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The New Quidditch Captain


The next few days, Sirius Black was really short with Lily Evans. She couldn’t figure out what was the matter with him, but he would glare at her sometimes during regular conversations with this sort of angry twist to his jaw. It was weird, though, because one day when she came down for lunch, she sat on the bench beside James because that was the next spot available and Sirius actually left Remus Lupin’s side to come over and squeeze himself between her and Potter, even though it meant practically sitting on James’s lap. James got annoyed at this, and even asked Sirius what the hell he was going on about, but Sirius only laughed and asked, “Does it bother you, being this close to me, Potter? What do you think, my gayness will rub off on you?”

“At the moment all of you is rubbing on me,” James answered.

Sirius only laughed harder.

Lily had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t really have the patience to ask. Sirius, after all, was not the only one being weird lately. Severus Snape had started being weird again, too. She found him lurking about in the Entrance Hall twice more when going outside to see the stag on the grounds and both times he insisted that she was going to meet James Potter and that she was lying to him about it, which really irritated her. One night, he actually grabbed onto her hand and refused to let her go, even when she struggled to get away.

“You’re acting like I’m cheating on you, Sev, but honestly! Even if I was going with Potter, it wouldn’t have anything to do with you!”

Severus Snape had glowered, “He’s not a good person, Lily. You don’t want to go getting involved with him and Sirius Black. They’re very cruel people. He’ll hurt you.”

“Right now you’re hurting me,” Lily answered, wrenching her wrist out of his grasp.

Lily didn’t notice the whispered stinging charm that cut across Severus’s arm to make him drop her hand that sent him turning and grabbing at the empty air desperately, certain that James was right there.

But the time outside with the stag was worth the struggle it took to get out there. She always felt so much better when she was with him and it was funny because sometimes when she was talking to him, she felt like the honks and nuzzles meant something, as though the stag had a human heart and was communicating with her. She felt positively insane, and there were many days that she sat doodling deer on her notes that she would catch herself wondering what the stag would say about this or that and she’d realize how insane it was to expect a deer to talk. She would scribble out the drawings quickly and convince herself that she wasn’t going to go out to see the stag anymore.

But she always ended up out there again.

“I dunno what it is about you,” she said quietly one night as the stag was giving her deer kisses, nuzzling his leathery nose against the side of her face by her ear, honking in a way as though he were laughing and his eyes glowed brightly, “Sometimes I forget that you aren’t a person.” She stared into one of his great big eyes and ran her palm across his snout, smiling up at him.

Merlin, how she wished he was a person.

Lily trusted nobody else with the secrets of her heart, nobody except that stag.

“Miss. Evans,” McGonagall’s voice broke through her daydream of the stag… and she looked up to find Minerva McGonagall staring down at her with raised eyebrows and a stern mouth. “Sleeping is best to be done in your bed at night, and not in class.” Across the room, Sirius and James snickered. “I recommend you stay awake, we’re covering important information that will be on your O.W.L.s for certain…” and with that, McGonagall turned and continued walking about the desks, talking and flicking her wand to change the slides projected on the front of the room depicting a horse being transfigured into a motor-car.




That afternoon in the common room of Gryffindor tower, there was a buzz of excitement as Andy Woodhouse took the help of Carly Shaw to hang up an announcement on the bulletin board by the portrait hole. People scrambled about to see it. It was the announcement of the new quidditch team captain.

James and Frank were both sitting by the fire when he posted it and they looked at each other and James hurriedly said, “Good luck, Frank.”

“Good luck, James,” Frank answered, and they shook hands and both got up and walked together over to the board, pushing between the short little first and second years that had gathered about it.

They were nearly to the board when the suspense was ended when Vivian Warshaw took hold of James’s hand, tugging to get him to look at her, and she said shyly, “Congratulations, James Potter.” She flushed quite pink around the face, “I’m so very happy for you.”

“For me?” James asked, then he looked up at the bulletin board and his heart very nearly stopped because Frank Longbottom was slapping him on the back and shouting good on you, James! Suddenly James felt very dizzy - but in a good way - as the whole common room spun about him and he stumbled backward, all the Gryffindors already gathered about him sort of a colourful blur of robes and jumpers and shouting of congratulations.

“Good one James,” said Sirius warmly, catching him up into a boy-hug just before James would’ve tripped over Oliver Kent. “Steady there, mate, you needn’t be crushing the ickle beans. They squash easy, you know.”

Oliver turned red, “Congratulations, Mr. Potter,” he stammered and then he scurried away.

“Mr. Potter! Merlin’s beard, you’d think you’d made headmaster or something the way they’re treating you,” said Remus, laughing.

“Good job, James, I knew it’d be you,” Peter said proudly, staring up at James with wide, admiring eyes. James smiled and squeezed Peter’s shoulder, and Remus clapped him on the back.




James got a badge of gold - a great shield with the Gryffindor lion upon it and the words Team Captain round the top and bottom and he pinned it to his chest, even when he wasn’t doing anything to do with Quidditch, and made a habit of polishing it even more than Remus had done with his shiny Prefects badge.

He got oodles of congratulations from all the students - students from every house except Slytherin would come up and congratulate him in the hall. He felt a bit famous and his face flushed with excitement as he strut down the halls, his chest thrown out to make sure everyone spotted his lovely badge.

The best was when he got a howler from Charlus - the only good howler he’d ever received in his life. It was Charlus shouting excitedly -- “MY SON!!! QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN!!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! JAMSIE I AM SO BLOODY PROUD OF YOU, YOU HAVEN’T ANY IDEA! BLOODY HELL! CAPTAIN!!!” -- and James laughed as he unwrapped a package from Dora that included a brand new pair of quidditch goggles, and loads of homemade butterbeer lollipops that he quickly shared ‘round the table.

It was the third day after the announcement had been made when there was an announcement that the first Hogsmeade Weekend of the year was coming up the last weekend of October, and James decided that he would ask Lily Evans to go with him. He pictured her reluctantly agreeing - because nobody could say no to the quidditch team captain, not even Lily Evans - and then, when he’d got her in the Three Broomsticks and they were sitting opposite each other drinking warm butterbeers, then he’d tell her about the stag and she’d be thrilled. And they’d kiss. He pictured her having foam on her face from the butterbeer and he’d lean over and wipe it with his thumb and then kiss her lip right on the corner and she’d kiss him back and then they’d be snogging like mad and ---

“This is a really shoddy idea, James,” Sirius said, “You shouldn’t do it. Lily Evans doesn’t deserve you as a stag if she doesn’t want you as James.”

“But she’ll want me as James if she knows I’m the stag,” James reasoned.

“So what if she does? It isn’t right. She needs to love you for you, not for your antlers!” Sirius said hotly.

Remus looked over, “Yes, the way that I love Sirius for Sirius and not for his wagging tail.”

“He looks better as a dog,” James said.

“Sod off, Potter,” Sirius said.

“Better temperament, too,” James said, “Oi, Sirius, you ever considered making the change permanent? Much more pleasant.”

Sirius made a rude gesture. “You’re not amusing, Potter.”

“He is a little,” Remus smirked down at his textbook.

“See who doesn’t get snogged tonight,” Sirius said.

Remus looked up, “Not funny at all James, you should really be more respectful to your elders. Turns sixteen next month, he does. Practically geriatric.”

“I am ancient! Bloody hell,” Sirius said and the topic went off course from there until none of them even remembered that James was planning to proposition Lily Evans for a date to the Hogsmeade Weekend. Except James, of course, because his palms were already sweating at the thought of it.




The next morning before Potions, James caught up with Lily on the stairs. “Oi. Evans, wait up. I need to talk with you.” He pranced after her quickly, wiping the Team Captain badge on his chest with his sleeve to make sure it was really super shiny before approaching her.

“What is it, Potter?” she asked over her shoulder, only just barely slowing down for him. She was short, but she walked quickly and even his long gait had to speed up to keep alongside her. He usually walked at a lazy pace, so he felt like he was trotting beside her, but that was alright. He took a couple extra quick steps and came ‘round the front of her, walking backwards on the stairs. “You’re going to trip and fall on your arse,” she warned.

“I won’t even,” he answered, “I’m very good at walking backwards, Evans. I’m quite talented, really.”

“Right.” She hugged her books closer and he slowed down, forcing her to slow down as he was in her way, and she paused. “Potter. What do you want?”

“To talk to you, I said.”

“Then talk. Walk and talk. Can’t you do that?”

“It’s one of my talents, yes.”

“Brilliant. Give it a go.”

He started walking again, but still slower than before. She looked disgruntled, like she preferred to run to classes. “Hogsmeade’s next weekend,” he said.

“Yes, it is.”

“Are you excited?”

She shrugged, “It’ll be cold.”

James cleared his throat, “You could borrow my jumper if you like.”

“Why would I want to borrow your jumper?” she asked, giving him a funny look.

James realized he’d forgotten the part where he actually asked her and just started mentioning perks. “Well, I meant if you go with me to Hogsmeade that you could borrow my jumper. Keeps you warm. Nice jumper, my jumper. My mum made it. Nice… and… er, well it’s wool and… maroon.” He stared at her.

Lily raised an eyebrow, “I have jumpers, thanks, I’ll wear one of my own.”

“Well that’s alright. I can still buy you a butterbeer… if you like. A warm one. Or a toffee if you prefer. Or a licorice wand. Or… raspberry cauldrons, you like them, don’t you? I’ll buy you anything you like. I’ve got loads of galleons.”

“Potter, will you stop it?”

“Stop what?”

“This. Whatever it is you’re doing,” she answered.

“Talking to you?”

“Precisely.” Lily stepped around him at the foot of the stairs leading to the Great Hall and started for the dungeon steps. James looked up at Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who were coming down the staircase behind him and Sirius shook his head, but James wasn’t about to give up. He dove forward, stumbling on a bit of the flagstone floor, launching himself ‘round between Lily and the steps that led into the dungeons. “Potter! Bloody hell!” Lily bounced off his chest as she walked into him and dropped her books all over the place.

“Sorry.” James scrambled to pick them up.

Lily growled in frustration and started grabbing at her books, too, snatching the one James held away. “Thank you,” she said, though she sounded more annoyed than grateful.

“Please go to Hogsmeade with me,” he said.

“Potter, I have other plans, alright?” she said, shaking her head, still grabbing her books.

“Not with the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain,” James said with a haughty grin, “Heard the new one’s rather brilliant.” His eyes flashed.

Behind them, Sirius smacked his forehead.

Lily rolled her eyes.

“C’mon, Evans. You know you want to go with the Team Captain. Everyone wants to be with the Captain… and I happen to be the Captain.”

“Ferfuckssakes, Potter,” muttered Sirius.

“Holy ego,” whispered Remus.

Peter just shook his head.

James stared up at Lily as she stood up. “C’mon Evans,” he said, and he stood up too, her eyes following him as he ran a hand through his messy hair, making it look even more windswept than it already had been, and he grinned, his lip hanging up on his tooth. “You know it’s inevitable, don’t you? Prettiest witch in our year… Captain of the Quidditch Team… the story writes itself, really.”

Lily shook her head, “Potter. No. Bugger off and leave me alone.”

“But I’m the Captain!”

“Stop saying the word Captain - bloody hell, you’re a broken record! Honestly!!!”

“But --”

“And really it shouldn’t have even been you, Potter. I told Andy he should pick Frank because Frank actually earned the title! Working every bloody day with those first years out on the pitch. He chose you anyway. I don’t understand it, I mean why ask me to report back to him anyway if he wasn’t going to heed my advice and --”

“It was you that was telling Andy which of us to pick?” James asked in surprise.

Lily rolled her eyes, “Merlin’s beard, are you the one that’s blind or is it Andy? Of course it was me! Nobody else watched the flying lessons, did they?”

James felt stupid.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter who it was because he didn’t listen, he picked you regardless o what I told him.”

“What you told him?”

“Yes! I told him you’d be a shoddy Captain, your ego’s too big. You’re not a nurturing person, you only have one concern - yourself - and that’s not what makes a team. There’s no I in team, Potter.”

“I --”

“And now you’re gloating about, like you worked so ruddy hard to get that stupid shiny badge on your chest, but really you got bloody lucky because Andy made a poor choice. That’s all you are, a poor choice with a big ego.”

James stared at her. He felt like he’d just been slapped around the head quite violently and his nose flared as he held back the urge to cry like a little kid. He didn’t say another word - he just turned and he left, shoving by Sirius and the other two and running back up the stairs, plowing through a good number of students that were clustered at the top.

“Potter - I --” Lily tried, but he didn’t hear her, she sighed.

Remus stared at her a long moment, then turned to the stairs and went after James wordlessly as Peter and Sirius stood there before her, sort of in shock.

“How could you say that to him?” Peter asked, “James is the best person I know!”

Lily looked abashed, “I didn’t --”

But before she could say I didn’t mean it, Sirius stepped forward and said, very angrily, “You know, Evans, for somebody that’s always on about what bullies we are and how terrible we are, perhaps you ought to have yourself a look in a fucking mirror sometime!”

“What? Are you mad? I’m not -- I -- I mean it’s James Potter, somebody’s got to deflate his ego now and then!” she said, but even as she said it she knew she’d done much more than deflate a boy’s ego just now. That hadn’t been the face of a deflated ego. That had been the face of a broken spirit.

She felt horrid.

“You have no fucking idea what he’s really like, Evans. No idea what really goes through his head, what he bloody does for other people! You have no idea! And if you had even an inkling --” Sirius was snarling.

Lily cut him off, “ENLIGHTEN ME, THEN!”

Sirius replied, “Did it ever occur to you that maybe he talks big because he feels small?”

Lily swallowed the lump that rose up in her throat.

“That maybe he thinks you hate him, so he tries desperately to show you he’s worthy of your attention? That he isn’t so much full of himself as he is insecure?”

“No I - I didn’t think --”

“That’s bloody right. You didn’t fucking think. You never fucking think about him. About his feelings. Well sod off, Evans. You’ve broken his heart with your bullying. Maybe think nexttime, you bloody bully.” And he turned on his heels, storming off up the stairs after Remus and James.

Peter stood there awkwardly a moment as tears pooled in Lily’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Peter said, “I’m not the one you ought to apologize to, Evans,” and he turned and scampered off, too.