Chapter 172: Leaving the team?
James and Lily's first exam came on Monday after the normal school day had ended. It was held in the same classroom as the third-year transfiguration class, but the room was almost empty compared to this morning.
McGonagall, having only two students to test, took a different approach to make the exam more practical and quicker. She asked them oral questions as they had to demonstrate these transfiguration spells. They did not have a theoretical exam, although this did not make it any easier.
James, in this exam, cast several transfiguration spells: Draconifors: A spell that transforms objects into small dragons. However, it was only a very small transfigured dragon, about the size of a baby, which significantly limited its potential for violence and fire-spewing.
Lapifors: Transforms the target into a rabbit; works best on small targets. James was used to this spell. He had used it to use rabbits in unconventional experiments...
Felifors: is a spell that transforms a cat into a cauldron. James didn't know what the usefulness of this spell was. To be able to make potions by turning your beloved cat into a cauldron?
The last and most difficult in the third year was to transform a teapot into a turtle. If the spell was not performed perfectly, the turtle could exhale steam or have the willowy pattern of the teapot on its shell. It was the transfiguration spell that ended James and Lily's advanced examination.
McGonagall told them right then and there that they had both passed with perfect marks. Lily walked out of the classroom with a big smile. That meant she could now take her fourth-year classes in Transfiguration.
'No, I have to pass the next exam and take the fifth-year classes!' thought Lily with flames in her eyes. She had studied the fourth-year syllabus; she could do it, though it would be harder than the third-year questions and spells, no doubt.
'That was quicker than I thought. That's good,' thought James, who would now have some time to practice a bit. He planned to go to the Room of Requirement.
"See you later," said Lily, saying goodbye with a happy smile. She would tell Jasmine and Khanna the good news.
James said goodbye and watched Lily's back as she walked away. He thought the girl would tell him about going to the library to brush up on fourth-year subjects. He shrugged and started to head for the room of requirements.
The hour is dangerous, and someone might notice the strange door appearing out of nowhere, so James casts a cloaking spell so that the door cannot be seen.
James asked for a large circular room with several magical mannequins in a row and at different distances. The ceiling of the room was high, and the floor was smooth and shiny, almost mirror-like.
'It's not bad to have a change of scenery now and then. Let's see... An hour to practice,' thought James, looking at the time on a clock hanging on a wall.
James positioned himself at a far distance from the dummies, wielded his wand, and took a deep breath.
"Incendio!" exclaimed James in a clear, determined voice. He pointed his wand at the center of the triangle of dummies.
A ball of fire, as large as he had ever conjured, erupted from the tip of his wand. The flame advanced with impressive force and speed, reaching the central dummy in the blink of an eye. But this time, it didn't stop there. The explosion of fire spread rapidly in all directions, engulfing the three dummies in a fiery eruption.
The room was lit with an orange and gold glow, with shadows dancing frantically on the walls as the fire continued its expansion.
'Fascinating,' James thought, watching the crackling embers and rising smoke. An Incendio could reach such a degree of power and destruction.
A spark glowed in his eyes. He had to master the fire to feel that fiery force under his control.
Why did he want to master fire? One of the reasons was to be able to cast the Protego Diabolica. In all this time, he had not even managed to get a spark of black fire out of that spell.
He knew the theory perfectly, but nothing came out of his wand. So he decided to improve his fire elemental spells. Incendio, although at first a basic spell that is only good for lighting candles or fireplaces, if you improve it enough, it can reach such a degree of destruction.
However, James was not happy with his current level. In the Protego Diabolica, you must control fire. Mold it, like drawing a line to protect you or your allies.
It's not just throwing it with great power. You need to have very good control. If you just throw fireballs left and right, it won't improve. Your firepower is already at a good level. Now it's time to move on to control and precision.
'Could I shape fire with my telekinesis...?' James thought but quickly shook his head. That would be cheating and would cause him to not improve in his fire mastery. He would only master it against his will.
After extinguishing the fire with water spells, James performed precision and moving fire control exercises. With much less power than the previous cast. He always used the same incantation: Incendio, but conjuring the jet of flames with different powers.
An hour flies by. James almost stayed thirty minutes longer than he thought he would, but luckily, he saw the time on the clock and left the Room of Requirement for the Great Hall. After so much magic and throwing, he was very hungry.
'I feel like I'm forgetting something...' thought James as he walked down the deserted corridors towards the Great Hall. When he arrived, the place was crowded and noisy, as usual. He didn't remember exactly, so he shrugged and headed for the Gryffindor table.
Before he could reach the table with Lupin and the others, two sturdy hands grabbed him by the wrists.
"James!" shouted Gideon and Fabian, forcing him to sit with them. For some reason, he saw that the entire Gryffindor team was eating dinner together. It was weird since most of them are from different years and usually eat with their friends. Except on match days.
'Oh, I remember... I had training with the team today,' James thought with a slight grimace, seeing the expressions of the whole team. Skipping a training session was serious; he wouldn't be punished, but he might be moved out of his starting position, and in the team, relations would be strained.
"Where have you been, James? Why did you skip practice? It's already the second time you've missed, and we started training a week ago," asked William, the Gryffindor captain and warden.
A week meant three practices, and James had already missed two. His schedule was very tight now that he had two extra subjects in his routine. Plus Dragon Club, Slughorn Club, studying, training, etc.
'I'm sure he was training...' thought Sirius, shaking his head. He already knew all too well of James' obsession with training and studying magic. This was doubled by the ever-growing Death Eater attacks.
Before James could respond and think of a cheap excuse, a lanky brown-haired boy spoke up: "He can't be a starter anymore! It's unacceptable for him to miss two practices in a row we've only had three practices! I demand a vote immediately!"
His name was Mark Petrie. He is a sophomore and less than a week ago, he joined the Gryffindor team as a substitute seeker by trying out. His talent was good, and so was his family background. He came from a family of professional Quidditch players. That was why he dared to try to displace James, despite his reputation.
He wanted to be a starter, not wait until James finished Hogwarts or beat him to the position. He had to live up to his father, who is a current professional player. He doesn't want to be his shadow.
The team members stood in silence, not knowing how to proceed. James was their star seeker. They couldn't put him on the bench. Even though Mark was good, William and the others didn't think he was on James' level.
All the students at the Gryffindor table listened intently to the Quidditch team's conversation. Most of the students either liked Quidditch or liked to make fun of the other houses when their team won and were currently champions.
"I think it's a bit of a hasty decision," said William, breaking the silence. He had a great friendship with James. He visited Potter Manor and believed that James could be the best Gryffindor seeker in history. He wasn't kidding. He saw the data of all the seekers the Lion House had and saw firsthand James' skills. They weren't normal. Three matches, three golden snitch catches. One hundred percent effectiveness.
"No. Mark is right. Missing practice twice is a serious offense," said James, speaking for the first time as a plate of food appeared out of nowhere in front of him. He took the knife and fork and began to calmly cut the meat.
"The best thing is for him to be the lead seeker. What's more, I'll be leaving the team," James said. As he finished, he ate a piece of meat. He noticed the strange silence. He looked up from his plate and noticed the incredulous looks of everyone, even Mark.
Mark, even though he was competitive, didn't want James to leave the team. Last year, when he was first, he cheered for James and came to admire him; now he sees him as a worthy rival.
"WHAT!?" shouted the entire Gryffindor table in unison.
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