How James Potter jumped higher than ever

Hobby horsing AU
A short Marauders Fanfiction

Peter held the wooden stick in front of him eyeing it as if it had just personally betrayed, attacked and killed his whole family “How the hell is this even more complicated than quidditch?” he asks, gently massaging the rapidly forming bruise on his knee.

Sirius scrunched his face also starring at the plush face infront of him “And we look ridiculous, I can't believe people saw me doing this. Thank Merlin, Remus didn't take his camera with him.”

Remus sat on a little bench at the corner of the gym, his face buried in a book. He was in for the first ten minutes before deciding he would just sit back and let the three other people do their silly side quest, his hip would probably crumble while just attempting to jump one of the hurdles.

James just slowly came to a halt in front of them, his red convers slightly brown from slithering in the dirt, just having finished his round of galloping and show jumping, a perfect, expensive looking fake horse straddled between his legs. Before the competition, Sirius would argue with him about how snobby he was with trying to make his horse look perfect, gluing and sewing everything extra carefully, reading all these tutorials, but now he wasn't laughing about that anymore since his horse lost an eye and half of his muzzle, covering the ground beneath him in cotton while rather dancing like a ballerina than trying to mimic riding. The judges made him walk to the side immediately, making Sirius huff and almost cuss them until they threatened to kick the whole group out.

“Why the fuck are you so good at this, mate?” Peter questions James, an eyebrow raised up against his sweaty forehead.

“Have you seen him running and doing his yoga everyday in the mornings? Of course, Mr. gymnastic can skip around like a princess.” Sirius interrupts.

“Shut up” James presses back. “It's not that hard...”

“Found your new hobby?” Remus says having walked up to them

“Nah, mate, of course not, it's for children and horse girls” James snaps back, blushing, hatiing how the others smirked at him and how he's still in accurate position to start galloping anytime.

A moment later, the judges appear on the small stage, having disscused all the different acts, ready to announce whoever of the candidates will get to be in the next round of the competition they took part in.

Names after names involving ten to twenty-five year-old girls end up getting called on and then....” James fleamont Potter”

James eyes widen, the boys never took part to actually place, just a silly idea after having read about this in muggle studies, making fun of the people involved in the sport till someone started to dare them and argue that they would never be good at it anyway which obviously resulted ind Sirius and James trying to prove everyone wrong.

“Ha, good thing you don't really have to continue with this shit, Peter and I are out anyway, we will just tell them you or your horse have an injury or something”

James lets out a nervous laugh “heh, yeah, of course, silly”

What the boys don't realize is that James heart is beating with pride at getting into the next round, his hands gripping the reins a little harder, his other giving the plush head of his gray Mustang Horse a few pats. His favorite thing to do was always quidditch, never stopping to talk about his favourite sport, but this...this was so similar but at the same time so distinctly different. The strength and discipline you had to have. Being quick and observing and the feeling when you jump. Going that high even without magic was some sort of sorcery.

James looked around, he had to somehow get to the next tournament without his friends knowing, he could never face the shame.

_

Over the next few months, James trained whenever he was alone, at night in his room, at day in the old greenhouse. Silently coming up with a choreography, running all around the small room, trying to jump higher than he ever did before. Out of his own strength. Not using any of his magic.

The only thing he struggled with was the obstacles, but he got better every day, He looked at the gray mare. “Hm, I think we need a name for you, build trust and all that” he thought about it. “What about...minnie” he nodded proudly. That was it. He would win this.

He finished sewing the new sparkly outfit for minnie and put it on “looking like a real princess”

And he did win round after round, eliminating his opponents, till the final ten people were announced, and his name was on that list. His heart made that big of a jump that it would impress all the judges, could they take a look inside of him. He smiled to himself. Eyes sparkling behind his big glasses

At the end of the month he sat in his Room, a letter tucked under his pillow, the invite to the competition and a medal for his efforts, he could not stop smiling but his heart ached at the thoght that this was his last show, he could not continue, never could he keep up that lie. but he thought that maybe...just maybe if he brought home the throphy, showed his friends his achievments, maybe they would understand. but that was just wishing and dreaming. but who was James Potter if not a dreamer.

_

Sirius, Remus and Peter sat in James's room just as he left mumbling about having to see someone “He’s gone again, do you really think he has a date again? He keeps leaving us and comes up with weird excuses” Peter asks

“Obviously not, he has a secret, and I don’t like it” Sirius answers. "That man never shuts up, so why does he not tell us what he is up to?"

Remus just rolls his eyes, not really wanting to get involved, whatever secret James had, it was his to tell, but he also had to admit it hurt him that James wasn't fully trusting them when they would never judge him, not after he always opened his arms for them whenever they needed him.

But Sirius being Sirius he could not leave the situation and mind his own business, he searched through the room, looking inside the little hiding spots he knew James would use, and successfully he held up a letter, it had a familiar logo in front of it, Sirius smirked, they open it to see an invitation to the final of the biggest hobbyhorse battle. Peter gasps. Why would he hide this?

“It's today...let's pay him a visit”

_

The day of the final came, and James couldn't help but be a little down as he looked around, seeing the other finalist with their family and friends, taking pictures and laughing, being proud of their sport.

He was a bit nervous, he trained a lot before whenever everyone was out of the house, but this was next level, he sometimes struggled with his high jumps, the back of minnie's stick hitting the bar, and the others had more experience.

But he was positive that he had the elegance and passion it took. While warming up in the schooling ring, he kept peeking at how the others were doing. He saw how one after one equestrian did their show round, dressage and finally the different jumps.

All of their horses looked so beautiful, with good braided hair and nice colors. But he knows he could outdo them with the technical skills and choreography he learned. One of them even got eliminated for going off-course, it was the girl who looked the most nervous, so it was no wonder that she forgot the course, she lacked in accuracy anyway, which is a shame James thought because she had the jumping skills, but he was sure she could fix this with more training.

Finally, it was his turn, his heart beating fast and his hands sweaty, but his brain focused on what came now.

"And now; James Potter and his mustang horse minnie"

He took a deep breath and started off with a perfect show run, his gymnastic routine creative and elegant, making a few spins and running with his knees high, everything step the beat of the music that blasts through the speakers. His dressage was excellent too, it was hard to control the mustang horse, but James had what took a picture out of all the walks: Walk/Trot/Canter and Gallop.

Now to the last round...the jumps.

James focused, trying to ignore the commentator talking about the difficulties that would come.

He started without looking back, the first jump was easy, the second too, but the third and last, it was high. Higher than anything he did before. He was almost sure to just run around it, not to risk a foot injury or breaking his horse. But he wanted to win this, prove that this is more than any sport, that this was an art, and that he had the talent to master it. James eyes squint. The only thing on his mind is the hurdle in front of him. He grips his horse a little tighter, his feet kicking the sand a few times, the audience holding its breath.

As James starts to sprint, his mind instantly goes empty like always when he's on the back of his horse, all the pressure and anxiety gone in a second, his feet leave the ground and he flies over the high bar, reaching for the sun and finally landing grace fully on the other side. the whole crowd cheering in disbelive. His eyes are slowly opening. “Good girl, minnie.” he said smiling and patting the gray hairs

Behind him, he heard loud clapping and familiar voices cheering his name. He turns around to see his best friends with a wide smile, his heart warms and he can not help but laugh and run up to them.

“You did amazing, James, we are so proud, you looked like you were born for this” Sirius says as James tears up.

They all hug, minnie between them. “You're not laughing? Find this embarrassing?”

“No, how could we? You looked amazing out there. The best hobby horser in this world.” James smiled when Remus snapped a picture of him holding his trophy, for now he was filled with pride and never ashamed anymore, never for his passions, never for his horse.