We only got to walk for a minute until we were interrupted by someone's footsteps. From the sound of it, they were running. The footsteps got louder until they were just a corner away from us. The person turns the corner where we are and would you look at that.
James. Just the person I was so desperate to see.
"Finally. It took me so long to find you two." James pants as he leans one of his hands on a wall for support.
Remus gives me a look. "How did you find us?" He asks James.
James pulls out a piece of parchment and waves it around. "The map isn't finished but gets the job done."
We have worked hard on the map. It isn't done yet, you can see people on it, but there are no names under the footsteps yet.
"You feeling better now Y/N? We were supposed to hang out." James grins while pocketing the map.
"You'll be alright on your own?" Remus whispers.
I mean I need to talk to him anyway. It would be pretty awkward for Remus if he had to see it.
I give Remus a nod and he leaves me and James alone.
James just stares at me for a minute. "Have you been crying?" He points at my face.
"Yes James, I have been crying." I reply with an annoyed and hurt tone.
"Why?" He furrows his eyebrows.
I take a deep breath to calm myself. "You told me to meet you right after the match ends."
"I did, but Peter told me that you weren't feeling well, so you left." He shrugs
"I was there." I roll my eyes, not only because I'm annoyed, I'm trying not to cry again.
He looks at me confused. "No you weren't, I was waiting for you."
Oh, he was waiting for me. How nice.
"Yes I was, you were just too occupied to notice me." I feel the same lump at the back of my throat again.
"What do you mean by that?" Is he dumb or is he playing dumb?
"You know damn well what I'm talking about James. The bloody kiss!" I practically shout at him.
He looks taken aback from my outburst and stays quiet for a minute. "And?" He finally speaks up.
And? Since when is he such a prick?
"What do you mean 'and'?" I ask in disbelief.
"Y/N, I don't understand why does it matter." Is he joking? But his expression is more confused and annoyed, definitely not joking then.
"We were supposed to hang out and make things up between us. And then you decide to snog some girl, leaving me standing there like an idiot." My hands are moving in all sorts of directions while I try to express myself.
James rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "The kiss lasted maybe a minute or so, you're being over dramatic. If you just waited, we could've hung out after I was done."
"Why are you acting like an arsehole suddenly? What happened to you?" He's never like this.
"People change," He shrugs.
"I can see that. Snogging a new girl every two days. The old you was much better. We never used to fight or have arguments like this." I point out.
"For Godric's sake Y/N, you cannot control who I am dating or being with. We aren't in a fucking relationship!" James snaps at me angrily and takes a step towards me.
I take a step back. He never raises his voice at me, at least he didn't use to. But he is right about us not being in a relationship. I can't control what he is doing or who he is with.
"I know, and I understand that." I sigh looking down.
"Do you? Then why are we having this problem in the first place?" He huffs angrily.
Why is he acting so toxic?
"You know what, forget about it." I glare at him and shove past him.
He grabs my wrist and pulls me back. "No, I want to know why you are acting like this."
I pull my hand away from him. "Acting like what?"
"Acting like a bitch." He says like it's obvious.
My mouth slightly drops at that. So now he's calling me a bitch.
"I'm acting like a bitch? Look at your attitude, you've been nothing but an arsehole towards me this whole conversation!" My voice also raises slightly.
"You can't come here calling me insults out of nowhere!" I point my finger at him angrily.
He slaps my hand away with an angry expression.
"Don't touch me!" I warn him and turn away to leave again.
He pulls my hand harshly back, making me stumble and fall on him. He holds me in place as I try to struggle against his grip.
"Let go of me!" I trash around. Finally, I get out of his grip and take a step away from him.
I didn't even mean to do it but I raise my hand and slap him.
A loud smack echoes through the hallway and James's head swings to the left.
I didn't mean to hit him that hard.
James closes his eyes for a minute out of shock. He raises his hand to his cheek.
"What the fuck is your problem!" He shouts.
I got to admit it, slapping him felt good.
"God, James don't you understand, I've fallen for you! Hell, maybe I'm even in love with you, I don't fucking know!" I shout back at him. I feel a tear run down my cheek. Great, now I'm crying.
James just stands there, taken aback by the sudden confession. His cheek is starting to turn red. "That's why I've been acting this way, I'm jealous! Isn't it obvious?" I groan and wipe my eyes to prevent more tears from escaping.
James still just stands, unable to say anything to me. Is he really that shocked?
"Actually, scratch that. I fell for the other James, the one who was sweet, caring and made jokes. Not this twat that stands right in front of me right now." I take one last look at him and storm away.
This time he doesn't stop me. He either is still unable to move or he doesn't want to get slapped again.
I decide to go to the second-floor girls' lavatory. No one uses it and I need a bit of space. Well, except Moaning Myrtle.
-
It's the next day and I've not seen any of the marauders. I walk into the charm's classroom. I spot Aurora sitting alone. Remember, the Hufflepuff girl that I sat next to last year. We didn't talk much, though. I make my way over to her and sit down next to her.
She looks at me and gives a little smile. Aurora has beautiful dark skin and curly dark hair that sits in an afro, which I absolutely love.
"Hi, Y/N right?" She recalls.
"Yep Y/N, you were Aurora?" I ask just to make sure. Aurora nods. "I love the afro by the way!" I compliment her hair.
"Oh, thank you! I decided to switch up my style a little since last year." She grins and twirls her wand.
"It suits you very well!" I smile and slump back in my chair.
"Hey Aurora, can I ask you a question?" I ask her.
"Sure, go ahead." She smiles at me.
"Is your name from the Sleeping Beauty story? I've always wondered that." I ask sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.
She laughs a little. "It is. My mum is a muggle, she absolutely loves the Sleeping Beauty since she was little. Her mother used to read it to her all the time. That's where she got the name."
"Aw, that's so sweet." I smile.
We continued chatting for the whole lesson. Cost us some glares from professor Flitwick.
-
Couldn't leave y'all hanging for this long. Also, I decided that we need to bring Aurora back into the story.
Edited 7/20/2022