Mischief Managed

32: Summer Again

Love is like a daisy. You pluck it from the ground. You claim it as yours and then you hold the stem between your fingers. Your grip must be light, you cannot crush the petals. Wind puffs around you, huffing and heaving, and tickling the leaves of the daisy, tempting it towards the ground.

If your eyes wander or your hands tire, you lose your grip, and the daisy falls. Carried away by the wind.

Then you can kneel to the ground to rummage for another flower. Or you can chase after it, the wind in your face and hope in your heart, promise leading your footsteps.

(I chased)

❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

The Scottish countryside flew by the window with dizzying speed. Fields, houses, rivers, and rock formations whirled past my eyes before I could fully register the details. Cheery sunlight poured into the compartment, and its touch was soft and gentle against my skin.

I felt Sirius squeeze my hand. I turned my eyes toward his. I was leaning contentedly on him, our backs against the door and legs splayed across the seat.

James, Remus, and Peter were crunched onto the seat across from us. James had his nose turned up at even our most minimal displays of affection while Remus was absorbed in some Muggle book of his and Peter was uncomfortably squashed against the window.

Peter had never preferred to speak to any of us very much, except perhaps to Remus, but in the last few months of 6th year, he had become even more withdrawn and isolated.

James figured he was going through some strange teenage crisis, but I wasn't sure. I'd never particularly liked Peter, yet I couldn't understand why, suddenly, he would turn quiet and awkward around all four of us.

"You alright?" murmured Sirius, pressing his face into my hair.

I nodded and tried not to giggle. Across from us, James snorted with disapproval.

"Problem, Prongsy?" Sirius asked. He wrapped his arms protectively around me.

"No..." responded James, raising an eyebrow. "It's just...strange, seeing you two together."

"We've been together for nearly four months now," I reminded him.

"That's four months longer than Lily and I," he said regretfully. His gaze dropped to the grey floor and his hands covered his face.

"Cheer up, mate," Sirius suggested.

"Why? She saw me jinx this annoying little midget first year last month and hasn't talked to me since." He sighed. "She hates me again."

"She doesn't hate you, James," I said. And I knew she didn't. Lily had come to me, shockingly, after she had seen James jinx that kid. She was furious, but also despairingly sad. She'd told me she would come close to thinking James was a good guy and then he'd do something like "that" and she'd be reminded of why she'd always despised him.

"She's just disappointed," I explained, "and the solution is so simple, Prongs!"

James peered up hopefully from beneath his fingers. "It is?"

"Yes- if you could resist the urge to bully kids, then she wouldn't be angry," I advised, only half-sarcastically. I understood why Lily was upset. I was ashamed enough of myself for how...cruelly...I had acted towards Severus for all those years. Thinking of it now, of James still acting so insensitively, made my stomach churn.

"B-But you used to tease Snivelly with us," he protested, "can't you understand that some people are just... annoying?"

I thought for a moment. Severus had bothered the hell out of me- he was secretive, mean, and weird, but that still didn't make what I had done to him any less despicable. "Yeah," I said slowly, "but you need to figure out other ways to deal with them. Talk to them or something. Just don't react so impulsively. Lily will respect that, trust me."