Under the Virgo Moon | James Potter

Chapter Eighteen- Holiday Break: James, Sirius, and Regulus

James Potter

"So this is Christmas
and what have you done?"

                                        •••

December 22, 1977

James thought he knew something was up with Cassiopeia. Something had to be, right? Why else would she dump him like that? That's how James reassured himself.

But when James saw how worried Sirius looked when Andromeda said Cassiopeia wasn't there for break, he knew something was horribly wrong. He knew Regulus knew something. He wasn't very persuasive. So, when the Black brothers were writing letters to Cassiopeia; he did too.

'Cassiopeia. I know we broke up and you don't want to be hearing from me. It's probably putting me in some great danger writing to you, huh? Sorry- that was rude. Why am I even apologizing? You're the one who ended it. But Cassiopeia, please write someone back, I have never seen Padfoot this stressed. And please don't be in danger. You may have ended it but I still feel something for you.

James Fleamont Potter'

James played it off as if he was a worried friend, and it worked. It only worked because none of them knew they were together. Not Sirius, Regulus, Remus, Peter, Mary, or Lily. None of them. None of them besides Marlene. So after the owl flew off into the early morning sky it only made sense that Marlene pulled him aside to talk. And when she did Sirius gave him a very strange look.

"Why isn't Cass here?" Marlene asked after she shut the door of the pantry and casted a slinging charm.

"Why would I know?" James shrugged.

"Oh, I don't know... maybe because you two are dating." Marlene said, the sarcasm in her words cutting the air like a knife.

"No, we aren't. She dumped me." James said trying to not fall apart. He hasn't even cried about it yet. He hasn't had the time or privacy to do so, "The Thursday before he left."

"Oh my god." Marlene said hugging James, "I'm no sorry, I didn't know. That's probably why she's not here. Do you know where she is?"

"She said it was 'for my safety' whatever that means." Marlene could hear the pain in James's voice.

"I'm sorry hun." Marlene said while maternally rubbing his back, "But, hey, sucks for her right? She's really missing out. But let's go back out there and later on we can chat about this yeah?"

"Yeah."

James and Marlene left the pantry and when they got back to the living room they got some weird looks but James didn't take that into account.

Over the next few days James and Marlene talked more and more, James actually really liked Marlenes company. She even came out to him and told him how she has a crush Yazmin Patil. James was determined to set them up when they got back to Hogwarts; maybe Marlene only told him this to stop thinking about Cassiopeia. But James still always thought about her. He thought about what jokes she'd be finding funny. Her reactions to everything they were saying. It's like he couldn't get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It was like she was just apart of him now.

When Christmas day rolled around everyone could feel the worry in the air. The worry about Cassiopeia. It seemed like that's all they would talk about. Is Cass okay? Is all James heard. And it didn't help that he was still so deeply in love with her.

They all opens their gifts and they all had a great time. But James was still thinking about the gift he left Cassiopeia in the Room of Requirement they day his heart shattered into a million pieces.