Alone.

Cool. Cool.

James decided to sit next to Cassie during potions that morning.

"Don't we have assigned seats?" She asked as he took his books out of his bag.

"Eh, we sit in the back," He shrugged, "Sluggy won't notice a thing. Besides, he loves me." James flashed her a grin.

Cassie sighed, "Sure."

She caught Remus's eye from where he was sitting with Sirius, "You ok?" He mouthed. She shrugged, nodding. He smiled and turned forward.

"Don't expect me to do all the work today, ok?" Cassie told James.

"Of course not! What do you take me for, a slob?" James smiled, looking Cassie in the eyes.

"Yes." She replied immediately, getting out her own books and setting up their cauldron.

"Oh." He frowned, "I thought you liked me."

"I do." Ellie nodded as she pulled out some ingredients from their cabinet, "But I still think you're a slob."

"And what exactly makes me a slob?" James propped his elbows up on the counter, resting his chin on his knuckles.

"One- you're not helping right now." James stood up right away and began pulling things out, "Two- your clothes are wrinkled which indicates you keep them thrown on the floor until you either need to wash them or wear them." James looked down sheepishly at his wrinkled tie and shirt, "And three- you just are."

"I just am?"

"Everything about you indicates it."

James rolled his eyes, "Yeah right. You just couldn't think of a third reason."

Cassie scoffed, "I could think of a million others Prongs."

He smiled as she used his nickname, "So it's Prongs now? Not James?"

After a moment of hesitation, Cassie shrugged, "I guess so."

James took that as a win, his smile widening, "Cool. Cool."

"Don't overthink that." Cassie shot him a glare.

James raised his hands in fake surrender, "Wasn't gonna." But his smile said otherwise. Cassie brushed aside his stupid smile as class began, Professor Slughorn giving the instruction to make sleeping draught. "Hey.. isn't this the potion you geeked out-" James paused, "I mean, isn't this the potion you know a lot about?"

"What?" Cassie looked over at James.

"In the first week of classes, Slughorn asked you about the sleeping draught and you knew all about it."

"Oh.. yeah I guess." Cassie shrugged, turning a light shade of pink as she recalled the embarrassing moment.

"This should be easy then."

Cassie just nodded, looking away.

They worked silently for most of the class period, Cassie occasionally giving James directions, like mince an ingredient instead of crush it.

"Cass the instructions say to crush it."

"And I'm saying mince it."

"But-"

"I've been making this potion since I was 11, James. Mince it."

James hesitated, but when Cassie wasn't looking he crushed the sprigs instead, quickly throwing them into the cauldron.

Class started to come to an end and Professor Slughorn came around to see everyone's potions.

Most students had generally passed, a few being severely messed up.