"Incendio!"
Seeing Moony step in, the short, round boy couldn't wait any longer—he whipped out his wand and fired off a stream of sparks.
The sparks shot out fast, but his aim was off. Instead of hitting his target, they set the dry leaves and grass around James ablaze in an instant. Flames erupted, licking at the ground near his feet.
"Aguamenti!"
Padfoot barked the spell, sending a jet of water that doused the burning leaves—and thoroughly soaked James's robes.
"Wormtail! You idiot!" he snarled, shooting the short boy a murderous glare. "What, you trying to kill Prongs?"
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to... really..." Wormtail stammered, panicking, his wand trembling in his hand. He backed away, hands flailing as he tried to explain. "I just wanted to help..."
But Wormtail was so flustered that he tripped right into Moony, sending them both sprawling to the ground. The chaos only grew.
Young Snape curled his lip, crouching low and narrowing his eyes—he looked every bit the venomous snake, ready to strike.
He glanced at James, then snatched up a handful of mud from the ground and hurled it straight at him.
As James recoiled in disgust, dodging to the side, young Snape raised his wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
A flash of red light hit James dead-on, just as he tried to evade. His wand flew high into the air.
With a casual flick, young Snape caught the wand, his grip light but sure.
He gave James a cold, mocking smile, voice dripping with scorn. "What a disgusting feel—like holding a dead branch. Fits you perfectly."
He gripped both ends of James's wand, his face twisted with distaste.
"Heh... Makes sense, Tutankhamun. That's exactly what you are."
Padfoot scowled, raising his wand and aiming it at Snape from a distance. "Put the wand down!"
"Do you even know what Tutankhamun is?" Snape's eyes glittered with cruel delight as he flexed his hands, the wand creaking ominously.
"Oh, right! Almost forgot—Lily told me you always sleep through History of Magic, head on the desk, snoring away..."
"She's ashamed to be seen with you! Thinks you're a parasite in Gryffindor..." His gaze swept over all four boys. "Correction—she thinks you're all parasites in Gryffindor."
James gritted his teeth, face flushed an angry red. He looked ready to charge at Snape—spell or no spell, he could still throw a punch.
Padfoot and the others looked just as grim. Padfoot's eyes narrowed dangerously, a glint of threat flashing in them.
Wormtail's head snapped back and forth between the two sides, as if searching for some sign of approval or maybe just a way out.
Moony let out a long sigh. "Snape, why not just let it go? Nothing good will come of this..."
Still, none of them dared make a move—Snape was bending the wand, and nobody wanted to risk him actually snapping it.
James took a single step forward, and Snape bent the wand into a shallow arc.
No one wanted to gamble that he wouldn't break it.
Snape turned to Padfoot. "Black the fugitive, aren't you always bragging about how much you know and love Muggles? Then tell me—why do I call him 'Tutankhamun'?"
"I... I don't know..." At the nickname, Padfoot's face darkened, his grip on his wand tightening until sparks flew from the tip.
"All talk, no substance. No wonder you two get along so well." Snape sneered. "'Tutankhamun'—he's an Egyptian mummy..."
"You studied this in History of Magic, yet you know nothing. Don't you think it's fitting? James Potter—so dazzling, always causing trouble..."
"Just like Tutankhamun: gold on the outside, but inside? Just a rotting corpse... Potter, what's inside you? Dead leaves and dust?"
Just as James looked ready to explode, a booming voice rang out—Hagrid had arrived. "What're you lot doing here?"
He wasn't alone—a red-haired girl had appeared at his side.
She had a thick mane of deep red hair and eyes like emeralds.
Those eyes looked so familiar to Wyzett—Harry had the very same shade.
It was obvious: this was Lily.
Lily cast a quick glance at James and his friends, then fixed her gaze on young Snape. "Severus, what did they do to you?"
Padfoot caught James's pleading look and stepped forward. "Just messing around, that's all."
"Don't hang around with them!" Lily snapped, eyeing the wand in Snape's hand. "Whose wand is that?"
"Just a bundle of dead grass," Snape sneered, tossing the wand aside. "Let's go."
Lily frowned, looking from the wand on the ground to the disheveled James. She pursed her lips but said nothing, then followed Snape away.
Watching the two of them leave, Hagrid looked puzzled. "James, what's wrong? Not a word out of you—that's not like you."
"Once the jinx wears off, he'll be back to normal," Padfoot said with a grin. "Pretty embarrassing, Prongs!"
"We can use a general counter-curse to help," Moony sighed, raising his wand and casting, "Finite Incantatem! Finite Incantatem..."
After several counter-curses, James finally managed to speak. "I actually lost to Snivellus?"
Hagrid tried to encourage him, "James! Professor Dumbledore said you can't keep causing trouble like this!"
James corrected him, "Come on, Hagrid, don't call me James—use my nickname! Prongs!"
He frowned, analyzing the situation. "It's got to be all the time we're spending on Animagus training—that's why Snivellus caught up."
"Snivellus does have some skill," Padfoot admitted grudgingly. "Never even heard of the Snape family before."
"Don't know what he really is... but the curses and jinxes he knew before school probably outnumber most seventh-years."
At that, Wyzett found himself nodding in silent agreement—Professor Snape really was a well of knowledge.
Gazing down the path where Lily had left, James sighed. "I wish I could turn into a stag and chase Snivellus away from Lily!"
Wormtail scurried over, picking up the wand from the ground and presenting it to James with both hands. "Prongs... here's your wand."
Padfoot burst out laughing. "Wormtail, you really know how to twist the knife. How were you planning to transform without a wand?"
"I had one just now, didn't I?" James rolled his eyes. "I was going to charge straight at him, then transform into a stag and scare the life out of him!"
Padfoot gave a half-hearted clap. "Brilliant plan. Absolutely genius."
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