Strange Benefits (James Potter)

ten

note: i'm usually the type of person who's all good about making plots and covers and casting but never really get on with the story. the farthest i wrote was, like, two chapters. i can't believe i'm now posting the tenth chapter of Strange Benefits 😳

also: this one tackles the growth of all the characters' relationship with each other, especially the marauders.

The meeting the night before had drained the Head Boy and Head Girl—especially James Potter—completely to the point of not showing up in the Great Hall for breakfast. They were up until 11 discussing all concerns and issues the prefects had encountered the past few weeks, and a few unresolved ones, too. None of them were too serious; mostly Slytherins bullying muggle-borns, Sirius getting caught on his sexcapades twice, and petty dramas that result in catfights, fistfights, and whatnots.

The thing that mostly kept James up all night, though, was not in anyway related to being head of some sorts.

It had been Lily Evans, of course.

The bright, young witch had been almost civil towards him the entire meeting. Despite his usual flirtatious remarks and occasional winks, Lily would opt to smile at him instead, or playfully roll her eyes. None of her loud rejections and low-key offending nicknames were heard throughout the night. The girl's actions certainly brought his hopes straight up.

Could it be that, perhaps, she was starting to warm up to him? After all, they were pretty close back in first year. Could the redhead, for the love of Merlin, finally catch feelings for him?

Certainly six years of waiting on James part is enough, isn't it?

The thought made his eyes stay open all night. When the first rays of sun scattered from his blinds did he only felt the exhaustion and sleepiness take over his body. He had another hour or two before class, and so he decided to spent them in bed, taking what little sleep he can get.

Milla Rosamund, obviously, was up for a very different reason.

She had been used to being in the shadows all her life, and that is mainly why she was so observant. Of course, it didn't miss her of the slight development between James and her ladylove the night before. It had peaked her interests, is all.

How could one claim to be in love with a person whilst being sexually attracted to another?

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and continued walking.

"Rosamund!" She looked back to see Remus and Peter running after her. They stopped abruptly with a huff from the scarred boy and a wheeze from the short one.

She merely raised her eyebrows at them, "Yes?"

Remus gestured with his hand and they continued walking at a slower pace. "I was wondering if you could take notes for me tomorrow? It would really mean a lot. Besides, you take the best notes and I understand them right away. So...?"

She smiled lightheartedly at the breathless boy. "Of course, Lupin. It's nothing new. I always take notes for you at least once a month, although Merlin knows why." he looked horrified at her statement, so she continued. "Don't worry, I won't pry. I'd be happy to help."

Remus smiled gratefully at her before nudging Peter. The short boy stopped chewing on his eclair (where did he get those?) and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Milla, have you by any chance seen James?" she playfully glared at the boy, knowing how nervous he gets. "I-i I'm not uh implying anything just—"

"It's fine, Peter," she laughed. "I was just joking with you. About that, I didn't notice your friend leave his room earlier. Perhaps he's taking a sick day off."

"Really?"

"Yeah," she shrugged at them. "Beats me why. He should he ecstatic with the way Lily accepted his advances, well, in a way, last night."

The two stopped walking and stood in front of her. Remus was the one who spoke, "And you're okay with that?"

Milla furrowed her eyebrows. "Yeah, why not? Just because I slept with Potter doesn't mean I'm in love with him."

"Really?" Peter widened his eyes. "You're okay with that? But doesn't it seem like, I don't know, like he used you?"

"It's fine. I kind of used him too, don't you think? Anyways, I'm off to the library. See you guys at class. Oh, and best be careful, it's a full moon tonight after all," she winked at them.

She didn't notice Remus shiver slightly at her words, the boy's face looking paler than snow. Peter patted his back, just as awestruck, before dragging his friend away.

-

"Prongs," Remus announced his presence by storming inside James' room, with Peter and Sirius in tow. "Have you said anything to Milla about my... condition?"

James sat up swiftly on his bed. "What? No! Why would I ever..?"

"Well," Sirius started, walking towards the bespectacled boy and dropping himself back first on his bed. "Moony, here, is getting a little paranoid because your girlfriend number two told him, and I quote, 'best be careful, it's a full moon tonight after all'." He mocked Milla, voice pitched annoyingly higher.

"Moony," James chuckled, choosing to ignore Sirius calling Milla his second girlfriend. "You know that was completely hypothetical, right? She was just saying something based on stereotypes,"

"Yes, but one can never be too sure," the boy rubbed his temples, feeling gloomy all of a sudden.

"Hey," James stood up and went to wrap his arms around his friend's shoulders. "Don't worry, okay? We understand you're feeling the effects of the full moon especially stronger today. We're here, Moony, okay? No need to be stressed about it. We're here right now, we'll be here tonight when you go all furry on us and it could be 14 years from now and we'll still be here because we're too stubborn to leave you alone to suffer."

"God, Prongs, you have sex with Rosamund once and you get all soft on us," Remus joked, but wiped at the traitorous tears on his eyes.

James groaned, blushing red before falling back onto his bed beside Sirius. "That's not going away anytime soon,"

Sirius snorted before patting his chest. "So long as we're here, Mate, we'll never let you live down the fact that you got some by being a creep and stalking a naked girl in the prefects' bathroom,"

"I wasn't stalking her!" he exclaimed, feeling blood rush ever more to his chest, face, and ears. "Why do I even bother with you guys?"

"You love us, that's why," Peter answered before pulling on Remus' arm and falling on top of the two boys.

"Look at us," Sirius huffs. "Bunch of arseholes in a dog, stag, rat, and werewolf pile."

"You love it, though," Remus smirks, ruffling Sirius' hair and making the boy groan and slap his hands away. "We all love it."

-

couldn't resist putting a bit of wolfstar at the end lol.