Enchanted | James Potter

Chapter 30: Right In Front Of Me.

The holidays were over soon and classes started again. It was their last few months at Hogwarts and everybody wanted to make the most of it.

The Potions class had just ended and everyone was walking back to the common room when James approached Flora.

"Hey!" He said pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Hey James," she said.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip next weekend." He told her.

"Oh I didn't know. Haven't checked the notice board yet." 

"It's on Valentine's Day." He said as to clarify.

"Oh.."

"Will you go with me?" He said in one breath.

"Like a date?" Flora asked, much too eagerly.

"Date.. well. Only if you want.. I don't wanna.." he started rambling again. Was it too soon? Should he have waited more?

"I'd love to go with you, James." she said, stopping him from rambling. 

"Ok. That's brilliant. Yeah! I'll see you then" he said and ran away.

Flora immediately went to the common room to tell her friends. She needed help. All her friends screamed when she told them. It was finally happening. They were glad James finally asked her out.

James had already told the marauders that he was going to ask her out on Valentine's Day. He needed their opinion. Now he ran back to tell his friends that she said yes. All of them cheered.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip soon came and both of them were elated. James was in his room with the marauders, fussing about wearing proper clothes and getting his hair set right. After much effort it was still a mess.

Flora was in her room, getting ready with the help of her friends. She felt beautiful after everything was done. She could not wait to meet James.

James had told her to meet where they met first and she immediately knew he meant at The Three Broomsticks. So she opened the door of the place once again to meet James.

James was already sitting at that exact seat where he met Flora as his mystery girl. He immediately stood up as Flora entered. They said hello and took their seats. They were both smiling at each other, finding it hard to believe that this was actually happening.

“This feels unreal.” James says all of a sudden. “I mean we talk at school all the time. It’s not like it’s something new but..but this is a date. An actual date. With you. I can't believe it.”

“You’re an idiot James.” she says laughing.

“Yeah. and annoying and arrogant. What else did you call me?” he pretends to remember.

“Oh stop…. I can’t believe it was you all this time.”

“Me neither. I was going crazy about.. well everything.. but you were here, right in front of me.”

She smiled. “I am glad it was you, you know.”

“I am glad too.” he took her hands and his.

“Do you think.. I mean do you like me?” James asked nervously.

“Why else would I agree to this date?”

“Oh right.. I am an idiot.”

“We’ve made that clear.”

Their bickering continued for hours before they realized that the sun was setting already. They stood up to leave. While walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, they had an awkward encounter with Edward. He was with Severus when he saw Flora and James, walking hand in hand. Flora completely ignored him and so did James. He knew that they used to be good friends so he decided that just for Flora, he would stop troubling Edward and for that matter, Severus too.

Edward watched them with a sad look. But he knew that at least with James, she would be safe. James didn’t have a crazy pureblood family like his. But it still hurt for him to see Flora with someone else. Even Severus couldn’t distract him after that. 

Before they reached the common room, James stopped her and looked earnestly in her eyes, “Flora, what does this mean, now that.. Well. Did you like it, with me?” he asked, mentally slapping himself for framing his questions weirdly.

“Yes James” she laughed at his awkwardness.

“So does that mean we are together now?”

“Yeah” she whispered and kissed him on the cheek. He couldn't do anything before the door of the common room opened and Flora went inside, still smiling. James followed her after a few seconds with a dazed look on his face.

Their friends were all on the sofas near the fireplace. They joined them and told them through their red faces that they were together now. The cheer was almost deafening.

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Authors note- FLAMES happened finally :D