The Challenge | James Potter

Chapter 7 - Seeing Red

   

"CAN ALL GROUPS COLLECT THE INGREDIENTS THAT ARE ON THE BOARD AND BEGIN" Slughorn announced jovially as he was clearly excited to start the new school year with potions first class. On the board was a sleeping draught potion, one that Meissa was quite familiar with unfortunately. She got up acting as though James didn't exist and that this was a solo project, as she didn't need to take the ingredients taken down to know what they were. "Wait a minute, where are you going" James hardly had two wrote down when she got up, "Where on earth does it look like I'm going " "But the ingredients, you don't have them with you" everyone in the class was still writing them down, "I know what they are" James muttered something under his breath that Meissa didn't care about as she grabbed a basket and began gathering the different ingredients in the small cupboard "You are definitely missing some" came James's voice in slight disbelief as her basket seemed full already "Potter why can't you accept that people can be better than you, I'm finished here" "No way, not even Lily has came up here yet so your bound to be leaving out some of them" Potter began analysing her basket "Look if you want to make your own sleeping draught, fire ahead, but your not slowing me down so move" He didn't move an inch "Potter don't make me ask you again" Meissa was starting to get really annoyed and impatient, why was Potter ruining one of her favourite subjects, can't he let her have anything? They were standing dangerously close and some sort of stand off seemed to be happening "Say please" James was chancing his arm and seemed to enjoy getting Meissa annoyed as he elongated the e sound  "I would rather die than offer such a courtesy as  to use that word to someone like you, you bloodtrai-"

 "Sorry but can we make our way in?" came the sweet voice of Lily Evans with Lupin standing curiously behind her. James practically jumped to allow the ginger haired girl in, nearly knocking down Meissa but Lupin caught her just in time. Meissa always liked Remus Lupin for many reasons, he seemed to understand her reasons for hating James and Sirius and offered her kind words of comfort throughout the years, regarding his friends rash nature. Meissa also knew something about Remus since she was in first year, but not even he knew that she knew. Yet, she distanced herself when she saw how close him and Sirius were, as she didn't want him feeling awkward and over time resentment built inside of her, as why did her brother decide he could hang out with Remus, Peter and James but not her? This thought died, as the moment he left the house, her brother was dead to her.  She offered him a small smile, that would be invisible to everyone else bar him, yet he understood as she walked off without a word and thankfully James was concentrated on Lily. Remus admired her, he knew why she stayed at her haunted home, he recognised her bravery under the cold hearted and cruel facade, he also felt like he knew her from somewhere, but assumed it was just her resemblance to her brother. He never voiced these opinions, but he felt as though she knew and that was enough.

 Meanwhile James was trying to start a conversation with Lily, "So how did you find the party last night?" "It was fine James, thanks for listening to me about not going, you could've and still might get me and the girls in a lot of trouble" flicking her gaze to Meissa who started setting up her cauldron "Sorry about that, just couldn't resist, wanted to see you" Lupin felt as though he was intruding but wanted to stop James at the same time from embarrassing himself "I thought we agreed on friends James?" "Oh yeah, we did, just wanted to see my friend then" James was clearly  heartbroken and this reminded Lupin of how he was the entire summer, and his spark only seemed reignited when someone else was in the room as he too glanced over at Black beginning to stir her potion mindlessly, and remembered what Sirius said about a challenge. "Mate I think you better get over to you partner she seems to be nearly done" instantly his mood changed into one of annoyance, but Lupin was just glad he was thinking about something or someone else. Lily mouthed a small thank you to Lupin, but he couldn't acknowledge it as he still felt sorry for James and was surprised at the way she had ended it. He watched closely as his best mate ran over to his "enemy" bouncing with enthusiasm, when did this happen he wondered.