𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

-ˋ 28

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
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-: seventh year :-

── IN WHICH THEY TALK

. . .

Leaving James to his Quidditch, Tiger climbed up the rickety stairs of the stadium, stepping out by the seats and seeing Leo sat some way down them. 

She walked rather quickly towards him, and sat down a little away from him, folding her hands in her laps and looking up at him, dark hair brushed back the wind as a rather strong gust echoed around the stadium.

"Your boyfriend didn't seem too happy to see you talking to me. Or stood by me at all." Leo commented, Tiger's brow furrowing, then even further as he spoke again. "I didn't think you were one for overprotectiveness, given your proclamation that you did enjoy the freedom when we were dating."

"He's not overprotective." Tiger snapped, and Leo's eyes flashed up to her, somewhat confused on why she was suddenly so defensive. "Do you know how much shit you put me through? James has every right to be protective over me, seeing as I apparently can't protect myself."

"And why would you say that?"

"Because I'm sat here. Why on earth would I agree to do this?" Tiger stood up, jaw setting as Leo hurriedly pulled her back down. "What? Want to get out one more insult? Who will it be for this time? Remus? Or Sirius - or maybe Lily." 

"I don't want to insult you at all, or Potter. I don't know the guy, Tiger, can't blame me for judging what I see." Leo shrugged.

"I see death made you an utter idiot." Tiger replied, shaking her head and scoffing, Leo pretending that he didn't find her words funny in the slightest.

"Well you see, I didn't really die, did I? So I would argue that my parents moving me just made it all worse. Have no idea how I was sorted into Ravenclaw." The boy replied, and Tiger's gaze moved from her ex over to her current boyfriend, a smile inching onto her lips as she watched him instruct the team, who hung onto every word he was saying.

"The Sorting Hat is never wrong, is it? It must have put you in it for a reason. Everyday I wonder how the fuck Olivia wasn't sorted into Slytherin, but if you're sorted you just don't question it."  Tiger retorted, not looking away from James as he flew around, watching as two of his chasers scored a goal. 

"Olivia? Why would Olivia be sorted into Slytherin - we are talking about the same Olivia right? The one who you shared a door with and was practically in love-" Leo began to ramble, trailing off as he realised.

"Practically in love with you, yes." Tiger confirmed, and the boy looked utterly horrified.

"Is that one of things that my 'death' put youu through? Olivia? What did she do?" Leo asked, sounding somewhat panicked. The Howell girl rose an eyebrow as she looked over to him. "Olivia was here?"

"Yes, genius, keep up." She shook her head. "I came back after some holiday last year, to find Olivia sat at the end of Gryffindor table. And she had it in for me, and the news that I was the cause of your so called death was out to the school before the Easter holidays were over." Tiger shrugged. "Made quite a show of it, had all these little flyers printed out." 

"Oh god - Tiger I'm so sorry." Leo looked somewhat distraught, as if he had never imagined anything like that happening. "I'm so sorry." He repeated, shaking his head.

"Oh well, nothing we can do now, can we?" Tiger looked back up to the pitch, but rather than her gaze trailing over the skyline as James crossed from one side to another, it settled on one of the people watching in the stands opposite. 

They sat in silence for a moment, Leo seeming to find that the news of what Olivia had done didn't set in well, and all of a sudden he was on his feet, Tiger looking up at himm, drawn over by the sudden movement.

"I have to go - can we finish this talk another time?" Leo asked, Tiger not even questioning him and nodding, waving with wide eyes as he dashed off over to the stairs, disappearing down them.

In all honesty, Tiger was just over it all. She didn't care that Olivia had tried to ruin her life, she didn't care that Leo had ruined his life with his fake death - she just wanted to Dumbledore to hurry up and organise their first meeting.

Because it seemed like that would be her main priority after Hogwarts, and Tiger no longer cared about something that had once ruined her life, but now merely seemed like a rumour that had shattered her past. 

Waiting for Quidditch practise to end didn't seem to take too long, and James waved at her before disappearing into changing rooms with the rest of the team. Tiger made her way down the rickety stairs, waiting outside the door to the changing rooms.

And soon enough, she would be joined by the boy who had helped her not care. He just wanted her happy. And those memories weren't going to make her happy.

So Tiger just stopped caring about her past, and focused on her present and future.

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