our universe

- S K I R T S -

The days were passing at far too rapid a pace for Juniper's liking. It was already November. How was that possible? Her last first semester, gone in the blink of eye. School had never sped by in this fashion, and never had she wished it wouldn't. Juniper supposed it was because they were having so much fun, because they didn't want it to end. Whatever the case, it seemed as though it was Monday one moment, and Saturday the next.

"Hi, Potter," Rory brushed her hand across his shoulder, sitting down on the armchair next to him. She pecked him on the cheek, opening her textbook, and flipping to a page on grindylows. Rory was feverishly studying for exams, predictably so.

James grinned, wrapping an arm around her, "Hey, sunshine." Then he murmured, in a hushed gleeful tone, "Seven."

"What?" Rory tilted her head in confusion, glancing up from her reading.

"Seven," James repeated, a soft sort of smile on his face. He ticked off the numbers on his fingers, "That's the seventh time you've touched my shoulder like that. The first time you did it was when you were reaching past me for a scone at breakfast. The second was an accident, you were trying to get back your book which I'd stolen from you during fourth year Potions. The third time was when you'd finally started to tolerate me. During one of our tutoring sessions." He continued, "I don't think you even realized that you'd done it. You bent over me to see my notes and placed your hand on my shoulder. That was when I knew I had a chance. The other times have been since we kissed."

Rory couldn't believe him. He'd remembered each time, committed every detail to memory. She blushed, planting a kiss on his jaw, "James- you're so cute."

"I am not cute," James huffed, pouting in protest. "I am very handsome and manly."

"Awww, you sound just like Junie," Teddy remarked, flopping down onto the sofa. He smirked at Juniper, who swatted him across the chest, scowling. "OW!"

Rory snorted, and both James and Juniper gave her an affronted look, not sure who should be more offended. They were all attached at the hip these days, the four of them. Practically inseparable. James and Teddy were always together, and Rory and Juniper were almost as close as the boys were now, and dating each other just added a whole other level. It was slightly funny to Juniper. Because Rory and Teddy were not only friends at this point, but best friends. Though neither would admit to anything of the sort. With inside jokes, and a penchant for ganging up on James and Juniper. Yeah, Juniper wasn't all too fond of that. Their friendship was so unexpected, and yet somehow it worked. It just worked.

Juniper was glad they got along, though. She really was. Vivian hadn't always been Teddy's biggest fan, especially when it came to his relationship with Juniper. It was nice that Rory and Teddy were friends. Competitive, annoying, fighting, friends. But friends all the same. She liked that about their group. Everyone's friendship was equal, a perfect square. All pairings were cohesive. Another funny occurrence to come out of this was Charlie and Leo's intensified friendship. They shared a rampant distaste for the couples, expressing it openly whenever they could.

"Letter for you, James," Charlie said from the portrait hole, chucking an envelope at him. He flicked the back of Juniper's head, "We have practice today, captain?"

"Yes," Juniper replied, checking the time on the clock. Crap it was later than she thought. Seriously, where did all the time go? She needed to go set up soon. She wagged a finger at him, "If you're late again I'm replacing you with McGonagall."

"No, thank you!" Leo called cheerfully from the back corner, where he was taking notes.

Meanwhile, James was reading his letter. He laughed to himself, lips moving as he scanned the page. Juniper wondered who it was from. And apparently, Rory was wondering the exact same thing. She propped her chin on James' shoulder, questioning, "Who's the letter from, Potter?"