Chocolate and Cigarettes

Chapter 68 - Together

Jennifer had gone to pierce her nose with Marlene, just like she had talked about it with Gideon a long time ago. She had gone with Marlene to get a nose piercing and had gotten out with two tattoos as well.

She had decided to do a tattoo on her finger with Marlene. It was a smiley. On one finger was a parenthesis and on the other a colon. Together it formed a smiley.

And just under her collarbone was a phrase. One she had thought about many times and decided to get inked in her body forever.

Five just as one.

"What does it mean?" Marlene had asked as they had walked back to the castle.

Jen had smiled at her best friend and took her arm as she smiled at her.

"When you are a Potter you are one big family. James and Sirius will never be alone, they'll always have me. Just like we'll never be alone because we have our parents." She had explained.

She had been quiet after what she had said because she thought back to how her parents were sick and may not survive the year. They may become three just as one in the future.

But Marlene, not being comfortable in silence for too long, started to talk about her relationship with Dorcas. About how much she was awesome and about how much she could see them grow closer.

After that, Jen had gone back to the castle and quickly found Gideon and Sirius. They were both holding hands as a few jealous girls- and boys looked their way.

She had spent a part of her day with both of them before she finally decided to stay a little bit with her brother.

They were both in the common room, playing wizarding chess. Both of them were very good at it and hated to lose, so it was always very funny to watch the other lose.

They had both asked Lily and Remus to leave, so they could concentrate on the game, which left a surprised Lily and a way too understanding Remus to walk away. They both said they would be in the Marauders dorm doing whatever revisions they had to do for the N.E.W.T.S.

And just as James moved a pawn, Jen decided to ask the question everyone wanted to know.

"So- When are you asking Lily to marry you?"

James immediately stopped doing whatever the hell he was about to do and looked at his sister as if she had grown a head.

"I'm not asking Lily to marry me." He said immediately.

This time it was Jen that looked at her brother as if he had grown six heads. James Potter, in love with Lily Evans since the first year, chasing and bothering her since he was eleven and recently finally getting what he's always wanted did not want to marry her?

He must be sick.

"You what?" She asked.

He sighed and furrowed his eyebrows at the pawn his sister had moved before moving one himself. He then looked at Jen and sighed.

"I love Lily. I love her more than anything. In fact, I've never loved anyone but Lily. But I've had to chase her around for seven years before she accepted to date me. Seven years of torture and heartbreak. I don't-" He paused, sighing. "What if she says no?"

Jennifer's brows loosened as she looked at her little brother. She never would've taught that James Potter could've asked himself a question like that. She had always thought that he was the most confident man alive. That it was his confidence that had made Lily say yes when he asked her to be his girlfriend. But it seemed like it wasn't as he seemed.