CLOSE TO YOU • jp + sb [1]

01.05 | JEALOUSY?

CHAPTER FIVE

     JAMES Potter walked briskly down the corridor toward the Transfiguration classroom, his mind racing with the events of the previous night. His thoughts were tangled up with Selyna's absence and the confrontation they'd had. He was desperate to clear the air, to understand where he stood with her, and to make amends if necessary.

As he walked with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, he couldn't help but feel a gnawing anxiety. He had hoped to find Selyna and talk things over before class began. He had seen neither her or Sirius since breakfast. With each step, his urgency grew.

"Have either of you seen Selyna or Sirius this morning?" James asked, trying to keep his voice calm but failing to mask the frustration.

Remus and Peter exchanged glances but offered no immediate response. They were more focused on their own thoughts as they approached the classroom. James noticed their uneasy silence, his curiosity piqued.

Just as they reached the door, Remus's eyes seemed to focus on something in front of them. "Found them," he said, his gaze fixed in the direction of the classroom.

James turned to follow Remus's line of sight, and his heart sank as he saw Sirius and Selyna at a desk near the front of the room. They were seated close together, their body language unmistakably intimate. Sirius had his arm draped casually around Selyna's shoulders, and she appeared to be leaning into him, her expression soft and content.

The three boys exchanged bewildered glances before Remus, Peter, and James made their way over to the pair. They sat down at a table adjacent to Sirius and Selyna, all three watching with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Oh, hey guys," Sirius said with a nonchalant wave, his arm remaining around Selyna's shoulders. His casual demeanour only heightened the tension in the air.

James, his eyes fixed on Selyna, tried to catch her gaze, but she deliberately avoided him. Instead, she nestled closer to Sirius, a gesture that made James's heart ache for an unexplainable reason. Remus, clearly sensing the undercurrent of the situation, broke the silence.

"So, what is going on here?" Remus asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

Selyna and Sirius exchanged a look, their expressions communicating something James couldn't quite decipher. Finally, Sirius turned to face the boys, a serious yet somewhat forced smile on his face.

"Well, Selyna and I have discovered that we have mutual feelings for each other," Sirius said, his voice steady. "We've decided to explore what it means to be together."

There was a brief pause before Remus and Peter responded with congratulatory smiles. "That's great to hear," Remus said, his tone genuine but tinged with an underlying awkwardness. Peter nodded in agreement, though his expression was one of bewilderment.

James, however, remained silent, his eyes darting between Sirius and Selyna. The weight of the revelation settled heavily on him, and he struggled to process the situation. Finally, he spoke, his voice barely concealing his disbelief. "Seriously?"

Sirius looked at James, the forced smile still in place. "Siriusly," he said, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. The pun fell flat in the charged atmosphere, but Selyna let out a small, genuine laugh.

Just then, Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom, effectively ending the conversation. The students shuffled to their seats, and Selyna finally looked up, meeting James's gaze for the briefest of moments. The hurt and confusion in his eyes were palpable, but Selyna quickly turned away, focusing on the professor.