She's a Snitch | James Potter | Marauders Era

TWENTY-THREE

James was watching a girl, which was entirely normal. He was always watching Lily Evans. The way her red hair hung down her back, the way her dark green eyes flicked over pages of a book, the way her red lips would scowl as she yelled at him. Recently, he noticed her tiny imperfections, despite previously overlooking them; her slightly crooked tooth, her few blemishes, her smudged mascara from rubbing her eyes as she worked past the point of fatigue. But today he wasn't adoring Lily Evans. His eyes were trained on a different Gryffindor. One who's shiny chocolate waves tumbled down her back, who's pale green eyes lit up at even the simplest things, who's pink lips were almost always turned up in a smile. He noticed her imperfections too; her dimple in one cheek when she smiled, her broken nails from playing Quidditch, the tiny scar on her jaw from a childhood accident. However this time it was different. This time he liked these tiny imperfections. He liked her imperfections because that's what made her her, and not a clone of someone else. He watched as her slender legs fell over Remus. How her head rested on Eloise's lap, whose legs were draped over Sirius. How she played with Peter's blonde hair as he sat on the floor, so he wouldn't feel left out. James watched how her tongue poked out from between her lips as she tried to work out the answer to a question the other Marauders were asking her. The ash haired boy needed to talk to the girl he was currently admiring. He had some explaining to do. But this girl wasn't Lily Evans. This girl wouldn't brush him off, instead she would hear him out. He took a deep breath, and pushed off the doorframe he had been leaning on for the past ten minutes, beginning to walk towards her.

"Thalia?" He called. Her cocoa locks whipped around her heart shaped face, and she lifted a slender hand to brush it away impatiently. When she saw who it was, her previous look of ease slid off her face like stinksap.

"Yes?" She muttered. 'Great' the boy thought, 'she is angry at me'

"I- we- can we talk? Outside?" She nodded and rose from the sofa without a word. Eloise grabbed the girl's hand, which was shaking slightly, and gave it a reassuring squeeze, before winking at the brunette, to tell her not to worry. Thalia followed James out of the common room, the pair of them ignoring the wolf whistles that followed them, and down a few hallways. They reached a big window seat, and the boy tucked himself into it, gesturing for her to do the same, which she did. He cleared his throat.

"I want to start by apologising for standing you up. It was completely unintentional, and -"

"It's fine." She shook her head. "I'm disappointed that I was the butt of a joke, but I get it. You don't have to explain yourself, really. Let's just make it clear now, we are entirely platonic, right?"

"Thalia, please -" She held up a hand to stop him.

"James, if you're going to rub it in my face any more then that's okay, however, I will want to walk away first."

"No, but -"

"James honestly, I've said it's fine, I forgive you, it's all water under the bridge."

"THALIA!" The boy yelled, jumping up and stopping her in her tracks. "Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because," she whispered, tears filling her eyes, "because I'm scared of what you might say. Please just leave it James. See you at breakfast." And with that she got up, turned and walked off down the corridor, leaving him standing there, dumbstruck at how some simple words could get so lost in translation. The boy turned and with one swift motion, drew back his arm and closed his eyes in pain as his knuckles collided with the stone wall, his anger growing when it didn't even make a dent. Nursing his bleeding fist, he trudged back to the common room, wiping a few stray tears.

****

Thalia walked the halls of Hogwarts long after curfew, eventually deciding on the astronomy tower as her place to dump her sorry arse for a while. She climbed the stairs slowly, sucking in a deep breath as she reached the top. The view was breathtaking. A light snow was falling, and the sky was littered with stars. Hogsmeade was dusted with white, and Hagrid's cabin looked like a gingerbread house. She shivered and rubbed her arms, she was only wearing a t-shirt and joggers. The jumper she had stolen off Remus was long forgotten on the sofa she had vacated earlier in the common room. She decided to try and push the cold out of her mind, and watched with childlike wonder at how snow settled on her hair and eyelashes. She breathed deeply again,

"In with the good, out with the bad." She told herself, taking another lungful of air. Her teeth chattered violently, however she did nothing to control it. She was going numb, inside and out. It was a nice feeling. "In with the good, out wi-"

"Why are you talking to yourself?" A smooth voice came from beside her, causing the girl to jump a foot into the air.

"I-I don't know. It's all part of being clinically insane I suppose." She still hadn't turned around to face the intruder.

"Thalia, you are the furthest thing from clinically insane anything could get." She wheeled on the spot to look at the owner of the voice.

"Regulus?"

"That's me." He mock saluted.

"What are you doing here?"

"I always come here, so really, I should be asking you. What are you doing here. Other than committing suicide I mean." She sent him a confused look. "You're freezing yourself to death?" He gave her a look, before she laughed.

"Oh god no, no no no, I'm not -"

"I was yanking your wand, relax."

"Right, I definitely knew that."

Regulus responded with another witty comment, however laughing again was all Thalia needed for the floodgates to open. Before either of them knew it, tears were cascading down the girls cheeks. He took a few steps forward, and wrapped his arms around her, cautiously resting his chin on her head. The boy didn't need to ask, and she didn't need him to. He smelled of some sort of expensive aftershave, and - lemon drizzle cake?

"Have you been to the kitchens?" Came a muffled voice.

"Yeah, why?" He laughed at the random question. "Are you hungry or something?"

"No, no, it's just - did you get lemon drizzle cake? I could smell it." The boy burst out laughing, pulling a slab of something wrapped in napkins out of his pocket.

"As a matter of fact, I did." He unwrapped it, letting the citrus smell waft over them, before taking a bite and offering it to her.

"I'm okay thanks, I love the idea of it, I really love the smell, but I don't actually like it."

"You don't like lemon drizzle?!"

"Uhh, no."

"You freak! You actual freak!" He laughed. "Please tell me you like chocolate cake then?"

"Nope."

"Victoria Sponge?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Red velvet?"

"Ew." And on it went, until finally;

"Fruitcake?"

"Yeah, I like that."

"Oh my Salazar. I hate you. I actually hate you Thalia Scamander. I cannot believe I actually kissed you! You only like the one cake with real fruit in?!" She put her hands up defensively,

"I'm sorry!"

"You should be!"

"Well I am."

"Good." He looked at her. "Tomorrow, I bring you fruitcake." He whispered the last word like it was a disgusting swear.

"Thanks Reg, I can't wait."

"I can." He grumbled, "Who in their right mind chooses Fruit.Cake?"

might be my fav friendship in the story..oops