𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 ⟡ ᴊᴀᴍᴇs ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ¹

eight: guidance

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

THE FOUR MARAUDERS were in their dorm, Remus sharing with them the information he had learned the night before.

"A doe?!" James shouted.

"Yes, Prongs. For the seventh time, a doe" the Lupin boy sighed, falling back on his bed. He was beginning to regret telling the boy anything in the first place. "You've got to be mistaken. There's no way in bloody hell it's actually a doe" Sirius exclaimed, his face perfectly displaying the shock he was feeling.

"Maybe she said toe?"

"Or bow!"

"How about snow?"

Remus loudly groaned, shutting his three best friends up. It was way too early for this. "Her patronus is a doe. She said it herself" James was internally freaking out. The girl he liked had a matching patronus to his. What was he supposed to do? He hadn't even figured out how to tell her. What if she didn't like him back? So many thoughts and concerns were running through his head, his heartbeat rapidly increasing.

"You alright, mate?" Sirius questioned, eyeing the boy cautiously. His face was pale, his hands fidgeting as he attempted to push back his hair. His chest was rising and falling at an intense pace, and his forehead was dotted with beads of sweat. "You look like you're about to-" Peter's words were cut off as James fell to the floor, the Marauders all immediately jumping to their feet.

"You've killed him, Moony!"

✰ ✰ ✰

After recovering from what he's decided to call a near death experience, James rushed out of their room and began sprinting towards the teacher's offices. He was in desperate need of guidance and he knew exactly where to go.

"Minnie!" he shouted, bursting through the door. The professor didn't even lift her head, a sigh escaping her lips. "Mr. Potter" she greeted. "I'm rather busy at the moment-"

"I like a girl" he blurted out, his statement causing Mcgonagall to look up from her work. She put her quill down and interlaced her fingers, placing them on her lap. She took in James's flustered state, his cheeks the shade of a tomato. "That's good to hear" she hummed, gesturing towards the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"It is?" he gulped, taking a seat. He anxiously rubbed his hands together and then ran them back and forth across his thighs. To say he was nervous was an understatement. "Maybe this girl will be a good influence on you" Mcgonagall mused, raising an eyebrow. James didn't respond as he tapped his heel against the floor, his tie all of a sudden feeling tight.

"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?" The boy could only nod, his gaze set upon his lap. The professor felt a pang of concern hit her chest in an almost motherly way. "This is serious, isn't it?" she questioned. "It's not Sirius. He's my best mate" James mumbled, the response coming out like second nature. A small smile formed on her face, happy to hear that his sense of humor was still in tact.

"Might I ask, who this young girl is?" James finally looked up, biting the inside of his cheek. "Lyra Black" The name caught Mcgonagall off guard, not expecting to hear a Black's name roll off of his tongue. She was actually rather fond of the girl. She took her studies seriously and was one of the only Slytherins who willingly reached out to other houses.

"I see" she murmured, removing her glasses. "I'm sure Sirius wouldn't mi-" James was quick to cut her off. "No, no! Sirius knows. He actually knew before me. That's not the problem at all. It's just..." his voice faltered as he tried to gather his thoughts, his words coming out like a jumbled mess.