Time in a Bottle (A James Potter Love Story)

Chapter 31

A book of beauty spells sat upon the counter of the bathroom while Aurelia practiced the incantation of the one she was planning on using. When she felt confident enough to perform it, she looked at herself in the mirror. The wand was pointed to the top of her head as she cast the spell. Slowly, the curls flattened out into long straight locks. Giving it a satisfactory smile, she waltzed back into the dorm to finish getting ready for her date.

"You look nice" Mary gave a soft smile to her as she played with Lily's hair.

Lily narrowed her eyes at the witch upon seeing the new hairstyle. "Your hair is different." Mary tugged on one of the red head's braids lightly.

Aurelia shrugged and put on some Mary Jane's. "I thought I'd try something different."

"This isn't about Enzo right?" Aurelia froze at the question but shook her head after a second. "Just be careful, don't lose yourself trying to impress him."

Aurelia gave Lily a grateful look before opening the door. "Don't worry Lils, I'm still me."

As the witch made her way down the stairs to the common room, the Marauders all gaped at her. She stopped dead in her tracks seeing them all staring in her direction. "What? Is there something wrong with the way I look?"

"What happened to your hair?" James questioned.

Peter smacked his head before smiling at her, "What he means to say is you look nice Rellie, just unexpected is all."

"Thanks Petey, I'm meeting up with Enzo in Hogsmeade today so I tried to look decent." She turned around with a smile to show off her outfit.

"You already did Rels." James walked over and gave her a hug. The words made her feel warm inside and a blush coated her cheeks. "We will be there later if the prat gives you trouble."

"Alright James." She pulled away and made her way out of the common room. Sirius smirked at Remus after their interaction. In response the werewolf rolled his eyes with a fond smile.

When she walked up to Enzo, his eyes brightened and he smiled down at her. He ran a finger through her newly straight hair, "Your hair is beautiful Cara Mia. I love this look."

"Thank you Enz, I wanted to try something different." Aurelia smiled back at him.

He took her by the hand as they started their walk to the carriages. "It looks perfect, you look perfect." The weather was perfect, only a bit of a chill from the breeze. The sun shining down on the couple kept them warm. They joined a carriage with a group of 6th year girls who all seemed to gawk at the Ravenclaw boy. The giggles and the flustered faces on each of the girls made Aurelia know exactly what they were thinking. He gave them a warm greeting paired with a dazzling smile as he helped Aurelia in. Suddenly, the younger witch grew self conscious. As he chatted meaningless nonsense with the group of females, Aurelia fidgeted with her hands as she gazed out of the window. The growing sense of unease went unnoticed by her boyfriend.

Upon arrival, he got out first and held the door open for Aurelia and helped her out. He grabbed her hand and led her to one of the places she had never stepped foot in. Madam Puddifoots. The tea shop was cute, but not the ideal place for Aurelia. He led her to a booth, sitting next to her with his arm resting behind her. It didn't give her the same feeling that she got when James did it. She gazed at the couples who chatted quietly and thought about the contrast between the tame atmosphere of the popular date spot and the liveliness that came with the Three Broomsticks. "Do you think we could stop by my favorite potions shop after this? I need to get a couple things."

"You like potions?" Enzo asked honestly.

"I love it, the art of it is just beautiful." She beamed as she thought about her passion.