Chapter One James, the arrogant loser His long, greasy hair hung over his eyes as he scribbled answers on his parchment before class. Severus Snape was fifteen and was studying furiously for his O.W.L. exams that were coming at the end of the year, while fighting off the Impediment Charm cast by James Potter; his mortal enemy. James’s friends Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew watched with bored looks from the beech tree by the lake. The sky was grey and Sirius was dangerously bored to death. “Say James, why don’t we go back inside and hex someone besides that—Snivellus—for a change, eh?” Sirius lay back on the grass while Lupin read his copy of Werewolves through History. “Lupin, I can’t believe you even have to study for your Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L. They’re just going to ask questions like ‘Name five properties of a werewolf’.” Lupin’s ears perked up when faced with anything that could help test him on his O.W.L.’s. “Okay,” He began in a carefree voice, “One: His sitting on my chair. Two: He’s wearing my clothes. Three: His name is Remus Lupin.” “Oh,” Peter Pettigrew sneaked back over to Sirius and Lupin. “I only got two of those. I couldn’t remember any more.” Lupin and Sirius ignored him completely and turned back to James, who was staring beyond a group of giggling girls to a girl sitting on the wall. She was crouched over her Defense against the Dark Arts homework, pushing her long dark red hair out of her eyes. “Oh, looks like another Ogle Alert, James!” Sirius whispered into James’s ear as he stared blankly towards the pretty girl. “Evans, come over here now!” Lupin called to Lily Evans James felt a prickle of fear run down his spine. Lily was coming over here? What was he going to do? James rumpled his hair so that it looked as if he had just jumped off his broom and smiled widely as Lily approached, he red hair gleaming in the sunlight. He pulled out his wand and tried to show off, playing with a Golden Snitch that he’d nicked from the Quidditch supply cupboard. As Lily grew closer, however, he completely lost his cool and his grip loosened, causing the Snitch to flutter wildly out of his hands and into the air, finally landing in a third year’s tea. “Looks like Potter can’t even spend a minute without showing off!" "Oh darn."