The French Redhead☆Jily AU

《ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ #02》

13th July 1976, Hogwarts

It was a normal day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students hurried about for their classes, teachers could be heard in the classrooms and as always, little pranks took place here and there.

In the Great Hall, the fifth years were getting ready for their potions O.W.L.s. The Potions Master, Professor Horace Slughorn, distributed the exam papers.

"Students," he said, "you have got exactly two hours to answer your exam. I'd like to remind you, no auto-answering quills are allowed. Or auto-spell checking ones. Be honest and you shall be rewarded. Your time starts now!"

There was a rustling of papers as students turned their sheets and stared at the questions. They took a glance at the clock, dipped their quills in their ink pots, and started scribbling.

Dorcas Meadowes frowned down at her paper, trying to decide the answer of a particularly tough question. She glanced at her friends.

Sirius was simply yawning and scribbling god-knows-what on his paper, James was scribbling quickly and Emmeline was frowning.

Dorcas shook her head and scrawled her answer before turning to the next question.

6. How many Lionfish Spines are used in one batch of Herbicide Potion?

Dorcas scowled. Of course, the part she hadn't studied would come. It always happened with her.

Grumbling silently, she simply wrote 'four'.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the other hand, James Potter had absolutely no problem with his exam. He didn't know how, but the answers naturally came to him. His handwriting was strangely neat for a boy like him.

He finished the first section of the exam paper and paused for a few minutes. He could see Slughorn glaring at Corban Yaxley for staring at Lucius Malfoy's answers.

Smirking, he went back to answering his exam. After some ten or fifteen minutes, he sighed. Completed. Now he had to endure an hour and half here, great. Just great.

His thoughts were drawn to the letter he had received this morning from their friends in France. He missed them, mostly Lily but others too.

"MR. YAXLEY!"

James looked up, alarmed. Slughorn was glaring at a very red and embarrassed Corban Yaxley.

"YOU HAVE BEEN CHEATING THE WHOLE TIME! OUT, OUT OF THE HALL! YOU HAVE FAILED!" Slughorn shouted.

"Sir, please, I'm sorry. It was a mistake, please let me answer this," Yaxley pleaded.

"NO! OUT!" Slughorn yelled. Red-faced and angry, Yaxley made his way out of the hall.

"Get back to your exams!" Slughorn called to the others.

James and Sirius shared matching smirks.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

On the other side of the room, Emmeline Vance was staring at a certain someone, completed oblivious to the time.

She sighed deeply. She won't like you. Ever, she thought sadly. That was a problem when you are a lesbian/bisexual. You didn't know whether the other person liked you or not.

She tried to ignore the sad, sinking feeling of her heart and scribbled her answer.

Emmeline Azeria Vance did not feel sad. She stayed happy, positive. But often, it seemed impossible.