𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗹𝘆, james potter

-ˋ 66

CHAPTER SIXTY SIX
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH SHE CAN FINALLY LIVE

. . .

Days and weeks had passed since Tiger had last seen Olivia, and the Howell girl was finally able to live without a weight or pressure hanging over her, threatening and taunting her.

And everything seemed different. It seemed lighter almost, the days sunnier, everyone's smile a tiny bit brighter. It was like there had been this filter over Tiger's eyes since the accident at Ilvermorny, and for some reason, it had just been lifted. 

"Perhaps it's because I've let go." The girl mumbled to herself, before hissing as she pulled out a rogue eyebrow hair. The Easter holidays had arrived, and this time, Sirius and Peter had decided to go and stay with Remus for a bit, leaving Tiger and James to have fun for at least a week without them butting in. 

Treacle wound herself around Tiger's legs, not big enough to full do so but growing quickly these days. Of course, with the castle being so big, it wasn't uncommon for Treacle to disappear with the other Hogwarts cats during term time. And lucky, the Potters didn't mind the cat roaming around their house and gardens. 

Because whilst Treacle absolutely adored Tiger, it was in a way that didn't require her to be there every moment of the day, or even there every day at all. And Tiger was completely fine with this - with Treacle being part Kneazle, she needed to get as much exercise that a cat could get.

"Tigs?" James's voice could be heard, calling from the bottom of the stairs. "Are you almost ready to go?" Tiger replied that she was, giving herself a quick one-over in the mirror, hoping she looked presentable. 

As the weather was so much hotter than it was in the term-time, Tiger had finally been able to bring one of her dresses out of hibernation - it wasn't one of her summer ones, it was slightly longer and had longer sleeves, but was still essentially the same look. 

So far, the days had been spent with James and Tiger mostly helping around the house, their free time spent either in James's room or the house's gardens, the spring flowers that bloomed being far too pretty for Tiger not to admire. 

But today, James had decided that they were going to go somewhere - a small village not too far away named Godric's Hollow. According to Euphemia, there was a rather pretty cafe there, and a few shops which she thought might be fun for the young couple to go and visit, rather than being couped up in the house for another day. 

Bending down quickly to scratch Treacle behind her ears, Tiger pulled her bag off of the counter, almost jumping down the stairs, trying not to fall over. "Hey." She smiled up at James, who just shook his head. 

"Mum, we're leaving!" James yelled, and Euphemia hurried out of the kitchen, apron tied around her waist, a splatter of flour covering a good portion. 

"I hope you do have fun, dears. It's been a while since I've been, but hopefully everything is as I remember." Mrs Potter smiled. "If you want to get some muggle money it's just in the drawer as usual."

"Thank you, Mrs- Euphemia." Tiger smiled, and Euphemia practically beamed in response. 

"Just be back in time for dinner - I'm pretty sure you know the usual time by now. Tonight's toad in the hole, and Tiger, we have a little surprise for you." Euphemia told the pair, and Tiger blushed, still not used to the treatment she got from this family. 

She had returned to the house to find that Euphemia and Fleamont had turned what was once the old attic space into a bedroom for her, having moved her furniture in there - that they had obviously recieved from her parents. 

It was extremely cosy up in the attic nook, and Tiger felt more welcome there than she had ever in her previous room at her parents' home. Euphemia had even dug out some of her old clothes - including a dress with Tiger had been dreaming about ever since she first saw it - and placed it on her mannequin, making it truly like her room. 

"Ready?" James asked, and Tiger nodded, the pair saying their goodbyes to Euphemia and taking a good amount of the muggle money from the envelope and setting off into the village, walking down to the bus stop into the centre of the town. 

When the bus arrived, James let Tiger handle paying the fair, and after paying, the pair walked down the middle, sitting down into the middle two of the four back seats, Tiger dumping her bag onto the seat next to her.

The sun shone through the windows, creating golden rays in the almost empty bus as it rumbled through the English countryside. Glancing around, Tiger pulled out her copy of Romeo and Juliet - something that she had been occasionally reading to James as he tried to plan for Quidditch. 

In a soft voice, one hand holding the book and the other enveloping James's hand, Tiger began to read to him, the old Shakesperian-style of writing making Tiger resume that mystical appearance that she had to everyone when she first started at Hogwarts. 

People got on and got off at a steady rate, nobody staying on long enough for Tiger to feel the need to stop reading aloud, and eventually, they arrived in Godric's Hollow. 

"This is your stop." The bus driver shouted back to them, and thanking him, the pair exited the bus, Tiger staring around with a large smile on her face, taking in the almost fairy-tale like village. 

"James I love it here." She told him, and the boy didn't even need her to do that, he could see the look in Tiger's eyes, the one which made him question everything that he loved, if it didn't match with hers. 

"I know you do." He said quietly, admiring the house that hid behind a picket-gate and unruly bushes, imagining a future there, with the girl right beside him. 

The day would be a slightly funny one, but it was all that Tiger needed. The ability to live without the threat of everything falling down at any moment. 

And the only reason she ever got that was because everything had fallen down, but at the same time, released Tiger from the prison in her mind that had stopped her from doing so many things before. 

She was finally free, and James was still there with her, every step of the way.

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