The Stag and The Harpy | James Potter

Odd

Phoebe is burning up. Warmth was not a feeling the girl was used to, having grown quite accustomed to the cold she usually felt. A rather heavy arm traps her to the mattress as she struggles.

"James!" She whisper yells. "Get up!"

The boy groans and pulls her closer, mumbling sleepy nonsense. Phoebe sighs and pushes on his chest, trying desperately to free herself. She gives up, scowling at his sleeping face.

"Sirius?" She calls out.

"Yes, Pheebs?" He responds, suddenly appearing in her line of sight.

"Help me! I'm burning up," She cries, shoving at James. Sirius grins mischievously, whipping out a camera from behind his back and snapping a picture before she can stop him. She gasps and scrambles to get up, fighting against the restraint of the sleeping boy next to her.

"Wait till I show Marlene," Sirius says smugly, laughing heartily as James snuggles into her like a puppy.

Phoebe glares and decides she's had enough. Clearly pushing and pinching won't wake up James. She scoots closer, letting him hug her. She hugs back tightly and whispers sweetly, "James, let me up before I castrate you."

James groans and opens his eyes, blinking them to focus. He reaches for his night stand blindly, snagging his glasses and throwing them on. The boy takes in a grinning Sirius and Peter before looking down at Phoebe.

"Ah, good morning," He says, grinning happily. Phoebe rolls her eyes and says grumpily, "Let me up, you're like a bloody furnace."

"Awww," James coos, pinching her side. "Don't pretend like you don't like it."

Phoebe finally pushes him hard enough to spring free. Unfortunately it sends her tumbling off the bed. Sirius cracks up, slapping his knee as Phoebe scowls and sits up right. Peter, ever the gentleman, smiles kindly and helps her to her feet. Remus enters from the bathroom, staring at the scene in front of him. He sighs like a tired parent and says, "Come on, it's time for breakfast."

James notices Phoebe tapping anxiously on her leg at Remus' words and clears his throat, saying, "Hold on, Moony. We just woke up."

"You just woke up," Phoebe points out, searching for her sneakers. Remus tosses them to her and she slips them on over her socks. James feels a happy tingle in his chest at seeing her keep his clothes on. He too gets up and gets ready, passing a coat to Phoebe as they get begin to walk out of the dorm. She accepts it wordlessly, like it's the simplest, most routine thing in the world. James hides his smile, but not before Remus notices with a grin of his own.

The group of 5 make their way to the great hall, laughing at each others antics. Phoebe and James casually toss the snitch he got for Christmas back and forth, throwing it further out of each others reach as the go. Phoebe finally throws it hard, into the great hall, but James summons it back easily, grinning at her smugly while Remus, Sirius, and Peter laugh.

The stop short at the sight of Lily, Marlene and Alice all eating breakfast solemnly in their usual spot. The read head glances up and makes eye contact with James before she looks to Phoebe. The girls stare at each other silently for a long moment until Lily looks away.

"I should go talk to her," Phoebe mumbles quietly. Sirius bristles and says loudly, "No way. Not after the shit she said last night."

"Padfoot—" James starts but it cut off.

"Save it, Prongs. Go talk to Evans if you want but we're sitting here," Sirius says bitterly, plopping down on the far side of the Gryffindor table. He grabs Phoebe's hand and tugs her down next to him. James nervously looks between both ends, eyes lingering on Lily.

Remus and Peter sit down while James hesitates, conflicted internally. A soft voice interrupts the battle in his head, "It's alright, Potter. Go talk to her."

His heart twinges at the use of his last name. Phoebe has a faint smile on her lips, her usual clear eyes cloudy with an unreadable emotion. James hesitates before nodding and approaching the three girls on the opposite end.

Alice smiles warmly as he approaches, Marlene to busy reading a magazine to notice. Lily frowns but doesn't say anything.

"Hi, James," Alice says kindly, gesturing for him to sit. Lily watches quietly, biting her tongue to keep from asking him questions. She finally lets one slip,

"What are you doing here, Potter?"

"Trying to fix your mistake," He answers calmly, looking at Lily blankly. The girl can't help the surprise that runs through her at his maturity. She scoffs defensively, "It's none of your business. It's not like you and Phoebe are friends anyway."

James frowns and replies confidently, "We are friends."

Marlene finally jumps in, saying cheekily, "Friends, eh? She's wearing your clothes."

Alice smirks as James grows flustered. "She needed something to wear," He defends, glancing down the table at the Veela. She was staring solemnly at an untouched piece of toast on her plate, blatantly ignoring Sirius as he spoke to her quietly.

"Is she okay?" Lily asks quietly, causing James to look back to her.

"She will be. She's already forgiven you, you know. The one you have to worry about is Sirius."

Lily nods slightly, hesitating before asking, "And you aren't mad at me?"

James is curious as to why she cares, but doesn't press on the matter. He smiles tiredly and says, "I'm never mad at you, Lily-flower."

The red head blushed and clears her throat. She hesitates again before saying slowly, "I owe it to Phoebe to give this a go and not be a git...so in the spirit of forgiveness I'd like to accept your invitation to Hogsmead. If the offer still stands."

James balks at the girl, blinking in disbelief.

"You're saying yes...to a date? With me?"

Lily nods a little and flashed an apprehensive smile. James, ever the drama Queen, leaps to his feet. He feels an immense amount of joy flood him at once. The girl he's been chasing for years has finally said yes. He did it.

"Lily Evans is going on a date with me!" James shouts and hundreds of eyes turn to look at him in shock. Lily covers her face with her hands and sighs, blushing harder as James hollers and dances in a circle, pausing when he sees that the Veela and his friends are now missing from their spot at the table.

His excitement sits like a rock in the pit of his stomach, sinking into an odd emotion he can't quite place.

Phoebe too feels something uncomfortable growing in her chests as she walks with the silent marauders. She doesn't know why, but a large part of her hopes the date is as dreadful as it could be.