Hey everyone! This was written for the OC x Canon Competition, hosted by ProudToBeSlytherin :)

Hope you all enjoy!

Julia's POV

The first time Julia Montague saw James Sirius Potter on the Hogwarts Express, she immediately and subconsciously decided she was going to stay far, far away.

For Merlin's sake, that boy was loud. He spoke with this commanding tone that drew everyone's attention to him. He had a certain carefree swing in his step that appeared to release energy with his every movement. And if that weren't enough, he had his pranks.

James Potter was notorious for his pranks. He was, after all, named after the original James Potter and Sirius Black, two of Hogwarts's most infamous pranksters. Sometimes the entire student body swore that the only reason why the school board let James off for half the things he did was because his father happened to be the great Harry Potter, saviour of the Wizarding World.

Anyway, Potter Pranks were nothing like regular little jokes. Potter Pranks, as dubbed by the Gryffindors, were ten times worse. They generally consisted of one small action triggering a billion others that would eventually lead to an entire classroom's worth of people being splattered with products from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes.

Julia was somewhat of a goody-two shoes, which was probably why she'd decided to make that vow to stay away from James Potter and his group of friends in the first place. They were troublemakers. They were popular. They were loud. And they were everything that Julia wasn't.

It was fairly simple to avoid James, since she was a year younger. She didn't particularly target James and tell herself that she needed to stay away. It wasn't the family, either. She was fine with talking to Albus Potter, who was in her year.

It just was a little voice in the back of her mind, a little string that never allowed her to even think that she could ever befriend or talk to someone so outgoing as James Potter.

Unfortunately for her, there came a day where fate decided to tie a little knot in her string and pull it straight towards the very person that she subconsciously avoided.

That was the day that Julia Montague fell.

"Ow."

Julia's cheeks turned an unflattering shade of crimson as she embarrassedly picked herself off the library floor and plunked back into the chair that she'd fallen out of while in the land of printed words and jumbled spells.

"Can I just stop studying?" she moaned to herself quietly, even though she knew that the answer was a completely firm "no". Being a fifth-year, not studying was a crime, especially when O.W.L.s were coming up in three months.

"Sure you can."

Julia literally jumped in her seat, letting out an involuntary squeal as a boy with messy black hair made his way to her table. He wore a lopsided grin that clearly stated that he'd seen her fall from her chair and found it amusing. She found it absolutely mortifying.

She watched in half-wonder and half-indignation as James Potter pulled the seat across from her and promptly sat in it.

"You do get scared easily, don't you?" he asked with a slight smirk.

"I don't normally," Julia protested whilst making a mental list of reasons why James Potter might be sitting in the library across from her. "You just startled me."

"Mhm."

She gave up on making her list, and directed her attention back at her Charms book, trying to resume her reading. But somehow, it was very hard, considering the fact that she was painfully aware of the Gryffindor's presence. She picked up a quill and attempted to take notes on her parchment, but while her eyes saw the letters, her mind couldn't seem to process the words.

Just don't look up, Julia commanded herself. She'd trained herself not to be drawn to people like James, so it should have been easy.

And it might have been, had James not spoken up.

"Say, you're a Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

Julia didn't lift her eyes from the book page, terrified at the thought of looking James Potter in the eyes. "How perceptive," she managed to say calmly, though she was tense all over, "considering the fact I'm wearing my tie."

Indeed, the blue and bronze Ravenclaw tie was strung around her blouse and could clearly be seen through her dark brown locks.

"Well, yeah, but I was thinking more along the lines that only a Ravenclaw would be inside studying when it's such a nice day out." He paused, and added in a slight murmur, "Except for Aunt 'Mione, of course."

Julia glanced towards the window. The soft blues that were rarely seen covered the sky today. Rays of sunlight poured onto the ground. It was a truly beautiful day.

"I can't go outside. I've got to focus on my work," she explained, forcing herself to turn and look James in the eyes.

"What for?" he asked, baffled.

"O.W.L.s, of course."

James blinked at her. "You're crazy."

Julia pursed her lips and looked down at her book again, her grip on the quill bending the fragile base. She really needed to focus on her O.W.L. study session, but something kept her from it. "Maybe. But at least I've got a reason. Why are you in here?"

He shrugged, and his hazel eyes flashed mischievously. It made her pull her arms closer in as she was reminded that this person - this Gryffindor - was a complete troublemaker.

"I'm hiding from my friend," James said idly. "She's crazy."

Julia raised her eyebrows, but didn't say much, as she wouldn't want to probe. "Alright."

"Say." James leaned closer to her and she immediately sat as far back in her chair as possible. "What's your name?"

Julia contemplated about whether to answer or not. Father had always taught her not to tell people her name unless she was comfortable, and James Potter didn't quite fit into that category.

"Julia Montague."

He extended a hand over the table. "James Potter."

"I know," she blurted out as they shook hands.

It was his turn to raise his dark eyebrows.

"I've heard about your pranks," she rushed to explain, her cheeks turning hot. "And I happened to be in the one where it rained Pygmy Puffs."

James laughed aloud, and Julia somehow found the sound to be very inviting. "Oh, that one. I remember. I'm sure everyone loved that one because they got to keep some. Oh, the benefits of being a Weasley - we get free Wizarding Wheezes products!"

"Oh yes, my friend has a Pygmy Puff, thanks to you now."

"Do you?"

"Of course, not!" She did. It was up in her dorm with her friend's.

"Aw, shame." He grinned at her. "Anyway, you said your last name's Montague?" James scrunched up his face. "Sounds familiar, though I don't know why it would be."

The smile instantly melted off Julia's face. She felt her stomach plummet to the ground and her hands turned ice-cold. "I can't imagine why it would." She hoped desperately that he couldn't hear the slight tremor in her voice.

"Maybe our parents know each other?" James ventured.

"No," Julia replied. She placed her hands in her lap so he wouldn't see how they were shaking. "I'm pretty sure they don't." Worse than that. It was worse.

"Must be something else then," James shrugged. She sighed in relief as he dropped the matter and changed the subject. "What do you think of Quidditch?"

"You're on the Gryffindor team, right?"

James puffed up his chest proudly. "Of course. I'm a Beater."

"Then I don't think it's the best idea to tell you my opinion on Quidditch."

James's mouth fell open. "You don't mean to say-"

"-that I think Quidditch's a silly sport?"

He gave a gasp of horror. "You did not just say that."

Julia shrugged. "I mean, it's my honest opinion. All you do is throw around a couple of balls."

"Throw around a-" James cut himself off in his indignation. "You need to be educated of the world of Quidditch. You need to go on a broom ride. You need to - you need to -" He stopped in the midst of his spluttering, and let out a deep moan.

"Sorry," Julia offered.

He just shook his head and said in a joking tone, "Don't talk to me."

"Okay."

There was silence, and then-

"I was just kidding, you know."

"I know."

And that was how their friendship first started.

James's POV

The first time James Sirius Potter saw Julia Montague, he thought she was crazy.

For Merlin's sake, she was studying! Even worse, she was studying on a day where the sun shone, the sky was clear, and the wind was just perfect for playing Quidditch. And to top the whole damned thing off, he'd discovered she was studying for O.W.L.s.

He pretty much had no choice but to believe that she was out of her mind.

But the first time he saw her happened to also be the first time he spoke to her, so James Potter quickly discovered that Julia Montague wasn't crazy, for the most part. In fact, he found her to be interesting in the simplest way. Quiet, but resonating. She was mysterious, yet blended into the crowds.

He was absolutely intrigued by her.

"Crazy," James muttered as he darted from one aisle of books to another. "Absolutely crazy."

His friend, Marcus Jordan, would probably burst into hysterics if he saw James right now. He'd snicker and say something like, "Hiding from a girl. And you're supposed to be a Gryffindor."

And had their positions been reversed, James fully acknowledged that he'd tell Marcus those exact words, but if his name was James Sirius Potter, then Alison Fletcher was a whole different case entirely.

Honestly. That girl was truly crazy, and the unfortunate thing was that she happened to be truly crazy for him.

And James had had his fair share of girls asking him to Hogsmeade and such, but when Alison approached him with roses that looked like they were from Madam Puddifoot's, he hadn't had the time to reply before she thrusted the flowers upon him and begged him to take her on "a romantic stroll up to the Astronomy Tower to see the stars".

It was midday.

He'd tried to give the flowers back to Alison, but she'd refused to take them, insisting that they take their romantic little walk. And then she'd tried to kiss his cheek, which was honestly the last straw for him, and James had taken that moment to rush out of the Gryffindor common room and away from the girl who seemed intent on capturing his heart.

He turned around another corner of the library shelves, peering behind him. He was almost certain that he'd lost her on the third floor, but girls had ways of getting the things they wanted, and he could never be too cautious around them. That was something he'd learned from Uncle Ron and Aunt 'Mione.

When he was finally certain that Alison was not following him anymore, James idly strolled through the aisle of books, and was just deciding he'd stay in the library just in case, when he heard a little squeak.

"Ow."

Curious at the sound, James rounded yet another corner of bookshelf to be met with the sight of a petite girl picking herself off of the ground and grumbling, "Can I just stop studying?"

James noticed the stack of books on the table in front of her, and immediately decided he needed to save this damsel in distress. Studying too hard was rather detrimental. After all, the girl had just fallen off her chair and that was probably because she'd been studying for a long time.

"Sure you can," he stated majestically, fully revealing himself and starting towards the empty chair across from the girl. He grinned as she let out another squeak and blushed, probably realizing that he'd seen her fall.

Her dark eyes watched him carefully as James pulled the chair from under the table and sat down. He couldn't help but notice how tense she seemed compared to a few seconds ago, and commented, "You do get scared easily, don't you?"

The girl's mouth fell open in slight indignation. "I don't normally. You just startled me," she defended herself. Her voice was slightly tremulous, and yet had this sweet, clear quality to it that James couldn't help but take note of.

"Mhm," he nodded, for a lack of anything better to say.

The girl blinked a couple of times, then directed her attention back onto the huge tome that sat in front of her. Charms, it looked like. James didn't like Charms as much as he did Transfiguration.

He sat back in his chair, calmly watching the girl fidget under his gaze. She was pretty, he supposed. Though he wasn't sure if he would particularly notice her if she were walking down the corridor. She was subtle, too.

She picked up her quill, with the obvious intention of taking notes, but by the nervous shaking of her hand, he was fairly certain her mind was on other things. Suppressing a grin, he decided to take her out of her misery.

"Say," he said, "you're a Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

The girl appeared to be quite determined to ignore him. She kept her eyes on the book page as she replied coolly, "How perceptive, considering the fact I'm wearing my tie."

James tilted his head. "Well, yeah, but I was thinking more along the lines that only a Ravenclaw would be inside studying when it's such a nice day out. Except for Aunt 'Mione, of course."

The girl whipped her head towards the window, causing her dark brown hair to shift her parchment the slightest bit. A longing expression grew upon her face, but it quickly disappeared as she turned back to him and stated, "I can't go outside. I've got to focus on my work."

Her eyes distracted him. Just a little bit. He cleared his throat. "What for?" he asked.

She seemed mildly surprised that he didn't know the answer. "O.W.L.s, of course," she replied.

James gave her a strange look as he calculated the months until the end of the year. There were three months left until O.W.L.s. And this girl was sacrificing such a beautiful day to study. He wasn't even beginning to be concerned about his own N.E.W.T.s, and this fifth-year was inside, studying for her O.W.L.s. Aunt Hermione would love that, but as for James… "You're crazy," he said.

The girl pursed her lips and glanced down. "Maybe," she said evenly, "but at least I've got a reason. Why are you in here?"

James resisted the urge to smirk at the thought of Marcus and what he'd say if he'd seen James running down the halls away from Alison. "Er, I'm hiding from my friend," James said. Alison wasn't quite his friend, but he didn't really feel like explaining the embarrassing situation he was in. "She's crazy."

She raised her dark eyebrows at him. "Alright."

James kind of liked the fact that she didn't probe further. He'd been fine if she had, but that she hadn't… it was interesting. He found himself wanting to know more about this crazy girl who was inside studying on one of the more serene days Hogwarts ever saw in the year.

He leaned in, effectively causing the girl to shift backwards as he said, "Say, what's your name?"

She blinked, and seemed to draw back even more. "Julia Montague," she said a little bit hesitantly.

At the sound of her last name, James blinked in surprise. It sounded vaguely familiar, though he couldn't imagine where it would be from.

James extended a hand. "James Potter."

"I know," came the reply as Julia shook his hand. Her hand felt warm and small.

He raised his eyebrows at her, and she quickly amended her words, hand gestures accompanying her frantic explanation.

"I've heard about your pranks. And I happened to be in the one where it rained Pygmy Puffs." Her cheeks were red.

He chuckled as he remembered the particular prank she was talking about. "Oh, that one. I remember. I'm sure everyone loved that one because they got to keep some. Oh, the benefits of being a Weasley - we get free Wizarding Wheezes products!"

Technically, James wasn't supposed to get Wizarding Wheezes products at all, but his Uncle George had a soft spot for his pranking habits, and liked to give James free products in secret. They called it a friendly donation. Mum liked to refer to it as a shady transaction.

Julia smiled. "Oh, yes, my friend has a Pygmy Puff, thanks to you now."

He nodded, and asked curiously, "Do you?" She seemed the type to cuddle up with one.

"No."

Or not.

"Aw, shame," he said. He paused, and a nagging feeling itched at the back of his mind. "Anyway," he said as he remembered what he was going to comment on, "you said your last name's Montague? It sounds familiar, though I don't know why it would be." He tapped his fingers on the table, delving into the deeper parts of his memory to try to figure it out. But the most he could come up with was something to do with the newspaper, and well, the newspaper was a little… broad.

"I can't imagine why it would," Julia replied, looking just as confused as he was.

"Maybe our parents know each other?" James offered, but he knew that wasn't the case.

Apparently, so did she. "No," she said solidly, leaving no room for doubt. "I'm pretty sure they don't."

He shrugged and gave up on searching through his mind. "Must be something else, then." He grinned. "Hey, what do you think of Quidditch?" he asked eagerly. She looked like a Quidditch girl, and Quidditch girls were always rather ravishing, in his opinion.

"You're on the Gryffindor team, right?"

James nodded, feeling slightly proud that she either knew or correlated him with the idea of a Quidditch player. "Of course. I'm a Beater." Girls always liked the fact he was a Beater. His younger sister, Lily, had told him once that it was because they thought Beaters were strong (of course, she'd immediately went on to insult him and say that most Beaters were strong, and he was categorized in the portions that weren't).

Julia smiled grimly. "Then I don't think it's the best idea to tell you my opinion on Quidditch."

His jaw fell open. No way. No way in Merlin's baggy pants. She couldn't be- she couldn't be one of those people. "You don't mean to say-" he started slowly.

"-that I think Quidditch's a silly sport?" She sounded content with her opinion. Happy, even.

James sucked in a long breath. How was it possible for one to insult Quidditch happily? "You did not just say that."

Julia bit her lip. "I mean, it's my honest opinion. All you do is throw around a couple of balls."

Oh Merlin. She was one of those people.

"Throw around a-" James was so overwhelmed by his indignation and shock that people who didn't approve of Quidditch actually existed other than in the petite form of Aunt Hermione that he struggled to find words to express himself. "You need to be educated in the world of Quidditch. You need to go on a broom ride. You need to - you need to-" He stopped, unable to continue, and groaned.

Julia looked as though she was hiding a smile. "Sorry," she said in her naturally innocent voice.

"Don't talk to me."

She shrugged. "Okay."

James waited for her to speak up again, but when he glanced at her, her eyes were focused on the page of her Charms book, and she dipped her quill into ink and began to actually take notes. His mouth fell open, then he closed it with a grin.

"I was just kidding, you know," he ventured out.

He watched as she gave a sincere smile down at her book, still not looking up. "I know," she replied simply.

And that was how their crazy friendship first started.

How was that? This generation always intrigues me, and I love seeing how much has changed from after the war :) Reviews, anyone?