Bloom Again /James Potter/ ❁book 2❁

❁Chapter 35❁

Chapter 35

She was disappointed. She had entered her gallery after two weeks and no more flowers had bloomed, and she wondered what she had to do, why she wasn't fully happy and why flowers still needed to bloom.

It was entirely frustrating.

She was painting herself, and James - and she had started again so many times that she was so close to giving up...but she was liking it this time. It was rather funny, she thought. It was her with her arms around his neck and one of his hands on her lower back - edging lower, of course - and the other tangled in her hair as they kissed passionately.

In the background, though, was her boys. Sirius stood wrapped in Remus' arms and Peter stood on a table as they shouted their protests for them to cut it out, Bea was quite enjoying painting it and she had been at this particular copy of the painting for quite a while.

Her back was hunched ever so slightly, eyebrows laced in concentration and her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth...so deep in focus that she hadn't heard the door open or close, or the, "Bea?"

She shifted, furiously dabbing her paintbrush, "Bea?"

She was trying to make sure James' hair looked as messy as possible, "Bea!"

"Jesus! Holy shit, Beau!" she screeched, eyes wide and dropping the paintbrush in her hand with a clatter, "what have I told you about sneaking up on me?!"

He snorted as she turned around, soon handing her the tray that he had brought and said, "eat," whilst she rolled her eyes, pulling both of her legs up onto the stool and taking a gulp of pumpkin juice, "y'know I think the whole frightened thing is just for dramatic effect."

"Oh yes, you didn't just scare the absolute shit out of me," she grumbled, "it was all just acting...you see that's my dream."

"To be an actress?"

"Couldn't you tell? According to some students I've been acting since last September," she grumbled bitterly, rolling her eyes, "so did you come here to shove food down my throat or because you wanted to see your best friend?"

"Both," he smirked, leaning against the wall, "I wanted to make sure you ate, obviously - considering I haven't seen you since breakfast and all you had was a slice of toast."

"It was horrible, there was no tea," she huffed, "there's usually tea!"

"You're right," Beau nodded, "how was your day?"

"It was quite boring," she frowned, running a hand through her hair and picking at the chicken on her plate, "I'm a bit disappointed."

"Why?" asked Beau, relieved when she finally started to eat.

"Well, because," she huffed through a mouthful of food, quickly swallowing, "I thought maybe I would come in here after two weeks...y'know - two weeks of no painting, no distractions and just full on studying for the herbology newt, and all the flowers would have bloomed, y'know? There's at least twenty not bloomed, actually...even more than that and it's so bright now but It just feels so empty without them!"

"Well," Beau trailed off, "have you ever thought that you're not spending your time wondering how to make yourself happy, but instead hoping that a flower would have bloomed? You're looking for the result instead of working on the progress, Bea.

These flowers bloomed cause' you were so happy at one point that a piece of you came back, that happiness is why these flowers are here, and I know for a fact that almost all of them are because you help people. You are happy to help, and you always do. So, focus on yourself, and herbology and focus on our friends and helping them."