Afterlife

Uvavitara

"James," Sirius turned to his best friend, wide-eyed, seemingly excited by the remembrance of something. "Do you remember Uvavitara?"

"Well of course!" James puffed out his chest dramatically, "It was a great accomplishment! Gave McGonagall a shock as well!"

"Uvavitara?" Regulus asked with a raised eyebrow. "I don't believe I've heard that one before...but if I'm right, doesn't that mean-"

"SHHHH!" Sirius commanded. "Let him tell the story!"
—-

One of James' greatest achievements, something he held high over becoming an animagus, making the Map or even actually becoming an item with Evans was making the Uvavitara spell in his final year at Hogwarts.

He'd heard rumours that Severus (who was seen moping round the castle nowadays, or frequently not seen at all as he was doing the bidding of the Dark Lord with all the other Slytherin Death Eaters) had been creating spells since fourth year, and a memory flicked through James' head of the sectumsempra curse that Sirius had been struck with by Snape after a particularly vicious argument about his whereabouts the night of the murder of Adrian Adbell. James was almost certain he had indeed made up that spell and was surprised to feel a flicker of jealousy spark up in his chest.

He and Lily had been solid for over three months, but even the mention of her ex-friend could send him into a panicked frenzy and needing to assert himself in his brain.

And so, of course, James decided to create a spell.

Which, in fairness, he definitely did not have the time to do, having to balance being Head Boy, Quidditch Captain and a Seventh Year student about to take his next set of exams.

Especially since it was so bloody HARD. James found himself falling asleep on a book which detailed on making spells, their dangers and their advantages because it was like reading a law book: long, technical and BORING.

After having a particularly healthy pudding one night, he settled on a technically defensive spell like no other: uvavitara

It took him a few nights to craft the name, because his Latin just wasn't as good as Sirius' and he really could not be bothered to learn about declensions and whatever the language of the Romans and the magic (some would often say they were one and the same) was all about.

And it was something he kept under his belt, practising on dummies and the like until he found the best possible opportunity to use it - Minerva McGonagall wanted them to duel her.

Grinning like madmen, the Marauders (including Lily, who at this point was essentially the same entity as James) paced their way along to her office, where she was secretly smirking as well.

James elected to go last, worry building up in his chest. What if it made him look like an imbecile? Oh well- it was too late now, he had to use it here, otherwise the first time he would get to use it would be on an actual Death Eater, or Voldemort if he was lucky enough to get to kill him.

The others all passed with flying colours (despite their being absolutely no grades to this whatsoever) and then it was James' turn. They all looked completely exhausted and were out of breath from their battles, while Minnie was cool as anything. She was a fierce fighter, that one.

"Protego," James shouted as Minnie started with a stunner. She smiled back and then returned it immediately with a "Levicorpus," Which James was too late to repel, but did eventually return with the leek jinx.

"Always one for the weird spells, Potter," she raised her eyebrows.

"Always, Min-Min." At the nickname, Minnie sent a Rictumsempra which James defended with a non-verbal protego but pretended that it had hit him anyways - then came his big moment. She was distracted because he was still supposedly under the laughing hex.

"Uvavitara!" He shouted, grinning as he pointed at her wand triumphantly. Her eyebrows shot up once again as she didn't recognise the name of the spell.

Sirius chipped in then, saying, "But James. Uva in Latin means-"

And then Minerva McGonagall attempted a stupefy once more, and in place of the hex, a giant grape appeared out of the end of her wand, with huge eyes that looked so concerned and flurried about in confusion. She tried again, and again, and suddenly there were three sentient grapes.

"Grapes," Sirius, Remus and Lily finished together. Minnie stood still in shock, staring at her wand as though she couldn't believe what was happening to her.

"Potter," she breathed. "Did you- did you create this spell?"

"Well, Minnie....Yes. I did. Do you like it?"

"Well," Minerva quipped, a smile slowing growing, "It certainly is a lot better than sectumsempra."