James Potter and the Slytherin Legacy (Maurader Year 1)

[highsorcerer]

This is Part One of Year One of the Maurader Generation. A young wizard (James Potter) is send to the Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, his talent for magic is mirrored by a former Hogwart's student rise in the dark arts of magic.

James Potter hardly looked back as the Hogwart's Express left the platform of 9 3/4s. For as long as he could remember, he'd looked forward to this day - the one where he'd be off to study witchcraft and wizardry at Hogwarts. The day was finally here, and packed with his new robes, school supplies, wand (Oak, Dragon Heartstring Core, 12 inches, inflexible), and Lud, his brown screech owl (a present from his parents upon his acceptance at Hogwarts), he felt prepared to face anything Hogwarts had to offer.

"What do you think they'll teach us first?" asked the short, chubby boy sitting across from him. The boy's name was Peter Pettigrew, and James had known his as long as he could recall. Both their parents lived in Godric's Hollow, and in such a small town, the sons of two wizards could hardly help but run in their small circle.

"I don't know," replied James. "However, before we learn anything, we get sorted into houses." This much he knew from his parents. They were a bit enigmic about Hogwarts and it's methods of teaching, but he knew about the four houses. "I'm more worried about getting into Gryffindor. Most of my family on both sides have been in it for generations. Of course, I could outsmart myself and get into Ravenclaw." Ravenclaw was known for students who prized intelligence above all else.

"Really?" came a strange voice. "Are you really that full of yourself? Scourgify!" Immediately James' mouth filled with soap and bubbles. James spit them out, and looked at the figure who had hexed him. It was a small, greasy-haired boy with black hair, no older than James. "Expellerarmis," shouted James, and the boy's wand flew from his hands and landed on the floor. "Petrificus Totalus," he cried, and the locked into a frozen position, then fell over. James tossed his wand into the corridor. Peter looked amazed. "When did you learn to do that?" he asked.

"Standard Book of Spells..." James started to reply, but then was cut off. "Chapter 32," completed another boy James had never seen before. The boy was good looking, with dark hair, and smile on his face. "Thanks for taking care of Snivilous for me," he continued.

"Is that his name?" asked James.

"Well, it's actually Severus Snape," replied the boy, "but I've always referred to him in my mind as Snivilous. My family has known his for ages. I'm Sirius Black." The boy offered his hand to shake.

"James Potter. Over there is Peter Pettigrew," James nodded to the boy.

"Mind if I sit here. Most places are full, except for that booth with Snivilious, and frankly, I'd rather share a compartment with a werewolf," Sirius said.

"Not at all," replied James. He was mostly watching the boy (who Sirius had called "Snivilous", who was really Severus Snape) slowly fight off the spell. James didn't know how long it would last, and thought the knowledge might come in handy someday. Snape slowly fought it off, and with a nasty look at the three boys in the compartment, headed off.

"James and I were discussing what houses we might be placed in," said Peter. "James was hoping for Gryffindor."

Sirius sighed. "No doubt, I'll be put in Slytherin. All of my family, for generations, have been put there." He sighed, then continued, "Slytherin House valued pure-blood, and there isn't any blood purer than Black. A cousin of mine married a squib, and they disowned him. Another cousin married a muggle, and she became a non-person. Burned off the family tapestry as if she never existed. I guess that's why my parents insisted on associating with people like the Malfoy's or the Snapes - old pure blooded families."

There was a moment of silence as the other two digested the information.

It was Peter Pettigrew that broke the silence. "Well, I've heard there are ways to kind of... manipulate the sorting..." He gave a long pause. "I kind of snuck into Knockturn Alley, and I came across this shop and wizard. He dropped his voice low "He said he could guarantee a particular sorting. All it took was a sip of a potion. It cost my whole allowance, but this stuff," he showed them a bright red and gold glowing liquid in a test tube "said it would put me into Gryffindor." He looked at the two others for signs of approval, then plunged into the next part "Bravery potion. Gives courage unmatched to the drinker. It was once crafted by Merlin for use of the Knights of the Round Table," his voice drifted off as he noted the expressions of disbelief in his compartment companions. "Well, it probably wuuldn't work, but don't you suppose it might?"

<to be continued ... if there is a demand for it>

HighSorcerer

[choki]

Erm...this should be in the HP fanfic section isn't it?
Probably you will get more readers there because this section here is less frequent by the majority.

Great Story by the way.
And if you would like me to move this thread, I'll be glad to do so.

[highsorcerer]

my error (it's after midnight in Las Vegas, NV) move it.

[highsorcerer]

James Potter was wet. Then again, so were all of his fellow year one students. A giant man named Hagrid had called them out, telling them to board boats while the other students had boarded horseless carriages. Both led (via road or lake) to a magnificent castle alighted with lights. It seemed to be out of legend, such as Camelot of Arthur.

James boarded a boat with Peter, Sirius, and a reclusive boy named Remus. Remus held the latern high while the boats paddled their way toward the castle. It might have been a fun experience but for the weather. Thunder and lightnight were striking, and the rain soaked him to the skin as their journey continued. Looking around, James saw many other boats; nobody was faring better than him, including that greasy-haired boy who was sharing a boat with several other unpleasant looking individuals.

Soaked to the skin, James Potter got into a line behind a stern looking witch. "I am Professor McGonagall," she declared. "Before the arrival feast, you will all be sorted into your houses." There was a great deal of murmering among the first years. "During your time at Hogwarts, your house will be like a family to you," she said. There was more, but James tuned most of it out as he looked among his fellow first years.

The first years were led through a hall to a great doorway, which led to an even greater hall. Four long tables ran most of the length of the room, while an elevated section held more tables, which seated adult wizards. James immediately recognized the long tables were house tables, while the others belong to the staff.

Professor McGonagall continued to instruct the students. "When your name is called, move forward, sit on the stool, and put the sorting hat upon your head. It will decide upon your house. Your house will be like a family to you. All have produced outstanding witches and wizards, and all will compete for the house cup, a great honor. Triumphs you win will earn you points, and rule-breaking will lose you points."

Privately, James wondered what the fun would be in winning a cup - without visible reward - would be compared to the fun of rule-breaking. The Quidditch Cup - awarded to the best house Quidditch Team - was a different matter. James knew Quidditch, and not only was determined to make the house team, but to win the cup for them as soon as possible.

"Achmed, Diana" was the first to be called, and was sorted into Slytherin. Next came "Ali, Ackmed", who went into Ravenclaw. James didn't pay much attention until "Black, Sirius" was called. The boy went forward, sat on the stool, and put the hat over his head. James later swore he could have been mistaken, but it seemed almost 10 minutes went by with Sirius having looks of horror, desperation, and determination on his face before the hat cried "Gryffindor". Sirius hurriedly cast off the hat and went to a table with a mixture of triumph and relief on his face. It was almost as if the boy had won a mighty battle.

The boy James didn't know but who had joined them on their boat (Lupin, Remus) was also sorted into Gryffindor, and before he knew it, his own name was called "Potter, James". Very carefully, he approached the stool, and felt the hat put over his head.

"Hmmm.. So tell me James, what are you? A pure blood wizard of noble lines, or a man unafraid of challenges?" It was almost as if the hat was mocking him. James thought of way the greasy-haired boy had cursed him (Snape) and tried to dismiss it, but the hat picked up on it. "Not friends you say? But together you could learn much, and become more powerful than you could imagine," the hat said. Then, almost surreal "Power I sense in you; yes, it is all there, while there might be one more powerful than you, your offspring would be more powerful than him, and you could share in that power, oh yes."

James hesitated while he considered the offer. He thought of the other boys he'd met. "Oh Sirius, he's bad news; can't trust him ever... he's destined for Azkaban, but Peter... your parents knew best, he'd be your friend to the death... so what will it be?" James thoguht hard, and suddenly realized something. He later never knew if it was childish arrogance or intiution ... or both. He only knew he threw fate to the winds and dared the hat to sort him. He also never knew if the hat was smiling when it said...

"Gryffindor!"

Most of the rest of the sorting was lost in a haze, though he recognized a beautiful green-eyed girl who was also sorted into Gryffindor before him, and the greasy-haired boy (Snape) who had hexed him on the train who was sorted into Slytherin.

[highsorcerer]

This is the third part of the first year of the Maurader Generation

When it came time for Peter Pettigrew to be sorted, James could have sworn he dipped down and held something to his lips. When he came back up, Peter was full of confidence and seemed to possess a certain self-assurance James had never seen before. Peter was sorted into Gryffindor, and was applauded by himself (and his fellow first years Sirius and Remus) almost as loudly as himself. Several witches were also sorted into Gryffindor (though not as attractive as the girl known as Lily Evans; the last, Lisa Wyndor, seemed to have a nose five sizes two big for her face).

The feast ended, and the headmaster (Dumbledore; and nobody, except for few known as "mudbloods" by the arrogant elite (and they all seemed to be from Slytherin for some reason, except for Sirius, who had a guilty look on his face while going toward his house common room), and the muggle-borns by everybody else) seemd not to know who he was, instructed the prefects to take their houses to their common room, and them, their dormatories. James climbed him way up the staircases, only to halt twice, both times for MOVING staircases. His own native home had been one only one story, though Sirius whispherd that his own home had featured moving staircases until his mother had frozen them with a too-powerful "Impedima" spell. James resolved to master it as soon as possible.

There were only four boys sharing a room which, at the end of the staircase, had a sign that said "First Years". Later, James was able to find out that while his staircase always led to his year's dorm, the Quidditch Captain and the Prefects (a group he was already beginning to despise) could get to any floor. They were Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. James had known Peter a long time, and didn't particular care for the boy, who seemed jumpy and seemed to be hiding a secret. Then again, so did Remus and Sirius. Of them all, he instictively liked Sirius the best. He didn't know why, but he thought the boy possessed a sense of fun (and a willingness to break the rules) only matched by his won. As it turned out, he was absolutely correct.

Their first class was transfiguration. They shared their class with the Ravenclaws. While James quickly figured out that all the homework they were given was to advance them in the way to make one thing into another, most of the class didnt' seem to grasp it. He wondered how long it would be before he could transform himself into another form. That would be cool.

Sirius seemed to share his thoguhts, and said openly that it would be cool to transform himself into an animal, one everybody knew but nobody thought twice of. Peter perked up at the thought; saying nobody though much of a scurring animal, but Remus Lupin but a cold damper on the idea. He was pretty cold, saying that perhaps animals might be guided by very base instincts, and they might be harmful. Peter laughed it off, but James and Sirius seemed thoughtful.

During the second week of class, Remus was absent, while James, Sirius, and Peter took flying lessons from Madam Hooch, and their regular lessons from the other teachers. When Remus first came back, his long, drawn out face explained that his mother was very sick, and she might die soon, and that is why he took leave from Hogwarts. However, as the months progressed, a pattern emerged. Remus was the best at Defenese Against the Dark Arts - particulary against dark creatures. James was the best in both flying and charms (and hexes). Sirius was best in transfiguration and potions. Peter, while best in History of Magic, struggled to keep up with his friends and fellow Gryfinddors in year one. He very badly wanted to fit in.

[choki]

Done so!
Wow, you updated your stories quite fast. I mean 3 chapters a day, that's brilliant!

[highsorcerer]

Unfortunately, while lessons came easily to James, he met his first real defeat at Hogwarts about a month after his arrival. He showed up for the house Quidditch team tryouts and was flatly rejected. "First years do not make the house teams," said Gryffindor team captain. James tried to argue with the girl, a 7th year named Jennifer Mullet, who played keeper. He started to protest loudly, and only succeeded in getting on the nerves of the other people. Finally, he heard the word "Silenco" and found himself unable to speak. Furious, he left the pitch. Remus Lupin caught up to him halfway back to the castle, and finally figured out that James had been hexed, and applied to countercurse. However, James didn't feel much like talking. Instead, his eyes followed the greasy haired boy named Snape. Drawing his wand, he decided the afternoon may not be a total write-off as he went over the hexes he'd learned over the past few weeks...

He avoided the house common room that night, preferring not to deal with the other Gryffindors and their mini-party after the house Quidditch team had been selected. Instead, he motioned for his friends to join him in their dorm. "I've got an idea. How would you all like to test out our flying abilities?" he asked.

There was some murmurs of agreement, but Lupin looked worried. "How can we get out of the castle?" he asked.

James grinned. "With this," he replied, and opened up his trunk. Out from it he took a long silvery cloak, and draped it over himself.

"That's an invisibility cloak," said Sirius. "How did you get one?"

"My grandfather left it to me," replied James. "Underneath it, we can all sneak out, and get to the Quidditch pitch and nick some broom. There isn't any moon out tonight, so it cuts down on the chance we'll be seen." Lupin perked up at mention of the moon cycle, but didn't say anything.

"So are we going to fly around the Quidditch pitch," asked Peter.

"No, I've got a better idea. You know the Whomping Willow?" said James. They all did. During the start of term feast, headmaster Dumbledore had warned all students about Hogwart's latest addition to their collection of magical plants. The tree's branches lashed out anything that came into contact with it, and the students had been warned to stay clear of it. "I was thinking, if we chucked a rock at it, and set the branches in motion, we could fly around it, dodging them. It would be like dodging a bludger."

Sirius was game, but Lupin looked doubtful, and Peter downright worried. In the end though, James persueded them all to get under the cloak and sneak out after hours. He thought there was a lot they could learn about Hogwart's by exploring it after hours. However, tonight his mind was on broomsticks.

[highsorcerer]

They never made it out of the castle.

Sure, they huddled together and put on the cloak, exited the common room, and then started down the steps, but as they approache the main gate out of the castle, the doors opened before them, and a tall man came through the door. Following him was a giant snake. The boys ducked into a corner and kept silent as the man looked around. The snake slithered around him, flicking it's tounge. At one point it came very close to them, and Peter started to give a cry, but James put his hand over his mouth an stiffed it.

None of the boys knew who this man was; he wasn't a teacher, or any of the staff. He could be a visitor, but they generally didn't show up after midnight and sneak around with a snake. The stranger, convinced nobody had seen his entry, put his hand in his robes and withdrew a withered hand, into which he put a candle. However, while no additional light illuminated the area, the stranger started walking as quickly as if the corridor was fully lit.

All thoughts of broomsticks left James' mind as curiosity over the midnight visitor to Hogwart's replaced it. Motioning toward the other boys, they quickly followed the path the strange man had taken. He quickly released that the logical destination was Hogwart's library. They approached the door, and peeked through the window. Sure enough, in the darkness of the library they saw the man sitting in the restricted section, with a book open. How he could read in the darkness of the room was a mystery for now, but he apparently found the page he was looking for. He withdrew a scroll of parchment, muttered an incantation, and the pages from the book started copying themselves onto the parchment. James wondered how the man was able to break the copy protection spell on the book. He himself had failed to copy certain jinks from library books he'd checked out during the first week of the term. He instead had needed to copy them by hand, then learned them later.

At this moment, Peter sneezed. James, Sirius, and Lupin looked at him, then ducked as the stranger looked in their direction. He whispered something to the snake, which immediately started slithering out of the library and to the location where they boys were hidden. James motioned for them to leave. However, as they made their retreat, he looked back and saw the stranger making his exit as well.

It wasn't quite the adventure he had planned for the evening, but it was perhaps more interesting.

[choki]

Is that man Voldemort? Slytherin legacy...hmmm...
Do continue, I am waiting for more to be revealed!

[pinky p]

i like it a lot! do keep writing, please!

[highsorcerer]

The four boys returned to their dormatory, and talked over the matter. Lupin was in favor of telling what they saw to Professor McGonnagal, the head of Gryffindor, but the others rejected the idea. "It would be admitting we were out of bounds after hours," said James, "and we'd all get into trouble." Sirius and Peter agreed wholeheartedly.

"I wonder what was in the book he was looking at," pondered Sirius. "Maybe that would give us an idea of who he is and what he was looking for."

"I've got an idea how I could do it," said James slowly.

"How?" asked Lupin. "You'd have to get into the restricted section, find the book, then find out what page he was looking for."

"Do you think you can get a teacher to give you a note for the book?" asked Sirius. "Or can you forge one?"

"I don't think a forgery would work, " replied James. "But I think I CAN get a teacher to help with part of it."

James did not exit the charms classroom with his friends, instead staying behind to have a few words with Professor Flitwick, the dimunitive (but talented) teacher. He descended the marble staircase and entered the Great Hall, which was set up for lunch. Taking a seat beside Sirius and across from Peter and Lupin, he grinned as he took a helping of steak-and-kidney pie to his plate. "I've got the hard part completed," he said with a grin on his face. "Lupin, give me your potions book."

Lupin handed it over. "I asked Flitwick if there was a charm I could use to automatically open books to the last page I read. Turns it there is. The incantantion is 'Libras Markona'". He pointed his wand at the book, and gave the incantation. The book opened, the pages flipped quickly, and settled on a page. "Why are you looking up calming draughts? We don't have exams for some time?"

"Anyway, that's how I can find out what page the book was opened to last time. I think I know what book was used; it had an usual coloring on it's spine, and since most of the books in that section aren't used very often, I'll simply look for the one with the least dust."

"But how will you get into that section to begin with?" asked Peter.

"That's the easy part. I'll just put on my invisibility cloak and enter the section," stated James. "But I don't think I can take you mates with me; I might need to move quickly and it's harder with all of us. Besides, I need you to create a distraction which keeps her attention away from the restricted section. Can you give me about 10 minutes?"

Sirius grinned. "Easy," he replied.

"Good," said James.

Sometimes plans can go awry, but this one worked perfectly. Sirius, Lupin, and Peter entered the library talking louded, and, apparently oblivious to the shoosing whispers, finally got the Madam Pince to come over in person. The moment she made a move, James, already under the invisibility cloak, slipped over to the restricted section. He scanned the books in the shelves, and finally spotted one that appeared to have been recently moved. He grabbed it, noting the title was "The Dark Arts Throughout History". He quickly pointed his wand at it and whispered "libras markona", then watched the pages flipped to a spot very near the end of the book. It was in the middle of a section about a wizard named Grindelwald. Flipping back to the start of the section, James quickly scanned the material, wishing he had a spell that would allow him to copy the pages like the stranger had. James quickly realized this wizard was a pretty bad guy of German descent. He apparently became the head of the German equivilient of the ministry of magic during the Nazi reign. Interestingly, while muggles believed that Hitler was just a nut on the acquisition of religious artificts from around the globe, many of them were actually powerful magical artifacts. While the Nazi reign had eventually been defeated (and Grindelwald himself beaten by none other than Hogwart's current headmaster, Albus Dumbledore), many had not. The section concluded with a list of the missing artifacts, with suspected or rumored places they had been concealed. The page the book had opened to contained such a listing of possible places of a missing relic - Salazar Slytherin's Spellbook."

[highsorcerer]

This is part six of James Potter and the Slytherin Legacy, which recaps the adventures of the Maruarder Generation.

James closed the book, and reshelved it back in it's slot between two other ominous looking texts called "Unicorn Blood" and "The Unforgivable Curses: A User's Guide". He glanced out toward the main library and saw Sirius being led out of the room. James quickly left the library, then ducked into a bathroom, where he took off his invisibility cloak and and stuffed it into his bag. He quickly made his way back to the Gryffindor dormatory where his friends awaited him.

He quickly recounted what he learned from the book regarding Grindelwald, the spellbooks of Salazar Slytherin, and the rumored concealment places. "Unfortunately, the rumored resting places are scattered throughout the global," reported James. "The only background information is that few other than Slytherin could read the spellbook to begin with, and even the runes or whatever he used to encode the spellbook would fade if taken away from a place of power. However, while most of the locations aren't even in England (places in South America, Eygpt, Poland, and Berlin, Germany are most likely), Hogwarts is a possibility. The entry stated there is a rumored secret room in Hogwarts called 'The Chamber of Secrets', but I think that's unlikely."

"Why?" asked Peter.

"Because not only would such a chamber have to exist, but Grindelwald would have to have known it's location and stashed it there," replied Sirius.

"Would Dumbledore have known about the spellbook?" asked Lupin.

"Almost certainly," replied James. "Dumbledore apparently defeated him after the fall of the Nazi reign, so he'd most likely have been on the run during the confrontation. Dumbledore would have probably known what artificts he'd have had."

"Why would Grindelwald have obtained artificats he couldn't have used?" asked Peter.

"Because even if he couldn't use it, he would want to keep it out of the hands of wizards that might be able to," replied James. "Just as if a muggle took away your wand. He might not be able to use it, but you'd be effectively disarmed."

"So what's our next move?" asked Sirius.

"I've been thinking about that," responded James. "The way I figure it, the four biggest clues are as follows: Grindelwald, Salazar Slytherin, his spellbook, and the intruder. Peter, you are the best in the History of Magic; you can ask Professor Binns for background information on Salazar and Grindelwald. Lupin, you find out what you can about the spellbook. Sirius, you try to backtrack Grindelwald."

"What about you?" asked Lupin.

"I'm going to try to find out about the intruder," replied James.

James didn't share what he had in mind for his task while his classmates researched these matter, but he had been diligent. Working from the idea that the intruder might have been interrupted before he got all the information he wanted from the restricted section of the library, James had started staking out the place at night, under his invisibility cloak. So far all he'd done was lose sleep for no results.

However, most of his friends hadn't done much better. Over the next week, Peter reported little progress, complaining instead about the droning voice of Professor Binns. James suspected that any useful information might have been missed among the rest of the monotonous discussion.

Lupin wasn't have much luck either. Indeed, most of what he found was either routine background information (such as the fact that it was apparently encoded), or referenced it's disappearance from the Hogwart's archives in the 1930s.

Sirius had much better luck, providing a pretty good sketch of the rise and fall of Grindelwald. He provided a complete report, from his birth, education at Durmstrang, his work during the first world war, and his rise to power among the Nazi's before and during the second world war. Finally, he was defeated by Hogwart's transfiguration teacher Albus Dumbledore on October 31st (Halloween) in 1945. He prefered death over capture.

In was only a week later during an astronomy lesson (one which Lupin was absent from, which was a shame because it involved an alignment of the full moon with both Mars and Mercury) that the realization hit Harry. Professor Dumbledore had been a Hogwarts teacher at the time Grindelwald was defeated - and he was captured during the school term.

"It was at Hogwarts," he whispered to Sirius. Sirius looked at him with a confused look on his face. "Hogwarts - Dumbledore wouldn't have been away from Hogwarts on Halloween, right in the middle of the school year and on an important feast day. It means Grindelwald had to have come here, and for a reason. Salazar's spellbook was protected - it would fade away if kept out of a special place of power for too long. And since his spellbook was never found, it means it has to be hidden somewhere at Hogwarts."

[highsorcerer]

This is part seven of year one of the maurder generation. Wars may be fought, dark wizards may rise, but Hogwarts remains a constant. Young wizards and witches are trained for their eventual contributions to wizarding society - but some may be forced to a test of their abilities far before anybody believes them ready.

The knowledge that Grindelwald might have hidden some of his relics - including the fabled spellbook of Salazar Slytherin at Hogwarts before his defeat by headmaster Dumbledore excited the four boys once they were all reunited a few days after James's revelation (Remus Lupin had come back to school a few days later, telling them he had fully recovered from his illness). However, once the thrill wore off, they realized while they may have narrowed the area where the spellbook might be concealed considerably, Hogwarts was a rather large castle, full of secret rooms and off-limits places. None of them had a very good idea of where to look.

Besides that, the boys had plenty of homework. While James and Sirius never had any problem keeping up with their lessons, Lupin and Peter sometimes struggled. James sometimes helped Peter with Defense Against the Dark Arts, while Sirius worked with Lupin on potions.

They were all glad for a feast on Halloween, shortly followed by the first Quidditch match of the season; Gryffindor verses Slytherin. The match was pretty brutal though, with the Slytherin chasers more intent on disabling the Gryffindor chasers than scoring goals. The Slytherin beaters were little more than thugs who used their bats to take cheap shots at the flyers far more often than at the bludgers. However, the Gryffindor team took their payback during an exciting chase for the snitch, where the Gryffindor beaters coordinated their whacks at the bludger, sending them at the Slytherin seeker. The boy, an unpleasant looking seventh year named McNabb, thought he was home free until he realized that the bludgers were not aimed at him, but at the tail end of his broomstick. The bludgers hit one right after the other, sending straw flying and his broomstick in a crazy flip. He only barely managed to hang on, and by the time he climbed back onto his broom the Gryffindor seeker had grabbed the snitch right next to the left side Slytherin goal. She celebrated her catch (and the Gyrffindor victory) by shooting right through the goal, then flew through the center goal before being mobbed by Jane and Jeremy Perkins (the two Gryffindor beaters) and taking a high speed victory lap.

There was a party held in the Gryffindor common room that night. To say it got a little out of hand was putting it mildly. Jane Perkins disappeared for some time, then came back with some firewhiskey. Even though it was a weekend night after a Gryffindor victory, the head of Gryffindor House, Professor McGonagall, paid a visit to shut down the party an hour or so after midnight. Many of the older students were aware of the time McGonnagal would be checking up and retreated to their dormatories, but James and Sirius were young and reckless (Peter had passed out some time earlier, and Lupin had retreated a few hours earlier). As it stood, McGonnagal caught James and Sirus red handed with the firewhiskey bottle. McGonnagal confiscated it immediately, then told them to see her in the morning - after they had visited the hospital wing. Neither boy knew what she meant by that at the time, but in the morning they woke up with heavy stomachs and heads pounding. It was time to take their medicine - in more ways than one.

[highsorcerer]

After a trip to the hospital wing, James and Sirius reported to McGonnagal for their first (but not last) detention. It seemed pretty bad; Sirius had to sweep up and clean the owlery (without magic) while James was reduced to help sort and shelve the books in the library. However, just before James went off to report for duty, Sirius took him aside.

"Two-way mirrors," said Sirius, as he thrust a package on James. "A gift from an uncle." Sirius's face went dark on that. James knew Sirius's family already held him in contempt. During breakfast on their first day, Sirius had received a Howler from his mother. It berated Sirius for all kinds of crimes, not the least was for not making it into Slytherin. Sirus had only muttered "I hate my family" before dropping back into silence.

"Just say my name, and I'll appear, and we can talk all night long," said Sirius, as the made their way down the stairs and off to their respective detentions.

Indeed, it did make the detention seem a lot shorter, as the two boys chatted, compared notes about their classes, and speculated on the possible hiding places of Salazar Slytherin's spellbook. Both agreed it was probably hidden at Hogwarts, but neither had any idea where to look for it.

When it approached Christmas, James noted a distinct drop in the mood of both Sirius and Remus. Sirius merely stated he didn't want to return home; he has signed up at the first possible moment to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas, while Remus refused to confide his reasons. James instead left a Christmas present for Sirius (a wizard chess set modeled after famous dark wizards and aurorers) with him, and went home for the holiday season. Only on boxing day did James come to think that perhaps Sirius would have joined him for the Christmas holidays if he had asked. It was just that James had so little experience with people who disliked their families (James himself was quite fond of his own parents) that he was unable to recognize that perhaps another family might care for him. James immediately resolved two things - Sirius would never spend another Christmas alone, and that his own children would never know an unloving home.

[highsorcerer]

Classes resumed, and James found himself increasingly bored with the material presented. It was too easy. Sirius and himself were the best students in their year, and had already mastered most of the material presented in class. They took to learning more material outside of class, borrowing spellbooks from the libarary and practicing them in class when they were supposed to be doing other things. James specialized in jinxes and curses (Severus Snape hadn't missed an opportunity to try and curse him when he thought he could get away with it; James took some pleasure in not only figuring out counter-curses, but in finding new and unique ways of hexing him. Indeed his boil-festering curse was so effective that Snape had to spend a few days in the hospital wing.). Sirius, on the other hand, learned some good memory charms and other counter-detection charms which helped them get away with their pranks. Lupin kept warning them that the teacher's weren't fooled, but the two boys were young and reckless; confident of their ability to get away with it. Peter, of course, provided even more encouragement for the boys, amused by each and every hex that he didn't quite have the courage (or skill) to perform himself.

Indeed, after Hufflepuff beat Gryffindor at Quidditch, it was James and Sirius that plotted revenge. They developed a flatuance-inducing potion in the rarely-used classroom eleven. James kept a flask of it, slipped under his invisibility cloak, and slipped into the Hufflepuff common room with two students after they gave the password ("Steadfast Friendship"). Sirius kept watch for teachers with one of his mirrors; James kept looking at him in it, and, finding the coast clear of all, including the young head-of-house Professor Sprout, poured the potion into the punch. Laughing under his breath, James hid in a corner and awaited the results of the potion. Soon enough, the Hufflepuffs began suffering the effects of the potion. The party began to fade as more students drank the punch, and James finally exited the room on the heels of the Hufflepuff Keeper and a reserve Chaser. He made his way back to Sirius, made a full report, and stifling their giggles under the invisibility cloak, returned to their dorm, where they made a full report to Peter and Remus.