H E A D B O Y
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It was as if in an instant, her thoughts erupted into a shrill chaos. The rather plain trickle of dreadful pondering at her friends' earlier discovery turned into a thick, heavy downpour of alarm at his words. It clouded her brain and weighed against her previous thoughts. I love you. I love you. I love you.

The idea of commitment was not hard for her, not with the fear of aloneness she held. However, the concept of deciphering her feelings was just the opposite.

She opened her mouth with a complex emotion of want and desire to respond to his disorienting statement. Then she closed it. Freya racked her brain for any sort of thing to say back, but only came up with a conclusion that she looked like a dying fish out of water, opening and closing its mouth. If anyone knew of the crashing waves of ideas that filled up her head — they would easily understand the fish motions, and the difficulty breathing.

Remus's heart sunk, as if it were an anchor inside the very waves she was consumed in.

She could see it on his face and it instantly snapped her away from her confusion, with a sudden click she began to return his words. They began to slip out naturally, as if she'd felt them all along, "I —"

A loud clatter against the glass of the window to her right interrupted whatever statement had begun to slip through her cherry lips. Cerulean eyes flickered in the direction of the opening, only to be met with the sight of a runty, and possibly quite new to the whole delivering business, owl. It propped against the glass with ruffled feathers, still befuddled from the harsh impact.

The clamorous noise on the pane seemed to be louder than they both had thought, because at that moment, Peter curiously wandered into the kitchen with Mrs. Potter closely behind to survey the situation. "Will one of you get that?"

The short boy's eyes strolled between his two friends, and instantly noticed that something was off between the two. Remus looked partially crestfallen, and Freya looked as if she would practically burst if she did not say whatever information she was withholding.

Peter quite honestly wished to dash right back out of the room where he had come from. His foot twitched, body turning towards the exit.

Mrs. Potter coughed. When the boy turned to gaze at her, she stared directly back with one raised eyebrow. Needless to say, his feet turned directly back towards the window, and his chubby fingers unlocked the glass.

A warm breeze immediately drafted into the room as the glass was unsealed. It brushed against Freya's face and made a few of her blonde locks trail slightly behind her. However, airflow was not the only thing that wafted into the room. The runty owl gave a sharp peck to Peter's index finger that had poked it, and a scratch on his nose for good measure, before it spread its wings in flight. The boy backed away from the window with a gasp, which allowed the bird to glide across the kitchen and onto the edge of a jar that held an assortment of cookies.

It seemed to realize what it was perched on top of, for the owl immediately began to peck at the container that sat under it. Mrs. Potter untied the two letters from its clawed leg as they all silently contemplated on how the pitiful little creature managed to carry the envelopes that far. The elderly woman pitied it though, and shifted her hand to open the jar. The bird took the hint and fluttered upwards as she grabbed a treat for it.

As Mrs. Potter backed away from the small animal that dropped crumbs onto the counter as it ate, she skimmed the backsides of the two, sepia envelopes that delicately rested between her index and thumb finger.

Mrs. Potter opened her mouth to call whoever the letters were for, but the numerous bodies that practically burst down the stairs and into the room made her purse her lips. Lily immediately met Freya's gaze with wide, verdurous eyes, and she had no doubt that Sirius had told James, who had then told Lily.

James, who had also entered the room in a state of ecstatic shock and pure awe, opened his mouth to speak with no regard of his mother that stood in earshot.

"Moony what the —"

"James!" Remus let out a forced laugh, "Your mother has a letter for you I believe."

A nervous, pursed lip smile crossed the woman's lined face as she nodded briskly, her hand held the letters out in front of her, "One for you, one for Lily."

Although Lily snatched the letter with uncommon eagerness, silently hoping it was in fact what she thought it was, James took his with easing confusion. By the time his own envelope was just beginning to be peeled back, Lily was skimming her bright eyes across her opened letter.

A squeal escaped her mouth and she immediately flung herself across the room and into the arms of her blonde best friend, "Read it!"

A genuine smile crossed Freya's face when she finished reading the paper, but no amount of happiness for her friend could cover the anxiousness of responding to Remus. The attention of the room soon turned from Lily, to James, who still stood rooted in the same spot with his mouth slightly opened. He did not even bother to push Sirius away from prying over his left shoulder.

"Head Boy?" Sirius laughed loudly as Mrs. Potter gushed over her son, no doubt wanting to take the letter and put it up safely before the two friends accidentally ruined it in their predictable horseplay.

"But what about Remus?" the redhead questioned as she turned her gaze to the subject of the sentence. The boy simply shrugged his shoulders, unable to deduce how he felt about not being chosen as he so desperately wished to speak to Freya.

The woman's grin did not fade as she walked towards the steps, "I have to tell your father.. He will be so proud of you! Fleamont!" She called the man's name as she stepped out of sight.

Sirius was still rolling with laughter. "What Professor did you shag, Prongs?"

James seemed to snap out of his astonishment as a smirk causing thought seeped into his mind, "Head Boy and Head Girl, huh, Evans?"

The redhead looked down at her letter with less joy. When her head titled back up to gaze at the boy, his smirk was met with a glare. "I do hope Dumbledore is alright."

"Why do you say that?" James raised an eyebrow.

It took all her effort not to giggle as she spoke next, because the truth was — James Potter was not all that bad in Lily's mind.

"Because he clearly hit his head before making this decision."

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After another half an hour, the group was kicked out of the kitchen by Mrs. Potter, who had a grand idea to make a cake in celebration. She stated, mainly to her son, that they were to work on their summer assignments.

The couple received many awkward reactions on the way up, the most awkward being when Lily nearly fell down the stairs after James suspiciously stated that the sheets in his room were disarranged untidily as well.

By the fifth joke that was called from the other room by Sirius, quiet enough so the Potters could not hear, but loud enough to reach Freya's ears, she almost strangled the onyx haired boy. Lily blocked her, of course, which gave Sirius the time to say that he had not, and would never betray his friends in any such way.

"If it wasn't you that told then who the hell was it?" Freya seethed.

The boy shrugged, and although she found his loyalty to be strikingly heartwarming, it was slightly annoying at the same time. Her eyes trailed across the room and landed on Peter, who perched at the end of the bed, surrounded by numerous books, with wide eyes.

"Sorry," he squeaked.

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As Freya had not brought her own assignments with her, and she had no desire to start from scratch, she had the perfect opportunity to speak with Remus. The boy had completed all of his essays, and they were tucked snugly under the sets of clothing in his suitcase. Safe from harm's way, otherwise known as James Potter and Sirius Black.

She found him in a bench outside, next to numerous flower pots, and she approached soundlessly with a sense of déjà vu. Though it was not the regular school bench he had escaped to last time, the scene reminded her of the moment he had admitted he was mad for her.

Only this time, he was the first to speak, "I'm sorry."

The blonde girl picked a windblown leaf off of the cotton shirt she wore as she sat onto the stone bench, "For?"

A cupped palm was brought to her forehead to block the harsh sun. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but could not find the words to express them.

"It's a shame if you're sorry for saying you love me Remus, because truly, I love you too. Way more than you know, hell, probably way more than I know for that matter, and —"

Whatever other ramblings were planned in her mind were cut off at that instant, for the boy had stood from the bench and reached for her arm. Before she even realized it, she too was mounted to the ground. Azure eyes met with his joyful ones, and his lips met her forehead as she laughed against his chest. She repeated the words again, "I love you."

"I love you too."

A loud cooing sound, that this time was not an owl, came from their left. Upon turning to meet it, Freya was met with the sight of the other three marauders. Under her scrutinizing gaze, Sirius and James both suspiciously sunk behind the side of the house and out of viewpoint. Peter still stood, unknowingly alone, before the neck of his tshirt was pulled, along with his body, out of sight.

Freya narrowed her eyes at the event, "I think they're summoning you."

After the fourth signal, Remus had no choice but to answer the calls. An apologetic glance was cast at Freya and a short hug was given, but soon he disappeared behind the house as well.

Not wanting to be involved in whatever troublesome prank they had at the moment, she raced inside to tell Lily the news. The smile was unable to fade from her face, and when Freya found the girl in the kitchen, she had a hard time letting the words flow from her mouth as anything but an excited jumble.

"Maybe we should just play charades," Lily sarcastically spoke with a raised brow as she looked up from her book.

Although the quip was meant to be nothing but an unamused, witty remark, Freya took the suggestion. Her arms formed a huge, a deformed, heart over her head. The result from Lily was a snort and a quick comment of how she'd known all along.

That was when the window over the sink, only a dozen strides away from the two girls, burst open. Glass shattered into the sink and across the wooden floor, right in front of Freya's bare feet. Her first impulse was to draw her wand as she remembered all the horrible events she had read about in the news.

An animalistic snort could be heard from the now broken opening of the window. She almost wished to peer down, but she held her ground as she looked at the glass shards surrounding her bare feet.

"Damnit, James!" The voice of the boy she absolutely adored could be heard outside.

"I think my aim was off."

"Oh, what could possibly make you say that?"

Another snort sounded.

"Well, the window did —"

"It was a rhetorical question, Peter."

Lily, who did have shoes on, tiptoed over the broken pieces and laced around the room in a curved path to see what the boys were doing. She peered down, "What was that, a bloody boulder?"

The blonde girl, letting curiosity and a bit of bravery overcome her, slid her wand into her sleeve and prepared to leap across the shards. She successfully made it without a scrape or scratch on her feet, but a small yelp of success. The gasp heard from Lily, followed by another snort, made her run to the edge of the window and peer down below.

"What is it?" She questioned, blushing a bit when Remus winked at her.

Yet another snort, this one extremely close to her left ear, resulted in Freya snapping her neck way too harshly to the direction of the sound.

The sight that her eyes met made her jump slightly, but soon a loud eruption of laughter exploded from her body. A large pig, having been levitating from the power of James's wand, floated next to the window with an alarmed look in its eyes. James was grinning in triumph, and Lily looked as if she was having an internal fight over being angry at the broken window, or laughing at the pig.

"What were your exact words, Evans?" He brought the pig back down to the ground, "'The day pigs fly and the day you wear a bloody head boy badge will be the day I go on a date with you?'"

"Where the hell did you even get the pig," she questioned suspiciously as Sirius burst into another series of laughs. She came to the conclusion that the boys must have robbed a neighbor.

The bespectacled boy shrugged, "Transfigured it. Don't change the subject, love."

A sigh sounded as Lily massaged her fingers against her temples, "Fine, James. One date."

A victory cry was heard, and later she would regret not turning to see James's dramatic dance, as the new arrival in the room distracted her. Although he had finally achieved his goal, a date with Lily Evans, his parents did not look overjoyed when looking at the broken shards of glass that littered their floor.

"James Potter!" Mrs. Potter fussed as her husband drew his wand.

The words, "Reparo," were muttered under his breath as the numerous pieces of glass were swept upwards. Freya pulled Lily's arm and the two girls shuffled backwards, away from the potential harm the floating shards could bring.

Soon enough, the portions of window were pieced back together like a puzzle at the frame, and the cheering of the Marauders could no long be heard.

"A month of back aching, wandless housework, that's what they'll get," the elderly woman was muttering under her breath harshly.

Fleamont Potter laughed, "They'll never learn. Now, dear, I must be off, so if you could hold off your wrath for a few minutes until I've said goodbye . . ."

Eyebrows furrowed and Freya curiously questioned, "Why're you leaving?"

The man hesitated, meeting his wife's gaze, who raised an eyebrow at him as if to silently tell him not to say anything. That seemed to be all the convincing he needed, for the expression caused him to shake his head and let a faux smile cross his lined face, "Just business, for the job is all."

Freya did not pry, as it wasn't her business, but simply nodded, "We'll miss you."

And the truth is, she would. The man was always kind and accepting of her and Lily's blood status, just as James was, despite being a pureblood. She remembered how she was bullied in second year by Severus's gang of friends. After a short argument with Lily, he ended the teases, but it always stuck with her. The way the word Mudblood was spat out in disgust, as if it were a venomous bile that scorched the mouth.

She had been upset for days over it, not entirely showing it, but being in a state of turmoil over her status, she had not chosen to be magical, how could they blame her? After almost a week, James wrote to his father about it, who in turn, sent a long letter to Freya of how she was more than the silly statuses that didn't matter. Being magical was a gift that was not born, but earned. Although the man did not entirely know it, the letter meant more than anyone would ever know. In fact, she still had it — tucked under a pile of photographs in a wooden chest at the end of her bed.

He wrapped the two girls in a hug, murmuring something in Freya's ear of how she should make amends with her parents. The blonde told him that she would think about it, but the silent thought in the back of her head was stubborn, and wished to do exactly the opposite.

The goodbyes took a fairly long amount of time, as James was quite questionable of why his father was leaving for at least a couple of days. The man stood his ground, not letting a single clue slip from his mouth, but instead enveloping Sirius and James in a tight, loving hug.

They watched from the grass, sun shining on their faces, as Fleamont Potter apparated in a flash before disappearing from the yard. Almost instantly, Mrs. Potter turned with crossed arms to the four boys, "Now, let's discuss my window."

➤

AUTHORS NOTE
here is a long (2792 words), lovable chapter in honor of 50k. thank you all so much for helping me achieve my goal, I literally screeched when I saw it this morning.

qotd: would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?
aotd: bees ouch