James Potter
I untangle myself from Lizzie and start heading towards the common room, where I'm supposed to meet Evans for rounds this evening. The challenge is that I have to ask her if I can leave an hour early to help Moony, it's full moon. I think about Lizzie's expression when I told her I wouldn't be there all night. I can tell she's suspicious, but I can make up for it tomorrow by giving her a present, maybe that hair potion she loves… I sigh, being a full-time boyfriend is a lot of work, even though it's worth it. Before, I didn't have any connection with the girls I snogged, now I know Elizabeth Fawley more than any other girl here. Actually, I might be wrong. I used to be obsessed with finding things about Evans, like her middle name, her favorite color and food, her family and so many other things. I think I must've stolen her diary at one point (though it didn't work, she had put a Biting Spell on it, I almost got my hand bitten off). I'm not even counting the year where I spied on her through her window, though she caught me at some point and started throwing furniture at me. I swear I've still got the scar under my chin. When people ask me, I say it's a Quidditch accident. But that was obsessive, I didn't really know her. I know Lizzie's problems, hopes and ambitions better than anybody else. I'm so deep in my thoughts that I don't notice Hestia Jones, Marlene Mckinnon and Alice Prewett walking down the hall, laughing at some joke Hestia told, and promptly bump into Hestia, making her books go flying.
"Sorry Jones, here are your books." I say, picking them up
"Thanks." she says grudgingly, I can tell she also thinks I was the one who wrote the messages in Evans's room. I roll my eyes, doesn't this get old? Evans and her group of friends are becoming more annoying by the day. The only exception might be Mckinnon, and that's only because she plays Quidditch well. I unconsciously rumple up my hair in nervousness as I enter the common room. Working with Evans won't be easy, especially after our fight in the library two days ago. I just had to tell her, it was bursting out of me. I guess I hadn't been very pleasant about it, but it just had to come out. I look around the mostly empty common room, trying to find Evans. I find a group of 2nd years playing Gobstones, two 4th years playing Wizarding Chess, a few 5th and 6th years talking next to the fire, some couple snogging and a girl with short hair reading a book one of the couches. I sigh in exasperation, if Evans was so keen on me arriving on time, why was she late? She better not stand me up! Why was she making me wait? I sigh in frustration and I hear the short-haired girl behind me sigh too. I turn my head and realize that from afar, she looks pretty cute. Why haven't I seen her before? I interrupt my thoughts seconds later, telling myself I have an amazing girlfriend. Well I'm allowed to notice other girls! The girl rises up from the couch and turns to face me, rolling her unforgettable green eyes. I stop at my tracks and gape, this girl is Evans? But what has she done to her hair? It's now short, it makes her look more adult. She had been in the room the entire time!
"You're late Potter, rounds should have started twenty minutes ago." she says in annoyance
"Uh… you cut your hair." is all I manage to mumble
"Yeah, I noticed! Come on, let's go." she says rolling her eyes
I sigh, this is going to be a long hour and a half.
"I wasn't late, I just didn't recognize you." I attempt to explain as we head down the hall
"Am I that different?" she laughs incredulously, making sigh in relief, if she's in a good mood, it might make the rounds bearable.
"Yeah, I thinking to myself: why have I not seen this girl before and why does she look so-" I interrupt myself, sensing danger. We both walk in an awkward silence, determined not to look at each other. Evans is the first to break it:
"I actually did it myself, but Mary had to fix it for me."
"Was it really that bad when you cut it yourself?" I make an attempt at keeping the conversation going
"Ask Mary, she was horrified." Evans smirks
We run into a pair of giggling Hufflepuffs in our year. They look up, grimacing at us at first but then smiling flirtatiously at me. I give them my irresistible smile and they swoon, giggling even more.
"Good evening ladies." I say huskily
"Hi James!" one of them says breathlessly
"That'll be five points each from Hufflepuff, you girls are in the halls after curfew." Evans says bossily, sending the disappointed girls away. As soon as they disappear, she starts whacking me on the chest with her bag.
"What did I do?" I ask desperately, trying to dodge the weapon
"You! Have! A girlfriend!" she snarls, finally stopping
"But I haven't done anything!" I say, grateful she stopped hitting me
"Sure, you totally weren't flirting with those stupid girls two minutes ago." she says sarcastically, glaring at me.
"I wasn't!" I defend myself. Just because I said hi doesn't mean I'm cheating on Lizzie!
She rolls her eyes and I let it drop, frustrated. We walk in silence for a bit before encountering that greasy git, Snivellus.
"Hey Sev, how're you doing?" Evans asks pleasantly, making my blood boil. Sure, it's a sin to talk to two girls but it's fine to talk to that Dark Arts loving git!
"Fine, and you?" he says, eyeing me reproachfully. I snap.
"That'll be ten points from Slytherin, you're supposed to be in your common room or your dormitory." I say, annoyed
It looks like he's returning from a walk, he still has his ugly cloak on.
Evans groans and say:
"It's okay, he was just getting his common room."
"Don't about it, it's just his way of trying to prove he's better than the others. I'll see you around, Lily." he says, walking away
"Did you seriously have to do that?" she asks me, exasperated.
"Yes." I say, still angry about what that git said.
"Whatever, let's keep walking." she says rolling her eyes.
We walk in silence for a bit, both annoyed at each other.
"So, uh… did you finish the Potions essay?" I ask, cringing the lack of conversation
"Seriously? The Potions essay?" she scoffed, raising her eyebrows
"Well what else are we supposed to talk about?" I defended
"So many other things! In fact, I want to talk about-"
But what Evans wanted to talk about, I never knew for we hear a door burst open and Minerva Mcgonagall storm out, gaping as she saw Lily and I.
"What are you two doing here? Off to bed before I give you detentions!" she says angrily, flustered.
"Um, Mrs Mcgonagall? We're supposed to be here, I'm Head Girl and he's Head Boy." Evans says tentatively, gesturing towards me.
"Oh, right. Well why are you two lurking about, you have rounds to finish!" says the even more flustered Transfiguration professor. With that, she storms off, leaving Evans and I alone again.
"Why do you think she was so angry?" I ask, confused.
"No idea, maybe we should take a look at what's in there." Evans suggested, pointing to the door Mrs. Mcgonagall had stormed out of. My jaw dropped, Evans, perfect Prefect and Head Girl wanted to explore? This day couldn't get any more confusing.
"I'm not as uptight as you think I am." she says, rolling her eyes as she slowly pushed the door open. I followed her, trying to think of what had made the Deputy Headmistress so worried and angry. She creeps in, and frowns as I come in too. We've just come in her office!
"That's weird…" Evans thinks aloud
"What weird?" I ask absentmindedly, examining her roomy office. An enormous fancy desk sits in the middle of the room, covered in different papers. A few portraits are on the walls, this makes me start but then I realise they're all asleep. Banners with the Gryffindor colors hang on each corner of the room. In a display case sits the majestic House Cup, making me smile in pride. I've been on the Quidditch team since 2nd year and I've always played chaser. This year, I'm captain, so I'll make sure we'll win! I've got this really good chaser, Charlie Weasley, but he's only just started 2nd year. I walk past something warm and jump but it's just the fire in the fireplace, crackling merrily. Evans's answer distracts me, I turn around to see her observing the papers.
"Mrs. Mcgonagall is the most organised person I know, why is her desk so messy? She asks as I roll my eyes, not everyone can be as clean as Ms. Perfect.
"Just because you have nothing else to than to organize your belongings doesn't mean everyone does. Some people have a life." I snap
She turns around, not saying anything. For a minute I think that she found something but then she whirls around.
"I know you're a slob, but most people aren't!" she shoots back
I narrow my eyes, what does she know about my life? My dormitory could be the cleanest place on earth, why does keep inventing things about me, trying to make me a horrible person? Anger bubbles up in my stomach and I breathe in deeply.
"Let's hear little Miss Perfect with her hideous new haircut go on her tedious rant about how I'm the worst person on earth." I snarl
I smile triumphantly as her jaw drops. For a while she doesn't say anything, apparently in deep thought.
"Merlin, Potter, I knew you were bad, but not this bad. You're practically the new Bellatrix." she says coldly before making her way out. Fury and hatred erupts in my mind, pounding in me as I watch her push open the door. I'm not proud of what I did next. As in really ashamed. But all I could think of was how she had compared me to Bellatrix, one of the people I despised the most. She tortures muggle-borns and worships the You-Know-Who! Without thinking, I raised my wand, and shouted: "Densaugeo!" and out of it blasted a white light, blinding me. As it faded, I opened my eyes in shock and fear to see Evans howl in rage, clutching her growing teeth, almost become the size of a beaver.. My eyes widened as I realized what I had just done, I had hexed Evans! I hadn't done that in years!
"Shit. Uh, wait, there's a counterspell, right. Ugh, what is it?" I say frantically. She takes one last look at me with her teeth still growing and raises her wand swiftly. Before I can react, she casts a non-verbal spell, her eyes glinting in hatred her teeth still growing, now reaching the level of her waist. Suddenly boils appear on my arms, legs, face, some oozing a yellow substance I'm instantly scared of. I touch my face and cry out, I'm hideous and I don't even know the counterspell! I look to Evans in outrage, this was so much worse than growing teeth! For a moment she looks at me in content, her teeth reaching the floor, and dashes off, muttering:
"Good night Potter."
Meanwhile, even more boils are popping and becoming an horrid black. I pull on my Invisibility Cloak, nobody can see me like this. I have two options: go to the Hospital Wing and face awkward questions or try to look up the counterspell. I glance at the watch I got when I turned seventeen and my stomach does a flip, I'm supposed to meet Padfoot and Wormtail in front of the common room in fifteen minutes! What am I going to do? I'm starting to hyperventilate when I see a figure walking through the hall. I stand still, whoever they are, they won't be able to see me.
"Who's there?" a voice I recognized says quietly
My jaw drops, this voice definitely belongs to Emmeline Vance, a family friend who left Hogwarts a year ago! She's like my sister. I think she's training to become an auror. The last time I saw was when she came over this summer with her parents. But why is she at Hogwarts? I whip off my cloak, making her cry out in fright.
"James? What are you doing here and what happened to you?" she says, laughing at the sight of my boils.
"Girl troubles." I mutter, making her laugh even more.
"Oh, James… I thought you had a girlfriend now?" she asks, smiling
"Does Mum share my private life to everyone?" I groan.
"Oh, everybody knows, I think your Mum even told Millicent Bagnold when she came over for tea." she says smirking
"Merlin, even the Minister for Magic knows." I say rolling my eyes.
"Anyway, why are you here?" I ask, eager for a change of subject.
Emmeline's eyes darken and she looks uncomfortable.
"Well, if you really want to know… I'm here to find clues on Rodolphus Lestrange, about who he recruited while he was here. Mad-Eye sent me" she confides
I gape, why does she get to have such exciting undercover missions already. I'm definitely becoming an auror when I grow up.
"I know some people that are really interested in the Dark Arts. There's Bellatrix Black, Mulciber, Nott and Snape. Especially Snape." I tell her, eager to help
"Thanks James, but I need proof." she smiles and starts going away when I remember the boils on my body.
"Wait! Emmeline, can you take these boils off?" I ask desperately
"Sure." she laughs and raises her wand, muttering a spell I don't recognize. Instantly, all the boils disappear, leaving me triumphant as I appreciate having smooth skin gain.
"Thanks so much!" I tell her affectionately, as I hug her. I wave as she disappears into the darkness, leaving me alone. I walk back to my common room happily, and am almost there when a hand grabs my back. I whip around, getting my wand out of my robes before realizing the hand is Lizzie's. I sigh in relief.
"So, James, did you have fun with that girl, Emmeline?" she sneers, her eyes piercing me. I roll my eyes, I need a break!
"Don't worry Lizzie, she's like my sister." I say in what was meant to be a reassuring voice but instead came out as a croak. She narrows her eyes.
"Apparently you've been having girl troubles lately. Is it me, or some other girl?" she hisses, making me have goosebumps. Girls are terrifying…
"Seriously, Lizzie, you know I love you. There's no other girl in my life." I say, taking her in my arms.
"Really? You guys looked a bit too friendly over there…" she worries
"Don't worry, I would never look at another girl than you." I say as I kiss her.
"Really. Because you had a good time checking out Shelby Brown this afternoon." she snaps. My insides freeze. Sure, I had taken a walk with Shelby, but only as friends. What was she talking about?
"So is that what you do, spy on me day and night?" I say, irritated
"I was just worried, I love you so much." she says, kissing me again. I want to talk about this more, but it can wait, besides, I've got to join Padfoot and Wormtail. I try to slither out of her arms but she pulls me back.
"I know you wanted to hang out with the guys, but Remus is visiting his Grandmother again. Stay here, with me." she says softly. I clench my teeth together. Obviously, if I go, I'll upset Lizzie, but if I stay, I won't be able to help Moony, who really needs me. The moment I think about him going through his painful transformation once a month, I can see which choice I have to make.
"Sorry Lizzie, but the guys need me." I say, breaking out of her arms.
"I need you too. If you love me, stay with me." she gasps through her tears as she looks at me. I back away, leaving a crying, desperate girlfriend who's convinced I'm cheating is never a good idea. If I leave, she'll be devastated. Moony needs me though… I grind my teeth together, why couldn't this have happened on any other night of the year? Finally, I see a solution.
"Alright, I'll stay with you for thirty more minutes but then I really have to go." I say nervously. Lizzie looks slightly mollified, but still a bit angry. I'm going to have to buy her a lot of presents to make up for this. She kisses me, and I wrap her in my sturdy arms once more.
"I need to go now, it's been thirty minutes." I say, getting up. Lizzie looks disappointed but doesn't say anything. I run to the common room, where I see Padfoot and Wormtail waiting for me outside the sleeping Fat Lady, arms crossed.
"Why are so late?" Wormtail asks, pulling on the invisibility cloak.
"I tell you later." I mutter.
"Dude, you're a mess. Your hair's even more messy than normal, you got lipstick smears on your cheeks and a boil on your arm. I curse, trying to wipe off the lipstick and replicate Emmeline's spell to get rid of the boil. Thankfully, it works.
"Did rounds with Evans go a bit too well?" Sirius smirks as I groan.
"No, I ran into Lizzie." I say.
"Where's Evans anyway?" Peter asks, looking around. I choose not to answer. Together, we creep out of the castle and in the grounds, towards the Whomping Willow. As I transform into a stag, I can feel all my problems melting way like snow.