Up to No Good// James Potter

Prologue

Vanessa Wright was the kind of girl who you couldn't take your eyes off of. And although she was beautiful, it wasn't because of her looks. There was just something special about her. Maybe it was the glint in her eyes or the ever present smile on her face, or maybe even the fact that she laughed more often than not. If there was one way to describe Vanessa it was that she was the brightest light in the darkest of places.

One more thing you should know about Vanessa Wright is that she is a witch, and a brilliant one at that. For the past five years she has attended one of the best wizarding schools, Hogwarts. Like most of her fellow students, Vanessa considered her school to be her home. The young witch had grown up in that castle, she had experienced love, friendship, heartbreak, and every other emotion a teenager is bound to feel. Well, except for one. Although Vanessa loved her friends very much and had had a few relationships here and there, the sixteen year old had never been in love. Of course, Hogwarts wouldn't allow her to leave its walls before she had.

If you asked her, Vanessa would tell you everything started during the fall of her sixth year. However, that wasn't entirely true. One could say it all began the moment she met him.

September 1st, 1971. The day which a generation of children had been awaiting since the first time they heard the word 'Hogwarts'. Vanessa was no different to those born between the years of 1959 and 1960. The eleven year old girl had woken up earlier than she ever had before and was bouncing inside her mum's bedroom before the sun had even made an appearance. By the time the Wright family had made it to the King's Cross Station, the youngest Wright's excitement had not eased in the slightest. As soon as her family had crossed the platform, she gave her mother a hug before rushing onto the train. Her older brother only shook his head at the little girl who didn't even turn back once before turning to his mother and giving her a proper goodbye.

Although she didn't know it at the time, that train ride would end up becoming one of the most important times of her life. It was during her very first journey to her new magical school when she met them. The two who would become the most important boys in her life. Vanessa had poked her little head inside a seemingly empty compartment only to find a little boy gazing sadly out the window. She had knocked on the door and given the boy her biggest smile, hoping to share some of her happiness with him. It seemed to do the trick because the young black haired boy visibly brightened. He was sweet, slightly taller than Vanessa with piercing grey eyes. Sirius Black was his name and Vanessa felt completely comfortable in his presence. The two had been chatting and joking with each other for a few minutes when another small boy came in. James Potter, with the messiest black hair and the always crooked glasses. The bespectacled boy took one look at their red faces and happy expression and decided that these were his new best friends. That was until he made the mistake of claiming Vanessa was the shortest of the three. After a very heated argument, in which Sirius was forced to measure their heights, the two seemed to have to prove they were better than the other. James Potter, after being deemed the smallest one, made it his personal mission to show up Vanessa Wright. And Vanessa Wright vowed she would never let James Potter show her up. The rest of the ride was spent arguing over who was better at what. And so was the start of a beautiful friendship and a long term rivalry.

Fast forward to five years later, and absolutely nothing had changed. Sirius Black was still Vanessa Wright's and James Potter's best friend, which only made everything all the more problematic. And the two still did everything in their power to beat the other. In fact, it was impossible to believe that they had gotten along for few hours during their first train ride. But now they were about to go onto their sixth year.

Vanessa's brother, Eric Wright, had graduated from Hogwarts the previous year. And although she would never admit it out loud, Vanessa was relieved. When they were both little, the two siblings had been inseparable. Eric has been without a doubt Vanessa's best friend, but things changed during her second year at Hogwarts. Eric Wright had fallen in love with Narcissa Black, but if you asked Vanessa it was more of an unhealthy obsession. One thing led to another and in the blink of an eye the Slytherin boy had turned to the dark arts. It put a terrible strain on the sibling's relationship and ever since then, their bond hadn't been the same. The relationship, which had been quite toxic, ended during the start Eric's seventh year and left both parties heartbroken. Unfortunately, by then Eric Wright was in too deep and couldn't get out of the whole he dug.

But it was a new year now. Vanessa was ready to leave all her problems outside the castle walls and ignore the looming war for as long as she could. For now all she needed to worry about was being better than James Potter. So that night she fell asleep with a smile on her face, knowing that by that time tomorrow she would be home again.