"Incendio!"
As Remus made his move, Peter couldn't wait any longer. He raised his wand and fired a burst of sparks. They streaked fast but veered wide, igniting the dry leaves and grass scattered around James instead.
The flames erupted instantly, licking at James's robes.
"Aguamenti!" Sirius bellowed. A jet of water shot out, dousing the fire in a hiss of steam and leaving James thoroughly soaked.
"Wormtail, you idiot!" Sirius shot him a venomous glare. "What the hell are you doing? Trying to roast Prongs alive?"
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to," Peter stammered, backing away with frantic gestures. "I was just trying to help..."
In his panic, he stumbled into Remus, sending both of them sprawling to the ground in a tangle of limbs. The chaos only grew.
Severus Snape—young and sharp-featured—curled his lip, crouching low like a coiled serpent ready to strike. He flicked a glance at James, then scooped up a clod of dirt and hurled it straight at him.
James dodged with a grimace of disgust, but Snape was already raising his wand. "Expelliarmus!"
A red flash lanced out, catching James mid-step. His wand soared into the air.
Snape snatched it with a casual wave, catching it neatly. A cold laugh escaped him as he eyed James, who ground his teeth in fury. "Feels revolting," Snape drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Like clutching a dead twig. Much like you."
He gripped both ends of the wand, sneering. "Heh... fitting for Tutankhamun."
Sirius scowled, leveling his own wand at Snape. "Drop it. Now."
"You know what Tutankhamun means?" Snape's eyes sparkled with malicious glee as he twisted harder, the wood creaking under the pressure. "Oh, wait—I almost forgot. Lily mentioned it to me. Said you nod off every History of Magic lesson..."
"She's ashamed to be seen with you," he continued, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Thinks you're a blight on Gryffindor. All of you."
James's face burned crimson. He surged forward, fists clenched, ready to throttle Snape even without his wand. Sirius's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, and the others looked ready to pounce.
Peter's head swiveled nervously between his friends and Snape, a flicker of something like envy in his beady eyes.
Remus let out a weary sigh. "Snape, let's call it quits. This is just going to escalate."
But no one moved rashly—Snape had James's wand bent into a precarious arc. They couldn't risk him snapping it for good.
Snape turned his mocking stare on Sirius. "Black, you Muggle-loving runaway. You pride yourself on that, don't you? So why 'Tutankhamun'?"
"I don't know," Sirius growled, his knuckles white around his wand. Sparks crackled from the tip.
"Talk is cheap. No surprise you two flock together." Snape's lip curled. "Tutankhamun—an Egyptian mummy. You've buried yourself in magical history, yet you know zilch about the basics. Perfect for James Potter, isn't it? All flash on the outside, like a golden sarcophagus. But inside? Rotting husk. What's in you, Potter? Just dead leaves and dry grass?"
James was on the verge of exploding when Hagrid's booming voice cut through the tension. "Oi! What're you lot up to?"
Hagrid wasn't alone. A girl with thick, dark red hair and emerald eyes trailed behind him. Vizette felt an odd pang of recognition—those eyes were just like Harry's.
It was Lily Evans, of course.
She scanned James and his friends first, then fixed her gaze on Snape. "Severus, what did they do to you?"
Sirius caught James's desperate glance and stepped in. "Nothing serious. Just a bit of fun."
"Don't go with them," Lily said firmly, spotting the wand in Snape's grip. "Whose is that?"
"Just some reed-stalk rubbish," Snape scoffed, tossing it to the ground. "Come on."
Lily frowned at the discarded wand, then at James's disheveled state. She nodded curtly, saying nothing more, and walked off with Snape.
As they vanished down the path, Hagrid scratched his head. "James, you alright? You're quieter than a mouse. Not like you at all."
"The Silencio will wear off soon," Sirius said with a smirk. "Prongs, how's it feel to get schooled?"
Remus sighed, retrieving his wand. "We can ease it with a general counter-curse." He pointed at James. "Finite Incantatem!"
After a few waves and incantations, James coughed and rasped, "I couldn't even take down Snivellus?"
Hagrid tried to intervene. "James! Dumbledore warned us—no more messing about like this."
James waved him off. "I get it, Hagrid. And call me Prongs from now on!"
He furrowed his brow, musing aloud. "Figures. All that time on the Animagus form, and Snivellus pulls ahead."
"He's got some dark tricks, I'll give him that," Sirius muttered in disgust. "Never heard much about his family, though."
"No clue what kind of bloke he is," Remus added. "But the curses he knew before Hogwarts? More than most seventh-years."
Vizette nodded inwardly—Professor Snape had always been a prodigy in the shadows.
James stared down the path Lily had taken, a wistful sigh escaping him. "If only I could shift to stag form right now and chase that greasy git away from her."
Peter scurried over, picking up James's wand and offering it with both hands. "Prongs... here."
Sirius barked a laugh. "Wormtail, going for sarcasm now? Without a wand, how'd you plan to back that up?"
James rolled his eyes. "We just saw it work. I was going to charge in, transform on the spot, and give him a proper fright."
Sirius clapped slowly, mockingly. "Brilliant strategy. Truly inspired."
…
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