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Author's Note: It's been a while, huh? This chapter has actually been completed for some time, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to add something more to it. I finally decided to heck with it, and to post it! Hope you enjoy!

Fraternizing with the 'Enemy

Chapter 4

School had been in session about a week. Harry now knew exactly where his skills in Potions came from. Not that there had been any doubt before. He was, however, happy to say that he wasn't quite as bad at them as his father was.

Harry looked up from the essay he was grading as the bell rang, signaling the start of the next period. He glanced around the room, spying everyone who should be there, and no one who shouldn't.

"Alright, class," Harry said, standing up. "Today we will be playing a game that will help with your dodging abilities, and a bit with your accuracy when using muggle weapons. Or throwing, to be more precise." With a flick of his wrist, the desks were against one side of the room, which had been expanded. Eight sponge balls had been conjured, and were laying along a line that divided the room in half. Eight bright orange cones, four on each side of the room, sat along two more lines. "The object of this game is to knock over the given amount of cones first. This is, first and foremost, a game of strategy. Are you going to guard the cones? If so, who will? Which cone should you throw at? The rules are fairly simple. Each team will choose a side. When I say go, you will run to the middle, and try to bring as many of the balls back as you can. You then throw the ball at the other team, trying to get players out or knock a cone over. If you hold the ball longer than 20 seconds, you will be out. If you cross the centerline, you will be out. If a ball hits you, you will be out. If someone catches the ball you threw, you're out. There is an anti-cheating charm in place to keep people from staying in that should be out, and to keep the cone-guarders from standing on the cones. Are there any questions?" He looked around the room. "No? All right. Please put your wands in your bags. Today, I'm going to let you pick your own teams. The next time we play, however, I will most likely have already picked teams. The Head Boy and Head Girl will pick."

Harry sat back as James and Lily made their way to the front of the classroom. He wasn't the least bit surprised when James's first two picks were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Lily, however, seemed to be thinking more about strategy, effectively getting the Keeper and other two Chasers in the room.

"Now, to your sides," Harry said as the last person was picked. "Each person on the winning team will get three house points. Just get one cone… Go!"

People from each side dashed forward. Soon, sponge balls of all sizes were flying every which way. Quite a few people from both sides were already out. Harry watched everyone, trying to gauge different strengths to be nurtured and weaknesses to be overcome. One of the Hufflepuff girls on James's team seemed to have magnificent luck, for now, anyway. She had been made a pin guarder, so balls were quite often thrown at her. None hit her, however. Few even came close. Sirius and James were easily the best players on their team, although there were a few who weren't too far off. He was actually quite surprised at Lily's aim. She didn't throw a ball often, but when she did, it was usually dead on. She couldn't catch, however, and got out about half way through when she didn't dodge fast enough.

Lily had, overall, picked the better team. Or, at least, it seemed that way when it came down to three people, Sirius, James, and the Hufflepuff girl, versus six from Lily's team. The numbers were slowly whittled down even more, both teams finding it easier to hit opposing team members than the orange cones. Finally, however, Gregory Haden, from Ravenclaw, managed to get a cone.

"Not bad," Harry said. "Now you're going to play a different version." That said, he vanished the cones. "The goal is to get all the members of the other team out. First team to accomplish this wins. Now…Go!"

There was the same mad scramble for the red balls down the center of the room. Soon, they were being flung in every direction. Some people hung back, content to lean against the walls on either side, waiting to get hit. Harry was quite surprised when he saw Lily was one of them, along with quite a few of the Slytherins. Slowly, members of both sides were taken out. Slowly, players that had been reclining against the walls stepped up and started playing. Soon, it was down to Lily and James. James decided this was as good of a time as any to try to flirt. While doing this, however, Lily took advantage of his distraction, and threw a ball at him. James ducked, but not far enough, and the ball smacked him in the face. His team groaned while Lily's cheered. Harry could only laugh.

"Alright, now, as much as it pains me to say it, we must return to normal class. However, you will play this again," Harry said as he vanished the balls and lines, put the classroom back to the right size, and moved the desks back into place. "Like it or not. Now, in a duel, which is the most important spell? Is it the first one? Or the last one? Or one in between?"

She glanced around her rooms, seeing everything, yet nothing at all. Oddly enough, it wasn't the fact that her son had come back in time that threw her, but who he had come back in time with.

She had been late to the staff meeting that day, and hadn't noticed the new arrivals until she had seen them rushing out of the gargoyle. First, she had seen her completely grown son. He had rushed right passed. While she was staring after him in shock, someone else almost ran her over. A hurried 'Sorry' had been thrown at her while James Potter's doppelganger had continued to sprint down the hall. She walked up to the office in a daze, passing McGonagall on the stairs. Once there, it had been explained to her. Of course, none but the Headmaster knew just why it would affect her so much.

Her son was teaching Potions now, and the one who had almost ran her over, Harry Potter, was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. While she had missed the duel between those two and the rest of the faculty as she had already left to unpack by the time the two had returned, she had heard that it had been absolutely amazing. They apparently worked very well together, which she found a bit difficult to believe, as Potter, Granger, she corrected herself, had undoubtedly been told since birth that all Slytherins were evil, particularly her son. Of course, if the boy's eyes were anything to go by, his mother was Lily Evans. How that had happened, she had no idea, as Lily, for all apparent reasons, hated James. However, she had to admit that she liked Lily, who was always polite to everyone. Of course, she had yet to actually speak to the boy.

Harry wandered into the library. School had been in session for roughly a month, and he still didn't know for sure if the books the essay would require were old enough to be in here. He said hello to Madame Pince before heading back to the restricted section. He only stayed long enough to make sure the books that the seventh years would need for the essay he wanted to assign were there before turning to leave.

"Did you find what you needed?" Madame Pince asked as he passed her desk.

"Yes, thank you. Just making sure the appropriate books were here," he grinned.

"Do you enjoy teaching?" she asked.

"Somewhat," Harry shrugged. "I don't mind it. I don't like it nearly as much as, say, Hermione does. She absolutely adores teaching."

"So what do you do? I understood you hadn't taught for some years."

"I work in the Department of Mysteries, actually." He could tell Madame Pince was dying to ask what part of it, but wouldn't. It wasn't as if he could tell her anyway. He glanced down at his watch and swore. "I've got to run. See you later." Madame Pince had barely had time to say good-bye before he was out of the library, sprinting down the hall.

There was absolutely no way around it. James Potter was bored. Sirius was on yet another date, Remus was putting together a homework schedule for N.E.W.T.'s, and Peter had a detention. He glanced up when he heard the portrait leading to the Head's common room open.

Lily and some of her friends came in, all laughing. James gazed at her for a second before rising, content on continuing to be bored in his room. He would go out and fly, but he knew the Slytherins had the Quidditch field today, as they were still trying to find a decent Seeker. Now, they hadn't, of course, told him, captain of the Gryffindor team, their troubles. He had overheard this fortunate piece of information when two of the Slytherin team had been made to stay behind in Defense, after they got in trouble for talking. Professor Granger had actually offered to help them, saying that he would be glad to help train the best one they could find. He told them that he knew how hard it could be to find decent players, and that once, in his first year as captain, he had wound up with people from opposing houses try out, although that was on their own free will, not because he needed players.

Making up his mind, he rushed into his room, grabbed his invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map, then rushed back out, through the portrait hole, and down to the Quidditch field. As he neared, swinging the cloak over him, he saw what appeared to be the majority of Slytherin standing around, brooms in hand. Most looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. The team must have really been desperate. He turned as he heard someone sprinting. He barely moved fast enough to avoid being plowed over. Professor Granger stopped just before he would be in sight of the team, looking like he had walked the entire way. James was impressed. The man had to be in good shape to be able to run the entire way from the school, and most likely from his rooms, at least, as that was…quite a distance. He hurried closer.

"I would assume you all know why you're here," the captain was sneering. 'Gees,' James thought. 'You'd think if they were that desperate for players they'd be a little nicer.'

James watched as the group was whittled down, until only the best Seeker was left. She was a third year that, while maybe not the absolute best flyer right then, definitely had the most potential. He watched as Professor Granger gave her some pointers, and she flew off, apparently eager to try them out, as the rest of the team practiced.

James edged closer as the practice wore on. Professor Granger definitely knew what he was talking about, but the Slytherins didn't, for the most part, want to listen. James couldn't say that especially surprised him. After all, the professor had to train someone for them because they couldn't do it themselves. Of course they'd be a tad resentful.

He watched as the team made their way back to the castle, and as the professor got the bludgers back out and, picking up a practice bat, started hitting them in all directions. He quickly seemed to tire of that, however, and put the bludgers up, only to release the snitch. James watched as he darted back and forth before swooping down, catching the snitch, and releasing it again. James didn't move until he heard someone approach from the castle. He turned to see Professor Collins walking towards the pitch.

"What are you doing?" he called up to Professor Granger.

"Solving the problem of world hunger. What does it look like I'm doing?" Granger snapped back.

"Get down here," Collins sighed.

"No." James knew that would be a mistake. Collins didn't strike him as the sort that would ever take well to being talked back to, especially when he was apparently trying to help someone.

"Yes," Collins replied. James saw him shoot a spell at Granger. He watched as the Defense professor let it hit his broom, and take him back to the ground. "She wouldn't have wanted you to quit doing something you loved, you know."

Collins responded, but James couldn't hear him, which he found odd as he appeared to be yelling. Suddenly, it hit him that one of the professors must have put up a silencing ward. James was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice they had started moving until they were nearly half way back to the castle.

Author's Note: How'd you like it? Tell me in a review! Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter!