Cottage Roads ° james potter

-v. conspiracies

❛ We can make it only if we try ❜

The rest of the day was a blur. It was dinner now and Claire was doing what she does best, eating.

"Come on, Claire," Hannah said, giving the girl a look.

"I'm stressed, Hannah, don't disrupt me," Claire shot back, continuing to eat.

"It's really not that big of a deal Claire. You sit next to him in one class. It could be worse. You could be next to Snape," Riley spat bitterly. Due to the girls not getting along with Lily, they also never got along with Snape either. They were fine with that however, they didn't like the boy anyways.

"Well, to my third-year self it is, so in honor of her, I will be as stressed as she would be if this were to happen three years ago," Claire rambled. The girls looked at her disapprovingly. "I thought I told you guys to stop looking at me like that," Claire huffed.

"Well you're being ridiculous," Riley said, Hannah nodding along.

"I am coping," Claire shot back, beginning to raise her voice. She began to reach for the mashed potatoes but Hannah was quick to stop her.

"I don't care how you cope, but please, anything but food. We don't need any digestive issues tonight." Hannah pleaded. Claire's hand retreated and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm so glad I have supportive friends," she grumbled in a very childish manner.

The conversation drifted to a topic the whole school would be talking about soon enough. Quidditch.

"I wanna try out but stupid Liam Jordan's trying out. I doubt I'll get on the team, he's huge and I'm-" Riley began.

"Small and speedy," Hannah interrupted, trying to cheer up her friend. Riley was in fact a quidditch enthusiast. She was a chaser the year prior for Gryffindor and delivered a lot for the team. This added to her popularity but she didn't care about any of that, she wanted to play again this year. The only thing getting in her way was a six-foot-tall seventh-year boy and her lack of faith in herself.

"Not helping. I'm small and he will crush me at tryouts. Actually, he'll probably just laugh in my face," Riley huffed.

"I can go talk to him if you want," Claire suggested but they all knew that talking actually meant telling him to not tryout or else he won't be hearing from his family until Christmas.

"No!" both Riley and Hannah practically shouted in unison, earning small glances from students near them.

"Nonsense, Me and Liam are pals," Claire insisted, standing up only to be dragged back down by Riley who was seated to her left.

I suppose Claire had said Liam's name loud enough because the boy looked over and responded with a, "What was that, Labelle?"

Claire opened her mouth to say something but Riley covered it up with, "Different Liam, nothing to see here." The boy smiled slightly, turning back to his friends.

"I'm telling you, I can smooth things over like you've never seen before. They don't call us the Smooth Girls for nothing."

"No one calls us that," Hannah deadpanned.

"They do now."

Hannah made the girls take the long way back to the common room after dinner. Despite the other two's protests, there they were, almost on the other side of the castle. For what reason? The two were yet to find out.

"Why are we doing this again?" Riley asked. Hannah turned left which was very much not the way to the common room.

"I have to talk to McGonagall," Hannah replied, continuing to go straight.

"You can't do this the next time we see her-tomorrow?" Claire asked. Hannah didn't say anything and turned into the classroom belonging to Professor McGonagall. The rest of the trio was about to walk in with her but she stopped them.

"I have to talk to her alone, I'll tell you guys later though," Hannah promised.

"Great, we came all this way to just stand here and wait," Riley whined, leaning back against the wall on the left side of the door. Claire slumped down on the ground against the wall on the right side of the door. They mostly stared off into space, occasionally discussing random topics coming to mind.

"I really don't know, Claire," Riley sighed.

"I don't think it's that far-fetched. There's no way there isn't some kind of species living on Neptune or something. What if that's where my soul mate is. Ugh, that's messed up. Can't even see the guy."

"How do you know it's a guy?" Riley cut in.

"Very good point," Claire hummed. The approaching footsteps didn't stop the girls from continuing their conspiracies until they were only feet away from them.

"Ladies," Sirius Black chimed.

"Mr. Black," Claire responded but Riley only stared at the boy looking rather bored. Claire didn't look up and see the other three boys next to him which was a good thing, she couldn't make a fool out of herself, right?

"What's got you so- depressed?" Sirius asked Riley.

"Liam Jordan," Claire said for her. Riley shot her a look.

"Jordan? Because he's trying out for chaser?" James asked. That boy knew more about quidditch than anyone Claire knew.

"I wouldn't worry about him, the captains love you, Sumner," Remus added.

"Yeah, I heard he has a third nipple," Claire commented, earning a light laugh from the boys but a disgusted look from Riley.

"Why are you guys here anyway?" Riley asked the boys. Claire looked up at them for the first time and met eyes with, you guessed it, James Potter. Claire suddenly remembered why she always made a fool out herself in front of him and instantly averted her eyes, looking at the wall across the hall from her.

"I need to talk to McGonagall about prefects stuff," Remus answered. Riley only nodded, glancing down at her friend who was making it her life's mission to not look up at the hazel-eyed beauty. Riley planned on having fun with her friend's awkwardness but Hannah was not and she walked out of the classroom followed by McGonagall. Claire stood up and made her way over to her friends.

"Miss Labelle, where is your tie?" The lady asked. Claire looked down and saw that indeed, her Gryffindor tie was not tied around her neck.

"I swear I put it on this morning," Claire tried but McGonagall was not buying it.

"Don't think you did," Riley commented. Claire looked at her blankly then back at McGonagall.

"My bad," Claire finished.

"If I don't see it tomorrow that's detention," the lady said, "Lupin?"

"I swear I put it on this morning," Claire grumbled, turning to Hannah. "It's the Mandela Effect. I told you, Riley, something fishy's going on," Claire gasped, back on the topic of conspiracies. The trio had now turned around and continued to ramble on while they walked away from the boys. They failed to notice the only boy with glasses staring at a certain light-eyed brunette as they walked away. Claire will never know that for a matter of twenty seconds, she was stuck on the mind of James Potter.