The Problem with Men and Me

"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations." – Alan Loy McGinnis

Chapter 1: Potential

Potential. It's word that I think is supposed to be good. You know, bring to mind good things, like hope or success. Something like that. But I've come to notice that it often is used in negative context.

'So much unfulfilled potential.'

'Try living up to your potential for once!'

'If you actually did something with your hair, you could be potentially pretty!'

'He had so much potential.'

I've never heard anyone actually use it in a happy context. I don't think at least.

"This could potentially get us in trouble," Mary hissed in my ear, tugging furiously on my sleeve, trying to drag me back, away from the somehow-left-open door of the restricted section.

"Live a little Mary, how often does one get the chance to get a look at those books?" I brushed her off, giving her a little reassuring grin. "Go on back to the table and wait, then. I just want a peek." You can't blame me for being so curious. All of my five years at Hogwarts, the Restricted Section had seemed like this impregnable fortress. I really like reading- so somehow it had been built up in my mind as the treasure cove of ancient tomes and scrolls dating back to Grecian times.

Mary backed away from me, and went back to bury her nose in her assigned reading, good student that she was, while I slipped into my holy of holies.

It was darker than I'd always imagined it, and dusty. I'd imagined the books all giving off this sort of glow- like every single one of them held innumerable golden bits of information. In reality the majority of them were bound in dark and cracked leather, and everything was coated in an inch of dust. I sneezed twice.

The also all seemed to be about one sort of dark magic or another. Which was really disappointing- I thought maybe they'd be about something really fascinating. Which I guess dark magic has the potential to be. But I had no interest in studying it- why would I? Leave dark magic to the Slytherins- Gryffindors like my own luminescent self should stay focused on things like Charms and transfiguration. And ways to thwart dark magic. Defense Against the Dark Arts, all that rot. Still- I decided that, since I was in, I should look around a bit.

The opportunity was too good to pass up, after all. I'd probably never get a chance like that again. So I kept wandering between the shelves, running my fingers through the layers of dust, reading the golden script on the spines. 'Wicked Warlocks of the Thirteenth Century and How They Came to Power', 'Grimoire of Curses', 'Ghastly Games'. The titles alone were enough to keep me smiling- they were that bad.

"Lyon!"

Oh. Crap. I whipped around, back to the door. Madame Pince was standing there, scowling down her beak-ish nose at me.

That was about when the screaming started.

I guess maybe sometimes potential can be fulfilled- just… not the times we'd actually like it to be, eh? Mary'll never let me hear the end of it.

The Problem with Men and Me: Potential The Problem with Men and Me: Potential The Problem with Men and Me: Potential The Problem with Men and Me: Potential

I decided that, since I've got 'Devil's Snare, James Potter, and Other Things That Might Kill Me' as a lengthy-chaptered story, I can allow myself one more. With short chapters (Around 500 words?) that I'll try and keep up with daily. And it will be Marauder's Era. So yeah- reviews are always appreciated.