Time in a Bottle (A James Potter Love Story)

Chapter 26

Waiting for the storm was painstakingly hard for Aurelia. She was growing impatient, wanting nothing more than to finish the transformation. Every morning, and every evening was met with the witch repeating the same incantation. If this were successful, she'd be one of the youngest to accomplish such a meticulous and challenging task.

She was sat upon a ledge in the corridor staring up at the sky. Not a single stormy cloud was in the air. Aurelia sent a glare at the sun that seemed to be taunting her. Remus was ill, in bed with the aches and pains that came once a month. James and Sirius were in detention for causing the entire schools quidditch robes to shrink.

Peter noticed Aurelia sitting alone on the ledge and decided to accompany her. As he placed his bag down on the ground, the witch flinched in shock. Her hand flew to her chest and she sent a smile to the boy. "Merlin Pete, you scared me."

The blonde chuckled in amusement. "Staring at the sky won't change the weather Rels." She groaned and her head hit his shoulder. He placed an arm around her and rubbed her back. "Give it some time, you can't rush it. You'll only hurt yourself. I'd rather not see you as a half squirrel."

"I would not be a squirrel!" Aurelia laughed.

Peter threw his hands up "Alright, maybe a fish then." He stood up and held out his hand to help Aurelia to her feet.

She gasped and wrinkled her nose, "A bloody fish you say?" He nodded with an amused grin. Aurelia shook her head and stood up. "Unbelievable."

"Let's go check on Remus," Peter grabbed both of their bags and led the way. When they entered the boy's dorm, it was dark. The lights were out and the beds were empty aside from one. Trying to be quiet, the two tiptoed through the room before Aurelia peaked in Remus' curtains. He was faced the opposite direction, with the perfect sized space for Aurelia to slip under the covers. She softly lifted the blanket before lying on the mattress.

"Hey Rellie." The werewolf spoke. Her fingers combed through his hair and she hummed a song. This is how it was every month now. It wasn't uncommon to see them cuddled up together in bed surrounded by empty chocolate wrappers around every full moon. Until Aurelia successfully transforms, she wanted to help ease his pain as much as possible. Pretty soon after she started humming, Remus fell asleep. Despite his snores, she continued to run her fingers through his hair.

The door opened rather loudly, causing Remus to stir with a groan. Sirius glared at James who turned red in embarrassment. "Sorry mate" he whispered. Sirius dug around in his jacket pockets and pulled out a handful of chocolates. Aurelia gently snuck out of bed and gave the two boys a hug. Sirius walked over to Remus and sat on the bed, and Aurelia didn't miss the love and worry shining in the grey eyes of his. Remus flipped over and smiled tiredly up at Sirius, thanking him for the chocolate.

Wanting them to have a moment, Aurelia looked to Peter and gestured between the two and then the door. His jaw dropped and he nodded, grabbing his belongings and exiting quietly. James, being oblivious as ever, plopped on his bed. Aurelia rolled her eyes, "Hey James, could I have your help with something?" She whispered.

James looked up at her, "Sure Rels, what do you need?"

"I was thinking we'd go to the pitch and you can help me practice?" She asked hoping it would get the boy to leave with her. To her delight it worked. James brightened up considerably and dragged Aurelia out of the dorm.

The two flew for the next hour. They chased each other, worked on different tricks, and practiced their techniques. Like always once she reached the ground, James held out his hand to help her off the broom. Her hand met his, and she stumbled over the handle of her broom trying to get off. His grasp tightened and his other arm reached around her to catch her, her free hand pressing into his chest. Aurelia's cheeks flushed red as he laughed heartily. When she looked up at him however, his laughter died down to a soft smile. "Sorry" she breathed out. For a moment, the two teens stayed that way. James felt his heart stutter and his cheeks flushed as he looked into her eyes. He furrowed his brows and cleared his throat before stepping back slightly.

"Can't have you hurting yourself before the match next week Rels." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before taking a seat on the grass.

Aurelia blinked, slightly dazed and confused by what just happened. Her heart sank at the thought of him being opposed to being that close to her. So instead of sitting close to him like she normally would, she left some distance. "Yeah, you'd surely lose without me on the team." She mustered up a smile to hide the hurt.

"Obviously." James laughed.

The silence that came after was awkward. James stared up to the sun that was setting while Aurelia picked at the grass anxiously. Sensing her anxiety, he reached his arm around her and pulled her close, rubbing circles on her arm. "Do you think the two lovebirds have had enough time yet?"

James gaped at her in shock, "Is that why you brought me out here? And here I thought you just enjoyed my presence. I'm hurt, truly." He pouted and pushed up his glasses.

Aurelia laughed, "I'd say you're bearable on occasion Captain." James lightly pushed her before they both stood up. As they walked side by side to the castle, Aurelia looked up to him. "You don't think I'll be a fish right?"

It took him a moment to think about it, "No, I don't. I reckon you'll be a tiny little worm." At the look of her irritated face, he took off running.

"You get back here James Potter!" Sure enough, she went chasing right after him.