"...Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyeballs in the Dark Arts..."
Chapter Seventeen: The Liability of First Years
James could feel the fowl creature's dark eyes on the back of his head as they tried desperately to drill a hole into it. What did I do to deserve this? James thought absently as he stared ahead of him at Professor Malvitz, who was busy describing the group assignment they were going to start in just a few moments. James sighed to himself and turned back to look over towards Sirius, who was now sitting across the room next to Lily Evans. James then turned his attention back to the teacher and scolded the man with his eyes.
A seating chart had been installed, most likely because of James and Sirius' lack of attention during his lessons. Due to this wonderful turn of events he now had to sit next to Remus, which wasn't bad at all, but then again he also now had to sit directly in front of dear old Snape, who insisted upon glaring at him through the whole of the double period.
James felt Remus tap him gently on the shoulder, whilst he was in the middle of his brooding, trying to gain James' undivided attention. Once he had received it he quickly gestured towards the counter that held the small glass containers with the Doxies inside flailing about. James got up and walked over to the counter and picked up the domed jar with the small hairy four-armed, four-legged fairy-like creature. He felt himself frown at the little beast as it opened its little mouth tauntingly showing off its double rows of pointed teeth.
They were only to examine these "dark creatures" and take notes on their behavior, but what fun was that? Doxies didn't do anything unless they were let out to fly about and terrorize everyone within two feet of them. He sighed and put the Doxy jar on Remus' and his table and flopped down into his seat bitterly. Being a first year was probably the only reason they couldn't let the small beasts fly about, it was perhaps too much of a liability.
He looked over at Remus who had begun jotting things down wildly onto his paper almost immediately after James had set the fowl thing down on top of the desktop. The boy's hand was shaking slightly as he wrote little notes on his paper. Occasionally, he would take the time to actually look up at the small angry Doxy, who was now making itself busy banging itself against the glass, trying terribly to get out of its unbreakable cage. James frowned at the sight of his frail friend and moved slightly in his chair in discomfort. Only to find that it was slightly hard to move within his chair.
He shrugged his shoulders at the oddness of this and continued to look over at the calendar on the wall, which had small illuminated blue moons on the designated days of the phases, and sure enough, tonight would be the full moon. James glanced back over at Remus who was now looking at him with a face that said simply "do your work." James sighed and moved backwards in his chair in thought hardly noticing the resistance his clingy robes were giving him.
He continued to jot down small bits and pieces about the hostile Doxy but mainly his thoughts were on the boy next to him. Why did he always worry about him? It wasn’t like Remus begged for attention or asked for him to take any interest in him at all for that matter. Yet there he was, every month, worrying, and knowing the inevitable truth.
He heard Professor Malvitz inform the class to place the Doxies back on the counter and James slowly put his small paragraph of notes into his bag before finally getting up. The resistance he had been feeling for the whole of the hour came with him. He shouted something very fowl as he looked down at his chair to see what had been bothering him and felt his face go red in anger. He could hear the laughter around him and in it a very loud bark like laugh that could only belong to Sirius. He turned around only to be met by Snape's greasy half-smirk and he lunged at him. He could feel his hands connecting with anything they could get a hold of. He only stopped when the Professor himself dragged him off of the crying boy. James looked up in horror finally aware of what exactly he had done. Professor Malvitz's face was contorted into a fierce look of authority as he firmly grabbed James' arm and escorted him into the hallway without a word being spoken. No one was laughing when he left the room.
The echo of footsteps was loud and foreboding as they continued the short distance to McGonagall's room. James couldn't bring himself to look up any farther than his feet as Professor Malvitz turned him into the room full of sixth year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who were busy transforming noodles into poodles.
"Minerva."
James looked up just in time to see the woman glance up from her desk. One look at the two of them and she was out of her seat ready to ask questions. James quickly turned his head to the floor as she walked towards them. He was going to be expelled for sure.
"What is it?"
"This one," he shook James' arm making him fall off balance, "started a fight in my class."
James could feel McGonagall's eyes on him, carefully inspecting him, "I can take it from here."
James felt Professor Malvitz let go of his arm and knew instantly that there would be a mark left behind. He heard McGonagall turn to her class and appoint two students to look after it and lead him out of the room and into her office. Once inside James could feel her looking at him as he sat in the chair across from her desk as she had instructed.
"Explain."
It was the only thing she said. He sat there, unable to look at her, searching for words. He sighed and started with the one word that came to mind. "Droobles Best Blowing Gum," he said bitterly.
He looked up at McGonagall, who was busy giving him a look that asked him to continue with his explanation. He did, once again, talking to the floor in shame, "I was sitting in class listening to Malvitz, actually I was zoning, worrying about the test in Herbology," he hoped that a little lie wouldn't hurt his case, "and when it was time to collect our things for the assignment I got up and retrieved it. When I returned, Snape had put gum on my seat, and I sat in it. I didn't realize it until it was time to clean up and I stood up. The whole class was laughing and normally I can take it, you know, laugh right along with them but this time I couldn't, and I attacked him."
He chanced a glance at the teacher before him who was inspecting him thoroughly, "I don't know what got into me." He finished lamely, hoping that it would in some way help his case.
In the next instant, Sirius clamored into the office and, breathing heavily, looked from McGonagall's face to James'. James glanced back at his friend as he began spouting out words of desperation for the sake of the messy haired boy. "James has been in a fowl mood since this morning's Charms class."
James turned to McGonagall who seemed to be considering these words. "Who do you share the period with?"
"Slytherins," Sirius and James replied resentfully.
"Thank you, Mr. Black, you can go," she stated firmly. Sirius looked as though he'd been scolded and left the room like a dog with its tail between its legs. When Sirius had left McGonagall turned to James.
"Stand up."
James did as he was told, certain that they were now going to make a trip to Dumbledore's office so he could then await his sentencing. Instead, she pulled out her wand and tapped him on the head as she uttered a word he had yet to learn. He stared at her not sure as to what exactly she had done to him, for he felt no different. Yet, obviously she had found something to her liking for she gave him the slightest of smiles.
"Apparently, you've been under an anti-cheering charm of darker means," she started, and James could feel a warm feeling growing from within him. She believed him; he wasn't going to be expelled! "I will talk with Professor Lamia and arrange a punishment for Mr. Snape," she sighed and James suppressed his sudden urge to hug the woman as she spoke her final statement. "As for you, no more fighting. If I see you in here again, I will have to give you a detention." James nodded and she motioned that he could leave.
James opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Sirius and Peter standing by the window across the hall from McGonagall's office. Sirius looked at him with nothing short of worry as James strode over to them. "How long are you in for?"
James took Sirius's form in. The boy was hunched over, leaning against the wall as if he'd lost something very dear to him.
"None. I don't have detention or anything," at the confused, yet happy, expression on Sirius' face he continued to explain about the charm Snape had put on him most likely during Charms class.
"That prat is going to pay!" Sirius said after James was finished.
"Don't you think James beating him up was pay back enough?" Peter asked in his usual worried tones. Sirius just looked at the small chubby boy for a second and then shrugged as if he was not entirely sure if it was.
James though was busy looking at Peter and Sirius finally registering that they were missing a member. "Where's Remus?"
Sirius rolled his eyes at the question. "He left after you left Defense class. He looked like he was going to throw up. I assume he went down to the infirmary," James looked at Sirius as he briefly recapped what had happened and noticed that he was still too stubborn to admit what this ultimately meant.
They turned down the hallway that led to the infirmary and James quickly looked in the ward only to see that Remus wasn't in there. He scratched his head in thought, slightly confused by what that could mean as he continued to follow Sirius's silent lead to the portrait of the founding fathers. They, then, quietly went into the general common room where they would work on collecting and comparing their Doxy notes until it was time for dinner.