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Running a hand through his boyish mussed hair, James perched down beside the girl at the bustled gryffindor table in the great hall. He had an impeccable glint of sheepishness in his eyes to the usual cocksure behavior the boy would withhold. As he struggled to find the adequate words for his desired speech, his gaze flittered to meet everything but hers.
"Hey." James said dryly began the conversation, the popular gryffindor had little to no conversance when it came to relationships; or women whatsoever. That was obvious to his still-infamous failed attempt at winning over Lily Evans in fourth year. "Will you — erm, will you go to the ball?" He asked awkwardly, before hastily adding, "With me."
She paused in her spot to look over at him, het forkful of food only a few centimeters from her mouth. "Let me guess, Lily said no." She then proceeded to place the food into her mouth , chewing softly as her eyes never left his.
He rolled his eyes in that very James-like manner with a small grunt. At least this was a good start, he thought to himself. "Something like that." He agreed, leaning back against the table with a shrug and adjusting the sleeves of his robes in his lap. He wasn't expecting the answer she provided so quickly, so he was left to simply study her expression for a moment. "So?" He questioned with a sly grin as he gestured in his direction. "Will you go to the ball with me?"
"No." She answered simply as her gaze fell back on her plate, picking up another forkful of food as she shrugged, trying to play off her sudden annoyance with the boy.
"Hm, that was quick." He muttered to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest. It felt like it was always going to be a no — James could only imagine how many times the girl had received such romantic propositions before. It was clear that the boy was used to being denied, he would take this denial gracefully and simply continue his search for a partner to drag to the ball.
Except, he wasn't ready to give up yet.
"Come on... I just asked. You haven't even given it a thought."
She let out a small breath, as she just continued to stare at her plate. "You're being mean." She stated in the most casual way. "I have been second to Lily my whole life. I won't continue that way anymore. You always come to me when Lily tells you no. I am always your second option." The longer she spoke, the more emotional her voice became, however that was the only sign of her weakness. She kept a good posture before she turned her emotionless eyes onto him again.
His demeanor faltered for a moment after hearing her words. He had a sinking feeling in his gut, knowing that the statement to be true. He never really cared about Lily, all he liked about her was her appearance. It was true that he approached her first in their fourth year, but that was because she was his 'ideal' type — pretty with an innocent demure. But this girl was pretty as well, but she had a fire and attitude that he found equally as attractive. "But it's different." He quickly protested — he couldn't help it.
"Different?" She questioned as she set her fork down before turning a bit in her seat to look at him again. "Different how?"
"I mean..." He stumbled with his words for a moment before collecting his thoughts once more. "I actually prefer you." He explained, as if that wasn't a clear indicator that he was more into her than her sister. "With an honest heart, I can't stop thinking about you." He admitted, his cheeks heating up at their new close proximity.
"Then why do you never come to me first?" She pushed further. If he really thought such a thing, why did he never act on it? She had so many questions running through her mind, if she even had the chance to ask them all, they might be there forever.
"I thought you'd reject me." He answered weakly, his words lacking his usual confidence. It was clear despite how brave and daring he was, he was still just a boy seeking the attention and approval from a pretty girl. The thought of being rejected by her, or anyone for that matter, scared the boy. "I just know everyone wants you." He continued, "I mean — look at you. You're gorgeous. I thought I had a little chance against a girl like you. Why would you choose me?"
She couldn't help herself, she let out a small laugh. "I never thought you to be so clueless." She pointed out rather quickly. "Everyone may want me, yes, but I spend my time with you."
"I just..." He trailed off, shifting in his seat awkwardly. The boy was left with nothing in which to reply, his lips turning down with remorse. He was really clueless, wasn't he? All this time, she must've felt rejected and left to the side whilst he chose another. That was not going to happen again. "Can I take you after class, then?" He requested, "I just..." He tried to think of the right words. "I want to make it up to you."
She gave him a small smile in return. "I would like that. Maybe if you play your cards right, you can ask me about the ball again."
James couldn't help but grin at his small victory. This didn't mean he'd secured the deal, but he was sure he was on the right path. "I'll play my cards right." He affirmed with a teasing wink. "I promise."
"I'll hold you up to that." She assured as her own smile matched his, wide and bright with happiness.
He beamed with joy at her reply, knowing that he would go above and beyond to ensure that he was able to attend the ball with her. He knew it was foolish to be this giddy so early, but he couldn't help himself.
"See you after class." He promised, rising back to his feat and giving her a short, warm hug — not wanting to let go of her just yet.
She returned his hug with a simple wrap around his neck. Before she could fully pull away, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "See you then." And with that, she watched him exit the hall, throwing a victory fist into the air as he went.
