Do you know what a hypogriff is?" I idly questioned James Potter on our second day in the castle. The student was currently filling his face up with Hogwarts' slave-made food-
James chose that moment to spit out whatever he'd elected to put into his mouth.
"What?" He questioned, almost seriously, as he turned to look at me. A bemused crinkle to his expression.
I idly wondered if he knew what a house-elf truly was. Not that I had any intention of setting off Hermione two decades early.
"I said, do you know what a hypogriff is?" I repeated my question, this time for whatever reason earning a twitch from the other.
"...I can't say I do," The boy settled on saying, albeit putting down his utensils in the process; clearly no longer in the mood to eat.
"A hypogriff is a Hippogriff that hates on Americans and horses," I calmly explained the concept, my own hands latching onto a strange red-looking sweet.
"That's called a strawberry," One of the more bland Gryffindors remarked.
I idly caught the thrown piece of paper from the offended party.
"That doesn't tell me much," James remarked with a twitch, even if his eyes roamed back towards the food he'd been eating.
"Oh, well that's easy. It's a magical creature with the bravery of a lion, the loyalty of a horse, and the brains of a sheep,"
"That's incorrect," A different, somehow blander Gryffindor remarked, albeit this time without any more thrown pieces of paper. "A Hippogriff, while technically holds some properties of a h-
"No one cares," I threw Evan's piece of paper at the incessant whining originating from James right.
"...What is the matter with you?" Said girl, on the opposite side of the table from me, questioned seriously. Evidently not happy her armory of projectiles was being used by someone else.
"..." James' silence on the other hand, was rather worrying. Here's hoping I didn't offend him somehow... Father wouldn't be happy at all. Not that he ever is.
"..." More silence seemed to follow my statement, though from the blander side of the house- Dodge- even if James was still seemingly focused on the plates before him. The boy likely trying to figure out how he was going to use said food to figure out the functional purposes of a half-eagle, half-lizard creature.
"Half-horse!"
"My bad, half-human, half-horse-"
"That's a centaur! Gods did your family teach you anything about magical creatures before coming here!?" The aforementioned bland Gryffindor remarked. And no, given the words, it probably wasn't Lily Evans... turning my head towards James' side, my eyes landed on a particular red-haired student. One I hadn't seen in any of my classes, which suggested they were older- even if they were technically shorter.
I had a feeling I should recognize the, clearly offended, party trying to instill some knowledge into my head, but alas no name came to mind. Now, I could obviously just ask them for what it was, but that's clearly cheating so I won't.
Lily chose that moment to get up from her own seat and make ways towards Severus Snape; currently sitting at the Slytherin's table.
Naturally, I made to follow her.
It was telling that the entire line of first-year Slytherins didn't bat so much as an eyelid as they watched Lily move towards them, yet they quite visibly made their issues with me doing the same known.
Via immediate groans.
It took me a moment to notice James Potter doing the same, the student had decided to leave his own food behind, his gaze lingering on the clearly different options available in the snake's table. The boy probably figured if our food was made by slaves, the Slytherin's probably wasn't.
Alas, he'd be correct, their food wasn't made by slave labor. It was made by carefully concealed bigotry.
I am pretty sure I just killed whatever appetite he had left, judging by his latest expression as we both chose to take a seat on the other side of the table from Severus. The boy currently gawking at Lily Evan's having decided to steal the seat by him.
I briefly considered inviting the werewolfas well, if only for the shit's-n-giggles that were bound to set off.
"Well?" James Potter's voice brought me out of my musing, the student currently staring at me for whatever reason- "Why'd you bring up Hippogriffs?" He elected to ask.
I blinked at the question, before promptly shrugging an answer and turning towards the food before me. The theme for said food seemed to be green, green, and more bloody green everywhere I looked.
Talk about inspiring envy.
"I intend to ride it into battle," I remarked calmly as I picked up a green strawberry.
"...Against what?" James questioned carefully, his own eyes on the clearly far too sick-looking-to-eat strawberry in my hand.
"Tom Riddle," My answer, alas, did not get the reaction I expected. Out of anyone for that matter. Though considering both Horace and Dumbles weren't in the hall didn't make that much of a surprise.
"...Who?" James followed on, a few of the other first-years around us gave themselves away visibly trying to pay attention to what could possibly constitute a Black family wizard to ride into battle.
I waved off the question, "Stop playing," I remarked with a hint of glee. "You-know-who!"
"...I really don't," James deadpanned back.
...
Minor note: Sirius, despite his view on the matter, immediately moved to follow the moment he saw Lily Evans do the same.
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Edit: Next update will be on their first charms lessons, and should explain what actually happened to Sirius's wand.