Chapter 35

"I can't believe we're here," James frowned, running a hand through his - styled- hair, his eyes narrowed at everyone around them, "why didn't you just say no?"

"Because Isabelle has just lost her husband and her son, I bet half of these people didn't even know Caden," Nora whispered, throwing him a glare whilst trying to ignore how incredibly good looking he was in a suit, "she needed some support."

"Is this what it's going to be like having a Hufflepuff as a girlfriend? Just you being nice all the time?" asked James, his eyebrow raised as he watched Nora turn to him.

She gripped his coat, pulling him close to her, so close, in fact that their lips almost brushed - which of course, was entirely inappropriate for a funeral - and with a smirk on her lips, subtly trailing her eyes to his, she whispered, "never underestimate a badger, James Potter."

"I learned that a long time ago," he smirked, leaning down to press his lips to hers, but missing when she stepped back, winking at him, she slipped her hand into his, pulling him along, "you tease."

"Don't you think it would be entirely inappropriate for us to just start kissing outside of a funeral?" she whispered quietly, her eyebrow raised as he shrugged.

"It's not like I care about him," James grumbled, his eyes dark as he eyed the people mourning around him, crying over the loss of someone 'so young'.

He wanted to scream as he heard people, his family, he supposed, talking about him, "he was the loveliest boy," they would say, shaking their heads, and dabbing their eyes with crisp white cotton handkerchiefs.

"I know you don't care about him, James," Nora whispered, pulling him closer to her for comfort, "and I don't either, I feel free, I feel at peace, but Isabelle needed me, and I wasn't going to let her down, she is distraught, James, she came and visited me at school, for merlin's sake, so please, for me, will you just pretend that you're sad?"

"Only because it's for you," he huffed, gripping her tightly as they walked through the crowd of people, soon spotting Isabelle who gestured them over.

"Isabelle," Nora sighed, a sympathetic look thrown her way, "how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Nora," she sighed, "It's nice to see you again, uh-"

"James, James Potter," he forced a smile, taking her outstretched hand politely to shake it.

"James, yes," Isabelle nodded, "I'm sorry, for you too, when you were fighting for justice for Nora, I was fighting for my son who was very evidently in the wrong, and for that I apologise."

"I understand, Mrs Duncan, I can't say that I know what you're going through, but I do get that it must be tough, you must have wished that Caden wasn't capable of what he had done," James sighed, patting her shoulder as he sent her a dazzling smile, "I really am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, really," Isabelle smiled.

"Such a lovely young man," Nora heard Isabelle say as she bid them a goodbye, gesturing to the seats close to where they stood as she moved to greet an older couple.

"You little shi-"

"Now, now, Nora," James tutted, a subtle smirk on his lips as he whispered in her ear, his lips - oh so subtly - brushing her ear, "we're at a funeral, how dare you use that language."

"You're not taking this very seriously, James," Nora huffed, "I should have just come myself."

"Nora-" James sighed, taking a step in front of her and reaching for her hands, intertwining their fingers as he pulled her closer, "look, it's just- I want you to forget about Caden, that's what I thought you wanted, to leave it in the past and try and move on, I know that this is hurting you terribly, and I will do everything in my power to make you happy, to bring you back, but until then, we'll get through this hurt together, because merlin I'm not leaving your side. I just want you to be alright, but how are you going to be alright if he is still a part of your life? I don't want him to impact you anymore than it has, I don't want you to get up there and have to mourn a life that impacted yours for the worst."

He had his hands on either side of her face as he finished, pain in his eyes that she wished wasn't there, a frown on his lips as he pulled her closer, unable to care that there were some lingering stares on the two around the church.

"No one deserves to go through what you went through, love," he sighed, pressing his lips to her forehead, "I don't want your pain to come back."

"I know, James," she sighed, taking a step forward and wrapping her arms around him tightly, a shaky sigh escaping her lips, her arms tightening around his waist and her head on his chest, "thank you for coming with me, because in all honesty, I don't think I would be able to do it without you, you have been there me through all of this, you have took my hand and pulled me with you, I'm sorry, for snapping at you."

"Don't be, baby girl," he whispered in her ear, gripping her tighter, pressing soft kisses to her ear as she sighed, "you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for."

"I thought I was weak for needing you James," Nora confessed, a frown upon her lips, "that I couldn't handle this myself, that I needed you to hold my hand and guide me through it, I want to be strong enough to do it myself, to be able to cope by on my own."

"Nora," James sighed, guiding her chin to look at him, his eyes searching hers, whilst his own held nothing but love, sincerity, adoration, and soon, did he speak, "It's alright to need someone, love, most people do."

-

"Now if you would all stand, Miss Nora Robinson, a close friend of Caden's would like to say a few words."

James almost scoffed as he squeezed Nora's hand comfortingly, sending her a reassuring smile when she turned to him, a puff of air leaving her lips as she stood, trying to push the nerves to the back of her mind, hoping the butterflies in her stomach would tame.

She had gone over her speech countless times, by herself and even with Isabelle who approved of it immediately, she was scared of the amount of people staring at her as she walked to the alter, climbing the small step that lead to the podium.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of people in front of her as she sat the piece of paper onto the podium, closing her eyes for a moment, when she opened, they were staring at James, who in turn was smiling at her, subtly giving her a thumbs up, mouthing 'you can do this, love' to her.

She nodded slowly, clearing her throat in the silent church, she finally spoke, "for the most part of four years, Caden was my best friend, we were inseparable the moment that we spoke a word to each other. It was always myself, Caden, and uh, my best friend Aubrey, who sadly couldn't be here today," she coughed slightly, seeing as Aubrey could have been here, she just simply blatantly refused.

"For the most part, Caden was lovely, a sweet boy who would help you in a heartbeat, who would put a smile on your face and warm your heart. He helped everyone he could, he was a kind soul, and a happy human being.

We had so many adventures together, we had the wildest imagination, we played games for hours and hours, happier than ever, with bright smiles on our faces and laughs filling the air, I can't deny that I miss that.

I miss him, I miss that Caden.

That is the Caden that I mourn today.

You may be wondering why I say for the most part, understandably, I would be confused too. I hope you don't think this is entirely inappropriate to bring up whilst at a funeral, but, b-but, I have to, I cannot take it any longer.

The months leading up to his death, Caden and I weren't on the best of terms, to say the least, I will spare you the details, but I can tell you that Caden became cruel, and vicious, and it was entirely shocking that the once lovely boy could do something like this.

He hurt me, emotionally and physically, I had broken bones because of him, and well, my heart broke too. I know you all wouldn't want to hear this, about the boy that you all knew and loved turning out to be someone different, someone else.

And whilst this pains me to say, as one of the people he hurt, we are not here to celebrate the life of that boy, the one able to hurt people who he was supposed to love.

We are here to celebrate the boy that he once was, the boy always willing to help, the boy- no," she stopped herself, cut herself off, tears streaming down her face, not for Caden, no, but because she felt as though she was excusing the pain he caused her.

And she couldn't have that.

"I'm sorry," her voice cracked, her eyes blinking the tears away as she pushed herself off of the alter, her feet hitting the ground painfully as she ran, sprinted down the aisle, completely oblivious to James who had stood up and was now hurrying after her.

The bright sky illuminated her skin as she ran outside unsure of where she could go, she simply ran right, ran out of the gates of the church and across the - thankfully quiet - road, her screams filled the space around her, screaming at the sky, at the earth.

Her steps had faltered suddenly, but that didn't falter her, she was still running, but her energy was lowering, and soon did two arms sneak around her waist, pulling her off of the ground, even with her struggle, "let me go, let me go!"

"Nora," James whispered, setting her down, "it's me, I'm not going to hurt you, baby, it's me, you're alright," he turned her around, showing her his face, and soon did the sobs wrack her body, allowing her to fall into James' arms who held her tightly, his hand tangled in her hair as he guided her to the ground.

"I-I couldn't do it-" she croaked, cutting herself off, her throat dry, her tears wetting James' shirt, but he didn't care, that was the least of his worries."

"It's alright, love," James guided her to look at him, wiping her tears softly before pressing a kiss to her eyelids, "it's okay, baby, I promise, it's alright."

"It was like I was sweeping what he did to me under a rug," she choked out, gripping his hand tightly, but soon did she stand up, gripping her hair frustratedly as James did the same.

"Nora, look at me," James spoke, watching her turn to him, "tell me what you're feeling, tell me everything."

"I am trying to be strong, I am trying to be so fucking strong, I hate this, I hate him so much, I wish we didn't come here today, I wish I never had to see him again, or hear his godawful name!" she screeched, stomping around the grass that she stood on, and soon did she see a dandelion amidst the grass, pointing to it, she stomped over to it, lifting her foot and crushing it, "that was Caden, that was him, and my foot is me, because he did something to me that I can't get out of my mind, that I think of all the time!"

"Let it out, love!" James encouraged her, nodding as he watched her intently.

"I'm glad he is fucking dead!" she exclaimed, "there, I said it, I'm glad, because for the first fucking time, I feel free, I feel as though I can find peace without him in there, without worrying that he will be there, he's just a thought now, and speaking at his fucking funeral was the last thing I ever want to do!"

Her tears streamed down her face as she paced, "why should I have to celebrate the boy he once was when that boy was long gone?! You know what he was, a fucking arse!"

James took a step forward, reaching for her hand, pulling her closer until he had her in his embrace, his eyes closing when her sobs filled the air, his hand on her head pulling her closer whilst she gripped his shirt, taking a deep breath.

"You know what you need to do?" James spoke, looking down at her whilst she pulled away to see his face, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him, shaking her head as she done so, "scream, you need to scream, and let it all out."

"Scream?"

"Yes, scream!" James exclaimed, "because that scream will be Caden, and it will be the memories of Caden leaving your body for good."

So, she screamed, loudly, to the point that the birds left the trees and James took a step back, a smile on his lips, his eyes wide with adoration and his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at her, his head titled as he watched the girl.

As he watched the girl he was falling in love with scream away the pain.