-CONVERSATION ON THE CHAPTER-
ME: Snivellus.
SNIVELLUS: I would greatly appreciate it if you don't call me that.
ME: I happen to not care what you 'greatly appreciate'.
*Snivellus snarls*
ME: Oh, feisty.
SNIVELLUS: Shut up.
ME: No thank you. So, I've heard you've been getting ready to have a fight with some certain Gryffindor's.
SNIVELLUS: Yes. We're preparing to fight. All you Gryffindor's are going down.
ME: I don't want to give stuff away or anything but we'll see 'bout that.
SNIVELLUS: Hmm.
ME: hmm. You're boring me. Get lost.
*Snivellus goes*
ME: Thank Merlin he's gone. The horrible-. I'll stop in case some of you are Snivellus lovers.
*Sigh*
ME: So! The moment you have been waiting for! May I present to you… wait, unless the moment you were waiting for was when James asked Lily out? Or when they're going to pull the first proper prank together or go into the forest. STOP! I'm revealing too much! ON WITH THE STORY!
17
A week had passed by.
Remus returned, agreed to fight with them and after a lot of persuading, agreed to also go into the forest and do some pranking in the future. Peter had no choice to day yes as well.
Every DADA lesson was spent going through the books and learning as much as they could.
They got lots of books out of the library and read them in the common room during every spare moment they had. They even asked some older students if they knew any good but easy to learn spells they could learn.
Each of them had different methods of how to remember the spells. To James's amusement, most of them involved food.
Peter to remember spells used a range of food. 'Apple for Avis, Bread for Bat-Bogey, Cheese for Confringo, Doughnuts for Densaugeo…' and so on. He mostly leant new spells during meal times, a large spell book in one hand.
Remus only used chocolate. Remus had a massive chocolate addiction.
He usually sat in the dorm learning from the books while eating chocolate from his secret stash that no one had found. Chocolate motivated Remus to learn.
Sirius sat down anywhere and ate and read.
Repeating the hexes and jinxes over and over again until his was sure he knew them. Sirius, so concentrated, didn't look at where he was placing his hand, what he was grabbing to eat. One day Gracie placed some Bertie Bott's there. But that's a story for another time. Though after that, Sirius looked at what he was picking up to eat before eating it.
Gracie mostly did what Sirius did. But used only sweets, whereas Sirius used a variety of foods.
She kept smacking herself with the book, as if that would help her remember. Her face was covered in bruises, before the fight had even began. She also mumbled things to herself (especially in her sleep) every now and then about 'kicking Slytherin butt', 'you're going down', 'we will win, prepare to lose' and 'Take that, losers.' That's what they heard and saw when she was around though. She was constantly disappearing, missing for ages.
James just made sure the others were learning, listening to them says things and remembering them.
Or reading the useful books they had rounded up and kept imagining hitting Snape over and over again repeatedly with spells, Snape falling to the ground, covered in boils or knocked out etc. his mind came up with many different things.
Of course they were stared at. Mostly not Remus and Peter because Remus was often seen with books and no one really noticed Peter often. James wasn't stared at as much as Gracie and Sirius though. The three of them had become 'Hogwarts celebrities', for a while anyway. James for being so bold and asking Lily out in public, Sirius and Gracie for setting of the Fireworks, which no one was bound to forget anytime some. Both of them received admiration and praise every time they stepped into a corridor, even if they were 'little' first years.
They were stared at because they were reading books.
All of the time.
Someone had to notice.
This wasn't usual for them. Gideon, Fabian and Molly Prewett were watching them closely, since Gracie had never picked up a book before school (though she hardly even picked up her school books) in her life.
Most watchful was Lily. Whenever she came in a 20 foot radius of where they were books were snapped closed and stuffed away as soon as possible.
As the days went on, she wasn't keeping an eye on them as much.
Something that got on James's nerves though was that Snape hadn't been seen anywhere except for classes. Avery and Mulciber, 2 Slytherins, (dumb and dumber, courtesy from Gracie) hadn't been spotted either. The same with Malfoy.
When Remus had gone to find a book he had heard about and found it missing, all of them, though they couldn't be sure, suspected that Snape, Avery, Mulciber and maybe some others were doing the same as them. Learning.
Gracie had lightened the mood after they found out by saying happily, 'We've got nothing to worry about, Avery and Mulciber are stupid. They're not going to learn anything. That's two down before the game has even started.'
Loud laughter had followed.
But James and he knew everyone else was thinking, 'What if Snape gets Bellatrix and Rodolphus as well? They're 7th years. They know a lot more spells. And knowing them, probably some Dark magic.'
It was a Saturday.
They were in the great hall at lunch time. Everyone else had left.
The doors flung open and they looked up.
Snape, Avery, Mulciber, Malfoy, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, a younger version of Rodolphus, a girl with blonde haired and a mini version of Bellatrix, and 2 other Slytherin boys. The unnamed looked to be all in their 4th or 5th years, but the blonde haired girl looked their own age.
All of them had their wands out and had ugly sneers on their faces.
This was it.
They stood up, sizing each other up.
5 Gryffindor first years and 10 Slytherin's.
The odds were not in their favour. (A/N: You see what I did there Hunger Games fans?)
The Slytherins hadn't moved from the doorway yet.
They exchanged quick lots.
They had to take on 2 each.
'I think we're allowed 5 minutes to properly discuss strategies,' Snape said loudly. 'No one can shot until everyone is finished talking.'
'Okay. 5 minutes.' James said, nodding.
They huddled in a circle.
'Shit.' Gracie muttered. Remus didn't either bother to tell her off.
'Right I say we split. Peter and Remus, take on Mulciber, Malfoy, Avery,' James glanced over his shoulder. 'The shorter of the two 4th or 5th years and the blonde girl.'
'Dolohov and Narcissa, Bellatrix's sister and my cousin.' Sirius added unhelpfully.
'Okay. We can do that.' Remus said, Peter nodding behind him. 4 of their opponents were first years though, which was good.
'If you manage to take them down, don't hesitate to help us.' Sirius muttered.
'Well I want Bellatrix. Take your pick. I'll have a left over as well.' Gracie whispered.
'You want Bellatrix? And a left over? Good luck.' Sirius said quietly.
'I want Snape.' James said quickly after.
'Ahh. I wanted him. I'll have the 4th or 5th year, Rabastan, Rodolphus's younger brother. And Augustus Rookwood.' Sirius said, taking his own wand out. They all did the same. A minute was left.
'How do you know everyone?' Peter asked.
'Family parties.' Sirius replied simply, his tone suggesting this was not the time.
'Looks like I get the happy couple. Here I come Trixie and Roddy.' Gracie smirked, rubbing her hand together.
They moved slightly away from each other. The Slytherins were still discussing. James was sure he saw Bellatrix point over to Gracie and then turn away.
'Did you see that?' he asked Sirius next to him.
Sirius nodded. 'She's as good as dead.'
Then it started.
Gracie sent the first spell, of course, but Bellatrix managed to block it.
They split up, Peter and Remus charging towards their assigned opponents.
James managed to get a glimpsed of them fighting near the Slytherin table.
Sirius and Gracie began duelling their pairs as well. James then realised that the Slytherins had caught them out. Most of them, (mainly him, Gracie and Sirius) had obviously wanted to get revenge and fight certain people. They should've each duelled against an opponent their own age and a stronger, older one. But it was too late now.
'Potter.' Snape stood directly in front of him.
'Snape.' He replied.
'Furnunculus!' Snape yelled. James dropped and rolled away from the spell, firing his own Babbling curse back.
Snape as well moved out the way. A spell James recognised as the colour changing charm headed his way and he was to slow, he turned bright blue.
'Is that all you can do Snape?' he asked. 'Engorgio!' he yelled. The spell hit Snape's head making it have the appearance of blowing up.
James burst out laughing at Snape while he tried to turn it back his normal size. He took this chance to look around. Peter had a nose bleed but was still fighting, Remus looked unharmed. Avery was down.
Sirius was managing, but barely to hold of Rabastan and Rookwood. James was proud Sirius had managed to land some boils of Rabastan. Sirius was mostly just ducking the spells being sent his way and sending some back every now and then.
He quickly looked back at Snape. His head remained blew up but he had stopped trying to fix it.
'Going to give up Potter?' he asked.
'No.' he said firmly, chuckling.
'You should now, before we take you all down. Surrender now and still have some dignity left to leave with.' He sneered, saying a spell that James didn't know, he ducked.
'We won't surrender. We are Gryffindor's. And correction, we will take you down. We will smash you. Confringo!' he shouted.
Snape moved and they were at it again, shooting spells left, right and centre.
James hit Snape with a hair loss charm. It was the most hilarious thing he had ever seen. Wait- did he smell smoke?
While James had been laughing, at Snape, he had shot a Jelly-legs jinx at him.
'Finite Incantatem!' he said, making his legs stop.
'Lily would never go out with you Potter,' Snape sneered at him. 'Oh, I'm James Potter the bravest person in the world for asking a girl out. And my friends brought fireworks and set them off as well. How… not special.'
'Shut it Snivellus. Jealousy will get you nowhere.'
'Impedimenta!' Snape very nearly hit him.
'Conjunctivitus!' Snape shot the spell at him.
'Petrificus Totalus!' he shot his own spell.
Both hit at the same time.
Snape was sent backwards on to the floor.
And James was left knocked back onto the floor as well.
He managed to look around, his body ached.
Remus and Peter were now just fighting Dolohov and Malfoy. Both had a few cuts and bruises, but were okay.
Sirius had managed to floor Rookwood, who lay like Snape.
He was still fighting Rabastan. Both were tiring out, that was obvious.
His vision started blurring slightly.
He saw Dolohov drop and Remus leave Peter to deal with Malfoy. Remus ran over to help Sirius he snuck up behind Rabastan and hit him with a body-bind. Peter came up behind them both; somehow he had surprisingly managed to defeat Malfoy.
He turned to Gracie, who he hadn't watched before.
The smoke had been from fire. Part of the Gryffindor table had been burned, the floor and the wall black and burnt and some smoke still hovered in the air. Gracie must've set it off as she was the only one not covered in burns, but still covered in black. Water was still on the floor from where someone must've put it out. Rodolphus was lying trapped in ropes on the floor, with a tail, ears and whiskers on him. Bellatrix had been hit with a strong bat-bogey hex. She was waving her arms around, trying to get them away. She slipped on the water on her back and fell on her back.
Gracie lazily waved her wand and turned her hair pink and dressed her as a clown. Including the makeup.
They all started cheering and jumping around.
His eye sight was getting blurrier and blurrier.
He couldn't see properly.
Conjunctivitus Curse
Description: A curse that causes great pain to the victim's eyes.
He just remembered it. Snape hit him with that spell. No wonder his eyes had gone all funny.
'I can't believe we won!'
'We did it!'
'In your face you-'
'Hey guys!' he yelled.
He heard footsteps make his way over to him.
'James! We won! We-'
'Can you believe it?'
'Guys, its great and everything but-'
'WHAT ON EARTH HAD HAPPENED HERE?'
McGonagall.
No one replied.
'ANOTHER FIGHT? THAT'S IT! I'M SENDING FOR DUMBLEDORE! NO ONE DARE MOVE! I KNOW WHO YOU ALL ARE!' McGonagall stomped loudly out of the hall.
No one moved or spoke.
McGonagall returned with he could only guess with Dumbledore.
'What on earth happened here?' Dumbledore asked. James could just imagine him looking around disappointedly.
'A fight, Professor. 15 students involved from both Gryffindor and Slytherin.' McGonagall answered.
'Such a shame. I suggest we call for Madam Pomfrey and take everyone to the hospital wing. There we will sort out injuries, ask for the story and deal out punishments. Professor Slughorn must also be informed.' Dumbledore said, loudly.
It sounded like everyone was getting up.
'Sirius help.' He muttered.
Sirius reached down and helped him up.
'Why? Are you hurt?' Sirius asked.
James shook his head tiredly. 'No, just guide me.'
It took them about 10 minutes to get to the hospital wing, Sirius helping James there.
When they arrived, Sirius helped James onto one of the beds.
'What happened?' it seemed Madam Pomfrey had decided to fix him up first.
'I was hit with the Conjunctivitus Curse.' He replied quietly.
'Oh dear. Where did it hit you? What's your vision like?' she asked hurriedly.
'It's all blurry. I think he hit me in the chest.' He said, worriedly. What was going on?
Pomfrey sighed. 'If you're lucky you won't be blind. But your sight will be terrible, blurry. You'll probably end up needing glasses.'
'Alright. My dad has glasses. I think they'll suit me.' James said, smiling cheekily.
'Oh dear. How am I meant to deal with you for a few days? And your friends will be either in here, or dropping in here every day.'