privileged | a harry potter fanfiction

“Potter, Black, and Lupin—three privileged fops who think they’re so entitled that they can get away with murder. Go on, Potter, prove it. You think you’re so high and mighty, don’t you? You think you’re better than me just because you were raised in a pureblood family? You and little Black? And Lupin—he’s probably just happy you’re hanging out with him because he’s a—”

“Shut up, Snape!” The words were accompanied by a wildly-aimed fist, which still managed to do a fair bit of damage on impact. Severus wheeled back, the sneer slapped off of his face. James lunged forward, his blood boiling, and it took both Sirius and Remus to pull him off the other boy.

“Leave off, James,” Remus whispered. “It doesn’t matter.”

James pulled himself away from his friends, stepping forward and wiping his face. His eyes were dangerous, flashing fiercely. Snape pulled himself off the floor, drawing a hand across his mouth that came away red. 

“Better listen to your little creep-friend,” he said, smirking again. “Though I’d like to see what detention would look like for an entitled git like you.”

“Shut up!” James yelled again, throwing his body forward.

By the time Professor McGonagall came running to the scene, both boys were already rolling on the floor, throwing punches as fast as their insults. Grabbing a wrist of each boy, she peeled them apart, still kicking.

“Who started this?” she demanded, her eyes flashing. The corners of her mouth were firmly pressed together as she stared around severely.

“James Potter punched first,” was the final consensus.

“I am ashamed of you,” she glared, holding him by the shoulder. 

James looked her straight in the eye without flinching. His jaw was set stubbornly.

“We are going straight to my office.” She whirled on the others. “Severus, Remus, Sirius, you all come too.”

__

“What happened?”

They were standing in front of her desk, their fierce Professor looking from one boy to the next. Severus was waiting outside, but James could still feel the heat rising to his face as he went over what the other boy had said. Finally Remus sighed.

“Snape—”

“Excuse me?”

“Er, I mean Severus. Severus was leading James on. He said…a lot of cruel things about us. James couldn’t take it. But he was rightly justified in punching him,” Remus added loyally, his face darkening.

“What sort of things did he say?”

Remus hesitated. “He called us privileged.”

It sounded weak, even to James’ ears. But his jaw was still tingling from where Snape had struck it, and he clenched his hands into fists.

“I see.” McGonagall raised her eyebrows. And Sirius?”

Sirius stayed silent. His expression was black and his eyes were burning. 

“Indeed,” their Professor waited for a moment, peering over her glasses, to see if he would speak. He didn’t.

“Well, thank you. You may go now.”

The two boys left, Remus with one hand on Sirius’ shoulder to guide him. Finally McGonagall turned to James.

“And the culprit. What do you have to say for yourself?”

It seemed for a moment as though James would stay silent as well. But when he spoke, he didn’t spit fire as she had expected. His voice was steady and calm.

“Remus was right. He called us privileged.”

He paused, looking McGonagall directly in her eyes. 

“I’m not stupid, Professor. I know a bait when I see one. But it’s true, for me at least. I am privileged. I’m a pure-blood, my parents are respected and wealthy. And, not to seem proud, but I know that I’m a good student, get along with most of my teachers, and I’m smart. I know it.”

He hesitated again, the fire sparking into his eyes. His body was quivering and tense, and he leaned forward to make sure every careful word was clearly heard.

“I know it. I know I’m entitled. But—” and now he stopped again, swallowing hard. “But Sirius has a surname that haunts him and family that screams the word blood traitor every time he enters his own house. But Remus has a condition that makes him go through hell and back every month, and he can’t and never could do anything about it. But I’ve seen Sirius waking up from a nightmare, his whole body covered in a sweat, yet he’s always stuck with me. But I’ve seen Remus pretending that he’s not in pain while trying to keep from screaming because of the agony, yet he smiles and laughs and supports everyone else. But my friends have gone through things that Snape cannot even imagine and they’ve turned out the better for it.”

James bit his lip hard, his face twisting.

“Snape can call me whatever he likes. He could call me a Mudblood if it were true—”

McGonagall shivered and whispered, “not in this school,” as James continued.

“He can scream the word ‘entitled’ at me until his lips are blue, but he is not allowed to call Sirius and Remus privileged, I won’t stand for it.”

“Under whose authority?” his teacher asks.

James clenches his jaw. “Mine,” he declares without apology. “I will not stand by while he says those things to the only people in the world who don’t deserve it. Sirius comes from a pureblood family who are known for their anti-Muggle standings. Remus is a half-blood who turns into a wolf once a month. I’m an entitled pureblood whose family accepts Muggles and Muggle-borns. Logic says that we shouldn’t be friends. Logic says that Sirius and I should hate each other. Logic says Sirius shouldn’t be in Gryffindor. Logic says we should be disgusted of Remus.”

He looks at McGonagall through the cuts and bruises on his face.

“We defied that logic a very long time ago, Professor. And until I die, those two are my best mates.”

McGonagall is silent for a very long time. Her sharp gaze takes him in, until finally she places her palms flat on the table and stands up.

“James Potter,”

He doesn’t flinch. She didn’t think he would.

“I’m giving you an extra 15 inches on your Transfiguration homework. Have it done before next class.”

He remains motionless. She sighs.

“That is all.”

Finally James looks at her. There is the slightest sign of surprise in his eyes.

“Are you sure, Professor? I can take detention, I won’t pretend I don’t deserve it.”

McGonagall smiles thinly. “I am quite sure you deserve nothing of the kind, but that it admirable. Now thank you, you may leave.”

James nods and gets up to leave.

“Potter?”

He turns back.

“I know that you see Sirius and Remus as the ones who support you, but I assure you, they need you as much as you need them. Stick together.”

James nods again, a smile stretching through his bruised jaw and bleeding lip.

“I will, Professor.” 

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