Red- James Potter

16"

Potions was quickly becoming one of Camilla's least favourite subjects in her sixth year. Not due to her complete incompetence in the subject, but rather to the Slytherin Quidditch captain who she was forced to be seated next to.

Professor Slughorn had them brewing a coughing potion.

"Today you will see why the Wizarding Community is rarely sick. The Cough Potion will relieve you of all symptoms involving an irritated throat. Please turn to page 458 in your textbooks. The potions should not be too difficult to brew if the instructions are followed exactly. It is one of the easier potions to brew in which we will be covering this year" he said as the class opened their textbooks and set to work collecting their ingredients.

Camilla was glad it wasn't too advanced. She had been struggling lately but she wasn't the only one. Quite a few members of the class had been finding it difficult making her feel somewhat a little bit better about her number of of failed potions.

Making her way to the front she noticed there was only one blade of nightshade stem left.

She reached out to grab it, when someone had snatched it off the table quickly before she could do so.

Camilla looked up to the person in annoyance.

"I should have known. Give it back Potter" she sighed

James looked down at her with a smirk on his lips and eyes shining in amusement. Camilla hated that she had to look up to him. He was a foot taller than her and Camilla herself wasn't particularly short.

"Give it back?" James said tilting his head , "I don't think it was ever yours, Prewett"

Camilla scoffed, she could see James was just doing it to annoy her.

Lily rolled her eyes watching them , "Don't be a git potter, just hand it her back"

James just shrugged, "It's cute you're defending your friend Evans "

Lily just pulled a sarcastic smiled and James turned back to Camilla.

'"if you wanted it, you should have been quicker" He shrugged, talking to Camilla

"Come on potter, don't be a knob, can't we just share it ?" Camilla said, quickly becoming fed up

"Prewett, where are your manners ? Not even a please"

Steve laughalot had been watching their encounter from the front row where Camilla, Lily and himself were seated.

"Oi Prewett, here " he said placing one of his blades on her desk, "Have one of mine, I got two just in case"

"Thanks laughalot" Camilla smiled to him tightly before turning to James, pulling a face which said, ha!

James looked suspiciously between the Slytherin and Camilla.

"You trust that snake?" he said, dropping his voice, whispering to Camilla, "He's up to something. You're really going to take that from him?"

Camilla laughed harshly, "It's a blade of nightshade potter, it's not a bomb"

James rolled his eyes and looked between them both curiously on last time, before leaving them, and returning to the back of the classroom to sit with Sirius and Remus.

"what's his problem?" Lily asked Camilla as he had finally left

"merlin knows" camilla sighed, reading the first line of her textbook

James had taken a seat beside Remus and Sirius, who had already collected all their ingredients from the front and had witnessed the whole interaction.

He placed down the blade of nightshade next to the one he had already collected which was on his desk.

"what did you do that for?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow at his best friend, "you already had one"

James shrugged, "I dunno to be honest, I thought it might annoy her"

Sirius and Remus sensed an irritated tone in his own voice.

"I don't like it" James said gesturing between Camilla and Steve laughalot

"Neither do I" said Sirius scowling at the Slytherin boy who had seemed to flirt with camilla every potion class since the start of term.

Remus looked between Camilla, Steve and James. He knew why it irritated Sirius that Steve was flirting with Camilla but James?

"why are you so bothered, mate?" Remus asked curiously

James looked to him as if it was obvious, "Something is fishy about it all. I hope Prewett knows what she's doing. He just wants the teams quidditch secrets I bet" he concluded

Remus narrowed his eyes, "Is this about Quidditch or is this about Camilla?"

James' eyes snapped to his and Sirius looked extremely intrigued.

"Quidditch of course" James said as if it was blatantly obvious and completely absurd it could ever be anything else

Remus just looked at him skeptically

"why would it be anything else?" James asked accusingly

"I dunno" Remus shrugged, "Just forget I ever said anything"

James had spent the rest of potions in a terrible mood and frequently checked the front of the classroom making sure camilla wasn't talking to Steve. He did not like it one bit and it made him unnecessarily agitated. James hated Steve talking to Camilla , it was bad news.

Remus lupin had noticed James' proclivity to glance over to the front row of the classroom, though it wasn't to the girl at the front he would have guessed it would have been. James was far too concerned with Camilla Prewett's doings to be bothered about Lily Evans. Remus had also noticed that James' loving babbling about lily had ceased in the past weeks and had consequently been replaced with how annoying James had found camilla to be.

All they ever heard now, was things about Camilla.

Camilla had did this, Camilla had done that.

It was amusing in a way.

To James, her presence had been far more distracting than ever. But Remus had reminded him that Camilla had not been in his life any more than in previous years . They had always shared lessons, been on the quidditch team together and shared a house and common room.

So why was James bothered about her now?

James just paid more attention to her, and he had no idea why.