The Fifth (James Potter X Reader)

Stay Away From Him

It has been a month since Snape revealed my secrets to the world and it seemed as though everything had finally gone back to normal. I walked into the Great Hall and smiled at the beautiful decorations that the teachers had put up. The boys were out, probably setting up some prank so I was all alone. I sat down at the Gryffindor table and pulled out my books. I had planned to finished the potions essay, but was cut short when a Ravenclaw boy sat across from me. I looked up at him.

"Hello?" I asked. He smiled and held out his hand.

"Hello, I'm Daniel, Daniel Miller." He said. I took his hand nervously, still unsure why he was sitting with me. I wasn't a beautiful girl like Lily and I wasn't popular like some of my dormmates.

"I'm Y/n, Y/n Roberts." I said. We sat in awkward silence for a while, before Daniel cleared his throat. 

"So, I was wondering, if......... you would help me with the Transfiguration homework." He asked. I sighed, now I knew why he was here. I nodded put my potions essay away. I pulled out my Transfiguration textbook. He stood and slid next to me on my side. he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and set it on the table. I gulped nervously and smiled awkwardly. 

"Alright, let's get to it." I said opening the text book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you get it now?" I asked Daniel, closing the textbook. We had been studying for about an hour now and we were finally getting somewhere. He nodded and smiled at me. A few times in our study session I caught his attention not on the work but.......... on me. He would be staring at me or smiling at me. I just brushed it off, because I didn't think he liked me and I don't like him. 

"Yes, I think I do, but I don't seem to understand Reparfridge. Can you explain it?" He asked, flashing me another smile. I nodded tiredly and opened the book once more. I was about to start explaining when my eyes met a familiar pair of brown ones. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter walked into the Great Hall laughing, but James stopped as soon as he spotted me sitting with Daniel. I looked back to Daniel and was again about to begin explaining when James slid into the seat in front of us. Daniel glared at James, but James didn't notice, his attention was on me.

"So, where were you? We were planning a prank and needed your help." James asked me. 

"Well after you and the boys left, I went to the library to get a book about potions and then I came here to finish my potions essay. That's when Daniel here asked for my help with his Transfiguration homework." I explained. 

"Ya, so if you could buzz off, Potter, so we can finish." Daniel said scooting closer to me. I scooted away from him, but Daniel again got closer to me. James and Daniel were down glaring at each other. 

"I'd watch yourself, Miller." James said, in a tone I had never heard before. It was a threating tone like Daniel had somehow offended him.

"And why would I have to do that?" Daniel asked with a more mocking tone. He scooted even closer to me and I saw anger building up in James's eyes. Daniel just looked at James as if he was a joke. Before something could happen, I stepped in.

"Hey, hey, hey. Daniel. James. Play nice. I'm not being in the middle of one of your grudge matches." I said scooting away from Daniel. Daniel smirked at James and stood up. He turned to me and grabbed my hand. He brought it up to his mouth and he kissed the back of it. I was frozen in utter shock. He dropped my hand and smiled at me.

"I hope to do this again, Y/n." He said to me. Then he turned to James.

"Potter." he muttered, and then he walked away shooting one last smile towards me. James glared at him until he had left the Great Hall. I grabbed my textbook, not needing it anymore, and packed it away neatly into my bag. 

"Stay away from him." James suddenly said. I looked up at him, he was still looking at the entrance to the Great Hall like her was making sure that Daniel did not return. 

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, he's annoying." He said. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eye brow. I could tolerate a lot of things, but being told who I can and cannot be friends with was not one of them. It came from my mother keeping me away from certain people because she didn't like them.

"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean, I have to stop hanging out with him." I retorted. He looked at me and leaned his head on his arm.

"Still, stay away from him." He said again. I rolled my eyes.

"He only wants one thing from you." He said. My head shot towards him.

"James, just because you assume that doesn't mean it's true." I said more sternly. He looked at me with surprise.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish my potions essay before someone else, decides to distract me again." I said, grabbing my things, and leaving the Great Hall. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, laughing. I glared at them and they immediately stopped. I walked all the way to the one place I knew James would never go to. The library. 

I enter the quiet place and found my seat in the farthest corner from the entrance and settled down. I pulled out my essay and began writing. I finished it rather quickly. I packed it away and stood. I needed to get a book about the goblin revolution and so I left my things there and went to browse the shelves. When I found it was on one of the high shelves, just out of my reach. I heard a chuckle and I turned to see Remus leaning against one of the shelves.

"You need some help?" He asked. 

"Yes please." I said. He chuckled and walked forward retrieving the book. He handed it to me and I nodded my thanks.

"So, you and Miller, huh?" He suddenly said. I turned around and looked at him.

"No, were just friends." I said back. I turned and walked back to my table, with Remus close behind.

"Well, I think he wants to be a little bit more than that." He said. Even though I had my back to him, I could almost see the smirk on his face. I huffed and sat down.

"Well, you and James seem to agree." I said. Remus sat down across from me his arms crossed.

"Well, I'm a guy and I can tell you he does. It was pretty obvious." Remus explained. I just rolled my eyes.

"Then James, goes as far as to telling me I shouldn't hang around him. The nerve he has!" I ranted. Remus laughed.

"Well, it's in his nature." Remus said trying to justify James.

"To annoy me?"

"No, to protect you." 

"Well, you can tell him to stop and why would he care what guys come and talk to me?" I asked him. Remus looked at me.

"You and I both know the reason." He said with a smirk. I glared at him and set my book down.

"And me and you both know, what you think isn't true. If he did like me than why isn't he even trying to make a move on me. It doesn't make sense." I said, a little part of me wanting Remus to be right.

"Well think about who were talking about here. James gets rejected daily, but no of that effects him, but he's to scared to act on you because he's scared you will reject him. All it takes is one rejection from you to break him." Remus explained. Inside I knew he was right, but part of me didn't want to get my hopes up.

"Remus, I want to believe that, but I just-" I began, but was cut off by the young wizard.

"Then believe it! It's not that hard." Remus said. I rolled my eyes and leaned back into my chair. We sat in silence for a while and then a light bulb went off in my head.

"There's a New Years dance coming up, if James mans up and asks me out I'll believe it." I suggested. Remus smiled.

"Sounds like a plan to me."