Lions Inside¹ | James Potter

eight

-//-

(Act My Age//One Direction)

8th of September, Saturday, 1973

Saturday morning, Andrea gave up waiting for the boys and headed to breakfast with the girls instead, except for Lucretia, who had kicked Marlene when she had tried to wake her up. 

But the rest of them settled in for a nice, peaceful breakfast that Saturday morning. Until a commotion from the entrance to the Hall had everyone turn their attention as four Gryffindor boys entered.

"YOU LEFT ME?!" James shouted at the top of his lungs. He stormed to Andrea's side and shoved Marlene out of the way and took the seat next to her, pouting dramatically, eyes narrowed. 

"I didn't walk with you to one meal. Stop being dramatic," she huffed, turning away from him. James scowled at the girls. "So, you're trying to steal my friend now?" he accused each of them. His eyes landed on Lily and his face softened. "Of course, if you do want her, we're a package deal. What do you say? Two for the price of one?" he winked. Lily groaned.

"Please. I just ate. Don't make it come back up," she groaned and buried her face in her hands. James didn't look fazed by her insult. "Don't deny our love, Evans. We could be so great together." Marlene groaned now too.

"Ugh, now my breakfast's coming for an encore too." "Are you trying to trade me off for a snog?" Andrea questioned him, highly offended. "Merely checking my options," James smiled sweetly at her. "You know, James, I don't think she likes you all that much," Sirius laughed, sitting down beside Corinna.

"Fine line between love and hate," James smiled, shooting Lily a wink. Andrea snorted.

"Abbandonare, puffo," she laughed.

"Mai, puffetta," James replied proudly. "Nuh-uh. No Italian amongst us lesser beings. We can't understand you," Sirius protested. James and Andrea shared a look. "Aw, poor bimbo. Learn Italian, then you won't be left out," James comforted, reaching to ruffle Sirius' hair around Corinna, only to get his hand slapped away.

"Bimbo?" "It means kiddo," Andrea explained. Sirius stood and looked at James over the top of Corinna's head. "I'm older than you!" he yelled, making the others chuckle.

As Dorcas had said the day before, she had wanted to see Andrea for the weekend. So, abandoning the Gryffindors, Andrea met up with Dorcas and they hung out by the Black Lake, taking advantage of the temperature before it fell to freezing.

"So, you and James, what's the deal there?" she asked Andrea as they skipped rocks on the water's surface. Andrea had never done it before, but Dorcas was trying to teach her.

"What do you mean?" Andrea asked, rolling her cherry lollipop over her tongue so she could talk as she concentrated hard on her technique for stone skipping, only for it to hit the water once with a splash and then sink to the bottom.

"The deal. Do you have a crush on him, is he secretly in love with you, were you engaged at birth and your parents are growing you as a child bride and groom? What's the deets?" Even Andrea couldn't keep her concentration going with what Dorcas was spewing. Pulling her lollipop out with a smack, Andrea turned to look at Dorcas in shock, only burst out laughing as she saw the completely serious look on her face.

"What the hell goes on in that pretty little head of yours?" she managed to get out through her laughter. Dorcas shoved her shoulder.

"I'd drown you, but I agree, my head is pretty. So, what's the answer?" Andrea regained herself and met Dorcas' eye. "No, I don't have a crush on him. Yes, James definitely loves me more than anything on this earth and if he says otherwise, he is lying. But no, he is absolutely not in love with me." Dorcas giggled as Andre described his worship for her.