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The Bat-Bogey Hex



James had magicked his text book to fly about the Gryffindor common room, using one of the charms they'd been practicing for homework. Peter was clapping as the Charms book flapped it's pages, swooping in circles 'round the chair he sat in. He had yet to master the charm himself, as James, Sirius, and Remus had done now, and as James flicked his wand about, directing the book's movements, Peter screwed up his face in concentration and muttered the spell desperately.

Suddenly the portrait hole burst open behind them. “James Potter!”

James, turning to see why Lily Evans had called his name so angrily, faltered at his spell and the Charms text book fell with a thump and a wail onto Peter Pettigrew's head. “Sorry mate,” he said, cringing. “What's the matter with you?” he asked, returning his attention to Lily.

“What did you do to Severus?” she demanded, brandishing her wand and aiming it at him as she moved toward him speedily. Several people from higher years turned to look, including Derek Bell, who elbowed Bilius Weasley to get his attention as Lily's wand tip pressed into James's chest. “Tell me.”

“Blimey!” James exclaimed, eyes wide, “I – I didn't do a thing to him!” He waved his hand and beat her wand away, forcing it to point elsewhere, “Get that thing off me, Evans, you could do some damage.”

She raised it again. “Afraid I might mess up your hair, are you, Potter?” she snapped, “I know you were antagonizing him again, I saw him after you'd done it.”

Sirius was standing up, “James's been here with us for hours,” he said defensively.

“He has,” confirmed Remus, “We've been studying since lunch.”

Lily's eyes bore into James just the same.

Bilius cleared his throat, “Evans,” he called, “Lower your wand, please.”

Lily reluctantly lowered her wand from James's chest and he let out an exaggerated breath of relief. “There we go, Evans, we both know you don't have the stomach for that sort of thing, really, anyway,” he said, a grin rolling across his mouth. The grin was so arrogant that a wave of anger flushed Lily, the heat bursting from her chest to bloom upon her cheeks, and without even really thinking about it, she waved her wand again, shouting the hex, and a jet of light shot out, hitting James and bowling him over backwards.

“Oi!” Bilius Weasley shouted, leaping up, followed by Derek, and rushing over as Sirius drew his own wand, leaping to his friend's defense. “Expelliarmus!” Bilius shouted and both Sirius and Lily's wands shot from their hands and into his own. Both looked equally surprised by their wand's disappearance. “Enough of that!” he said as he reached them.

James sat up, looking quite surprised as fierce, winged bogeys flew out of his nose, attacking his face, though he waved his hands over his head, trying to get them off him. “Gerrofferme!” he shouted, his voice strangely muffled thanks to the big green blobs fluttering out of his nostrils, “Gerrofferme!”

Remus's eyebrows were raised, impressed with the ferocity with which Lily had managed to attack. A smirking shadow of amusement was hinting it's way across Sirius's face as well, and, in spite of himself, even Bilius couldn't completely keep a straight face. “Incantantum finite,” Bilius said, and the bogeys that had come out of James's face already fell to the floor as though dead. James timidly lowered his hands, the bogeys having stopped coming out of his nose. “Lily,” he scolded, turning to her, “Despite that being an alright hex --”

“Alright?” roared Sirius, “Bloody brilliant is what that was! How'd you learn that one?”

Lily blushed, “Sev taught it to me. Before we came to Hogwarts. He – he said he used it on the bullies, and he wanted me to use it on bullies, too, but… That was the first time --” she was flushed still. “Well, I guess I did use it on a bully,” she added, glowering at James.

“I didn't bully him --” James muttered, frowning.

“Brilliant!” said Sirius, grinning.

“Regardless -” interrupted Bilius, “As a prefect, I've got to tell you that you shouldn't be casting spells like that in the common room!”

James rubbed his nose, “Especially on perfectly innocent victims.”

Bilius grinned and leaned closer, “But as your friend – good one, Evans.” He offered up his hand for a high-five.

“Come on now!” whined James, “She's just made my bogeys into – into vicious… attack… things! And you're high-fiving her?!”

“Serves you right for bullying Severus Snape,” Lily said firmly.

“I told you, Evans, I didn't bully Snape!” James spat, standing up, “I've been here in the common room studying with this lot. I haven't been near Snivelly today!”

Lily looked abashed. “You really haven't? But – then why was he upset?”

“I don't bloody know! Any number of people in this school could've made fun of that greasy-headed git,” James said, annoyed, “Next time you want to hex somebody, maybe confirm first they've done whatever it is you're accusing them of!” He grabbed his book from the floor by Peter's chair and stormed off up the stairs to the dormitory, slamming shut the door behind him.

There was a brief pause as they all stared up the steps after him, and then Sirius turned to Lily. “Evans, you have got to teach me that Hex!”



James was laying on the bed playing with the snitch Sirius had stolen from the locker rooms months ago when the other boys went up stairs just before dinner. He sat up as he caught the little golden ball. They'd all spent the better part of the last hour practicing the Bat Bogey Hex with Lily – even Peter had managed to learn the hex before they were done – and Sirius was a ball of energy, throwing himself on top of James as he came into the room. “You idiot! You missed it, she's taught us all the hex!” he said as he bounced on top of James's legs.

James scowled.

“You have to admit, mate, it was a brilliant bit of magic,” Remus said, seeing James's face.

“Maybe to you,” James replied sourly, “You weren't the one with bogeys trying to attack you!”

Sirius looked up at him from where he lay across the bed, smirking, “Your face, though, when you sat up… you looked so… so perplexed...” he laughed.

“Well you would, too,” James replied, though he couldn't help the hint of a smile from betraying him. “Blimey, she's good.”

Sirius nodded. “Certainly is! She said that was the first time she's actually cast that spell! Bilius said she probably was able to get it off so well because she really felt passionate about hitting you a good one.”

Peter added, “Yeah she must really hate you, James.”

James rolled his eyes, “She can't hate me. Nobody hates me. Not for any good reason.”

“Girls don't need good reasons to hate people,” Sirius pointed out, “They just do. It's what comes natural for them, I suppose.” He sat up and tossed the Charms book he still had in his hands onto his own bed. “Anyways, we came to get you for dinner. I'm starved.”

The boys all walked down to the Great Hall, where James was careful not to get a seat too near to Lily. Not that it was hard to avoid her, as she'd taken a seat at the opposite end of the table with the older girls she'd been hanging out with all year. James looked over and his eyes met with Severus Snape's for just a moment as a Ravenclaw girl leaned over to whisper to her friend. Severus's eyes were narrowed as he stared across the Hall at the Gryffindors, so James narrowed his own eyes back and Severus looked away.

He wondered what had upset Severus that had put him in the state that Lily had witnessed him in.

Up at the staff table, Professor Moody was staring across the Great Hall at the Slytherin table, too, his eyes flickering over each face, coming to rest upon Lucius Malfoy, whose eyes were diverted downward at the table as he lifted his goblet of pumpkin juice. The girl beside him, Narcissa Black if Moody wasn't mistaken on his names, was clinging to Malfoy's arm.

“Do you reckon Moody's found something out about the mirror and that's what had Snape all worked up?” asked James.

“Perhaps,” replied Sirius. He glanced over at the table.

“Can't have, Malfoy hasn't been expelled yet,” injected Remus.

“True,” said James with a frown.

Lily was watching them from her end of the table out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over at Severus to see him glaring back at James and Sirius and her brow furrowed in concern. She'd never seen Severus Snape's face look as cold and hard as it did with his nose and upper lip curled, repulsed by the sight of the two Gryffindor boys… and it concerned her, just how terrible he looked when he didn't realize she could see.