staghearted

@jamesffleamont

looking at the examples of siblings he had around him (petunia and lily, regulus and sirius, andromeda and her sisters, et cetera), james was quite glad to be an only child. it seemed to be far less emotionally traumatising. as he'd followed lily around all day trying to alleviate some of her anxiety, helping her decide what to wear, what they should bring and so on, he actually felt bad for her; surely family was supposed to bring you peace. the only thing petunia seemed to bring lily was stress.

Alara found herself looking at James differently after that night. That everything she had held on to from the age of sixteen was almost a ghost to her now. Their lives were in to different directions and they were not those sixteen year old's anymore. She would always care about him, that she wouldn't deny. "Where did you see him last?" The witch wanted to see him before she had to make her way to her families manor for the party "I wanted to see him."

"Last I saw him he was..." James squinted as he thought hard, as if trying to conjure the most recent image of his best friend's face. "Right next to me, probably." He looked to his right like Sirius might still be there. "Which he isn't right now. Sorry. I can pass on a message? Anything I can help with?"

"Where's your better half? She's much better to look at than you are." Greta teased while she looked around for Lily's signature red hair. Not one to back down from a challenge like this she smirked, extending her hand. "Wanna bet on it?" Finishing the bottle quickly she continued. "I'm at least three shots ahead of you."

"She is," he agreed easily. It wasn't even a fair comparison. "Ah, I lost her a little while ago. The second we got here, really. Everyone's been trying to steal her away, and, I mean, I don't blame 'em." Anybody who knew Lily would do the same, surely. Try and bask a little in her light. "Obviously," he took Greta's hand. "But that's not how this is gonna work. 'At least three?' Please. I need fair, objective measurement. A ref or something. And you're starting from zero again."

She didn't care that he already knew, only happy that her friend was happy for her, happy for them. Frank and her were going to have a baby. The more times she thought it the more times it started to settle in, to feel real. "I would love some jelly slugs right now. Don't they sound amazing?"

"Umm, no," he said with a laugh. "They actually sound really horrid. Probably the worst type of jelly insect. But, hey, who am I to argue with that? If it's jelly slugs you want, it's jelly slugs you'll get." He looked around as if they would appear out of thin air at her request. "Where are we meant to get jelly slugs at this time? Let's see... in the mood for a little detour?"

"I did not." The witch whispered right away, paying close attention to her surroundings as if she could see anything asides from his face in the dim light of his wand. The two were always sneaking around to have adventures of their own, even as they grew older and they had both made more friends. Marlene was all too used to being around James that she couldn't keep away from him for too long. This particular mischief of them hadn't gone too well, Filch awaiting on the other side of the passageway and her partner in crime turning his wand down to showcase some light on the disgusting mouse that had just ran over his leg. Suppressing a squeal, the blonde stepped backwards, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. "I'm not staying here to be blamed for something so bloody stupid." She scoffed at him, though a smile was already pulling at the corners of her lips. "If I wanted to touch your leg, I would just do it, Jamie. Now what do you say we ditch Filch and the mouses and just go hang out at Hogsmeade for a while?"

"Did too," he argued, mostly just to be annoying. After being raised as practically twins, James always gravitated towards Marlene whenever he felt particularly homesick. She understood him like nobody else did. Well, nobody else, apart from Sirius, but even then, the kind of understanding that was between James and Marlene was different somehow. "If you touched my leg, I'd have to hex you," he said seriously. Eyes alight with the spontaneous change of plan, James pretended to think. "On one hand, Filch, the mouse... on the other hand, Hogsmeade, Zonko's. Hard decision, that." He flicked her hair before setting off back down the way they came before she could retaliate. "Keep up, Marly!" James said with a laugh.

Having had a troubling night, Ted was by now on-edge and at the end of a very thin tether. He was bearing up for Andromeda and Dora's sakes, but everywhere he looked, he now saw potential threat. Paranoia was a terrible thing. He could barely suppress it. Attempting to bury it with yet another firewhisky probably wasn't helping matters, yet here he was, necking it like pumpkin juice. "It's not the fighting you should worry about, James," he said, more harshly than he intended. Holding up a hand as though to apologise, he added, "They can be anywhere and anyone. They will stop at nothing and have no mercy."

Ted had always been sensible. Or, at least, in James' teenage mind, he had always been older, hence seemed more sensible. It used to make him want to emulate it. James watched with narrowed eyes as he took a deep swig from his bottle, and then the tone of his voice. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. "I don't know – I feel like I know who they are. It's not that difficult to figure it out. Although, fine, I will admit that they're all mental and willing to take things too far."

where: diagon alley who: @jamesffleamont

Ten years had changed so much, but one of the few things that had remained constant throughout James' life was Marlene. He was grateful for her everyday, but particularly today, when he was feeling especially reminiscent. Recounting the countless memories he'd made over the past decade, in so many, he saw her face, and he hoped all his years to come would be filled with it. Only, more at peace. Drunk, not only on alcohol but also on life, James pulled her in for a hug, and he felt he could cry. Perhaps he already was. "Happy New Year, Marls," he murmured into her hair. "I really hope it is." He didn't often talk about this with her, but the topic felt heavy, hanging in the air. He wouldn't be James Potter if he didn't address it. "I know your parents, your brothers... it's not the same without them. And it probably never will be. I just hope this year, we can make them proud."

Where: NYE Street Party With: @jamesffleamont

James grinned at Andromeda as soon as he saw her, tips of his ears blushing red when she spoke. "It's been ten years," he groaned. "When are you gonna let me live that down?" Shaking his head in disbelief, he sighed, although his smile hadn't changed. "I guess that's what I deserve for being so emotional as a kid, eh? Who even was that guy? No idea. Good thing I'm so cool and mysterious now." It was a joke, of course; James had only become more sentimental with age.

where; nye street fair whomst; james @jamesffleamont

As shocking as it was for somebody who never got stressed, ever, Frank stressed James out. For some reason, he felt that he had something to prove to him – if only because of Lily.

Where: New Years Street Party With: @jamesffleamont

In the last decade, between twelve and twenty-two, it was like James had lived his entire life. So much had been squeezed into the past ten years – good and bad and everything in between. Tonight had been a wonderful culmination of it all. So many memories had resurfaced, seeing people he hadn't for years, and spent time with those he'd seen almost every day. He'd reminisced and recounted enough stories that finally, he was ready to say goodbye to the seventies and step into the eighties.

"No, they definitely despise me," he laughed, unbothered by the opinion of bigoted fools. Well, most of them. "Inbreeding causes bad taste," he said with a knowing nod, "I was just lucky to get out as tasteful and wonderful as I am." Sirius knew his unbothered outlook on life drew people to him, though he couldn't fathom why. People wanted to figure him out; find out what was under his mask of smirks and casual laughs - something that usually only made him more closed off. "You know me, I'm all sentimentality," he said sarcastically, holding his hands up in acknowledgement. He shook his head as James continued, crossing his arms once more as he leaned against the stone wall. "We were above our peers, we can't put that pressure on Junior. He might take after Wormy."

Practiced hazel eyes scanned Sirius' for evidence of anything other than humour, and, when he didn't think he could find any, James gave in, letting out a snort of laughter. "Yeah, you're right. They definitely do," he admitted with a lopsided grin. "Aren't your parents siblings? You're lucky you just have one head," he teased lightly, although he couldn’t help but agree. "It's a good thing we got you out when we did, or else who knows how bad your taste would’ve become? You would’ve thought Pandora Nott was hot, or that Snape was cool." James snickered. "Oi, Wormy’s not that far behind. His voice broke just last week, I’ll have you know.”

From the beginning of their first to the end of seventh year, James Potter's voice could often be heard coming from the Gryffindor boys' dormitory talking about Lily Evans. He couldn't imagine how annoying he must've been for his friends to deal with. Yet, they still did, mostly without complaint. Luckily for them all, it had all worked out in the end. "Would've been luckier if we'd gotten together about seven years earlier, eh, Moony? That would've saved you a lot of earache." But he acknowledged his words with a nod. "I am very lucky to have her. Luckier than I deserve. The both of us, really. How are things with Aurora?" Remus deserved the entire world, and James knew Aurora felt the same. Although he supported his best friend over anyone, he'd secretly been on her side throughout their whole situation.

" A lot of earache," Remus joked with a smile. "I guess it was worth it because here we are now. It may have taken a while but it finally happened. Couldn't be happier for you, mate." He gave his best friend a pat on the shoulder. "Aurora and I have had a bumpy ride but we're in the best place now. I made some mistakes -- well, a lot of mistakes -- but she's giving me yet another chance. She's perfect and I don't deserve it but I have been lost without her," Remus had a soft smirk on his face. "I could give you an earache now if I really wanted to. I'll try not to. Just know I'm actually happy."