#capnprongs

“Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.”

Along with James, Charlie had gotten detention with Filch- not only that, but they were assigned the task of cleaning all of the school’s trophies without magic; it was like winning the lottery, wasn’t it? Her arm was already hurting from rubbing a golden trophy - at that point, she didn’t even bother reading what was written on it, she just cleaned them and put them back, her actions almost robotic - with the cleaning cloth that was given to her. Hearing James’ sudden statement, Charlie couldn’t help the loud laugh that escaped her throat. When she looked at him, her eyebrows were furrowed, “Don’t say that. This situation doesn’t need to get any more dramatic,” she joked, still chuckling when her attention went back to the trophy. 

The truth is something that Lily Evans can’t say.                  Something she won’t say, not even to herself.

The truth is that she can’t imagine Hogwarts without James Potter. She can’t imagine a day without hearing his harmless comments that have gone from annoying to second nature to endearing. 

She can’t imagine a class uninterrupted by some dumb joke followed by that dumb laugh. 

She can’t imagine not rolling her eyes and fighting back a smile despite herself, or accidentally catching his eye and wondering does he suspect what she refuses to consider? 

             What is the truth about James Potter?

"They’re my friends, Potter.” It’s a poor excuse, but the only one she has.

“Yeah, some friends they are.” He scoffs. “Malfoy, Mulciber, the Carrows? Really? You know what they do.”

“Right, and you’re just perfect, aren’t you? It must be so easy, having such clear-cut loyalties, huh? Gryffindors, good, Slytherins, evil, and have everything line up just the way you like it.” She doesn’t mean what she says, not really, but he’s echoing everything she can’t stop thinking about and to hear her fears given voice scares her too much for her not to lash out.

“Shut up, it’s not easy. Nothing about this is easy! But I’m not making friends with future Death Eaters.” 

“So what do you suggest? I just tell them all to bugger off and be done with it? It’s not that easy, I sleep in the same room as most of them, it’s not like I can go around denouncing them and everything they stand for and then show up at the end of the day and act like nothing’s happened. So many of them are getting their Dark Marks as soon as they leave school---hell, my brother already has his. It’s not that simple.”

“ ---... That’s not what I meant.”

Emma Vanity can not cook.

She has toast, pasta, and tea down to a science—anything else is beyond imagining, which is why when she momentarily commandeers the kitchen, all the house elves give her hesitantly frightful looks, as though regarding a particularly large spider. This is also why she’s enlisted Potter to help, because however hopeless he might be ( she hasn’t a clue, really ) he can’t be worse than she is.

 ( It went something like this: 

“I’m making brownies today. You’re helping me.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yes. If we don’t die, you can have some.” )

In retrospect, they both agree, that was the beginning of the end.

They forget to pre-heat the oven, very nearly forget to add the sugar, realize halfway through that they put twice the proper amount of baking soda and Emma ends up with brownie batter in her hair, something that very nearly causes her to have full-blown fit.

Perhaps the only reason they didn’t end up burning down the entire castle is that eventually the house elves just can’t bear watching the disaster slowly unfolding before them, and intervene before James tries to add icing ( earning him a sharp, “you don’t put icing on brownies you dimwit!” ) with some spell he thinks he overheard a fourth year tell her friend about in the library.