James Potter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alotofgood) wrote2011-02-19 11:05 pm
alotofgood) wrote2011-02-19 11:05 pm
Entry tags:
017. 10 june 1976.
June 10, 1976 — mid-morning
Hogwarts, Scotland
The Lake
{ note: Most of the text/dialogue here has been taken from canon. }
The weather is brilliant, the sun is hot, and there happens to be more students outside than in — unless you happen to be one of the unfortunate ones taking an exam.
The Marauders emerge from the Great Hall, having just taken their Defence Against the Dark Arts theoretical exam. James and Sirius don't even bother to hide the fact that they're expecting O's; Remus feels confident enough to admit that he, too, is expecting a high grade. Peter is the only one who looks like he's about to faint when Sirius asks him what he'd put down for the 'werewolf question'.
They stop at the beech tree by the lakeside, throwing themselves down on the grass. Sirius starts to pluck bits of grass from the ground while James pulls out a small, golden ball from his pocket.
"Where'd you get that?" asks Sirius.
"Nicked it," James says, nonchalant.
He eyes him. "Right."
"Well, make sure March doesn't see you with it," says Remus, opening his book.
"I think me having the Snitch for a bit is honestly the least of anyone's worries," says James as he allows the Snitch to fly off to a certain point before expertly grabbing it at the last second.
"Put it away, will you," says Sirius. "You're making the rest of us look bad."
"If it bothers you," James says with a laugh, but he obliges.
Leaning back, Sirius lets out a sigh. "I'm bored."
"We've still got Transfiguration," says Remus. "If you're bored you could test me. Here ..." He holds out his textbook.
Sirius snorts. "I don't need to look at that rubbish," he says. "I know it all."
"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," says James quietly. "Look who it is ..."
Sirius turns his head. He goes very still as Remus puts his book down. James notes that he looks suddenly very much like the dog he can transform into, one that has just smelled his prey.
(Albeit terribly greasy prey.)
"Excellent," Sirius says, just as softly. "Snivellus."
Snape is on his feet, working to stow his OWL paper in his bag. He looks to be preoccupied enough, leaving the bushes to set off across the lawn.
Both Sirius and James stand up.
Remus and Peter remain sitting where they are. James is only vaguely aware that he is studying his text closely, though his eyes are not moving and a faint frown line has appeared between his eyebrows. Peter looks eagerly from Sirius and James to Snape as though he can sense that something really rather epic is about to happen.
(Well, he's right, isn't he.)
"All right, Snivellus?" says James loudly.
Snape whirls around, as though expecting them. James wouldn't really be surprised, after last week. He looks downright snappy, as though he and Sirius were a set of racing brooms set out to chase him about the lakeside. Snape's hand goes for the inside of his robes, his wand halfway into the air.
James, his own wand out just as quickly, shouts, "Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand soars up into the air and falls with a soft thud into the grass behind him.
Sirius lets out a bark of laughter. "Impedimenta!" he shouts, pointing his wand at Snape, who proceeds to collapse rather pathetically, halfway through a dive for his own fallen wand.
Any of the surrounding students in the area turn to watch. Some of them have actually gotten to their feet to witness the scene a little closer. Some look apprehensive; others look like they're ready for quite a show.
Snape lies panting where he is, with his face planted to the grass. James and Sirius advance on him, wands still raised. James spares a glance over his shoulder at the girls by the water's edge as he goes. Peter is on his feet too, starting forward as though he, too, would like to get a better look at the events currently unfolding.
"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" says James.
"I was watching him," says Sirius, "his nose travelling across the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it — they won't be able to read a word."
Several students watching start to laugh, Peter among them.
Snape tries to get up, struggling against the effects of the impediment jinx, his eyes full of bitter hatred. He glares up at them through the thickness of his greasy hair.
"You — wait," he sneers, staring up at James with those dark eyes the same way he had when he'd punched Regulus Black. "you — wait!"
"Wait for what, exactly?" says Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"
Snape lets out a scream — it's a mixture of hexes and curse-words that'd make his mother send him a Howler — but with his wand ten feet away nothing happens.
"Wash out your mouth," says James coldly. "Scourgify!"
Pink soap bubbles stream from Snape's mouth at once. The froth covers his lips, making him gag, choking him —
Hogwarts, Scotland
The Lake
{ note: Most of the text/dialogue here has been taken from canon. }
The weather is brilliant, the sun is hot, and there happens to be more students outside than in — unless you happen to be one of the unfortunate ones taking an exam.
The Marauders emerge from the Great Hall, having just taken their Defence Against the Dark Arts theoretical exam. James and Sirius don't even bother to hide the fact that they're expecting O's; Remus feels confident enough to admit that he, too, is expecting a high grade. Peter is the only one who looks like he's about to faint when Sirius asks him what he'd put down for the 'werewolf question'.
They stop at the beech tree by the lakeside, throwing themselves down on the grass. Sirius starts to pluck bits of grass from the ground while James pulls out a small, golden ball from his pocket.
"Where'd you get that?" asks Sirius.
"Nicked it," James says, nonchalant.
He eyes him. "Right."
"Well, make sure March doesn't see you with it," says Remus, opening his book.
"I think me having the Snitch for a bit is honestly the least of anyone's worries," says James as he allows the Snitch to fly off to a certain point before expertly grabbing it at the last second.
"Put it away, will you," says Sirius. "You're making the rest of us look bad."
"If it bothers you," James says with a laugh, but he obliges.
Leaning back, Sirius lets out a sigh. "I'm bored."
"We've still got Transfiguration," says Remus. "If you're bored you could test me. Here ..." He holds out his textbook.
Sirius snorts. "I don't need to look at that rubbish," he says. "I know it all."
"This'll liven you up, Padfoot," says James quietly. "Look who it is ..."
Sirius turns his head. He goes very still as Remus puts his book down. James notes that he looks suddenly very much like the dog he can transform into, one that has just smelled his prey.
(Albeit terribly greasy prey.)
"Excellent," Sirius says, just as softly. "Snivellus."
Snape is on his feet, working to stow his OWL paper in his bag. He looks to be preoccupied enough, leaving the bushes to set off across the lawn.
Both Sirius and James stand up.
Remus and Peter remain sitting where they are. James is only vaguely aware that he is studying his text closely, though his eyes are not moving and a faint frown line has appeared between his eyebrows. Peter looks eagerly from Sirius and James to Snape as though he can sense that something really rather epic is about to happen.
(Well, he's right, isn't he.)
"All right, Snivellus?" says James loudly.
Snape whirls around, as though expecting them. James wouldn't really be surprised, after last week. He looks downright snappy, as though he and Sirius were a set of racing brooms set out to chase him about the lakeside. Snape's hand goes for the inside of his robes, his wand halfway into the air.
James, his own wand out just as quickly, shouts, "Expelliarmus!"
Snape's wand soars up into the air and falls with a soft thud into the grass behind him.
Sirius lets out a bark of laughter. "Impedimenta!" he shouts, pointing his wand at Snape, who proceeds to collapse rather pathetically, halfway through a dive for his own fallen wand.
Any of the surrounding students in the area turn to watch. Some of them have actually gotten to their feet to witness the scene a little closer. Some look apprehensive; others look like they're ready for quite a show.
Snape lies panting where he is, with his face planted to the grass. James and Sirius advance on him, wands still raised. James spares a glance over his shoulder at the girls by the water's edge as he goes. Peter is on his feet too, starting forward as though he, too, would like to get a better look at the events currently unfolding.
"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" says James.
"I was watching him," says Sirius, "his nose travelling across the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it — they won't be able to read a word."
Several students watching start to laugh, Peter among them.
Snape tries to get up, struggling against the effects of the impediment jinx, his eyes full of bitter hatred. He glares up at them through the thickness of his greasy hair.
"You — wait," he sneers, staring up at James with those dark eyes the same way he had when he'd punched Regulus Black. "you — wait!"
"Wait for what, exactly?" says Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"
Snape lets out a scream — it's a mixture of hexes and curse-words that'd make his mother send him a Howler — but with his wand ten feet away nothing happens.
"Wash out your mouth," says James coldly. "Scourgify!"
Pink soap bubbles stream from Snape's mouth at once. The froth covers his lips, making him gag, choking him —
no subject
Lily has been trying to ignore this latest outbreak of immaturity, but Potter and Black tend to like to do things in ways that are too big to ignore.
(It would be nice if for once Remus Lupin would actually do his damn prefect job, but that's clearly never going to happen.)
Lily leaves her friends, and her shoes, by the lakeside, and comes over to the group of boys by the tree, wearing the most prefecty of all her prefect expressions.
no subject
Ah.
And she's got that prefect-y look on her face.
Brilliant.
"All right, Evans?" he says by way of greeting, aiming for cheerful nonchalance.
He runs his free hand through his hair.
no subject
"Leave him alone," she says, again.
"What's he done to you?"
Because, really, from what she can tell, Severus was minding his own business when all this started.
no subject
She's really choosing to ask him that question? After everything?
All right, then.
"Well," James says slowly, looking thoughtful, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean ..."
Sirius snorts a laugh.
And to James' delight — because if Evans is going to pretend like Snivellus has been completely blameless in all of this, he's going to bloody enjoy the audience's reaction — so do several other surrounding students.
no subject
Because the critical part there is to you.
Last time she checked, no one had appointed James Potter Champion of Hogwarts, Righter of Perceived Wrongs.
And Severus didn't start this, not today.
She waits until the laughter has started to fade.
"You think you're funny," she says, and her voice is not so much cold as frozen, and it carries. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter.
"Leave. Him. Alone."
no subject
"I will if you go out with me, Evans," he says.
In his tone is the usual touch of theatricality, and more of the James Potter that lives up to being an 'arrogant, bullying toerag'.
"Go on — go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again."
no subject
("Can I help?")
Because that ... that is just about the worst thing Potter could have said in this moment.
("How? Tell Potter you'll go out with him if he leaves me alone or something?")
She doesn't -- can't -- look at Severus, just keeps her eyes narrowed and on Potter.
"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid."
no subject
He doesn't like the look on Evans' face, and he doesn't like that he's turned his obvious affection for her into a joke, like he used to when he didn't mean it.
(When he didn't know better.)
"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius says beside him, before he glances back to Snape.
"— Oy!"
But Sirius' warning comes too late.
Before either of them can react, James notes a flash of bright light, and then there's a searing sting on his cheek. He is aware that his robes are splattered with blood.
Wand raised, he whirls on Snape and shouts, "Levicorpus!"
Suddenly, there he is — Snivellus hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal a set of godawfully unattractive skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.
no subject
And for one wild second, Lily wants to smile.
Blame strain, blame something like hysteria, blame the fact that a part of her would love to see this scene as ridiculous and entertaining, because the alternative hurts.
But for a split second, Lily's expression twitches, just twitches, like she might actually smile.
And then she remembers Elinor Perks, and she looks at Potter and Black and Pettigrew, laughing their stupid heads off, and oh, but it's easy to stay furious.
Lily's hand closes around the wand in her pocket.
"Let him down."
no subject
He jerks his wand upwards and watches with a certain amount of satisfaction as Snape collapses into a crumpled heap on the ground.
Disentangling himself from his robes, Snape shifts to get back to his feet as quickly as possible, obviously with some other ill wish in mind.
It is Sirius who shouts, "Petrificus Totalus!" before he can get any further ideas. Like a greasy, wooden plank, Snape goes rigid and falls right over again.
no subject
"Leave him alone!" Lily says again, voice rising.
She has her wand out of her pocket now, and aimed at Potter and Black, perfectly steady.
no subject
Then he wipes at his cheek with the sleeve of his free hand.
"Ah, Evans," he says, "don't make me hex you."
(Not that he thinks he actually would.)
no subject
"Take the curse off him, then!"
no subject
Then he turns to Snape and mutters the counter-curse.
Immediately, Snape goes slack, his limbs looking less like wood and more like ... well, limbs.
"There you go," James says, just as Snape manages to get to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —"
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape snarls, interrupting him.
no subject
For one second, it feels like the world has stopped spinning on its axis, like up is down and black is white.
("You're not a ... I don't see you like that.")
And then her chin comes up.
"Fine. I won't bother in the future," she says coolly, perfectly composed, as if her oldest friend has not just called her a Mudblood in front of most of their year.
She has no idea how she's managing that, and she doubts she'll be able to manage it for long.
"And I'd wash your pants if I were you.
"Snivellus."
no subject
He isn't sure whether he's surprised or not that Snape actually said that to Evans.
Some best mate he turned out to be.
Really.
no subject
"I don't want you to make him apologize," she says, suddenly furious again.
"You're as bad as he is."
no subject
James looks at her, absolutely incredulous.
"I'd never call you a — you-know-what!"
no subject
Lily looks at him for a second.
"You make me sick."
And without waiting for him to answer -- without giving either of them a chance to answer -- Lily turns on her heel and leaves, heading back to the castle as quickly as her still bare feet will take her.
Because if she stays another second, she will burst into tears.
And there's no way in hell she's giving anyone that satisfaction today.
no subject
Sod Snape.
Sod the rest of the students, watching after them with a new sort of interest.
"Hey, Evans!"
When she doesn't look back, James feigns to act as though none of it bothers him.
This is ridiculous. And stupid. And an absolute, bloody, fucking disaster.
"What is it with her, anyway?"
Sirius shrugs. "Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate."
Right.
Fine, then.
"Right," he says, looking just as furious as he suddenly feels. "Right —"
He waves his wand back at Snape so he's hanging in the air once again.
"So, who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"