell by now three chapters added and an additional one shot added in under four days. The friendship they have just keeps evolving and stories come up in my mind, and it is insane what this is turning into. In this chapter is the 40,00 word and we aren't even fully into second term of their first year yet. With this story going past their graduation, I am just starting to fully comprehend how long this is going to be and how long it will take me to write this.
Since this story is not just in its infancy anymore, I would greatly appreciate more reviews. I know sometimes I don't review because I feel that the author will never update again. I can assure you that I am going to finish this even if it kills me
I have put a lot of time into this so the least you, the reader, can do is leave a review. I don't expect to have extremely long reviews, I would just appreciate some words of encouragements or maybe mentioning something you liked or disliked about the story.
Now I would like to present the 16th Chapter of A Black and White Story, What is he doing?
It was two weeks later. All the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins had class together, which usually meant some sort of injury on both sides. But this was no ordinary class. No, they were in History of Magic where the ghost professor seemed determined to make his students join him in the afterlife.
Ursula and Sirius were using their new journals Remus had gotten them for them for their birthday to plan a prank against the Slytherins during lunch. So far, it was something involving sparkles, goo, and public humiliation.
The rest of the class sadly did not have magical journals that allowed them to discreetly talk to their twin. They were left to the fate of listen to Binns drone on and on and on…and on.
Elyse had just finished drawing a doodle of the other Hogwart's ghost kicking Binns out of the castle when a thought hit her. She hadn't had a vision in a while so she closed her eyes and concentrated.
She focused on what was to come, uncertainty. She began to feel lightheaded and it felt like she was moving through water at a fast pace. Her body temperature dropped and her limbs went limp. The vision would come to her, she just needed the trigger. A flash of red hair brought her attention,
A young man, not a day over 21, slowly opened his eyes. There was a loud sound coming from somewhere. When he finally came out of his sleep induced haze, he realized that there was a baby crying. The room was pitch dark in the room but it didn't look like there was anyone else in the king sized bed with him. The curtains fluttered in the midnight's summer's breeze and allowed moonlight into the room. It reflected off the gold ring on his fourth finger on his left hand. giving it an eery glow.
He groaned in an exhausted voice of a man that had not been getting enough sleep, "Elyse," and waited a moment. The crying got louder and louder. Sighing, he kicked off the blankets and grabbed his wand. With a quick flick of the wrist, the wand brightened the room. He looked back only a second to see the empty side of the bed and didn't look that surprised.
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and softly walked across the hallway into the nursery and put his wand down in the room decorated in pink. He walked past one crib and immediately went to the other. The grown up Ben looked down at the crying, red-headed baby below him with a soft smile on his face.
The vision cut off. Elyse came back to the present with a small gasp. Thankfully, the bell rang at that exact moment so no one heard. She gathered up her stuff and ran to Gryffindor Tower. What did this mean? She didn't like Ben at all, yet he said her name when asking who would care for the baby. Plus, the baby did have bright hair; a color that was easily dominated by other colors. She grabbed her journal and quickly drew the older version of Ben looking down at the baby.
She had just put the finishing touches on it when the door opened,
"Elyse, what's wrong? You ran out of History of Magic like you were on fire." Ursula asked, tossing her book bag on her bed. She loosened her necktie before lying down on the bed. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Vision Journal.
"Oh, have any good visions lately?" Ursula asked, excitedly.
Elyse gulped loudly. When you have a vision of being married to your best friend's crush and having a child with him, that is hard to answer.
"Eh, nootin' much." Elyse answered with a noncommittal shrug.
Ursula's face fell a little, but she rebounded quickly, "Oh well. Let's go to lunch. Sirius and I have a wicked prank idea."
Sirius was right in the middle of explaining the execution of the prank, "-Then Sissy here will use James's cloak and…Peter's what wrong?"
Peter had gone pale in the face and was staring at a third year's Herbology book.
"Guys, we have Herbology next right?" He asked.
They all nodded simultaneously.
He gulped, "Didn't we get homework over the weekend?"
They paused a moment, most of them realizing that they hadn't done it, but Sprout didn't really punish them for not doing homework. The worst they would get is a disapproving look from her and maybe they would have to stay ten minutes after class.
He looked at them with terrified eyes, "Didn't Professor Sprout say that if we didn't do our homework over the weekend we would be banned from the next house Quidditch game?"
Now they remembered her new policy.
"SHIT!" Sirius exclaimed as he frantically dug through his bag for some parchment. Ursula grabbed a quill while James pulled out his book. Elyse was looking for her half finished assignment while Peter searched for the assignment details.
"I can't believe we forgot!" Ursula exclaimed as she started to write stuff down.
The others were in a similar state to her.
Remus and Ben shared a look before they looked back at their panicking friends. They had done the assignment the Saturday before. They nodded at each other and went to get their papers but that was before a prefect started to shout that it was time to go to class.
Five of them shared horrified looks. The next Quidditch game for Gryffindor would decide if they went to the championship game. They had been looking forward to that game since they attended their first Quidditch game all those months ago.
Apparently, they were taking too long because the prefect came over and practically dragged them to the doors. They trudged to Herbology, dread weighing down their hearts.
When Ursula walked into the greenhouse and saw down in her usual seat between Elyse and Ben. She placed her crumpled paper on the desk and hid her face in her arms. There was no way for them to get out this; there was no fancy trick they could play to be able to attend the game. If someone was banned from the game, magical wards on the pitch kept them out.
Ben saw her distressed state as he took his usual seat next to her. Her jet black curls completely covered her arms. You could feel the sadness and disappointment radiating from her body. He felt so bad for her, he knew how much she loved Quidditch. While he loved the sport, she lived for the sport. A thought passed through his mind. It wasn't intended to be taken seriously; it was one of those things you would question later and ask 'why did I do that?' but he went with it.
He grabbed the corner of crumpled parchment from under her arms. She sat up, her face full of melancholy.
"What are you doing Ben?" She questioned him, looking at him like he was crazy.
He smiled secretively. He pulled out his wand, checked that Sprout wasn't there, and tapped his wand on his paper. Before Ursula's very eyes, Benjamin White disappeared from the top of the paper only to be replaced by Ursula Black. The hand writing changed from his elegant script, to Ursula's slightly messier handwriting. He did the same to her paper, just vice-versa.
Ursula looked at him with wide eyes when he held it towards her. She shook her head, "No, I can't take that."
He shook his head and shoved the paper towards her a little more, "I insist. I can miss one Quidditch game."
"But your sister is the team captain! This is her last year playing! I can't be responsible for you missing that moment for her. She would never forgive me."
Ben rolled his eyes, "She probably won't even notice that I missed. She'll give me a play by play afterwards anyway. You aren't going to win this; just take the paper." His dark brown eyes stared into her silver and she felt her resolve weaken.
Muttering about stupid boys that shouldn't miss their sister playing in a game, she took the paper grudgingly. Ben chuckled quietly at her. The teacher had just walked in and called the class to order so Ben leaned over to whisper in her ear,
"You know, Ursula, I allow my friends one free copy."
"Yeah?" She asked with a smile, remembering their conversation when they officially became friends. She had told him that he had made his mistake and he didn't get another one as her friend.
"Yup, and consider it used."
"Consider it considered," She said, using his words.
They shared a smile, completely missing Marlene making kissy faces at them across the room.
"Class, I will come around to gather your homework right now. Please keep the volume level down while you discuss today's activity on the board with your partner."
She collected the first few papers from the Ravenclaw in the front row before moving to the second row; right to James Potter.
"Professor Sprout, may I ask something?" He asked with a cocky grin on his face as he leaned back in his chair.
Ursula looked at Ben, their eyes asking the silent question 'what is he doing?' before they turned to look back to watch the scene unfold.
"Yes, Mr. Potter." The kind Hufflepuff Head of House said.
"You see, I think that I should be exempt from this assignment."
Her grinning face faltered, "Why do you think that?"
He smirked, "Well, I am too important to risk my safety. I'm just too great."
The entire room was silent.
Professor Sprout looked at him shock and placed the papers down on the desk, "Excuse me Mr. Potter, but do you have a problem with my class?"
He slammed his chair to the ground and looked up at her with defiant hazel eyes, "As a matter of fact, Sprouty, I do. This is a pointless class designed to make wimps to feel better about themselves."
Sprout's, along with half the class's, mouths had dropped to the ground.
"Are-are you saying what I think you are saying," She asked, still relatively calm for someone that had just been told her profession was a joke and designed for wimps.
"Yup, I am saying that this class is softer than Divination, which if you ask dear old Minnie, is so soft that little muggle babies can't even hurt themselves on it."
"Mr. Potter, you will keep your opinions to yourself!" Sprout scolded him.
He smirked lazily at her and leaned back in his chair, "No."
"This is not up for debate." She said in the strictest tone anyone had ever heard her use.
James shrugged, "I say it is."
The rest of the class watched in awe. James was acting like he…wanted…to get in trouble. What was going through that boy's head was a mystery to everyone, even his closest friends. He had admitted in the past that her thought that Sprout was one of the fairest teachers so now his actions made no sense.
"I will not stand for such behavior,"
"Then maybe you should sit down." James said as if he was calmly telling Sirius they were on page fifteen.
Professor Sprout had reached her point. James had been pushing and pushing the normally calm teacher farther and farther until she hit the breaking point.
"That is it! Mr. Potter come with me. Everyone else, class is dismissed." She grabbed James's shoulder and led him through the center aisle; he winked at Elyse and Ursula.
"Have fun at the game," James mouthed to them and gave them a discreet thumbs up as he walked past them. Ursula's, Elyse's, and Ben's mouths feel open. He had probably just given himself well over a week of detention and banishment from the next Quidditch game for his friends.
Say all you want about James Potter, but you would have a hard time finding someone more loyal to their friends than he was.
Please don't forget to review. I don't want to sound needy but I feel that this should be a give-take relationship and for most readers (There are some phenomenal exceptions) are just taking and not giving. All I ask is that you take two minutes of your time to leave a review.