The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

Moody's Stupid Drills

James was pouring over his Official Ministry of Magic Auror's Legal Guide and Handbook Manual for the Aspiring Auror textbook at lunch, robotically eating his sandwich and crisps as he read, eyes wide with excitement. The cafeteria in the Auror Training Center was packed and loud with shouting trainees as they exchanged jokes and stories. James was like an island of solitude in the midst of the chaos as he silently concentrated on his book.

Frank Longbottom smirked as he came 'round the corner from the kitchen carrying his tray and spotted James's hunched over form. He shook his head and carried his tray along through the fray, waving and nodding at various trainees yelling to him as he walked past them until he reached James's table. Frank stood beside James for several long moments as James continued reading, and, when it became apparent that James was utterly oblivious to Frank's presence, he dropped his tray, hard, onto the table, making a very loud clattering sound that about knocked James Potter off his seat.

"BLIMEY! Bloody hell, Longbottom!" James said, ruffled by the sound. "Announce yourself, you git..."

Frank laughed and dropped himself coolly into the seat opposite James. "So much for CONSTANT VIGILANCE." A smirk twitched across his face. "Old Mad-Eye not getting through to you?"

James leaned back in his chair, closing his book, "I swear if I had a nickle for every time that old bugger said that..."

"Then you'd be twice as rich as you already are?" teased Frank. He kicked James's boot under the table.

James laughed, "Well."

"I counted it 142 times in one of his speeches last year," Frank said, nodding. "He certainly knows how to create a mantra."

"If Sirius was here, he'd want to make it a drinking game - take shot of firewhiskey every time Moody says CONSTANT VIGILANCE," James said with a smirk.

Frank snorted, "You'd be blackout drunk in under a quarter hour."

James nodded, "When you're Sirius, you're blackout drunk in under a quarter hour anyway."

Frank laughed. "So... has he found a job yet?"

"I don't think he's even looking, to be honest," James said with a shrug. "Or if he is, he's not looking... right. Probably just knocking on all the doors of the shops he likes in Diagon Alley or something."

Frank sighed, "It's rubbish he wasn't accepted in the Mediwizard program at Mungo's."

"I know," James replied. "He never told Remus, you know. That he wasn't accepted, I mean. So don't say anything. If you see Rey, I mean. Or to Sirius for that matter. I don't expect I was supposed to tell you about it."

Frank made a locking-key motion over his mouth. "Seriously though - RUBBISH. He had the grades, yeah?"

"After shirking everything off through fifth year, Minnie got him back on track, and yeah his O.W.Ls were good and I s'pect his N.E.W.T.s should be good as well." James shrugged. "Dunno."

Frank's mouth was full of sandwich, but he spoke around the food, "I'm glad you got into this program."

"Nearly didn't, I messed up the N.E.W.T.s for myself. McGonagall got me out of a mess, as usual..." James shrugged. "I dunno what overcame me at the exams, I just couldn't concentrate. We get down to the last 5 minutes and everyone else is basically done, laying down their quills and just sittin' about all finished and I'm looking at a blank parchment with some bunk of rambling essay question answers, and I just had enough, I guess. Suddenly it was like I was overcome by this... this anger, like everything was pointless because bloody nothing matters when Voldemort's out there destroying everything that we care about, you know? I couldn't take it. I stood up and just said what a pointless thing we were working at."