Whimsical {James Potter}

Chapter 49

Chapter 49: An Ease to the Year

In the last weeks of Hogwarts, there isn't much to do besides continue to go to classes that are just revisiting what happened through the year. And if the small group of Gryffindors were not already nonchalant about attending class through the main part of the year, they certainly are now.

They should be in Potions – possibly, they hadn't bothered to check – right now, but being the last class they would have with Slughorn for the year, none of them felt like attending and instead have made their way down to the Black Lake. The weather is almost perfect for it with Summer being just a few days away. The sun glistens off the rippling surface, creating a painting of white-gold splashes from the horizon.

"You said something to him, didn't you?"

Cressida watches the boy next to her closely to take in every single sign his body might give off. From the corner of her eye, the other three boys continue to splash each other. Their pants are rolled up over their knees and shirts to their elbows.

Sirius, however, is sitting on the bank with her underneath the same large tree where they went after Snape. His own shirt is rolled up to his elbows but to relieve him of the growing heat. The sides of his hair are slightly frizzed from a blast of wind they had not long ago.

His brows furrow as his head turns over his shoulder to peer right back at her. "What? To who?"

Cressida sighs silently, nodding subtly towards the water. "James," she whispers despite the distance between them. "He hasn't properly talked to me in nearly two weeks."

Sirius quickly follows her line of sight, shaking his head. "I haven't," he promises immediately. "And James has been weird to all of us." Maybe that is true. James, usually one for action first talk later has almost become the opposite. There's no lack of his arrogant and prideful persona, but where he might have pulled his wand or shown off, he's taken a backseat. "What happened in the hospital wing?"

"Nothing," she answers with a shrug.

"Did you tell him why you were pissed?"

Cressida narrows her eyes, tearing them away from the water and back to Sirius. "I wasn't pissed," she counters firmly. "And no, we didn't even talk about it. I didn't want to."

"Why not?"

"Cause I didn't quite feel like spilling my guts," she spits with a sarcastic laugh. "And you're controlling the conversation again." Black; always needing to be in control of everything. "So it's not just me that he's being weird to?"

Sirius shrugs, uncaring about her attitude towards him. "He's quieter than usual, but it's not like he's ignoring us or anything." He gestures towards the Lake where James is indeed, acting the most normal she's seen him in days. "It's probably just Evans getting to him. They haven't talked at all since the D.A.D.A exam. And I mean – James hasn't even tried to approach her – not talking."

Cressida huffs through sipping out of her water bottle. "She deserves the break." She eyes of Sirius' bland features, his tongue rolling on the outside of his teeth. "You're not in a mood, are you?"

Sirius shakes his head with a deep and chesty chuckle. "No," he answers, adding a smile to assure her. "Just don't want this week to end."

Cressida hums in agreement. She loves the Summer, but her experience wouldn't match Sirius'. At least not for a few weeks. And though her own time spent at home isn't something to look forward to, it is nothing in comparison to his home life. "I know you don't particularly like soft moments," she sighs with a closed smile, "but I feel like one."