My father told me, once, of how he constantly was forced to deal with people's assumptions of him. He told me, when the others were out of earshot, of how people saw him only as a hero, a figurehead, not a scared little kid, like he said he really had been. He had told me, right then, the truest words I would ever hear: People see only what they want to see. He told me those words were Dumbledore's, but from what I could tell, they fit him far better. He had been called many things: The-Chosen-One, the Boy-Who-Lived, Savior. Things that said nothing, absolutely nothing, about who he really was.

In a way, I've got it both better and worse than him.

Yeah, I don't have nearly as much pressure on me. No-one's asking me to defeat a Dark Lord. I don't have a scar on my forehead. I have two loving parents, who, to my constant thankfulness, are both alive. I have a huge family that I know would support me throughout anything. I don't have a prophecy that predicts a battle that most likely ends in death.

Yeah, when you consider it, I've got it a lot better.

But, when you look at my life, it's like his in many ways. Everyone has an image they expect me to fulfill, that of a prankster. Heck, with a name like James Sirius, Mum and Dad all but condemned me to a life of other people's assumptions.

I know they meant to honor them, James and Sirius, but I just wish they hadn't stuck both of the names on the same child. And to top it off, I'm always being told I look like James. thus, from the moment I arrived at Hogwarts, everyone expected a joker. Truth was, while I could appreciate a good prank now and then, I wasn't one who enjoyed putting them into effect.

Along with that, everyone always had their eyes on Albus. I couldn't really blame them. He was a miniature clone of Dad. Quiet, shy, modest. Everyone loved him.

God, I loved him, but I found myself shunted to the side all too often as people fawned over him. It was hard, at times. I could even understand their thinking.

Here's a child, just like Harry, and he even has the green eyes! Oh, and he has depth, too! Such a modest, polite boy. Oh, and there's James. Just like his namesake, I'm sure.

I don't mean any disrespect to James, or Albus, when I say that. It's just easy, sometimes, to feel resentment at them.

For a while, I just went along with what people expected. I pranked a few times, but enough so that I knew their assumptions were certified. It was easiest, just letting people continue to think things about you.

This year, though, things are going to change. I'm going to change how people think of me. I'm going to show them that I'm not just a reincarnate of my grandfather. For once, I won't just be James Potter, prankster.

I'll be James Sirius Potter, a separate person. And, when my personality comes out, they're going to be surprised. That, I guarantee.

I just noticed that there are no stories mainly focused on James Sirius Potter. I couldn't help but think that maybe he wasn't the classic joker everyone wrote him as. So I decided to write a fic where he was trying to break out of everyone's expectations. Let's see how this goes...

Review, please!

Doctor Pepper