Rise Up, Oh Heart, For There is Another Battle to Win

captofthesswolfstar:

marauders4evr:

Every now and then, the Marauders fandom gets upset that James was chosen to be a Head Boy when he wasn’t a Prefect.

But of course he was.

It started in the autumn of his fifth year. The fifteen-year-old marched through the corridors, feeling rather important, a badge pinned to his robes.

Filch caught him within the first five minutes. To be fair, James hadn’t tried to run. (If he had, he would have gotten away). He had no reason to. Still, the caretaker grumbled threats of torture as he dragged the Chaser to Professor McGonagall’s office.

“Pretending to be a Prefect,” Filch snarled.

“I’m not pretending you old—” James eventually broke off as he realized that there was no use shouting at the lump of clay that was the caretaker. And so, he turned to Professor McGonagall and said, “I’m a temporary Prefect for the night.”

“Are you?” she asked, with a flicker of amusement. “I don’t seem to recall appointing you as such.”

“You know, Sirius’ brother told me something interesting the other day,” James said. “Did you know that if you looked at the night sky, you could see a star that represents them both? Isn’t that strange. Look for yourself, Professor.”

And she glanced out the window and saw the stars in question. Right next to the nearly full moon. Her face gave away nothing, but she curtly dismissed the caretaker, who seemed surprised if not furious.

“Surely you want me to stay to deliver the punishment?” Filch asked.

“There will be no punishment,” Professor McGonagall said curtly. “You caught a Prefect out of bed. That’s not exactly against the rules, is it?”

James could have hugged her.

As soon as the caretaker was gone, she pushed the tin of biscuits towards James. It didn’t even need saying at this point. He grinned and took his favorite kind. She always had them.

“I didn’t even think…” she whispered. “It’s not full for another three days.”

“I know,” said James. “But he’s really sick this time.”

“He should have told me,” she said. “I would have given him the time off.”

“Yeah, well,” James shrugged. “You know Remus.”

She smiled; she did indeed.

“Did he brief you on your responsibilities?” the professor asked.

“If by ‘briefed’ you mean ‘went into a three-hour lecture on what I should or should not do’ then yeah.”

“You know that I can’t make this official,” Professor McGonagall said. “People would talk.”

“Nah, I know,” James said. 

“You can’t brag about this.”

“I know.”

“You can’t abuse your privileges.”

“I know.”

“Take another biscuit.”

He grinned and did so.

“I believe you have work to do,” she said.

James gave her a mock salute and marched away. He performed Remus’ duties all night, never once abusing the power, knowing that doing so would tarnish Remus’ reputation. He performed them the next two nights as well and told a very skeptical Professor McGonagall that he was sick on the night of the full moon. (”Oh dear,” she said. “I hope your illness stagnates.”)

Truth be told, James was a Prefect almost as much as Remus was.

They were some of the only times in his term at Hogwarts that he solemnly swore that he wasn’t up to no good.

IM MAKING THIS CANON! I declare it canon!!! So be it!!! @asktheboywholived

(via windbladess)

herhmione:

i am literally 100% sure that ultimately it was lily who asked james out like

• james is matured and he’s like “okay you’re gonna ruin it all if you ask her out”
  
• because they’re friends
• honest to god friends
• who actually talk and laugh and have meaningful conversations and honestly james doesn’t think he could handle it if he messed everything up
• so he just kinda sits there in love with her
• so in love
• and lily’s over here like “i so do not love him”
• “no really marlene we’re friends i don’t love him”
  
• “okay yeah he smells really nice and i really love that thing he does with his hands when he’s thinking and it’s really really cute when he runs his fingers through his hair and have you seen the way his ass looks in those quidditch robes”
  
• “but i do not love him”
  
• and marlene’s like “you’re a fucking idiot”
• and james decides that he has to at least try to move on so he starts dating amelia boot
• and lily can’t figure out why it bothers her so much but she avoids them at literally all costs and she just can’t see them together and she sort of feels like she’s going to throw up and god fucking damn it she loves him
• “don’t say i told you so marlene, you bitch”
  
• “i soooo told you so”
  
• but now james is with amelia and it’s too late and lily doesn’t know what to do
• so she just kind of sucks it up and tries to hang out with him except it’s so hard because she really really wants to kiss him
• (his lips look really soft)
• but she can’t and it’s killing her and she kind of thinks amelia hates her?? or, at least, she sends her dirty looks from across the table
• and james can’t figure out why amelia doesn’t like lily because everyone likes lily until one day amelia sits him down and asks him to stop talking to her
• “you’re still in love with her, james, and you’ll only get over it if you stop talking to her”
  
• james doesn’t think that’s physically possible
• so they break up and sirius gives him a knowing look but james keeps quiet about the reason because the last thing he needs is for lily to find out that he still loves her
• lily is ecstatic
• “i think it’s kind of awful that you’re this happy about your friend breaking  up with his girfriend”
  
• “shut up mary”
  
• but they’re at the three broomsticks a month later and it’s just the two of them and they’re waiting for the usual bunch and lily decides she’s going to do it
• she has to because she can’t live like this for the rest of her life. she can’t let james potter slip away
• “do you love me?”
  
• and oh shit it comes out so wrong that was not what she wanted to say not at all she was going to invite him to get butterbeer later and oh god her cheeks are turning the color of her hair and she thinks she’s going to sink into the chair
• james thinks he might be dying
• “do i what?”
  
• lily’s already fucked it up this much, she might as well keep going
• “do you love me? because i do. love you, i mean.”
  
• and then she stares at her hands and waits
• and waits
• and waits
• and then she looks up because what is taking the asshole so long to reply?
• he’s just grinning at her. smiling, as if she’s just told him he’s won a million galleons or signed to play with the chudley cannons
• “yeah, yeah i reckon i’ve loved you this whole time”
  
• “pay up, moony. i told you she’d be the one to confess first”
  
• “god damn it sirius”
  

(via ailleee)

nearlyheadlessfinnick:

I just imagined Sirius being called out to sorting and the hat getting ready to shout SLYTHERIN! almost before even touching one of Sirius’ hair - just like it has done for every Black and Malfoy for centuries- and then suddenly all he hears is this eleven year old thinking “Don’t you fucking dare”

And the Hat is like.

“Well.  That’s a ballsy move if I ever saw one.  Your family’s going to murder you.”

“I don’t care,” Sirius mutters under his breath.

“Well, if you’re sure…better be GRYFFINDOR.”

The Hall is dead silent as this skinny little eleven year old marches to the Gryffindor table and sits his ass down.

There’s muttering at the Slytherin table about it having been some kind of mistake.  At the Gryffindor table too.  McGonagall gets the Sorting back under way, and people are a lot less interested in who’s under the Hat now–everyone knows about the Ancient and Noble House of Black by their second year, and the batch of confused first year Muggleborns is being educated rapidly by their pureblood and halfblood peers.

James Potter goes up–there’ve been two more boys Sorted into Gryffindor, three girls, and the Lions barely remembered to cheer–and to the shock of absolutely no one, gets Sorted into the House of the brave as soon as the Hat touches his head, just like the rest of his family.  It’s the first thing that’s really gone to plan so far.

He hands the Hat back to McGonagall and proves his Sorting almost at once when he sits down next to Sirius and raises his voice to be heard over the resumed Sorting when he says, “So you got Gryffindor just like you wanted, that’s great!  Ignore those tossers,” he continues with a broad gesture to the Slytherin table, where almost Sirius’ entire family is glaring at the pair of them, “they’re just sour.”

“No shouting during the Sorting, Mister Poter,” McGonagall says.

“Yes, Professor,” James says, and immediately turns back to Sirius.

Sirius lets James needle him into a grin, and James scowls pointedly at the rest of Gryffindor House when Sirius’ back is turned, dragging the other boys from their year into the conversation as soon as food is placed out.  

McGonagall feels what a more superstitious woman would call a premonition of doom.

(via lilypcttr)

herhmione:

i am literally 100% sure that ultimately it was lily who asked james out like

• james is matured and he’s like “okay you’re gonna ruin it all if you ask her out”
  
• because they’re friends
• honest to god friends
• who actually talk and laugh and have meaningful conversations and honestly james doesn’t think he could handle it if he messed everything up
• so he just kinda sits there in love with her
• so in love
• and lily’s over here like “i so do not love him”
• “no really marlene we’re friends i don’t love him”
  
• “okay yeah he smells really nice and i really love that thing he does with his hands when he’s thinking and it’s really really cute when he runs his fingers through his hair and have you seen the way his ass looks in those quidditch robes”
  
• “but i do not love him”
  
• and marlene’s like “you’re a fucking idiot”
• and james decides that he has to at least try to move on so he starts dating amelia boot
• and lily can’t figure out why it bothers her so much but she avoids them at literally all costs and she just can’t see them together and she sort of feels like she’s going to throw up and god fucking damn it she loves him
• “don’t say i told you so marlene, you bitch”
  
• “i soooo told you so”
  
• but now james is with amelia and it’s too late and lily doesn’t know what to do
• so she just kind of sucks it up and tries to hang out with him except it’s so hard because she really really wants to kiss him
• (his lips look really soft)
• but she can’t and it’s killing her and she kind of thinks amelia hates her?? or, at least, she sends her dirty looks from across the table
• and james can’t figure out why amelia doesn’t like lily because everyone likes lily until one day amelia sits him down and asks him to stop talking to her
• “you’re still in love with her, james, and you’ll only get over it if you stop talking to her”
  
• james doesn’t think that’s physically possible
• so they break up and sirius gives him a knowing look but james keeps quiet about the reason because the last thing he needs is for lily to find out that he still loves her
• lily is ecstatic
• “i think it’s kind of awful that you’re this happy about your friend breaking  up with his girfriend”
  
• “shut up mary”
  
• but they’re at the three broomsticks a month later and it’s just the two of them and they’re waiting for the usual bunch and lily decides she’s going to do it
• she has to because she can’t live like this for the rest of her life. she can’t let james potter slip away
• “do you love me?”
  
• and oh shit it comes out so wrong that was not what she wanted to say not at all she was going to invite him to get butterbeer later and oh god her cheeks are turning the color of her hair and she thinks she’s going to sink into the chair
• james thinks he might be dying
• “do i what?”
  
• lily’s already fucked it up this much, she might as well keep going
• “do you love me? because i do. love you, i mean.”
  
• and then she stares at her hands and waits
• and waits
• and waits
• and then she looks up because what is taking the asshole so long to reply?
• he’s just grinning at her. smiling, as if she’s just told him he’s won a million galleons or signed to play with the chudley cannons
• “yeah, yeah i reckon i’ve loved you this whole time”
  
• “pay up, moony. i told you she’d be the one to confess first”
  
• “god damn it sirius”
  

(via cthulhu-with-a-fez)

lizardcookie:

okay but imagine a sixth year lily evans doing research for her muggle studies class (”i want to know what hogwarts is teaching about my people” is what she tells the confused) and she comes across the name henry potter, who championed muggle rights during a muggle world war and she pauses at the name and knows that it can only mean one thing, but she asks him anyway

and james is just like “yeah he’s my grandfather. rad, isn’t it? i want to be just like him” and he smiles and asks what else she found about about henry and the whole time lily is like “shit shit shit SHIT hes perfect”

(via cthulhu-with-a-fez)

poseidhn:

goldentruth813:

27snowflakes:

rowena-on-broadway:

pynki:

pumpkingspicedpotter:

i-am-frillyknickers:

pumpkingspicedpotter:

somethingvaguetodo:

pumpkingspicedpotter:

Okay but what if all of the potions edits in Snape’s old textbook were just things he overheard James say in potions class because “no Padfoot you crush the bean! Cutting it doesn’t do anything! Trust me my dad told me”

But I love this because then when Harry always talks about how the prince is a much better teacher than Snape he would actually be learning from his father and grandfather…

I’m not crying
My eyes are just glistening with the ghost of my past

Based on what I’ve read on Pottermore, that’s basically 100% accurate cause James’ dad created a ton of potions (like Skele-Gro and the hair potion Hermione uses for the Yule Ball) and got super rich and that’s why James never had a job and left Harry tons of money. James would have handy potions making knowledge of that sort.

That’s exactly what I meant

A lot of people took this to mean that James was the one who was really good at potions and it was his favorite subject but all I meant was that he was probably very knowledgable about potions and couldn’t help giving his friends advice that Snape probably overheard

Like my dad is a doctor and although science may not be my thing I’m still probably more knowledgable than the average person especially with all of the lowkey medical work I’ve done over the years

OMG OMG OMG!

Ok, ok ok,

You know that joke that went around about “Why didn’t Harry recognize The Prince’s handwriting when he’d been staring at it on the board for 6 years?”

What if that was because it was James’s handwriting? He wrote the notes and Snape stole the book from James as a “Haha, fuck you, lets see how well you do without your cheat sheets” Then writing ”This book belongs to the half blood Prince.” to gloat that he took something from James Potter.

James is the only one we see use Levicorpus besides Harry.

I know that means James created sectumsempra, but still, it was a time of war and death eaters, maybe he created it as a last resort thing.

New head cannon

It actually makes more sense that James would have notated Sectumsempra “for enemies” because what would Snape care? If he wrote it, he would know what it does. Maybe James even overheard it or saw it used and wanted to warn himself in case he ever remembered the word but not the context and what would happen.

THIS THIS THIS OMG THIS @icanhelpyouthere @mangoapplepie @lycanthropuns THIS (also cry with me because harry wouldn’t know what james’ handwriting looked like)

That’s ok I’ll just cry myself to sleep tonight.

And it makes sense for Snape to want to get much better at Potions. Lily was repeatedly said to be the star of the class by Slughorn, and Snape must have wanted to impress her just to have something in common to talk to her because let’s be real, they deviated from each other when he started hanging with the dark magic practitioners. And who better to cheat off from than James Potter, the guy who’s like his archnemesis?

(Source: marisaauntmay, via cthulhu-with-a-fez)

Anonymous asked: I just went to deathtocapslock and I'm reading sistermagpie's ridic reread and I'm boggling at this. "Lupin continues to impress me with how smoothly he polishes up the story dishonestly on the fly. (Seriously, I love Lupin.)... he adds that James pulled Snape back from the tunnel at “great risk to his own life.” Except James is an animagus, as we’ve already learned, and werewolves are only dangerous to people." Is she suggesting that James saved Snape as an Animagus? Wow. The illogic is scary.

lupinatic:

If Snape had seen James transform into a stag to save him, I find it very difficult to believe that he wouldn’t have told anyone. He’d certainly have told Dumbledore at the very least. And if Dumbledore had known that James was an Animagus prior to the end of POA (I’m assuming that he had a conversation with Sirius while Harry was unconscious), people would have been a lot more careful come POA to keep Sirius out of Hogwarts, because it was known that James and Sirius were inseperable (though many would still not think to include Peter) and that Sirius was likely one as well. And since we know from POA itself that Snape will drop hints and try to find ways to tell people something about someone he dislikes even if he’s been told to keep that a secret, I find it unlikely that Snape would have never dropped any stag hints to Harry in those first three years if he’d known and Harry didn’t.

The simple fact of the matter is that a certain segment of Snape fans will shit relentlessly on James, jeering at the idea that he matured and changed from his bad teen behaviour and stopped being a bully, preferring to think that Lily was just too gullible and stupid to know James’ true self (or else selfish enough to not care because he’s rich). They sneer at the idea that James spent three years working his ass off to become an Animagus for Remus, because somehow that counts as a selfish act, not a brave compassionate one. They discount that he saved the life of someone he hated because oh, he wasn’t really putting himself at risk, and anyway he didn’t do it for the sake of the person he hated (who he also bullied, did we mention that?), he did it for the sake of someone he liked so it just doesn’t count. And any character who says anything that contradicts that view of James (no matter how well they knew James and the sort of things he’d be likely to do) must be ‘polishing up the story dishonestly on the fly’. 

And okay, fine, they’re free to say so. But then they seem really confused and even genuinely hurt as to why people apply those exact arguments to Snape. They’re bewildered that anyone would even dream of pointing out that Snape’s adult behaviour involved bullying others and that there’s not much to admire there, because to some of them Snape wasn’t a bully at all. They can’t get why people aren’t swooning over Snape risking his life to save Harry for Lily’s sake (which suddenly becomes admirable and romantic as fuck) by… sitting on his bum and staring at Harry and his broomstick really really hard while mumbling under his breath, because gosh, such a risk he was taking! His clothes caught on fire, doncha know? Also, Hermione is bad for daring to set said fire in an attempt to save Harry’s life, because she should have somehow assumed that Snape was trying to save the life of a kid he hated and bullied (and continued to bully afterwards). But Snape is totally kosher in thinking that James was in on the attempt to get him killed, because he’d been bullying Snape and continued to do so afterwards.

The double standards, they burn.