A Dinner To Remember
James Potter. Jokester and prankster. He was the life of every party, the epicenter of every laugh, and the mastermind behind the most elaborate pranks at Hogwarts. Known for his quick wit and infectious charisma, he could make anyone laugh, even at the most inappropriate times. His antics were legendary, from the time he swapped out all the professors' wands with fakes, to the day he filled the school's fountain with bubble bath.
One crisp autumn afternoon, the sun filtering through the golden leaves, James and many others gathered in the Great Hall waiting for the staff to appear. They were celebrating O.W.L.S. being over with pizza and soda, the room buzzing with their usual banter. James, of course, was up to his usual tricks, slipping hot sauce into his best friend Sirius' goblet pretending he was coughing so no one would notice what he was doing.
"You're going to get it this time, James!" Sirius laughed.
James grinned mischievously, his eyes sparkling with the thrill of his latest joke. But as he turned back to his own drink, he suddenly froze. His face contorted in pain, and he clutched his throat, gasping for air.
"Nice try, James!" called out Marlene, one of his childhood friends, looking over for the first time that dinner and rolling her eyes. "That fake choking bit is so old.”
The hall erupted in laughter, everyone convinced this was just another one of James's elaborate pranks. They continued to joke and tease, paying little mind to his increasingly desperate gasps. He stumbled, falling over, his eyes wide with fear and pleading.
Again no one paid him any mind too busy with their own laughter. After all James did have a flair for the dramatics.
Well everyone but Regulus Black who was watching him from his own seat. Not many knew this but these two were quite in love. So when Regulus decided to turn away from his own conversation with one of his housemates, he knew. He saw the fear, the helplessness, and the pain in James' eyes. And he remembered something no one else seemed to. James Potter never did the same prank twice. Especially not twice in a row. This was no prank. This was real. Before he could comprehend what he was doing he was already up and running a million possibilities filling his mind.
"Regulus what-" Dorcas spoke confused. "James is just jok-" Her words fell on deaf ears as he was already gone. This led her, Barty, and Evan to jump up as well knowing something must be wrong.
As the seconds ticked by, James's struggle became less frantic. His face an alarming shade of blue he slowly stopped moving. The laughter was still loud waiting for him to jump back up.
"JAMES" Regulus' voice trembled as he tried to run over only to be stopped by Sirius who jumped up and held out his hand. "Woah calm down Reggie-"
"NO I-" Regulus tried speaking but was interrupted by Pandora who seemed to appear out of nowhere kneeled next to James whispering, "He has no pulse."
The words hit them like a cold wave, panic setting in as they rushed to his side. Someone screamed for help, while another ran to find a teacher. But it was too late. The laughter had cost them precious time.
The room fell into a deafening silence, the air thick with horror and regret. They tried to revive him, performing CPR with shaking hands, but there was no response. Ms. Pomfrey arrived minutes later, her face grim which confirmed what his friends already knew.
James was dead.