The Stag and The Harpy | James Potter

That hurt

James eyes Phoebe from where they're sitting quietly in the library, surprised that she even allowed him to join her.

His charms assignment is long forgotten as he leans on his elbow, his chin propped comfortably in his hand. Phoebe writes furiously on her parchment, sucking absentmindedly on a sugar quill as she thinks. James zeros in on the action, feeling an odd sense of deja vu as he observes her tongue peeking out to lick her lips. It's not the first time he's stared at her while she munches on the sweet, but it is the first time he has since he's admitted that he fancies her.

James grows slightly uncomfortable, his pants getting embarrassingly tighter as he observes the girl. She lets out a hum of contentment, pulling the lolli back into her mouth. James nearly drops his jaw as he stares at her perfect lips dancing across the sweet.

"Merlin, Phoebe," James grunts, startling her. "Could you quit that please?"

Phoebe looks at him confusedly for a couple of moment, blinking her pretty grey eyes. A slow grin Twitches the corners of her lips.

"James, are you turned on?" Phoebe asks, raising her brows in surprise. James rolls his eyes and grumbles, "Of course I'm bloody turned on! You're practically giving head in front of me!"

"I'm eating candy!"

James smirks slightly at her embarrassed tone and shakes his head, leaning closer to whisper, "You know Damn well you aren't just eating candy, you evil minx."

Phoebe blushes faintly and fights off laughter, unable to stop herself from glancing down to where James was biting at his lips.

"If you'd focus on your assignment then you wouldn't have a problem," Phoebe points out, mischievously bringing the sugar quill back up to her lips. James scowls playfully and growls, "I swear to Merlin if you start sucking on that I'm going to snog you right on this table."

Phoebe feels a slight stirring of thrill at the thought, but she quickly pulls the quill away from her lips and goes back to work. James smile fades as a thought that has been plaguing him since her run in with the Slytherins last night.

"Why were you smoking so late?" James asks. Phoebe pauses in her writing, eyes glancing up at him before she sighs and replies, "I was stressed."

"Your mum?"

Phoebe hums a 'yes' that leaves room for no more questions. But James was never really good at social cues.

"She did something to upset you?"

Phoebe closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose with her free hand as she says, "You know, I usually talk to Sirius about this stuff."

Ouch. That hurt. James quickly averts his gaze from her, rearing back from the sting of her words. She could be brutal sometimes, unconsciously blunt

Phoebe frowns. The table is suddenly and oddly quiet. She opens her eyes and winces slightly at what lay before her. James is staring to the side, out of the small window they were sitting under. His jaw is clenched tight, nearly as tight as his clenched fist around his own quill. Phoebe instantly realizes her wrong doing and begins to try to walk it back.

"But if your willing to listen...." She trails off. She frowns when James doesn't acknowledge her. He's incredibly hurt by her words, because he wants her to be able to talk to him. Wants to know intimate details about her life the way Sirius does and it makes jealousy fester in his chest.

"She's gone off the map."

James finally looks over at her at her words. Encouraged by his eyes on hers, she says, "She sent me a letter, telling me she would be traveling secretly to stay safe."

James leans forward again, resting his arms on the table as concern slowly takes over the anger on his face. Phoebe hesitates before doing something she hadn't even done with Sirius. Her black haired friend had only once managed to get a glimpse of a letter her mother wrote, and here she was just handing it over to James.

James looks at her in surprise, holding the powder blue envelope delicately in his hands. He looks at her, unsure. Phoebe smiles faintly, nervously, before she waves for him to open it and give it a read. So as to not see his immediate reaction, she turns back to her assignment. He slowly begins to remove the letter from the envelope, glancing at the composed Veela in front of him before he begins to read

Belle fille,

I hope this letter finds you well. Are you staying focused on your studies? Are you eating as I'd asked? Just remember your cousin Gabrielle. She's rather portly now and it brings shame to our family. You are the beauty of our ancestry, the model for Veela to come. Do not let me down by losing sight of that.

The real reason I'm writing to you is to tell you that this is the last I will be able to contact you for some time. I'm traveling off grid as to avoid unnecessary interference and danger. This dark wizard is gaining power, and our kin are scared. Please, remain safe, fille. I cannot lose you.

Tu es ma fierté et ma joie. Mon plus beau cadeau. Restez en sécurité.

À Bientôt,

Maman.

James looks up from the letter, feeling more than slight irritation at the woman. It's no wonder Phoebe felt pressured. She was expected to be perfect. Phoebe meets his gaze and smiles slightly, saying, "That's actually an okay one."

"An okay one?" James scoffs. "Why aren't you just allowed to exist?"

Phoebe puts on her best French accent and says haughtily, "Because I have to exist the right way."

James stares at her, irritability written all over his face at her mother. Phoebe laughs but feels an alarming sense of affection for the boy over his indignant attitude.

"It doesn't matter. That's not the part of the letter that bothered me last night."

James quirks a brow, internally a little surprised she was willing to share more. He frowns slightly as her tiny smile falls and turns into a tight expression of worry.

"The part that bothered me is that she sounds scared. I'm scared." Phoebe admits finally, feeling weight fall from her shoulders. The admission was freeing, even though it left her vulnerable for other emotions she wasn't ready for.

"What did they say to you last night?" James asks tightly, his fist forming into a ball before she can even say it.

Phoebe shakes her head nearly refusing to answer, but James persists, staring heatedly into her eyes until she caves.

"They said they wanted me to...," Phoebe whisper trails off, looking away from James. She felt dirty saying it out loud, like her blood automatically made her a whore that could be used and tossed around between the Slytherins.

"Please," His voice sounds strained. Probably because he's refraining from jumping to his feet and screaming for Rosier and Mulciber and Lestrange to face him. "Phoebe do not go anywhere alone."

"I'm not going to stop living my—"

"Phoebe, I mean it. Stay away from them and don't go out alone, or else I'm going to handle it. Promise me."

His dark words and raging tone made her blink at him in surprise. More than the anger, there's an overwhelming sense of concern. Phoebe rolls her eyes and says irritably, "It's not like they actually did it! They just threatened to!"

James spits out through clenched teeth,

"Do what exactly?"

Phoebe instantly sees the flaws in what she just said as soon as she realizes James is growing only angrier and angrier.

"James..." she warns.

Apparently it's not enough to stop him because the boy is shooting out of his seat and marching across the library before Phoebe can say anything more.