gryffindor prince *

A year ago, she could have been snotty, telling him that she could ask him the same question. Now, however, he was in a position of authority. That power, more than anything, was what rankled her. “I was heading back from the Astronomy tower,” she said shortly, not elaborating anything that could potentially help (or hurt) her case. 

“There were no classes up there tonight,” he spoke up, looking at Ophelia. “Nor any approvals for any students to be up there. Curfew was over an hour ago.” James raked his fingers back through his hair before he nodded his head in the direction of the hallway. “Come on. I’ll escort you to your common room.”

“Regulus and I had to patrol it a few days ago. Found a pair of third years out of bed, along with a fifth year boy who kept swearing he just had to get out to the lake so he could look for ‘moon fairies’. Also found that drunkard Dearborn wandering around again. I swear, he’s single handedly blowing Hufflepuff’s chances of having any house points this year.” She talked just for the sake of talking, trying to be friendly without addressing her past behavior towards him. “An uneventful night would be quite unusual.”

James nodded his head as he listened to her before pulling his gaze away to focus on the corridor in front of them as they started to walk down it. “Sometimes it makes you wonder what’s going on with everyone else when you hear about the moon fairies boy and Dearborn with his drinking issues. The professors have to know Doc is having issues -- are they doing anything to help him?” He mused out loud before he realized it before he waved his hand. “Ah, beyond our worries at this time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I feel like getting it out isn’t going to help much at all, lest it really does ‘get out’ and I become known as the fucking muggle-paralyzer. Boy, will the Slytherins love me.” he chuckled cynically for a second before his face fell and he ran a hand through his hair and then back down his face. The momentary blockage of his sight made him stumble one step backwards. He realized he’d said too much, as happened when he drank. He also realized that now he’d gotten his mind back on the subject that he so desperately needed it off. “Sometimes, nothing can help. Talking, not talking… Doesn’t change a thing. I’m never going to feel any different. So what’s it all matter?” He should be in bed, and he should stop rambling. Even he wasn’t sure it made sense, the guilt and anger made his thoughts jumble. It overwhelmed him at times and made it hard to think.

James didn’t know exactly what the other boy was talking about, so he didn’t comment on it. Instead he slowed his pace to keep up with Doc and he reached out to help steady him when he stumbled back a step. “You should talk to one of the teachers, mate, maybe even Madam Pomfrey. So it’s your call: I’ll bring you to your Common Room or to the Hospital wing.”

it had been one of those nights where the stars were bright and the pull to admire them, strong. like a moth to the flame, sybill had little choice in the matter. people seemed not to understand this, her feet had their own mind and her compulsions were in command. curfew and school rules didn’t really come into play with it at the moment, and this was something her house heads knew. Sybill was sitting on a window ledge, pyjama clad, bright pink robe laced around her and her cat sitting on her lap as her eyes remained fixed on the stars. the boys voice did little to drag them from the beauty of the sky, but she knew there were certain pleasantries that needed to be exchanged. “I won’t be long.” she mused, light smile over her features as she looked back at him. “they’re just so talkative tonight.” the words left her lips in a little more than a whisper as her eyes met the night sky again. “have you ever just listened to them?”

James didn’t know Sybill all too well. He knew that she was definitely an interesting girl and there were things she said and did that he couldn’t quite understand, but to say that they were friends was a stretch. When he recognized who she was he came up beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t believe in anything that seemed to drive her: divination was not a class that he opted to take. “What on earth are you talking about?” He asked, his voice low as he glanced out the window and stared at the stars for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s past curfew, Trelawney. Let’s go.”

Andromeda’s exterior was cool because that was what she’d been taught as she’d grown up in the pureblood society. She continued it now because it helped to keep those who were especially nosy out of her business. It kept them from approaching her for answers. Or at least she’d thought. Her expression softened when she looked up to see James, however. Her cousin seemed to have quite good taste in friends. She supposed that he needed to considering their family was awful. Andromeda liked James. 

“Go on, then,” she replied with an amused smile, just chuffed that he wasn’t there to ask her about the rumours that were circulating. She’d tell him the truth if he asked, but it seemed that he wasn’t interested and that made her quite happy. Andromeda rose a curious brow when James mentioned girl advice. “Does it have to do with a certain redhead?” 

James didn’t even know where to start. In fact, he was fully prepared for Andromeda to tell him to get lost and say she didn’t want to talk to him, so when she didn’t he was quite happy. He knew that asking someone he barely knew for advice wasn’t in good taste to begin with, but Sirius and Rem weren’t much help on the subject, so perhaps an outsiders perspective was best.

“It might. I wasn’t aware everyone was aware of how pathetic I am though,” he responded, already wrinkling his nose a little before he removed his glasses and placed them down on the table in front of him so he could run both of his hands over his face. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong when it comes to her. I’ve tried everything.” He paused for a moment, “At least everything I can think of.”

Ophelia had no beef with Gryffindors, despite the fact their dear Headmaster clearly favored them. As something of a freckled stepchild of the Slytherin house, she even found it funny when her housemates whinged on about it - especially after the appointment of two unqualified (in their minds, though she could see the argument for Potter) Gryffindor head students. Still, a Slytherin being caught by a Gryffindor outside the Gryffindor Common Room was asking for trouble, so she remained on guard. “Are you actually providing me with the options, or is that a trick question?” 

Seeing a Slytherin outside of their common room after hours was honestly not something that surprised James. He knew that a lot of them could be trouble, much like members of his own house. He had no issue with Ophelia to date, and wished no ill toward any other Slytherins (apart from one if he was being honest). “Depends on why you’re wandering the halls. Care to enlighten me?”

Caradoc had heard words like James’ a few times over the past month. That the drinking and smoking could only help him temporarily, but the root of the problem had to be faced if he was ever going to be able to stop himself. He couldn’t run forever. 

He was about to open his mouth when James held up his hand. Of course others also had trouble sleeping at night, but Caradoc wondered if they had reasons like his. Some nights Caradoc couldn’t shut his eyes without reliving the horror of watching his brother fall, a fall he had caused by accident. Some nights he could still hear his father’s shouting. ‘Vicious, spiteful boy! You did this on purpose, I know it!’ ‘You’re just jealous of Owain’s talents!’ ‘I knew your magic would only be a curse upon this family!’ ‘Your not my son, not any longer.’ ‘By the time I get home, you’d better not be there.’ Drinking helped silence that, but some nights even that couldn’t do the job.

“Yeah, I don’t know if you do quite get it, but hey, I don’t know your life. I don’t know what eats away at everyone else in the dark, only what eats away at me. And boy is it fucking feasting.”

James would never claim to know what other people went through, especially not someone who appeared to be in as much pain as Doc was. If there were some way to help the other man he could, but he also knew that they weren’t exactly at a level where they could just chat about whatever was going on in his life, so James was at a loss of what to actually say. 

It took him a few moments after Doc spoke to respond and when he did, he looked over at the other boy, “well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always around. I may not understand it but I’ll still listen. Sometimes getting it out helps.”

@mssrprvngs​

The prefect rounds for the evening had been jumbled up for the sake of ‘interhouse cooperation’. Brigitte wouldn’t be paired up with her fellow sixth year Slytherin Regulus, and would instead have to walk the castle with James Potter, a Gryffindor a year her senior.

He came from a pureblood family, but not one like the Brigitte and her friends grew up in. The Potters didn’t have the purist mindset, and were known to accept others more than most of the pureblooded community. 

Brigitte had talked to him a few times before, briefly, and was usually bitchy and snotty toward him. She recognize her behavior as such, but didn’t find anything wrong when it was to someone considered beneath her. That, was the past, however, and Brigitte’s views were shifting. Perhaps she owed Potter an apology…. No, apologies weren’t her thing and were a rare utterance from her lips. But she could at least try to be better this time. Merlin knows she was trying to be better this year while still keeping up appearance.

As they started off on their rounds silently, Brigitte suddenly spoke up. “So, Potter.” Wouldn’t it be kinder to call him James? she thought to herself, mentally kicking herself for starting off with old habits. “James.” Better. “Which way are we slotted to start our patrol, the south corridor?” She knew the answer, she just was looking to break the silence in any way she could.

James was a very tolerant man. There was only one person that he truly despised and it was for good reason. So when the assignments for the evening got shuffled and he was paired with Brigitte he didn’t think anything of it. If anything, all he wanted to do was finish his patrols so he could head back to his dorm and try to sleep for once. 

With the past encounters that he had shared with Brigitte he didn’t expect to hear much from her that night, so when she spoke up he had to mask his surprise. He glanced over at her when she called him by his first name before he nodded his head, letting her know that he had heard what she said.

“South corridor for us tonight. We’ve had some issues with students sneaking off down it a few times this week alone,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Hopefully we don’t run into anything too exciting tonight.”

—- She looked up from her book and gave him a look. She didn’t want to say what she had been dealing with out loud. Saying the word alone made her sick to her stomach and if she was being perfectly honest, she hated that it bothered her so much. “Just wondering when all this nonsense is going to end,” was all that she said before she looked back at her readying.

“Well I’m here if you ever do want someone to talk to.” Normally this would be the point where James would push Lily’s buttons. Normally he’d try to get more out of her but that look mixed with his newfound outlook on life was enough to garner a simple nod from him as he watched her. Things at Hogwarts were tense lately, especially for those with the same blood status as Lily’s and he could only wonder if that had something to do with it. After a moment longer of watching her James picked his book back up and cracked it open before he dropped his gaze back to it. If there was anything he could do to help Lily, he figured right now it would to simply give her a little space. 

—- Flipping open her book, Lily settled into one of the armchairs that were across from where James sat and was fully prepared to travel back to the world that Tolkien described when he had spoken up. She licked her lower lip to stop herself to say the quip that had instinctively popped in her head whenever he was around, and instead, she shrugged. “It’s nothing really,” she replied, “just the usual nonsense.”

“What’s the usual nonsense?” He asked softly as he shifted to sit up fully and he placed his book on the couch cushion beside him. He knew that most times he drove Lily crazy, and even stepped over the line, but he was trying to keep himself in line for once and not push too hard. He really wanted to help Lily through whatever it was that was on her mind. 

—- Patrols had been long that day. Longer than usual and while Lily didn’t like to let the things that happen to her specifically around school to get to her too much (she was too proud for that), some days were harder than others. That night she felt the weight of the world was on her shoulders and she wanted nothing more than to curl up by the common room fire. However, she soon discovered that James had beaten her to her usual seat. She thought about skipping the headache and just going straight to bed but changed her mind as she set her bag down on the floor and summoned the book that she was currently reading. 

James could tell just by looking at Lily that something was off. He didn’t keep his gaze on her for long though and he looked down at his book. He had no interest in irritating her tonight, but he really did want to help her however he could, so after a moment he carefully closed his book and rested it on his lap as he glanced over at her. “If you want to talk about whatever’s bothering you --” he waved his hand, “I can be a pretty good listener.”

The footsteps behind her said for sure she had been caught and Evie prepared herself mentally for the deduction of house points for being out after curfew and the, several weeks, of detention for the illegal pet she’d snuck into the castle. One of the many, but her fox, Ghost, was currently in her arms. Until she heard James and relaxed, turning around. “Come on, you’re not really gonna take points from your own house, are you?” It was almost a challenge as she kissed Ghost’s head. 

Evie wasn’t exactly someone James was expecting to meet wandering the halls past curfew, but it seemed as if a lot of people were surprising him lately. He studied her face for a moment before his gaze dropped to the fox in her arms and he rolled his eyes, “Merlin, Nott. That’s two strikes now. What are you doing out this late wandering the corridors?”

It didn’t take very long until the rumours of their nuptials began to spread throughout the castle. At the beginning of the school year, Andromeda had dreaded the end, but now - she couldn’t wait until graduation. They had underestimated how difficult it could be to get a moment alone and all she wanted was a few moments alone with her new husband. It was difficult, but they stole moments when they could. In fact, Andromeda felt happier than she’d ever been. Her betrothal - whether her parents liked it or not - was null and void. The rumours ran rampant and she knew there would be a letter from her parents in no time, but she didn’t care. 

The brunette sat at a table in the library trying to catch up on the school work she had been skiving off when she felt a pair of eyes upon her. Andromeda sighed in annoyance, before looking up to see whom had interrupted her study session. “Can I help you? Are you going to speak or are you going to stand there and stare?” 

James didn’t care too much about what was going on in other people’s lives at Hogwarts. He heard rumors constantly: some that had basis in the truth and others that were just made up out of the blue. He did, however, know that the elopement between Andromeda and Ted was something that was true. He was happy for the two, but it wasn’t his job to go run his mouth. 

So when he made his way over to Andromeda’s table it wasn’t to get any gossip, congratulate her, or have anything remotely to do with the rumors that were around the school. In fact, the only reason he had left the table he was sitting at to go over to her table was because he needed her help. So when she addressed him he puffed his cheeks up momentarily before he dropped down into the seat beside her. 

“Well, since you’re one of the few people in this school who seem to have their head on straight, I thought I’d ask your advice on something,” he started, placing his books down in front of him on the table before he turned to face her completely. He knew that this was taking things out on a limb, and it could blow up in his face, but he was honestly at a loss at one else to do, so why not ask the cousin of one of his best friends. “Girl advice.” 

“Like Gryffindor needs anymore more points. Cut Hufflepuff some slack, huh?” He hated to see the point counter with his house far behind the rest, though he wasn’t doing much to help that.

Doc didn’t like the way James gripped his shoulder and tried to shrug him off. “I’m not running, you don’t need to escort me like I’m a prisoner.” His tone, however, was still cheerful.

“I couldn’t sleep. Never really can. Usually I’d just drink or toke up in order to pass out.” Despite talking to a prefect, he felt like he could trust James. Plus at this point it seemed there was nobody who didn’t know that Caradoc had booze, smokes, and weed and that this year he dipped into his own inventory more than he sold of it. “Might need to hit up Pomfrey for a sleeping draught.”

“Well if you weren’t out wandering the halls more nights than not I’m sure that would help with the point situation the Hufflepuff’s have going on at the moment,” he countered, a light chuckle leaving his lips.

James patted Doc’s back after releasing his shoulder, once he was sure that the other boy wasn’t going to try and take off. He didn’t feel like chasing after anyone tonight, let alone a drunk Doc. He dropped his hand after a moment though and instead walked beside him. 

He understood where the other boy was coming from though. He himself had been having difficult sleeping for weeks now, and more times than not he was in the Common Room trying to find a way to exhaust himself so that he could pass out for a little while. 

“The smoking and drinking are only going to help so much. Eventually you’re going to have to face whatever it is that’s truly messing with your head,” he held up a hand to stop Doc from saying anything before he could continue. “And trust me, I get it. I have the worst time sleeping most nights. It’s not just you.”

Caradoc knew it was only a matter of time before a prefect came across him roaming the halls. A few times he had managed to sneak around corners to avoid a few who were on rounds tonight. He felt like a secret agent on a mission. His mission, however, didn’t exist. He was just unable to sleep, tossing and turning restlessly until he got up and decided to walk the halls. It was either that or drink until he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, but he was trying hard to not use up all his alcohol stock so fast, plus Hestia’s voice kept ringing in his head about how she would give him one month to get himself under control. He was trying. Failing, mostly. But trying.

He was still pretty buzzed from what he’d imbibed before attempting to sleep, and it was obvious on his face. His cheeks were rosy and he wore an overly cheery smile.

While wandering near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower he heard a voice and knew he was caught, as he expected to be.

Caradoc walked toward the prefect, seeing now it was James Potter. “Oh, come now, Jamesy. You wouldn’t get ol’ Doc in trouble, would you?”

The moment that he caught sight of Caradoc’s face, James knew that the boy was drunk. It was obvious by the rosy cheeks, cheery smile, and even the way he was talking. This wasn’t what James wanted to deal with tonight. Luckily Caradoc seemed to be a cheery drunk instead of the foul mouthed, let’s start swinging variety.

He walked closer to Doc before he firmly clasped his hand around the man’s shoulder and he started to direct him toward the Hufflepuff Common Room. “You know I wouldn’t mind it. More points for Gryffindor and all that,” he spoke up, a very matter-of-fact tone in his voice as he kept his grip firm on Doc’s shoulder. “But how about I just get you back to your Common Room and we’ll call it even. What are you doing out this late?”