CHAPTER SIX
prank war pt. 2

    NOTHING IN THE world was stronger than Winona's urge to murder James Sirius Potter. She almost shook with anger. James was attempting to make a fool of her. She would not allow it. No, she would rather force herself to team with him than allow him to humiliate her.

     "If you tell me what we're doing I'm able to help," Winona told James. She hated how small she felt saying those words to him as if she were a student and he her mentor.

     "Where's the element of surprise in that?" James told her. He was still holding her hand, dragging her along following the other students.

     "You could at least tell me where we're going," Winona managed through gritted teeth.

     James considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "Absolutely not."

     Those two words were tipping her over the edge to at least hex him.

     "You're freakishly strong, Moore," James laughed.

     "What?"

     "You're holding my hand with the most impressive strength I've seen in a girl."

     Winona blushed and quickly pulled her hand away. She hadn't noticed how tightly she'd been holding James' hand. He could've at least been a gentleman about it and not mentioned it, but when was James ever gentle with her?

     "Again, I would like to know what exactly it is we're doing. I mean there could be hazards I-"

     James groaned, "For once, Moore, let yourself just be. No rules. No knowledge of the events about to occur. You're not required to be a constant pretentious know-it-all."

     She forced herself to ignore that last bit, for the sake of her sanity. "I would love to do that, but you don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to surprises. With you, I'd prefer to know what's going to happen." I don't trust you.

     James arched an eyebrow. "You want me to be predictable all the time?"

     Winona shook her head. "Just this once." There was no fun in competing with a predictable James.

     James seemed to be considering it for a moment. He had the worst reputation for being sensitive at the worst times. Something Winona knew she could use to her advantage.

     James smiled. "I reckon not."

     Winona groaned and balled her fists. Perhaps she relied too strongly on her ability to take advantage of James' few weaknesses, or it wasn't the right moment. "Fine. But if we see a professor I will not hesitate to place responsibility on you."

     James touched his heart and gave a fake frown. "That hurts my feelings, Moore. Besides, it was like you said, the professors trust me. I am the more credible one of the two of us."

     Winona recognized the pride in James' face as he used Winona's own words against her. Bastard.

     "The others are waiting. Lead the way, Potter," she said his name with venom.

     James sighed happily. "Very good, you're starting to understand."

•••

     JAMES RESENTED THE last words he'd spoken to Winona. All his life he avoided being a pompous arse to those close to him; a common archetype many would've believed of him. It was the sort of words one would use on someone he despised. He didn't despise her, yes she was infuriating but beyond that he held admiration. It was almost too small of a word to call it that.

     He used Winona's argument against her, something that would've greatly benefitted him before but for the current context, it further proved the validity of Winona's argument. Perhaps pride had gotten the best of him at that moment, or Winona's words were starting to irritate him - no matter the cause James felt ashamed of his last words. To prove her accusations was the last thing he wanted to do.

     They walked side by side. James peered at Winona; regret written on his face. Winona must've felt his stare as she turned to him and said, "What?"

     "I didn't mean to come off condescending before." He regretted those words again. Now Winona would think him thick. "Except for the pretentious know-it-all bit. I meant that."

     She laughed and kept laughing. A sound he often wished for when they bickered.

     "What?" James asked, a hint of a laugh in his voice. He was smiling now.

     Winona rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a sensitive bastard, Potter. Your frailty is not going to win you this competition." She stopped, turning to him. He stopped too. For once he looked into her eyes and wondered what sort of brown they resembled. "This is supposed to be a challenge. Be the competitor I know you to be. Or have you lost that part of yourself? Are you also turning to much more light-hearted activities such as painting and baking?" she taunted.

     There it is. He felt like a fool for believing she would be kind to him for even just a second. But he admired her honesty. He smiled at the harshness of her words. Even at her most harsh, she was the most desirable version of herself. "You're right, Moore. It's no fun if one of us is weak enough to be nice. I understand common decency is a foreign concept to you."

     Winona scoffed. If he blinked James would've missed the hint of a smile that passed her lips. "Are you stalling because your prank is so dull or are we going?"

     To Winona's surprise, and James himself, he grabbed her hand once again and started running.

     "Slow down!" Winona shouted, doing her best to keep up with James' long strides.

     "Faster! We don't want to miss the fun, do we?"

•••

     HUSHED VOICES BOUNCED off the walls as Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins got themselves in order.

     Fred split the group into two. One stayed in the corridor, the other ran in the opposite direction.

     "What's going on?" asked Winona. Her eyebrows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line; it was too early to determine the intensity of what they were doing, but Winona couldn't help worrying.

     Fred turned, taking notice of Winona's state. He sighed and looked at James, "Tell her already we can't risk a clueless participant."

     Not a very willing participant! Winona wanted to exclaim.

     "I dunno about that, Fred," James looked at Winona, "Moore is more perceptive than you know."

     Of course, he's playing a game on me.

     James expected her to put the pieces together on her own. He was silently asking her to find the answer to a question she did not know. Whether he was measuring her intelligence or ability to think swiftly, Winona did not care. She just wanted to best him. The glint in his eyes, the confident smirk on his face, it was clear as day - he took her advice from moments before and was now sizing her up. Putting her down to see how or if she could get herself back up. It was spiteful. It was perfect. It was exactly the sort of competition Winona had anticipated. Selfish bastard.

     Winona ignored the ridiculous look on James' face and did her best to focus on her surroundings. She knew they were on the west side of the school, based on how long it took them to arrive. Winona took a few steps in the direction the other group did moments before, finding a spiral staircase in the distance with the same group as before climbing it. It was obvious they were near the Ravenclaw common room.

     But why would Fred send half of the group to the same peers they were attempting to defeat? It took less than a second for Winona to understand.

     She turned to Fred. "You're trying to distract them, the Ravenclaws." She noticed a bag she hadn't acknowledged before in Fred's hand. Another in Rox's too. Winona felt stupid for not catching on before. James was a very good distraction.

     "You're getting back at them the same way they got back at you," Winona added. The fireworks.

     Fred nodded. "Just safer this time."

     "With an added element, of course! We wouldn't want to be called copycats after all," Roxanne told her.

     "What added element?" Winona asked.

     "Worms," James answered, surprising Winona. He almost looked proud at her accurate assessment, believing her the quick-witted competition he knew her to be.

     She let out a humorless laugh, "Worms? Isn't that a bit underwhelming?"

     Roxanne shook her head. "A grand amount of worms! You know the Ravenclaw common room has an endless collection of books, so we're turning them all into worms. Enough to bury desks and-"

     "I think she gets it, Rox," said Fred.

     "With a jinx," clarified James. "That's not in the bags with the fireworks."

     Did he think of her as a simpleton? "I know, Potter." She rolled her eyes and turned to Roxanne. "Are you sure this is safe?"

     "Yes, completely harmless and we rehearsed before so-"

     "You rehearsed a prank?"

     Roxanne sighed, "Fred's idea."

     "We had to be sure!" Fred defended.

     Winona turned to James. "This is a terrible idea. You can't do this."

     James smirked. "Of course, I can, Cruella."

     "Will you let that stupid nickname die already?"

     "Never."

     James continued, "You're misdirecting your anger, Moore. It's more Fred's idea than mine. You can't blame me for everything."

     Winona ignored him and spoke to Fred. "What are our chances of being caught?"

     "Not likely especially with this," he removed a worn piece of parchment from his back pocket, "we'll know who's coming and when."

     "How?"

     It was James who answered. "The Marauder's map." He took it from Fred's hands and tapped the ancient paper with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

     In the blink of an eye, familiar corridors and rooms appeared on the page, including the people in them. Fragments of unfamiliar locations appeared as well, catching Winona's attention.

     "Where did you find this? Does McGonagall-"

     "Enough, Moore," sighed James. His eyes caught hers. "Remember what I said?"

     Listening to James was the very last thing Winona wanted to do, but current circumstances called for his advice. Fine. This once and never again.

     Going through with the prank would show James that she was no coward. She could be adventurous, more than a pretentious know-it-all. "Fine."

     James raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Just fine?" By his tone, Winona could tell he didn't believe her confidence.

     She shrugged. "What's the harm just this once?"

     If James were a meeker person Winona imagined he would've been gaping. Instead, his cool demeanor remained and the promise of a challenge illuminated his face.

     Fred showed Winona the map and said, "This is where we are now," — their names appeared in the corridor next to the Ravenclaw common room — "the others will distract them, once everyone is out we'll sneak inside, set up the fireworks, jinx their books, then leave."

     "How are the others going to distract the Ravenclaws?" asked Winona.

     Screams and rapid footsteps were her response.

     Winona could barely move. "What-"

     "Now!" shouted Fred.

     Maurine squealed as the others ran out of the corridor and climbed the spiral staircase into the Ravenclaw common room.

     As the others ran Winona stood frozen.

     James caught her still state in the corner of his eye and waved her over. "C'mon, Moore! Or are you so dull that you're willing to bow out so soon?" he taunted.

     Winona groaned and followed the others. Every nerve was telling her this was a mistake, that perhaps it wasn't too late to join Molly. But Winona wouldn't give up that easily. There was still so much to do.

•••

     JAMES WOULD NEVER grow tired of the thrill that came with times like these. The easy pull of adrenaline was enough to convince him he was capable of achieving anything; a dangerous thought to have when your name was James Sirius Potter and were bold enough to test the theory.

     It didn't take much to get inside. Hours before Fred paid a third year with chocolate frogs to give him the answer to the riddle that acted as a key to the common room. Roxanne kept watch outside with the Marauder's map to see if anyone would come running back. James doubted anyone would return. That small scare moments before was enough to scare the Ravenclaws away for at least an hour or two. But that depended on how long it would take them to find Filtch or McGonagall. They needed to hurry.

     Once inside, everyone started placing fireworks anywhere they could hide them while others started jinxing each book. James doubted they would get to all of them but he believed a majority would be slimy worms by the next half hour. The circular common room would erupt in chaos in the next hour. The thought greatly excited him.

     James hid fireworks in the most secret places he could find as he watched Maurine and Winona help Fred jinx books.

     "Having fun, Moore? It's alright if you'd prefer to leave, you know. No one will judge you," he said.

     With her back to him, she replied, "I'm fine, thank you very much."

     "Will the fireworks go off in time?" Maurine asked as after she jinxed a book.

     Fred nodded. "My very own jinx determines when they'll go off. As soon as those pretentious little twats step into this room well - BOOM!" He imitated the sounds of fireworks and laughed.

     Winona smiled at him. "Fred that's-"

     "Genius, yes, yes, I'm aware," he smiled back as he waved her off.

     Winona put the book she was about to hex down and turned to him. "Beyond genius, Fred. How does one even begin to create their own jinx?"

     "I could go into excruciating detail, but let's save that for another time. We have-"

     "Yes, yes, show those pretentious little twats what they deserve, we get it, Fred," James teased, smiling at his cousin.

     Fred let out a mock gasp, looking wounded. "Here I thought you were all for my dramatics."

     James rolled his eyes and smiled again. "Only on different days, at different times. We have work to do."

     Maurine chimed in, keeping eye contact with the book in her hands as she turned it into a worm, "I'd hardly call this work, more like...an adventure?"

     "Really?" Winona said, "I'd describe this more as...child-like antics."

     "Really, Moore? You do realize you're taking part in our child-like antics," noted James.

     "Yes, Potter but only because-"

     "Yeah, yeah, you wanted to look out for your friends but what else?"

     He wanted her to say it. To admit to herself that she cared what he thought of her, at least of her grit. He knew she was doing this to prove something. And maybe a part of James wanted her to prove it too, he knew he hit some sort of nerve, and he wanted to see her acknowledge it. James always tried to be cordial but he could never help himself around Winona. She was too easy to set off, it was too fun.

     "What other reason are you doing this for, Moore?" he continued, the tone in his voice teasing but serious.

     Her eyes stared straight at him, her jaw clenched and she held the book and wand in her hands with a tighter grip than before. Too easy.

     Others in the room started to notice the tension around them. A cloak of silence covered the room as some students anxiously anticipated what Winona would say, many being present in the corridor on the first day of school incredibly familiar with the nature of James and Winona's conversations.

     Winona's demeanor eased and she forced a smile, one not very obvious to others but James knew it was a lie. "To have fun, of course. Maurine said there's nothing wrong with a little fun now and again so... here I am." The sunny tone of her voice was so unlike Winona James regretted making her act in a way that didn't reflect her true personality. It was eerie.

     It was obvious she didn't want to cause a scene, especially with such a time limit upon them.

     She turned her back to him and continued jinxing the books.

     James opened his mouth to speak but a gasp interrupted him.

     Roxanne appeared in the doorway and exclaimed, "They're coming!"

     Fred groaned, "Make haste! Now!"

     Students hurried in hiding the rest of the fireworks and jinxing a few more worms. Like ants, they bolted out of the room.

     In her hurry, Winona bumped into a bookshelf, sending it spiraling and causing others to fall like dominos. Whether it was her extreme nerves or constant need to fix things, something overcame Winona and convinced her she was responsible for fixing the mess she made. She attempted to upright the bookshelf but James quickly intervened.

     "Leave it, Moore. Come on!" he shouted as he grabbed her hand and led her away.

     They ran down the stairs, two steps at a time. Winona struggled to keep up, but James wouldn't risk getting caught. Not with Moore. She'd never let him see the light again if he took part in tarnishing her precious reputation. He almost smiled thinking about it.

     "Hey! Stop there!" A voice called out. It sounded like Louis.

     James heard Winona laugh. Laugh. Then giggle. It didn't feel true, it felt like a dream. Only the rush of adrenaline and the touch of their joined hands served as proof that it was real.

     They kept running and when Winona slowed down James pulled her forward. He was smiling now. So was she.

     When they reached the far end of the corridor the echo of their heels touching the stone stopped. "We're far enough," James told her. He pointed at a nearby abandoned classroom. "Let's hide there, just to be safe." It was unnecessary as Louis never confronted after a prank, but Winona didn't have to know that. They were alone now and that was all that mattered.

     She nodded and followed him into the classroom.

     Once the door was shut James said, "See Moore, that wasn't so horrible." He smiled and she smiled too.

     She laughed again, perhaps a bit delirious from the rush just moments before. "I wasn't miserable, I suppose." Her voice carried a tone he'd never heard before. Calm, relaxed, free.

     "A relief?" James guessed.

     Winona nodded. "A relief," she repeated.

     He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers. It was different from all the other times because she wasn't scowling at him, or annoyed with him. He held her stare and smirked. She had fun with me.

     Winona laughed again, "I think I saw Fred push one of the Slytherins when he ran."

     "I saw it too. Watch, he'll pretend he didn't later."

     Winona laughed again and James wondered how he never tired of the sound of her laughter.

     For a moment they weren't rivals, just two students enjoying the other's company.

     Then as she stopped laughing Winona remembered. The competition, the last three years of her life. No, she could never let it go, James realised. Not even for a moment. Aggressive, competitive, impatient, ambitious Winona Farley Moore was not one to let things go.

     The memory of their usual nature started to set in. "I can't believe you-"

     "Bloody hell! You really can't function without some sort of conflict, can you?"

      "We almost got caught, Potter! Forgive me for not being alright with that!"

     "And how is that my fault? Rox was the one in charge of keeping watch, not me." he defended.

     He fought a smile as the silence stretched between them. "Don't you ever think about that? How you're always blaming me for things you know I'm not responsible for. Even when it's right in front of you, you somehow find sense in blaming me."

     He stepped closer and continued, "Why is it always me, Moore?"

     "Because you take and you take."

     She stepped closer, the forefront of their feet almost touching. "I know a lie when I see one. You pretend to care about the honesty in your effort and it's insulting to us hard-working students, watching you reap every benefit. Rox, Molly, Rose, Fred, and others at least they work for their place."

     "Is that what you think? I'm not like them? I don't work for my achievements?"

      "I think you're a liar, Potter." She smiled cruelly. "You lie to make up for what you lack."

     James could count only twice when he was angry with Winona. Oftentimes he admired her ferocity. He couldn't find it in himself to care for it now.

     Twice she had hit a part of James he always feared others would believe. A lie he feared others would use against him, just as she was doing now. The media would attack him with such accusations when he got older, James knew that but having it thrown in his face this way once again - in a girl that challenged him and he so deeply admired - it stung worse than a hex.

     James clenched his jaw, his nostrils slightly flared as he looked at Winona. "I am going to destroy you, Moore."

     Now she truly looked relieved. "There it is. I always knew you had it in you. And of course, it took this long, you've always needed some kicking before standing up. It's quite sad, really," she taunted.

     He let out a pained laugh. "You're frozen in time! Somewhere you're still thirteen years old competing with me because that's all you have to fight for! That's all you'll ever have. Is there really a life outside of bickering with me?" It was the first time James fought back with as much venom as her.

     Winona crossed her arms and let out a breathless laugh. It was the first time he truly surprised her.

     "You are truly dim-witted."

     James smirked and replied, "Then I reckon you're worse."

     Winona scowled at him, eyes narrowed. "I guess we'll know the truth by the end of the year, then."

     With that, she stormed out of the classroom and the door closed with a loud thud, the ancient wall shaking with it.

•••

     WINONA AND MAURINE returned to the Hufflepuff common room before the sun went down.

     Once again, James slipped a piece of paper into her pocket without her noticing. How he managed to succeed in doing it twice was a mystery Winona didn't care enough to find out.

Hagrid's hut before breakfast tomorrow. ;)

-J.S.P

     Winona could only laugh. Secret notes, meetings in the library, participating in pranks together; one could almost believe they were friends.

     Molly didn't mention the prank when they returned, too engrossed in her romance novel. Maurine went to bed earlier than usual, the prank and Quidditch match snatching most of her energy. This left Winona by her lonesome as she obsessed over her last moments with James.

     Perhaps she'd been too hard on him? Then again, she could never help herself around him. It was instinct. She suspected the same could be said for him.

     Still, regret created an awful feeling in her stomach as she repeated and analysed everything she'd said to him. It quickly vanished when she remembered his words to her. The idea that a fraction of his belief in her could ring true infuriated Winona with more anger than James had ever incited in her before.

     No matter what she thought or didn't, she knew in her heart she needed to beat him. It was the only way to successfully eradicate James Sirius Potter from her life.

a/n
sorry for the long gap between chapters i've been a little busy but more updates are coming soon! thank you guys for the support!!