This Time, Last Time (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

25.

And here you say, "We'll be alright,"

I'm gonna trust you, babe,

I'm gonna look in your eyes.

-"The Light," Sara Bareilles

August 2018

"Pipe," said James, heading downstairs on Sunday morning. She sat at the breakfast table using a butter knife to hold her book open while she ate a bowl of cereal. She turned around at the sound of her name.

"We're going to have to move our ice cream appointment up a few hours. Like to ten at the latest," said James, pulling up the chair next to her.

She frowned. "Ten in the morning or at night?"

"This morning," he said.

"That's really weird," said Piper, deadpan.

"True," said James.

She paused like she was waiting for an explanation and then asked, "Why?" She went for another bite of her cereal.

"I'm going to Spain," said James.

This was clearly not the response she had been expecting. She nearly dropped her spoon. Milk sloshed off and onto the pages of her book and James whipped out his wand to dry it before it soaked through. "Why aren't we all going?!" she snapped.

"Work," he explained. "We had to apply for a traveller's apparation license a bit last minute so I didn't know if I was actually going until this morning."

"Okay," said Piper, still looking a bit peeved that James was headed to headed to sunshine and sandy shores while she stayed home. "Ten it is, I guess."

---

Not long after that, she went upstairs to get ready and James took a seat on the living room sofa. Raigan was already there, sat in her favorite chair with her legs crossed. She had a section of the daily prophet out in front of her, open to a page on recent promotions at St. Mungo's. A cup of tea was balanced on the arm of the chair.

"So you're definitely going then," she said, eyes flicking up to him.

He nodded. "Just got word a little bit ago."

"How're you feeling?" she asked. "Nervous?"

James would never understand Raigan's ability to read him. It was frightening. "Not about the work part," he said.

"Just Elise." She nodded, like she knew already.

"Yeah," he said.

She narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her lips together. "Don't be nervous," she said. "You don't need to be."

James sat back and thought about it a while. He really didn't know why he was nervous about Elise. After all, ever since they'd begun talking again, things had gone exceptionally well. So much better than he could have ever hoped. He hadn't told Raigan about what had happened on Monday morning, but he got the feeling she knew something had changed or solidified.

"You," he said, "are the best friend ever."

She shook her head a little. "I just know you is all."

James smiled. "So how do you feel about those decisions?" he asked, nodding to the paper in her hands. Raigan laughed. She had strong opinions about the things that went on at St. Mungo's. He put his legs up on the coffee table and prepared himself to listen. Raigan answered questions like this in the form of a verbal essay equivalent to forty or more inches of parchment.