Caught in the Crowd {James Potter}

Chapter 8: A Horrid and Miserable Reality

Chapter 8: A Horrid and Miserable Reality

"You can go now," Sirius told her.

"No, no, no," Freya sang. "I'm not going down by myself where everybody can watch me. They'll think I've come up here to snog one of you. Or worse, shag." Her entire body shivered. "Once the dinner crowd leaves, then I'll go. Besides, I've never been in here before. And on the topic of snogging, I feel for whatever girl Potter has his eyes on."

"Why's that?" Peter questioned.

Freya moved about the room, opening and closing draws, and peering at all the decorations hung about. "Can you imagine having James Potter fancy you? One on hand, Lily is absolutely right in saying that he's—and I quote—an annoying, judgemental, arrogant toe-rag with no appreciation for authority or rules. On the second hand, it would be the topic of interest for weeks around the castle. Everybody wants to know what you lot are up to. If Remus Lupin scratches his arse, I'll hear about it in my next class."

Remus recoiled, wrinkling his nose.

"That's not even an exaggeration," she told him. "I heard someone say something about the way you scratched your neck once." He blanched even more. "If word ever gets out about which girl it is, she'll have to face glares, gossip and rumour."

Sirius leant back on his hands, shaking his head. "You know, you've managed to turn the beautiful concept of young love into a horrid and miserable reality, Hawkins. I'm truly impressed."

Freya sat on the edge of James's unoccupied bed. "I don't mean to. Honestly, I wish Potter the best. I'm just saying that I wouldn't want his sights set on me is all. Others might handle it brilliantly." With a sudden thought, she spread her legs apart and bent down to look between them, under James's bed.

"What on earth are you doing, Hawkins?"

"Seeing if I can find any magical contraptions so I know what you have planned in the near future. And how I can avoid it." There was nothing of interest besides a few pairs of shoes he's kicked under. Determined, she went around to all their bed, looking underneath them.

After she reached Sirius's, finding nothing, the boy shrugged at Freya who was on her knees. "We don't really have anything at the moment. We have other plans." Suddenly she wishes she looked at that parchment on the train more closely.

Peter checked his watch. "Dinner should have started."

Freya skipped towards the door. "Great, let's go."

In the Great Hall, Freya threw herself into the seat next to Marlene, leaving the boys to find seats elsewhere. "Where have you been?"

Freya stuffed her plate with mashed potato. "In hell," is all she said before her mouth was full. Though the boys' dorm seemed more like a strange limbo than anything else.

"You've barely been around all day."

"I had lunch and breakfast with you. It's a school day, Marls. I've barely had time to be anywhere but here and in class. Have the quidditch teams been released yet?"

"Next week I think."

Freya waited for Marlene to make effort to carry on the conversation, but the topics had apparently run dry. Getting the sense that Marlene didn't fancy chatting, she turned elsewhere, making small talk with the other two girls who resided in their dorm. Once they had finished eating, Marlene remained in an avid conversation with Mary who scooted across the seats as students left. Freya waited, seeing if they would open conversation to her, but it was as though they had cast a silencing shield on the world around them. So she left them and wandered through the masses.