James Castle

Chapter 16: Hits the Fan

James was slammed the compartment door shut behind him, leaving Tonks who was serving as his bodyguard outside to keep people out. Hermione had apologized when she abandoned him upon entering the train, her Head Girl status dictating that she had to go to the meeting in the Prefect cabin. From the time that they had entered Diagon Alley until just now when he slammed the door, it had been a circus. Crowds, reporters, Aurors, all of them scrambling to get a look at Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-And-Then-Disappeared-To-Be-Raised-By-A-Killer.

Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Shack (as James took to calling him after learning the nickname from Tonks), and the polyjuiced Frank had formed a perimeter around him, pushing, threatening, sometimes hexing or hitting anyone that got in their way and tried to stop them. Hermione had to hold him back at times from joining their guards in dispersing the crowd. A woman Hermione recognized as Rita Skeeter, from during the Tri-Wizard Tournament, somehow snuck through the guards at one point and rapidly started firing questions at James before he instinctively pulled back and swung at her, treating her to the same fate that Snape and Malfoy received months ago.

After that display, they stopped by Gringott's and picked up half a dozen security Goblins that moved the crowd a bit easier. They finally reached the public Floo that took them to the station and to another crowd of onlookers. James actively took part in discouraging more reporters, students, and families from pulling him aside, until Hermione shoved him onto the train and told Tonks to take him to the last compartment and not let anyone in.

He pulled the blinds so no one outside could see in and settled himself in a seat where he had a clear shot on the door. After a couple minutes, the door cracked open and he heard Tonks yelling loudly as a familiar blonde slipped in and locked the door. "Hello, it seems that your secret is no longer a secret," Luna smiled as James ignored her and unlocked the door sticking head out to Tonks.

"It's okay, she's a friend," he assured the metamorphagus before closing the door again and sitting across from Luna. "So, how much of this could have been prevented?" he watched her carefully as she pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and started to read it, upside down.

"Knowledge regarding your birth would have come out eventually, the stars just chose the direct approach this time," she shrugged reading her paper. "Bane sends his regards, he looks forward to meeting the man who raised you to be such a warrior," she said calmly.

"Is there anything you don't know?" he rolled his eyes at the young seer.

"Not much, but I still get surprised now and then," she admitted, dropping the aloof attitude that she usually wore at Hogwarts.


"I don't care, he is my godson, and I can assure you, he is perfectly healthy," Sirius argued with several Ministry officials that tried to take James away when the train got to Hogsmeade station. He thanked Max in his own head, the set of falsified documents regarding the health and wellbeing of James was enough to make them back off. "That was fun," he growled as he got into the carriage that James, Hermione, the blonde girl from the train, and a pair of Weasleys were in.

"Have fun out there Sirius?" James smirked at the angry wizard.

"Stuff it James," Sirius frowned.

"So…is it true," Ron asked as the carriage pulled away.

"Yes, wonderful how they chose to release something that is no one's business to the whole damn world," James frowned, staring out the window.

"Do we need to call you Harry, or James…or what?" Ron asked, still confused to the whole situation.

"Harry Potter died with his parents, I'm just James," he looked at the redhead who nodded.

"As long as we win the cup, I'll call you anything short of Malfoy," Ron laughed before he and Sirius got into a long Quiddich conversation, boring the rest of the carriage out of their minds until they arrived at the castle.


"Abso-fucking-lutely not," James glared at the head table from his seat beside Hermione who was cringing.

"Language," she reminded him.

"Sorry," he whispered back.

"Language please, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore scolded him. James made a move to go to towards the head table but was stopped by Hermione who put herself between them and Ron who grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Let me go, or I swear to god Ron, I'll put you in the hospital wing so bad you'll have to repeat a year," James struggled as Neville and some other seventh years helped Ron restrain him.

"Sorry mate, but Hermione is scarier than you, most of the time," Ron grunted as he caught an elbow to the head.

"Enough James," Frank came over from his position and helped settle the boy down. After James was back into his seat, still visibly irritated with Dumbledore, Sirius walked up in front of the head table and addressed the crowd.

"Hello, in case you didn't know who I am, the names Sirius Black," he laughed when some younger students gasped. "Yeah, that one, the one that was framed for murder," he gave Dumbledore a rude gesture behind his back. "I'm assigned here as part of the security force under Kingsley Shacklebolt to help protect the lot of you, and more importantly, stop James there from putting you in the hospital wing," he grimaced at Ron's face as Ginny tried to heal it. "In regards to certain articles in certain newspapers, it's all true," he shrugged. "He may have been born with a different name, but make no mistake, that boy is James Castle," he turned and glared at Dumbledore. "He will not be making statements, he will not be examined by medi-witches, and if you know what is good for you, you will call him James," Sirius handed over several stacks of paper, files that Max had falsified, testifying to James' mental health.

"Sirius, surely Mr. Potter…" Dumbledore stopped as Ron swore, taking a shot to the jaw as James had jumped onto the Gryffindor table and had a running start to jump at the head table. His jumping form was intercepted midway as Shacklebolt tackled him to the ground.

"Calm down, I'll handle this," Shacklebolt ordered before he cautiously released the boy and pulled him to his feet. "Laying it on a bit thick, aren't you," he whispered to the boy.

"You know, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing," James winked before lunging at Dumbledore again, stopping when Shacklebolt had wrapped his arms around his legs.

"You done yet?" Shacklebolt asked as he looked up at the boy.

"I guess," James relaxed and helped Shacklebolt to his feet. "I'll say this once, and only once, I may have been born Harry Potter, but he died a long time ago, with my parents," he addressed the crowd. "If you want to talk to me, the name is James Castle," he glared at Dumbledore before turning and storming from the great hall with Tonks following him.


"Got the act down pretty well, do ya?" Tonks commented as she followed James into the Gryffindor common room.

"What can I say, the act is half the fun," James shrugged. "I figure if they all think I'm a little crazy they won't mess with me too much," he commented as he started a fire in the fireplace with his wand.

"Oh, just acting now are you?" she teased as he shook his head at her. "Don't," she glared at him immediately.

"Don't what? Nym-pha-dora," he taunted her.


"And remember what I said!" Hermione said loudly to the crowd of Gryffindors that she led into the common room. "James!" she screamed at her boyfriend, seeing the destroyed furniture and him somehow pinning Tonks to the ceiling with a spell. "Put her down now!" she glared at him.

He shrugged, and moved his wand away from Tonks, making her fall to the ground with an undignified shriek. "Thanks a lot Hermione," Tonks groaned after getting herself off the floor, checking for injuries. "That's gonna leave a mark," she grimaced as she felt over her backside.

"James!" Hermione glared at him.

"I kinda goaded him into it Hermione," Tonks blushed. "He did pretty well," she laughed as James shrugged.

"Besides, she has a wolf to kiss it and make it better," James joked before he found himself on the ceiling, courtesy of Tonks and Hermione.


"James, please, I'm begging you," Ron pulled James aside before the boy could enter the Potions classroom. "Please, please, please, don't get yourself kicked off the Quiddich team in there today," Ron begged him.

"Don't worry Ron, me and Snape can play nice, well at least for one day," James laughed, entering the Potions classroom, leaving Ron behind.

James settled into his seat next to his partner, Ernie MacMillan, the only Hufflepuff seventh year that was taking advanced potions. "Time for the circus to start then eh," James relaxed, opening his book next to the Huflepuff.

"What Justin said, still stands," his normally quiet partner replied. "We want to help him James," the Puff looked at his partner.

"Don't worry about it, if he needs help, you'll hear," James assured him, having been pressured by numerous Puffs to let them 'help' Frank. "You'll get your chance," he snorted as Snape entered the room, obviously in a bad mood.

"Well, it seems your newfound celebrity is distracting you from your studies, Mr. Castle, or would you prefer I call you Potter?" Snape glared at the boy.

"You can call me whatever you want Professor Snape, or would you prefer I call you a greasy haired son of a bitch?" James smirked at him. "See, I can play the insult game too," he laughed as Snape glared at him.

"Detention tonight, Potter," Snape stared daggers at the boy.

"Nothing doing, hook nosed bastard," James spat back, glancing down at his forearm, tracing a shape on it. "If we're gonna keep up this name calling, I have a few doozies up my sleeve Professor," he relaxed as Snape turned around and spelled the board to list the instructions for today's potion.

"Get to work, all of you," Snape growled, sitting at his desk and ignoring the students.

"You're insane," Ernie commented quietly as he and James worked on their potion.

"Just needed to take him down a notch," James commented as he pulled his wand out. "Act natural," he muttered as he waved his wand at the board from the other side of the cauldron, out of sight of Snape.

"What did you do?" Ernie asked as he looked over the changes that were made to the board. "What does that do?" he frowned as James motioned for him to keep working.

"Just follow our brilliant Professor's instructions Ernie, I'm sure he knows what he's doing," James smiled as the two of them continued working. At the end of class, the students had all bottled their samples and given them to Snape. James checked his watch and winked at Ernie as Malfoy shouted something from the back of the room.

"Professor Snape!" Draco yelled as his cauldron began to steam and glow white hot.

The students all ran away from their desks to the front of the room as all of the cauldrons started glowing and steaming like Malfoy's had. Snape rushed to the closest cauldron and attempted to stop the process, but found his wand to have no effect on the contents. "Outside, now!" he ordered the students as the room continued to fill with fumes and smoke. He slammed the door behind them, keeping the vapors inside the Potions classroom. "What did you pathetic excuses for students do!?" he screamed at them.

"We just followed the instructions on your blackboard Professor," a pale Ravenclaw shook his head.

"Go to your next classes, now," Snape glared, creating a bubblehead charm and going back into the room.

The Syltherin students went away quickly, leaving James and Ernie with a handful of Ravenclaws. "So, thermite?" Terry Boot asked James who just shrugged. "Nice touch," he laughed as he went off with the rest of his house mates.


"And then the cauldrons started glowing from being so hot, and something inside them ate through them, the tables, the floor, and part of the water pipes sending water to the Slytherin dorms!" James laughed at dinner as he heard Ernie telling his story.

"James, please tell me you didn't have anything to do with that," Hermione chewed at her salad, knowing from secondhand accounts what had happened in the Potions classroom.

"I didn't have anything to do with that," James deadpanned, before biting into his chicken. "He probably thinks I did, but no proof there was anything done, besides Snape putting up some incorrect directions on the board for us," he shrugged.

"And you being as brilliant as you are, didn't feel the need tell him the error, instead let the Potions lab, and everything twenty feet underneath it?" Hermione glared at him.

"I know not to question my Professors Hermione, maybe I figured Snape wanted some remodeling done," James laughed as he watched Dumbledore walk over to their table.

"Mr. Castle, I require your presence in my office after dinner, to discuss certain events today in the Potions lab," Dumbledore examined the boy who nodded. "Please do not be late," he added before going back to the head table to finish his own dinner.


"I do not recall asking you to bring one of your guards, Mr. Castle," Dumbledore sighed as James and Sirius entered his office where he was waiting with Snape.

"Well, you know how those students are, all wanted to get a good look at and annoy James here," Sirius laughed, mostly at the story James told him about the prank. "I figured its best that I go with him, rather than he end up putting some more students in the hospital wing," Sirius relaxed. "Besides, he is my godson, and he wanted me here for support," he snorted as James raised an eye at him.

"Fine, let us begin," Dumbledore removed his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "James, Professor Snape seems to think that you had some hand in the destruction of his Potions classroom," Dumbledore explained carefully.

"The boy added something to the cauldrons that reacted with the pepper-up potions the class was making, I will find out what it was," Snape glared at the boy.

"Severus, please," Dumbledore settled his professor. "Did you add anything to the cauldrons, or alter the ingredients in any way James?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he locked his gaze with James.

"Don't go poking around where you aren't wanted, Headmaster," James glared before breaking eye contact.

"Dumbledore, I swear to god, if you try to read his mind again," Sirius threatened, pulling his wand on the Headmaster.

"Don't even think of it Black," Snape pulled his own wand on Sirius.

"Don't move, you fucking Death Eater," James stood, pulling his own wand on Snape.

"Gentlemen please, wands down," Dumbledore tried to calm them down. "Severus, please, lower your wand," Dumbledore ordered his teacher.

Snape lowered his wand to his side, followed by Sirius and James doing the same. "Stay out of my head, or else," James glared at Dumbledore.

"My apologies, it is a bit of a habit of mine," Dumbledore apologized.

"Like hell it is, Legilmancy is a conscious process," James swore at him. "And for the record, I did nothing to the cauldrons or the ingredients, I swear on my magic," he waved his wand as the oath took effect. "The greasy moron had some bad directions on the board for the class, the process he had us use employed aluminum and iron oxide as catalysts," James glared at the teacher. "In the next to last bit of the process we added some magnesium to speed the potion's settling," James stopped, expecting one of them to get it. "Thermite reaction, never read Muggle literature?" he snorted at Snape.

"James, if you knew about the error, you should have told Professor Snape, you caused a lot of damage to the school by your inaction," Dumbledore lectured.

"He wouldn't believe me if we were outside, dripping wet, and I told him it was raining," James replied sarcastically. "He has made his dislike of me quite clear, especially after learning of my parentage," James smirked as Dumbledore glared at the professor.

"How did you know about my Mark?" Snape glared at the boy.

"Its common knowledge if you read the old newspapers from the first war," James laughed. "You're just lucky the other students don't read as much as I do, they might not respect you if they knew about your spying in the past," James stared at Snape.

"I am going to have you thrown off the Quiddich team, expelled, and make you pay for the damage to my lab!" Snape yelled at him.

"Enough Severus, we will examine your lab, noting the directions on the board, and see if this is a result of your own errors," Dumbledore frowned at the professor. "You may go now James, Sirius," Dumbledore nodded as the two left the office quickly.

"Think he bought it?" Sirius chuckled as he walked James to the Gryffindor tower.

"Dumbledore? Maybe," James mused. "The greaseball definitely knows it was me, but he can't prove it," James laughed as he walked with Sirius. "When will you have me the information I wanted?" he asked as he and Sirius clung to a set of stairs that swung around so they could go up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Goblins will have me the information Friday, then I'll double check it, so we should be good to set up surveillance and move in a few weeks," Sirius said quietly.

"Good," James smiled as he left Sirius and entered the common room.

A/N: Yup, another chapter. Think I did the science justice, if not, just pretend I did. Little hint for people as to what the Cap. America story will be like…you'll never guess it, it's coming way out of right field. The Iron Man one, you might be able to take a stab at. In regards to pairings, there is one in the Cap. one, but it will not be apparent for a while, and the Iron Man one…might give away plot, so you get no names. But no Harry/Hermione, I like to write different pairings when I can.