...

Written for one of my favorite love songs, Enchanted, by Taylor Swift (no, I'm not a Swiftie and no, this isn't a literal song fic. The ending and basic plotline is loosely inspired by the line "I was enchanted to meet you, please don't be in love with someone else")

I forgot about Alice until halfway through so sorry that there aren't many mentions of her, did my best to add her in

...

The courtyard was quite empty, as it was freezing and the sky was threatening a load of snow by the time our last class was dismissed. Except, as I neared, I heard a loud yet joy-filled voice chattering on about something.

I rounded the corner and dared to look into the courtyard where a boy, filled with bravado, gestured widely with his arms while talking animatedly to three others. I didn't recognize them nor could I figure out how old they were. They definitely weren't above second year, however.

I found myself staring at him, eyes wide no doubt and a dazed expression on my face.

He had a bright glow to his face and his eyes were lit up as he leaned close to his audience, lowering his voice to a dramatic whisper.

He suddenly straightened and threw his head back in laughter, the sounds of it ringing loud and clear as if he were amused by the best thing in the world. He opened his eyes and, by chance, he looked my way and our eyes met.

The laughter in his gaze lingered then dropped as he gave a small nod before turning back to his companions, leaving me feeling embarrassed as I ducked and hurried off. My mind drifted to how he looked while he laughed for the rest of the afternoon.

...

Apparently, the boy was one of my fellow Gryffindors. I had no idea why I hadn't noticed him before that day but I started to see him everywhere. In the common room, in class, in the Great Hall, at the corner of my eye as he passed in the hallways.

It was truly disorienting because it was as if my eyes were drawn to him whenever he was near. I'd find myself walking down the hallway then crash into someone as my head snapped towards him. It was embarrassing and ever so annoying.

I was trying to ignore him, since I'd never paid any attention to him before, but I just couldn't. It was stupid and most likely made me look love-struck but I couldn't help it, something about him was mesmerizing.

In the Gryffindor common room, I tended to make wide sweeps over the others just to catch a glimpse of him. After a while, Lily noticed that I seemed a lot more detached from conversations and that was when I drew the line.

I made sure that I wouldn't purposefully seek him out but he stayed in the back of my mind. I was expecting the infatuation to fade except it just didn't.

...

"Miss Kane? Do you know the answer?"

I snapped myself out of my daze of staring out of the window and looked up at Professor Binns from where he was floating at the front of the classroom, impatiently staring back at me. I stole a glance at the board then at Noelle, who was seated next to me with a bemused expression. She shook her head, dashing my hopes of rescue.

"I don't know, sir," I replied, wincing. I was sure that I'd known the answer just a bit ago but being put on the spot fried my brain.

Professor Binns' expression turned disappointed and he turned to prey on someone else. I shot a glare at Noelle and she shrugged, grinning and sliding her notes over so I could copy them. Such a jerk, she had let me suffer only to help moments later.

I skimmed over her notes and copied down what she'd written, again marveling at how neat her penmanship was. Mine wasn't exactly terrible but it definitely wasn't anything to be proud of. Hers, on the other hand, could've been in a textbook.

Professor Binns dismissed us shortly after and I snatched up my bag, hurrying out as quickly as I could because Godric, that class was boring. The halls were flooded with other students heading straight for the Great Hall.

I joined the crowd with Noelle at my side and, when we reached the hall, we both went straight to where Ruby was saving seats. The rest of our dormmates hadn't arrived yet so the two of us slid onto the bench and started serving up some food for ourselves while Ruby started up some chatter.

"Herbology was insane! Mikaela threw a potted plant at Eli's head and I think he's concussed," she ate a forkful of her food then continued talking in her rapid-fire way, "She got a month's worth of detention. And you know why she did it? He corrected her way of planting! It was crazy."

"I bet," Noelle commented, taking a sip of her tea.

Joselyn, Diane, Alice, and Lily came up and joined us shortly after, halfway through another grand story of Ruby's. Joselyn contributed to the fiasco that had happened in their shared Potions class and the rest of us soaked it up, loving the gossip just as much as them but not ones to share it back.

"Lily?" we all looked up to see none other than James Potter, the boy I'd been smitten over for a while, approaching us with his small squad of friends, "Study with me?"

"That translates to date, doesn't it?" Joselyn wondered aloud, spearing a piece of lettuce with her fork.

James sent a glare at her, "Out in the courtyard after your last class?"

"No, thank you, I'm already studying with these idiots," she gestured to the rest of us and we smiled good-naturedly at James, knowing the only way to get him to leave her alone was to gang up on him.

He looked at all of us and sighed, taking a step back, "Okay, maybe another time?"

She waved him off with a vague response and turned back to us, letting out a sigh, "He needs to stop."

"He does," Diane agreed, returning to the food she'd been quietly eating during the chatter from the rest of us.

"Didn't you go out with that one guy last month? You'd think Potter would take the hint," Ruby commented, pointing her fork in the general direction of 'that one guy.'

Lily nodded, sighing again as she pushed aside the rest of her food, "I need to go chat with the Defense professor about an assignment. Any of you want to come?"

"Sure," Joselyn stood up with Ruby to join her and looked over to the rest of us, "Join in the fun?"

I shrugged and slid off the bench as well, turning it into majority rules. Diane and Noelle exchanged glances then, shrugging, joined us. We all exited the hall, letting Lily lead us to the Defense classroom.

The professor wasn't in there, surprisingly, so she pulled out some parchment and left a note for him with her question. We then mutually decided to wander the halls since lunch was almost over anyway and returning to the Great Hall had no purpose.

We headed towards the Transfiguration classroom, since Joselyn, Diane, and Lily shared it. As the bell rung, the rest of us hurried off to our own classes.

...

"Kane?"

"Yes, Potter?"

"Where's -"

"I don't know," I replied, cutting him off quickly since I knew exactly what he was going to ask. I did know where Lily was, actually, but I didn't feel like spoiling her fun. Ruby had convinced her to join the kitchen raid with Joselyn so the three of them were sneaking off to the basements for midnight sweets.

He sighed and pulled over a chair swiftly, dropping into it backwards so he was facing me, "Have you completed your Charms essay, yet?"

"Yes, why?" I glanced over at him, seeing a smile grow across his face.

"I'd like some help on it."

I raised an eyebrow, setting my book down, "And why should I help you?"

"Lily's not around."

"So I'm the second option," I smiled, "Got it. But no, thanks, I need to finish this reading."

He stood up as I made to leave, "Wait, no, please. I'm failing Charms right now."

"What about Lupin? Isn't he smart?" I asked, setting my stack of books back down but not returning to my seat.

"He is, but he's done with me coming to him after I procrastinate so he told me to stick a sock in it," he chuckled a little.

I couldn't help but smile at his laugh, since it reached his eyes and lit up his face. I knew I really needed to finish my reading but I couldn't resist. That's how I found myself staying up into the early hours of the morning, explaining the spells and some writing techniques to Potter.

...

The next morning, I stumbled my way into the courtyard at around eleven. I hadn't gotten much sleep, since I'd collapsed into my bed at around seven in the morning, and missed breakfast. Lunch wasn't for another hour so I had to pull through until then.

As I settled down onto a bench, I spotted the infamously named Marauders clustered under a tree. Lupin had his schoolbag with him and seemed to be outlining some sort of spell to the Pettigrew boy while Potter and Black chatted, laughing boisterously in between comments.

I set my chin in my palm and watched the other students. My eyes paused when I noticed Potter staring back at me, having cut off Black from whatever he had been saying. I tilted my head and he smiled and waved good-naturedly.

I gave a small wave back, a bit confused. He laughed at my confusion then turned back to Black, who was smiling knowingly back and forth between the two of us. I scowled and looked away, not wanting to seem creepy for watching them.

Other students wandered into the courtyard and settled down, filling the space with their chatter and presence. I pulled out a book I'd picked up from the library for a fun read and flipped it open, savoring the feeling of reading a book for the first time.

Rereading is always fun, but nothing beats the first time.

Before I knew it, I was deeply invested in the storyline, turning page after page quickly because I had to know what came next. I was snapped out of my book, though, when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I looked up and found myself face to face with Potter, who smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, but it's lunchtime. Everyone's left. C'mon, Kane."

He offered me his hand and I took it without thinking, only wondering why he was still here and why he deigned to remind me of eating. He released me quickly and started off, walking backwards.

When I didn't make a move to follow after him, he smirked and gestured after me, waving me towards him. I flushed, embarrassed, and hurried to fall into step with him as we headed for the Great Hall.

As we entered, Ruby caught my eye almost immediately and the mischievous grin on her face deserved a medal. She waved enthusiastically, bring the others' attention to me. Most of my dormmates didn't care but Joselyn sure did because she started to giggle, pointing me out to Lily.

I ducked my head and broke off from Potter before Lily could look over. I swiftly sat down on the bench next to my friends, preparing myself for the onslaught of questions I was about to get.

"Why was Potter with you?" Ruby asked, plopping some food onto my plate and learning over, intrigued.

I sighed, picking up my fork, "Almost missed lunch, I was reading."

"Ravenclaw," Joselyn teased, bumping her glass against mine before taking a long sip.

"No I'm not," I protested, "Too bad at studying for that house."

My friends snickered and Lily piped up, "He wasn't trying to bother you over me, was he?"

It was a common occurrence for him to chase after one of us in the halls just to ask where Lily was but I shook my head, much to their surprise. Their shocked expressions would've made for a hilariously beautiful picture.

"What, really?" Noelle asked, interested.

"Nope, not a word."

Diane frowned at me over the rim of her cup as Alice's faced turned to disbelief, "Shocking."

"Exactly!" Joselyn cried, shoveling a forkful into her mouth, "He might be sick, we should tackle him and take his temperature."

"No you don't," Noelle grabbed onto Joselyn's robes, holding her firmly in place after she'd tried to stand up.

Joselyn huffed, swatting Noelle away and glaring. Diane laughed and almost spit out her coffee. She had a laugh like a hyena and I remember the first time she'd laughed in front of us. It'd been the first heart to heart we'd had as dormmates and, at the end, Joselyn had made a random comment that had everyone short of breath from laughing. Diane had had laughed the hardest and loudest, making the rest of us snort and giggle from surprise.

"Calm down, hyena," Ruby patted Diane's back, taking her cup out of her hand to keep her from sloshing it down her robes.

...

"Noelle, Noelle, Noelle, please?" Ruby begged, dropping onto her knees in front of a very exasperated Noelle. She and Joselyn had been trying to figure out a specific potion for about an hour and had had no luck.

Noelle waved Ruby off, nudging her over with her foot as she tapped the pile of books on the couch next to her, "I have my own work, why don't you ask the professor?"

"But we can't! We were supposed to have this done a couple weeks ago and he'd kill us," Joselyn but in, settling down onto the couch next to Noelle and dropping her head onto our dormmate's lap, "Please?"

"Read your textbook? Like your supposed to?" Noelle raised an eyebrow, looking down at Joselyn with an amused expression.

Ruby groaned, dragging a hand down her face, "But that's boring."

"So? That's how work is."

"What if we all head to the library, I need to grab a book for Herbology and find a picture of a thestral," Diane piped up from her spot on the rug where she'd been sipping a cup of tea and sketching out magical creatures for an assignment in Care of Magical Creatures.

Noelle sighed, shoving Joselyn off, and grabbed her stack of books, "Fine, let's go."

"Yes, thank you!" Ruby jumped up and wrapped her arms around Noelle, giving her a tight squeeze before releasing her and bounding out of the common room.

I exchanged a look with both Lily and Alice before following after the rest of our friends, since I could study just as well in the library as I had in the common room. Joselyn and Ruby led the group with their loud chatter as the rest of us trailed after them.

The portrait behind us swung open and we all turned our necks to see who it was, just out of pure curiosity. Ruby dragged Joselyn back to the rest of us and squeezed their way in so we could stare as James Potter exited the common room, spotted us, then tripped over his own feet and almost sprawled across the floor.

"Yes, James, do you need anything?" Lily asked immediately, watching as he righted himself before he could hit the ground.

He smirked, "Who said I needed anything?"

"It's implied," Ruby laughed and gestured back and forth between him and Lily, "You trail after her like a lost puppy."

Something in his eyes dimmed at her remark and I felt a little sympathy, though it faded a little as I reminded myself that he really had been chasing Lily for years now and hadn't let it go for ages.

"I was just wondering if you all were going to come to the game tomorrow? It's against Hufflepuff," he said, somewhat shyly. It was unusual for him and I noticed that he was glancing at me as he spoke.

I didn't want to kill his hope so I spoke up before everyone else could, "Sure, we'll be there."

He flashed a smile and ran a hand through his hair before letting it fall back into his eyes, "Arrive early to get the best seats." He winked and waved then turned back, climbing back through the portrait.

The Fat Lady stared us all down until we shuffled off down the hall, finally heading to the library like we had intended. None of the other girls were huge quidditch fans except for Joselyn and Ruby, though she preferred muggle sports, so most of them just went along with it, since we were very prideful lions.

...

"Okay, up, up, up," Joselyn shouted, clapping her hands loudly in the middle of our room. She lunged for Ruby and grabbed her hands, pulling her out of bed, "We need to there some breakfast then head down to the pitch as soon as possible!"

Ruby peered up at Joselyn, since she had collapsed onto the floor, and groggily asked, "Can't we get up in half an hour?"

"Nope, we need good seats, there's a really hot Hufflepuff player that I think will ask me out and I want to see her before the game," she flashed a smile as she pulled on a skirt, her eyes scanning for her boots as she did so.

"I thought you liked the Ravenclaw prefect?" Diane asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She slipped on her glasses and focused on Joselyn, "What happened to him?"

Joselyn sighed, lacing up her boots, "He ended up choosing that other girl, the one a year younger than us?"

"Really? Why? I thought that girl was really nerdy, in the nicest way possible," Ruby added quickly as she tossed aside her comforter and popped open her trunk to dig around for something to wear.

I stood up, having found the shirt I'd been trying to find, and added, "I also thought he'd said he'd never date a younger girl."

"He did, he changed his mind, though," Joselyn waved it off but I could tell by her eyes that it bothered her, since she had liked the prefect for a few months and that was a good record for her.

"I can hex him," Ruby offered, tugging a sweater on over her head. We all laughed, knowing full well that Ruby only excelled in harmless charms like Wingardium Leviosa and Reparo. She glared at us all, "I know Bombarda now, too."

Diane nodded seriously, "Of course."

Ruby huffed and looked to Joselyn, "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, sure, we all ready?"

Without waiting for an answer, she shoved us all out the door and down the stairs. Only a few other Gryffindors were heading down to the Great Hall, since most valued more sleep over good seats, but that meant we had first pick at breakfast.

We all ate quickly before following Joselyn as she sprinted out to the pitch, even after Ruby had advised her to act more calm and less excited about seeing the Hufflepuff. The pitch was mostly empty, except for a few early birds and ourselves.

The two teams were most likely in the changing rooms so we all settled in the Gryffindor stands and watched as the rest of the school trickled in. Around an hour later, a large wave came rushing down from the Great Hall, filling the pitch with thundering and chatter as the two teams emerged.

A sea of red and gold surrounded our group, naturally, and similar flags could be seen flying from the Ravenclaw section, since Hufflepuff had beat them badly in their last game and they would prefer to see them taken down.

The Slytherins who had deigned to bring some sort of banners or such were carrying Hufflepuff yellow and black, since most would rather die than support Gryffindor openly. The audience roared as the captains shook hands then both teams were up, taking off as the balls were released.

James immediately took hold of the quaffle and soared towards the goal posts, flying so fast that the other chasers were far behind. He scored with a practiced ease and a Hufflepuff chaser dove in and scooped up the ball before anyone else could.

When Hufflepuff took possession of the quaffle, it took a lot to remove it from their grasp.

The game continued with increasing competitiveness and tension. The beaters were working hard to knock opposing players off their brooms and they succeeded in sending one of the Hufflepuff chasers tumbling towards the ground from a nasty shot to the chest. Thankfully, one of the professors cast a charm to catch them and they were back on their broom in no time.

Half an hour in, when the other Gryffindor chasers were occupying the Hufflepuff with the quaffle enough to keep anything from happening, Potter flew past the Gryffindor stands. Flying low towards the watching students. He did some flips and waved to everyone, blowing a kiss to Lily as he passed. He grinned at me and I rolled my eyes as he flew off again, returning to the game just in time to take a bludger for one of his teammates.

The game ended not soon after with Hufflepuff catching the snitch. It was a remarkable snag, since their seeker, Joselyn's crush, had almost fallen completely off her broom since a bludger had hit her as she extended herself to swipe the golden sphere.

The only problem was, Gryffindor had done so much scoring that we'd won by ten points. I had a feeling the game was a little unfair, since the Hufflepuff keeper appeared a little sick, but I didn't protest because I could do nothing.

Everyone in the crowd went wild, stomping their feet and screaming their heads off as the Gryffindor team flew a lap while Hufflepuff landed and trooped out of the pitch. It was hard to tell who was yelling in excitement or anger but, either way, it was loud and full of house spirit. Eventually, the celebrating students left the pitch in an excited wave.

Joselyn insisted on waiting for her seeker so Alice, Lily, Ruby and I decided to wait with her while Noelle and Diane headed back to the castle, both having had enough excitement for the day. It was a good half hour before both the teams emerged. The Hufflepuff seeker spotted us and climbed the stands, smiling brightly at Joselyn, while Potter left behind his team to do the same.

"My good luck charm!" he declared to Lily, smiling excitedly, "We won right after that kiss I blew to you."

Lily sighed, "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," he responded, appearing offended that she had to ask, "As celebration, do you want to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

"I'd rather not, James. You know I'm going to keep saying no, I'm not sure I'll change my mind," she responded, half exasperated and half sad on his behalf.

"I'll drop it after you go out with me, just once."

"Can't you move on?" she asked, sadness in her eyes as his face lost some of its light, "I can tell this is hurting you and I don't want to keep doing this."

James glanced at Alice and I before turning his gaze briefly to a spot over our shoulders, no doubt where Joselyn, Ruby, and the seeker were chatting. He swallowed then leaned over and whispered something into Lily's ear before straightening up. He waved one last time to us, smiled halfheartedly at me, then left the stands to catch up with his team.

As soon as he was gone, Joselyn came rushing over with the Hufflepuff seeker's hand in her own, "We're going out to Hogsmeade next week!"

"That's awesome," Alice smiled, turning to make small talk with the Hufflepuff as Ruby started to drill Joselyn on all the details, even though she'd been hovering close by.

We left the stands shortly after, since Millie, the Hufflepuff seeker, was drowning in homework and had to finish multiple essays before Monday. We entered the castle and headed back for Gryffindor tower. The Fat Lady swung forward with a small sigh, revealing a raging party inside the common room.

Immediately, a small group of Gryffindors came forward and swarmed Ruby, handing her a drink before sweeping her off. She went with them and they all chatted up a storm, since Ruby always had the latest gossip. Noelle could be seen perched on the back of one of the sofas, listening to one of the seventh years as they talked animatedly about something. I craned my head and spotted Diane in one of the less crowded corners, sipping a butterbeer while watching everyone else.

Joselyn split off from the rest of us, disappearing into the crowd. Moments later, Lily and Alice headed off to search for butterbeer, if there was any left. I pushed into the throng, looking for anyone to talk to.

I was distracted when the quidditch team got hoisted onto others' shoulders, bobbing above the crowd. I couldn't help but laugh as James tipped to the side, almost being dropped by one of his supports.

A loud roar filled the room as James was swept through the students, carried on the shoulders of Black and Pettigrew. It wasn't a surprise that he had almost been dropped, not with Black pulling things like that. He had most likely purposefully almost tipped James onto the floor.

James flew past, laughing and clutching a bottle of butterbeer close to him as he was raced by with a train of other students cheering and following after. He was brought to a stop in front of Lily and a sense of dread filled me as I realized what he was going to do.

"Lily?" he shouted, waiting for the watching crowd to quiet a bit before continuing, "Hogsmeade?"

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as steel entered Lily's gaze and she peered up at him before announcing firmly, "No."

Our fellow Gryffindors burst into laughter as James eased himself off of the shoulders of Black and Pettigrew and walked up to Lily, speaking quietly with her for a few moments. She frowned and shook her head. He looked at her and she met his gaze until he relented, turning and walking away to the teasing from other students.

If he was willing to embarrass himself in front of all of Gryffindor house, I couldn't help but wonder what else he was willing to do in her name.

...

The last month of term went by quickly. Well, quickly for being packed with exams.

For the last day of term, I sat outside with my dormmates, enjoying the hour before we left for the Hogwarts Express. The giant squid was swimming lazily out in the lake with lots of students milling about over the lawns, obviously having the exact same train of thoughts as my friends and I had had.

Noelle was flipping through a book she'd dug out of the bottom of her trunk, showing interesting bits to me as she went, while Joselyn, Ruby, and Diane had crashed on the grass with their eyes closed. They were most likely knocked out since they'd stayed up late chatting the previous night. Lily and Alice were quietly talking in the shade of a close by tree.

Four people were approaching us, strolling across the lawn towards where we'd settled. Ruby bolted upright at the sound of them, since she had the hearing of a bat, and glared at the four of them. She held the venom-filled stare before laying back down, grumbling to herself.

"What now?" Joselyn complained, slinging her arm over her eyes to cover the sun.

"Nothing that involve you," James sniped back, looking at Lily who had yet to acknowledge him, "Can I talk to you?"

Most of us glared at him for being so rude so Joselyn but he didn't seem to care because he was busy putting all his focus on Lily. She continued to chat with Alice, now clearly going out of her way not to talk to him, but she had to drop it after he didn't take the hint and leave. She sighed and turned to James, annoyance in her eyes, "Could you stop? I've told you no so many times, most of them nicely, but you won't drop it! At this point, I'm ready to let all my dormmates hex you to pieces because I know they're willing. My answer isn't going to change, James."

James fell silent for a moment, his eyes losing light again, before he answered quietly, "I'm still harboring hope, Lily."

He turned on his heel and walked away, hands in his pockets. His three friends followed closely behind him, obviously reassuring him. I watched his retreating back and couldn't help but feel sorry, again. He'd been ever so smitten with Lily since the first month of our first year and he couldn't accept she wouldn't like him back.

He deserved someone who adored him just as much as he adored them and, I admitted to myself, I wish it was me.

...

Since it would be our last summer without complications together, all of my friends saw each other once or twice throughout the months. It was a bit hard to coordinate but, eventually, we were able to figure out a plan so that we all saw each other for at least a few days.

When I was able to get ahold of Ruby, because she had a tendency to have an out of sight out of mind kind of brain, we decided on a few days where we'd go shopping around her city. The main problem was transportation, because her family was muggle and wasn't connected to the floo network. I eventually had a family friend apparate me there and I was surprised to see just how well off her family was, since she'd never allowed visits. The only problem of the wealth was that she'd picked up a bad habit of buying a lot of new trinkets that she never needed. In one of the stores, she'd discovered a silver jewelry set and had insisted on buying it for me, despite my protests on how expensive it was.

After dragging the shopping bags home, I spent a couple days in my room, avoiding my siblings, until the week I'd planned with Diane approached. I joined her family at the beach and I swear that I swallowed an unhealthy amount of seawater.

Diane had an older brother who's two years our senior, a sister three years younger, and another brother four years apart from us. While at the beach, we'd split ourselves into two teams based on skills so we'd be equal then held a series of games. It was one of the best vacations of my life, to be honest.

The next week, Joselyn and I spent the whole days in the movie theaters. She'd bought a large pile of movie tickets and we went to multiple a day, emerging into the daylight as if we were vampires with her younger sister, Jayden, in tow.

Surprisingly, Jayden wasn't as whiny as most twelve year old's seem. She stayed quiet during the movies and didn't butt in or beg like my own siblings.

The most amount of time I spent with one of my dormmates was with Noelle on a two week road trip, since her parents loved to travel and insisted on taking me with them on their vacation. The trip was incredibly fun since her parents weren't strict at all, letting us have our own hotel room and wander off into the streets whenever we wanted to, as long as we told them where we'd be going and for about how long.

Alice, Lily, and I ended up spending two weeks together, as well, since it wouldn't be one-on-one time. The three of us mostly spent the days avoiding Lily's sister, Petunia. Her sister really wasn't very nice and I feel the main reason why was because we were all witches, disrupting her view of life.

...

As September first neared, we all arranged to meet in Diagon Alley for a couple days a week before term started. Lily, as always, ended up there first and she smiled at me as I approached her, crossing the street and waving back.

"Kane!" she greeted, giving me a tight hug. She stepped back and glanced around, her red hair catching the sunlight as she did so.

I stepped aside to let a small herd of kids race past, most likely the enthusiastic siblings of Hogwarts students, and tucked my hands into my pockets, "D'you know if Ruby'll be here?"

She shook her head and started off towards a small shop selling small, golden trinkets. I followed after her as she replied, "I have no idea, she's not the best at communicating, as you've seen." She smiled good-naturedly and picked up a small compass that made a soft tinkling noise when pointed in certain directions, though where it was wanting the user to go was unsure.

She set it down as Joselyn came up beside the two of us, buzzing with pent-up excitement. I watched her, amused, as she hopped up and down a little. She spread her arms and announced, "Millie is the sweetest ever!"

"What happened this time?" Diane asked, approaching us. She explained that she'd arrived with Joselyn but had been left behind because Joselyn had run ahead, too enthusiastic about seeing us.

I glanced over at Diane, realizing what that had meant. She almost always was the "left behind" but not usually because we didn't try, she just kept to herself. In a way, she blended into the background like shadows in the night. She met my eyes and gave a small wave with a quick flash of a smile.

"How've you been, Diane?" Lily asked, still looking for the rest of our friends over the crowd.

Diane gave a small, noncommittal shrug, "Okay, I guess."

"Guys! Look who I found," we all turned and found Ruby bounding up to us with Noelle in tow. Both were smiling widely, though Ruby's was a lot brighter, "She was lurking around Flourish and Blotts, ogling a boy in there."

"Ooh, ooh, who?" Joselyn smiled mischievously.

"Oh, that Slytherin boy?" Diane wondered aloud, pulling on her hair, "Didn't he finish school?"

Noelle flushed, waving it off, "It's nothing, I wasn't ogling him."

"You so were," Ruby corrected before dropping the subject and turning to chat with everyone else over normal, not embarrassing subjects.

"Oh, wait, I forgot, look at this," Lily called our attention as she pulled something small out of her pocket. She opened her palm and we all leaned in to study it. Moments later, all of us shrieked because a shiny head girl badge rested in her hand.

"Does that mean you're going to tell us off for sneaking down to the kitchens for snacks at midnight?" Joselyn pondered, pretending to think hard, before coming to the conclusion, "Nah, you love us too much."

We all smiled and set off down the street, since we knew Alice would be unable to meet us until later afternoon. We went from shop to shop, arguing about what to buy and watching other students.

One of the other kids we saw, most likely a fourth year, chased his friend down the street for quite a while before tackling him. Both went down and just stayed there for what had to be a good five minutes. Then they got up and walked off, as if the whole street hadn't been watching them.

As the afternoon came to a close, most of the group returned to their families to leave. Lily and Alice were the last to go and I waved them off before heading for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

I claimed a small table and ordered a sundae, taking bites as I watched everyone else. I didn't know exactly when I would need to hunt down my parents to head back home but that didn't bother me, since I'd be able to get home either way.

As the street slowly cleared, I saw, of all people, James striding towards me with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face, "Hello, Kane."

"Hey, James," I stuck my spoon into the small mound of ice cream as he dragged a seat over, joining me across the table.

He frowned slightly, pulling the dish towards him and taking the spoon, "When did that change? I thought I was always Potter." He took a bite of ice cream then dropped the spoon back into it, shoving it away, "Gah, you have terrible taste."

"I do not," I argued, taking back my ice cream but not eating it because he'd used the spoon.

He rested his chin on his palm, leaning over, "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't know," I waved it off, trying to look calm, "At some point over the years."

He didn't respond, instead staring into my eyes intently. I found my cheeks flushing at the attention and severity of his gaze. He smiled, a soft, sweet one that I'd only seen a couple times, before standing up in a sweeping motion.

"I'll see you at school, Kane," he said then hesitated, as if he were thinking of something. Without warning, he grabbed my hand and pressed a quick kiss to it before dropping it, "And I prefer James over Potter, y'know."

He turned and walked off towards Black, whistling a slow tune as he sauntered away. I sat there, feeling quite stunned, and watched as he left. When his head disappeared into the leftover crowd on the street, I looked down at my hand.

Nothing was different about it, but it felt tingly and heavy. As if his kiss were a real object and had passed off its weight onto my hand. I pressed my palm to my mouth, stopping myself from giggling and to hide the bright pink dusting my cheeks.

...

The fields outside the window flew past as the scarlet train moved smoothly across its tracks, taking us towards the castle. Our compartment was full of laughter from the seven of us, savoring our train ride to Hogwarts that we would ever have.

I had a dull ache in my heart thinking about how I'd never experience this. This feeling of calm happiness, listening to my friends tease and laugh at and with each other with sweet wrappers littering the floor from our many purchases.

We'd have the train ride back, of course, but that was always different. A way of goodbye, like one last, sweet kiss before the end. This would be forever.

I pulled myself out of those thoughts, because they were pretty depressing, and waved Lily goodbye as she got up to head for her prefect meeting, since she was now the one running it alongside James.

It was quite a surprise, that James had ended up as head boy, but we laughed it off good-naturedly as Lily disappeared down the hallway. Noelle slid the door shut again and we went back to our chatter, all feeling a little muted with the thoughts of our last clouding our heads.

When the train pulled to a stop, we took extra time to get off. Slower steps, letting others pass before us. Most of the other seventh years were doing the same and, when we could no longer draw it out, we rushed for a carriage so we would all share one, since splitting up was unthinkable.

We claimed the last carriage, clambering into it before a couple fifth years could, and fell into comfortable silence as it pulled off towards the castle. As it pulled to a halt, we climbed off and stood there for a moment. Watching the castle as younger years made their way up the steps.

"What're you all doing?" Lupin appeared next to us, frowning slightly in concern.

Diane shrugged, "Savoring the moment."

"Ah," he smiled and headed off, joining the rest of the students. I briefly wondered where his friends were as he disappeared but that thought was interrupted when Joselyn headed off with quick, meaningful strides.

We followed after her as we entered the Great Hall, soaking in the feeling of home. The Gryffindor table seemed much more packed than normal, forcing us to take longer to find enough space for all seven of us to sit near each other. Ruby was set on guard duty of a saved spot for Lily, since she was still off doing her duties.

She arrived just in time for the sorting to begin, sliding onto the bench beside Ruby as Dumbledore stood up and welcomed us all back for a new year, specifically mentioning all the first years who he was happy to have joining us all.

The sorting promptly began and us Gryffindors welcomed a fair amount of new students, much to our excitement. It was interesting to see how small and young they all looked, since I was sure my friends and I had not looked that round-faced and rosy-cheeked when we were first years.

As soon as it was over, Dumbledore called for the feast to begin and the dishes appeared on their golden plates. All the older years dug in and I saw some explaining to the first years how it all worked, much to the younger kids' wide-eyed amazement.

"Did you miss me?" James asked as he dropped into the seat across from me, closely followed by his three friends.

He was smirking so I rolled my eyes, making a dismissive gesture, and replied loftily, "I suppose so."

He laughed and the short exchange ended at that, both of us returning to our respective friend groups, chatting and eating. I looked around for some sort of dessert, listening absent-mindedly to my friends.

I jumped when a fork tapped against my cup, making a sharp ring. I turned and stared at James, confused, "Yes?"

He stayed silent then smiled for a moment before turning away, starting up a conversation with Black over something. I watched him, shaking my head, and returned to my food.

The feast ended a while after and all of us headed up to the tower, ready to crash into our dorm and sleep off all the food we'd eaten. Lily was helping the first years figure things out so she wasn't with us as we moved through the familiar corridors.

We entered the common room through the Fat Lady's portrait then climbed the stairs up to the girls' dorms. As always, the familiar room had the faint smell of vanilla and citrus, though none of us knew why since we didn't have anything scented like that.

Seven four-poster beds greeted us with thick, red blankets. Our trunks were all set out at the food of our respective beds and the window was open enough to let in a slight breeze as we prepared to go to sleep.

Lily entered soon after we'd all settled into bed and she quietly changed, slipping under her covers. I could feel the need to say something in the air but none of us were willing to break the silence so we all pulled the curtains closed and promptly fell asleep.

...

The first few weeks back felt peaceful but that didn't last long since teachers started piling up homework in earnest. I hate to admit it but I didn't touch any of it until the last minute. I found myself frantically working in the common room while everyone else was chatting and laughing with each other. I was berating myself on how I could be so stupid, a Ravenclaw I am not.

I was finishing up a Transfiguration essay when someone grabbed my shoulders and gave me a light shake. I jumped, elbowing them in the ribs without meaning too. They grunted and stepped back quickly.

"Kane, you're so jumpy, what's up?" James asked as he perched onto the table, refusing to use one of the empty chairs.

"Nothing, just work," I snapped, feeling overly stressed and just wanting to get back to my work. I ran a hand through my hair, "Could you go away? I need to finish all this work before Monday."

James stopped me from returning to my essay by sliding it across the table away from me, "We could work together, then? I can dash down to the kitchens for a snack then, when I return, we can get started?"

"Aren't you supposed to be doing more rule enforcing than breaking? Since you're head boy and all?" I wondered.

"I mean, that's true. Fine, I'll just go get my bag then we can start," he hopped off the table and walked off towards the boys' dorms without waiting for my answer. He returned a few minutes later with his bang slung over his shoulder and a smile on his face, "Ready?"

"Sure, but sit down in an actual chair like a normal person," I gestured to one of the empty chairs and, to my surprise, he obliged. He pulled out some parchment and his quill and inkpot.

"How far are you in your essay? I've finished mine, but could you check it for me?"

I rolled my eyes but took the outstretched piece of parchment from him and read through it quickly before sliding it back, "Seems fine to me but I'm not a Transfiguration genius."

"I trust your judgement, Kane," he said, suddenly serious.

I let the statement hang because I couldn't muster any words to respond to it. I wanted to think over it for a good few hours and ask my friends but I knew that would make it all worse. Overthinking all the little things would ruin it.

He made it hard to forget my feelings.

We ended up working late into the night on various assignments, chatting occasionally but mostly working in silence. I finished all my work before him, since he hadn't even started most of his reading, so I pushed my stack of work aside and folded my arms on the table, resting my head on them.

My eyes fluttered open and I jolted upright, looking around the common room using the glowing embers from the dying fires to see. I was on one of the plush sofas and James was sprawled on another, glasses askew and snoring like a chainsaw. I fought off the urge to laugh as I looked away, not trusting myself to not stare for too long, and saw that our homework had been neatly stacked onto the table.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I looked out the nearest window, groaning when I realized it was most likely around six in the morning. I hoped to get another few hours of sleep before breakfast so I stood up quietly.

I shifted my gaze back to the sleeping James and realized he'd moved me onto the sofa, most likely by lifting me onto it. My face flamed at the thought and I hurried to grab my homework, climbing the stairs to my dorm quickly.

I turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. I nudged it shut and shuffled over to my bed. The stack of homework was tucked into my bag so I could grab it and go the next morning before I slid into bed under the warm covers, tugging the curtains shut without a sound.

I was shaken away what seemed like moments after I'd fallen asleep. Annoyed, I blinked sleepily at Diane. She gave me an apologetic smile before turning and walking off. I rolled over and saw that most of the other girls had already gotten ready and left for breakfast. I sighed and got out of bed, going through the motions to prepare for the day.

I picked up my bag before heading down to the common room. I pushed the portrait open and climbed out, trailing after the other late risers as they headed for the Great Hall. I dropped into a seat alongside my friends and grabbed a slice of toast, wishing I'd gone to sleep earlier.

As the owls flew in with the post, I couldn't help but feel content, despite the ruckus from the other students.

...

In late November, after eating breakfast with my friends, I headed to Charms with Joselyn. We entered the classroom and settled into our normal seats near the front, watching as the other students filed in.

Class began with Professor Flitwick collecting the homework and, as he sorted through the papers, Bertram Aubrey, a Ravenclaw that had sat in front of Joselyn and I for the past two weeks, turned around and smiled at me, "How're you, Kane?"

I smiled back, setting aside the doodle I'd been sketching on the side of my paper. He'd turned it into a habit to greet me at the beginning of every class, "Pretty good, you?"

"Amazing," he winked and turned back around as the lesson started. Joselyn elbowed me with the look. I rolled my eyes at her and turned back to Professor Flitwick, listening to his lecture.

The rest of class passed in a slow blur and I continued through my lessons until lunch rolled around. I entered the Great Hall alongside Alice and we immediately joined our dormmates at the Gryffindor table. We all jumped into ranting about our classes, sometimes talking over each other, while we ate.

After we finished, we headed outside. It wasn't a nice day by all means but walking in the snow from the previous evening was nice since it crunched underfoot and most of it was untouched, smooth and glorious. And then we ran through it, just to enjoy being kids at school.

We pulled to a stop when someone jogged up to us across the white expanse of lawn, his robes flapping around him and it blue-and-bronze tie coming undone. I gave a small wave as he approached and the others grouped behind me. It was Aubrey.

He smiled, "Kane, can I talk to you?"

"Of course?" I didn't mean for it to sound like a question but it slipped out like that and I sent a 'please save me' glance to my dormmates.

He turned and started off towards the Black Lake, leaving me to catch up with him. I stayed a step behind until he reached the banks, suddenly looking nervous. He tugged at the thick scarf he'd flung around his neck before blurting, "Hogsmeade?"

I took a small step back without meaning to and his face turned to crestfallen. I opened my mouth but said nothing, unsure of what to say. I had to have gone through at least six different faces and four different emotions in the span of seconds.

He was a nice guy but I knew he wasn't my type but rejecting him would ruin our friendship. A small day out wouldn't hurt, I told myself, because I could later say I saw him as a friend and we'd return to our easy friendship.

I wish I'd come to a different conclusion.

"Sure," I smiled, snapping out of the confusion and bringing the smile back to his face.

He grinned and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze. It was supposed to be comforting but all I could think about was how his hand was freezing cold and the motion was tense. I pulled my hand away, feigning a sneeze, and followed him as he set off again.

I returned to my friends and refused to tell them what had happened when they had asked. I was feeling a large, aching pit growing in my heart because it was telling me exactly what I had done wrong.

It should've been James, it muttered.

...

Fast approaching was the day my, well, date with Aubrey was scheduled. I let my friends pick my outfit and choose my makeup, though that was mostly Joselyn and Ruby. I eventually had to bat them away and hurry out of the dorm before they could decide on an elaborate hairstyle because I was going to run late.

I left the tower and hurried down the halls, descending stairs as quickly as I could. I exited the entrance hall, spotting Aubrey standing by the waiting carriages, just as he'd promised. When he caught sight of me, he grinned and took my hand when I was close enough.

I met his gaze but something in his eyes felt off so I looked away quickly, wishing I could pull my hand out of his just as easily but his grip was firm as he helped me into the carriage and climbed in after me.

It set off for Hogsmeade and we sat in silence but it wasn't comfortable at all. It was awkward and tense, both knowing we should say something but neither of us wanting to. I regretted going on the date almost as soon as I'd stepped onto the carriage but I couldn't back out now.

When it pulled to a stop, he offered me his arm and I pretended not to see it as I climbed out. He awkwardly put his hands into his pockets and led me down the street. I followed him into Honeydukes, the Three Broomsticks, and Spintwitches Sporting Needs before I was ready to feign a headache and head back to the castle.

I was just about to open my mouth to tell him about my supposed headache when he suggested heading down to the Shrieking Shack. My gut told me not to but my brain, wanting to be polite, forced my head to nod.

The rumors weren't too horrible but I still felt wary as we approached the house. I leaned against the fence when we reached it, staring at the building. Curtains were pulled over the windows so I couldn't see inside and, in the broad daylight, it seemed like a normal home.

My eyes flicked towards Aubrey when they spotted movement. Time slowed for a second as I took in the scene then snapped back to normal as he aimed at me with his wand and shouted, "Petrificus totalus!"

My arms and legs snapped together and I toppled backwards into the snow from the force of the spell. The biting cold immediately seeped through my jacket as he pocketed his wand. I stared at him with venom in my eyes but he simply smirked down at me.

"Sorry, dear Kane, but I just won myself a bet," he laughed as he turned and walked away, chuckling to himself.

My eyes darted around as I lay in the snow. Since I had such great luck, it started to snow again in earnest. I was terrified because no one ever came up to the shack. Fear settled itself in my body alongside the cold as I was slowly half-buried.

...

At some point, I pulled myself into a wakeful daze. Madam Pomfrey was hovering over me with a severe look on her face, though her eyes held true concern. I bit my lip, realizing how chapped they were, and looked back at the witch.

"What happened?" I managed to croak out quietly after a few attempts.

She tutted, shaking her head and giving me a sorry look, "You were left out in the snow, petrified, for hours. Mr. Potter luckily found and save you, yes?"

"Well, I guess," I mumbled, feeling quite embarrassed about the whole situation. I knew my cheeks were a bright shade of pink and pulled the covers up a bit to hide them, feeling like a little kid as I did so.

I turned the events over in my head, replaying the previous encounters with him from before. I was so stupid. I had been suspicious but had done something like a big idiot. I lay there grumpily, stewing in self-dislike, when a thought popped into my mind.

"Wait, Potter?"

"Yes, young Mr. Potter brought you up here along with Mr. Black. The two then set off in a rush after making sure you were situated and just an hour ago Professor McGonagall came in here to explain that they're now in detention for hexing Bertram Aubrey. They used quite a nasty one on him, I do believe, because I think it was an illegal one," she made another tutting noise as she handed me a glass of water before leaving me to my thoughts.

I dozed off for another hour or so but I was woken up by a soft shaking. I jerked away from the source of the disruption and, when I saw no one, scowled up at the air, "James Fleamont Potter, stop lurking about!"

I heard a small chuckle and I waited patiently until the laughter died and he threw off his invisibility cloak, grinning at me. Grinning!

"You idiot," I hissed, wanting to slap him upside the head for his stupidity, "Why'd you get yourself detention by hexing him? I know he's an absolute jerk but that's no reason to use illegals hexes on him!"

"It was one illegal hex, first of all. And, actually, there was a reason. You could've died out there in the snow, frozen to death before anyone noticed. Your dormmates thankfully noticed that you hadn't returned for hours. Diane told me that she'd seen you and Aubrey heading out for the Shrieking Shack and I put two and two together," he explained, a serious expression on his face. In his eyes, I could see fear and something else but he threw his cloak back on, disappearing before I could figure it out.

I was going to strangle that boy, I swore to myself.

...

A couple of weeks after the incident, I was able to forgive James, more or less. He did a lot of begging and apologizing over the days and I eventually relented, since it was getting annoying. He'd show up in the hallways, in the common room, the courtyard, etc. just to apologize some more.

I avoided him a little but he went out of his way to find me most days while I was doing other things. On such an occasion, my friends and I were all in the library, settled at a table in a far corner, when four certain some ones showed up.

"Lily, can I speak with you?" James asked, focusing entirely on Lily. He usually greeted the rest of us, even if it was just a glance and a small smile, but he seemed dead set on keeping his full attention on her, as if a distraction would make her disappear in a puff of smoke.

Lily stood up and shared a look with Alice, "Fine." She followed James away to another part of the library, deeper into the shelves, leaving the rest of us in awkward silence.

Finally, we gestured for Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew to come and sit down in the empty chairs at our table. They obliged and settled into the seats. Lupin leaned across the table to me and, at his look, I found myself doing the same.

"Kane, I just want to warn you that James is stubborn and does stupid things," he said quietly, looking quite serious.

I nodded slowly, wondering what he was talking about, "I know that, why're you telling me this now?"

"You'll see eventually," he sighed and leaned back, rubbing his face with his hand, "I'm sorry."

I had no response to his interesting comments so I let it be, instead returning to my work. We all sat in silence until James and Lily returned. The marauder had somewhat smug grin on his face, as if his brain knew he should look that way but his face didn't want to agree.

His friends stood and they all walked away, leaving us as they left the library. Ruby turned to Lily as she sat down, "Did he ask you out again?"

"He did," she responded softly, watching where they'd disappeared through the shelves.

"And did you say yes?"

Lily nodded.

My heart dropped. Completely and utterly dropped, straight down to the floor. I felt like someone had stolen the air from the room and I found myself breathing heavily, gulping in what air I could. None of the others noticed as I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted to distract myself from the emotional pain in my chest because, as I sat there, I had to admit to myself.

I'd fallen, well and truly, head over heels for James Potter, though he loved another.

...

After that day, I went out of my way to avoid James whenever I possibly could. If I saw him in the hallways, I'd duck down another passage, even if it took longer to get to where I was trying to head to.

I hung my head in the halls if I had no way to dart away, hoping he wouldn't see me. It worked most times but, if he spotted me and tried to come closer, I'd quicken my pace and pretend not to hear, hurrying away into the crowd so it would swallow me. Masking me from his sight.

I was such a Gryffindor.

I even avoided most of my dormmates, since they would know what was up. We could always see through each other and this wasn't something I wanted to be shared, since Lily and James would most likely end up happily together.

...

The day after their Hogsmeade date, I shut myself away in the library for the whole day, not wanting to hear anything about how well their date had gone. I was tucked in the very far back corner, lit only by a small candle, and hunched over a book. It wasn't even interesting or very comprehendible but I read it anyway, needing something to distract myself with.

I was startled, almost knocking over the candle with my elbow, when James himself appeared in front of me. I shoved everything haphazardly into my bag and rushed past him, head down as I dashed out of the library. I could hear him following after me down the hallway, his footsteps echoing just as loudly as my own, though my heart was starting to drown out both.

"Kane, please, wait," he latched onto my wrist and I could hear the worry and conflict in his voice, "Why're you avoiding me?"

"It's nothing," I answered, pulling my wrist away from him and starting off down the hall again.

He rushed to get in front of me, halting my progress, "Please, tell me. I miss you."

The words slipped out and even his own face seemed mildly surprised but then it turned to a look of certainty as he repeated them again, more firmly and taking a step towards me.

I didn't step away, instead asking, "Fine, do you really want to know?" My voice was softer than I had meant to and had cracked in the middle since I was hoping that he would change his mind, say no and walk off so I could run away from my problems like I was a little kid again.

"Yes."

I fell silent, watching his eyes. I knew he could see some of it in my gaze because my cheeks were now an eye-catching pink, both furious and embarrassed. I sucked in a breath, cleared my throat, then launched into it, "I was enchanted."

"Excuse me?"

"I was enchanted," I repeated, cutting him off and closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see his face, wouldn't have to see his bad reaction to my confession, "but you loved another. Something about you was infatuating and I fell for your teasing, though you clearly only had eyes for one. I watched as you chased one of my best friend for years, telling myself with stupid hope 'please don't be in love with someone else.'"

I turned, wanting to run away in the opposite direction like the pure coward I am but his next words halted me, forcing me to falter, "There won't be a second date."

"What?" I couldn't help but whirl around, my curiosity getting the better of me as I blurted, "I thought you saw her as your one and only, your soulmate."

I couldn't keep the venom out of my tone and I felt the sharp stab of regret when his eyes turned hurt and he took a step back. He took a deep breath then admitted, "It wasn't how I pictured it. Didn't feel right."

I looked at him, stunned, as my heart dared to lift itself in hope. I stamped it down and said, trying to sound unbothered, "She's opening her heart to you, why don't you try again?"

He had no hesitation in his next words, "No. She's not right."

"Are you sure, James?" I wasn't sure why I was still pushing for him and Lily but my mouth kept going as my eyes held his gaze. I cleared my throat then looked away, unable to look into his eyes any longer, "You were smitten for years and now... and now that she's said yes, you move on?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him run a nervous hand through his hair, flashing a sheepish look, "I sound like a jerk, but my feelings changed sometime last year, I suppose. I was too proud to drop it by then."

"Great," I muttered quietly, sounding bitter though I should've had a happier tone.

He said my name softly and I raised my eyes the few inches to his, noting how he was now standing closer, "We don't have to do anything right now, I'll wait."

"Like you did for Lily," I whispered, watching as he took my right hand and giving a squeeze, one that couldn't have been more different from Aubrey's. His hand was warm and soft, a comforting feeling that made me want to hold his hand for the rest of time.

He smiled and nodded, "Of course."

A sudden whistling came from the end of the hallway and we both turned to see all of our friends huddled at the end of the hallway. Ruby and Black had been the ones whistling and they smirked simultaneously, waving mischievously to us both.

I flushed and tried to pull away from James, feeling embarrassed, but he held onto my hand, keeping me anchored next to him as he glared at his friends. It was clearly for show because the other marauders showed no remorse, instead grinning brightly in return.

"Took you long enough, Prongs," Black called, barking a laugh.

James swore under his breath, something about terrible timing, and shouted in a more annoyed tone, "Shove off, Padfoot."

I smiled, letting myself get lost in the moment, relishing the feeling of finally standing with James Potter holding my hand, the boy who had captured my heart years ago.

...

Whew, it's eleven thirteen at night and I've been writing for a good hour before this to finish it tonight. Been working hard on this for a couple weeks (since it was taken down for many, many months) but here it is! I love how it turned out. Much more emotion, more details. It really shows my improvement over the past year (dang, a year?). Anyways, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy the rest of my oneshots!

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[Word Count: 11018]

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