On Saturday, James headed to the Dragon Club to practice and hang out with Gwen. Since the talk they had at the Florean Fortescue ice cream shop, their relationship was much improved.
He also talked to Lupin about his condition, and everything went swimmingly. The other marauders also accepted him. He managed to solve all his problems with his friends, and his training was going well.
His new ability, which was a sort of Wingardium Leviosa, but without a wand and non-verbal, was great. It saved him a lot of time that he would need to spend learning non-verbal magic and then wandless magic.
Everything was going great.
He arrived at the clubhouse and looked for Gwen, but she wasn't in any of the rooms.
'Mm... how strange. We always meet at this time,' James thought. It was weird for Gwen to be late.
"Hey Bob, what about another duel?" asked James, walking towards the Hufflepuff boy.
"Hi James... Sorry, I have to make a potion. See ya!" said Bob with a nervous expression, heading towards the potions room.
"What the...?" muttered James puzzled.
"In all the duels you had with him, he never stood a chance against you. I guess even muggleborns have their pride," said a girl with pale blonde hair and grey eyes.
James turned his head and looked at Narcissa Black more puzzled than before. First, because it was the first time Narcissa had spoken to him. Secondly, she called Bob a muggleborn. Generally, pureblood extremists call them 'mudbloods.'
'Maybe Andromeda managed to make her sister's ideals not so radical,' thought James.
As for what Narcissa was saying it was true. Even though Bob was a fourth-year student he was no challenge for James. Bob was stronger and harder to beat than Rabastan or any of the marauders, but he still wasn't a challenge.
James trained with Fleamont and Henry, some very experienced and powerful duelists. He even took on a doped troll.
However, James didn't humiliate Bob as he did Rabastan. They had serious duels and tried to improve or try new spells. Also, replicating what he did against Rabastan would be harder to do against Bob.
"It's not true. In some duels he gave me a hard time," James commented.
"Put aside that false modesty. Last year in your duel against Rabastan Lestrange, you treated him like dirt. Don't act humble now," Narcissa said in an icy tone.
"Cof... Cof... that was different things. He provoked me. If you'll excuse me," James said as he began to pace. He didn't feel comfortable talking to this cold princess with a sharp tongue.
"Don't you want a practice partner?" asked Narcissa, causing James to stop and look at her again puzzled.
What happened all of a sudden for this girl to talk to him and ask to have a practice with him? Did he miss something? When he joined the Dragon Club it seemed that Narcissa wanted him to be kicked out of her Club as soon as possible.
"We'll just practice. It won't be a serious duel, relax. I'm a fifth-year student, I won't take advantage of a little kid," Narcissa said with a slightly arrogant smile that irritated James.
"Okay, let's go," said James, heading for the dueling room. Erika and Gwen were nowhere to be seen, and Bob turned him away. He needed someone to practice with.
Narcissa was surprised by her actions. She wasn't usually one to talk a lot and invite others to have a practice. Least of all if it was a blood traitor.
But she was curious, very curious about the magical prowess displayed by the Potter heir. Besides, her cousin Sirius, seemed to be this person's best friend from what she had observed him for some time now.
Narcissa watched the duel and how James crushed Rabastan Lestrange. Although Rabastan is not the direct heir, he is still of the Lestrange Family and one of the best of his year.
Then, when James joined the Dragon Club on several occasions she watched James practice with Erika. Then she watched several times as James defeated fourth-year Bob in a formal duel.
Narcissa knew of Bob's origins, but, as hard as it was for her to admit, she knew that he was one of the best fourth-year students since he managed to join the Dragon Club. It was very rare for a second-year student to beat him every time.
What caught her attention the most was that in the duels James had against Bob, she noticed that the Potter boy wasn't giving his full effort. She was curious about what his limit was.
"What charm do you want to practice with?" asked Narcissa, standing in the center of the dueling area. In her delicate right hand, she held her wand.
James looked at Sirius' cousin more closely. She had an aura of royalty about her as if she were an ice princess. Unlike Gwen with whom they had some similarities (hair color, eyes, powerful family), Narcissa displayed a more elegant and refined aura. In contrast, Gwen was more temperamental, capricious, and bossy.
"Mm... With Expelliarmus," said James with an innocent face. Behind that facade, he was grinning mischievously. Expelliarmus was a charm he had mastered so well, that he didn't need any practice.
"Okay. Best out of three?" asked Narcissa, and James nodded with a meek face. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then bowed slightly and braced themselves.
Within three seconds they both exclaimed, "Expelliarmus!" A scarlet flash shot out at incredible speed from James' wand.
Before Narcissa's Expelliarmus could leave her wand, James' spell hit her. The blonde princess's wand went flying upwards.
Narcissa had a distinct expression of surprise as she watched her wand fly and spin through the air until it landed on the ground. What the hell was that speed?
James just used his maximum speed on the spell. It wouldn't be anything fancy to send a person flying when they're just practicing.
'Practice? He already has a perfect mastery of the spell...' thought Narcissa, bending down and picking up her wand again.
In her eyes shone an intense competitive spirit. Her face remained expressionless. She showed no anger towards James, who was talking about practicing a spell he had already mastered.
"One to zero," James said, and Narcissa said nothing, just braced herself. Three seconds passed, and they both shouted again: Expelliarmus!
This time to James' surprise both scarlet flashes collided and cancelled each other out. Narcissa in the previous shot didn't hold back, but now she used all her concentration and reflexes to cast the charm as fast as she could.
'Not fifth for nothing,' thought James, though he only used his speed. If he had added power, his Expelliarmus would have eaten Narcissa's and would have continued on its way to her.
'Tie' said Narcissa, and this time it was James who said nothing.
Narcissa couldn't keep up her speed in the next round, so she lost, and James won the game.
'I lost to a second-year brat...' thought Narcissa, who couldn't believe it. Luckily, there was no one watching the practice. Her snow-white cheeks were slightly flushed. She was the fifth-year Slytherin prefect. How could she lose to a second-year student?
"Now, let's practice with the Jinx Impedimenta," Narcissa said, regaining her composure.
'Impedimenta? Don't practice that spell too much,' thought James.
Impedimenta is a spell that hinders the victim's movement, slowing them down. Rabastan tried to use it against him in the duel they had, but to no avail, as James deflected it with an Aeromanteo.
James didn't practice this charm much as its effect was temporary, lasting on average a few seconds, no matter how skilled you were at casting it. Also, it was ineffective against many creatures that have tough skin or protective armor. If you wanted the Impedimenta to not be rejected on these creatures you had to find weak spots like their bellies or their eyes.
"Fine," nodded James, getting ready for a round again.
This time, he tasted his own medicine. Narcissa had complete mastery of the Impedimenta, and her wand movement was lightning-fast. James as it was not a spell he practiced regularly could not compete against her.
"I win," Narcissa said with a slight smile as she saw James' not-at-all-pleased expression. Her smile quickly disappeared, and her icy expression returned.
James and Narcissa practiced for another hour. They put aside the stupid competition and wasted no time. So far at Hogwarts Narcissa was the second best practice student James had ever had.
She knew a wide range of spells and was very good at dueling. The first was Erika, who was already in her seventh year.
"That's it. I have to go now. Goodbye," said Narcissa, and without wasting a second she gracefully turned around and left the place.
"Bye..." said James, even though Narcissa had already left.
'I didn't get to see all of his abilities... Well, I'll have another few days to practice with him,' Narcissa thought. She hadn't managed to satiate her curiosity about James' actual strength, but she couldn't challenge him to a real duel. She was a fifth year, and a Slytherin prefect saw it as abuse.
James stayed two more hours at the Dragon Clubhouse waiting for Gwen while he read in the library. However, she never arrived.
'She must have been busy,' James thought as he left the Dragon Club. Tomorrow, he would join her.
The next day, Gwen didn't show up at the Dragon Club either. James already thought that was strange. They had arranged with Gwen to meet every Saturday and Sunday at the Dragon Clubhouse and it was odd for her to miss two days in a row. One day, she might have forgotten, but not two anymore. She would have sent him a letter or something. James decided to go out and look for her.