𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

˗ˋ 03

CHAPTER THREE
✧
-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH THE NEWCOMER IS SORTED

. . .

"Lily, Marlene, Lydia, this is my cousin Tiger." Remus introduced the three girls to the dark purple-haired girl, who slid into the seat next to her relative, a sort-of smile on her face.

It had been a few hours since the topic of conversation was centered around Tiger's expulsion for Ilvermorny, and since then, the Hogwarts Express had stopped at Hogsmeade, the crowds of students flowing out onto the platform.

Tiger had marvelled at the Gamekeeper for a moment, before being dragged along by Remus ('He's a half-giant' Sirius had told her, shaking his head.) Seeing as Tiger was yet to meet anyone else but the group of four, she had squeezed into one of the carriages, ignoring the beasts which pulled them, seeing as no one else had mentioned them - or even glanced their way. 

She was next to James, squished next to the side of the carriage. They were really only meant for four people, but the Marauders would no way be letting her even near another carriage.

The top of the carriage was kept down, the sun almost fully set at this point - having stayed surprisingly high in the sky for the time in the year during the journey. And so in the half light, Tiger got to see Hogwarts for the first time.

"Ilvermorny is beautiful.. but I don't think it lives up to Hogwarts." Tiger was staring up at the castle, with just as much disbelief and awe in her eyes from when she saw Hagrid for the first time.

James was stood next to her, the other three having continued into the castle with the intent of getting good seats at the Gryffindor table, so they had a good view of the sorting, in order to continue the tradition of shouting out their guesses for each house.

Students continued passed them, and James matched Tiger's actions, staring up at the castle. But whilst he couldn't quite mirror the marvel which was so obviously written on Tiger's face, he could properly experience the deja vu - reliving the time he first saw the castle.

But in the quiet moments where Tiger was staring up at the school, the slight feeling of panic set in James. He was scared to see Lily again, scared to feel as weak as he did when they first broke up. Of course, he didn't blame her, and he would never display this feeling for anyone to observe first hand, but he couldn't exactly help it.

His head dropped to the ground, staring at the floor, as yet even more students surged past them. Then Tiger shifted, and her robes moved to reveal - just for a moment - a flash of colour around her ankel.

And that vision of the threaded anklet which circled just above where her socks finished, James was reminded of the day of the garden party, where he began to heal, just a little.

It was that day when he had begun to feel like his old self again. James had determined what had made him feel this way, and after talking to Sirius, he was almost sure that it was the beginnings of a crush.

Only almost, because the last time he had a crush was back in his first year, after having begun to like Lily. He wasn't even sure if it was a crush, what he felt now, but just knowing that it could be gave him the means to feel like his old self. Because even though he would never act how he really felt, and his friends would never guess (and even if they did, they would keep quiet) what his feelings were like.