[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Andy’s Experiment


Once Landon and Olivia got everything under control (Sirius was given a detention for flying indoors on the Express, and was frogmarched back to the compartment where Peter was waiting by a very stern looking Olivia Duquette), the duties were outlined for the prefects and they were given clear instructions on appropriate behavior for those bearing the title of prefect, and also a list of misdemeanors and offenses that were most common about the castle and the corresponding punishment for the action. Remus quickly folded the list and tucked it very deep in his pockets. For some, this was a list of things that they shouldn’t do. For Sirius Black, this was a list of fun stuff to try.

“Notice flying a broomstick on the Express is so offensive it didn’t even make it onto the list,” whispered Lily.

“Gotta give him credit for being persistent and, er, unique,” Remus said lamely.

Lily shook her head.

They were allowed to sit with their friends for a little bit - until the time came to go and let everyone in their assigned cars that it was time to get dressed in their robes and school things for Hogwarts… Lily walked through the narrow train with Remus and she said, “You know, I am surprised that Potter wasn’t up there helping out.”

“Yeah,” Remus muttered.

Lily stopped outside the compartment that belonged to the Marauders. “You’re going to have to figure out some way to stand up to them, Rey, and make them behave. It’s part of your job as prefect now.”

“I know,” Remus murmured, miserably.

“Just because they’re your friends can’t mean they have a free pass to mischief,” she went on.

Remus wanted to melt into the carpet.

Lily sighed, “Alright, well I’ll see you in a bit then. I can’t wait to hear what all went on this summer with Mr. Scamander, we’ll have to have a more private talk soon.” She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she often did, then went on down the corridor to find her friends. Remus stood there in the corridor for a moment before turning into the compartment.

“There he is!” said Sirius, looking up, “Our prefect. Rey, I’ve my feet up on the bench here, am I in trouble for it? Do I get another detention?”

Remus pushed Sirius’s feet off the bench and sat where they’d been. “You git. What was that with the broomstick? What were you thinking? You could’ve been hurt. And on your train ride back right after being un-expelled? Are you mental?”

Sirius’s grin deflated off his face. He hadn’t thought of that. Luckily, it hadn’t amounted to more than the usual detention - granted it was a detention with Slughorn, which was the worst sort of detention there was… but still… He studied Remus a moment, “Just messing around, really,” he said, deciding admitting that he’d been trying to get Remus’s attention would be the wrong answer right then.

Remus said, “Well, I looked like an idiot for it. I was quite literally in the middle of telling them how you’d matured over the summer and then you show up on a broom.”

Peter couldn’t help but snicker.

Remus looked around, “Where’s James?”

Sirius said, “We dunno. Peter said he went to find me but I haven’t seen him.”

Remus frowned and looked at the door in concern. It was never a good idea to have James nor Sirius out of sight if you wanted to be sure there were no shenanigans going on…




When James had left the compartment to go after Sirius before, he’d been hurrying along the corridor when his elbow had been suddenly caught up and he’d been pulled into a compartment along the way. “Potter! Just the man we were about to go and pay a visit to! What timing.” It was Frank Longbottom and he was in a compartment with Andy Woodhouse and Ali Prewitt.

Andy Woodhouse had on a pair of dark sunglasses that covered his eyes and there was a walking stick leaning against the bench. His face was turned slightly off the direction it ought to have been and it reminded James what had happened, that Andy Woodhouse had been blinded by Orion Black, and he felt his stomach sort of swirl all uncomfortably.

“Andy, James Potter’s here. Saved us a trip. Nice of him, isn’t it?” laughed Frank, “I’ve just caught him from the corridor.”

“Hey James, nice to… see you.” Andy said.

Frank and Ali both looked uncomfortable and so did James, as though the word see was taboo. “Nice to… to see you,” James said. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say the word also, as he was the first one doing the seeing and didn’t want to rub it in. “What were you going to come and get me for?” he asked.

“Sit, sit, have a seat, Potter,” Frank said, waving a hand to the bench beside Andy.

When James was seated, Andy turned his head, though, again, he wasn’t quite aimed at James the way he would be if he could see. “Well, Potter, it’s like this. Because I can’t see, I’m having to resign as Quidditch captain and keeper for the Gryffindor team this term.”

James had deduced this over the summer, of course, but it still seemed awful. He nodded in response, then realized Andy couldn’t see him nodding, so he said, “I’m sorry Andy.”

“Yeah, it’s rubbish,” Andy said, “But anyway because of the circumstances, Dumbledore’s given me a rather unique opportunity. He’s going to let me choose the next Quidditch captain myself.”

James’s heart rate picked up. “Oh?”

“Yes,” Andy said, “And after years of playing with you lot, I’ve narrowed it down to you and Frank Longbottom, my two best players.”

Frank smiled at James amicably.

James felt like his destiny was being realized. “Oh wow,” he murmured.

“Anyway, basically, what I’ve done to decide is we’ve organized a - a sort of trial experiment for me to learn who might be better equipped for the job of captain. I’ve selected two neutral parties to be my eyes - who, I can’t tell - and they’re going to advise me on how our little experiment goes.”

James felt nervous. “What sort of experiment?”

Andy answered, “Well, Madam Hooch and the other captains last term had got together a bit and talked on it and we were thinking the current flying lessons could use some specialization. We have a record number of muggleborns coming in the gates this year, there’s more muggleborns coming this year than in any other year prior in the school’s history. There’s more of them than there are purebloods coming this term, even!”

“So?” James asked, hating the topic of pureblood versus anything else.

“So muggleborns don’t have any experience with a broomstick the way those of us who grew up around them do. They shouldn’t be expected to learn flying at the same speed as those who have experience at it. So we were talking about adding a second flying lesson, open to those who want to add to their skill. It would be run by one of the prefects, who Madam Hooch will be selecting and assigning to the job, and you two will be trainers. The two of you will assist the prefect selected at the job of it and I’ll hear back from my look outs and by the end of the month I’ll have made a decision for which of you will be the new Gryffindor captain.” Andy smiled, “It’s a win-win situation. The muggleborns get a chance to learn better about flying and I get a chance to know what sort of team captain you’d each make.”

“Brilliant,” James agreed.

Frank, who’d already heard all this, nodded eagerly, “I thought so too.”

“Any idea who the prefect is?” James asked.

“I do,” Andy admitted, “But I dunno if Madam Hooch already spoke with her or not...”

“Madam Hooch sent her a letter last week,” Ali spoke up, “She was telling me about it in Diagon Alley.”

James looked over at Ali and their eyes met and there was a twist in James’s stomach as he had a flashback to Diagon Alley, when Ali had been talking to Lily Evans. “So it’s Evans, then,” he said, “That’s what she was talking about me for.”

Ali had hoped James had forgotten about that incident and her face went scarlet. “Yeah,” she admitted.

James laughed. It was all he could do, really. He’d been thinking about that moment in Diagon Alley since it’d happened, and it made his chest sort of tighten up whenever he did. Even now. So yes, laughing about it was the only option. Before it hurt again. He smlied, “Well, I’ll be bloody brilliant at this! I’m the best ruddy flyer in the school -- of course I’ll be brilliant at this!”

Frank raised an eyebrow and smirked, “There’s that Potter modesty you’re so famous for...”

James grinned.

Then the compartment door was open by none other than Lily Evans herself and she stopped in the doorway with a surprised expression on her face as people pushed past her in the hallway. “Oh, hello,” she said, seeing James. “I would have thought you were in your own compartment, consoling Sirius by now.”

“Consoling Sirius?” James looked up, “Oh Merlin, what’s he done?” He’d forgotten all about the fact he’d been after Sirius before Frank had pulled him into their compartment to talk. Sirius must’ve gone on and done whatever evil he’d been plotting.

Lily squeezed onto the bench with Frank and Ali. “Oh, you know, just flying a broomstick -- yours, I reckon -- down the corridor here. Got a detention already.” Lily raised her eyebrow at James.

James groaned.

“Lily, i was just telling Frank and James about the first year flying lessons,” Andy said.

James’s attention snapped back to the lessons, too. “Sounds like we’ll be working together a bit this term, Evans. Are you excited to be working with a great toerag like me?”

Lily bit her lip. She was about to answer, when the compartment door opened again and there in the door frame was Maryrose Jenkins, her hair lemon yellow and curly, her eyes black as ebony. She smiled ‘round at them, “Hello you lot,” then turned to look at James, “Finally, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“I was just going to come and see you,” James lied, and he got up quickly.

Maryrose smiled, “I’m not stealing you away from anything importantl, am I?”

“Just Quidditch talk,” Frank said, “But the discussion’s pretty much ended anyway.”

“Yeah, just Quidditch talk,” said James, glancing at Lily. “Unless of course somebody had something to say to someone else… like perhaps an apology for something they’ve said?”

Lily stared up at him.

James shrugged, “Alright then. See you lot at the castle.” He turned and followed Maryrose out of the compartment and down the corridor.

When the door had closed behind him, Lily looked over at Ali. “Did I miss something?” asked Andy.

“No,” Lily said, “Just James Potter being a git. As usual.”

Ali shook her head.




“What was that about?” Maryrose asked as she twisted her fingers through James’s and looked for an empty compartment they could be alone in.

James said, “Nothing really. Just that Lily Evans called me a toerag over the summer. Said I was the biggest toerag that ever lived. Just thought I’d give her a chance to apologize if she’d wanted to. Seemed uninterested. Whatever, though, not as if I care, really. I really don’t. She’s got more than a right to feel whatever she wants… I’m fine with it. I don’t care what Evans thinks. Doesn’t matter. I have a girlfriend.” He smiled.

Maryrose forced a smile.

They finally found a compartment and Maryrose locked the door and drew the shade down and quickly grabbed a hold of James’s Gryffindor sweater vest and pulled him closer. “Well, let’s forget about Lily Evans for now. I’ve missed you a great deal - I haven’t seen you since my birthday. How’ve you been? Have you missed me, too?”

“Oh loads,” James nodded, and before he could say anything stupid to make her angry with him, he leaned down and kissed her quickly to stop her asking anymore questions.